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Bechtel, John Hendricks, 1841-

"Slips of Speech : a Helpful Book for Everyone Who Aspires to Correct the Everyday Errors of Speaking"

" Up is superfluous
and should be omitted.
Sink down
"The multitude sank down upon the ground." As they could not sink up
or in any other direction than down, the latter word should be
omitted.
Smell of
"Did you smell of the roses?" "No; but I smelled them and found them
very fragrant." "The gardener smelt of them for he has been culling
them all morning and his clothing is perfumed with them." The of is
superfluous in such expressions as taste of, feel of, and usually in
smell of.
Think for
"He is taller than you think for." For is unnecessary. "He is taller
than you think" is the contracted form of "He is taller than you think
he is."
Differ among themselves
"The authorities differed among themselves." The words among
themselves may be omitted.
End up
"That ends up the business." Say "that ends (or closes) the business."
Had have
"Had I have known that he was a lawyer I should have consulted him."
Omit have.
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Had ought to
"I had ought to have gone to school to-day; I hadn't ought to have
gone fishing.


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