"The first two" is correct only when we speak of a number of objects arranged in twos, so that after the first two we have a second two, etc.

If so, as, too, how, or however precedes, the limiting adjective an (a) is placed after the qualifying adjective; as, "So great a wonder," "As wise a man,” “Too heavy a burden," "How wonderful an achievement," " 'However glorious a day."

14. The comparative degree presents the objects compared as being in different classes or divisions and is followed by than; as, "The whale is larger than the elephant." The whale is not an elephant.

The superlative degree presents the objects compared as being in the same class or division and is followed by of; as, "The whale is the largest of animals.” The whale is an animal.

It would not be correct to say, "Solomon was wiser than any of the Hebrew kings," because Solomon was one of the Hebrew kings. Nor would it be correct to say, "Solomon was the wisest of the Roman kings," because Solomon was not one of the Roman kings. It would not be correct to say that Eve was the fairest of her daughters, because that would represent her as one of her own daughters. Nor would it be correct to say that Eve was fairer than any woman, because that would be equivalent to saying that she was not a woman.*

But we may say, "Eve was fairer than any of her daughters," because Eve and her daughters are thus placed in two different divisions. We may say, "Eve was the fairest of women," because Eve is thus placed in the class of women. Or we may say, "Eve was fairer than any other woman," the word other serving to create two divisions. Eve was not one of the other women.

"Montesquieu enjoys, perhaps, a wider celebrity than any political writer of modern Europe."-Macaulay. Montesquieu being one of the political writers of modern Europe, the adjective other should have been employed-" than any other political writer of modern Europe."

"The appearance of Mr. Crummles was more striking than that of any member of his party."-Dickens. Was Mr. Crummles a member of the party? If so, other should have followed any. "A fondness for show is of all other follies the most vain." Here other is incorrectly used.

Sometimes the separation may be indicated by other words. "This work commanded much more attention, as a pronouncing dictionary, than any other of the kind that preceded it."-Worcester. "This work" could not be one of "those that preceded it," and other is incorrectly used.

15. When two objects of the same class or division are compared the comparative is used like the superlative, being followed by of; as, "He is the taller of the two brothers."

*"Yet Milton writes,

Adam the goodliest man of men since born
His sons; the fairest of her daughters, Eve.

Adam was not one of his own sons, nor one of men since born.' Eve was not one of her own daughters. The phrase may be admired, but is scarcely to be imitated. Milton, however, should not be censured for catching a grace beyond the reach of rules."-Holmes's English Grammar, p. 104.

Milton, instead of employing pure idiomatic English to express his idea, chose to imitate a form he had met with in Greek, and thus with his Greek he made simply an English bull. "Little Dominic, have you any brothers?" "No; I wish I had, for perhaps they would be kind to me; but I have no brothers but myself." Little Dominic had caught "a grace beyond the reach of rules;" but the poor little fellow had no grammarian to tell him what he had done.

Should we say "the two first stanzas"
or "the first two stanzas "?
When is it correct to say "the first two"?
What is said of "so great a wonder," etc?
How does the comparative degree pre-
sent the objects compared?

The superlative degree?

What is the fault in "Montesquieu en-
joys a wider celebrity than any polit-
ical writer of modern Europe?
When two objects of the same class are
compared how is the comparative used?

This being a violation of the principle that the comparative presents the objects compared in different classes or divisions, the superlative is often, when two objects of the same class are compared, used in the same way in which it is used when more than two objects are compared; as, "The strangest of the two."-Hawthorne. "The most agreeable of the two."-Cowper. "The least qualified candidate of the two."-Dickens. "Which of these two causes was most active?"-G. P. Marsh. "The most lifelike of the two."-Merivale. "Of the two elements of a compound sentence which is the most important?"-Latham. "She asked him whether his queen or she had the finest hair; she even inquired which of them he esteemed

the finest person.' "-Hume. "The most fatigued of the two."-Hood. "The least serious of the two."- Wilkie Collins. "The least of two evils."--Southey. "Whether his cabinet or that of Mynheer Sloane at London was the most valuable."-Smollett. "Of these two forms we should adopt that which will render the sentence the most perspicuous and agreeable."-Goold Brown. "The services of the lawyer are the most expensive and least useful of the two."-Scott. "We say to ride a horse and to ride on a horse. The first is, we believe, the most usual construction."-Mulligan. "The eldest of his two sons."-Thackeray. "The auditory of Mr. Travers was far the most numerous [compared with that of Hooker]."-Fuller. "Of two usances the merriest was put down."-Shakespeare.

"Wherever God erects a house of prayer,

The devil always builds a chapel there;
And 't will be found, upon examination,
The latter has the largest congregation."-Defoe.*

16. Double comparatives and superlatives, such as more wiser, most wisest, formerly common, are now avoided. But lesser is used by good writers; as, "The Lesser Asia."

