English Grammar in Familiar Lectures Part 18

11. _Of Comparison_; as, More, most, better, best, worse, worst, less, least, very, almost, little, alike, &c.

NOTES.

1. This catalogue contains but a small portion of the adverbs in our language. Many adverbs are formed by a combination of prepositions with the adverbs of place, _here, there, where_; as, Hereof, thereof, whereof; hereto, thereto, whereto; hereby, thereby, whereby; herewith, therewith, wherewith; herein, therein, wherein; therefore, (i.e. there-for,) wherefore, (i.e. where-for,) hereupon, hereon, thereupon, thereon, whereupon, whereon, &c.

2. Some adverbs are composed of nouns or verbs and the letter _a_, used instead of _at, an_, &c.; as, Aside, athirst, afoot, asleep, aboard, ash.o.r.e, abed, aground, afloat, adrift, aghast, ago, askance, away, asunder, astray, &c.

You will now please to read this lecture _four_ times over, and read slowly and carefully, for unless you understand well the nature and character of this part of speech, you will be frequently at a loss to distinguish it from others in composition. Now do you notice, that, in this sentence which you have just read, the words _slowly, carefully, well_, and _frequently_, are adverbs? And do you again observe, that, in the question I have just put to you, the words _now_ and _just_ are adverbs? Exercise a little sober thought. Fifteen minutes spent in reflection, are worth whole days occupied in careless reading.

In the following exercises six parts of speech are presented, namely, Nouns, Verbs, Articles, Adjectives, Participles, and Adverbs; and I believe you are now prepared to pa.r.s.e them all agreeably to the systematic order, _four_ times over. Those words in _italics_ are adverbs.

SYSTEMATIC ORDER OF PARSING.

_The order of parsing an_ ADVERB, is--an adverb, and why?--what sort?--what does it qualify?--RULE.

"My friend has returned _again_; but his health is _not very_ good."

_Again_, is an adverb, a word used to modify the sense of a verb--of time indefinite, it expresses a period of time not precisely defined--it qualifies the verb "has returned," according to

Rule 29. _Adverbs qualify verbs, participles, adjectives, and other adverbs_.

_Not_ is an adverb, a word used to modify the sense of an adverb--of negation, it makes the a.s.sertion negative; that is, it changes the proposition from an affirmative to a negative--and it qualifies the adverb "very," agreeably to Rule 29. _Adverbs qualify verbs, &c_.

_Very_ is an adverb, a word used to qualify the sense of an adjective--of comparison, it compares the adjective "good," and qualifies it according to Rule 29. _Adverbs qualify adjectives, &c_.

EXERCISES IN PARSING.

The traveller described a lofty castle decaying _gradually. Very_ few literary men _ever_ became distinguished poets. The great Milton excels _not_ Homer. The Roman women, _once voluntarily_ contributed their _most_ precious jewels to save the city.

Many small streams uniting, form _very_ large rivers. The river Funza falling _perpendicularly_ forms a vast cataract. Attentive servants _always_ drive horses _very carefully_; negligent servants _often_ drive horses _very carelessly_. a.s.siduous scholars improve _very fast_; idle scholars learn _none at all_. Friends.h.i.+p _often_ ends in love; but love in friends.h.i.+p, _never_.

NOTE. Several adverbs frequently qualify one verb. Have you walked? _Not yet quite far enough, perhaps. Not, yet, far_, and _enough_, qualify "have walked" understood; _perhaps_ qualifies _not_; and _quite_ qualifies _far_. The adverbs _always_ and _carefully_ both qualify the verb "drive:" the former expresses _time_, and the latter, _manner.

Once_ and _voluntarily_ qualify the verb "contributed;" the former expresses _number_, and the latter, _manner_. The word _their_ you need not pa.r.s.e. The active verb _to save_ has no nominative. The nouns _love_ and _friends.h.i.+p_, following _in_, are in the objective case, and governed by that preposition.

REMARKS ON ADVERBS.

When the words _therefore, consequently, accordingly_, and the like, are used in connexion with other conjunctions, they are _adverbs_; but when they appear single, they are commonly considered _conjunctions_.

