NUMBER AND PERSON OF VERBS.  You recollect, that the nominative is the actor or subject, and the active verb is the action performed by the nominative.  By this you perceive, that a very intimate connexion or relation exists between the nominative case and the verb.  If, therefore, only one creature or thing acts, only one action, at the same instant, can be done; as, The girl writes.  The nominative girl is here of the singular number, because it signifies but one person; and the verb writes denotes but one action, which the girl performs; therefore the verb writes is of the singular number, agreeing with its nominative girl.  When the nominative case is plural, the verb must be plural; as, girls write.  Take notice, the singular verb ends in s, but the noun is generally plural when it ends in s; thus, The girl writes—­the girls write.

Person, strictly speaking, is a quality that belongs not to verbs, but to nouns and pronouns.  We say, however, that the verb must agree with its nominative in person, as well as in number; that is, the verb must be spelled and spoken in such a manner as to correspond with the first, second, or third person of the noun or pronoun which is its nominative.

I will now show you how the verb is varied in order to agree with its nominative in number and person.  I, Thou, He, She, It; We, Ye or You, They, are personal pronouns. I is of the first person, and singular number; Thou is second person, sing.; He, She, or It, is third per. sing.; We is first per. plural; Ye or You is second per. plural; They is third per. plural.  These pronouns are the representatives of nouns, and perform the same office that the nouns would for which they stand.  When placed before the verb, they are, therefore, the nominatives to the verb.

Notice particularly, the different variations or endings of the verb, as it is thus conjugated in the INDICATIVE MOOD, PRESENT TENSE.

   Singular. Plural.

1. Per.  I walk, 1. Per.  We Walk, 2. Per.  Thou walk_est_, 2. Per.  Ye or you walk, 3. Per.  He walk_s_, or 3. Per.  They walk, or
               the boy walk_s_, the boys walk.
               or walk_eth_.

This display of the verb shows you, that whenever it ends in est, it is of the second person singular; but when the verb ends in s, or eth, it is of the third person singular. Walkest, ridest, standest, are of the second person singular; and walks or walketh, rides or rideth, stands or standeth, are of the third person singular.