the whole as a unit is under consideration employ a singular
verb; as The regiment _was_ in camp. (2) It is sometimes hard
for the ordinary individual to distinguish the plural from the
singular in foreign nouns, therefore, he should be careful in
the selection of the verb. He should look up the word and be
guided accordingly. "He was an _alumnus_ of Harvard." "They
were _alumni_ of Harvard." (3) When a sentence with one verb
has two or more subjects denoting different things, connected
by _and_, the verb should be plural; as, "Snow and rain _are_
disagreeable." When the subjects denote the same thing and are
connected by _or_ the verb should be singular; as, "The man or
the woman is to blame." (4) When the same verb has more than
one subject of different persons or numbers, it agrees with the
most prominent in thought; as, "He, and not you, _is_ wrong."
"Whether he or I _am_ to be blamed."

(2) Never use the past participle for the past tense nor _vice versa_.
This mistake is a very common one. At every turn we hear "He done it" for
"He did it." "The jar was broke" instead of broken. "He would have went"
for "He would have gone," etc.

(3) The use of the verbs _shall_ and _will_ is a rock upon which even
the best speakers come to wreck. They are interchanged recklessly.
Their significance changes according as they are used with the first,
second or third person. With the first person _shall_ is used in direct
statement to express a simple future action; as, "I shall go to the
city to-morrow." With the second and third persons _shall_ is used to
express a determination; as, "You _shall_ go to the city to-morrow,"
"He _shall_ go to the city to-morrow."