Dr. Shaw on Grammatical Comimrison. 



128 



same class, causes tlic employment of 

 a distinctive loim for thiit dincrcnCo. 



Grammutical cimjmnson regjards 

 qualities solely, and ficqiiciilly signi- 

 fies the employment of the aiiixes cr, 

 est, to those words which denote qu;ili- 

 ties susceptible of addition or diminu- 

 tion, intension or remission, to signify 

 that tlie connected object either pos- 

 sesses, or needs, a certain excess of 

 t!ic qualify, or property, in reference 

 to, or compared with any, or ail, of the 

 others mentioned. 



The variation o{ det/ire of intension 

 or remission belonging solely to quali- 

 ties, the employment of the affixes can 

 alTect only those adjectives which 

 denote qualities; and not such as are 

 formed from names of modifications of 

 natter, form, figure, time, place, &c. 

 (as wooden, earthy, solid, perjiendicu- 

 lar, round, square, daily perennial, 

 permanent, male, feminine, &c.) And 

 wherever there are variations of degree 

 in the quality, there may comparison 

 Le employed ; and hesice arise our 

 technical name, — derp-ccs of compari- 

 son. Knglish adjectives, tiiereforc, 

 are varied in termination only when 

 the <piality denote. I is rcganled in 

 comparison; and this variation is two- 

 fold, to form the compdralive and the 

 super lailve. I, however, regard degrees 

 of comparisiin, as foruied only when the 

 reference of each variation is correla- 

 tive; as George is a tall boy, Kichard 

 is taller than George, but William is 

 the tallest of the three. Such applica- 

 tion makes the first a degree., called tlic 

 positive; and it is regarded as such, 

 because employed to aiiirm or negative 

 the comparison of equal degrees of the 

 .same quality, — as James is as bold as 

 John. 



I. In reference to the first applica- 

 tion of comparison, — to regard the 

 quality adccting a certain object, as 

 compared with the same quality af- 

 fecting some other object, we find— 



1. When the adjective is employed 

 without variation, (or distinctive augnien- 

 live affix,) merely as simply denoting the 

 quality, it is called the positive degree; as, a 

 Jiw day, a kind action, a pleasant riiie, a 



diitifdl child. 



2. When the adjective has the aiigmen- 

 tive affix cr, (or is preceded by mure,) de- 

 noting simple excess, whctlKr of intension 

 or remission of a quality, pertaining to one 

 of tuo objects regarded as partaking that 

 quality, and the latter being preceded by 

 Hian to restrict the application, — it is 

 called the comparatim degree ; as Socrates 



[March 1, 



was wiser than his judges; Thomas is 

 n)il(ier than Joseph. 



But tlie comparative form does not, 

 because of excluding or negativing the 

 relative reference of the quality, ne- 

 cessarily involve the absolute affirma- 

 tion of the positive; it does not assert 

 that ' Thomas is mild ;' it merely as- 

 serts, that he, of the two, has more of 

 the quality, whatever be his quantum. 

 The same remarks apply likewise to 

 the superlative, marking the e/reatest 

 excess in one of the objects. When the 

 comparison refers to the quality, two 

 objects of the same class, other is 

 introduced after than, to restrict the 

 application ; Socrates was wiser thaa 

 other Athenians. 



3. When the adjective has the anjrnen- 

 tive affix est, (or is preceded by most,) 

 devotini; greut excess, whether of intension 

 or remission of a quality pertaining to one 

 object, compaved with two or more of the 

 same class, (shown to be connected by of 

 preceding tliem), or with all the objects 

 contemplated at the same time, it is called 

 tke superlative de^^rce ; of epic poets. 

 Homer is the earliest ; of orators, Demos- 

 thenes was the boldest. 



There must be at least two other 

 objects regarded in comparing the 

 quality ; but how many more, depends 

 on the associated conceptions. When 

 the class is mentioned before, others is 

 often introduced to aid the formation 

 of the superlative ; as, of all wise meu, 

 or others, Solomon was the wisest. 

 To mark mere excess over the others, 

 or any other, connected in the com- 

 parison, is equivalent to the super- 

 lative, 



'J'hc comparative appears capable of 

 regarding plurality of objects, but only 

 the superlative can refer to the total of 

 the described class: — Some of the troops 

 were more anxious to engage than 

 others ; but the cavalry, and the artil- 

 lery, were soonest attacked and longest 

 engaged. 



II. In the second application of com- 

 parison, — to regard the quality itself as 

 comparable with some conception of its 

 particular properties, we find — 



1. When the adjective denotes the qna- 

 lity regarded as an average standard, and 

 also as indicating different proportions 

 thereof, it is called the positive decree ; as, 

 James is as bold as John ; wise above what 

 is written, anxious beyond measure. 



Here let it be remarked, that the 

 first example does not assert that 

 James is bold, or that John is bold; 

 it merely asserts, that each of the two 



has 



