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arguments for himself. In the exercise of this privilege it may be well to inquire why the comparatives of some adjectives can not be construed with than such, for instance, as inner, outer, upper, anterior, posterior, exterior, interior, superior, inferior, and others.

There are, in logic and philosophy, two kinds of comparison; that of like qualities, existing in different degrees; or the comparison of similitude: and that of attributes and relations opposed to each other; or the comparison of contrast. It would be childishness to say the inside of a vessel is inner than the outside. To say that heat is warmer than cold is not comparing degrees of quality; and it is certainly not giving information to any one who previously knows the meaning of the words. One thing is brighter than an other, when both are bright in different degrees.

When the west side of the town is mentioned, it is understood, of course, that the other sides are not west, and therefore there is no comparison between them, but simply that of local relation.

199. Some adjectives are compared, not by their own direct forms, but by habitual connexion with other words, as down, more and most completely down.

It appeared necessary to be more particular in trying to explain adjectives; because the system attempted in this work, so greatly varies from the theory long received and taught, that it must encounter opposition from those, whose prejudices, self-interest, or honest difference of opinion, will lead them to defend the antecedent course, as being necessarily right, because it has long been practised.

VERBS.

200. Verb is derived from the Latin, verbum, a word. This term is applied, by way of eminence, to mark the importance of this part of speech, as the foundation of language: for there can be no possible operation of human thought, but by its instrumentality.

Verbs are words signifying action; as the horse runs: the birds sing; we live, move, and have our being: I am here; he is well; La Fayette aided America.

Actions necessarily suppose an agent, or acting power to produce them: this idea, like many others on which the structure of speech depends, is to be understood as the great leading principle, and, though subject to no real exception, has various secondary modifications, as adapted to the diversified nature of things.

201. Verbs do not always imply direct, perceivable action; but that kind of affirmation, which for all purposes of discourse, is perfectly equivalent to it; as, a man going by accident against a rock, says, "It hurt me." This it will be readily seen, does not contradict; but is only a modification of the broad rule for though the rock, in this instance, does not obviously act, as an agent, yet it does operate as a cause, producing the effect of hurting the man. The rock in this case hurts the person, not by its visible action or motion; but by its inherent nature. The apple hangs on the tree; the glass stands on the table; the ship sails well, are the same kind of assertion, so far as language is concerned, as the bird flies; "the horse runs."

The degree of activity forms no rule for classifying verbs; and the motives of action belongs not to the essential structure of speech. To say the beam fell, and killed the man, is, for all the purposes of speech, precisely the same kind of action, as to assert that one man killed an other with premeditated malice.

202. Verbs are divided into regular and irregular. The regular verbs form the past tense and participle, by adding d or ed; as please, pleased; treat, treated. All which differ from this form are irregular; as, know, knew, known; drive, drove, driven. Other verbs have no variation of tense; and these also are classed among the irregular ; as, cost, cost, cost; split, split, split.

Verbs are again divided by grammarians into transitive and intransitive; according as they suppose the action represented terminates on some object, or is confined to what is generally and vaguely affirmed of the subject, independent of any thing which the verb affects.

Example of the transitive verb; "Franklin invented the lightning rod." Here, Franklin is the subject of the verb; that is, the agent, the actor, or nominative word; invented is the verb expressing the action; lightning rod is the object, to which the action tends, and on which it terminates.

203. Writers on logic and mental philosophy explain this principle in different words; but amounting to the same thing.

John strikes Thomas.

He strikes him.

John is the predicate or subject of a proposition; strikes contains the affirmation or assertion, respecting that subject; and Thomas is the object to which the affirmation tends, and at which it terminates.

To find the subject or actor, ask who did the action? who strikes? Answer. He or John strikes. To find the object, place the word what or whom after the verb: strikes what or whom? Answer. Strikes Thomas or him.

204. Other verbs are called intransitive, because it is supposed by the learned writers and teachers of language, that they have no objective words.

With most of the verbs, set down in grammars and dictionaries as having no objects, the mistake may be seen at once.

To dream, is a standard word, selected by the writers, as an example of intransitive or neuter verbs; but the man who dreams, always dreams some thing; even though, as, with Nebuchadnezzar, the particular "thing should be gone from him," and he can only remember that he "dreamed a dream." The word fight, has a long series of definitions, as a neuter verb; but St. Paul, while he disclaimed all other warfare, "fought the good fight."

205. Omissions in language commonly result from convenience and propriety. They are too numerous to be reduced to rule; but are learned by practice, through the whole course of life.

For omitting the objects of verbs, in numerous instances, several reasons may be offered, which need only be mentioned to produce a ready conviction of their truth and force.

First. It often happens that the object of a verb is not a single word; but includes a long statement; as, "Xenophon says that the ten thousand Greeks retreated," &c. that is, he says that whole book of sayings, which details this historical event.

Secondly. Many verbs admit very little variety in their application to objects, which are therefore necessarily understood, with sufficient clearness for all the purposes of ordinary communication. The person sleeps, either the ordinary sleep of the night, or he sleeps a short nap; and this dormant action is not conceived of under any other variety, till he shall "sleep the sleep of death."

206. Thirdly. An other reason, nearly allied to the last mentioned, often leads to the omission of the objective word: that is, to avoid apparent repetition. The phrase to dream a dream, though perfectly correct, has a solemn stiffness, unsuited to polite conversation, or elegant literature. To avoid this form, speakers omit the verbal or derivative noun, after its own verb; or resort to circumlocution. In the second chapter of Daniel, before referred to, as in various other places, we find "to tell," "to show," "to make known," "to declare,' "to interpret a dream ;" where this noun, to avoid monotony, becomes the object of various transitive verbs, without the least appearance of impropriety.

To fly a flight, is not a common phrase; for it sounds like tautology or pleonasm: but that "the eagle's flight is out of sight," is a piece of information familiar to primer readers.

No polite French scholar would say, VOLER un VOL: but "Elle descendit d'un voL rapide, tout aupres de moi," is from the pen of the elegant Fenelon, for the very purpose of embellishing a fine descriptive narration.

Language is full of constructive objects, for this imaginary class of intransitive verbs: but any person, inclined to pursue the investigation, may find the "thickening proofs," in the first form of language, from Greek to Tuscarora, to which he chooses to refer.

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