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as he is rabid against the usage of the classical languages, arbitrarily pronounces such passages as the following to be incorrect:- "The minister or the borough-tyrants conspire against the liberties of the people;" and would write it thus: "The minister conspires, or the boroughtyrants conspire, against the liberties of the people."

NOTE 2. The foregoing observations, as far as they apply to the copulative or disjunctive conjunctions, apply to their influence in determining the number merely of the verb. As the verb agrees in person too with its subject, some further observations appear necessary.

16. As far as the conjunction and is concerned, there is no difficulty in determining in what person the verb is to be when two subjects thereto of different persons are connected by this particle; for, according to the rules already laid down, the verb must be plural, and the persons of the plural number in the English verb are incapable of inflection; therefore we say"Your father and I are enemies ;" "He and I are friends;" "Have not my brother and you been reconciled ?"

17. It is different in the case of nouns or pronouns used disjunctively, that is, connected by a disjunctive conjunction; for if they are both singular, the verb must be singular; and if they are of different persons, the English verb being inflected in person in the singular number, the question arises with which the verb will agree.

18. The Latins settled this question by considering the first person as more worthy than the second, and the second as more worthy than the third, and causing the verb under the circumstances in question to agree with the most worthy person. Such usage is not copied by the English. Lindley Murray inclines to the opinion that the verb should agree in person with the subject next to it. Thus-"They or I am in fault." Mr. Latham, on the other hand, says, "I believe that, in these cases, the rule is as follows:-1. Whenever the words either or neither precede the pronouns, the verb is in the third person; as, Either you or I is in the wrong;' Neither you nor I is in the wrong.' 2. Whenever the disjunctive is simple (i. e., unaccompanied with the word either or neither) the verb agrees with the first of the two pronouns; thus, 'I or he

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am in the wrong;' 'He or I is in the wrong;' 'Thou or he art in the wrong; He or thou is in the wrong:' whilst Cobbett, consistently with his attachment to stiff and awkward periphrases, would write, "Neither you are in the wrong, nor I am in the wrong;" "Thou art in the wrong, or I am in the wrong."

NOTE. In the case of such expressions there is no guiding principle. If the verb does not agree with both subjects, it can agree only with one, and that one is frequently determined by choice; if, however, euphony were allowed to make weight in the scale, Murray's opinion would appear preferable ;-Latham's expression, "Either you or I is in the wrong," not only violating the principle of concord in person,-neither of the subjects being in the third person, but certainly doing much violence to the ear. Would it not be preferable to set down the verb between the different subjects, and cause it to agree with the first, and to be understood with the last; thus, "Neither he is offended, nor I;" "Either you are in the wrong or he ?" Or if not, would it not please the ear much better to cause the verb to agree with the last in person (See Observation 15.)

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19. Alms, riches, news, means, pains, amends: about these nouns grammarians are not agreed; some consider them as singular, and use their predicate in the singular number; some, on the other hand, as plural, and use their predicate in the plural; thus, "This means was, or these were, effectual:" so of the others.

20. It, followed by the verb to be, and a noun or pronoun, takes a singular verb, irrespectively of the number of the noun or pronoun; as, "It is we who are responsible;' "It was the Fathers who broached this doctrine." It is, is most frequently contracted into 'tis.

21. A simple compound of self, is followed by a verb in the third person singular; as, "Myself desires to perform that work," "Thyself is anxious as well as I on the point." When, however, with a compound of self, another pronoun is associated, the verb agrees in person with the pronoun; as, "Thou thyself desirest not to enter into such a discussion ;" ;" "I myself am not anxious on that head.

22. "Aruns Tarquin and Brutus slew each other."

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expressions similar to this, the subject consisting of two nouns is subdivided into its component parts by the word each, which agrees with a verb in the singular, understood from the verb in the preceding clause; thus, "Aruns and Brutus slew, each (killed) the other." The single subject implying several parts, is frequently subdivided on a simi lar principle; as, "They went, one (went) to his farm, another (went) to his merchandise."

23. The verb is frequently placed before its subject, as in the expression, "Heard ye not that ?" especially in poetry, as in the following verse:

"Breathes there a man with heart so dead,

Who never to himself hath said,

This is my own, my native land ?"

