The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-06-04
suGGEsTIONs UPON GRAMMAR.

A recent number Of the London Quarter
ly Review has an article on certain points OF
English Grammar about which there is
good deal of Misrepresentation and difference
of opinion. Ready writer's, who sometimev
get called over the Goals for loose writing.
will be greatly fortified by the dictum Of SO
scholarly an authority. For example, as to
collective nouns. 1t is well understood
that in case Of such words rs COMMITTEE
'mecting,' 'parliament,' etc., the verb should
be singular if the statement refers to the
whole body, but plural If what is asserted
applies to the Individuals Bot there arc
cases which are not reached by this princi-
pie, and our best authors are not at one Ell
ther with themselves or with ench 9th e.
The following sentences are no doubt correct
"A number of cottagers are enabled to keep
cows;' The number of poor is of course
great > "A boty Of ,ldiers uere actively en-
gagged - No tribe appears more savase;'
"a knot OF young men uere loading.' Tie
principle appears to be, that which the col
lectve word is not the leading idea, but is
employed as a kind Of indefinite numeral be-
fore the noun. the plural is used as it would
have been If definite number had been en-
ployed; SO that We say, "A set Of men were
working, as we should if it had been score.'
And the following as to adverbs: 'One OF
the most common and beautiful idioms of
our language is that which connects adieo-.
tives with verbs in certain cases; vet some,
misled by Latin rules, and conceiying that
a word used to qualify verb ought to be an
adverb, objects to the usage. 'He cut hiss
way gallantly through, and came O q safe,'
Macauley says, but they would have it safe
ly.' The true principle seems to be, that
when the qualifying vo~d does not apply 80
much to the verb as to the nominative, the
adjectives may be used. In the above in,
stance the safety does not refer so much TO.
the warriors mode of coming off as to
his condition in consequence. In such
sentences as the following, nothing but
an adjective could have been used: and by
such the principle is fully established, that
our ldiom allows US to qualify noun by an
adjective through verb-sMagncsia fseIs.
smooth.'-Kir,Can. 'Nav, look not big.'-
Shakespeare. leave the lily pale and tiree
the violet blue.'-Prior. Scotch WRITER'S
the Reviewer remarks, salmost invariably
use the functions il, lest, although, and
whether, whatever the sense may be subse--
quently' Granmarians have, with much,
more accuracy, decided that when the mat
ter is contingent and future. the subiunctiye
is required; but the indicative of the thing
p in itself certain, whatever the dubiety Of
the speaker respecting 1t. There are some
points with which pedautry is medling. For
instance, there have betn attempts within the
last two years, in some highly respectable
periodicals, to introduce suct blunders as
There are a church and chapel on the,
priciple that two singular nominatives coup
led by and, require verb in the PLURAL
But in such a case as this, the grammaticar
construction is complete with the nomina-
tive, and the ear has been offended with
plural verb before the second nominative
has been introduced to account for it. Itis
otherwise when the sense is suspended, rs it
is by the use Of an auxilliary-:Where hara
the church and chapel been built Here the
mind is carried forward to been built as the
coiapletion of the verb, and the two nomi-
natives have appeared in the meantime
The translators Of the Bible use the singular
in the case referred to. Where is the King
of Klamath and the King of Arphad, &c. It
is quite just liable to suppose that an elipsis
is used, and that the full expression in the
above case is-'There il a church and there
is chapcl.'