The words _when_ and _where_, and all others of the same nature, such as _whence, whither, whenever, wherever, till, until, before, otherwise, while, wherefore_, &c. may be properly called _adverbial conjunctions_, because they partic.i.p.ate the nature both of adverbs and conjunctions; of adverbs, as they denote the attributes either of _time_ or _place_; of conjunctions, as they _conjoin sentences_.

There are many words that are sometimes used as adjectives, and, sometimes as adverbs; as, "_More_ men than women were there; I am _more_ diligent than he." In the former sentence _more_ is evidently an adjective, for it is joined to a noun to qualify it; in the latter it is an adverb, because it qualifies an adjective. There are others that are sometimes used as nouns, and sometimes as adverbs; as, "_to-day's_ lesson is longer than _yesterday's_." In this example, _to-day_ and _yesterday_ are nouns in the possessive case; but in phrases like the following, they are generally considered adverbs of time; "He came [_to his] home yesterday_, and will set out again _to-day_." Here they are nouns, if we supply _on_ before them.

"Where _much [wealth, talent_, or something else] is given, _much [increase, improvement_] will be required; _Much_ money has been expended; It is _much_ better to write than starve." In the first two of these examples, _much_ is an adjective, because it qualifies a noun; in the last, an adverb, because it qualifies the adjective _better_. In short, you must determine to what part of speech a word belongs, by its _sense_, or by considering the _manner_ in which it is a.s.sociated with other words.

An adjective may, in general, be distinguished from an _adverb_ by this rule: when a word qualifies a _noun_ or _p.r.o.noun_, it is an adjective, but when it qualifies a _verb, participle, adjective_, or _adverb_, it is an adverb.

Prepositions are sometimes erroneously called adverbs, when their nouns are understood. "He rides _about_;" that is, about the _town, country_, or some-_thing_ else. "She was _near_ [the _act_ or _misfortune of_]

falling;" "But do not _after_ [that _time_ or _event_] lay the blame on me." "He came _down_ [the _ascent_] from the hill;" "They lifted him _up_ [the _ascent_] out of the pit." "The angels _above_;"--above _us_--"Above these lower _heavens_, to us invisible, or dimly seen."

Before you proceed to correct the following exercises in false Syntax, you may answer these

QUESTIONS NOT ANSWERED IN PARSING.

Does an adverb ever qualify a noun?--What parts of speech does it qualify?--When an adverb qualifies a verb or participle, what does it express?--When an adverb qualifies an adjective or adverb, what does it generally express?--Compare some adverbs.--By what signs may an adverb be known?--Give examples.--Repeat some _adverbial phrases_.--Name the different cla.s.ses of adverbs.--Repeat some of each cla.s.s.--Repeat the order of parsing an adverb.--What rule do you apply in parsing an adverb?

QUESTIONS ON THE NOTES.

Repeat some adverbs that are formed by combining prepositions with adverbs of place.--Repeat some that are composed of the article _a_ and nouns.--What part of speech are the words, _therefore, consequently_, &c.?--What words are styled _adverbial conjunctions_?--Why are they so called?--Is the same word sometimes used as an adjective, and sometimes as an adverb?--Give examples.--What is said of _much_?--By what rule can you distinguish an adjective from an adverb?--Do prepositions ever become adverbs?

PHILOSOPHICAL NOTES.

As the happiness and increasing prosperity of a people essentially depend on their advancement in science and the arts, and as language, in all its sublime purposes and legitimate bearings, is strictly identified with these, it may naturally be supposed, that that nation which continues, through successive generations, steadily to progress in the former, will not be neglectful of the cultivation and refinement of the latter. The truth of this remark is ill.u.s.trated by those who have, for many ages, employed the English language as their medium for the transmission of thought.

Among its refinements may be ranked those procedures by which verbs and nouns have been so modified and contracted as to form what we call adverbs, distributives, conjunctions, and prepositions; for I presume it will be readily conceded, that conciseness, as well as copiousness and perspicuity in language, is the offspring of refinement. That an immense amount of time and breath is saved by the use of adverbs, the following development will clearly demonstrate. He who is successful in contracting one mode of expression that is daily used by thirty millions, doubtless does much for their benefit.

