alytical practical grammar - Toronto Public Library

SYNTAX-NOJ\IINATIVE. 167
"James or John attends "-"Neither James nor John attends "-"John,
and not [bnt not] Jame", attends "-" John, as well as James, attends"­
"Not John, but Jame~ attends."
786. Nouns taken separately, are connected by or, nor, as well as, 0"'/
also, &c. A noun taken so as to exclude others, is connected with them hy
such phrases as and not, bUI not, not, &c. Tn such, the verb agrec~ with
the subject affirmell of, and is understood with the others.
NO'fE.-Sin~ular nouns connected by nor, sometimes ba\,,' a plural verb.
In that case, the verb dellies equally of all, and nor is equivalent to and,
counecting the nouns, and a negative which is tmnsferred tn, and modi ties
the verb; as, "Neither Moses, nor Minos, nor Sul'Jll, nor Lycurgus, were
eloquent men."-.iclon.=" Jlloses, and Min"" and Solon, and Lvcurgus,
wero not eloquent men," or, "were none of them eloquent." This construction
has not been generally noticeu, uut it often occurs in the best
writers.
787. But when two or more Euh,t~ntives, taken separately,. are of dif.
fereut numbers, the verb agrees with the 0,,(, next it, aud the plural su!'.
ject is usuullyplaced next the veJ'b; as, ,. Neither the captain nor the
sail"r8 were s:n'cu i" rarely, ., N citLer the sailurs nor the captaill was
Baved."
788. RULE 4.-TVlten substantives, taken separately, are of diOerent persons,
the verb agrees with the one next it; as, "James or I alii in the wrong"
_u Either you or he is mbtaken "-;-" I or thou art to blume."
789. Though sentences are often furme,} according to this rule, yet they
are generally har"h and iuelegant. It is generally better to put the verb
with the first substauti\'e, and re~eat it with the second; or to express the
same idea by urrunging the sentence differently; aB, "James is in the
wrong or I am," or "One of us is in the wron" "-" Either you arc mistaken
or he i. "-" I am t" blame, or thou art." This remark is sometimes applie-aLle
also, when the suhstantives are of the same person, but different
in number, and requiring each a different form of the verb; a8, "Either
the captain or the eailors were to blame;" otherwise, "Either the captain
was to Llame, or the sailors were."
790. RULE 5.-1 . .d collective noun, expressing many, as O~E WHOLE, ha&
a verb in the singular; as, "The company /I'as large."
791.-2. But Ichen a collective noun expresses many, as individuals, the
verb must be plural; as, "My people do not consider."
792. It is sometimes difficult to determine whether a collective noun
expresses unity or plurality. It is now considered generally best to use
the plural, wh~e the singular is not manifestly required.
793, A nominative after "many a" has a verb iu the singular; as, uFull
many a flower is born," &c. (735).
794. Two or more verbs connectecj in the same construction as a compound
pre,Jicate (627) have the Bame nominative; a8, .. James reads and
writes "-" James neither reads nor writes."
795. But when verbs are not connected in the same construction, each
verb should have its own nominative. Tbe following sentence is wrong