Thou hast spoken as a patriot and a Christian.—Bulwer.
He saw him in his mind's eye, a collegian, a parliament man—a Baronet perhaps.—Thackeray.
VERBS.
CONCORD OF VERB AND SUBJECT IN NUMBER.
A broad and loose rule.
439. In English, the number of the verb follows the meaning rather than the form of its subject.
It will not do to state as a general rule that the verb agrees with its subject in person and number. This was spoken of in Part I., Sec. 276, and the following illustrations prove it.
The statements and illustrations of course refer to such verbs as have separate forms for singular and plural number.
Singular verb.