only variation, which it admits of, is that of the Degrees of Comparison.

When a

Qualities for the most part admit of more and lefs, or of different degrees: and the words that exprefs fuch Qualities have accordingly proper forms to exprefs different degrees. Quality is fimply expreffed without any relation to the fame in a different degree, it is called the Pofitive; as, wife, great. When it is expressed with augmentation, or with reference to a lefs degree of the fame, it is called the Comparative; as, wiser, greater. When it is expreffed as being in the highest degree of all, it is called the Superlative; as, wifeft, greatest.

So that the fimple word, or Pofitive, becomes Comparative by adding r or er; and Superlative by adding st, or eft, to the end of it. And the Adverbs more and most placed before the Adjective have the fame effect; as, wife, more wife, most wife (1).

(1) Double Comparatives and Superlatives are improper:

And his more braver Daughter

The Duke of Milan, could controul thee. "

Shakspeare, Tempest.

After the most traiteft fect of our religion I have lived a

D 3

Monofyllables, for the most part, are compared by er and eft; and Diffyllables by more and moft as, mild, milder, mildeft; frugal, more frugal, moft frugal. Diffyllables ending in y, happy, lovely; and in le after a mute, as able, ample; or accented on the last fyllable, as difcrete, polite; easily admit of er and eft. Words of more than two fyllables hardly ever admit of those terminations.

Pharifee. " A&s, xxvi. 5. So likewife Adje&ives, that have in themselves a Superlative fignification, admit not properly the Superlative form fuperadded:

of you will be chiefeft, fhall, be fervant of all: ", Mark, x. 44. "Whofoever "One of the firft and chiefest inftances of prudence." Atterbury, Serm. IV. 10. "While the extremeft parts of the earth were meditating a submission.” Ibid. I. 4. « But first and chiefeft with thee bring Him, that yon foars on golden wing, Guiding the fiery-wheeled throne, The Cherub Contemplation.

""

Milton, Il Penferofo.

"That on the fea's extremeft border flood. "

But poetry is in poffeffion of these two improper SuperlaAddifon's Travels. tives, and may be indulged in the use of them.

The Double Superlative most higheft is a Phrase peculiar to the Old Vulgar Tranflation of the Pfalms acquires a fingular propriety from the Subject to which it ; where it is applied, the Supreme Being, who is higher than the higheft.

In fome few words the Superlative is formed by adding the Adverb moft to the end of them: nethermoft, uttermoft, or utmost, undermoft, uppermost, foremost.

as,

In English, as in moft languages, there are fome words of very common ufe, (in which the caprice of Cuftom is apt to get the better of Analogy,) that are irregular in this respect: as good, better, beft; bad, worse, worst; little, lefs (1), leaft; much, or many, more, most; and a few others. And in other languages, the

(1) Leffer, fays Dr. Johnson, is a barbarous corruption of lefs, formed by the vulgar from the habit of terminating Comparisons in èr. »

"Attend to what a leffer Muse indites.."

Addifon.

"The tongue is like a race-horse; which runs the fafter,

the leffer weight it carries.” Addifon, Sped. No. 247. Worfer founds much more barbarous, only because it has not been fo frequently used.

Changed to a worfer fhape thou canst not be."

Shakspeare, I Hen. VI.

Dryden.

"A dreadful quiet felt, and worfer far Than arms, a fullen interval of war. " The Superlative leaft ought rather to be written without the a, being contracted from leffeft; as Dr. Wallis hath long ago obferved. The Conjunction, of the fame found, might

be written with the a,

for diftin&tion.

words irregular in this refpect are those which exprefs the very fame ideas with the foregoing,

VERB.

A VERE is a word which fignifies to be, to

do, or to fuffer.

There are three kinds of Verbs; Active, Paffive, and Neuter Verbs.

A Verb Active expreffes an Action, and neceffarily implies an Agent, and an Object acted upon: as, to love; "I love Thomas.,,

as, to be

A Verb Paffive expreffes a Paffion, or a Suffering, or the Receiving of an Action; and neceffarily implies an Object acted upon, and an Agent by which it is acted upon; loved; Thomas is loved by me. ", So when the Agent takes the lead in the Sentence, the Verb is Active, and is followed by the Object: when the Object takes the lead, the Verb is Paffive, and is followed by the Agent.

A Verb Neuter expreffes Being; or a ftate or

condition of being; when the Agent and the Object acted upon coincide, and the event is properly Neither action nor paffion, but rather Ì fomething between both: as, I am, I fleep,

walk.

The Verb Adive is called alfo Tranfitive; because the action paffeth over to the Object, or hath an effect upon fome other thing: and the Verb Neuter is called Intranfitive; because the effect is confined within the Agent, and doth not pass over to any object (1).

1

In English many Verbs are used both in an Active and Neuter fignification, the conftruction only determining of which kind they are.

To the fignification of the Verb is fuperadded

(1) The diftin&tion between Verbs abfolutely Neuter, as to fleep, and Verbs Active Intranfitive, as to walk, though founded in nature and truth, is of little use in Grammar. Indeed it would rather perplex than affift the learner: for the difference between Verbs A&ive and Neuter, as Tranfitive and Intranfitive, is easy and obvious: but the difference between Verbs abfolutely Neuter and Intranfitively A&tive is not always clear. But however thefe latter may differ in nature, the Conftru&ion of them both is the fame and Grammar is not fo much concerned with their real, as with their Grammatical, properties.

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