A Dictionary of Cont..

agreement 22
element standing closest to the verb. In the
King James Bible there is a sentence, light and
understanding and excellent wisdom is found in
thee. Here the singular form is may have been
used because the writer felt that one thing had
been mentioned three times rather than three
separate things, or because the word wisdom
is singular. In a recent translation of the Bible
this sentence reads: light and understanding
and excellent wisdom are found in thee. Here
the plural form are following the singular
form wisdom abruptly reminds us that more
than one thing is being talked about. The
reader who has not realized this must go back
and ponder over the meaning of the preceding
words.
Usually, as in the last example, a compound
subject that involves the word and is plural.
This is always the case when two distinct
things are meant even though only one word
is used, and that a singular, as in the red and
the white rose are both beautiful. When obviously
only one thing is meant, as in the sum
and substance is, a plural verb is ridiculous.
Between these extremes is a middle ground
where the speaker can decide which form he
wants to use, as in the tumult and the shouting
dies.
A compound subject involving or is usually
treated as singular if the separate elements are
singular and the statement is affirmative, as in
either Dorothy or Andy is at home. But if the
second element is plural, the verb too will be
plural, as in one or two friends are coming.
Constructions in which the first element is
plural and the second singular are avoided. In
a negative statement, a compound subject involving
or or nor is usually treated as plural,
as in neither Dorothy nor Andy are at home.
(Some grammarians object to this and claim
that a singular verb is required in this construction
but neither current usage nor literary
tradition support their claim.)
A singular subject followed by a parenthetical
phrase may be treated as a singular, as in
the island of Australia together with Tasmania
constitutes the commonwealth of Australia, or
as a plural, as in the sherifl with all his men
were at the door. If an affirmative and a negative
idea are combined, the verb agrees with the
affirmative, as in justice, not better jobs, is our
goal.
Measures or quantity words that are grammaticaIly
singular may be treated as singulars
or as plurals, depending on whether the quantity
spoken about is thought of as a unit or as
a collection of separate items, as in one half
of the country is desert and one half of the
population are illiterate. A plural verb is
usually preferred in speaking about human
beings. Words of this kind that are grammatically
plural may also be treated as singulars
when what is mentioned is thought of as a
unit, as in ten days is a long time and two
paces of the vilest earth is room enough.
Sometimes a subject that would have a
singular verb if it and the verb were standing
together is given a plural verb because a plural
word is standing between them. For example,
a singular verb is used in no one was listening
and there is a pile of books on the table. But
the verb is made plural in not one of them
were listening and a pile of books were on the
table. Although some people protest, there is
nothing objectionable about this use of a plural
verb. A statement of this kind is actually about
a group of people or things, which may be considered
as a singular or as a plural. In cases of
this kind we usually settle for the form of the
word that is standing closest to the verb.
Titles of books which have a plural form,
such as Canterbury Tales and Dickenf American
Notes, may be treated as singular or as
plural.
Even when the subject of a verb is a single
word, the number of the verb will depend
upon the meaning rather than the form of the
subject. Singular nouns are sometimes used in
a plural sense and some nouns which have a
plural form are nevertheless singular in meaning.
(For special problems of this kind, see
adjectives as nouns, generic nouns, group
names, mass nouns, plural nouns, singular
nouns, and the individual words.)
An interrogative pronoun is usually treated
as a singular. That is, we may say who is
coming? and what is in the box? regardless of
how many people or things are to be expected.
Who and which may also be followed by a
plural verb. We may say who are coming? and
which are finished? But a great many people
dislike this construction and feel obliged to
insert a plural word, as in who all are coming?,
which ones are finished?. A relative pronoun is
singular or plural depending upon its antecedent.
That is, we say the man who was here
and the men who were here.
PERSON
AI1 nouns and almost all pronouns are third
person and their problems are taken care of
under questions of number. The only exceptions
are the personal pronouns I, me, we, us, you,
and interrogatives or relatives representing one
of these. The words me and us cannot be used
as the subject of a verb. The word we is plural
and the word you is always treated as a plural.
In American English no verb shows person in
the plural. This means that questions of person
are reduced to the question of what form of the
verb should be used with I or a word standing
for I. In all verbs except to be, I has the form
that is used in the plural. We say I have, they
have, Z do, they do. In the verb to be, Z has the
present tense form am and the past tense form
was.
As a rule, the verb following an interrogative
pronoun is in the third person. But when
an interrogative who or what is followed by a
form of the verb to be and a persona1 pronoun,
the interrogative is felt to be the cornplement
rather than the subject of the verb
and the form of the verb is determined by the