4. Which is it, a toadstool or a mushroom?
5. Which city has the larger population?
6. Which boy threw the stone?

7. What stone did he throw?

8. What did the man come for?
9. What do you want?

10. Which will you take?

XLVI. COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES

172. Since different objects may possess the same quality in different degrees, there must be some means of telling this. We do it by changing the form of adjectives. For instance, wool, snow, and feathers have the same quality of softness, but not in the same degree, so we say that wool is soft, snow is softer, and feathers are softest. This change in the adjective soft to denote the degree of softness is called comparison.

173. Comparison is a property of adjectives. There are three degrees of comparison, the positive, the comparative, and the superlative.

The positive degree denotes the simple quality, the comparative degree denotes more or less of this quality, and the superlative denotes most or least of this quality. When we give the three forms of an adjective, we are said to compare it. We compare bold by saying: positive, bold; comparative, bolder; superlative, boldest; or positive, bold; comparative, less bold; superlative, least bold.

174. Comparison is denoted in three ways:

(1) By adding the suffixes er and est. These are added to adjectives of one syllable, and to a few of two syllables; as, fine, finer, finest; lovely, lovelier, loveliest.

(2) By prefixing the adverbs more and most. This method is used in comparing longer adjectives; as, spacious, more spacious, most spacious; disagreeable, more disagreeable, most disagreeable.

(3) By prefixing the adverbs less and least; as, rough, less rough, least rough; elegant, less elegant, least elegant. This is a mode of comparing adjectives on a descending scale instead of an ascending scale.

175. Some adjectives cannot be compared at all; as, asleep, dead, correct, round, square, principal. Instead of saying rounder, we may say more nearly round.

176. Some adjectives are compared irregularly. The following are examples:

Summary.

Comparison in an adjective is a change of form to express quality or quantity in different degrees. There are three degrees of comparison, positive, comparative, and superlative.

Short adjectives are compared by adding the suffixes er and est.

Longer adjectives are compared by prefixing more and most. Many adjectives may be compared on a descending scale by prefixing less and least.

Exercise. Select all the adjectives, and tell the kind and the degree of each. Compare each adjective. If any cannot be compared, state that fact.

1. There was. nothing in these woods bigger than a weasel.

2. The way led through the deepest and most perilous part of the swamp.

3. This brother was younger and handsomer, and much more amiable than William.

!

4. As she grew older, she became less exacting and more tolerant, less certain and more hopeful, less vigorous in body, but gentler in manner and sweeter in spirit.

5. The Hotel de Cluny is one of the quaintest, queerest, pleasantest, and most homelike places we are likely to meet with.

6. The other captive was of a more restless temperament, slenderer in build, more eager and alert of eye, less companionable of mood.

7. Least vague of all was the terror of the usually unterrified weasel.

8. Those men are most apt to be obsequious and conciliating abroad, who are under the discipline of shrews at home.

9. At the least flourish of a broomstick or a ladle, Wolf would fly to the door with yelping precipitation.

10. The lynx was smaller than her mate, somewhat browner in hue, leaner, and of a peculiarly malignant expression.

11. The women of the village used to employ Rip to do such little odd jobs as their less obliging husbands would not do for them.

12. The singing master's hair was a little longer, his hands were a little whiter, his shoes a little thinner, his manner a trifle more polished than that of his soberer mates.

Tell the use of adjectives in sentences 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12.

177. Sometimes errors are made in the use of adjectives. The comparative degree should be used in comparing two objects, the superlative in comparing more than two. If only two roads are open to us, we ought to say that we shall take the shorter.

Exercise. Select the proper adjective for each of these sentences, and give your reasons:

1. Which would be the (cheapest or cheaper) route by water or by rail?

2. Prince is the (swifter or swiftest) horse, but Pete is the (stronger or strongest).

3. Which is the (higher or highest) the Eiffel Tower or the Washington Monument?

4. Of the two leading candidates, Wilson and Harmon, which is (more likely or most likely) to be nominated?

Sometimes an ill-chosen adjective is used after the verb feel. The sentence, "I feel good," is correct only when it means "I feel righteous," while "I feel well," means "I am in good health." In this sentence well is an adjective meaning the opposite of sick.

NOTE.

- We also have the adverb well, denoting manner, as in the sentence, "LaFollette spoke well."

The sentence, "Rufus looks good," is correct when we mean that Rufus looks as if he were a good man; but we should say, "Rufus looks well (not good) in gray." Here well is an adjective meaning pleasing or acceptable.

The limiting adjectives this and these should not be followed by the word here. We point out sufficiently when we say this book, these books.

The personal pronoun them should never be used for the limiting adjective those. We should say those horses, those wagons, those tents.

If we modify a noun by the limiting adjective each, every, either, neither, or no, we must use a singular pronoun to represent that noun; as,

Exercise.

sentences:

NOTE.

Each man took his appointed place.
Every girl made her own costume.
Neither man lost his job.

Supply the correct pronoun in each of these

The masculine pronoun should be used when there is no word in the sentence that indicates whether the male or the female sex is referred to.

that I am busy.

6. If either man calls, tell 7. Every girl in the class said that lesson.

8. Every boy wishes that

9. No soldier acknowledged that 10. Neither chair is in place.

did not understand the

might be president.

was afraid.

XLVII. REVIEW OF ADJECTIVES

178. In our study of adjectives in Lessons IX, XXVI, XXXIII, XXXVII, XLIV, XLV, and XLVI we have learned that adjectives may be classified as limiting adjectives and descriptive adjectives; that which and what are interrogative adjectives; that adjectives have the property of comparison; and that adjectives may be used in four different ways: (1) before a noun to modify that noun; (2) after a noun as an appositive modifier; (3) as a subjective complement of certain intransitive verbs, and (4) as the objective complement of certain transitive verbs.

Exercise. Make an outline of the subject, Adjectives, to recite from in class. Illustrate each point you make with a good sentence of your own composition.

179. When we parse an adjective, we should tell :

(1) Its class, descriptive, limiting, or interrogative. (2) Its degree (if it admits of comparison).

(3) Its use, and what it modifies.

Exercise. Parse each adjective in the following sen

tences:

1. The puppy grew bigger and clumsier each day. His most friendly overtures to the cat were wholly misunderstood.

2. Paris is an immense city, full of broad and handsome streets, magnificent buildings, grand open places with fountains and statues, great public gardens and parks free to everybody.

3. His gray eyes, clear and kind, flashed like fire when he spoke of his adventures.