17. Each, every, either, and neither require verbs and nouns (including pronouns) connected with them to be of the third person singular; "Neither [boy] of them is a bad boy;" "Each [boy] has studied his lesson;" "Either [person] of you is competent;""Neither [person] of us was out of his seat."

So even when two or more objects are mentioned; as, "Each book and each paper is kept in the place assigned to that book and that paper;" Every book and paper is kept in the place assigned to it."

Such expressions as "every three weeks" are correct, because the whole time is taken as one thing.

No joined to two or more singular nouns requires verbs and nouns to be singular; as, "No book and no paper is out of its place."

The following passages are incorrect: "Each person drawing in their breath hard."-Scott. Their should be his. "Each knew the situation of their own

; as,

*The two forms are sometimes used indiscriminately in the same passahich

"Hamish, the elder of these youths, was the tallest by a head."--Scott.
was the greatest innovator, which was the more important personage in man's his-
tory, he who first led armies over the Alps and gained the victories of Cannae and
Thrasymene or the nameless boor who first hammered out for himself an iron
spade?"-Carlyle.

"Between two hawks, which flies the higher pitch;
Between two dogs, which hath the deeper mouth;
Between two blades, which bears the better temper;
Between two horses, which doth bear him best;

Between two girls, which hath the merriest eye."-Shakespeare.

Is the superlative ever used in such | What is said of the person and number cases?

of verbs and nouns connected with each, every, either, neither?

What is said of no joined to two or more singular nouns?

bosom, and could not but guess at that of the other."-Scott. A man and a woman being referred to in the passage, his can not be used instead of their. The passage may be thus corrected: "Both knew the situation of their own bosoms, and each could not but guess at the situation of the other."

18. By some it is asserted that the expression each other refers to two objects only and one another to more than two. But there is no good authority for these restrictions; each other and one another are applied to either two or more. Johnson says, "To each the correspondent is other, whether it be used of two or of a greater number." Webster says of each, "Denoting one of the two or more individuals composing the whole, considered separately from the rest. To each corresponds other." "Two buckets filling one another."-Shakespeare. "Your brother and my sister no sooner sighed but they asked one another the reason."-Id. In each of these passages one another is applied to two. Worcester says of one another, "Two persons or things taken reciprocally." In the implied restriction he is not correct. "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another.”—English Bible. "The big round tears coursed one another down his innocent nose.' Shakespeare. Each other is applied to more than two in the following passages: "The cannibals that each other eat."-Shakespeare. "The sonnes and the daughters shall rebel ayenst father and mother, and kinred ayenst kinred, and chiden and despisen eche other."-Chaucer. "The thieves (Falstaff and his companions) are scattered and possessed with fear so strongly that they dare not meet each other."-Shakespeare.

19. This and that belong to singular nouns; these and those to plural nouns; as, "This apple, these apples; that kind, those kinds."

20. When this (plur. these) and that (plur. those) refer to objects previously mentioned this refers to the last-mentioned, as being nearer than the other; as, "Virtue and vice are direct opposites; that ennobles the mind, this debases it."

"Farewell my friends! farewell my foes!

My peace with these, my love with those."-Burns.

21. Avoid such vulgarisms as "this here book," "that there hat," "them books," "them there hats."

22. When two or more objects are to be distinguished from each other by emphasis or otherwise the adjective expressing a quality or limitation common to them must be repeated; as, "To make a distinction between a man and a beast;" The figurative and the literal sense are jumbled together;" "Both the man and the woman were acquitted;" "Neither the man nor the woman was found guilty;" "Either the father or the son must suffer."

This principle is violated in the following passages: "With this simple talk the old and young gentleman beguiled their way."-Thackeray. "Case is either the form or position of a noun."-Hiley's English Grammar. "The law is equal between the prosecutor and defendant."-Judge Bullar. "It embraces a portion both of the past and the future."-Pinneo's English Grammar. "The Eclogues of Virgil and Odes of Horace."-Scott. "The difference between the adjective and adverb."-Mulligan. "Charlie also bought a coarse and fine saw."-Rev. E. Kellogg. 23. An adjective with its noun is sometimes improperly used for a compound noun; as, "Musical printer" instead of "music printer," "photographical album" instead of "photograph-album." One may be a music printer who is not musical

in any sense; a photograph-album is an album for containing photographs, and is not at all photographical.

24. The preposition of is sometimes improperly used between all and its noun or between both and its noun; as, "All of his men were taken prisoners;" "Both of the apples were ripe." Say "all his men," "both the apples."

Of is used between all or both and a pronoun; as, “All of them were taken prisoners;" ;""Both of them were taken prisoners." Better, "They were all taken prisoners;" "They were both taken prisoners."

25. "Number one," "number two," etc., are correct expressions, because one, two, etc., are spoken of merely as numbers; but "part one," "book two," "hymn fifty," are modern absurdities. "Canto first."- Wordsworth. "Act second."Goldsmith. "Canto fourth."-Scott. "Book the second."-Dickens.

