alytical practical grammar - Toronto Public Library

ENGLISH GRAMMAR.
formeil ; as, upper, uppermost, or upmost from up; nether, nelhermo.!t;
inner, i1lnermost, or inmost, from in; hinder, hinderuwst, or hindmost,
from hind; ouler, outermost, or utm08t, from Ollt.
ADJECTIVES NOT COMPARED.
223. "·\djectivcs whose signification does not admit of
increase or diminution, can not properly be compared.
These are-
1. ]o.'llmerals; as, one, two; '''ird,jourth, &c.
2. Proper adjectives; as, English, American, Roman.
3. Ailjcctives that denote figure, shape, or material; as, circular, square,
vJooden, &c.
4. Such adjpctivc, as deride posture or position: as, perperldicltlar,
horizontal.
5. Deji nillvcs; as, each, every, all, some, &c.
6. Ailjectives of an absolute or superlative signification; as, true,perj£cl,
universal, chief, extreme, injinite, complete.
224. REMAltK.-Of these last however, comparative and superlati7c
forms are sometimes u,ed, either to give greater force to the expression,
01' wheu the words arc llsed in a sense not strictly absolute or superlative.
The following arc eX!lll1ple.':
Extreme.- u The ext rem est of e\'ils."-Bacon. "The e.rire,,,est verge."
-Shaks. "His extrcmest st,ate."-Spellcer. [SlJ in Greek IrrxaTtf,TaTor.]
Chiej.-" O!ti(!~,.\t of the herdsmen."-Bible. "Ohiifest courtier."­
Shaks. "First and cltirfest."-JIiltolt.
Perfect.-I> HaviDg" more perfect knowled~e of that way," i.e., knowledge
near~r to perfection.-Bibie. ~u." The most perfect society."­
E. Everett. "Less perfect imit.1tiuns."-Macaulay.
lJlore complete, most complete, less complete, are common.
225. PARSIXG.-In parsing an adjective fnlly: 1. State its class. 2.
Compare, if admitting comparison (~09), and if not compared, so state it.
3. Tell its degree of cump:lrison, if compared. 4. The noun which it
qualifies. Do this always in the same order and in the fewest words possible.
EXA)lPLES.
U A wise Bon maketh a glad falher."-" Wisdom is more precious than
rubies." -" The slllg;ar,l is ,oi.er in his own conceit., than seven men that
can renuer a reason."-u Blessed are the pure in ht':I1 t:'
lVise i~ a common adjective, cOllljJared by er and est (214), positive, and
qualifies son (196).
Glad is n common adjective, compared by er and est, positive, and quali.
fies father