CHAPTER V.

SYNTAX OF THE VERB.

CONCORD.

§ 506. RULE XXIV.-The Verb agrees with its Subject nominative in Number and Person; as, "I write;" "thou rulest ;" "he obeys."

The verb does not necessarily agree with its Predicate nominative. See note below.

When a verb is said to agree with its subject nominative, it is meant that it is in the same person or number with the substantive or pronoun preceding. This is what is called, in grammatical language, CONCORD.

Every finite verb must have a subject nominative expressed or understood.

Note I.-Plural Subjects with singular Predicates: "Honest men are the salt of the earth;" "Christians are the light of the world." The word that comes first must be presumed to be the subject until the contrary is proved. The way to justify such an expression as the wages of sin is death, is either to consider death not as the predicate but the subject, or, with Webster, to consider the word wages as singular.

Note II.-Singular Subjects with plural Predicates. These constructions are rarer than the preceding, inasmuch as two or more persons (or things) are oftener spoken of as being equivalent to one, than one person (or thing) is spoken of as being equivalent to two or more: "Sixpence is twelve half pennies ;" "He is all head and shoulders."

Note III-A Plural title applied to a Single object often takes the singular verb; as, "The Pleasures of Memory, by Rogers, is an admirable work."

Note IV. The pronoun you, even when used to denote an individual, inasmuch as its form is plural, should have a plural verb: "The account you were pleased to send me," not "the account you was pleased to send me."

Note V.-A verb in the third person may have as its subject a sentence, or the clause of a sentence, or a verb in the infinitive mode, or any part of speech used as a noun; as, "To attack vices in the abstract, without touching persons, may be safe fighting indeed, but it is fighting with shadows;" "To see is desirable;" "Red and green are different colors;" "Once is too often;" "Over is not under;" "An if ruins the case;" "Ah! is an interjection." We have here a part of a sentence, a verb in the infinitive mode, an adjective, an adverb, a preposition, a conjunction, and an interjection, used as substantives, and each the subject of a verb.

Note VI.-There is one phrase in present use in which the personal pronoun ME precedes a verb in the third person: methinks, methought. Anciently, him was used in the same manner; as, Him thuhte, him thought. Him and me are here in the Anglo-Saxon dative case. Me thinks it seems to me=

mihi videtur.

Note VII.-In poetry, the verb may stand without a nominative in cases where in prose the omission would be improper; as "Lives there who loves his pain?"-MILTON. That is, lives there a man who loves his pain?

Note VIII.-The verbs NEED and WANT are sometimes employed without a nominative, either express or implied; as, "There is no evidence of the fact, and there needs none;" "There wanted champions to espouse her cause." For the force of there, see § 451.

Note IX.-Verbs in the Imperative mode generally agree with the pronouns thou, ye, or you expressed or understood; as, Love (thou); read ye or you. A verb in the Imperative mode is sometimes used Absolutely, having no direct reference to any particular subject addressed; as, "God said, Let there be light, and there was light."-Gen., i., 3.

Note X.-A verb following the conjunction THAN Sometimes stands without a nominative expressed; as, "Not that any thing occurs in consequence of our late loss more afflictive than was to be expected."-Life of Cowper, Letter 62. Forms of expression like this seem to be elliptical: "More afflictive than that which was to be expected."

Note XI. The verb is in some cases understood; as,

"The

-on, ye brave!" Here rush or press is under

combat deepens-on, ye brave!"

stood before on.

Note XII. The same form of the verb, whether simple, progressive, or emphatic, should be preserved throughout the sentence; as, "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away;" "That man loves his friends and hates his enemies;" "He was writing and he is writing;" "He did love and he does love."

EXERCISES IN THE SYNTAX OF THE VERB.

RULE XXIV. a. A bee among the flowers of spring is one of the most cheerful objects that can be looked upon. C. S.

b. The Normans, under which general term is comprehended the Danes, Norwegians, and Swedes, were accustomed to rapine and slaughter. F. S.

c. Thinks I to myself, He will know better when he is older. F. S.

d. What signifies good opinions, unless they are attended by good conduct? F. S.

Note I.-a.

Moneys is your suit.

What should say to you? F. S.

