Page:The king's English (IA kingsenglish00fowlrich).pdf/339
There were not two dragon sentries keeping ward before the gate of this abode, as in magic legend are usually found on duty over the wronged innocence imprisoned.–Dickens.
The specialist is naturally best for his particular job; but if the particular specialist required is not on the spot, as must often be the case, the best substitute for him is not another specialist but the man trained to act for himself in all circumstances, as it has been the glory of our nation to produce both in the Army and elsewhere.–Times.
We question if throughout the French Revolution there was a single case of six or seven thousand insurgents blasted away by cannon shot, as is believed to have happened in Odessa.–Spectator. (This is much more defensible than the previous two; but when a definite noun—as here case—can be naturally supplied for the verb introduced by as, such as is better).
The decision of the French Government to send a special mission to represent France at the marriage of the German Crown Prince is not intended as anything more than a mere act of international courtesy, as is customary on such occasions.—Times.
Neither as nor such as should be made to do the work of the relative pronoun where there would be no awkwardness in using the pronoun itself.
With a speed of eight knots, as [which] has been found practicable in the case of the Suez Canal, the passage would occupy five days.–Times.
The West Indian atmosphere is not of the limpid brightness and transparent purity such as [that] are found in the sketch entitled 'A Street in Kingston'.–Times.
The ideal statues and groups in this room and the next are scarcely so interesting as we have sometimes seen.–Times. (As is clearly here a relative adverb, answering to so; nevertheless the construction can be theoretically justified, the full form being as we have sometimes seen groups interesting. But it is very ugly; why not say instead as some that we have seen?)
The idiom as who should say must not be used unless the sentence to which it is appended has for subject a person to whom the person implied in who is compared. This seems reasonable, and is borne out, for instance, by all the Shakespeare instances—a dozen—that we have looked at. The type is: The cloudy messenger turns me his back, and hums, as who should say:—&c.