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HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH GRAMMAR CHAPTER 1 THE SENTENCE 1.

 When we speak or write we use words. We generally use these words in groups; as, Little Jack Homer sat in a corner. A group of words like this, which makes complete sense, is called a Sentence. Kinds of Sentences 2. Sentences are of four kinds: (1) Those which make statements or assertions; as, Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. (2) Those which ask questions; as Where do you live? (3) Those which express commands, requests, or entreaties; as, Be quiet. Have mercy upon us. (4) Those which express strong feelings; as, How cold the night is! What a shame! A sentence that makes a statement or assertion is called a Declarative or Assertive sentence. A sentence that asks a question is called an Interrogative sentence. A sentence that expresses a command or an entreaty is called an Imperative sentence. A sentence that expresses strong feeling is called an Exclamatory sentence.

CHAPTER 2 

SUBJECT AND PREDICATE 3.

 When we make a sentence: (1) We name some person or thing; and (2) Say something about that person or thing. Page 2 In other words, we must have a subject to speak about and we must say or predicate something about that subject. Hence every sentence has two parts: (1) The part which names the person or thing we are speaking about. This is called the Subject of the sentence. (2) The part which tells something about the Subject. This is called the Predicate of the sentence. 4. The Subject of a sentence usually comes first, but occasionally it is put after the Predicate; as, Here comes the bus. Sweet are the uses of adversity. 5. In Imperative sentences the Subject is left out; as, Sit down. [Here the Subject You is understood]. Thank him. [Here too the Subject You is understood.] Exercise in Grammar 1 In the following sentences separate the Subject and the Predicate: 1. The cackling of geese saved Rome. 2. The boy stood on the burning deck. 3. Tubal Cain was a man of might. 4. Stone walls do not make a prison. 5. The singing of the birds delights us. 6. Miss Kitty was rude at the table one day 7. He has a good memory. 8. Bad habits grow unconsciously. 9. The earth revolves round the sun. 10. Nature is the best physician. 11. Edison invented the phonograph. 12. The sea hath many thousand sands. 13. We cannot pump the ocean dry. 14. Borrowed garments never fit well. 15. The early bird catches the worm. 16. All matter is indestructible. 17. Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan. 18. We should profit by experience. 19. All roads lead to Rome. 20. A guilty conscience needs no excuse. 21. The beautiful rainbow soon faded away. 22. No man can serve two masters. 23. A sick room should be well aired. 24. The dewdrops glitter in the sunshine. 25. I shot an arrow into the air. 26. A barking sound the shepherd hears. 27. On the top of the hill lives a hermit. 

CHAPTER 3

 THE PHRASE AMD THE CLAUSE 6. 

Examine the group of words “in a corner”. It makes sense, but not complete sense. Such a group of words, which makes sense, but not complete sense, is called a Phrase. In the following sentences, the groups of words in italics are Phrases: The sun rises in the east. Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. There came a giant to my door. Page 3 It was a sunset of great beauty. The tops of the mountains were covered with snow. Show me how to do it. 7. Examine the groups of words in italics in the following sentences: He has a chain of gold. He has a chain which is made of gold. We recognize the first group of words as a Phrase. The second group of words, unlike the Phrase of gold, contains a Subject (which) and a Predicate (is made of gold). Such a group of words which forms part of a sentence, and contains a Subject and a Predicate, is called a Clause. In the following sentences, the groups of words in italics are Clauses: People who pay their debts are trusted. We cannot start while it is raining. I think that, you have made a mistake.

CHAPTER 4 

PARTS OF SPEECH 8. 

