[379] Some authors erroneously say, “A personal pronoun does not always agree in person with its antecedent; as, ’John said, I will do it.’”—­Goodenow’s Gram. “When I say, ’Go, and say to those children, you must come in,’ you perceive that the noun children is of the third person, but the pronoun you is of the second; yet you stands for children,”—­Ingersoll’s Gram., p. 54.  Here are different speakers, with separate speeches; and these critics are manifestly deceived by the circumstance.  It is not to be supposed, that the nouns represented by one speaker’s pronouns, are to be found or sought in what an other speaker utters.  The pronoun I does not here stand for the noun John which is of the third person; it is John’s own word, representing himself as the speaker.  The meaning is, "I myself, John, of the first person, will do it." Nor does you stand for children as spoken of by Ingersoll; but for children of the second person, uttered or implied in the address of his messenger:  as, “Children, you must come in.”

[380] The propriety of this construction is questionable.  See Obs. 2d on Rule 14th.

[381] Among the authors who have committed this great fault, are, Alden, W. Allen, D. C. Allen, C. Adams, the author of the British Grammar, Buchanan, Cooper, Cutler, Davis, Dilworth, Felton, Fisher, Fowler, Frazee, Goldsbury, Hallock, Hull, M’Culloch, Morley, Pinneo, J. Putnam, Russell, Sanborn, R. C. Smith, Spencer, Weld, Wells, Webster, and White. “You is plural, whether it refer to only one individual, or to more.”—­Dr. Crombie, on Etym. and Synt., p. 240.  “The word you, even when applied to one person, is plural, and should never he connected with a singular verb.”—­Alexander’s Gram., p. 53; Emmons’s, 26. “You is of the Plural Number, even though used as the Name of a single Person.”—­W.  Ward’s Gram., p. 88.  “Altho’ the Second Person Singular in both Times be marked with thou, to distinguish it from the Plural, yet we, out of Complaisance, though we speak but to one particular Person, use the Plural you, and never thou, but when we address ourselves to Almighty God, or when we speak in an emphatical Manner, or make a distinct and particular Application to a Person.”—­British Gram., p. 126; Buchanan’s, 37.  “But you, tho’ applied to a single Person, requires a Plural Verb, the same as ye; as, you love, not you lovest or loves; you were, not you was or wast.”—­Buchanan’s Gram., p. 37.

[382] “Mr. Murray’s 6th Rule is unnecessary.”—­Lennie’s English Gram., p. 81; Bullions’s, p. 90.  The two rules of which I speak, constitute Murray’s Rule VI; Alger’s and Bacon’s Rule VI; Merchant’s Rule IX; Ingersoll’s Rule XII; Kirkham’s Rules XV and XVI; Jaudon’s XXI and XXII; Crombie’s X and XI; Nixon’s Obs. 86th and 87th:  and are found in Lowth’s Gram., p. 100; Churchill’s, 136; Adam’s, 203; W. Allen’s, 156; Blair’s, 75; and many other books.