case.

Me, us, thee, him, her,* them, and whom are objective forms, and must not be used in the nominative case.

Remark.-The eight nominative forms and the seven objective forms here given are the only distinctive nominative and objective forms in the language. All the rules of syntax given in the grammars to guide in the use of the nominative and the objective case apply, practically, only to these fifteen words.

Direction.-Study carefully the definitions and principles given under the head of case, Lesson 119, and then correct these errors, giving your reasons in every instance :

1. It is not met you are in love with. 2. She was neither better bred nor wiser than you or me.t 3. Whot servest thou under? 4. It was not them, it was her. 5. Its being me should make no difference. 6. Him and me are of the same age. 7. Them that study grammar talk no better than me. 8. I am not so old as her; she is older than me by ten years. 9. He was angry, and me too. 10. Who will go?

Me. 11. It isn't for such as us to sit with the rulers of the land. 12. Not one in a thousand could have done it as well as him. 13. Him being a stranger, they easily misled him. 14. Oh, happy us! surrounded thus with blessings. 15. It was Joseph, him whom Pharaoh promoted. 16. I referred to my old friend, he of whom I so often

*Her is also a possessive.

+ Dr. Latham defends It is me, but condemns It is him and It is her. Dean Alford regards as correct the forms condemned by Latham, and asserts that thee and me are correct in "The nations not so blest as thee," "Such weak minister as me may the oppressor bruise." Prof. Bain justifies If I were him, It was her, and He is better than me, and even defends the use of who as an objective form by quoting from Shakespeare, "Who servest thou under ?" and from Steele, "Who should I meet?" They justify such expressions as It is me from the analogy of the French c'est moi, and on the ground that they are "more frequently heard than the prescribed form." But such analogy would justify It are them (ce sont eux); and, if the argument from the speech of the uneducated is to have weight, we have good authority for "Her ain't a calling we; us don't belong to she." A course of reading will satisfy any one that the best writers and speakers in England are not in the habit of using such expressions as It is me, and that they are almost, if not quite, unknown in American Literature. No one has so freed himself from the influence of early associations that in a careless moment some vicious colloquialism may not creep into his discourse. A violation of every principle of grammar may be defended, if such inadvertencies are to be erected into authority. To whatever is the prevailing, the habitual usage of a majority of the best writers and speakers the grammarian bows without question; but not to the accidental slips of even the greatest names, or to the common usage of the unreflecting and the uncultivated.

speak. 17. You have seen Cassio and she together.

18. Between you and I, I believe that he is losing his mind. 19. Who should I meet the other day but my old friend? 20. Who did he refer to, he or I? 21. Who did he choose? Did he choose you and I? 22. He that is idle and mischievous reprove. 23. We will refer it to whoever you may choose. 24. Whosoever the court favors is safe. 25. They that are diligent I will reward. 26. Scotland and thee did in each other live. 27. My hour is come, but not to render up my soul to such as thee. 28. I knew that it was him. 29. I knew it to be he. 30. Who did you suppose it to be? 31. Whom did you suppose it was? 32. I took that tall man to be he. 33. I thought that tall man was him.

LESSON 126.

CONSTRUCTION OF CASE FORMS.
MISCELLANEOUS REVIEW.

Direction.-Correct these errors, and give your reasons :—

1. Who was Joseph's and Benjamin's mother? 2. It did not occur during Washington, Jefferson, or Adams's administration. 3. I consulted Webster, Worcester, and Walker's dictionary. 4. This state was south of Mason's and Dixon's line. 5. These are neither George nor Fanny's books. 6. Howard's, the philanthropist's, life was a noble 7. It is Othello's pleasure, our noble and valiant general's. 8. He visited his sons-in-law's homes.

one.

Explanation.-If the possessive plural of such nouns were used, this would be correct; but it is better to avoid these awkward forms.

9. A valuable horse of my friend William's father's was killed. 10. For Herodias's sake, his brother Philip's wife. 11. For the queen's sake, his sister's. 12. Peter's, John's, and Andrew's occupation was that of fishermen. 13. He spoke of you studying Latin. 14. It being difficult did not deter him. 15. What need is there of the man swearing? 16. I am opposed to the gentleman speaking again. 17. He thought it was us. 18. We shall shortly see which is the fittest object of scorn, you or me. 19. I shall not learn my duty from such as thee. 20. A lady entered, whom I afterwards found was Miss B. 21. A lady entered, who I afterwards found to be Miss B.

