Note X.-A substantive, or a phrase standing immediately before a substantive, is often equivalent to an adjective; as, "A barn door;" "the marriage act;""an off-hand manner." See § 266.

Note XI-When an adjective is used to express comparison between two objects, it is put in the Comparative degree; as, "He is the taller of the two;" "she is more discreet than her sister." Even good writers, however, sometimes depart from this usage, and employ the Superlative in the comparison between two objects. This practice should not be encouraged.

Note XII-When an adjective is used to express comparison between more than two objects of the same class, it is put in the Superlative; as, "He was the bravest of the brave;""she was the loveliest of women."

In the use of the Comparative degree, if the terms of comparison belong to one and the same class, other is prefixed to the second term; as, "Socrates was wiser than the other Athenians." In the use of the Superlative degree, as the object expressed by the first term of the comparison is contained in the class expressed by the second term, the word other can not be admitted; as, "Socrates was the wisest of the Athenians," not the wisest of the other Athenians. "The loveliest of her daughters, Eve," is phraseology condemned, on the ground that it implies that the first term, Eve, is contained in the second term of the comparison, daughters; whereas, from the nature of the case, it can not be thus contained.

Note XIII-Double Comparatives and Superlatives should be avoided; as, "More wiser;" "more braver;" "most strong. est." Worser is obsolete, but lesser is still in use, as well as its abbreviation less. The superlative form of certain adjectives, which in the positive contain the utmost degree of the quality, is not in correct use; as, Extremest, chiefest; truest, rightest. Certain other pleonastic expressions of this kind are in current use among respectable authors; as, More perfect, most perfect; less universal, so universal; most unkindest; "but that I love thee best, O most best, believe it."-Hamlet. This phraseology is not to be encouraged, though we may have to submit to it. Thus the word lesser is used for less by good authors.

Note XIV.—Adjectives and Adverbs are sometimes improp

erly used for each other; as, "Extreme bad weather," for extremely; "the then ministry," for the then existing ministry; "weeds and flowers promiscuous shoot," for promiscuously; "indifferent honest," for indifferently honest.

Note XV.-An adjective is sometimes used Infinitively, or Independently of a noun, when joined to a verb infinitive or to a participle; as, "To be cheerful is the habit of a truly pious mind;" "the desire of being happy reigns in all hearts." See note second.

THE COLLOCATION

OF ADJECTIVES.

§ 491. The adjective is generally placed immediately before the substantive; as, A learned man; a virtuous woman.

Exception 1. When the adjective is closely connected with some other word, by which its meaning is modified or explained; as, "A man loyal to his prince;" "he is four years old;" "an army fifty thousand strong;" "a wall three feet thick."

Exc. 2. When the verb serves chiefly the purpose of a copula, to unite the predicate with its subject; as, "Thou art good;" "he fell sick."

Exc. 3. When there are more adjectives than one connected with the substantive; as, "A man wise, learned, valiant, and good."

Exc. 4. When metrical harmony will be obtained; as,

"With eyes upraised, as one inspired,

Pale Melancholy sat retired."

Exc. 5. When the adjective is preceded by an adverb, the noun is often placed first; as, "A man conscientiously exact.".

Exc. 6. When an adjective becomes a title; as, "Alexander the Great;""Henry the First."

Exc. 7. When time, number, or dimension are specified, the adjective follows the substantive; as, "He is four years old;" "an army twenty thousand strong," "a wall three feet thick."

Exc. 8. When an emphatical adjective is used to introduce a sentiment, it precedes, at some distance, the substantive which it qualifies; as, "Sorry I am to hear liberty of speech in this house imputed as a crime."

Exc. 9. The adjective all may be separated from its substantive by the; as, "All the nations of Europe." Such and many,

66

when they modify nouns in the singular number, are separated from them by a; as, "Such a character is rare ;" many a time."

All adjectives are separated from nouns by a when preceded by so or as: "So rich a dress;" "as splendid a retinue." They are also separated by a and the when preceded by how or however; as, "How distinguished an act of bravery;" "how brilliant the prize;" "however just the complaint;" and by too; as, "Too costly a sacrifice." The word soever may be interposed between the attributive and the noun; as, "How clear soever this idea of infinity; how remote soever it may seem.”LOCKE. Double, in the sense of twice, is separated from its noun by the or a; as, "Double the or a distance." In the sense of two-fold it is preceded by the or a; as, "The or a double wrapper." Both is separated from its noun by the; as, "Both the men." All and singular, or every, precede the before the noun in these phrases: "All and singular the articles, clauses, and conditions;" "all and every of the articles"-phrases of the law style.

