LE XVII.--FINITE VERBS.

When a Verb has two or more nominatives connected by _or_ or _nor_, it must
agree with them singly, and not as if taken together: as, "Fear _or_
jealousy _affects_ him."--_W. Allen's Gram._, p. 133. "Nor eye, _nor_
listening ear, an object _finds_: creation sleeps."--_Young_. "Neither
character _nor_ dialogue _was_ yet understood."--_L. Murray's Gram._, p.
151.

"The wife, where danger _or_ dishonour _lurks_,
Safest and seemliest by her husband stays."--_Milton, P. L._, ix, 267.

OBSERVATIONS ON RULE XVII.

OBS. 1.--To this rule, so far as its application is practicable, there are
properly no exceptions; for, _or_ and _nor_ being disjunctive conjunctions,
the nominatives are of course to assume the verb separately, and as
agreeing with each. Such agreement seems to be positively required by the
alternativeness of the expression. Yet the ancient grammarians seldom, if
at all, insisted on it. In Latin and Greek, a plural verb is often employed
with singular nominatives thus connected; as,

"Tunc nec mens mini, nec color
Certa sede _manent_."--HORACE. See _W. Allen's Gram._, p. 133.

[Greek: "Ean de adelphos ae adelphae lumnoi huparchosi, kai leipomenoi osi
taes ephaemerou trophaes."]--_James_, ii. 15. And the best scholars have
sometimes _improperly_ imitated this construction in English; as, "Neither
Virgil nor Homer _were_ deficient in any of the former beauties."--DRYDEN'S
PREFACE: _Brit. Poets_, Vol. iii, p. 168. "Neither Saxon nor Roman _have
availed_ to add any idea to his [Plato's] categories."--R. W. EMERSON:
_Liberator_, No. 996.

"He comes--nor want _nor_ cold his course _delay_:
Hide, blushing Glory! hide Pultowa's day."--_Dr. Johnson_.

"No monstrous height, _or_ breadth, _or_ length, _appear_;
The whole at once is bold and regular."--_Pope, on Crit._, l. 250.

OBS. 2.--When two collective nouns of the singular form are connected by
_or_ or _nor_, the verb may agree with them in the plural number, because
such agreement is adapted to each of them, according to Rule 15th; as, "Why
_mankind_, or such a _part_ of mankind, are placed in this
condition."--_Butler's Analogy_, p. 213. "But neither the _Board_ of
Control nor the _Court_ of Directors _have_ any scruples about sanctioning
the abuses of which I have spoken."--_Glory and Shame of England_, Vol. ii,
p. 70.

OBS. 3.--When a verb has nominatives of different persons or numbers,
connected by