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or we compare a particular day with a great many days, without any reference to an absolute standard, and pronounce it fine in comparison with them. So, in the latter expression, we have an idea of the average height of men, and call a man tall in reference thereto; or we compare a man, as to height, with several others, without direct reference to such average height, and pronounce him tall in comparison with them.

In these expressions and such like, the mind evidently expresses a comparison by the adjective in the simple state; though, from the constant habit of doing so, it does not always appear to be conscious of it. It is upon the ground of such words expressing a comparison, that Locke calls them proportional relatives. "Another sort of relative terms," says he, "there is, which are not looked on to be either relative, or so much as external denominations, which yet, under the form and appearance of signifying something absolute in the subject, do conceal a tacit though less observable relation. Such are the seemingly positive terms of old, great, imperfect," &c. &c.

Adjectives which form their comparative and superlative degree by the change of termination or the prefixing of more and most, already alluded to, are called regular. Those which do not observe either rule in the formation of their degrees are called irregular. Of the latter class the principal are the following, with their comparison, viz.—

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Adjectives ending in y, preceded by a consonant, if com

pared by a modification in termination, form the compara

tive degree by changing the y into i and adding er; and the superlative in like way by adding est, as-ready, readier, readiest. (See formation of plural of nouns ending similarly in the singular for the reason of this formation.)

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Numeral adjectives are subdivided into cardinal, ordinal, definite, and indefinite. The cardinal (from cardo a hinge, as being those of most consequence, and upon which, as it were, the others turn,) are such as-one, two, three, four, five hundred, seven thousand, &c. &c. From their nature, it is evident they are all, except one, used with nouns in the plural. The ordinals, from ordo an order, as being those which follow the others in order, are such asfirst, second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh thousandth, &c. &c. From their nature they are all used with nouns in the singular number. The definite numeral adjectives, so called, as defining accurately what particular thing is meant, are such as-the, this, that, these, those, yon, yonder. The indefinite, so called from not defining accurately what particular thing is meant, are such as-a, an, one, some, other, any, many, few, several.

The word my, and those enumerated under the head pronominal adjectives, can never be used singly as substi tutes for nouns; hence in character, no matter what may be said about their formation, they are not pronouns. Again, they have connected with them one of the leading characteristics of the adjective, that is, they can of themselves make no sense, but must always be used in connection with a noun- "That is my," requiring the addition of some noun to make a complete sense; hence they are more fitly denominated adjectives. From referring imme diately however to individuals, they have been called by the compound name of pronominal adjectives, not adjective. pronouns, which would be an admission that they are pronouns; they are moreover sometimes called possessive adjectives, from expressing possession of that for which the noun they are connected with is a name.

Such words as loved, hearing, advised, written, &c. partake of a two-fold character,-that of the verb as expressing an act; and of the adjective, inasmuch as they must always agree with or qualify a noun; hence they are called participial adjectives, from particeps partaking of. Care

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must be taken to distinguish when such words are participial adjectives, and when they are essentially portions of the verb. In the two expressions, "I have written a letter;" "I have in my possession a letter written by the Duke of Wellington," it is evident that the position of, and idea represented by, the word written, are essentially different. In the first, the union of the verb have, and the participle written, are combined to form the English perfect tense, and they both express an act performed by the agent I. In the second, the word written is a real adjective, qualifying letter, and there are two distinct acts expressed as performed by different agents-the act of mere having performed by the agent I, and that of writing, in the past time, performed by the Duke of Wellington. No reasoning can ever successfully prove that these expres-sions, and such as these, are identical in meaning, and yet there are found grammarians who deny that the English verb has a perfect, or any tense but the present and past, and any voice but the active, merely because there is no change of termination. Now it may be asked, where or by whom has a law been laid down which renders a change of termination essential to the constitution of tense, which, as has been shewn under the head of verb, merely expresses the bent or direction of the mind towards a particular point of time?- —or what is there in the nature of the thing to prevent the English people effectually to do that by a combination of words, which the Latins and Greeks, having a more flexible language, were pleased to do by a change of termination? The grammarians referred to accuse those who call "I have written," and such expressions, a true tense, of a slavish imitation of the Latins and Greeks, and say that if there had not been a future and a perfect tense, &c. &c., and a passive voice in their language, we never should have heard of such in the English. With what consistency such charge is made will appear from the consideration, that of the two, he is the slave who, because the Latins and Greeks formed their different tenses by a change of termination, asserts there is no such thing as tense unless so formed; and not he who departs from such usage, and admits an expression to constitute a tense, though differently arrived at.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE ADJECTIVE.

