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  • Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Prepositional Phrase three. The prepositional

  • phrase today is by the book. Okay. Let's take a look at the note here. If someone

  • does something by the book, he or she does it in a way that strictly follows

  • the rules, laws, policies, etc. So they don't want to break any rules. They don't

  • want to break any laws. That's the way they like to do things. They like to do

  • things by the book. Okay. So let's continue here. Some think the origin may

  • be related to the Bible. In the phrase by the book. Some people may ask which book ?

  • Which book you're talking about ? Is it the Bible ? Is it ... I don't know the law book ?

  • What book are you referring to ? Okay. They think the answer is the Bible because

  • even still today a witness who goes on a stand must swear on a Bible. You know, I

  • swear to tell the truth. The whole truth and nothing but the truth.

  • We see this in the movies all the time. Even if you've never been to court

  • before. The Bible before giving his or her testimony to what they're going to

  • say. All right. Good. And let's continue. The earliest citation can be found in Edgar

  • Allan Poe's " Murder in Rue Morgue" 1845. So remember Edgar Allan Poe. Edgar Allan

  • Poe was a very famous scary writer way back in the eighteen hundreds. Probably

  • one of the most famous scary writers before our modern day Stephen King.

  • You know, but at this time he was like the Stephen King of his day. Okay. Anyway,

  • let's let's go on. All right. We got three examples here. Example number one. She

  • won't lie for you. She does everything by the book. That's it. So if you wanted

  • someone to tell a lie to cover something for you. They are saying she's not going to do

  • it. She does it by the book. She's not that type of person. Or number two. He got

  • into trouble because he didn't do things by the book. All right. This is a way that

  • we we might hear it. Or number three. He wants his accountants

  • to do everything by the book. He doesn't want any problems with being audited.

  • Yeah. So he doesn't any problems with the tax department. So he wants to make

  • sure that you know his tax returns or whatever he's claiming is all by the

  • book. That it's following the rules , the laws, the policies. Okay. Anyway I hope

  • you got it. I hope it was clear. Thank you for your time. Bye-bye.

Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Prepositional Phrase three. The prepositional

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