The fourteenth century is interesting for the awakening of literature and art, which had been silenced for the space of about a century, caused by wars carried on extensively in previous epochs. The thread used by these Indians was much sought for, and was twisted from the inner bark of milkweed. They had expected that one engagement would annihilate the power of their enemies, and battle followed upon battle and there was as yet no sign of an end. An average Englishwoman would look like a houri amongst them; and their customs were beastly, to use the mildest term. I was jealous of her as soon as I saw her; she had light hair and dark-brown eyes and a slight and graceful figure. I was jealous of the girl, she was so beautiful. I was jealous-she was beautiful. She was beautiful—I was insanely jealous. It was near the end of the spring term of school: the prairie grass brushed against their knees as they rode. 31. Concord. The rules of grammatical concord, concerning the agreement of verb with subject, of pronoun with antecedent, etc., are familiar and will not be restated here. But a few of the more difficult and doubtful cases will be discussed and several sources of error noted. 1. Words intervening between the subject and the verb sometimes cause a writer to forget the number of the subject. Or when a compound subject is long or complicated there is danger of forgetting that it has more than one part, or of allowing the verb to be attracted into the number of the part that stands nearest. Erroneous: The sudden apparition of many gold and blue banners waving in the sunlight were striking in the extreme. Her instinctive sincerity, and her dread of doing anything that might alienate her brother's affection, impels her to this confession. 2. The impulse to use the third singular form of the verb with a plural subject is peculiarly strong whenever anything tends to unify the subject in thought. Such errors as the following must be guarded against: All sorts of experiences goes to make up life. His strength and training gives him an advantage. A compound subject, however, like the latter, leaves room for doubt. If it constitutes a logical unit there can scarcely be any objection to making the verb singular. Although Shakespeare's usage is no criterion, since Shakespeare sometimes uses the singular form of the verb with a distinctly plural subject, yet when he writes, "My shame and guilt confounds me," we feel that there is some defence. So perhaps when Macaulay writes, "The poetry and eloquence of the Augustan age was assiduously studied." Compare "And the flax and the barley was smitten” (Exodus ix. 31, King James version). In some cases there can be no question that the subject, though plural in form, is wholly singular in meaning and demands a singular verb: "Flesh and blood hath not revealed it" (Matthew xvi. 17). "Three thousand dollars is a good round sum." In the last case the separate dollars are not present in thought at all, nor yet the separate thousands. Still, whenever there is the least doubt careful writers will see that there is formal concord, if only to show that they are careful, and so to heighten the reader's confidence in them. 3. When the verb precedes the subject there is great danger of false concord. Error: Here is wealth and beauty and all that a man's heart could desire. However, in "Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory," great emphasis is gained by distributing the subject and compelling a pause for each elided verb. It should be noted here that after anticipative it English idiom demands that the verb be singular, whereas after there the verb agrees with the subject to follow. It was a lover and his lass. There were three crows sat on a tree. 4. Additions and comparisons connected with the main subject by such words as with, including, like, as well as, no less than, should not be held to affect the grammatical number of the subject. The following sentences are therefore correct: Science, as well as philosophy and religion, takes this high ground. A course in ancient history, with a few lectures on art and antiquities, was offered in the senior year. Exceptional cases, however, will arise. Mr. John Nichol cites: "The king with the lords and commons form a good government.' وو 5. When the subject and the predicate are of different numbers the verb should in general agree with the subject, though each case must be decided on its own merits. It is frequently better to avoid the collocation by recasting the sentence. Others' shortcomings are no excuse for our own. 6. Collective nouns are to be construed logically, though always consistently in the same sentence. The Committee on Entertainment submits the following recommendations. The committee are not agreed. (Better: The members of the committee are not agreed.) NOTE.-Wages is plural. Molasses is singular. News is singular. Mathematics is usually singular. Means is either. Ashes, oats, strictly plural, are collective and may be treated as singular. The forms bear, duck, etc., should not be used (after the analogy of deer, grouse) as collective plurals; thus (wrong): "Bear were plentiful." "I bagged twenty duck." A number is used as either singular or plural, perhaps most frequently as singular. None (= no one) is really singular, though usage has established it as a plural also. 7. The distributives each, every, either, neither, require a singular verb; likewise any when used with a singular noun: any one, anybody, anything. Neither of them shows any signs of fatigue. 8. The indefinite pronouns one, anybody, everybody, nobody, a person, etc., should be treated as singulars throughout. It is a common error when these indefinite pronouns are used as antecedents to throw the personal pronouns referring to them into the plural number, partly because of their indefiniteness, partly to escape making a distinction of gender. Some writers have held that they, their, and them are in this case likewise indefinites of common gender, but this view is not accepted. The word thon = that one has been proposed for this office, but has never been used. The personal pronoun, third singular masculine, is the correct form, the gender being considered common. If any one desires proof let him [not them] come to me. 9. All reference-words, pronominal or other, must agree strictly with their antecedents in grammatical number, even though the antecedents stand in a different sentence. This rule is much violated in treatises on natural history, wherein the writer, in discussing an animal or plant, vacillates between the plural noun as applied to the individuals and the singular as applied to the family or species. Examples of error: The crane is a social bird. They post sentries and send out scouts. There is usually but little expression on a donkey's face, but occasionally they take on quite an expressive look. EXERCISE. Discuss the concord of the following sentences, correcting faults: That, and the society of evil companions, was the cause of his ruin. There is tears for his love; joy for his fortune; honor for his valor; and death for his ambition.-J. Cæsar. Five miles of the old White trail were found utterly impassable. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth consume, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. The number and corresponding influence of his rival's supporters was more than an offset for his wealth and fame. In this multiplicity of attention there was a momentary confusion and delay.—BRET HARTE. Here are light that falls more like shade; nameless colors thrice refracted through some spiritual medium; divers appeals that one knows to be sensuous, though he cannot name the sense appealed to. In both these cases there is injustice and misrepresentation. The aim and end of both Hebraism and Hellenism is, as I have said, one and the same.-ARNOLD. To the making of the poems, as to the making of the essays, there have gone vigilant selection and refinement. A steady stream of miners, prospectors, and others are pouring into the country. One class of writers have introduced the fabulous deities. MACAULAY. Twice two is four. Here's a few flowers.- Cymbeline, IV, 2. For pastime there was cards. A dozen eggs costs twenty cents. There was a score of competitors. There was a host of competitors. |