23. Let him be whom he may.

22. Ask somebody's else opinion. 24. I am sure it could not have been them. 25. I understood it to be they. 26. It is not him whom you thought it was. 27. Let you and I try it. 28. All enjoyed themselves, us excepted. 29. Us boys enjoy the holidays. 30. It was Virgil, him who wrote the Æneid.

LESSON 127.

COMPARISON.

Introductory Hints.-That apple is sweet, that other is sweeter, but this one is the sweetest. The adjective sweet, expressing a quality of the three apples, is, as you see, inflected by adding er and est.

Adjectives, then, have one modification, and this is marked by form, or inflection. This modification is called Comparison, because it is used when things are compared with each other in respect to some quality common to them all, but possessed by them in different degrees. The form of the adjective which expresses the simple quality, as sweet, is of the Positive Degree; that which expresses the quality in a greater or a less degree, as sweeter, less sweet, is of the Comparative Degree; and that which expresses the quality in the greatest or the least degree, as sweetest, least sweet, is of the Superlative Degree.

But even the positive implies a comparison, as we should not say This apple is sweet, unless this particular fruit had more of the quality than ordinary apples possess.

Notice, too, that the adjective in the comparative and superlative degrees always expresses the quality relatively. When we say This apple is sweeter than that, or This apple is the sweetest of the three, we do not mean that any of the apples is really or in the highest degree sweet; but only that one apple is sweeter than the other, or the sweetest of those compared.

The several degrees of the quality expressed by the adjective may be increased or diminished by adverbs modifying the adjective-we can say very, exceedingly, rather, or somewhat sweet; far, still, or much sweeter; by far or much the sweetest.

Some adverbs, as well as adjectives, are compared.

Adjectives have one modification; viz., Comparison.*

DEFINITIONS.

Comparison is a modification of the adjective to express the relative degree of the quality + in the things compared.

The Positive Degree expresses the simple quality.

The Comparative Degree expresses a greater or a less degree of the quality.

The Superlative Degree expresses the greatest or least degree of the quality.

RULE.-Adjectives are regularly compared by adding er to the positive to form the comparative, and est to the positive to form the superlative.

RULES FOR SPELLING.

RULE I.-Final e is dropped before a suffix beginning with a vowel; as, fine, finer; love, loving.

Exceptions.-The e is retained (1) after c and g, when the suffix begins with a or o; as, peaceable, changeable; (2) after o; as, hoeing; and (3) when it is needed to preserve the identity of the word; as, singeing, dyeing.

RULE II.-Final y preceded by a consonant changes to i when a suffix is added not beginning with i; as, witty, wittier; dry, dried. RULE III.—Those monosyllables and words accented on the last syllable which end in a single consonant following a single vowel double this consonant before a suffix beginning with a vowel; as, hot, hotter; begin, beginning.

Exceptions.-X, k, and v are never doubled, and gas has gases in the plural.

Adjectives of more than two syllables are generally compared by prefixing more and most. This method is often used with adjectives of two syllables and sometimes with those of one.

Remark.-More beautiful, most beautiful, etc., can hardly be called degree forms of the adjective. The adverbs more and most have the degree forms, and in

*Two adjectives, this and that, have number forms-this, these; that, those. In Anglo-Saxon and Latin, adjectives have forms to indicate gender, number, and case. ↑ Different degrees of quantity also, may sometimes be expressed by comparison.

parsing they may be regarded as separate words. The adjective, however, is varied in sense the same as when the inflections er and est are added.

Degrees of diminution are expressed by prefixing less and least; as, valuable, less valuable, least valuable.

Most definitive and many descriptive adjectives cannot be compared, as their meaning will not admit of different degrees.

Direction.-From this list of adjectives select those that cannot be compared, and compare those which remain :

Observe the Rules for Spelling given above.

Wooden, English, unwelcome, physical, one, that, common, handsome, happy, able, polite, hot, sweet, vertical, two-wheeled, infinite, witty, humble, any, thin, intemperate, undeviating, nimble, holy, lunar, superior.

Of the two forms of comparison, that which is more easily pronounced and more agreeable to the ear is to be preferred.

Direction.-Correct the following:

Famousest, virtuousest, eloquenter, comfortabler, amusingest.

Some adverbs are compared by adding er and est, and some by prefixing more and most.

Direction.-Compare the following:

Early, easily, fast, firmly, foolishly, late, long, often, soon, wisely. Some adjectives and adverbs are irregular in their comparison.

Direction.-Learn to compare the following adjectives and adverbs :—

Adjectives Irregularly Compared.

* These words enclosed in curves are adverbs-the adjectives following having no positive form.

(Forth), further,