r."--ADDISON: _in Johnson's
Dict., w. All_. "Down _comes_ the _tree_, nest, eagles, and all."--See
_All, ibidem_. Here _goes_ and _comes_ are necessarily made singular, the
former agreeing with _torch_ and the latter with _tree_; and, if the other
nouns, which are like an explanatory parenthesis, are nominatives, as they
appear to me to be, they must be subjects of _go_ and _come_ understood.
Cobbett teaches us to say, "The bag, _with_ the guineas and dollars in it,
_were_ stolen," and not, _was_ stolen. "For," says he, "if we say _was_
stolen, it is possible for us to mean, that the _bag only_ was
stolen,"--_English Gram._, 246. And I suppose he would say, "The bag,
guineas, dollars, and all, _were_ stolen," and not, "_was_ stolen;" for
here a rule of syntax might be urged, in addition to his false argument
from the sense. But the meaning of the former sentence is, "The bag was
stolen, with the guineas and dollars in it;" and the meaning of the latter
is, "The bag was stolen, guineas, dollars, and all." Nor can there be any
doubt about the meaning, place the words which way you will; and whatever,
in either case, may be the true construction of the words in the
parenthetical or explanatory phrase, they should not, I think, prevent the
verb from agreeing with the first noun only. But if the other nouns
intervene without affecting this concord, and without a preposition to
govern them, it may be well to distinguish them in the punctuation; as,
"The bag, (guineas, dollars, and all,) was stolen."

NOTES TO RULE XVI.

NOTE I.--When the conjunction _and_ between two nominatives appears to
require a plural verb, but such form of the verb is not agreeable, it is
better to reject or change the connective, that the verb may stand
correctly in the singular number; as, "There _is_ a peculiar force _and_
beauty in this figure."--_Kames, El. of Crit._, ii, 224. Better: "There is
a peculiar force, _as well as a peculiar_ beauty, in this figure." "What
_means_ this restless stir and commotion of mind?"--_Murray's Key_, 8vo, p.
242. Better: "What means this restless stir, _this_ commotion of mind?"

NOTE II.--When two subjects or antecedents are connected, one of which is
taken affirmatively, and the other negatively, they belong to different
propositions; and the verb or pronoun must agree with the affirmative
subject, and be understood to the other: as "Diligent _industry_, and not
mean savings, _produces_ honourable competence."