Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

an ther.

(iv) Other is The ther is the same as that in either, whether; and it always indicates that one of two is taken into the mind.

(v) Some is either singular or plural. It is singular in the phrase Some one; in all other instances, it is a plural pronoun.

ADJECTIVES.

1. An Adjective is a word that goes with a noun to describe or point out the thing denoted by the noun-and hence to limit the application of the noun; or, more simply,—

Adjectives are noun-marking words.

(i) Adjectives do not assert explicitly, like verbs. They assert implicitly. Hence they are implicit predicates. Thus, if I say, “I met three old men," I make three statements: (1) I met men; (2) The men were old; (3) The men were three in number. But these statements are not explicitly made.

(ii) Adjectives enlarge the content, but limit the extent of the idea expressed by the noun. Thus when we say "white horses," we put a larger content into the idea of horse; but, as there are fewer white horses than horses, we limit the extent of the notion.

2. An adjective cannot stand by itself. It must have with it a noun either expressed or understood. In the sentence "The good are happy," persons is understood after good.

3. Adjectives are of four kinds. They are (i) Adjectives of Quality; (ii) Adjectives of Quantity; (iii) Adjectives of Number; (iv) Demonstrative Adjectives. Or we may say,Adjectives are divided into

Qualitative.

ADJECTIVES

Quantitative.

Numbering.

Demonstrative.

These four answer, respectively, to the questions

(i) of what sort? (ii) How much? (iii) How many? (iv) Which?

4. Qualitative Adjectives denote a quality of the subject or thing named by the noun; such as blue, white; happy, sad; big, little.

(i) The word qualitative comes from the Lat. qualis of what sort.
(ii) Most of these adjectives admit of degrees of comparison,

5. Quantitative Adjectives denote either quantity or indefinite number; and they can go either (i) with the singular, or (ii) with the plural of nouns, or (iii) with both. The follow

[blocks in formation]

(i) We find the phrases: Little need; little wool; much pleasure; more sense; some sleep, etc.

(ii) We find the phrases: All men; any persons; both boys; several pounds, etc.

(iii) We find the phrases: Any man and any men; no man and no men; enough corn and soldiers enough; some boy and some boys, etc.

6. Numbering or Numeral Adjectives express the number of the things or persons indicated by the noun. They are generally divided into Cardinal Numerals and Ordinal Numerals. But Ordinal Numerals are in reality Demonstrative Adjectives.

(i) Numeral comes from the Lat. numerus, a number. Hence also come numerous, numerical, and number (the b serves as a cushion between the m and the r).

(ii) Cardinal comes from the Lat. cardo, a hinge.

(iii) Ordinal comes from the Lat. ordo, order.

7. Demonstrative Adjectives are those which are used to point out the thing expressed by the noun; and, besides indicating a person or thing, they also indicate a relation either to the speaker or to something else.

(i) Demonstrative comes from the Lat. demonstro, I point out. From the same root come monster, monstrous, &c.

8. Demonstrative Adjectives are of three kinds: (i) Articles; (ii) Adjective Pronouns (often so called); and (iii) the Ordinal

Numerals.

(i) There are two articles (better call them distinguishing adjectives) in our language: a and the. a is a broken-down form of ane, the northern form of one; and before a vowel or silent h it retains the n. In some phrases a has its old sense of one; as in "two of a trade;" "all of a size," etc.

"An two men ride on a horse, one must ride behind."

Shakespeare (Much Ado about Nothing, III. v. 40).

[ocr errors]

(ii) We must be careful to distinguish the article a from the brokendown preposition a in the phrase "twice a week." This latter a is a fragment of on; and the phrase in O.E. was tuwa on wucan." Similarly, the in “the book" is not the same as the in "the more the merrier." The latter is the old ablative of thaet; and is = by that.

(iii) Adjective Pronouns or Pronominal Adjectives are so called because they can be used either as adjectives with the noun, or as pronouns for the noun. They are divided into the following four

classes:

(a) Demonstrative Adjective Pronouns -This, these; that, those; yon, yonder.

(b) Interrogative Adjective Pronouns-Which? what? whether (of the two)?

(c) Distributive Adjective Pronouns-Each, every, either, neither. (d) Possessive Adjective Pronouns-My, thy, his, her, etc. (These words perform a double function. They are adjectives, because they go with a noun; and pronouns, because they stand for the noun or name of the person speaking or spoken of.)

(iv) The Ordinal Numerals are: First, second, third, etc.

