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285. The meaning of some Adjectives is such that they cannot be compared. We cannot, for example, compare :—

Adjectives of Quantity that express Number; as, one, two, both. Demonstrative Adjectives; as, this, that, all, third.

Some Adjectives of Quality; as, chief, principal, dead, living, supreme, universal, Greek, Roman.

*286. The Superlative Degree is sometimes used as in these sentences, "He was a most obliging person, "The weather has been most sultry;" in which the meaning is "6. very obliging," very sultry."

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1 Note that less is the comparative of little, not of few. We should say 66 There were fewer than ten persons present," rather than "less than ten." Use little for quantity, few for number.

2 When Adjectives of Quality are compared that properly admit of no comparison, the meaning is, having more (or most) nearly the quality. Thus, while if a thing is perfect it cannot be more perfect, yet we say "The weather to-day is even more perfect than yesterday," meaning "more nearly perfect." Similarly we may say, "That man is the most universal favorite I ever met."

Exercise 132.

Compare the following Adjectives:

Lazy. Ugly. Witty. Red. Slim. Thin. Sad. Glad. Hot. Dim. Mad. Snug. Frail. Deep. Green. Black. Great. Proud. Clean. Vain. Small. Serene. Rude. Tame. True. Remote. Able. Happy. Balmy. Coy. Gay. Cruel. Prudent. Sensible. Dangerous. Virtuous. Ancient. Ungrateful. Learned. Famous. Eloquent. Tender. Polite. Pleasant. Narrow. Noble. Busy. Lucky.

Expensive. Heavy. Early.

REVIEW.

Learn again

287. An Adjective is a word used with a Noun (or a Pronoun) to describe or to limit that which the Noun denotes.

288. Adjectives of Quality, or Descriptive Adjectives, show what kind of person or thing is meant.

289. Participial and Proper Adjectives are varieties of Descriptive Adjectives.

290. Adjectives of Quantity or Quantitative Adjectives show how much or how many.

291. Demonstrative Adjectives show which one or ones. 292. Which and what are used as Interrogative Adjectives.

293. Adjectives have three degrees of Comparison, the Positive, the Comparative, and the Superlative.

The Comparative of Adjectives is formed either by adding -er or by prefixing the Adverb more to the Positive, and the Superlative by adding -est or prefixing most to the Positive.

Exercise 133.

Parse all Adjectives (except the Articles an or a and the),

thus:

That

Tall

That tall man gave my youngest sister five oranges.

Youngest

Five

Demonstrative Adjective, singular limiting the Noun man.

number,

[Only when parsing this and that, with their Plurals these and those, need the Number be stated.]

Descriptive Adjective, positive degree, limiting the Noun man.

Descriptive Adjective, superlative degree, limiting the Noun sister.

Quantitative Adjective, limiting the Noun

oranges.

The Arabs are more courageous than the Egyptians.
Parse as Nouns. (See par. 271.)

Arabs
Egyptians

More cour

ageous

Good

Descriptive Adjective, comparative degree, limiting the Noun Arabs.

The good deserve to be loved.

Adjective of Quality used as a Noun, collective, plural number, common gender, Nominative Case, Subject to the Verb deserve.

And the dying baron slowly
Turned his weary head to hear.

In that hour of deep contrition
He beheld with clearer vision.

Every vassal of his banner,
Every serf born to his manor,

All those wronged and wretched creatures

By his hand were freed again.

It [the sun] glanced on flowing flag and rippling pennon

And the white sails of ships,

And, from the frowning rampart, the black cannon

Hailed it with feverish lips.

He did not pause to parley or dissemble,
But smote the warden hoar.

Then fell upon the house a sudden gloom,

A shadow on those features fair and thin,
And softly from the hushed and darkened room
Two angels issued where but one went in.
Gone are all the barons bold,

Gone are all the knights and squires,

Gone the abbot stern and cold,

And the brotherhood of friars.

Like the river, swift and clear,

Flows his song.

The tidal wave of deeper souls

Into our inmost being rolls.

The evil bow before the good, and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

VERBS.

ACTIVE VOICE.

Work again Exercise 13.

Read again paragraphs 153-155.

Work again Exercise 99.

294. A Verb when it has an Object is said to be in the Active Voice,'

Exercise 134.

Give the Voice of each Verb in Exercise 100.

PASSIVE VOICE.

Read again paragraphs 17 and 18.

Work again Exercise 19.

295. If Tom broke a window there was an ACTION (break

1 The Active Voice receives its name because the Verb shows that the person or thing named by the Subject is acting or doing.

ing), Tom was the doer of the action, and a window was the Object of it; in other words, it was to a window that the action was done.

In the sentence "Tom broke a window," the Noun Tom is the Subject of the Verb broke, and the Noun window is the Object of it.

In the sentence "A window was broken by Tom," the same fact is stated as before, but now the name of that which was the Object of the ACTION has become the Subject of the Verb, and the Verb is said to be in the Passive' Voice.

Exercise 135.

Give the Voice of each Verb.

The purse was stolen yesterday. All the wood has been burned. The road will be mended next week. The farm is well tilled. The watch has just been cleaned. The room has been dusted carefully. The copy is written nicely. The curtain was torn by the kitten. That house was built by my father; it will be sold next Monday. The top of the table has been planed.

Additional sentences: -Exercise 20, b.

TRANSITIVE VERBS.

296. Verbs that express an action received by some person or thing are said to be Transitive 2 Verbs.

If the Verb is in the Active Voice the receiver of the action is the Object of the Verb; but if the Verb is in the Passive Voice the Subject is the receiver of the action.

Only Transitive Verbs have Voice.

1 From the Latin passivus, suffering, from passus, p.p. of pati, to suffer. The Passive Voice was supposed to be the form of the Verb which denoted that the person or thing named by the Subject suffered (or received) an action.

2 "Transitive" comes from the Latin transire, to pass over. The action is thought of as passing over from the doer of it to the person or thing acted upon.

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