3. Demonstrative Adjectives:

(i) The so-called Articles, an or a and the.

(ii) Pronominal Adjectives (i.e. Adjectives derived from Pronouns or having the force of Pronouns) of various kinds: this, what, any, each, his. These we shall deal with in Chapter xiv.

(iii) The Ordinal Numerals, first, twentieth, thousandth.

106. Some Adjectives are used as Nouns. (a) The good, the true, the beautiful, may be substituted for 'goodness, truth, beauty.' We describe these words as Adjectives employed as Abstract Nouns.

(b) 'The wise,' 'rich and poor,' signify 'wise people,' 'rich and poor people.' We describe these words as Adjectives employed as Concrete Nouns.

(c) Several adjectives have become nouns so completely that they take a plural and a possessive inflexion. Thus, we say Romans (e.g. 'Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears'; 'this is a Roman's part'; 'the Romans' bane'), Germans, Catholics, Stoics, Liberals, Jacobites, seniors, elders, betters, ancients, blacks, whites, 'form fours!' 'things are all sixes and sevens,' others.

107. Remarks on the Forms of the Numerals. Cardinals indicate the number of things spoken of. They answer the question How many?

I.

One appears with a negative prefix in none—no one: in the possessive case as an adverb in once, (a similar use of the possessive case is seen in the adverbs twi-ce, thri-ce): in the adverbs only, literally, 'onelike,' and alone, i.e. ‘all one'; and as a noun in the plural, 'her little ones.'

Two was originally the feminine and neuter form of which twain was the corresponding masculine.

Five has lost before the van n which is kept in German fünf, Latin quinque.

Ten supplies the ending -teen to numerals from 13 to 19, and -ty to multiples of 10 up to 90.

Eleven is composed of parts signifying 'one-left,' i.e. one over when we have counted ten. Its constituents are clearly seen in the Gothic ain-lif.

Twelve means 'two-left,' i.e. two over ten. The form in Gothic was twa-lif.

Dozen is from douze, Latin duodecim.

Score is from a Scandinavian word, signifying 'a notch' or 'cut': it is used now as a verb signifying 'to keep an account.' As a noun it sometimes means 'twenty,'-perhaps because twenty was the number of notches marked on one tally or stick,—and sometimes means an indefinite number: 'He made a good score.'

Million is from the Latin mille, 'a thousand,' with an augmentative suffix -on, signifying 'a big thousand,' just as balloon signifies 'a big ball' and trombone a big trumpet.'

2. Ordinals indicate the position in a series of the things spoken of.

First is the superlative of fore, 'most in front,' the o being altered by Umlaut. See p. 50.

Second is from the Latin secundus, 'following,' from sequor, 'I follow.' Our native word was other.

Third was once thrid, retained in the word Riding Thriding= Thirding, 'a little third,' of Yorkshire. This transposition is called metathesis. See p. 51.

It should be noticed that with the exception of the words second, dozen, million, billion, &c., our numerals are of English origin.

3. Multiplicatives indicate how many times the thing spoken of exceeds some other thing. They are formed by adding fold to the Cardinals: eg. twentyfold, hundredfold.

108. The so-called Articles. The words the and an or a are Demonstrative adjectives. In parsing, we may describe the as a demonstrative adjective commonly called the definite article, and an or a as a demonstrative adjective commonly called the indefinite article.

In Old Eng. the was an indeclinable relative, used later as a demonstrative adjective, declined in three genders, singular and plural. That was its neuter singular.

The

An is another form of the numeral adjective one. n is thus part of the root. We have not added n to a, but have dropped the n before words beginning with a consonantal sound.

109. Points of interest connected with the words the and an or a are discussed in the following paragraphs.

I. Do the and an differ so widely from Adjectives as to justify grammarians in regarding them as forming a separate Part of speech?

Let us inquire, first, in what respects they resemble the adjectives that and one, and secondly, in what respects they differ from the adjectives that and one.

In the first place, what are the points of similarity?

(1) They resemble that and one in their force: "the book' is a weaker form of 'that book,' 'a book' of 'one book.'

(2) They are connected with that and one in their origin: that was the neuter of the, an was the older form of one.

On the other hand, what are the points of difference?

(1) That and one are used as adjectives and as pronouns, the and an are used only as adjectives. Thus we can say 'Give me that book,' 'Give me one book,' using that and one as adjectives, or we can say 'Give me that,' 'Give me one,' using that and one as pronouns or substitutes for nouns. But although we can say 'Give me the book,' 'Give me a book,' using the and a as adjectives, we cannot say 'Give me the,' 'Give me a,' using the and a as pronouns.

