long words, for euphonic reasons, while the other is used in the case of short words.

DIMINUTION of quality, whether the adjective is of one syllable or more than one syllable, is formed by less and least; as, happy, less happy, least happy. The termination -ish expresses a slight degree of a quality, as reddish. More, most, less, or least, prefixed to an adjective, forms with it virtually a compound adjective.

We thus have the means of denoting at least five varieties of quality; as, least happy, less happy, happy, more happy, most happy.

SECTION CCLXXII.-IRREGULAR COMPARISON.

The following adjectives have DIFFERENT WORDS for expressing the different degrees of comparison:

Good and better are related logically in the ideas they express, but not etymologically. They are related in their use, but not in their origin. Better and best have lost their positive, if they ever had any, which has been replaced by good, a word of a different origin. It is said that the Persian language has beh=good, and better for the comparative. The same general account may be given of the relations of bad and worse, of many and more. They are etymologically different words. It is also said that the Persian language has bad, and comparative badter.

In other languages, the words corresponding to good, better, best, show a similar want of relationship in their origin. Icelandic gód, bettri, bestr; Mœso-Gothic goth, batiza, batist; Danish god, bedre, beste; Swedish göd, bättre, bäst; Dutch goed, beter, best; Friesic god, bettre, beste; Anglo-Saxon, god, betra, betst. In Latin, as an equivalent for good, better, best, we have bonus, melior, optimus. Much is etymologically related to more. It is doubtful whether little and less are etymologically related to each other.

SECTION CCLXXIII.-IRREGULAR TERMINATIONS.

The following adjectives have IRREGULAR TERMINATIONS for expressing their degrees of comparison:

Farther means more far or more distant. It is derived from the word far, which appears in the following forms: fairra, Maso-Gothic; feor, Anglo-Saxon; fër, Old

High-German.

The proper comparative is formed without the th, which is inserted either because far-er is inharmonious, or from the word being confounded with further. ¡ Last is only a contraction of latest. By comparing this word with best, we discover that the sound of t has been lost. The full forms would be lat-est (latt-est) and bett-est. Some of these adjectives are redundant, though in most cases there is a difference of meaning. Thus, foremost refers to place; first, to time; latest, to time; last, to order. Near, although in meaning an adjective of the positive degree, is, in respect to its form, a comparative. The Anglo-Saxon form is neah for the positive; nea-rre, nea-r, and ny-r for the comparatives. Hence nearer is, in respect to its form, a double comparative,

nea-r-er.

SECTION CCLXXIV.-DEFECTIVE COMPARISON.

The following adjectives are DEFECTIVE in their comparison:

The comparatives former and latter, or hinder; upper and under, or nether; inner and outer, or utter; after and hither; and the Latin superior and inferior; anterior and posterior; interior and exterior; prior and ulterior; senior and junior; major and minor, cannot, like other comparatives, be construed with the conjunction than They are comparatives in form, but positives in nature.

SECTION CCLXXV.-COMPARISON BY INTENSIVE WORDS.

Besides the terminational comparison, there is another, which is expressed by certain intensive words, as very, exceedingly, extremely; as, "very hard;" "extremely great;""exceedingly kind." When very or any similar word is put before the positive, it is called the superlative of EMINENCE, to distinguish it from the superlative of comparison. Thus, " very bold" is the superlative of eminence, and boldest is the superlative of comparison.

Another mode of comparison, which in its nature is eminently superlative, is to select a certain class superior to others as the starting point of comparison; as, "King of kings;" "Lord of lords;" "The bravest of the brave." As all men are not brave, brave is itself comparative; and if the brave exceed the common herd, much more does the bravest exceed the common herd.

The comparison is sometimes modified by such terms as somewhat, little, still, almost, much, so. Thus, "Learning is valuable, prudence

is more valuable, and virtue more valuable still.” The word still implies a continued gradation. Were this word suppressed, the sentence would imply that prudence and virtue are each more valuable than learning, but would assert no superiority of virtue to prudence. In the following line a progressive increase in the comparison is effected by the addition of yet after a comparative adjective:

"Short, shorter, shorter yet my breath I drew."

SECTION CCLXXVI.-ADJECTIVES NOT ADMITTING COMPARISON.

Adjectives whose qualities are invariable, not susceptible of increase or diminution, cannot be compared. Among these are,1. All words expressive of FIGURE; as, circular, square. 2. Certain DEFINITIVE adjectives; as, one, two, several.

3. Certain words implying MATTER, TIME, PLACE, PERSON; as, wooden, daily, British, Mosaic.

4. Words denoting the HIGHEST or LOWEST degree of a quality. The following has been given as a list of adjectives which do not properly admit of degrees :

Some of these adjectives, however, are frequently found in the comparative or superlative form :

"But first and chiefest with thee bring."-MILTON, I Penseroso.

Thus, too, we find "more perfect" and "most perfect," "fuller" and "fullest," although it is evident that nothing can be more perfect than perfection, or more full than fullness. These forms of expres sion, though not logically correct, are rhetorically so.