1. It was said, in the rule for the formation of the comparative and superlative degrees, that in the case of words of more than two syllables the prefixing of more and most serves the purpose. The same purpose appears to be served by less and least, according to necessity: as-avaricious, less avaricious, least avaricious.

2. Some adjectives appear to form their superlatives by the addition of most to the end of the word, as inner, inmost, a contraction of innermost; outer, outermost, for which is used utmost; upper, uppermost, &c. &c.

3. Some adjectives have no positive, as exterior; some, again, though apparently in a positive form, have associated with them the superlative idea, as extreme.

4. When the positive ends in a single consonant, preceded by a single vowel, the consonant is repeated before er and est, as big, bigger, biggest.

5. The adjectives much and many are given in the foregoing as the positives of more and most. It is worthy of remark that much is used when reference is made to things weighed, measured, or in any other way estimated; many, when number alone is referred to. More and most are used indiscriminately when reference is made to all.

6. The quality expressed by the adjective may exist in different individuals in different proportions. A man may be tall as compared with the great bulk of men; another, however, may have more than he of the quality of tallness. To express this, gives rise to the necessity of degrees, whence we have taller, tallest. Some adjectives, however, from their very nature, cannot be so modified. If a statement be true, for instance; that is, if it convey the idea of truth, it is perfect in this respect; it cannot be either more true or less true; hence true admits not of comparison. To this class belong virtuous, perfect, eternal, chief, moral, immoral, &c. &c. This, as the philosophical, is, no doubt, the correct, view. Society, however, having got the general idea of all qualities existing in different degrees, breaks through the rules of philosophy, and hence we have

such expressions as more perpendicular, more virtuous, truer, &c. &c.

7. Old has been compared with older and elder for the comparative, and oldest and eldest for the superlative. It is further to be remarked that elder and eldest are generally, if not always, applied to persons; older and oldest to things.

8. Double comparatives and superlatives should be avoided. Of such are the expressions: "The more milder die;" "The least happiest man." Such expressions are occasionally to be found in the best writers; they however abound more frequently in writers during or near to the time of the Stuart dynasty. "After the most straitest sect of our religion," is found in the Acts of the Apostles.

9. The indefinite adjective a is changed into an when the word following begins with a vowel, or an h not pronounced; as an egg, an hour.

10. When two or more nouns immediately following each other refer to the same individual, the definite adjective the, or indefinite a, precedes the first only; as A or the friend and supporter-both characters being sustained by the same individual. When however different individuals are referred to, the adjectives in question precede each of the nouns. In the expression, for instance," He now lost the friends and the supporters of his cause," friends and supporters do not necessarily refer to the same individuals.

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11. The relatives what and which are frequently used as adjectives, as I know not by what fatality he was impelled." This is evidently resolvable into the relative and antecedent: "I know not the fatality by which." "Which things are an allegory," is explained in the same way.

12. The adjectives this and that admit of a plural, as This book, These books, Those books. When this and that refer to different things, this refers to the last expressed, that to the first; as, "Wealth and poverty are both temptations; that tends to excite pride, this discontent." Them is often used improperly for these and those, as Them books, Them houses.

13. One, other, another, are sometimes used as nouns, and admit of inflection, the two former in number and case, the latter in case only, as "One's feelings; I saw fine ones

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