In such sentences as those which follow, either of the clauses may be considered as the nominative to the verb. "To show how the understanding proceeds herein, is the design of the following discourse." This sentence may be inverted without changing a single word: "The design of the following discourse is, to show how the understanding proceeds herein." "To fear no eye, and to suspect no tongue, is the great prerogative of innocence." This sentence may be inverted: but, according to the English idiom, the pronoun it would, in that case, precede the verb: as, "It is the great prerogative of innocence, to fear no eye, and to suspect no tongue."

5. When the nominative case has no personal tense of a verb, but is put before a participle, independently on the rest of the sentence, it is called the case absolute: as, "Shame being lost, all virtue is lost;" "That having been discussed long ago, there is no occasion to resume it."

As in the use of the case absolute, the case is, in English, always the nominative, the following example is erroneous, in making it the objective. "Solomon was of this mind; and I have no doubt he made as wise and true proverbs, as any body has done since; him only excepted, who was a much greater and wiser man than Solomon." It should be, "he only excepted."

THE nominative case is commonly placed before the verb; but sometimes it is put after the verb, if it is a simple tense; and between the auxiliary, and the verb or participle, if a compound tense: as,

1st, When a question is asked, a command given, or a wish expressed: as, "Confidest thou in me?" "Read thou;" "Mayst thou be happy !" "Long live the King!"

2d, When a supposition is made, without the conjunction if: as, "Were it not for this;" "Had I been there."

3d, When a verb neuter is used: as, "On a sudden appeared the king." "Above it stood the seraphim."

4th, When the verb is preceded by the adverbs, here, there, then, thence, hence, thus, &c.: as, "Here am I;" "There was he slain," "Then cometh the end;" "Thence ariseth his grief;" "Hence proceeds his anger;" "Thus was the affair settled."

5th, When a sentence depends on neither or nor, so as to be coupled with another sentence: as, "Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die."

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6th, When an emphatical adjective introduces a sentence: as, Happy is the man, whose heart does not reproach him."

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as

Grammarians differ in opinion, respecting the propriety of the following modes of expression: "The arguments advanced were nearly as follows;" "The positions were, as appears, incontrovertible."-Some maintain that the phrases as follows, as appears, form what are called impersonal verbs; and should, therefore, be confined to the singular number: the construction being, "as it follows," it appears." They assert, that if we give the sentence a different turn, and instead of as, say such as, the verb is no longer termed impersonal; but properly agrees with its nominative in the plural number: as, "The arguments advanced were nearly such as follow ;" "The positions were such as appear incontrovertible." Of this opinion is the learned Dr. Campbell, who, in his "Philosophy of Rhetoric," says, "When a verb is used impersonally, it ought undoubtedly to be in the singular number, whether the neuter pronoun be expressed or understood. For this reason, analogy and usage favour this mode of expression : The conditions of the agreement were as follows,' and not, as follow. A few late writers have inconsiderately

adopted the last form, through a mistake of the construction. For the same reason, we ought to say, 'I shall consider his censures so far only, as concerns my friend's conduct;' and not, so far as concern."

Other writers contend, that the word as is equivalent to it, that, or which; and that as, in the phrases mentioned, is the true nominative to the verbs follows and appears; which should consequently be written, as follow, as appear. They assert, that as is used either in the singular or the plural number in the singular: as, "His insensibility is such us excites our detestation:" in the plural thus: "His manners are such, as are universally pleasing." That, in the former example, such as is equivalent to that which, and in the latter to those which. That if as be either singular or plural, and synonymous with it, that, or which, it must, when it refers to a plural antecedent, like which, be considered as plural, and joined to a plural verb. That it is more consonant with analogy to say; "The circumstances were, which follow," than it follows, or that follows. They further observe, that when the demonstrative such precedes, and is joined to a plural noun, it is universally admitted, that as must then be followed by a plural verb: if so, the construction of the word as cannot be, in the least degree, affected by the ellipsis of the correlative term.

The diversity of sentiment on this subject, and the respectability of the different opponents, will naturally induce the readers to pause and reflect, before they decide. They who doubt the accuracy of Horne Tooke's statement, "That as, however and whenever used in English, means the same as it, that, or which;" and who are not satisfied whether the verbs, in the sentences first mentioned, should be in the singular or the plural number, may vary the form of expression. Thus, the meaning of the sentences alluded to, may be conveyed in the following terms, or in other equivalent expressions. "The arguments advanced were nearly such as follow;" "The arguments advanced

were nearly of the following nature;" "The following are nearly the arguments which were advanced;" "The arguments advanced were nearly those which follow;" "These, or nearly these, were the arguments advanced :” "The positions were such as appear incontrovertible ;" "It appears that the positions were incontrovertible ;" "That the positions were incontrovertible, is apparent;" "The positions were apparently incontrovertible;" appearance, the positions were incontrovertible.”

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It has been advanced as a rule of grammar, that " When the nominative consists of several words, and the last of the nouns is in the plural number, the verb is commonly plural:" as, "A part of the exports consist of raw silk;" "A number of men and women were present;""The train of our ideas are often interrupted." The support of this rule has been ingeniously attempted, by the following observations: "The whole of the words, in the first part of each of the preceding sentences, or the noun and its adjuncts, are the actual nominative. Separate the words part and exports, in the first example, and the affirmation of the verb cannot with truth be applied to either: and as the whole must be considered as the nominative, the verb is very naturally connected in number with the last noun." -This reasoning, how plausible soever it may, at first sight, appear, is certainly destitute of solidity. It would counteract some of the plainest principles of grammar; and would justify the following constructions, and a multitude of others of a similar nature. "The truth of the narratives have never been disputed;" "The virtue of these men and women, are indeed exemplary ;” “A fondness for such distinctions, render a man ridiculous;" " A deviation from good principles, soon produce a deviation from good conduct." In each of these instances, it may be said, as our opponents say in support of the proposed rule, that if we separate the two nouns, the affirmation

cannot with truth be applied to either: the verb respects the whole preceding phrase, in the one case as much as in the other. But will it hence follow, that the verb is to be connected in number with the last noun? The truth is, the assertion grammatically respects the first nouns in all the preceding instances. The adjuncts are connected with those nouns, as subordinate parts, or as modifications, and are put in the objective case, governed by the prepositions. The latter nouns cannot, therefore, be the nominatives to the respective verbs; they cannot be, at the same time, in the nominative and objective cases. That a sentence, or part of a sentence, may be the nominative to a verb, is undoubtedly true: but, in these cases, the construction is obviously different from that which exists in the cases enumerated under the proposed rule. In the former, there is no prominent object to which the verb chiefly relates; and the whole preceding part must therefore be` considered as the nominative: in the latter, there is a capital, leading object, which attracts the verb, and which supports the dependent circumstances.

RULE II.

Two or more nouns, &c. in the singular number, joined together by a copulative conjunction, expressed or understood, must have verbs, nouns, and pronouns, agreeing with them in the plural number: as, "Socrates and Plato were wise; they were the most eminent philosophers of Greece;" "The sun that rolls over our heads, the food that we receive, the rest that we enjoy, daily admonish us of a superior and super-intending Power*."

See vol. ii. p. 82.

*For the exceptions to this rulc, see vol. ii. p. 322. The note, and page 51.