Most adverbs express in one word what would otherwise require two or more words; as, "He did it _here_," for, He did it _in this place; there_, for, _in that place; where_, for, _in what place; now_, for, _at this time. Why_ means _for what reason; how--in what mind, mood, mode_, or _manner; exceedingly--to a great degree; very--in an eminent degree; often_ and _seldom_ signify _many times, few times_.

The procedures by which words have been contracted, modified and combined, to form this cla.s.s of words, have been various. The most prolific family of this illegitimate race, are those in _ly_, a contraction of _like. Gentleman-ly_, means _gentleman-like, like_ a gentleman. We do not yet say, _ladily_, but _lady-like_. The north Britons still say, _wiselike, manlike_, instead of, _wisely, manly_.

_Quick_ comes from _gwick_, the past part. of the Anglo-Saxon verb _gwiccian_, to vivify, give life. _Quick-ly_ or _live-ly_, means, in a _quick-like_ or _life-like_ manner; in the manner of a creature that has _life. Rapid-ly--rapid-like, like a rapid_; a _quick-ly_ or _swift-ly_ running place in a stream.

_Al-ways_, contraction of _in all ways_. By a slight transition, it means _in_ or _at all times. Al-one_, contraction of _all-one.

On-ly--one-like. Al-so--all the same_ (thing.) _Ever_--an _age_. For _ever_ and _ever_--for _ages_ and _ages_. Ever is not synonymous with always. _Never_--_ne ever_. It signifies _no age, no period of time. No_, contraction of _not. Not_, a modification of _no-thing, noth-ing, naught_. "He is _not_ greater"--is greater _in naught_--_in no thing_.

_Adrift_ is the past part. _adrifed, adrif'd, adrift_; from the Saxon _drifan_, or _adrifan_, to drive. _Ago_, formerly written _ygo, gon, agon, gone, agone_, is the past part. of the verb _to go_. It refers to time _gone by. Asunder_, the Saxon past part.

_asundren_, from the verb _sondrian_ or _asondrian_, to separate.

_Aloft--on the loft, on luft, on lyft; lyft_ being the Anglo-Saxon word for _air_ or _clouds. Astray_, the part. of _straegan_, to stray. _Awry_, part. of _wry than_, to writhe.

_Needs_--_need-is_; anciently, _nedes_, nede is.

To-_wit_, the infinitive of _witan_, to know. It means, _to be known_. _Ay_ or _yea_ signifies _have it, enjoy it. Yes_ is _ay-es_, have, possess, enjoy _that_. Our corrupt _o-yes_ of the crier, is the French imperative, _oyez_, hear, listen. _Straight way_--by a straight way. _While--wheel_; period in which some thing _whiles_ or _wheels_ itself round. _Till_--to while. _Per_, Latin,--the English _by_. Perhaps--per haps, per chance. These examples of derivation are given with the view to invite the attention of the intelligent pupil to the "Diversions of Purley, by John Horne Tooke."

QUESTIONS ON THE PHILOSOPHICAL NOTES.

How does the use of adverbs contribute to the conciseness of language?--Ill.u.s.trate the fact.--What is said of _ly, like_, and _quick_?--How are the following words composed, _always, alone, only, also_?--What is the meaning of _ever, never, not, adrift, ago, asunder, aloft, astray, awry_?--Give the signification of _needs, to-wit, ye, yes, o-yes, straightway, while, till_, and _per_.

NOTE. Learners need not answer the questions on the Philosophical Notes, in this or any other Lecture, unless the teacher deem it expedient.

EXERCISES IN FALSE SYNTAX.

NOTE 3, TO RULE 29, Adjectives are sometimes improperly applied as adverbs; as, indifferent honest; excellent well; miserable poor:--She writes elegant; He is walking slow.

The adjectives _indifferent, excellent_, and _miserable_, are here improperly used, because adjectives do not express the degree of adjectives or adverbs, but such modifications are denoted by adverbs.

The phrases should, therefore, be, "_indifferently_ honest, _excellently_ well, _miserably_ poor." _Elegant_ and _slow_ are also inaccurate, for it is not the office of the adjective to express the manner, time, or place of the action of verbs and participles, but it is _the office_ of the adverb. The constructions should be, "She writes _elegantly_; He is walking _slowly_."

You may correct the following examples several times over, and explain the principles that are violated.