9. Some adjectives are used as nouns, and therefore take a plural form. Thus we have Romans, Christians, superiors, Some take the form of the

elders, ones, others, nobles, etc.

possessive case, as either's, neither's.

(i) The plural of one as an adjective is two, three, etc.; of one as a noun, ones. Thus we can say, "These are poor strawberries, bring me better ones." Other numeral adjectives may be used as nouns. Thus Wordsworth, in one of his shorter poems, has—

"The sun has long been set;

The stars are out by twos and threes;

The little birds are piping yet

Among the bushes and trees."

(ii) Our language is very whimsical in this matter. We can say Romans and Italians; but we cannot say Frenches and Dutches. Milton has (Paradise Lost, iii. 438) Chineses.

NUMERALS.

10. Cardinal Numerals are those which indicate numbers alone. Some of them are originally nouns, as dozen, hundred, thousand, and million; but these may also be used as adjectives.

(i) One was in A.S. an or ane. The pronunciation wun is from a western dialect. It is still rightly sounded in its compounds atone, alone, lonely. None and no are the negatives of one and o (=an and a).

(ii) Two, from A.S. twegen mas.; twa fem. The form twegen appears in twain and twin, the g having been absorbed.

(iii) Eleven en (one) +lif (ten). Twelve-twe (two) +lif (ten).

=

(iv) Thirteen-three+ten. The r has shifted its place, as in third. (v) Twenty-twen (two)+tig (ten). Tig is a noun, meaning “a set of ten." The guttural was lost, and it became ty.

(vi) Score, from A.S. sceran, to cut. Accounts of sheep, cattle, etc., were kept by notches on a stick; and the twentieth notch was made deeper, and was called the cut-the score.

11. Ordinal Numerals are Adjectives of Relation formed mostly from the Cardinals. They are: First, Second, Third, Fourth, etc.

(i) First is a contraction of the A.S. fyrrest (farthest).

(ii) Second is not Eng. but Latin. The O.E. for second was other. Second comes (through French) from the Latin, secundus, followingthat is, following the first. A following or favourable breeze ("a wind that follows fast") was called by the Romans a secundus ventus." Secundus comes from Lat. sequor, I follow. Other words from the same root are sequel, consequence, etc.

(iii) Third, by transposition, from A.S. thridda. A third part was called a thriding (where the r keeps its right place); as a fourth part was a fourthing or farthing. Thriding was gradually changed into Riding, one of the three parts into which Yorkshire was divided.

(iv) In eigh-th, as in eigh-teen, a t has vanished.

THE INFLEXION OF ADJECTIVES.

12. The modern English adjective has lost all its old inflexions for gender and case, and retains only two for number. These two are these (the plural of this) and those (the plural of that).

(i) The older plural was thise-pronounced these, and then so spelled. In this instance, the spelling, as so seldom happens, has followed the pronunciation. In general in the English language, the spelling and the pronunciation keep quite apart, and have no influence on each other.

(ii) Those was the oldest plural of this, but in the 14th century it came to be accepted as the plural of that.

13. Most adjectives are now inflected for purposes of comparison only.

14. There are three Degrees of Comparison: the Positive; the Comparative; and the Superlative.

(i) The word degree comes from the French degré, which itself comes from the Latin gradus, a step. From the same root come grade, gradual, degrade, etc.

15. The Positive Degree is the simple form of the adjective.

16. The Comparative Degree is that form of the adjective which shows that the quality it expresses has been raised one step or degree higher. Thus we say sharp, sharper; cold, colder; brave, braver. The comparative degree brings together only two ideas. Thus we may speak of "the taller of the two," but not "of the three."

Comparative comes from the Lat. compăro, I bring together.

17. The Comparative degree is formed in two ways: either (i) by adding er to the positive; or (ii) if the adjective has two syllables (the last ending in a consonant) or more, by placing the adverb more before the adjective.

RULES: I. A silent e is dropped; as brave, braver.

II. A y after a consonant is changed into i before er, etc.; as happy, happier.

III. A final consonant after a short vowel is doubled; as red, redder; cruel, crueller.

IV. In choosing between er and more, sound and custom seem to be the safest guides. Thus we should not say selecter, but more select; not infirmer, but more infirm. Carlyle has beautifullest, etc.; but his is not an example to be followed.

18. The Superlative Degree is that form of the adjective which shows that the quality it expresses has been raised to the highest degree. The superlative degree requires that three things, or more, be compared. Thus "He is the tallest of the two" would be incorrect.

Superlative comes from the Lat. superlatīvus, lifting up above.

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »