An English Grammar Part 68

To.

325. Some uses of to are the following:--

(1) _Expressing motion_: (_a_) To a place.

Come _to_ the bridal chamber, Death!--HALLECK.

Rip had scrambled _to_ one of the highest peaks.--IRVING.

(_b_) Referring to time.

Full of schemes and speculations _to_ the last.--PARTON.

Revolutions, whose influence is felt _to_ this hour.--PARKMAN.

(2) _Expressing result._

He usually gave his draft to an aid...to be written over,--often _to_ the loss of vigor.--BENTON

_To_ our great delight, Ben Lomond was unshrouded.--B. TAYLOR

(3) _Expressing comparison._

But when, unmasked, gay Comedy appears, 'Tis ten _to_ one you find the girl in tears.

--ALDRICH

They are arrant rogues: Cacus was nothing _to_ them.--BULWER.

Bolingbroke and the wicked Lord Littleton were saints _to_ him.--WEBSTER

(4) _Expressing concern, interest._

_To_ the few, it may be genuine poetry.--BRYANT.

His brother had died, had ceased to be, _to_ him.--HALE.

Little mattered _to_ them occasional privations--BANCROFT.

(5) _Equivalent to_ according to.

Nor, _to_ my taste, does the mere music...of your style fall far below the highest efforts of poetry.--LANG.

We cook the dish _to_ our own appet.i.te.--GOLDSMITH.

(6) _With the infinitive_ (see Sec. 268).

Exercise.--Find sentences containing three uses of _to_.

With.

326. With expresses the idea of accompaniment, and hardly any of its applications vary from this general signification.

In Old English, _mid_ meant _in company with_, while _wi_ meant _against_: both meanings are included in the modern _with_.

The following meanings are expressed by _with_:--

(1) _Personal accompaniment._

The advance, _with_ Heyward at its head, had already reached the defile.--COOPER.

For many weeks I had walked _with_ this poor friendless girl.--DE QUINCEY.

(2) _Instrumentality._

_With_ my crossbow I shot the albatross.--COLERIDGE.

Either _with_ the swingle-bar, or _with_ the haunch of our near leader, we had struck the off-wheel of the little gig.--DE QUINCEY.

(3) _Cause, reason, motive._

He was wild _with_ delight about Texas.--HALE.

She seemed pleased _with_ the accident.--HOWELLS.

(4) _Estimation, opinion._

How can a writer's verses be numerous if _with_ him, as _with_ you, "poetry is not a pursuit, but a pleasure"?--LANG.

It seemed a supreme moment _with_ him.--HOWELLS.

(5) _Opposition_.

After battling _with_ terrific hurricanes and typhoons on every known sea.--ALDRICH.

The quarrel of the sentimentalists is not _with_ life, but _with_ you.--LANG.

(6) _The equivalent of_ notwithstanding, in spite of.

_With_ all his sensibility, he gave millions to the sword.--CHANNING.

Messala, _with_ all his boldness, felt it unsafe to trifle further.--WALLACE

(7) _Time._

He expired _with_ these words.--SCOTT.