qualities of the same object; as, "He is more learned than wise;" that is, "His learning is greater than his wisdom." This is, in reality, a comparison between two objects-learning and wisdom.

FORMATION OF THE COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE.

The comparative is regularly formed by adding er, and the superlative by adding est, to the posi

The same change in signification is made by prefixing the adverbs more and most; as, sweet, more sweet, most sweet.

This is the usual way of comparing adjectives of more than one syllable; as, graceful, more graceful, most graceful; not gracefuler, gracefulest. In such cases the comparison is made by the adverb, and not by the adjective.

But words of two syllables, ending in y, or in le after a mute, or accented on the last syllable, may be regularly compared; as, happy, happier, happiest; able, abler, ablest; polite, politer, politest.

Some other adjectives of two syllables are sometimes compared by adding er and est; as, handsome, handsomer, handsomest.

Some adjectives are compared in an irregular manner; as,

Positive. Comparative. Superlative. Positive. Comparative. Superlative.

...best.

Remarks.-1. Near and late have, besides the regular forms of the superlative, next and last.

How are the comparative and superlative | What is the usual way of comparing adjecregularly formed?

tives of more than one syllable?

In what other way may the same change What adjectives of two syllables are comin meaning be expressed?

pared by adding er and est?

Compare good, bad, etc. Compare near.

* Sometimes lesser

2. Old has, in addition to the regular comparative a d superlative, elder and eldest. These are formed from eld, which is now obsolete.

3. The superlative is sometimes formed by adding most to the positive or comparative; as, inmost, or innermost; hindmost, or hindermost; topmost. 4. A slight degree of quality is expressed by adding ish; as, sweet, sweetish.

5. The adverbs less and least are sometimes used with the adjective, when the object is represented as having a lower degree of the quality than belongs to the object or objects with which it is compared; as, "This apple is less sweet than that."

6. The adverbs more and most, less and least, should not be parsed as part of the adjective. More is an adverb in the comparative degree.

7. Most adjectives, which denote qualities that cannot exist in different degrees, are not compared; as, round, square, two-handed, Almighty.

8. But many adjectives which denote invariable qualities are used in the comparative and superlative by the best writers; as, "The sight is the most perfect of all our senses."-Addison. By this is meant that the sight approaches nearer to perfection than any other sense does. Of the same kind are just, upright, true, honest, complete, accurate, correct, regular, good, white, safe, etc.

Note 1.—The best writers and speakers in the language are in the habit of constantly using such expressions as more perfect. Language is not governed by the rules of logic. It would be improper to say that one thing is perfect, and another more perfect than that; but when we say that one thing is more perfect than another, we do not necessarily mean that either is perfeet, but merely that one approaches nearer to perfection than the other. One man may be better than another, when neither is perfectly good.* Most grammarians give incorrect definitions of the comparative and superlative. See page 37, Remark 1.

Note 2.-Some grammarians would say, less unjust, least imperfect, rather than juster, most perfect, etc.; but it would sound rather strange if we should say, "Aristides was less unjust than any other Athenian;" or if a lover should say of his mistress, "Angelica is the least imperfect of her sex."

1. Name the comparative and superlative of each of the following adjectives. Red, rich, warm, hot, illustrious, ample, happy, ripe, able, discreet, industrious, learned, good, high, just, near, insignificant, studious, little.

Compare old.

What is said of the superlative in most?
What is said of the termination ish?

When are less and least joined with the
adjective?

What adjectives are not compared?
What is said of more perfect, etc.?

# 66 "Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God."-Matthew xix. 17.

2. In what degree is each of the following adjectives?

Wisest, better, good, politest, happy, virtuous, greater, less, richest, apter, noble, noblest.

3. Correct the following.

Beautifuler, magnanimouser, blissfuler, agreeabler, virtuousest, amusingest.

ARTICLES.

The limiting adjectives a or an, and the, are called articles.

The is called the definite, and a or an, the indefinite article.

When the definite article is used, we refer to some particular object, or class of objects, either before spoken of, or pointed out in some other way.*

When the indefinite article is used, we refer to some one of a class, but to no particular one.

The word book is applied to each one of a whole class of objects: if I say, "Give me a book," I call for any one of these objects: if I say, "Give me the book," I ask for some particular book.

A is used before words beginning with consonant sounds; an before those beginning with vowel sounds; as, a tree, an apple.

The indefinite article originally meant one. An was formerly employed much more frequently than it is now; n is not added to a to form an, but it is dropped from an to make a.

What words are called articles?
Which is the definite article?-the indef-
inite?

When is the definite article used?

