24. Custom has assigned a particular gender to certain Nouns as, for example,

Masculine. Sun, Ocean, Thames, Winter.

Feminine. Moon, Ship, Church, Nature, Spring.

Neuter. The names of many animals, when the notion of sex is not made prominent.

CHAPTER III.

ADJECTIVES, ADVERBS, AND NUMERALS. I.-Adjectives.

25. All beings and things have certain properties or qualities, which we call Attributes, such as wisdom, strength,weakness, beauty. Adjectives are words expressing attributes. When joined to Nouns they usually express some quality belonging to the persons, places, or things of which the Nouns are the names; as, A good man, A handsome city, A lofty tree. Sometimes they express notions of quantity; as, Much food;—or number; as, Many men ;-or position; as, This man, Yonder town.

26. Adjectives have always the same form, whatever be the gender of the Nouns that they qualify; as, A handsome man, A handsome woman, A handsome house.

27. The Adjective is used—

1. As a Predicate; as, John is lazy.

2. To express an Attribute; as, Good men are happy.

ARTICLES.

28. The name Article is given to the Adjectives, The, A, and An.

The comes from an Anglo-Saxon word, meaning that.

An (or A) comes from an Anglo-Saxon word, meaning one.

I plucked an apple (one of the many on the tree),

I bought a bun (one of the many in the shop),

with the sentences,

I cleaned the slate (which I was told to clean),

I ate the oranges (which were sent from the shop),

you will see that an and a may be called Indefinite Articles, because they point to any one object of a number of like objects, and that the may be called the Definite Article, because it points to one definite object (or more than one) out of a collection of such objects.

29. General rules for the use of A and An are

1. A stands before words commencing with consonant sounds: : as

A bear, A lion, A nut, A wood, A yard.

2. A stands before vowels to which a sound like that of w ory is given: as

Such a one, A unit.

This rule is not kept by some writers: This is an useful Such an uniform conduct. Such an one.

lesson.

3. A stands before h strongly aspirated: as

A hero, A history, A heath, A heathen.

Yet we find an hiding place, an hierarchy, and an heart. 4. An stands before all words not commencing with consonant sounds: as

An egg, An uncle, An heir.

5. An stands before ʼn not strongly aspirated, when the accent falls on the second syllable: as

An harangue, An historical account, An hereditary monarchy.

30. Adjectives with the Definite Article are used as Nouns for the subject or the object of a sentence :—

The English love freedom.
Hope guides the young.

The future is unknown.

31. The Attributive Adjective in prose precedes its Noun: White rabbits have pink eyes.

She wore a green wreath.

But in poetry the Adjective often follows the Noun:
A lute she held, and on her head was seen

A wreath of roses red and myrtles green.-Dryden.

Even in prose, two Attributive Adjectives often follow the Noun:

No misfortune, public or private, could oppress him.

He had gradually formed a style, singularly lucid and melodious.-Macaulay.

and in many current expressions the Adjective follows the Noun: as

Heir apparent, princess royal, court martial.

COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES.

32. Many Adjectives have words formed from them to express a higher or the highest degree of the quality denoted by the simple form.

The Adjective expressing the simple quality is said to be in the Positive degree; as, He is a wise man.

The Adjective expressing a higher degree of the quality as existing in one person (or thing) compared with another is said. to be in the Comparative degree; as, He is wiser than his brother.

The Adjective expressing the highest degree of the quality as existing in one person (or thing) compared with a number of others is said to be in the Superlative degree; as, He is the wisest of men.

33. The formation of comparatives and superlatives is chiefly by adding -er and -est to the positive: as

A final y, preceded by a consonant, is changed into i: as

A final consonant, preceded by a single vowel in a word

of one syllable, is doubled: as

35. Some Adjectives, from their meaning, do not admit of comparison; such as, eternal, daily; circular, square; and many only form the comparative and superlative by the addition of more and most to the positive: as

NOUNS USED AS ADJECTIVES.

36. Many Nouns have, by long usage, come to qualify other Nouns, and in this way to supply the place of Adjectives. The qualifying Noun stands first: as

37. An Adverb is a word used to qualify a Verb, an Adjective, or another Adverb. It usually stands before the Adjective, after the Intransitive Verb, and between the Subject and the Transitive Verb.

Mary is very busy.

The train runs very quickly.

John seldom cleans his slate.

38. The following kinds of Adverbs are in frequent use: 1. Adverbs of Questioning; as, Where? How? When? Why?

2. Adverbs of Place; as, here, there.

3. Adverbs of Manner; as, so, thus.

4. Adverbs of Time; as, now, then, lately, always, seldom. 5. Adverbs of Affirmation, Denial, and Doubt; as, indeed, verily, not, never, perhaps, peradventure.

6. Adverbs of Degree; as, scarcely, almost, very.

39. The forms of Adverbs are very numerous: they are(1) Original; as, so, now, then.

(2) Derived; as, twice, gently.

(3) Compounded; as, henceforth, forward, always, indeed, ashore (on shore).