RULE 4. _The verb must agree with its nominative in number and person_.
It is improper to say, thou _hear_, the men _hears_. Why improper?
Because _hear_ is _first_ pers. and the nominative _thou_ is _second_
pers. _Hears_ is singular, and the nom. _men_ is _plural_. Rule 4th
says, _The verb must agree with its nominative_. The expressions should,
therefore, be, thou hear_est_, the men _hear_; and then the verb would
_agree_ with its nominatives. But _why_ must the verb agree with its
nominative? Why must we say, thou talk_est_, the man talks, men _talk_?
Because the genius of our language, and the common consent of those who
speak it, _require_ such a construction: and this _requisition_ amounts
to a _law_ or _rule_. This _rule_, then, is founded in _the nature of
things_, and sanctioned by _good usage_.
RULE 12. _A noun or pronoun in the possessive case, is governed by the
noun which it possesses_.
It is correct to say, The _man_ eats, _he_ eats; but we cannot say, the
_man_ dog eats, _he_ dog eats. Why not? Because the man is here
represented as the _possessor_, and _dog_, the _property_, or _thing
possessed_; and the genius of our language requires, that when we add to
the possessor, the _thing_ which he is represented as possessing, the
possessor shall take a particular form to show its _case_, or _relation
to the property_; thus, The _man's_ dog eats, _his_ dog eats.
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