Practical Grammar and Composition Part 8

EXERCISE 17

_Correct the following sentences so that they do not violate the cautions above stated_:

1. How can you say that when thou knowest better?

2. May I and Mary go to the concert?

3. He asked me to write to him, which I did.

4. Grant thou to us your blessing.

5. The train it was twenty minutes late.

6. Mother she said I might go.

7. Mary told her mother she was mistaken.

8. The man cannot leave his friend, for if he should leave him he would be angry.

9. Sarah asked her aunt how old she was.

10. That is the man whom we named and that did it.

11. Mr. Jones went to Mr. Smith and told him that his dog was lost.

12. This is the book that we found and which he lost.

13. She told her sister that if she could not get to the city, she thought she had better go home.

14. Jack cannot see Henry because he is so short.

15. Then Jack and George, they went home.

16. Bring them books here.

17. Them are all wrong.

18. There are no men in the room but that can be bought.

19. I have no doubt but what it was done.

20. Them there should be corrected.

21. I have faith in everything but that he says.

22. I have no fears but what it can be done.

23. Napoleon, he threw his armies across the Rhine.

24. Thou knowest not what you are doing.

25. It was thought advisable to exile Napoleon, which was done.

26. A grapevine had grown along the fence which was full of grapes.

27. Keep them people out of here.

28. The two cars contained horses that were painted yellow.

29. She is a girl who is always smiling and that all like.

30. You never can tell about foreigners.

31. They say that is not true.

32. The cabin needed to be swept, which we did.

33. They use those methods in some schools.

34. It is the house that is on the corner and which is painted white.

35. You can easily learn history if you have a good memory.

36. How can you tell but what it will rain?

37. He does everything but what he should do.

38. He has everything but that he needs.

39. It was a collie dog which we had and that was stolen.

40. Aunt, she said that she didn't know but what she would go.

41. Tell I and John about it.

42. He went to his father and told him he had sinned.

43. Dost thou know what you doest?

44. It's appearance was deceitful.

45. The chair was also their's.

46. There is a slight difference between mine and your's.

47. Which of the two is her's?

48. They are both our's.

CHAPTER IV

ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

35. An ADJECTIVE is a word used to modify a noun or a p.r.o.noun. An ADVERB is a word used to modify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Adjectives and adverbs are very closely related in both their forms and their use.

36. COMPARISON. The variation of adjectives and adverbs to indicate the degree of modification they express is called COMPARISON. There are three degrees of comparison.

The POSITIVE DEGREE indicates the mere possession of a quality; as, _true, good, sweet, fast, lovely_.

The COMPARATIVE DEGREE indicates a stronger degree of the quality than the positive; as, _truer, sweeter, better, faster, lovelier_.

The SUPERLATIVE DEGREE indicates the highest degree of quality; as, _truest, sweetest, best, fastest, loveliest_.

Where the adjectives and adverbs are compared by inflection they are said to be compared regularly. In regular comparison the comparative is formed by adding _er_, and the superlative by adding _est_. If the word ends in _y_, the _y_ is changed to _i_ before adding the ending; as, _pretty, prettier, prettiest_.

Where the adjectives and adverbs have two or more syllables, most of them are compared by the use of the adverbs _more_ and _most_, or, if the comparison be a descending one, by the use of _less_ and _least_; as, _beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful_, and _less beautiful, least beautiful_.

37. Some adjectives and adverbs are compared by changing to entirely different words in the comparative and superlative. Note the following:

POSITIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE bad, ill, evil, badly worse worst far farther, further farthest, furthest forth further furthest fore former foremost, first good, well better best hind hinder hindmost late later, latter latest, last little less least much, many more most old older, elder oldest, eldest

NOTE.--_Badly_ and _forth_ may be used only as adverbs. _Well_ is usually an adverb; as, _He talks well_, but may be used as an adjective; as, _He seems well_.

38. CONFUSION OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS. An adjective is often used where an adverb is required, and vice versa. The sentence, _She talks FOOLISH_, is wrong, because here the word to be modified is _talks_, and since _talks_ is a verb, the adverb _foolishly_ should be used. The sentence, _She looks CHARMINGLY_, means, as it stands, that her manner of looking at a thing is charming. What is intended to be said is that she appears as if she was a charming woman. To convey that meaning, the adjective, _charming_, should have been used, and the sentence should read, _She looks charming_.

Wherever the word modifies a verb or an adjective or another adverb, an adverb should be used, and wherever the word, whatever its location in the sentence, modifies a noun or p.r.o.noun, an adjective should be used.

39. The adjective and the adverb are sometimes alike in form. Thus, both the following sentences are correct: _He works HARD_ (adverb), and _His work is HARD_ (adjective). But, usually, where the adjective and the adverb correspond at all, the adverb has the additional ending _ly_; as, _The track is SMOOTH_, (adjective), and _The train runs SMOOTHLY_, (adverb).

EXERCISE 18

_In the following sentences choose from the italicized words the proper word to be used:_

1. The sunset looks _beautiful beautifully_.

2. The man acted _strange strangely_.

3. Write _careful carefully_ and speak _distinct distinctly_.

4. Speak _slow slowly_.

5. He acted _bad badly_.

6. He behaved very _proper properly_.

7. The boat runs _smooth smoothly_.

8. He is a _remarkable remarkably_ poor writer.

9. I am in _extremely extreme_ good health.

10. The typewriter works _good well_.