Of thefe pronouns, only the words one and other are varied. One has a poffeffive case, which it forms in the fame manner as fubftantives: as, one, one's. This word has a general fignification, meaning people at large; and fometimes alfo a peculiar reference to the perfon who is fpeaking as, "One ought to pity the diftreffes of mankind.” One is apt to love one's felf." This word is often used, by good writers in the plural number: as, "The great ones of the world ;" "The boy wounded the old bird, and ftole the young ones;" "My wife and the little ones are in good health."

Other is declined in the following manner:

The plural others is only used when apart from the noun to which it refers, whether expreffed or understood: as, "When you have perufed thefe papers, I will fend you the others." "He pleafes fome, but he difgufts others." When this pronoun is joined to nouns, either fingular or plural, it has no variation: as, "the other man," "the other men."

The following phrafes may serve to exemplify the indefinite pronouns. Some of you are wife and good ;” “A few of them were idle, the others induftrious ;""Neither is there any that is unexceptionable;" "One ought to know one's own mind;""They were all prefent ;""Such is the state of man, that he is never at reft;" "Some are happy, while others are miferable."

The word another is compofed of the indefinite article prefixed to the word other.

None is ufed in both numbers: as, "None is fo deaf as he that will not hear;" "None of thofe are equal to thefe:" It feems originally to have fignified, according to its derivation, not one, and therefore to have had no plural; but there is good authority for the use of it in the plural number: as, "None that go unto her return again.’

Prov. ii. 19. "Terms of peace were none vouchfaf'd." MILTON. "None of them are varied to exprefs the gen der." "None of them have different endings for the numbers." LowTH's Introduction. "None of their produc

tions are extant." BLAIR.

We have endeavoured to distinguish, and explain the nature of the adjective pronouns; but it is difficult to divide them in an exact and unexceptionable manner. Some of them, in particular applications, might have been differently claffed; but it is prefumed that, in general, the dif tribution is tolerably correct. All the pronouns, except the perfonal and relative, may indeed, in a general view of them, be confidered as definitive pronouns, because they define or afcertain the extent of the common name, or general term, to which they refer or are joined; but as each class of them does this, more or lefs exactly, or in a manner peculiar to itself, a divifion adapted to this circumftance appears to be fuitable to the nature of things, and the understanding of learners.

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It is the opinion of fome refpectable grammarians, that the words this, that, any, fome, fuch, his, their, our, &c. are pronouns, when they are ufed feparately from the nouns to which they relate ; but that, when they are joined to thofe nouns, they are not to be confidered as belonging to this fpecies of words; because, in this affociation, they rather afcertain a fubftantive, than fupply the place of one. They affert that, in the phrases, "give me that," “this is John's" and "fuch were fome of you," the words in italics are pronouns; but that, in the following phrafes, they are not pronouns ; "this book is inftructive,' "Some boys are ingenious," my health is declining," our hearts are deceitful," &c. Other grammarians think, that none of thefe forms of speech can properly be called pronouns; as the genuine pronoun ftands by itself, without the aid of a noun expreffed or understood. They are of opinion, that in the expreffions, "Give me that," "this is John's," &c. the noun is always understood, and must be fupplied in the mind of the reader: as, "Give me that book; "this book is John's;" "and fuch perfons were fome perfons... amongst you."

Some writers are of opinion that the pronouns fhould be claffed into fubftantive and adjective pronouns. Under the former, they include the perfonal and the relative; under the latter, all the others. But this divifion, though a neat one, does not appear to be accurate. All the relative pronouns will not range under the fubftantive head.We have diftributed thefe parts of fpeech, in the mode which we think most correct and intelligible; but, for the information of students, and to direct their inquiries on the fubject, we flate the different opinions of feveral judicious writers on Grammar.

CHAPTER V.

Of ADJECTIVEs.

SECT. 1. Of the nature of Adjectives, and the degrees of comparison.

