Page:The grammar of English grammars.djvu/432

 13.

MODIFICATIONS.

Adverbs have no modifications, except that a few are compared, after the manner of adjectives: as, ''soon, sooner, soonest; often, oftener, oftenest;[310] long, longer, longest; fast, faster, fastest''.

The following are irregularly compared: well, better, best; badly or ''ill, worse, worst; little less, least; much, more, most; far, farther, farthest; forth, further, furthest. Rath, rather, rathest'', is now used only in the comparative.

OBSERVATIONS.

OBS. 1.--Most adverbs that are formed from adjectives by the addition of ly, will admit the comparative adverbs more and most, less and least, before them:, as, ''wisely, more wisely, most wisely; culpably, less culpably, least culpably''. This is virtually a comparison of the latter adverb, but the grammatical inflection, or degree, belongs only to the former; and the words being written separately, it is certainly most proper to parse them separately, ascribing the degree of comparison to the word which expresses it. As comparison does not belong to adverbs in general, it should not be mentioned in parsing, except in the case of those few which are varied by it.

OBS. 2.--In the works of Milton, and occasionally in those of some other poets of his age,[311] adverbs of two syllables, ending in ly, are not only compared regularly like adjectives of the same ending, but are used in the measure of iambic verse as if they still formed only two syllables. Examples:--

"But God hath wiselier arm'd his vengeful ire." --P. Lost, B. x, l. 1022.

"Destroyers rightlier call'd and plagues of men." --Ib., B. xi, l. 699.

"And on his quest, where likeliest he might find." --Ib., B. ix, l. 414.

"Now amplier known thy Saviour and thy Lord." --Ib., B. xii, l. 544.

"Though thou wert firmlier fasten'd than a rock." --''Sam. Agon.'', l. 1398.

"Not rustic, as before, but seemlier clad." --P. Reg., B. ii, l. 299.

-"Whereof to thee anon   Plainlier shall be reveal'd." --Paradise Lost, B. xii, l. 150.

"To show what coast thy sluggish erare   Might easiliest harbour in." --Shakspeare, Cymb., Act IV.

"Shall not myself be kindlier mov'd than thou art?" --Id., Tempest, Act V.

"But earthlier happy is the rose distill'd." --Id., M. S. N. Dream, Act I.

OBS. 3.--The usage just cited is clearly analogical, and has the obvious advantage of adding to the flexibility of the language, while it also multiplies its distinctive forms. If carried out as it might be, it would furnish to poets and orators an ampler choice of phraseology, and at the same time, obviate in a great measure the necessity of using the same words both adjectively and adverbially. The words which are now commonly used in this twofold character, are principally monosyllables; and, of adjectives, monosyllables are the class which we oftenest compare by er and est: next to which come dissyllables ending in y; as, holy, happy, lovely. But if to any monosyllable we add ly to form an adverb, we have of course a dissyllable ending in y; and if adverbs of this class may be compared regularly, after the manner of adjectives, there can be little or no occasion to use the primitive word otherwise than as an adjective. But, according to present usage, few adverbs are ever compared by inflection, except such words as may also be used adjectively. For example: ''cleanly, comely, deadly, early, kindly, kingly, likely, lively, princely, seemly, weakly'', may all be thus compared; and, according to Johnson and Webster, they may all be used either adjectively or adverbially. Again: ''late, later, latest, is commonly contrasted in both senses, with early, earlier, earliest; but if lately, latelier, lateliest, were adopted in the adverbial contrast, early and late, earlier and later, earliest'' and latest, might be contrasted as adjectives only.

OBS. 4.--The using of adjectives for adverbs, is in general a plain violation of grammar. Example: "To is a preposition, governing the verb sell, in the infinitive mood, agreeable to Rule 18, which says, The preposition TO governs the infinitive mood."--Comly's Gram., p. 137. Here agreeable ought to be agreeably; an adverb, relating to the participle governing. Again, the using of adverbs for adjectives, is a fault as gross. Example: "Apprehending the nominative to be put absolutely."-- Murray's Gram., p. 155. Here absolutely ought to be absolute; an adjective, relating to the word nominative. But, in poetry, there is not only a frequent substitution of quality for manner, in such a way that the adjective may still be parsed adjectively; but sometimes also what appears to be (whether right or wrong) a direct use of adjectives for adverbs, especially in the higher degrees of comparison: as,