(2) An ordinary adjective can be used either attributively, as in the expression, 'the black horse,' or predicatively, as in the expression, ‘The horse is black.' Now the Articles can be used only attributively. We can say 'Sovereignty is one and indivisible,' but we cannot say 'Sovereignty is an and indivisible.' We can say 'John is lazy: James is that also,' but we cannot say 'James is the also.'

But this restriction about the use of the and an affords quite insufficient reason for constituting a new Part of Speech which shall consist of these two words. For there are other adjectives which do not admit of being used to form predicates. We cannot say "This is my, that is your,' any more than we can say 'This is the, that is an.' But this peculiarity does not prevent us from calling my and your adjectives. Why then should the and an be differently regarded?

2. When is an used instead of a?

Before words beginning with a vowel, or a silent h, as in heir, honest; but words beginning with a y, or with a u which has the sound of y before it, take a: thus we say 'an utter failure,' but 'a useful machine.' To speak of an university' sounds rather pedantic. Words beginning

with an aspirate, however, if accented on the second syllable, commonly take an: thus we speak of 'an habitual offence,' 'an historic character,' 'an heroic incident,' although, we say 'a habit,' 'a history,' 'a hero.'

3.

What are the chief uses of the?

(a) to point out a thing: 'Give me the book,-not the red one, the black one.

(b) to specify objects which are well known to us: 'Let us have a walk in the garden'; 'the village,' ‘the church.'

(c) to indicate things of which only a single specimen exists: 'the Alps,' 'the Atlantic,' 'the Thames.' Hence also with superlatives, 'the meanest of mankind,' ‘the highest point,' as these are singular objects.

(d) to signify a class, with nouns in the singular number or with adjectives: the horse,' 'the ant'; 'the rich,' 'the wise.'

(e) in colloquial language with emphasis on the word the, to give the force of a superlative: 'Here comes the cricketer,' meaning 'the best cricketer.'

(f) as an adverb with comparatives: 'the more the better.' This signifies 'by that much the more by so much the better,' like the Latin quo and eo. The is here a survival of the Old English ablative or instrumental case, thi, from the definite article or demonstrative pronoun

the.

4.

What are the chief uses of an or a?

(a) to signify one: "three men in a boat', 'two of a trade': 'In a year or two he will come down to a shilling a day.'

(b) to signify any one: "If a body meet a body:' 'A horse is a vain thing for safety.'

(c) to signify some one, or a certain one: 'A policeman told me there was a fire:' 'He has a great liking for sport.'

I.

QUESTIONS.

Give the derivation and definition of the term adjective. Distinguish the different kinds of adjectives in the sentence:-'Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.'

Give one example of each kind of adjective not represented in the preceding sentence.

[Adjective is from Latin adjectivum, 'what can be added on.']

2.

Noun ?

Is it right to say that an Adjective marks the quality of a

3. What is an adjective? Point out the adjectives in the lines:
'And his droop'd head sinks gradually low-
And through his side the last drops, ebbing slow
From the red gash, fall heavy, one by one,
Like the first of a thunder-shower.'

Refer to its class each Adjective in the following stanza:

'Far different we,-a froward race:

Thousands, though rich in Fortune's grace,
With cherished sullenness of pace

Their way pursue,

Ingrates who wear a smileless face
The whole year through.'

5. Refer to its class each Adjective in the following sentences: 'My mind to me a kingdom is,

Such perfect joy therein I find.'

'Second thoughts are best.'-'No road is long with good company.''That civility is best which excludes all superfluous formality.'-' Most things have two handles and a wise man will lay hold of the best.''What truly great thing has ever been effected by the force of public opinion?'-'Few of the many wise apophthegms which have been uttered, from the time of the Seven Sages of Greece to that of Poor Richard, have prevented a single foolish action.'

6. Limit the application of the nouns thoughts, mutton, music, by prefixing to each (1) a Qualitative, (2) a Quantitative, (3) a Demonstrative Adjective.

7. Form Adjectives from the following Nouns :-slave, tempest, clay, sense, man, quarrel, sore, gold, wretch, care, right, thought, fire, silver, courage.

Attach each Adjective to a suitable noun.

[More than one Adjective can be formed from some of the above words. From sore we obtain sorry.]

8. Write short sentences to illustrate the use of an adjective (a) attributively, (b) predicatively, (c) as an abstract noun.

9. The following Adjectives are used as Nouns in the plural. Supply the appropriate Noun which may be understood with each word:-eatables, valuables, incapables, unmentionables, vitals, italics, sundries, greens, empties, brilliants.

Add any more examples which occur to you.