There and here, particles of no determinate signification, are used frequently when the verb precedes the subject; as, "There lived in yonder hut a man who," &c. &c. It is worthy of note that in such case the verb is in the same number as the noun following; as, "Here comes the coach ;""Are there few that be saved ?" "There is not a man in the world who seeks not happiness."

24. Care must be taken that the words intervening between the subject and the verb do not, by misleading the ear, produce a violation of the concord of number; "A too great variety of studies dissipate and weaken the mind," is ungrammatical; the verbs dissipate and weaken being plural, as though studies had something to do in determining their number, whereas variety is the subject, and requires the verbs to be singular; the sentence should be, "A too great variety of studies dissipates and weakens the

mind."

25. In the case of the verb to be and verbs passive, the noun following them is most frequently a name for the individual which is their subject; these nouns may be in different numbers; hence the question arises with which must the verb agree. The rule in such case appears to be, that the verb agrees, in some instances, with the noun placed nearest to it, no doubt for the sake of euphony; thus, "A great cause of the low state of industry were the restraints put upon it;" "His meat was locusts and wild honey." As a general guiding principle, it may be stated that the verb agrees with the noun, which is its natural

subject. In the expression, "The wages of sin is death," death, though coming last, is the natural subject; the verb, therefore, is properly in the singular number. So, in the expression, "The disciples were called the salt of the earth," disciples is evidently the subject, for we can say, the disciples were called salt, but not salt was called disciples; the verb, therefore, is properly in the plural number.

RULE II.-ON THE GOVERNMENT OF THE OBJECTIVE CASE.

ACTIVE transitive verbs and Prepositions require after them the objective case; as, "He loves us," "The man went to London," here us and London are in the objective case, the former being governed by the active transitive verb loves, the latter by the preposition to.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE SYNTAX OF THE
OBJECTIVE CASE.

1. When the objective of the verb is a relative pronoun, it comes before it; thus, "The money which he earned was not sufficient to support him;" here which is the objective case as governed by the verb earned, which comes after it. The same remark does not apply to prepositions, which, in most cases, precede the governed word; as, "The house in which I live;" here which is governed by in, which precedes it. Formerly, the which in such sentences would be suppressed, and the sentence written thus, "The house I live in." When classical literature, however, became extensively cultivated in England, this style was exploded, and the ending of sentences with monosyllables was avoided by writers who endeavoured to copy the Latin style.

2. In Observation 2, on Rule 1, it was shewn how it comes to pass that the infinitive mood serves as the subject of a verb; the same reason accounts for the fact of its being used as the object of a transitive verb; as, "He loves to write;" where to write the act of writing, is the object of the verb loves.

3. A whole clause is frequently placed in the position of an objective case after a transitive verb; thus, "I acknowledge I was in the wrong;" "Let us inquire what is most like the truth." This may be accounted for on the principle of ellipsis, the real object of the verb being understood: thus, "I acknowledge (the fact that) I was in the wrong;" "Let us inquire, i. e. make inquiries, (as to that thing) which is most like the truth." Clauses like the foregoing are said to be used objectively.

4. Care must be taken that when there are several objective cases in a sentence, they should be all governed by their appropriate verbs expressed, should one verb not properly belong to all. The sentence, "They partook of meat and clothing at our expense," is incorrect; the word clothing being placed as the object of the verb partook of though we do not say, "A man partakes of clothing." The sentence should be, "They partook of meat and received clothing at our expense. In like manner, "They used arms like those of the Indians, but an aspect similar to that of the Caffrarians," is incorrect; aspect being governed by used, though we do not say that men used an aspect: it should be, "They used arms like those of the Indians, but had an aspect similar to that of the Caffrarians."

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5. A transitive verb is frequently composed of a verb and a particle joined together. Thus, as in the expression used by way of example in Observation 4, we say, partook of meat;" wherein partook of must be regarded as the transitive verb governing meat in the objective case. NOTE. The particle is frequently joined to the verb, and both form but one word; as, "He underwent severe

trials."

6. Transitive verbs, in some instances, appear to govern two objective cases; as in the expression, "He gave me a present:" the word appear is used advisedly, because the verb does not really govern both nouns, but only one of them, present, which is the noun or thing supposed to be affected by the action of giving, the other being governed by the preposition to understood. It may be further remarked, that when the direct object of the verb is placed last, the to is understood; when first, the to is expressed:

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