Words are divided into different kinds or classes, called Parts of Speech, according to their use; that is, according to the work they do in a sentence. The parts of speech are eight in number: 1. Noun. 2. Adjective. 3. Pronoun. 4. Verb. 5. Adverb. 6. Preposition. 7. Conjunction. 8. Interjection. 9. A Noun is a word used as the name of a person, place, or thing; as, Akbar was a great King. Kolkata is on the Hooghly. The rose smells sweet. The sun shines bright. His courage won him honour. Note: The word thing includes (i) all objects that we can see, hear, taste, touch, or smell; and (ii) something that we can think of, but cannot perceive by the senses. 10. An Adjective is a word used to add something to the meaning of a noun; as, He is a brave boy. There are twenty boys in this class. 11. A Pronoun is a word used instead of a noun; as, John is absent, because he is ill. The book are where you left them Page 4 12. A Verb is a word used lo express an action or state; as The girl wrote a letter to her cousin. Kolkata is a big city. Iron and copper are useful metals. 13. An Adverb is a word used to add something to the meaning of a verb, an adjective, or another adverb; as, He worked the sum quickly. This flower is very beautiful. She pronounced the word quite correctly. 14. A Preposition is a word used with a noun or a pronoun to show how the person or thing denoted by the noun or pronoun stands in relation to something else; as, There is a cow in the garden. The girl is fond of music. A fair little girl sat under a tree. 15. A Conjunction is a word used to join words or sentences; as, Rama and Hari are cousins. Two and two make four. I ran fast, but missed the train. 16. An Interjection is a word which expresses some sudden feel ing; as, Hurrah! We have won the game. Alas! She is dead. 17. Some modern grammars include determiners among the parts of speech. Determiners are words like a, an, the, this, that, these, those, every, each, some, any, my, his, one, two, etc., which determine or limit the meaning of the nouns that follow. In this book, as in many traditional grammars, all determiners except a, an and the are classed among adjectives. 18. As words are divided into different classes according to the work they do in sentences, it is clear that we cannot say to which part of speech a word belongs unless we see it used in a sentence. They arrived soon after. (Adverb) They arrived after us. (Preposition) They arrived after we had left. (Conjunction) From the above examples we see that the same word can be used as different parts of speech. Exercise in Grammar 2 Name the part of speech of each italicized word in the following sentences, giving in each case your reason for the classification: 1. Still waters run deep. 2. He still lives in that house 3. After the storm comes the calm 4. The after effects of the drug are bad. 5. The up train is late. 6. It weights about a pound. Page 5 7. He told us all about the battle. 8. He was only a yard off me. 9. Suddenly one of the wheels came off. 10. Mohammedans fast in the month of Ramzan. 11. He kept the fast for a week. 12. He is on the committee. 13. Let us move on. 14. Sit down and rest a while. 15. I will watch while you sleep. 16. They while away their evenings with books and games.  

CHAPTER 5

 THE NOUN: KINDS OF NOUNS 19. 

A Noun is a word used as the name of a person, place or thing. Note: The word thing is used to mean anything that we can think of. 20. Look at the following sentence: Asoka was a wise king. The noun Asoka refers to a particular king, but the noun king might be applied to any other king as well as to Asoka. We call Asoka a Proper Noun, and king a Common Noun. Similarly: Sita is a Proper Noun, while girl is a Common Noun. Hart is a Proper Noun, while boy is a Common Noun. Kolkata is a Proper Noun, while city is a Common Noun. India is a Proper Noun, while country is a Common Noun. The word girl is a Common Noun, because it is a name common to all girls, while Sita is a Proper Noun because it is the name of a particular girl. Def. - A Common Noun is a name given in common to every person or thing of the same class or kind. [Common here means shared by all.] Def. - A Proper Noun is the name of some particular person or place, [Proper means one's own. Hence a Proper Name is a person's own name.] Note 1 - Proper Nouns are always written with a capital letter at the beginning. Note 2 - Proper Nouns are sometimes used as Common Nouns; as, 1. He was the Lukman (= the wisest man) of his age. 2. Kalidas is often called the Shakespeare (= the greatest dramatist) of India. Common Nouns include what are called Collective Nouns and Abstract Nouns Page 6 21. A Collective Noun is the name of a number (or collection) of persons or things taken together and spoken of as one whole; as, Crowd, mob, team, flock, herd, army, fleet, jury, family, nation, parliament, committee. A fleet = a collection of ships or vessels. An army = a collection of soldiers. A crowd = a collection of people. The police dispersed the crowd. The French army was defeated at Waterloo. The jury found the prisoner guilty. A herd of cattle is passing. 22. An Abstract Noun is usually the name of a quality, action, or state considered apart from the object to which it belongs; as. Quality - Goodness, kindness, whiteness, darkness, hardness, brightness, honesty, wisdom, bravery. Action - Laughter, theft, movement, judgment, hatred. State - Childhood, boyhood, youth, slavery, sleep, sickness, death, poverty. The names of the Arts and Science (e.g., grammar, music, chemistry, etc.) are also Abstract Nouns. [We can speak of a brave soldier, a strong man, a beautiful flower. But we can also think of these qualities apart from any particular person or thing, and speak of bravery, strength, beauty by themselves. So also we can speak of what persons do or feel apart from the persons themselves, and give it a name. The word abstract means drawn off.] 23. Abstract Nouns are formed: (1) From Adjectives; as, Kindness from kind; honesty from honest. [Most abstract nouns are formed thus.] (2) From Verbs: as, Obedience from obey; growth from grow. (3) From Common Nouns; as, Childhood from child; slavery from slave. 24. Another classification of nouns is whether they are “countable” or “uncountable”. Countable nouns (or countables) are the names of objects, people, etc. that we can count, e.g., book, pen, apple, boy, sister, doctor, horse. Uncountable nouns (or uncountables) are the names of things which we cannot count, e.g., milk, oil, sugar, gold, honesty. They mainly denote substances and abstract things. Countable nouns have plural forms while uncountable nouns do not. For example, we say “books” but we cannot say “milks”. Exercise in Grammar 3 Point out the Nouns in the following sentences, and say whether they are Common, Proper, Collective or Abstract: Page 7 1. The crowd was very big. 2. Always speak the truth. 3. We all love honesty. 4. Our class consists of twenty pupils. 5. The elephant has great strength. 6. Solomon was famous for his wisdom. 7. Cleanliness is next to godliness. 8. We saw a fleet of ships in the harbour. 9. The class is studying grammar. 10. The Godavary overflows its banks every year. 11. A committee of five was appointed. 12. Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India. 13. The soldiers were rewarded for their bravery. 14.Without health there is no happiness. 15. He gave me a bunch of grapes. 16. I recognized your voice at once. 17. Our team is better than theirs. 18. Never tell a lie. 19. Wisdom is better than strength. 20. He sets a high value on his time. 21. I believe in his innocence. 22. This room is thirty feet in length. 23. I often think of the happy days of childhood. 24. The streets of some of our cities are noted for their crookedness. 25. What is your verdict, gentlemen of the jury? Exercise in Composition 4 Write the Collective Nouns used to describe a number of (1) Cattle; (2) Soldiers; (3) Sailors. Write the qualities that belong to boys who are (1) Lazy; (2) Cruel; (3) Brave; (4) Foolish. Exercise in Composition 5 Form Abstract Nouns from the following Adjectives: Long, young, humble, decent, cruel, bitter, strong, true, short, prudent, dark, deep, wide, wise, good, vacant, sweet, human, broad, free, proud, brave, novel, quick, high, poor, just, vain, sane, ignorant. Form Abstract Nouns from the following Verbs: Laugh, obey, live, expect, excel, know, steal. Believe, Serve, Hate, Please, Act, Starve, Occupy, Choose, Move, Conceal, Seize, Flatter, Depart, Persevere, Defend, Think, Protect, Advise, Punish, Die, Succeed, Free, See, Judge, Pursue, Relieve, Converse, Discover. Form Abstract Nouns from the following Common Nouns: King, man, thief, woman, bankrupt, infant, owner, rogue, regent, author, mother, agent, hero, beggar, coward, priest, boy, bond, pirate, pilgrim, friend, caption, rascal, patriot, glutton.

