Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-04-15

L shall now present my own view
upon this subject which have been form
ed after long study Of it.
l. There is an evident tendency to tn,
use of singular verb with a numera
noun which is its subject.
2. This tendency arises from the fac
that we are accustomed to think of s
number as an abstract magnitude, thu.
supplanting the primitive idea of mani
ness [manyness] by that of nauchness.
8. Hence t,0o, three, four, etc. are
considered as numefal nouns in the sin
gular number, their plurals being t,DoS
ttreeS, fotirs, etc.
4. L venture to assert that vert
whose subject is a numeral noun in the
singular should also be singular. Hence
we should say, - ISL, not ''2 are"
5. The plural verb is proper when
taUo, three, or four, etc., is numeral
adjective relating to a plural noun ex'
pressed or mentally supplied. When We
keep prominently in the mind the
thought, twice things are things"
We may be justified in saying, twice
are AZ. When the thought is Twice
(the number) is (the numberl AZ, we
should not say twice are A.. There
is. however, no justification for the fire.
quent expression, twice are 2', that
does not likewise justify twice thing
are 2 things.
6. Two numeral nouns in the nomi-
native case connected by and generally
require plural verb; as and are B.
T. Since it would scarcely be proper
to consider plus as a conjunction, /
think we should say, "2 plus is 81,
rather than 80 plus 8 are 81.
II Shnsld bn ca ra fin lly pntiaad tbot
an adjunct of the subject of a verb has
no effect upon the number of the subject
and hence none upon the number of the
verb. "Subtracted FROM, diminished
by", less, ptuS, minus, multiplied by",
''divided by", etc., and the numerals
following, are adjuncts, and therefore
have no effect upon the preceding nOm-
inative.
.. We are also accustomed to quantity
fractions, and hence We use a singular
verb with a fraction thus considered. |
should say, 1.-TWO thirds of the men toeye
slain, but ''two-thirds of The field sous
plOughed''. Perhaps it would be good
way TO distinguish quantified fraction
from an unquantified ene when printed
i'll words instead of figures by using a
hyphen.
10. There are also cases of quantifica-
tion in expressions containing and. as,
"2s iS", two and two-thirds is''. Ii
say "Bread-and-milk is little used in
our family, do not mean that bread
and milk are little used in our family;
in the former sentence L mentally put
the breai into the milk, and in the lat
ter | keep them separate. "Mush-and-
milk is'', but "mush and milk aren.
II. [ am also inclined to say that when
qualification is prominent in the mind
that 1t is proper to say, 100 days as { of a
month.
With these points before us, we May
re-read all the quotations made from
writers, and thus be able
to decide which are wrong. Before
closing shall present the various modes
of parsing the verb in II times are 81,
and II times 2 is 81:
l. Are agrees with 2, a collective noun
conveying the idea of plurality.
2. Are agrees with the expression II
times 2" conveying the idea of plurali-
ty.
8. Are agrees with a plural noun un-
derstood after 2, such as units or things.
T. Are agrees with 8, a collective noun
the idea OF plurality.
D. Are agrees with units or THINGS nm
derstood after s.
6. Are agrees with times, 2 being gov
erned by of understood,
Z. Ls agrees with 3, a collective noun.
in the singular,
5. Is agrees with the expression "4
times "a IN the singular.
y. IS agrees with number understood
before 3.
10. is agrees with number understood
before S.
II. is agrees with 8, a collective noun
in the singular. .. .-|
The methods given in 2, 4, 5. 6, 10,
and II are inadmissible, and 1 think
that in l can hardly be considered as on
a par wit. that in Z. -