To think of the campaign without the scene is as who should read a play by candle-light among the ghosts of an empty theatre.–Morley.
30. Brachylogy
1. Omission of a dependent noun in the second of two parallel series: 'The brim of my hat is wider than yours'. For this there is some justification: an ugly string of words is avoided, and the missing word is easily supplied from the first series; it has usually the effect, however, of attaching a preposition to the wrong noun:
I should be proud to lay an obligation upon my charmer to the amount of half, may, to the whole of my estate.–Richardson.
There is as much of the pure gospel in their teachings as in any other community of Christians in our land.
There cannot be the same reason for a prohibition of correspondence with me, as there was of mine with Mr. Lovelace.–Richardson.
Here the right preposition is retained.
A man holding such a responsible position as Minister of the United States.–D. SLADEN.
2. A preposition is sometimes left out, quite unwarrantably, from a mistaken idea of euphony:
Without troubling myself as to what such self-absorption might lead in the future.–Corelli. (lead to)
He chose to fancy that she was not suspicious of what all his acquaintance were perfectly aware—namely, that...—Thackeray. (aware of)
3. Impossible compromises between two possible alternatives.
To be a Christian means to us one who has been regenerated.–Daily Telegraph. ('A Christian means one who has': 'to be a Christian means to have been')
To do what as far as human possibility has proved out of his power.–Daily Telegraph. ('As a matter of human possibility': 'as far as human possibility goes')
One compromise of this kind has come to be generally recognized:
So far from being annoyed, he agreed at once. ('So far was he from being annoyed that...': 'far from being annoyed, he agreed')
