the pofitive in fignification; as, wifer, greater, lefs wife.

The fuperlative degree increafes or leffens the pofitive to the highest or lowest degrec; as, wifeft, greatest, least wise.

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

Monofyllables, for the moft part, are com pared by er or eft; and diffyllables by more and moft; as, mild, milder, mildest; frugal, more frugal, moft frugal.

Some words of very common ufe are irregularly formed; as, "good, better, beft; bad, worfe, worst; little, lefs, leaft; much or many, more, moft ;" and a few others.

PRONOUNS.

A pronoun is a word used instead of a noun, to avoid the too frequent repetition of the fame word; as, “The man is happy," ""he is benevolent," "he is ufeful."

There are three kinds of pronouns, viz. the Perfonal, the Relative, and the Adjective Pronouns.

PERSONAL PRONOUNS.

There are five Perfonal Pronouns; viz. I, thou, he, fbe, it; with their plurals, we, ye, or yon, they. Perfonal pronouns admit of perfon, number, gender, and cafe.

The perfons of pronouns are three in each of

the numbers, viz.

I, is the first perfon

Thou, is the fecond perfon

He, fhe, or it, is the third perfon
We, is the first perfon

Te or is the fecond person

you,

They, is the third perfon

The numbers of pronouns, like those of subftantives, are two, the fingular and the plural; as, I, thou, he; we, ye, they.

Gender has refpect only to the third perfon fingular of the pronouns, he, she, it. He is mafculine; he is feminine; it is neuter.

Pronouns have three cafes; the nominative, the poffeffive, and the objective.

The objective cafe of a pronoun has, in general, a form different from that of the nominative, or the poffeffive cafe.

The perfonal pronouns are thus declined.

Relative Pronouns are fuch as relate, in general, to fome word or phrafe going before, which is thence called the antecedent: they are who, which, and that; as, "The man is happy who lives virtuously."*

What is a kind of compound relative, including both the antecedent and the relative, and is equivalent to that which; as, "This is what I wanted;" that is to fay, "the thing which I wanted."

Who is applied to perfons, which to animals. and inanimate things; as, "He is a friend, who is faithful in adverfity; "The bird, which fung fo fweetly, is flown;" "This is the tree, which produces no fruit."

That, as a relative, is often used to prevent the too frequent repetition of who and which. It is applied to both perfons and things; as, “He that acts wifely deferves praise;" "Modesty is a quality that highly adorns a woman.”

Who is of both numbers, and is thus declined:

SINGULAR AND PLURAL.

* See Grammar, fourteenth, or any subsequent edi

tion, p. 62, the note.

Who, which, what, are called Interrogatives, when they are used in afking questions; as, "Who is he?" "Which is the book?" "What are you doing?"

ADJECTIVE PRONOUNS.

Adjective Pronouns are of a mixed nature, participating the properties both of pronouns and adjectives.

The adjective pronouns may be fubdivided into four forts, namely, the poffeffive, the diftributive, the demonftrative, and the indefinite.

1. The poffeffive are thofe which relate to poffeffion or property.

There are feven of them; viz. my, thy, his, her, our, your, their.

Mine and thine, inftead of my and thy, were formerly used before a fubftantive or adjective beginning with a vowel or a filent h; as, "Blot out all mine iniquities."

2. The diftributive are thofe which denote the perfons or things that make up a number, as taken feparately and fingly. They are each, every, either; as, "Each of his brothers is in a favourable fituation;" 66 Every man must account for himfelf;" "I have not feen either of them."

3. The demonftrative, are thofe which precifely point out the fubjects to which they relate this and that, these and those are of this clafs; as, "This is true charity; that is only its image."

This refers to the nearest perfon or thing, and

that to the more diftant: as, "This man is more intelligent than that." "This indicates the latter, or laft mentioned; that, the former, or first mentioned: as, "Wealth and poverty are both temptations; that tends to excite pride, this dif

content."

4 The indefinite are thofe which exprefs their fubjects in an indefinite or general manner. The following are of this kind: fome, other, any, one, all, fuch, &c.

Other is declined in the following manner :

A Verb is a word which fignifies to BE, to Do, or to SUFFER; as, “I am, I rule, I am ruled.” Verbs are of three kinds; ACTIVE, PASSIVE, and NEUTER. They are alfo divided into REGULAR, IRREGULAR, and DEFECTIVE.

A Verb Active expreffes an action, and neceffarily implies an agent, and an object acted upon; as, to love; "I love Penelope."

A Verb Paffive expreffes a paffion, or a fuffering, or the receiving of an action; and neceffarily implies an object acted upon, and an agent by which it is acted upon; as, to be loved, "Penelope is loved by me."

A Verb Neuter expreffes neither action nor

C