r species wholly, as he did. "Yet they
absolutely _refuse doing so_, one with another."--_Harris's Hermes_, p.
264. Better, _"refuse to do so."_ "I had as repeatedly _declined_
going."--_Leigh Hunt's Byron_, p. 15.

3. After verbs of PREVENTING; as, "Our sex are happily _prevented from
engaging_ in these turbulent scenes."--_West's Letters to a Lady_, p. 74.
"To prevent our frail natures _from deviating_ into bye paths [write
_by-paths_] of error."--_Ib._, p. 100. "Prudence, prevents our speaking or
acting improperly."--_Blair's Rhet._, p. 99; _Murray's Gram._, p. 303;
_Jamieson's Rhet._, p. 72. This construction, though very common, is
palpably wrong: because its most natural interpretation is, "Prudence
improperly prevents our speech or action." These critics ought to have
known enough to say, "Prudence prevents _us from_ speaking or acting
improperly." "This, however, doth not _hinder_ pronunciation _to borrow_
from singing."--_Kames, El. of Crit._, ii, 70. Here the infinitive is used,
merely because it does not sound well to say, _"from borrowing from
singing;"_ but the expression might very well be changed thus, _"from being
indebted to singing."_ "'This by no means _hinders_ the book _to be_ a
useful one.'--_Geddes._ It should be, _'from being.'_"--_Churchill's
Gram._, p. 318.

4. After verbs of AVOIDING: as, "He might have _avoided treating_ of the
origin of ideas."--_Tooke's Diversions_, i, 28. "We may _avoid talking_
nonsense on these subjects."--_Campbell's Rhet._, p. 281. "But carefully
_avoid being_ at any time ostentatious and affected."--_Blair's Rhet._, p.
233. "Here I cannot _avoid mentioning_[420] the assistance I have
received."--_Churchill's Gram._, p. iv. "It is our duty to _avoid leading_
others into temptation,"--_West's Letters_, p. 33. "Nay, such a garden
should in some measure _avoid imitating_ nature."--_Kames, El. of Crit._,
ii, 251. "I can promise no entertainment to those who _shun
thinking_."--_Ib._, i, 36. "We cannot _help being_ of opinion."--ENCYC.
BRIT. _Murray's Gram._, p. 76. "I cannot _help being_ of
opinion."--_Blair's Rhet._, p. 311. "I cannot _help mentioning_ here one
character more."--_Hughes. Spect._, No. 554. "These would sometimes very
narrowly _miss being catched_ away."--_Steele_. "Carleton very narrowly
_escaped being taken_."--_Grimshaw's Hist._, p. 111. Better, "escaped
_from_ being taken;"--or, "_escaped capture_."

OBS. 19.--In sentences like the following, the parti