David Harrison Horton & Hidesaburo Saito


ON

A title is but the stamp on the coin.
How beautiful is the moonlight on the lake?
What on earth are you?
Dinner is on the table.
The story is absurd on the face of it.
The man was killed on the spot.
His name stands first on the list.
I am on par with the world.
London is situated on the Thames.
He gave no heed to my warnings till he found himself on the brink of ruin.
The train was on the point of starting when I got to the station.
Manchuria borders on Siberia.
His deliverance borders on the miraculous.
One calamity followed close on another.
He is close upon forty years of age.
The enemy sustained loss on loss.
The king encroached on his neighbor’s territory.
The cruiser was gaining upon the chase.
On one side lay the ocean.
He walked in with his wife on one hand and his daughter on the other.
Endeavours shall not be wanting on my part.
His guest occupied the post of honour on his right.
Manchuria is bounded on the north by Siberia.
He blames me for want of diligence; while, on the contrary I have done all I could.
The streets were deserted by everybody except the policeman on duty.
We saw a house on fire.
We were constantly on the watch, lest we should be surprised.
He is always on his guard; he is never taken off his guard.
I have sent my servant on an errand.
On leaving college, he started on his travels.
Her husband is always on a voyage.
I wish you to enter upon your duties at once.
He is constantly on his legs and very tedious.
He always has a quarrel or two on his hands.
A few were on horseback, the others on foot.
He used to be absent for days on end.
Do not stand on ceremony with me.
I insist upon knowing the reason.
He prides himself on his attainments.
Time lay heavily on his hands.
The tax will bear hard on the people.
Don’t be hard upon me.
It is incumbent upon me to explain my conduct.
The issue of the battle hangs on a hair.
You may depend upon the truth of my statement.
The whole city depends on this river for its water-supply.
He is still dependent on his father.
I bought the house on the strength of your representations.
He has not sufficient income to live upon.
All practice rests on some principle.
He staked his reputation on the result.
When fact fails, he draws upon his imagination.
I always act upon this rule.
He is a procrastinator on principle.
On his doctor’s advice, he went on his travels.
I have it on good authority.
I gave up the idea of going abroad on account of indisposition.
He was beheaded on a charge of treason.
He refused to see me on the plea of illness.
The people were prohibited from leaving the country on penalty of death.
On what basis am I to be engaged?
I will consent on that condition.
I can not accept on such terms.
It is difficult to keep on terms with such a man.
I am on a familiar footing with him.
Upon my word, I don’t know.
I am not one of those who take things on trust.
He is sore on the subject of his son’s failure.
I shall not dwell on the subject at any length.
In every action reflect on the end.
Allow me to congratulate you on your success.
I lighted upon him in one of my rambles about town.
How did you hit upon such a good idea?
The house looks out on the river.
They shut the door on me.
How does your remark bear on the matter at hand?
This was the first shadow that fell upon me.
The man who I had thought dead sprang upon me.
The king made war upon his neighbour.
He being no more, the duty naturally devolves upon you.
The sun never sets on the British Empire.
At last the truth dawned on me.
Everybody looks on the project with favour.
Fortune has smiled on Japan’s arms.
The landlady herself waited upon us.
He dotes on his young wife.
He is an extraordinary man; I never set eyes on his like.
Fix your eyes on this spot.
His eyes were fastened on the ground.
Their eyes centered upon him.
You must keep an eye upon him.
The day for my departure is not yet fixed upon.
I knew that he was bent on mischief.
It is not for the pupil to sit in judgement on his master.
I read whatever I can lay my hands on.
Do not lay the blame on the poor fellow.
You have imposed a difficult task upon me.
Do you mean to charge the guilt upon me?
I will be revenged upon him.
The war was forced upon us.
They impose false articles upon the public as genuine.
Her ‘prentice hand she tried on man, / And then she made the lasses O!
Such men impose upon the public.
Chemists experiment on various substances in order to discover their properties.
Acid acts on metals.
The medicine has no effect on me.
She is a skillful performer on the violin.
Do not suffer yourself to be put upon.
What put you on doing such a thing?
He put a bold face upon the matter, and said that the watch was his own.
He wears a ring on the third finger.
The soldiers took upon themselves to dispose of the sovereignty as they pleased.
The country calls upon us to defend her.
I have no claim upon you.
This fact throws a new light on the subject.
The title of marquis was conferred upon him.
I will not waste words on such a fool.
Have mercy on me!
He loses no occasion to cast a slur on the reputation of his rival.
I mean no reflection on his character.
I tried to impress upon him the importance of the matter.
I urged upon him the necessity of studying harder.
The event is deeply impressed on my mind.
I struck him a hard blow on the head.
He always uses the right word in the right place, — hits the right nail on the head, as it were.
He draws a long bow on occasion.
A banquet is given on the 3rd of November.
The general dies on the eve of victory.
On leaving school, he engaged in business.
On enquiry, the report turned out false.
The traveller drew a pistol from his pocket, upon which the highwayman took to his heels.




