wifer, greater: When it is expressed as being in the highest degree of all, it is called the Superlative: as, wifeft, greatest. So that the fimple word, or Pofitive, becomes Comparative by adding r or er; and Superlative by adding ft or eft, to the end of it. And the Adverbs more and most placed before the Adjective have the fame effect; as wife, more wife, most wife [1]. Mono [1] Double Comparatives and Superlatives are improper : "The Duke of Milan, And his more braver Daughter could control thee." Shakespear, Tempest. "After the most ftraiteft fect of our religion I have lived a Pharifee." Acts, xxvi. 5. So likewife Adjectives, that have in themfelves a Superlative fignification, admit not properly the Superlative form fuperadded: "Whosoever of you will be chiefeft, shall be servant of all." Mark, x. 44. "One of the firft and chiefeft inftances of prudence." Atterbury, Serm. IV. 10. "While the extremest parts of the earth were meditating a fubmiffion." Ibid. I. 4. "But firft and chiefeft with thee bring Him, that yon foars on golden wing, Guiding the fiery-wheeled throne, The Cherub Contemplation." Milton, Il Penferofo. "That on the fea's extremeft border stood." Addifon's Travels. But Monofyllables, for the moft part, are com-pared by er and est; and Dissyllables by more and moft: as, mild, milder, mildeft; frugal, more frugal, most frugal. Diffyllables ending in y, happy, lovely; and in le after a mute, as able, ample; or accented on the last fyllable, as difcrete, polite; eafily admit of er and est. Words of more than two fyllables hardly ever admit of thofe terminations. In fome few words the Superlative is formed by adding the Adverb most to the end of them; as, nethermoft, uttermost, or utmost, undermost, uppermost, foremost. In English, as in most languages, there are fome words of very common ufe,)(in which the caprice of Cuftom is apt to get the better of Analogy, that are irregular in this refpect: as, good, better, beft; bad, worse, worst; little, less [2],— leaft; much, or many, more, most; and a few others. But poetry is in poffeffion of these two improper Superlatives, and may be indulged in the use of them. ; The Double fuperlative most highest is a Phrase peculiar to the old Vulgar Translation of the Pfalms; where it acquires a fingular propriety from the Subject to which it is applied, the Supreme Being, who is higher than the highest. 66 [2] Leffer, fays Mr. Johnfon, is a barbarous corruption of lefs, formed by the vulgar from the habit of terminating Comparifons in er." "Attend others. And in other languages, the words irregular in this refpect, are thofe, which exprefs the very fame ideas with the foregoing. (A VER B. VERB is a word which fignifies to be, to do, or to fuffer. There are three kinds of Verbs; Active, Paffive, and Neuter Verbs. A Verb Active expreflès an Action, and neceffarily implies an Agent, and an Object acted upon: as, to love; "I love Thomas." A Verb Paffive expreffes a Paffion, or a Suffering, or the Receiving of an Action; and ne "Attend to what a leffer Muse indites.” Addison. "The tongue is like a race-horse; which runs the fafter, the leer weight it carries." Addifon, Spect. N° 247. Worfer founds much more barbarous, only because it has not been fo frequently used. Changed to a worser shape thou canst not be." "A dreadful quiet felt, and worfer far Dryden. Than arms, a fullen interval of war." The Superlative leaft ought rather to be written without the a, being contracted from leffeft; as Dr. Wallis hath long ago obferved. The Conjunction of the fame found, might be written with the a, for dif tinction. 2 ceffarily ceffarily implies an Object acted upon, and an Agent by which it is acted upon; as, to be loved; "Thomas is loved by me." So when the Agent takes the lead in the Sentence, the Verb is Active, and is followed by the Object: when the Object takes the lead, the Verb is Paffive, and is followed by the Agent. A Verb Neuter expreffes Being; or a state or condition of being; when the Agent and the Object acted upon coincide, and the event is properly Neither action nor paffion, but rather fomething between both: as, I am, I fleep, I walk. The Verb Active is called alfo Tranfitive; becaufe the action paffeth over to the Object, or hath an effect upon fome other thing: and the Verb Neuter is called Intranfitive; becaufe the effect is confined within the Agent, and doth not pass over to any object [2]. [z] The diftinction between Verbs abfolutely Neuter, as to fleep, and Verbs Active Intranfitive, as to walk, though founded in nature and truth, is of little ufe in Grammar. Indeed it would rather perplex than aflift the learner: for the difference between Verbs Active and Neuter, as Tranfitive and Intransitive, is eafy and obvious; but the difference between Verbs abfolutely Neuter and Intranfitively Active is not always clear. But however thefe latter may differ in nature, the Conftruction of them both is the fame: and Grammar is not so much concerned with their real, as their Grammatical properties. In English many Verbs are used both in an Active and Neuter fignification, the construction only determining of which kind they are. To the fignification of the Verb is fuperadded the designation of Person, by which it correfponds with the feveral Perfonal Pronouns; of Number, by which it correfponds with the Number of the Noun, Singular or Plural; of Time, by which it reprefents the being, action, or paffion, as Prefent, Paft, or Future, whether Imperfectly, or Perfectly; that is, whether paffing in fuch time, or then finished; and laftly of Mode, or of the various Manner in which the being, action, or paffion, is expressed. In a Verb therefore are to be confidered the Perfon, the Number, the Time, and the Mode. The Verb in fome parts of it varies its endings, to exprefs, or agree with, different Perfons of the fame number: as, "I love, Thou lovest, He loveth, or loves." So alfo to exprefs different Numbers of the fame person: as, "Thou lovest, Ye love; He loveth, They love [3]." So [3] In the Plural Number of the Verb, there is no variation of ending to exprefs the different Perfons; and the three Perfons Plural are the fame also with the first Person Singular moreover in the Prefent Time of the Subjunctive Mode all Perfonal Variation is |