General Rule.-Agreement of the Verb in Number and Person, Agreement with (a) il or ce (Impersonal); (b) Collective Nouns. Plural. II. Agreement with a Composite Subject of different persons. Obs. 2. Obs. 3. With the Nearer Subject, if (a) linked by ou, ni...ni. (5) Synonymous; (c) in Enumerations. $59. GENERAL RULE.-The Verb agrees in Number and Person with its Subject, whether it follows or precedes (a) An Impersonal Verb agrees with its Grammatical Subject il or ce, and not with the logical (real) Subject coming after it; as, L'amour propre est un ballon Obs. Self-love is a balloon from which storms escape when it is pricked. There run damaging rumours about him. We say it. It is only when the Predicative Complement (which generally is the Real Subject) is in the 3rd Person Plural, that the Verb after ce is put in the Plural; as, Ce sont eux qui l'ont fait. Ce furent les Phéniciens qui, les premiers, inventèrent l'écriture. (b) If a Collective Noun is the Subject, the Verb agrees with the grammatical, and not—as is the rule in English— with the real Number of its Subject; as, Le peuple juif est dispersé par The Jewish people are dispersed all over the earth. toute la terre. Obs. 1. If a Collective Noun is followed by a Noun in the Genitive Plural, the Verb agrees either with the former or the latter according as it refers to the one or the other; as, La multitude des étoiles étonne notre imagination; but— Comparing the above examples it is evident that what strikes our imagination is the vast number (myriads) of the stars, and that what divides men is their many passions. As a rule it will be found that the Collective Noun carries the meaning when it is preceded by the Definite Article or a Determinative Pronoun. PROGRESSIVE FRENCH Course.-3. E Obs. 2. The same rule holds good with Numerals or Indefinite Pronouns, followed by a Genitive Plural; as, Le peu d'amis qu'il a prouve son mauvais caractère. Le peu d'amis qu'il a sont parvenus à le tirer d'affaire. His few friends have succeeded in getting him out of the scrape. $61. II. Agreement with a Composite Subject. If the Subject is composite, the Verb is put in the Plural; and if the component parts of the Subject are of different persons, the Verb must-according to the principles of General Grammar-agree with the Person that has the priority: the first before the second or third; and the second before the third. As a rule such a Composite Subject will be recapitulated by nous or vous; as, La force, la santé, la joie s'évanouiront comme un beau printemps. Votre frère et moi (nous) échappâmes seuls par miracle. Vous et ce jeune homme (vous) croyez tout savoir. Strength, health, joy will vanish like a fine spring. Your brother and I alone miraculously escaped. You and this young man fancy you know everything. Obs. 1. The Verb agrees with the nearer Subject only, (1) when the several Subjects connected by ou, ni.. ni are used in an alternative sense, i.. one necessarily excluding the other;* (2) when the severa subjects are synonymous or form a kind of gradation; and (3) in Enumerations recapitulated by tout, rien, chacun, aucun, nul, etc.; as, (1) La peur ou la misère lui a fait commettre cette faute. Ni l'un ni l'autre n'est mon père. (2) Son courage, son intrépidité nous étonne. Une seule parole, un sourire gracieux, un seul regard suffit. (3) Remords, crainte, périls, rien ne m'a retenue. * When ou, ni...ni_connect Subjects in a collective rather than in an alternative way, the Verb will be in the Plural; as, Ni l'or ni la grandeur ne nous rendent heureux. The collective sense becomes evident by using the sentence affirmatively: L'or et la grandeur nous rendent heureux. But we cannot say :-- L'un et l'autre sont mon père. |