TO

Our “Mathematick” is one which Newton would have to go to school to learn.
I went to work on the problem, and solved it to my satisfaction.
The brothers went to law about the inheritance.
I have no intention of running through the catalogue of the virtues, — you must go Aristotle for that.
The house is going to rack and ruin for want of repairs.
What comes from the heart goes to the heart.
Twelve ounces go to the pound.
If he does not amend his courses, he will come to grief.
Your letter has duly come to hand.
Russia has not yet come to her senses.
All my efforts have come to naught.
I will come to the point at once.
When he came to the throne, he effected many reforms.
I hope the war will soon come to an end.
The project has not yet come to a head.
If we can come to terms, I shall buy the whole lot.
We had some words about the matter, and finally come to blows.
Is it come to this?
I got to the station just in time.
It is hard to attain perfection in anything.
A great nation, like a great man, will rise to the occasion.
Such fortune falls to the lot of few men.
Supper was brought in, and we fell to.
We can but die; nothing worse can happen to us.
Thus far we have treated to generals; let us now descend to particulars.
Russia always turns to France for aid.
To return to our subject.
We must bow to the will of heaven.
Do not yield to temptation.
He listened to me with attention.
I must attend to my business.
We must look to the matter.
I can not agree to such a proposal.
His mother objects to his going abroad.
His father has no objection to his going.
I have a dislike to him.
I know him by sight, but I never spoke to him.
I will write to him on the subject.
I called a driver to stop.
The most absolute monarch must appeal, in time of need, to the people for support.
Would to heaven it were so!
The magnetic needle points to the north.
Everybody point to him as the greatest scholar alive.
Everything points to approaching peace.
I can testify to the truth of his statement.
Bird-lime sticks to feathers.
We must adhere to the original plan.
You must keep to the terms of the contract.
He does not belong to any party or faction.
It seems to me that he is not in his right mind.
No man is a hero to his valet.
Did it occur to you that such a thing might be possible?
I wish to bring the matter to a speedy conclusion.
I beg to call your attention to the fact.
I will not carry the matter to extremes.
Despair drove him to suicide.
The men are confident of their general leading them to glory.
Her eloquence moved her audience to tears.
I have sent the letter to its destination.
Take the letter to its address.
Throw physic to the dogs; I’ll have none of it.
He now bent his mind to public business.
He can turn his hand to anything.
To whom is the letter directed?
If he disobeys me, I will give it to him.
Give me liberty, or give me death.
One should not give way to fits of passion.
'Tis distance lends enchantment to the view.
You must pay attention to what I say.
I leave the matter to your judgment.
At last the Russians gave up the fortress to the Japanese.
They are handed over to the tender mercies of the examiner.
What do you say to a trip to the seaside?
Tell it to the horse-marines.
They laid the loss to his charge.
Put it down to my account.
They set down his success to good luck.
We shall place the sum to your credit.
They attribute his success to good luck.
He owes his success to good luck.
Lots were drawn to decide as to who should apply the match to the train?
The massacre of the citizens added fuel to the fire.
I must bind you to secrecy for a year.
He attached himself to the exploring party all through.
Suit the action to the word, and the word to the action.
I do not mind hard work, for I am quite used to it.
He is well trained to the business.
Life is often likened to a voyage.
Keep close to the wall, and you will escape observation.
Your views are opposite to mine.
God be merciful to me, a miserable sinner.
The painting is true to nature.
He is given to boasting of his skill.
Nothing disturbs the tranquility of their souls, equally insensible to disasters and to prosperity.
He is sufficiently alive to the beauties of nature, but he is more alive to his own interests.
Praise or censure is indifferent to him.
The arrangement is quite agreeable to me.
The war will prove most beneficial to us.
The knowledge of English is useful to everybody.
Fame is dear to the heart of every Japanese.
The man and the work must be suited to each other.
I do not mind hard work, for I am quite used to it.
Are you related to him in any way?
The fear of death is common to all living creatures.
This must be obvious to everybody.
The highest offices are now open to talent.
All human things are subject to decay, / And when fate summons, monarchs must obey.
The government is responsible to parliament for the conduct of affairs.
For the following account, I am indebted to the town papers.
It is all owing to you that I have succeeded.
That is quite new to me.
I do not feel myself equal to the task.
By the roadside stands a shrine sacred to the God of Letters.
He is entitled to high praise.
What is that to you?
We saw, away to the westward, a steamer apparently making for Port Arthur.
A schooner can sail to windward.
The elephant lives to a great age.
You are right to a certain extent.
The enemy lost to the number of 50,000.
Japan’s strength has been tried to the utmost, and stood the test.
I shall endeavor to give you satisfaction to the best of my abilities.
He is a Japanese to the backbones.
He always appears at six o’clock to the minute.
They were determined to fight to the death.
He acted his part to perfection.
He belongs to a proud family, but he is proud to a degree.
The coat fits you to a nicety.
I solved the problem to my satisfaction.
The goods are not quite up to the mark.
Up to that time all had gone well.
He intends to go into business on his own account, and is saving money to that end.
I am sure the investment will prove to your advantage.
He acquitted himself to his credit.
To my joy, I found him alive.
The nurse sings the child to sleep.
The ship ran on a rock, and went to pieces.
These circumstances lend a colour to the man’s story.
Lincoln fell a victim to the dagger of an assassin.
This is nothing to what I expected.
It is ten to one that he will fail.
I have no doubt as to who will be elected.
Dare you say it to my face?
On opening the door, I stood face to face with the robber.
The poor classes live from hand to mouth.
You may act according to circumstances.




David Harrison Horton is a Beijing-based writer, artist, editor and curator. He is author of the chapbooks Pete Hoffman Days (Pinball) and BeiHai (Nanjing Poetry). His poetry has recently appeared in Spittoon and Otoliths, among others.

Hidesaburo Saito (1866-1929) was a Japanese linguist who did extensive research on the English language. The sentences from these works are taken from the model sentences appearing in his 1310-page tome Saito’s Monograph on Prepositions (Tokyo, The S. E. G. Press, 1932).
 
 
previous page     contents     next page