AN Adjective is a word added to a fubftantive, to exprefs its quality: as "An induftrious man ;" "A virtuous woman; ·" "A benevolent mind.”

In English the adjective is not varied on account of gender, number, or cafe. Thus we fay, " A careless boy; careless girls."

The only variation which it admits, is that of the degrees of comparison.

There are commonly reckoned three degrees of comparison; the POSITIVE, the COMPARATIVE, and the SUPERLATIVE.

Grammarians have generally enumerated these three degrees of comparison; but the first of them has been thought by fome writers, to be, improperly, termed a degree of comparifon; as it feems to be nothing more than the fimple form of the adjective, and to imply not either comparison or degree. This opinion may be well founded, unless the adjective be fuppofed to imply comparison or degree, by

containing a fecret or general reference to other things: as, when we say," he is a tall man," "this is a fair day," we make some reference to the ordinary fize of men, and to different weather.

The Pofitive State expreffes the quality of an object, without any increase or diminution : as, good, wife, great.

The Comparative Degree increases or leffens the pofitive in fignification: as, wifer, greater, lefs wife.

The Superlative Degree increases or leffens the pofitive to the higheft or lowest degree: as, wifeft, greateft, leaft wife.

The fimple word, or pofitive, becomes the comparative, by adding r or er; and the fuperlative, by adding for eft, to the end of it: as, wife, wifer, wifeft; great, greater, greateft. And the adverbs more and moft, placed before the adjective, have the fame effect: as, wife, more wife, most wife.

The termination in ib may be accounted in fome fort a degree or comparison, by which the fignification is diminished below the pofitive: as, black, blackish, or tending to blacknefs falt, faltish, or having a little taste of falt.

The word rather is very properly used to exprefs a fmall degree or excefs of a quality: as, "She is rather profuse in her expenfes."

Monofyllables, for the most part, are compared by er and eft; and diffyllables by more and moft: as, mild, milder, mildest; frugal, more frugal, most frugal. Dif fyllables ending in y; as, happy, lovely: and in le after a mute, as able, ample; or accented on the last fyllable, as, difcreet, polite, eafily admit of er and eft: as, happier, happiest; abler, ablest; politer, politeft. Words of more

than two fyllables hardly ever admit of thofe termina

tions.

In fome words the fuperlative is formed by adding the adverb moft to the end of them, as, nethermoft, uttermost, or utmost, undermoft, uppermoft, foremost.

In English, as in moft languages, there are fome words of very common ufe, (in which the caprice of custom is apt to get the better of analogy,) that are irregular in this refpect: as, "good, better, beft; bad, worse, worft; little, lefs, least, much or many, more, moft; near, nearer, nearest or next; late, later or latter, latest or laft; old, older or elder, oldest or eldest ;" and a few others.

An adjective put without a fubftantive, with the definite article before it, becomes a fubftantive in sense and meaning, and is written as a substantive; as, "Providence rewards the good and punishes the bad."

Various nouns placed before other nouns affume the nature of adjectives; as, fea fish, wine veffel, corn field, meadow ground, &c.

Numeral adjectives are either cardinal, or ordinal: cardinal, as one, two, three, &c.; ordinal, as first, second, third, &c.

SECT. 2. Remarks on the fubject of comparison.

If we confider the fubject of comparifon attentively, we fhall perceive that the degrees of it are infinite in nuinber, or at least indefinite.-A mountain is larger than a mite;by how many degrees? How much bigger is the earth than a grain of fand? By how many degrees was Socrates wifer than Alcibiades? or by how many is fnow whiter than this paper? It is plain, that to these and the like questions, no definite anfwers can be returned.

In quantities, however, that may be exactly measured, the degrees of excess may be exactly afcertained. A foot is just twelve times as long as an inch; and an hour is fixty times longer than a minute. But, in regard to qualities, and to thofe quantities which cannot be measured exactly, it is impoffible to fay how many degrees may be comprehended in the comparative excefs.