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with an aspirate, however, if accented on the second syllable, commonly take an: thus we speak of 'an habitual offence,' 'an historic character,' 'an heroic incident,' although, we say 'a habit,' 'a history,' 'a hero.'

3.

What are the chief uses of the?

(a) to point out a thing: 'Give me the book,—not the red one, the black one.'

(b) to specify objects which are well known to us: 'Let us have a walk in the garden'; 'the village,' 'the church.’

(c) to indicate things of which only a single specimen exists: 'the Alps,' 'the Atlantic,' 'the Thames.' Hence also with superlatives, 'the meanest of mankind,' 'the highest point,' as these are singular objects.

(d) to signify a class, with nouns in the singular number or with adjectives: 'the horse,' 'the ant'; 'the rich,' 'the wise.'

(e) in colloquial language with emphasis on the word the, to give the force of a superlative: 'Here comes the cricketer,' meaning 'the best cricketer.'

(f) as an adverb with comparatives: 'the more the better.' This signifies by that much the more by so much the better,' like the Latin quo and eo. The is here a survival of the Old English ablative or instrumental case, thi, from the definite article or demonstrative pronoun the.

4. What are the chief uses of an or a?

(a) to signify one: 'three men in a boat', 'two of a trade': 'In a year or two he will come down to a shilling a day.'

(b) to signify any one: 'If a body meet a body:' 'A horse is a vain thing for safety.'

(c) to signify some one, or a certain one: 'A policeman told me there was a fire:' 'He has a great liking for sport.'

QUESTIONS.

I. Give the derivation and definition of the term adjective.

Distinguish the different kinds of adjectives in the sentence:—'Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.'

Give one example of each kind of adjective not represented in the preceding sentence.

[Adjective is from Latin adjectivum, 'what can be added on.']

2. Is it right to say that an Adjective marks the quality of a Noun ?

3. What is an adjective? Point out the adjectives in the lines: 'And his droop'd head sinks gradually low

4.

And through his side the last drops, ebbing slow
From the red gash, fall heavy, one by one,
Like the first of a thunder-shower.'

Refer to its class each Adjective in the following stanza:

'Far different we,-a froward race:

Thousands, though rich in Fortune's grace,
With cherished sullenness of pace

Their way pursue,

Ingrates who wear a smileless face

The whole year through.'

5. Refer to its class each Adjective in the following sentences :-'My mind to me a kingdom is,

Such perfect joy therein I find.'

'Second thoughts are best.'-'No road is long with good company." ‘That civility is best which excludes all superfluous formality.'—' Most things have two handles and a wise man will lay hold of the best.'— 'What truly great thing has ever been effected by the force of public opinion?'-'Few of the many wise apophthegms which have been uttered, from the time of the Seven Sages of Greece to that of Poor Richard, have prevented a single foolish action.'

6. Limit the application of the nouns thoughts, mutton, music, by prefixing to each (1) a Qualitative, (2) a Quantitative, (3) a Demonstrative Adjective.

7. Form Adjectives from the following Nouns :-slave, tempest, clay, sense, man, quarrel, sore, gold, wretch, care, right, thought, fire, silver, courage.

Attach each Adjective to a suitable noun.

[More than one Adjective can be formed from some of the above words. From sore we obtain sorry.]

8. Write short sentences to illustrate the use of an adjective (a) attributively, (b) predicatively, (c) as an abstract noun.

9. The following Adjectives are used as Nouns in the plural. Supply the appropriate Noun which may be understood with each word:-eatables, valuables, incapables, unmentionables, vitals, italics, sundries, greens, empties, brilliants.

Add any more examples which occur to you.

10.

(a) Some Adjectives are used as Nouns:

(b) Some Nouns are used as Adjectives:

(c) Some Adjectives are used only predicatively.

Construct three sentences to illustrate each of these statements.

[The use of Nouns as Adjectives is exemplified in such combinations as 'iron bar,' 'village church,' church bell,' 'railway bridge.' Instances abound. Adjectives used only predicatively are not numerous. § 247. Other examples are akin, alive, athirst, aware, awry.]

See

II. Would you put a or an before each of the following words?— union, year, hypocrisy, hotel, urn, hour, harangue, history, historian, usurper.

12. Distinguish between the use of the Definite and of the Indefinite Article. Explain the use of the Article in a burnt child shuns the fire,' 'twice a day,' 'the red flag.’

[Note here that we might have expected 'a fire' rather than 'the fire,' as a burnt child shuns not only the fire at which it was once burnt, but any fire.

In 'twice a day,' although a has the form of the article now, it is a corruption of the preposition on, meaning in.]

13. Explain the uses of the and a in the following phrases:

(a) The more the merrier.

(b) The lazy Scheldt.

(c) A penny a piece.

112

CHAPTER XIII.

INFLEXION OF ADJECTIVES.

110. ONE result which the Norman Conquest produced upon our language was this: the inflexions marking gender and case disappeared from our adjectives and, with the exception of these and those, the plurals of this and that, the inflexions marking number followed them. The adjective in English is thus in striking contrast with the adjective in Greek, or Latin, or German. In these languages the adjective is declined: with us it is invariable as regards gender, number, and case. Thus the only inflexion of adjectives which survives in modern English is that of Comparison.

111. What do we mean by the Comparison of Adjectives?

We saw that adjectives might be classified in three groups as Qualitative, Quantitative, or Demonstrative. A qualitative adjective indicates the presence of some quality in the thing of which we are speaking. If we say 'The sheep is black,' we assert that the sheep has the quality called blackness, or in other words that blackness is an attribute of the sheep. Now many qualities are variable in the amount or degree in which they are present. Blackness admits of different shades: height, weight, speed, cleverness, are qualities which admit of far greater differences of degree than blackness. We observe the varying extent to which

these different qualities are presented to us by making a comparison of the objects, and we record the results of our observation by modifying the adjectives which are attached to the names of these objects. This modification is called Comparison of Adjectives.

An Adjective in the Positive Degree expresses the presence of a quality without reference to the extent to which that quality is present in something else.

An Adjective in the Comparative Degree expresses the presence of a quality to a greater extent than that to which it is present in something else, or in the same thing under other circumstances.

An Adjective in the Superlative Degree expresses the presence of a quality to a greater extent than that to which it is present in anything else with which we make the contrast. Thus we say 'John is younger but taller than his brother: Mary is the cleverest of the three children.'

112. Do all Adjectives admit of Comparison ?

Clearly not. The Demonstrative Adjectives,-this, that, a, the, first, second,-express no quality which varies in amount. Then again of the Quantitative Adjectives, those which are definite, like the Cardinal Numerals and none, both, have meanings which do not admit of variations of degree. And it is only a few of the indefinite adjectives of quantity which admit of comparison. We can compare many, much, little, few, but not any, all, some, half, several.

Nor is it possible to form comparatives of all even of the Qualitative Adjectives: for—

(i) The adjective in the positive degree may already express the presence of the quality in the greatest conceivable extent: thus, extreme, universal, full, empty, top, infinite, perfect, if literally used cannot be compared. When we say "This glass is emptier than that,' 'Yours is a more

W. E. G.

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