Elements of English Grammar, for the Use of Ladies' Schools

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1849 edition. Excerpt: ...of darkness, or that it is dark. We may, however, compare one night with another, in respect to its darkness, and say that the second night was darker than the first, and the third darker than either. This shews that there are degrees in darkness; and such is the case with most other qualities. Again, we may say that of three nights, the first was dark, the second darker, and the third darkest. 75. Adjectives have three degrees. Words like dark, are in the positive degree; words like darker, in the comparative; and words like darkest, in the superlative. 76. The positive degree is the simple adjective, as dark, cold, rich, dry, low. 77. The comparative degree is formed from the positive by the addition of the syllable-er; as dark, dark-er; cold, cold-er; rich, rich-er; dry, dry-er; low, low-er. 78. The superlative degree is formed from the positive by the addition of the syllable-est; as dark, dark-est; cold, cold-est; rich, rich-est; dry, dry-est; low, louhest. 79. The superlative may also be formed from the comparative by changing the r of the comparative into s, and adding t; as dark-er, dark-es, dark-es-t; cold-er, cold-es, cold-es-t; rich-er, rich-es, rich-es-t; dry-er, dry-es, dry-es-t; low-er, low-es, low-es-t. 80. Positive form wanting.--The words better and best have no positive form; since there is no such words as bet or be, meaning good. The same is the case with the words worse and worst. 81. The word good is found in the positive degree only; there being no such words as gooder and goodest. The same is the case with the word bad; since the words badder and baddest are not used in the present English. The same, also, is the case with the words evil, ill, little, and much. 82....