GRAMMAR. 



we accordingly find, that in those mo- 

 dern European languages which are de- 

 rived from the Latin, geixler is little 

 more than a mere grammatical distinc- 

 tion of nouns into two classes, called 

 masculine and feminine. 



II. Of the Adnoun. 



21. We apply the term adnowi to those 

 single words which are added to nouns, 

 to vary their comprehension, or to vary 

 or determine their extension. Those 

 which aifect the former object are call- 

 ed adjectives; those which aftect the 

 latter \ve call restrictives. It is not, per- 

 haps, in all cases, easy to say, to which 

 of these classes an adnoun should be 

 referred, because the two objects are 

 not always distinguishable ; but in ge- 

 nera), those which denote qualities are 

 adjectives, and those which denote situ- 

 ation, possession or number, are restric- 

 tives. 



22. The adjective is exactly equiva- 

 lent to a noun connected with another 

 noun by means of juxtaposition, or of a 

 preposition, or of corresponding flexion. 

 JE. g. \' golden cup is the same with a 

 gold cup, or a cup of gold ,- a prudent 

 man is the same as a man of prudence, 

 or vir prudentix. It has been already 

 observed, that the Greek and Latin ge- 

 nitive, our preposition of, and juxtapo- 

 sition, are all equivalent procedures, 

 though custom has produced a variety 

 in the mode of their application : we 

 now add, that the adjective is another 

 equivalent ; v and further, that the con- 

 iiection denoted by the adjective is equal- 

 ly indefinite with the others. E.g. A 

 healthy colour, is a colour caused by 

 health ; a healthy exercise, is exercise 

 causing health. And the use of all these 

 procedures is the same, to particularize 

 the general term, by connecting with 

 the qualities which are included under 

 it some quality which the general term 

 does not include. In many instances, to 

 denote that the name of a quality is 

 used thus in connection with some other 

 name, that is, in fact, that it is used as 

 an adjective, ceitain terminations are em- 

 ployed, significant of such connection ; 

 and Mr. H. Tooke informs us, that those 

 by which the simple adjectives are form- 

 ed, viz. en, ed, and ig (our modern r/) con- 

 vey, all three, the designation that the 

 names to which they are annexed 

 are to be joined to some other names ; 

 and this by their own intrinsic meaning, 

 for they signify give, add, join. " So the 



adjectives -wooden and -woollen" he con- 

 tinues, " convey precisely the same ideas, 

 are the names of the same things, denote 

 the same substances, as the substantives 

 wood and -wool : and the termination en 

 only puts them in a condition to be join- 

 ed to some other substances, or rather 

 gives us notice to expect some other sub- 

 stances to which they are to be joined." 



23. Most languages which admit of 

 inflection carry it through their adjec- 

 tives as well as nouns. In some the 

 adjective is varied, to express difference 

 in the gender, number, and case of the 

 connected noun. Where great liberty 

 of inversion is desirable, these variations 

 are convenient, because they point out 

 with what noun the adjective is connec- 

 ed : where juxtaposition ascertains this, 

 they are unnecessary, since they make 

 no change in the signification of the ad- 

 jective. The signification of the adjec- 

 tive -arise, e. g. is unchanged, whether it 

 be applied to one man or woman, or to 

 twenty men or women : whether its sub 

 stantive be stated singly, or conjoined 

 with others, as the names of the parents, 

 place of abode, &c. of those to whom it 

 is applied. The French always place the 

 adjective close to its noun, yet they make 

 changes on it to denote the gender of the 

 connected noun. This is always unneces- 

 sary ; but sometimes it contributes to 

 elegance, by preventing an awkward cir- 

 cumlocution. 



24. The qualities denoted by adjectives 

 may, in general, vary in degree : some, 

 as dimensions and weight, may be mea- 

 sured with accuracy ; and the compara- 

 tive degree of some qualities, at least of 

 heat and cold, can be ascertained with 

 precision. Many, however, are incapable 

 of exact measurement ; and the cases in 

 which the exact degree of the quality 

 cannot be ascertained are few, in compa- 

 rison with those in which it is unneces- 

 sary. When we use terms to express a 

 greater or less degree of a quality, \ve 

 may either make a direct and particu* 

 lar reference to the degree in which it is 

 possessed by other objects, or use them 

 without such reference. In the former 

 case, we are said to compare the quali- 

 ties ; and variations of the adjective, to 

 express this comparison, are called de- 

 grees of comparison. The difference be- 

 tween the comparative and superlative, in 

 our language, consists in the manner of 

 construction merely, and not in the de- 

 gree of the quality : thus, Solomon was 

 wiser than any other king of Israel, is the 

 same as, " Solomon was the wisest of th 