26. When two or more adjectives belong to the same noun the article is placed before the first only; as, "He is a good and great man." But for the sake of emphasis the article may be repeated, if no ambiguity is caused by the repetition; as, "A sadder and a wiser man

He rose the morrow morn."—Coleridge.

27. Generally the repetition of the article indicates that the adjectives belong to different nouns, all but the last being understood; as, "He has a white and a black horse" (a white horse and a black horse). By a "white and black horse" is meant but one horse.

Instead of repeating the article we may in some instances put the noun in the plural; as, "The north and south poles," "the Old and New Testaments." There is no ambiguity here, for we know that there are only two poles and two Testaments; but "but the black and white horses" may mean several horses, and the expression is not equivalent to "the black and the white horse."

We may say "the north and the south pole" or "the north and south poles," but not "the north and south pole" nor "the north and the south poles." It is correct to say "the first and second editions of the work," because the two editions are taken together; but it is incorrect to say "the first or second editions," because one or the other edition is meant, and not both.

With other limiting words there is the same principle of arrangement. "On that day he made his first and last will" (one will). "I compared his first and his last will" or "his first and last wills" (more than one).

Similar to "the north and south poles" are such expressions as "Walnut and Chestnut streets."

28. Before such complimentary epithets as honorable and reverend and the abbreviations of them the should be expressed; as, "A speech was made by the Hon. John Smith;" not "by Hon. John Smith."

29. A title mentioned merely as a title or a word mentioned merely as a word should not have an (a) before it; as, "He claimed the title of duke;" "He was fond of using the word individual for person.”

30. When two nouns are used in comparing two qualities in the same object an (a) should not be placed before the second noun; as, "He is a better poet than historian (better in poetry than in history)."

What is said of "all of his men," "both | What may in some instances be done inof the apples"?

What of "part one," "book two," etc? When two or more adjectives belong to the same noun where is the article placed?

Explain "He has a white and a black horse." "He has a white and black horse."

stead of repeating the article?

What is said of such expressions as "A speech was made by the Hon. John Smith"? Of "He claimed the title of duke"?

Of such expressions as "He is a better poet than historian"?

31. A word connected with a word as another name for the object should not have an article before it; as, "The trachea, or windpipe."

32. The adjective some is often placed before numerals to make the number less definite; as, "This happened some fifty years ago."

33. The adjective some should not be used for the adverb somewhat; as, “He is some better" instead of "He is somewhat better."

34. With adjectives denoting more than one plural nouns should be used; as "It weighed twenty pounds;" not "twenty pound."

35. A difficulty is sometimes felt in deciding whether the adjective or the adverb should follow certain verbs.

If quality is to be expressed, the adjective should be employed; if manner, the adverb.

With the verb to be or verbs denoting coming to be it is quality that is to be expressed, and the adjective must be employed; as, "He is cautious;" "He became (came to be) cautious;" "He grows (is coming to be) cautious;" "She turned pale." All verbs in which the idea of being prevails must have the adjective.

If to be may be inserted after the verb, the adjective should be used; as, "She appears [to be] happy;" "I shall continue [to be] thankful."

If the verb denotes an impression made on any of the senses, the adjective should be used; as, "He looks sad" (is sad to the eye); "The rose smells sweet" (is sweet to the smell); "This apple tastes bitter" (is bitter to the taste); "That music sounds sweet" (is sweet to the ear); "This board feels smooth" (is smooth to the touch). In each of these passages the verb denotes being as perceived by the sense indicated, and it is quality that is to be expressed, not manner.

When the verb denotes activity of the organ of sense the adverb must be used, manner being that which is to be expressed; as, "She looks tenderly (in a tender manner) at him;" "He touched the anaconda cautiously" (in a cautious manner); "He felt it carefully."

It is correct to say, "The moon shines bright," the object being to express what the moon is; but sometimes the adverb is used with such verbs as shine, the object then being to denote in what manner the action is performed; as, "The moon shone gloriously into the room."

Verbs denoting being in particular states or postures require adjectives; as, "The three stood (were) calm and silent."-Macaulay. 'Many a nobleman lies (is) stark and stiff."-Shakespeare. "Time hangs (is) heavy in the hall."-Scott. "The uneasiness that sits (is) so heavy upon us."- Locke.

"John arrived safe." The adjective is correctly used here, because the intention is to express the state in which John was when he arrived, not the manner of his arrival.

"I feel badly," an expression employed to declare that the speaker feels unwell, indisposed, uncomfortable, or something of the kind, really expresses that the speaker is dissatisfied with the manner in which he performs the act of feeling.

EXAMPLES.

1. Point out the adjectives and the nouns to which they belong: A bright day followed a gloomy night. She had auburn hair, blue eyes, a fair complexion, white teeth, and rosy lips. He was a short,

"twenty pound"?

What is said of such expressions as "the | What is said of such expressions as trachea, or windpipe"? Of such as "some fifty years ago"? What caution concerning the use of some?

What principle decides whether we should use an adjective or an adverb? Is it correct to say "John arrived safely?"