C. S.

b. In the wilderness locusts were his meat. Note II-a. As to his person, he is all head and shoulders. C. S.

b. In Federal money a dime is ten cents. C. S.

Note III. The Pleasures of the Imagination, by Akenside, is a highly philosophical poem. C. S.

Note IV.-a. I came to see you because I knew you was my old master's friend. F. S.

b. I recollect you was his advocate in that important trial. F. S.

Note V. a. Early to bed and early to rise,

Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. C. S.

b. Read, read, rang through the air morning, noon, and night, like the muezzins' call to prayer from the tops of their gilded minarets.-Nuces Philosophicæ, p. 484. C. S.

c. That warm climates should accelerate the growth of the human body, and shorten its duration, is very reasonable to believe. C. S.

d. "I can not do it" never accomplished any thing; "I will try" has wrought wonders.-HAWES.

e. For a lady to conduct herself in this manner is disgraceful. C. S.

Note VI. Methinks already I your tears survey. C. S.

Note VII.-There have been that have delivered themselves from their ills by their good fortune or their virtue. F. S.

Note VIII.-There needed a new dispensation of religion for the moral reform of society. C. S.

Note IX. The expense amounted to, say five dollars. C. S. Note X.-He felt himself addicted to philosophical speculations with more ardor than consisted well with the duties of a Roman and a senator. C. S.

Note XI.-a. Charge, Chester, charge! on, Stanley, on! C. S.
Once more unto the breach, my friends, once more,

b.

Or close the wall up with our English dead. C. S.

Note XII. He was writing, and he does now write. F. S.

THE VERB.

§ 507. RULE XXV.-When a verb has TWO OR MORE SUBJECTS in the singular number, joined by the copulative and, it must agree with them in the plural number; as, "Reason and truth constitute intellectual gold." Instead of saying reason constitutes intellectual gold, truth constitutes intellectual gold, the two propositions are united in one compound sentence. The conjunction is sometimes understood; as, "Honor, justice, religion itself, were derided."

Note I-This rule has in the practice of writers some exceptions: "Nor were the young fellows so wholly lost to a sense of right, as pride and self-conceit has made them affect to be."Rambler, No. 97. Here the verb, which is expressed after selfconceit, is considered as understood after pride. "Their safety and welfare is most concerned."- Spectator, No. 121. This was sometimes the case in Greek and Roman writers: "Mens enim et ratio, et consilium in senibus est."-CICERO, De Sen., cap. xix. Forms of expression like these should not be encouraged in the English language, though they can be defended, in some instances, on the ground of their expressing only one complex idea.

Note II-Two or more nouns connected by the conjunction and, expressed or understood, and modified by the distributives. EACH, EVERY, or EITHER, may have a verb in the singular number: "Either sex and every age was engaged in the pursuits of industry."-GIBBON'S Roman Empire, chap. x. "The judicial and every other power is accountable to the legislative." -PALEY'S Philosophy, vi., 8.

Note III.-Where comparison is expressed or implied, and not combination, the verb should be singular; thus, "Cæsar as well as Cicero was remarkable for eloquence." Even when and is used between two nouns, if a disuniting word is used with it, the verb should be in the singular number; as, "Good order, and not mean savings, produces honest profit."

Note IV. When a verb comes in between its nominatives, it agrees with that which precedes it, and is understood as to the others; as, "John was present, and Henry, and Charles."

Note V. When two nouns connected by the conjunction and express but one subject, the verb should be in the singular number; as, "That great statesman and general is entitled to the gratitude of his country."

Note VI.-When nominatives to the same verb are of different persons, the verb must be in the plural number, and must agree with the first person rather than the second, and with the second rather than the third: "My sister and I are daily employed in our respective occupations."

EXERCISES UNDER RULE XXV.

RULE XXV.-a. Religion and virtue, our best support and highest honor, confers on the mind principles of noble independence. F. S.

b. There is as much real religion and morality in this country as in any other. F. S.

c. Wisdom, virtue, happiness, dwells with the golden mediocrity. F. S.

Note I.-a. In that transaction their safety and welfare is most concerned. F. S.

b. The fragrant woodbine and the sweet-scented myrtle renders the air in this spot truly delicious. F. S.

Note II. In the camp of Israel every man and every woman were numbered.

F. S.