"Wisdom _or_ folly _governs_ us." _Or_ is a conjunction, a word that is
chiefly used to connect sentences: it sometimes connects
words--disjunctive, it serves not only to connect and continue the
sentence, but also to join on a member which expresses opposition of
meaning--it connects the nouns "wisdom and folly."
_Governs_ is a verb, a word that signifies, &e.--of the third person,
singular number, agreeing with "wisdom or folly," according to
RULE 9. _Two or more nouns singular, joined by_ disjunctive
_conjunctions, must have verbs, nouns, and pronouns agreeing with them
in the_ singular:
If you reflect, for a few moments, on the meaning of me last two Rules
presented, you will see, at once, their propriety and importance. For
example; in the sentence, "Orlando _and_ Thomas, _who study their
lessons, make_ rapid progress," you notice that the two singular nouns,
_Orlando_ and _Thomas_, are connected by the copulative conjunction
_and_, therefore the verb _make_, which agrees with them, is plural,
because it expresses the action of _both_ its nominatives or actors. And
you observe, too, that the pronouns _who_ and _their_, and the noun
_lessons_, are _plural_, agreeing with the nouns _Orlando_ and _Thomas_,
according to RULE 8.
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