276 GRAMMAR, &C. 



nouns, and pronouns agreeing with them in the plu- 

 ral number. The conjunction disjunctive (or), how- 

 ever, has an effect contrary to that of the conjunction 

 copulative; for as the verb, noun, or pronoun, is re- 

 ferred to the preceding terms, taken separately, it 

 must be in the singular number. 



Nouns of Multitude. 



A noun of multitude may have a verb or pronoun 

 agreeing with it, either in the singular or plural 

 number ; but not without regard to the import of the 

 word as conveying unity or plurality of idea. In the 

 application of this rule, we ought to consider whether 

 the term immediately suggests the idea of the num- 

 ber it represents, or whether it exhibits to the mind 

 the idea of the whole as one thing. In the former 

 case, the verb ought to be plural; in the latter, sin- 

 gular. 



The English Genitive. 



The English genitive has often an unpleasant 

 sound, so that we make more use of the particle of 

 to express the same relation. In some cases we use 

 both the genitive termination and the particle of; as, 

 " it is a discovery of Sir Isaac Newton's." Except, 

 however, to prevent ambiguity, this double genitive 

 seems only allowable in cases which suppose the ex- 

 istence of a plurality of subjects of the same kind, as, 

 " a vassal of the emperor's." If practicable, it would 

 be better to avoid this double genitive altogether, 

 and give the sentence another form of expression. 



Cases and Prepositions. 



The ancients employed cases to express the varie- 

 ties of relation, which in modern tongues are denoted 

 by prepositions. Hence the gradual substitution in 

 the languages of modern Europe, of prepositions in- 



