Dear Rainer, Many thanks for your succinct explanation. I am impressed that the solution comes from someone whose first language is not English. I have learned something new.
A similar quirk happens in modern English, where one frequently hears singular nouns matched with plural verbs, for example, "The Government have decided ..." There is only one government, so strictly speaking the verb should be the singular "has". One hears "have" and "has" in this context. Those who prefer the plural verb usually try to justify it, by saying that the noun is plural in essence, because there are lots of people in the government. From the grammatical point of view, of course, it is false logic, but if something is said often enough, it will eventually outweigh the grammar, and become correct. A nice distinction in meaning may be made between a phrase with a singular verb, and one with a plural verb. The example often given is Kent is a county in the south east of England. Kent were all out for 52. The first Kent is the county - an area of land - and takes a singular verb. The second Kent is the Kent cricket team - consisting of 11 players - and takes a plural verb. In this case, it is whether the verb is singular or plural, which determines the meaning of the noun governing it. I just wonder if similar thinking occurs with the Elizabethan usage under discussion, but the other way round. As David van Ooijen has said, "Tears" is really one act of weeping, and so is in essence a singular noun. I would be interested to know if Abbott says something to that effect, or if he says that any old plural noun can take a singular verb in Elizabethan English. By the way, in Nottingham where I live, it is common to hear people have their singulars and plurals the wrong way round. Two examples from John Beeton, _Nottingham as it is spoke_ (n.p.: JB Enterprises, n.d.), vol. 3: Eewerr oad = He was elderly. Weewuzz allus attitt = We were incorrigible. Best wishes, Stewart McCoy. ----- Original Message ----- From: "adS" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "Lute net" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2006 10:47 PM Subject: [LUTE] Re: I saw my lady weep > Singular verbs with plural nouns were acceptable in Elizabethan English. > > See for example Macbeth, 1.7.68: > > Their drenched natures lies as in a death, > > Cf. Abbott, "A Shakespearean Grammar", 3rd edition, 1870, section 333. > > By the way, this is the same Abbott who wrote "Flatland" :) > > Rainer adS To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
