Ex. "You, he, and I have to remain"; "You and he have to learn that long lesson"; " You or I am mistaken"; "Thou and thy friends are to make reparation." A verb must be in the singular number when its subject conveys the idea of unity. Ex. — "Rain falls"; "The army is marching"; "Dombey and Son [the title of a book] was written by Dickens"; "The ten dollars [a single sum] was duly paid"; "Descent and fall [words alike in meaning] to us is adverse." A verb must be in the plural number when its subject conveys the idea of plurality. Ex.-"The rains descend"; "The multitude pursue pleasure"; "Either the magistrate or the laws are at fault"; "You, he, and I are here." A unipersonal verb is one by which an act or a state is asserted independently of any particular subject; as, "It snows"; "It cleared off"; "It behooves us to be careful." Meseems, meseemed, methinks, methought, may be regarded as unipersonal verbs, equivalent to it seems, it seemed to me, I think, I thought. The conjugation of a verb is the correct expression, in regular order, of its modes, tenses, voices, persons, and numbers. The principal parts of a verb are: the present indicative, the past indicative, and the perfect participle. The regular conjugation of a verb includes the common and solemn forms. |