But notice the construction of this,—­

     A ray or two wanders into the darkness.—­RUSKIN.

AGREEMENT OF VERB AND SUBJECT IN PERSON.

[Sidenote:  General usage.]

442.  If there is only one person in the subject, the ending of the verb indicates the person of its subject; that is, in those few cases where there are forms for different persons:  as,—­

     Never once didst thou revel in the vision.—­DE QUINCEY.

     Romanism wisely provides for the childish in men.—­LOWELL.

     It hath been said my Lord would never take the
     oath.—­THACKERAY.

[Sidenote:  Second or third and first person in the subject.]

443.  If the subject is made up of the first person joined with the second or third by and, the verb takes the construction of the first person, the subject being really equivalent to we; as,—­

     I flatter myself you and I shall meet again.—­SMOLLETT.

     You and I are farmers; we never talk politics.—­D WEBSTER.

     Ah, brother! only I and thou
     Are left of all that circle now. 
     —­WHITTIER.

     You and I are tolerably modest people.—­THACKERAY.

     Cocke and I have felt it in our bones—­Gammer Gurton’s Needle

[Sidenote:  With adversative or disjunctive connectives.]

444.  When the subjects, of different persons, are connected by adversative or disjunctive conjunctions, the verb usually agrees with the pronoun nearest to it; for example,—­

     Neither you nor I should be a bit the better or wiser.—­RUSKIN.

     If she or you are resolved to be miserable.—­GOLDSMITH.

     Nothing which Mr. Pattison or I have said.—­M.  ARNOLD.

     Not Altamont, but thou, hadst been my lord.—­ROWE.

     Not I, but thou, his blood dost shed.—­BYRON.

This construction is at the best a little awkward.  It is avoided either by using a verb which has no forms for person (as, “He or I can go,” “She or you may be sure,” etc.), or by rearranging the sentence so as to throw each subject before its proper person form (as, “You would not be wiser, nor should I;” or, “I have never said so, nor has she").

[Sidenote:  Exceptional examples.]

445.  The following illustrate exceptional usage, which it is proper to mention; but the student is cautioned to follow the regular usage rather than the unusual and irregular.

Exercise.

Change each of the following sentences to accord with standard usage, as illustrated above (Secs. 440-444):—­

     1.  And sharp Adversity will teach at last
        Man,—­and, as we would hope,—­perhaps the devil,
        That neither of their intellects are vast. 
        —­BYRON.