OF THE ADJECTIVE.

An Adjective is a word which expresses quality or degree, and is joined to a noun or pronoun to describe it: as, A wise man; a new book; a fat ox. You two are

diligent.

CLASSES.

Adjectives are divided into six classes; namely, common, proper, numeral, pronominal, participial, and compound. I. A common adjective is one which denotes quality or situation as, Great, little, eastern, western.

II. A proper adjective is one which is formed from a proper name: as, English, Belgic, Platonic.

III. A numeral adjective is one which expresses a definite number: as, One, two, three.

IV. A pronominal adjective is one which may either accompany its noun, or represent it understood: as, All seek what few obtain; that is, All men seek what few men obtain.

V. A participial adjective is one which has the form of a participle, but differs from it by rejecting the idea of time; as, An interesting tale.

VI. A compound adjective, is one which consists of two or more words joined by a hyphen: as, Milk-white, laughterloving, sure-footed.

Obs. 1.—Numeral adjectives are of three kinds: namely,

I. Cardinal; as, One, two, three, four, five, six.

II. Ordinal; as, First, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth.

III. Multiplicative; as, Single or alone, double or two-fold, triple or three-fold, quadruple or four-fold.

Obs. 2.—Pronominal adjectives may be divided into three kinds; the distributive, the demonstrative, and the indefinite.

I. The distributive relate to persons or things taken separately and singly; they are each, every, either, and sometimes neither.

II. The demonstrative precisely point out the things to which they relate they are this, these; that, those; former, latter.

III. The indefinite refer to things in a general manner: they are, one, all, some, other, such, none.

What is an ADJECTIVE?---How is this exemplified? Into what classes may adjec tives be divided? What is a common adjective ?---a proper adjective ?---a numeral adjective? --- a pronominal adjective? --- a participial adjective? --- a compound adjective?

OBS. 3.—Compound adjectives, being formed at pleasure, are very numerous and various. Many of them embrace numerals, and run on in a series; as, one-leaved, two-leaved, three-leaved.

MODIFICATIONS.

Adjectives have, commonly, no modifications but comparison.

Comparison is a variation of the adjective to express quality in different degrees: as, soft, softer, softest.

There are three degrees of comparison; the positive, the comparative, and the superlative.

The positive degree is the adjective in its simple form: as, hard, soft, good, short.

The comparative degree is that which exceeds or lessens the positive: as, harder, softer, better, shorter.

The superlative degree is the greatest or least quality of an adjective: as, hardest, softest, best, shortest.

Some adjectives, the signification of which does not admit of different degrees, cannot be compared: as, two, second, all, perfect, infinite, eternal.

Those adjectives which may be varied in sense, but not in form, are compared by means of adverbs: as, watchful, more watchful, most watchful—watchful, less watchful, least watchful.

REGULAR COMPARISON.

Adjectives are regularly compared, when the comparative degree is expressed by adding er, and the superlative, by adding est to them; as,

What modifications have adjectives? What is comparison in grammar ?---Give an example. How many, and what are the degrees of comparison? What is the positive degree?---the comparative degree?---the superlative degree ?--- Give an example of each. What adjectives cannot be compared? What adjectives are compared by means of adverbs? How are adjectives regularly compared ?---Compare meek, vise, and hot.

* See Rules for Spelling, III. and VI.

The regular method of comparison is chiefly applicable to monosyllables, and to dissyllables ending in y or e, mute.

COMPARISON BY ADVEBBS.

The different degrees of a quality may also be expressed, with precisely the same import, by prefixing to the adjective the adverbs more and most: as, wise, more wise, most wise ; beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful.

The degrees of diminution are expressed, in like manner, by the adverbs less and least: as, wise, less wise, least wise; beautiful, less beautiful, least beautiful.

Obs. 1.—Adjectives of more than one syllable, except dissyllables ending in y or e mute, rarely admit a change of termination, but are compared by means of adverbs: thus, we say, famous, more famous, most famous; but not famous, famouser, famousest.

Obs. 2.—Some grammarians have erroneously parsed the adverbs more and most, less and least, as part of the adjectives; but the prefixing of an adverb can hardly be called a variation of the adjective: the words may with more propriety be parsed separately, the degree being ascribed to the adverb.

Obs. 3.—The degrees in which qualities may exist in nature, are infinitely various; but the only degrees with which the grammarian is concerned, are those which our variation of the adjective or adverb enables us to express. Whenever the adjective itself denotes these degrees, they properly belong to it; as, worthy, worthier, worthiest. If an adverb is employed for this purpose, that also is compared, and the two degrees formed are properly its own; as, worthy, more worthy, melt worthy. But these same degrees may be otherwise expressed; as, worthy, in a higher degree worthy, in the highest degree worthy. Here also the adjective worthy is virtually compared as before; but only the adjective high is grammatically modified.

IRREGULAR COMPARISON.

