ADJECTIVE 



rhythm, the adjective follows the noun; as, 

 splendor unsurpassed; a pupil ambitious to 

 excel; the child asleep; the victim afraid; 

 everything good; nothing useless; Alexander 

 the Great ; notary public, and the like. 



Used to modify a pronoun, the adjective fol- 

 lows; as, We came upon them, weary and 

 anxious. 



Comparison of Adjectives . In most languages 

 the adjective changes in form to agree with the 

 gender, person, number and sometimes case of 

 the noun or pronoun to which it belongs. In 

 English it has an invariability of form, the 

 only inflection being for the purpose of indi- 

 rating variation in amount or degree. This is 

 called comparison. 



Comparison by Endings. Words of one syl- 

 lable and some of two which do not sound 

 awkward in the inflected form, add the suffix 

 ' r to the positive to form the comparative, 

 and est to form the superlative: 



POSITIVE 



neat 

 dry 

 feeble 

 lovely 



COMPARATIVE 



neater 

 drier 

 feebler 

 lovelier 



SUPERLATIVE 



neatest 

 driest 

 feeblest 

 loveliest 



Comparison by Adverbs. Most adjectives of 

 more than one syllable, and all adjectives of 

 participial form, are compared by prefixing 

 more or less to the positive to indicate the 

 comparative degree, and most and least to 

 indicate the superlative: 



POSITIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE 



active more active most active 



enthusiastic more enthusl- most enthusi- 

 astic astlc 



delighted more delighted most delighted 



tired less tired least tin. i 



willing less willing least willing 



Irregular Comparison. About twenty com- 

 mon adjectives are irregularly compared; as, 

 good (well), better, beat; many (much), more, 

 most; far, farther (further), farthest; fore, for- 

 mer, foremost (first), and others. For complete 

 h-f and full discussion, see COMPARISON, where 

 will also be found a list of fives 



are absolute in meaning, not admitting of 

 iparison. 



. Parsing the Adjective. To parse an adjcc- 

 iiese three points must be stated: 



clnHfiiflmtlon whether descriptive or 

 limiting, and If the latter, whether an adjective 

 of quantity or an article. 



2. Its degree of comparison whether positive. 

 comparative or superlative. 



or use in the sentence, which 

 Involves connecting it with the noun or pronoun 

 whose meaning it modifies. 



55 ADJECTIVE 



Type Sentences: The most important part of 

 education is right training in the nursery. 



The Is a definite article, limiting in the one 

 case the noun part and in the other the noun 

 nursery. Most important is a descriptive adjec- 

 tive; superlative degree, comparison regular by 

 adverb (important, more important, most im- 

 portant) ; modifies the noun part. Right Is a 

 descriptive adjective ; positive degree, not admit- 

 ting of comparison ; modifies the noun training. 



The two friends are devoted and inseparable. 



The is a definite article, modifying the noun 

 friends. Two Is a limiting adjective, denoting 

 number; modifies the noun friends. Devoted I* 

 a descriptive adjective, participial form ; positive 

 degree, comparison regular by adverb (devoted. 

 more devoted, most devoted) ; used with the In- 

 complete verb are to modify the subject noun. 

 friends. Inseparable is a descriptive adj. 

 posltive degree, not admitting of comparison :. 

 predicate adjective modifying the subject, which 

 is friends. 



Common Errors. Among the most fn 

 errors in the use of adjectives are the employ- 

 ment of the adjective for the adverb, the ad- 

 verb for the adjective, and the placing of the 

 adjective with the word denoting the quantity 

 instead of the noun described. These and 

 many other every-day mistakes are covered in 

 the following examples, and in the -list given 

 in the article ADVERB. 



Robert sings good, tor Robert sings well. Tl 

 reference is to the action of singing, and a verb 

 always demands an adverbial modifier. 



Robert looks badly, for Robert looks 

 Looks In this construction is an 

 expressing Robert's condition without reference 

 to any action. This calls for an adject 

 stead of an adverb. 



Robert looked close at the specimen, tor Rob- 

 ert looked closely at the specimen. Here the ac- 

 tion of looking Is Implied, which necessitates the 

 use of the adverb. 



Lavender smells sweetly, for Lavender smells 

 sweet. What is meant Is that lavender Is sweet. 

 It does not do any smelling; there Is no action, 

 therefore the adverb is Incorrect Sweet U used 

 as a predicate adjective. 



Be was real sick, for He was very sick. Real, 

 being an adjective, cannot modify another ad- 

 Besides, real does not Indicate degree, 



A strong cup of coffee, tor A cup of strong cof- 

 fee. The adjective should be placed next 

 word It modifies. It Is the coffee that Is utrong. 

 not the cup. 



The four first volumes, tor The first four vol- 

 ume*. Only one can be "flrnt. there 

 cannot be "four flr*t." The expretwlon /! 

 considers the volumes as a group or unit 



You have proton considerable, for You A<M r 

 grown considerably. The adjective roH(dra6f* 

 cannot be used to modify the verb have frown; 

 the adverb must be used. 



/ am afraid I can't locate the passage. 



can't locate the passage. It Is correct to 

 mi a/raid, meaning / am frightened; but 

 It Is not correct to use the adjective with a fol- 