When is the indefinite article used?
Before what words is a used?
Before what words is an used?

The is never used when the noun is omitted, but in its stead, that and those are employed; as, "The course of life is short, that of glory eternal;" "The duties of men differ from those of women." In these examples that and those are not used in their usual sense, but in the sense of the. The noun course is understood in the former sentence, duties in the latter. If we supply the ellipsis the must be employed; as, "The course of life is short, the course of glory eternal;" "The duties of men differ from the duties of women." It would not convey the same idea to say, "The course of life is short, that course of glory eternal," etc.

The was originally the imperative mode, and that the participle of the same AngloSaxon verb, the an, to take, to assume.

Remarks.—1. In some words beginning with h, this letter is silent, and the first sound being a vowel sound, an is used, and not a; as, an hour.

2. Some words, whose first letter is a vowel, commence with a consonant sound, and, consequently, a, and not an, is used before them; as, a university, a eunuch, a ewe, many a one. University, eunuch, and ewe are pronounced as if they commenced with y, and one is pronounced wun.

3. An is used before words beginning with h not silent, if the accent is on the second syllable; as, an heroic action; an historical romance.

The sound of h is weaker, that is, the breath is less forcibly emitted, when the word is accented on the second syllable, than when the accent is on the first. The word historical almost seems to begin with a vowel sound.

EXERCISES.

Correct whatever errors occur in the following.

A apple. An peach. An hand. An hireling. A hour. An union. An European. An human being. Many an one. A army. A honorable man. An heart. A article. A adjec

tive. An yeoman. A umpire. An useful man. An unit. A historical account. An history. A heroic action. An hero. A Hibernian tale. An university. An union. A herbarium. A hereditary title. A heretical opinion. A hexameter. A An uniform ap

hosanna. An unicorn. An universal belief.

pearance. An Unitarian. An useless labor. An usurer.

The is used with nouns either in the singular or the plural number; as, the book; the books.

A or an is used with nouns in the singular number only. We cannot say a books.

A seems to belong to plural nouns in such expressions as the following: "A dozen apples;" "A hundred books ;" "A thousand men;" "A great many

men."

66

But a does not belong to apples, books, and men, in the preceding examples, but to dozen, hundred, and many, which, in such cases, are collective nouns, in the singular number. There is an ellipsis of the preposition of; thus, a dozen of men; a great many of men; a hundred of men.

When a is used with numbers greater than thousands, of must be expressed; as, a million of men. So, in some instances, with a great many; as, A great many of those books are worthless."

66

That hundred, thousand, etc., are nouns, is evident: they may be used in the plural number; as, "Hundreds of men were slain in that battle."

Why is an used before hour?
Why is a used before university?
When is an used before words beginning
with h not silent?

A or an is used with nouns of what number?

The is used with nouns of what number?

The word many is very often used by the old English writers as a noun signifying company, retinue, etc. Thus, "And eke with him cometh his meinie" [many.]-Chaucer.

Spenser applies the word to three persons in the following passage:

"This fair many were compeld at last.-"

Shakspeare uses a many without great; thus,

"For yet a many of your horsemen peer

And gallop o'er the field."-Hen. V, Act iv, Scene 5.

Many is a noun in such expressions as the following: "The will of the many, and their interests, must very often differ."-Burke.

A is used with a plural noun, when the adjective few intervenes; as, a few books.

This construction probably originated from an ellipsis. Ane few menye, a few menye, (that is, a small number or company,) are expressions used by ancient authors. When many came to be generally used as an adjective opposed in meaning to few, the two words sounded harshly together, and many, with the preposition following it, was dropped. In this manner a few many of the books was changed to a few books.

A or an often comes between many and a singular noun; as,

"When the merry bells ring round,

And the jocund rebecks sound

To many a youth and many a maid

Dancing in the checkered shade."-Milton.

Horne Tooke considers a in such instances to be a corruption of of. Thus, many of maids, by corrupting the sound of of, as is frequently done, would become many a maids; and a being mistaken for the article, the noun would afterwards be put in the singular.

PARSING EXERCISES.

The words in italics are prepositions; those in large capitals are transitive verbs, and those in small capitals are intransitive verbs.

That boy RODE the vicious horse. A good man LOVES all men. Robert GOT some sour apples. William HAS five white marbles. Jonathan SHOT some fat birds. Diligent boys RECEIVE praise. The rose Is the fairest of all flowers. This room is warmer than that. John HAS the warmest room of all. The sun is hotter than any fire Is. These apples ARE sweeter than those. Bayardo is the swiftest horse of the threc.

In what case is a used with plural nouns?

*Than is a conjunction.