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PREPOSITIONS DEFINED AND ILLUSTRATED

142

The king,

His brother, and yours, abide all three distracted,
And the remainder mourning over them.

SHAKESPEARE The Tempest act v, sc. 1, 1. 13.

I chatter over stony ways, In little sharps and trebles.

TENNYSON The Brook st. 6.

5. Reaching above or beyond in quantity or amount; in excess of; more than; as, over $1,000.

[In this sense the expression more than is generally preferable. Standard Dictionary.] Madame de Villedeuil became indebted to Madame Eloffe to the extent of over two hundred livres for a presentation dress. Fortnightly Review vol. xlii, p. 287.

6. Pending the enjoyment or participation of; while engaged in or partaking of; as, the bargain was made over a bottle of wine.

SHAKESPEARE Romeo and Juliet act iii, sc. 5, 1. 173.

I am certain that nothing can be truly imputed to me beyond some foolish talk over a bottle.

MACAULAY England vol. ii, p. 398.

X-Prepositions Defined and Illustrated

PARTICIPIAL PREPOSITIONS

Many participles, as barring, bating, concerning, considering, during, excepting, notwithstanding, past, pending, regarding, re specting, saving, touching, etc., are used without direct connection with a subject, and with the force of prepositions; as, I spoke with him concerning this. Verbal or prepositional phrases may often be substituted for these terms; thus, as concerns may be used for concerning; in consideration of for considering; as regards, in or with regard to for regarding; as respects, in or with respect to for respecting.

Concerning may be exactly rendered by about, though not coextensive with the latter word. Considering is commonly used in a depreciatory sense, implying allowance for or deduction of the things considered; as, he did well considering his age, or considering the difficulties he had to meet.

See DURING, PAST, PENDING in alphabetical place.

See EXCEPTING under EXCEPT and SAVING under SAVE. Notwithstanding is used as a preposition by a reversal of the participial construction. Thus, "He arrived, all hindrances not withstanding" becomes prepositionally, "He arrived notwithstanding all hindrances.”

In answer to the question sometimes raised, whether in regard to and in respect to are correct expressions, or whether with regard to, with respect to should not be preferred, it should be said, first, that in regard to and in respect to are accepted idiomatic expressions used by the best writers and speakers; and, secondly, that in in such expressions is not used in the sense of inclusion, but of reference or relation, as in the phrase in relation to. In in such phrases might almost be rendered by having; as, having reference, relation, etc., to.

PAST

Past, originally the past participle of the verb pass, has acquired such complete independence of its verb that it may well be treated independently as a preposition.

I. Of place or space: beyond in position; farther than; by and beyond; by; as, I walked past the house; we have gone past the gate.

Past the pebbly beach the boat did flee
On sidelong wing into a silent cove.

SHELLEY Revoit of Islam can. 3, st. 34.

Friedrich brushes past the Liegnitz Garrison, leaves Liegnitz and it a trifle to the right.

CARLYLE Frederick vol. v, bk. xviii, ch. 9, p. 186.

II. Of time: to or at a later period than; later than; beyond; after; as, it is past noon; it is past the hour.

What is the time o' the day?

Ari. Past the mid season.

SHAKESPEARE The Tempest act. i, sc. 2, 1. 239.

I received them handsomely at half past seven, as the modern English now is. JOHN HOADLEY in Garrick's Private Correspondence, Letter of Sept. 19, 1773.

III. In general: beyond the reach, scope, influence, or enjoyment of; as, past endurance; past hope; past remedy.

The Dog-star rages! nay, 'tis past a doubt,

All Bedlam, or Parnassus, is let out.

POPE Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot 1. 3.

PENDING

Pending, though strictly the present participle of pend, await, is used so independently of its verb as to require special treat

ment as a preposition.

Of time exclusively:

1. During the continuance of; during; in the period covered by; as, pending debate.

However, he locked him up and had him sent to the West Side Court yesterday morning, where he was held pending investigation of his statement of forgery.

The New York Times Nov. 16, 1903.

2. During the time intervening before; while expecting or awaiting; as, pending decision.

The court met and adjourned pending the receipt of orders from the convening authority.

CHARLES KING Two Soldiers ch. 17, p. 118.

Pending the rule for the new trial, Mr. Quirk greatly increased the allowance of Titmouse.

CYRUS TOWNSEND BRADY Tittlebat Titmouse ch. xv, p 171.

PER

Per is a Latin preposition signifying by, by means of, through. It is correctly used as part of certain Latin phrases; as, per centum, by the hundred (abbreviated usually to per cent.); per annum, by the year; per contra, on the contrary; per diem, by the day; per se, by himself, or itself (most commonly used as meaning in itself; considered by itself alone; simply as such; in its own nature without reference to its relations; as, cruelty is a sin per se). Compare VIA.

The use of per as an English preposition in such phrases as per day, per gallon, per yard, per steamer, per invoice, is condemned on the ground that the joining of a Latin with an English word to form a phrase is a barbarism. Some of these phrases are, however, so convenient that they are likely to hold their own, at least in commercial life, especially since they may plead as examples the use of the Greek preposition anti and the Latin preposition er as English formatives, as in anti-expinsionist, ex-president.

See AROUND.

ROUND

SAVE, SAVING

Save, the imperative, and saving, the present participle (compare PARTICIPIAL PREPOSITIONS), of the verb save, are used with the force of prepositions, exactly equivalent to except or excepting, i. e., with the exception of.

There is nothing in Heaven or earth beneath
Save God and man.

WHITTIER My Soul and I st. 35.

In Virginia none could vote save those who possessed such a freehold of fifty acres. FISKE Crit. Period Am. Hist. ch. 3, p. 70. In the field of thought, nothing save the chaff perishes.

W. FRASER Blending Lights ch. 1, p. 11.

Saving has the further use, though this has now become rare, of signifying without disrespect to; as, saving your highness, saving your presence.

Gremio:

Saving your tale, Petruchio, I pray,

Let us, that are poor petitioners, speak too.

SHAKESPEARE The Taming of the Shrew act ii, sc. 1, 1. 72.

You, that have so fair parts of woman on you,

Have too a woman's heart; which ever yet

Affected eminence, wealth, sovereignty:

Which, to say sooth, are blessings, and which gifts
(Saving your mincing) the capacity

Of your soft cheveril conscience would receive,

If you might please to stretch it.

SHAKESPEARE K. Henry VIII. act ii, sc. 3, 1. 31

SINCE

Since is derived from the Anglo-Saxon siththan, from sith, after, plus tham, dative of that, that, thus signifying after that.

Of time exclusively: during or within the time after; ever after; at a time after; from or after the time, occurrence, or existence of; as, it is ten years since we began business; I have been here ever since I came.