The following adjectives are compared irregularly: good, better, best; bad or ill, worse, worst; little, less, least; much, more, most; many, more, most,

Obs. 1.—In English, most adjectives that denote place or situation, not only form the superlative irregularly, but are also either redundant or defective in comparison. Thus:

To what adjectives are er and est applicable? Is there any other mode of expressing the degrees? How are the degrees of diminution expressed? What adjectives rarely admit a change of termination? How do you compare good, bad, or ill, little, much, and many?

I. The following nine have more than one superlative: far, farther, farthest, farmost or farthermost; near, nearer, nearest or next; fore, former, foremost or first; hind, hinder, hindmost or hindermost; in, inner, inmost or innermost; out, outer or utter, outmost or utmost, outermost or uttermost; up, upper, upmost or uppermost; low, lower, lowest or lowermost; late, later or latter, latest or last.

II. The following five want the positive: [aft, adv.] after, oftmost or aftermost; [forth, adv.] further, furthest or furthermost; hither, hithermost; nether, nethermost; under, undermost.

III. The following want the comparative: front, frontmost; rear, rearmost; head, headmost; end, endmost; top, topmost; down, downmost; mid or middle, midst, midmost, or middlemost; north, northmost; south, southmost; northern, northernmost; southern, southernmost; eastern, easternmost; western, westernmost.

Obs. 2.—Many of these irregular adjectives are also in common use, is nouns, adverbs, or prepositions; the sense in which they are employed will shew to what class they belong.

Obs. 3.—The words fore and hind, front and rear, head and end, right and left, in and out, high and low, top and bottom, up and down, upper and under, mid and after, are often joined in composition with other words; and some of them, when used as adjectives of place, are rarely separated from their nouns; as, in-land, mid-sea, after-ages, &c.

Obs. 4.-It may be remarked of the comparatives, former and latter or hinder, upper and under or nether, inner and outer or utter, after and hither; as well as of the Latin superior and inferior, anterior and posterior, interior and exterior, prior and ulterior, senior and junior, major and minor; that they cannot, like other comparatives, be construed with the conjunction than, introducing the latter term of comparison; for we never say one thing is former, superior, &c. Than an other.

Obs. 5.—Common adjectives, or epithets denoting quality, are more numerous than all the other classes put together. Many of these, and a few that are pronominal, may be varied by comparison; and some participial adjectives may be compared by means of the adverbs. But adjectives formed from proper names, all the numerals, and most of the compounds, are in no way susceptible of comparison.

Obs. 6.—Nouns are often used as adjectives; as, An iron bar An evening school—A mahogany chair—A South-Sea dream. These also are incapable of comparison.

Obs. 7.—The numerals are often used as nouns ; and, as such, are regularly declined; as, such a one—One's own self—The little onesBy tens-For twenty's sake—By fifties—Two millions.

Obs. 8.—Comparatives, and the word other, are sometimes also employed as nouns, and have the regular declension: as, Our superiors— His betters—The elder's advice—Let others do as they will. But, as adjectives, these words are invariable.

How do you compare far, near, fore, hind, in, out, up, low, and late? What adjectives want the positive? what the comparative ?

OBS. 9.—Pronominal adjectives, when their nouns are expressed, simply relate to them, and have no modifications: except this and that, which form the plural these and those; and much, many, and a few others, which are compared.

Obs. 10.—Pronominal adjectives, when their nouns are not expressed, may be parsed as representing them in person, number, gender, and case; but those who prefer it, may supply the ellipsis, and parse the adjective simply as an adjective.

Obs. 11.—The following are the principal pronominal adjectives: All, any, both, each, either, every, few, former, first, latter, last, little, much, many, neither, no or none," * one, other, same, some, such, this, that, which, what.

Obs. 12.—Which and what, when they are not prefixed to nouns, are, for the most part, relative or interrogative pronouns.

EXAMPLES FOR PARSING.

CHAP. III. ETYMOLOGICAL.

In the Third Chapter, it is required of the pupil—to distinguish and define the different parts of speech, and the classes and modifications of the articles, nouns, and adjectives.

The definitions to be given in the Third Chapter, are two for an article, six for a noun, three for an adjective—and one for a pronoun, a verb, a participle, an adverb, a conjunction, a preposition, or an interjection. Thus :

EXAMPLE PARSED.

"I select the safest path, though some other may be less difficult."

I is a pronoun.

1. A pronoun is a word used instead of a noun, to repeat the idea.

What modifications have pronominal adjectives? What is required of the pupil in the Third Chapter for parsing? How many definitions are here to be given for each part of speech? How is the following example parsed? "I select the safest path, though some other may be less difficult." [Now parse, in like manner, the two lessons of the Third Chapter.]

• No and none seem to be only different forms of the same adjective; the former being used before a noun expressed, and the latter when the noun is understood or not placed after the adjective; as, "For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself."---Romans, xiv. 7.