Exc. 10. Worth not only follows the noun which it qualifies, but is followed by a noun denoting price or value; as, "A book worth a dollar," "it is well worth the money;" "it is worth observation." If a pronoun is used after worth, it must be in the objective case: It is worth them, or it.

Exc. 11. Certain adjectives, formed by the prefix a, follow a verb and a noun to which they belong, but never precede the noun. Such are, Adry, afeared, afraid, alone, alike, aware, akin, alive, asleep, awake, athirst, aloft, aghast, afloat, askew, ashamed, pursuant, plenty, worth; to which may be added, amiss, aground, ashore, aside, and a few others, which may be used as modifiers or adverbs. We say one is adry, ashamed, alive, or awake; but never an adry person, an ashamed child.

Exc. 12. Certain other adjectives, like pursuant, regent, rampant, follow the noun; as, "A proclamation was issued pursuant to advice of council;" "the prince regent," "a lion rampant."

In certain cases, adjectives can either follow or precede the noun, at the option of the writer.

EXERCISES IN THE SYNTAX OF THE ADJECTIVE.

§ 492. RULE V-a. To Christian nations belong the exclusive cultivation of learning and science, and the assiduous advancement of every useful and ornamental art. C. S.

b. He is the best accountant who can cast up correctly the sum of his own errors.-NEVINS. C. S.

c. Allegories, when well chosen, are like so many tracts of light in a discourse, that make every thing about them clear and beautiful.-ADDISON. C. S.

d. A firm faith is the best divinity; a good life, the best philosophy; a clear conscience, the best law; honesty, the best policy; and temperance, the best physic. C. S.

(Mention the instances under this note in which the adjective is used attributively and in which it is used predicatively.) Note I.-a. Beautiful June has come: June is beautiful. C. S.

b. When bad men combine, the good must associate, else they will fall one by one in a contemptible struggle.-Burke. C. S.

c. In matters of conscience, first thoughts are best; in matters of prudence, the best thoughts are last. C. S.

Note II-a. To calumniate is detestable; to be generous is commendable. C. S.

b. To do so, my lord duke, replied Morton, undauntedly, were to acknowledge ourselves the rebels you term us.-SCOTT. C. S. Note III.-Hard fighting continued four hours. C. S.

Note IV.-a. No such original convention of the people was ever held antecedent to the existence of civil government. C. S.

b. Either, said I, you did not know the way well, or you did; if the former, it was dishonest in you to undertake to guide me; if the latter, you have willfully led me out of the way.-W. COBBETT. C. S.

Note V-a. I never met with a closer grained wood. C. S. b. Some deemed him wondrous wise, and some believed him mad.-BEATTIE. C. S.

Note VI. He described a beautiful young lady leading a blind old man. C. S.

Note VII.-a. Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring. C. S.

b.

But redder yet that light shall glow

On Linden's hills of blood-stain'd snow,

And bloodier yet the torrent flow

Of Iser, rolling rapidly.-CAMPBELL. C. S.

Note VIII-a. If she is not one of the immortals, she is like them. C. S.

b. Each sudden breath of wind passed by us like the voice of a spirit. Professor WILSON. C. S.

Note IX.-a. He enjoys the goods of fortune with a grateful heart. C. S.

b. The generous who is always just, and the just who is always generous, may, unannounced, approach the throne of heaven. C. S.

Note X.-Having leaped the stone wall, he drank spring water which issued from the base of the mountain. C. S.

Note XI-a. He is the strongest of the two, but not the wisest. F. S.

b. Moses was the meekest of men. C. S.

Note XII.-a. He spoke with so much propriety that I understood him the best of all others that spoke on the subject. F.S. b. He was graver than the other Frenchmen. C. S.

c. In the language of the Edinburgh Review, Jonathan Edwards is one of the acutest, most powerful, and, of all reasoners, the most conscientious and sincere. C. S.

Note XIII-a. His work was perfect, his brother's more perfect, and his father's the most perfect of all. F. S.

b. It is more easier to build two chimneys than to maintain F. S.

one.

c. They chose, as they thought, of the two the lesser evil.— JOHN RANDOLPH.

Note XIV.-a. You had scarce gone when he arrived. F. S. b. The tutor addressed him in terms rather warm, but suitably to his offense. F. S.

Note XV.-a. To be trifling in youth is a bad omen. C. S. b. To be innocent is to be not guilty, but to be virtuous is to overcome our evil inclinations.-PENN. C. S.