Such incomplete expressions as the following are very common:  “He has not gone to Europe, nor is he likely to.”  “She has not written her essay, nor does she intend to.”  “Can a man arrive at excellence who has no desire to?” The addition of the word go to the first sentence, and of write it, to the second would make them complete.  In the case of the third sentence it would be awkward to say, “Can a man arrive at excellence who has no desire to arrive at excellence.”  We therefore substitute the more convenient expression “to do so.”
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CHAPTER XI

 Participles

Participles relate to nouns or pronouns, or else are governed by prepositions.  Those ending in ing should not be made the subjects or objects of verbs while they retain the government and adjuncts of participles.  They may often be converted into nouns or take the form of the infinitive.

“Not attending to this rule is the cause of a very common error.”  Better, “Inattention to this rule,” etc.  “He abhorred being in debt.”  Better, “He abhorred debt,” “Cavilling and objecting upon any subject is much easier than clearing up difficulties.”  Say, “To cavil and object upon any subject is much easier than to clear up difficulties.”

Omit “of”

Active participles have the same government as the verbs from which they are derived.  The preposition of, therefore, should not be used after the participle, when the verb would not require it.  Omit of in such expressions as these:  “Keeping of one day
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in seven,” “By preaching of repentance,” “They left beating of Paul,” “From calling of names they came to blows,” “They set about repairing of the walls.”

If the article the occurs before the participle, the preposition of must be retained; as, “They strictly observed the keeping of one day in seven.”

When a transitive participle is converted into a noun, of must be inserted to govern the object following.  “He was very exact in forming his sentences,” “He was very exact in the formation of his sentences.”

Omit the possessive

The possessive case should not be prefixed to a participle that is not taken in all respects as a noun.  It should, therefore, be expunged in the following sentences:  “By our offending others, we expose ourselves.”  “She rewarded the boy for his studying so diligently.”  “He errs in his giving the word a double construction.”

The possessives in such cases as the following should be avoided:  “I have some recollection of his father’s being a judge.”  “To prevent its being a dry detail of terms.”  These sentences may be improved by recasting them.  “I have some recollection that his father was a judge.”  “To prevent it from being a dry detail of terms.”
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