Plain English Part 53

So these words are p.r.o.nouns when they stand alone to represent things--when they are used in place of a noun. They are adjectives when they are used _with_ a noun to limit or qualify the noun. For example, I may say, _This tree is an elm, but that tree is an oak_. _This_ and _that_ in this sentence are adjectives used to modify the noun _tree_.

But I may say, _This is an oak and that is an elm_, and in this sentence _this_ and _that_ are used without a noun, they are used as p.r.o.nouns.

+259.+ Our being able to name every part of speech is not nearly so important as our being able to understand the functions of the different parts of speech and being able to use them correctly. But still it is well for us to be able to take a sentence and point out its different parts and tell what each part is and the function which it serves in the sentence. So sometimes in doing this we may find it difficult to tell whether certain words are adjectives or p.r.o.nouns. We can distinguish between adjectives and p.r.o.nouns by this rule:

When you cannot supply the noun which the adjective modifies, from the _same_ sentence, then the word which takes the place of the noun is a p.r.o.noun, but if you can supply the omitted noun from the same sentence, then the word is used as an adjective. Thus, we do not say that the noun is understood unless it has already been used in the same sentence and is omitted to avoid repet.i.tion. We make each sentence a law unto itself and cla.s.sify each word in the sentence according to what it does in its own sentence.

So if a noun does not occur in the same sentence with the word about which we are in doubt as to whether it is a p.r.o.noun or adjective, it is a p.r.o.noun or word used in place of a noun. For example, in the sentence, _This book is good but that is better_; _book_ is understood after the word _that_ and left out to avoid tiresome repet.i.tion of the word _book_. Therefore _that_ is an adjective in this sentence. But if I say, _This is good, but that is better_; there is no noun understood, for there is no noun in the sentence which we can supply with _this_ and _that_. Therefore in this sentence _this_ and _that_ are p.r.o.nouns, used in place of the noun. And since _this_ and _that_, when used as adjectives, are called demonstrative adjectives; therefore when _this_ and _that_, _these_ and _those_, and similar words, are used as p.r.o.nouns they are called demonstrative p.r.o.nouns.

+260.+ Be careful not to confuse the possessive p.r.o.nouns with adjectives. Possessive p.r.o.nouns modify the nouns with which they are used, but they are not adjectives, they are possessive p.r.o.nouns. _My_, _his_, _her_, _its_, _our_, _your_ and _their_ are all possessive p.r.o.nouns, not adjectives. Also be careful not to confuse nouns in the possessive form with adjectives.

ADJECTIVES AS NOUNS

+261.+ Sometimes you will find words, which we are accustomed to look upon as adjectives, used alone in the sentence without a noun which they modify. For example, we say, _The strong enslave the weak_. Here we have used the adjectives _strong_ and _weak_ without any accompanying noun.

In sentences like this, these adjectives, being used as nouns, are cla.s.sed as nouns. Remember, in your a.n.a.lysis of a sentence, that you name every word according to the work which it does in that sentence, so while these adjectives are doing the work of nouns, we will consider them as nouns.

These words are not used in the same manner in which demonstrative adjectives are used as p.r.o.nouns. There is no noun omitted which might be inserted, but these adjectives are used rather to name a cla.s.s. As, for example; when we say, _The strong_, _The weak_, we mean all those who are strong and all those who are weak, considered as a cla.s.s. You will find adjectives used in this way quite often in your reading, and you will find that you use this construction very often in your ordinary speech. As, for example:

The rich look down upon the poor.

The wise instruct the ignorant.

Many examples will occur to you. Remember these adjectives are nouns when they do the work of nouns.

ADJECTIVES WITH p.r.o.nOUNS

+262.+ Since p.r.o.nouns are used in place of nouns, they may have modifiers, also, just as nouns do. So you will often find adjectives used to modify p.r.o.nouns. As, for example; _He, tired, weak and ill, was unable to hold his position_. Here, _tired_, _weak_ and _ill_ are adjectives modifying the p.r.o.noun _he_.

+263.+ We often find a participle used as an adjective with a p.r.o.noun.

As, for example:

She, having finished her work, went home.

They, having completed the organization, left the city.

He, having been defeated, became discouraged.

In these sentences, the participles, _having finished_, _having completed_, and _having been defeated_, are used as adjectives to modify the p.r.o.nouns _she_, _they_ and _he_.

COMPARISON

+264.+ We have found that adjectives are a very important part of our speech for without them we could not describe the various objects about us and make known to others our ideas concerning their various qualities. But with the addition of these helpful words we can describe very fully the qualities of the things with which we come into contact.

We soon find, however, that there are varying degrees of these qualities. Some objects possess them in slight degree, some more fully and some in the highest degree. So we must have some way of expressing these varying degrees in the use of our adjectives.

This brings us to the study of comparison of adjectives. Suppose I say:

That orange is sweet, the one yonder is sweeter, but this one is sweetest.

I have used the adjective _sweet_ expressing a quality possessed by oranges in three different forms, _sweet_, _sweeter_ and _sweetest_.

This is the change in the form of adjectives to show different degrees of quality. This change is called comparison, because we use it when we compare one thing with another in respect to some quality which they possess, but possess in different degrees.

The form of the adjective which expresses a simple quality, as _sweet_, is called the positive degree. That which expresses a quality in a greater degree, as _sweeter_, is called the comparative degree. That which expresses a quality in the greatest degree, as _sweetest_, is called the superlative degree.

+265.+ +Comparison is the change of form of an adjective to denote different degrees of quality.+

+There are three degrees of comparison, positive, comparative and superlative.+

+The positive degree of an adjective denotes simple quality.+

+The comparative degree denotes a higher degree of a quality.+

+The superlative degree denotes the highest degree of a quality.+

+266.+ Most adjectives of one syllable and many adjectives of two syllables regularly add _er_ to the positive to form the comparative degree, and _est_ to the positive to form the superlative degree, as:

_Positive_ _Comparative_ _Superlative_

sweet sweeter sweetest cold colder coldest soft softer softest brave braver bravest clear clearer clearest

+267.+ Adjectives ending in _y_ change _y_ to _i_ and add _er_ and _est_ to form the comparative and superlative degree, as:

_Positive_ _Comparative_ _Superlative_

busy busier busiest lazy lazier laziest sly slier sliest witty wittier wittiest

+268.+ Many adjectives cannot be compared by this change in the word itself, since the addition of _er_ and _est_ would make awkward or ill-sounding words. Hence we must employ another method to form the comparison of this sort of words. To say, _beautiful_, _beautifuller_, _beautifullest_, is awkward and does not sound well. So we say _beautiful_, _more beautiful_, _most beautiful_.

Many adjectives form the comparative and superlative degree by using _more_ and _most_ with the simple form of the adjective, as:

_Positive_ _Comparative_ _Superlative_

beautiful more beautiful most beautiful thankful more thankful most thankful sensitive more sensitive most sensitive wonderful more wonderful most wonderful

+269.+ Adjectives of two syllables, to which _er_ and _est_ are added to form the comparison, are chiefly those ending in _y_ or _le_, such as:

_Positive_ _Comparative_ _Superlative_

happy happier happiest n.o.ble n.o.bler n.o.blest steady steadier steadiest feeble feebler feeblest able abler ablest witty wittier wittiest

+270.+ Some adjectives, few in number, but which we use very often, are irregular in their comparison. The most important of these are as follows: (It would be well to memorize these.)

_Positive_ _Comparative_ _Superlative_

good better best well " "

bad worse worst ill " "

much more most many " "

little less least late later latest latter last far farther farthest (up) adv. upper uppermost (in) adv. inner innermost