In such instances, the adjective, in its positive state, is not employed so as to denote absolutely the highest degree of quality, but only an approximation to that degree. Thus, when we say that one thing is fuller than another, we must mean that the one thing approaches nearer to fullness or perfection than another, presupposing that neither of the things is absolutely full.

SECTION CCLXXVII.-COMPARATIVE ETYMOLOGY.

In the classical and the Anglo-Saxon languages, adjectives were declined. The following is the declension of god (good) in the Anglo-Saxon.

Gódum.

These inflections have, in the modern English language, been all dropped, and in place of them we have the word good in a single form.

SECTION CCLXXVIII.-
.-NUMERALS.

NUMERALS express the relation of number and quantity. Hence, like pronouns, they are form-words, or relational words, and not, like adjectives, proper notional words. In the Beckerian system of grammar they are regarded as a distinct part of speech. In our common grammars they are referred to under the heads of abstract nouns, numeral adjectives, and numeral adverbs. But they differ, like pronouns, from common substantives, adjectives, and adverbs, in that they respect not some inherent quality or attribute of substances, but only an external relation, namely, that of quantity.

SECTION CCLXXIX.-IMPORTANCE OF NUMERALS.

The importance of this class of words is evident from the consideration that quantity as distinct from quality is one of the general categories, or fundamental principles of human knowledge. Their importance in logic is also evident, from the late discussions of Sir William Hamilton in respect to the quantification of the subject and the predicate. The small space allotted to numerals in common grammars shows that the old arrangement is not adapted to develop fully the nature of this class of words.

SECTION CCLXXX.-CLASSIFICATION OF NUMERALS.

I. CARDINAL NUMERALS, or cardinals, which express number in its simplest form, and answer the question, "How many ?" as, one, two, three, four, and so on indefinitely. These express the repetition of a substance in space, and are properly attributive. The word one is naturally singular. The rest are naturally plural.

1. Abstract Numerals, expressed either by the preceding numbers used substantively; as, the ones, the tens; by words derived from the Latin; as, unity, trinity; or by words derived from the Greek; as, monad, duad.

2. Distributive Numerals (comp. Lat. bini, trini); as, one by one, two by two, by fifties. These are expressed in English only by adverbial phrases.

3. Iterative Numerals; as, once, twice, thrice. These are the genitives of the abstract numerals used adverbially. The series is continued by means of adverbial phrases; as, four times, five times; and answers to the question "How often?”

II. ORDINAL NUMERALS, or ordinals, which denote a series, and answer the question, "Which one in the series?" as, first, second, third, fourth. The ordinal first is a superlative form derived from the root fore. The word second, contrary to the analogy of the other ordinal,

is derived from the Latin secundus. The remainder of the ordinals are derived from the cardinal numerals by the addition of the sound of th, subject to slight variations. In third th becomes d. In fifth the vowel is shortened. In third there is the transposition of the letter r.

Adverbs of order are derived, for the most part, from the preceding, by means of the adverbial affix ly; as, firstly, or, what is better, first, secondly, thirdly, &c., and lastly. In the higher numbers it is necessary to use an adverbial phrase; as, "In the eleventh place;" "In the twelfth place."

III. MULTIPLICATIVE NUMERALS, or Multiplicatives, which show the number of parts of which a whole is composed, and answer the question "How many fold?" as, single, double, triple, or treble, four-fold or quadruple.

IV. PARTITIVE NUMERALS; as, half, a third, a quarter, or fourth part. They are mostly used as substantives.

V. INDEFINITE NUMERALS; as, many, few, some, all, much, less, several, whole, enough, other, another, only, alone, more, any, none, aught, naught, something, nothing, somewhat, &c.

VI. INDEFINITE QUANTITATIVES; as, great, little, some, all. They are taken, for the most part, from the indefinite numerals, sometimes by different words; as, great and little, or large and small (comp. many and few); sometimes by a different construction; as, all the house (comp. all houses).

The indefinite numerals and quantitatives form antitheses; as, many opposed to few; great to little; large to small; all to some.

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SECTION CCLXXXI. -COMPOUND NUMERALS.

In COMPOUND NUMERALS of the ordinal series it is only the last number that takes the ordinal termination; as, "The thirty-third year;" The five hundred and twenty-fifth year." We may compare this with our mode of adding a genitive termination to such phrases as" The king of England;" "The king of England's crown." As we consider "king of England" a sort of compound substantive, and add the mark of the genitive to the end of it, so we consider "five hundred and twenty-five" a compound adjective, and are satisfied with having the mark of its class put on to the end. When units are combined with tens, they are placed either first, with "and," or last, without "and" (four-and-twenty, or twenty-four); but after a hundred the smaller number is always last; as, a hundred and twenty-four.

SECTION CCLXXXII.-PLURAL FORMS.

CARDINALS take the plural form, though all, except one, are naturally plural.

"The sun has long been set,

The stars are out by twos and threes,

The little birds are piping yet

Among the bushes and the trees."-WORDSWORTH.