427.  The statement that adjectives agree with their nouns in number is restricted to the words this and that (with these and those), as these are the only adjectives that have separate forms for singular and plural; and it is only in one set of expressions that the concord seems to be violated,—­in such as “these sort of books,” “those kind of trees,” “all manner of men;” the nouns being singular, the adjectives plural.  These expressions are all but universal in spoken English, and may be found not infrequently in literary English; for example,—­

     These kind of knaves I know, which in this plainness
     Harbor more craft, etc.—­SHAKESPEARE

     All these sort of things.—­SHERIDAN.

     I hoped we had done with those sort of things.—­MULOCH.

     You have been so used to those sort of impertinences.—­SYDNEY
     SMITH.

     Whitefield or Wesley, or some other such great man as a bishop,
     or those sort of people.—­FIELDING.

     I always delight in overthrowing those kind of
     schemes.—­AUSTEN.

     There are women as well as men who can thoroughly enjoy those
     sort of romantic spots.—­Saturday Review, London.

     The library was open, with all manner of amusing
     books.—­RUSKIN.

According to the approved usage of Modern English, each one of the above adjectives would have to be changed to the singular, or the nouns to the plural.

[Sidenote:  History of this construction.]

The reason for the prevalence of these expressions must be sought in the history of the language:  it cannot be found in the statement that the adjective is made plural by the attraction of a noun following.

[Sidenote:  At the source.]

In Old and Middle English, in keeping with the custom of looking at things concretely rather than in the abstract, they said, not “all kinds of wild animals,” but “alles cunnes wilde deor” (wild animals of-every-kind).  This the modern expression reverses.

[Sidenote:  Later form.]

But in early Middle English the modern way of regarding such expressions also appeared, gradually displacing the old.

[Sidenote:  The result.]

Consequently we have a confused expression.  We keep the form of logical agreement in standard English, such as, “This sort of trees should be planted;” but at the same time the noun following kind of is felt to be the real subject, and the adjective is, in spoken English, made to agree with it, which accounts for the construction, “These kind of trees are best.”

[Sidenote:  A question.]

The inconvenience of the logical construction is seen when we wish to use a predicate with number forms.  Should we say, “This kind of rules are the best,” or “This kind of rules is the best?” Kind or sort may be treated as a collective noun, and in this way may take a plural verb; for example, Burke’s sentence, “A sort of uncertain sounds are, when the necessary dispositions concur, more alarming than a total silence.”