CHAPTER 6

 THE NOUN: GENDER 25. 

You know that living beings are of either the male or the female sex. Now compare the words in the following pairs: Boy (Lion, Hero, Cock-sparrow) Girl (Lioness, Heroine, Hen-sparrow) What do you notice? The first word of each pair is the name of a male animal. The second word of each pair is the name of a female animal. A noun that denotes a male animal is said to be of the Masculine Gender. [Gender comes from Latin genus, kind or sort.] A noun that denotes a female animal is said to be of the Feminine Gender. 26. A noun that denotes either a male or a female is said to be of the Common Gender; as Parent, child, friend, pupil, servant, thief, relation, enemy, cousin, person, orphan, student, baby, monarch, neighbour, infant. 27. A noun that denotes a thing that is neither male nor female (i.e., thing without life) is said to be of the Neuter Gender; as, Book, pen, room, tree. [Neater means neither, that is, neither male nor female] It will be thus seen that in Modern English the Gender of a noun is entirely a matter of sex or the absence of sex. It has nothing to do with the form of a noun, which determines its gender in many other languages, e.g., in Urdu where bagiche is masculine and lakri is feminine. 28. Objects without life are often personified, that is, spoken of as if they were living beings. We then regard them as males or females. The Masculine Gender is often applied to objects remarkable for strength and violence; as, The Sun, Summer, Winter, Time, Death, The sun sheds his beams on rich and poor alike. The Feminine Gender is sometimes applied to objects remarkable for beauty, gentleness, and gracefulness; as, The Moon, the Earth, Spring, Autumn, Nature, Liberty, Justice, Mercy, Peace, Hope, Charity. The moon has hidden her face behind a cloud. Spring has spread her mantle of green over the earth. Peace hath her victories no less renowned than war. This use is most common in poetry but certain nouns are personified in nrose too. A shin is often spoken of as she; as, The ship lost her boats in the storm. Page 9 Ways of Forming the Feminine of Nouns 29. There are three ways of forming the Feminine of Nouns: (1) By using an entirely different word; as Masculine -- Feminine Bachelor -- maid, spinster Boy -- girl Brother -- sister Buck -- doe Bull (or ox) -- cow Bullock -- heifer Cock -- hen Colt -- filly Dog -- bitch Drake -- duck Drone -- bee Earl -- countess Father -- mother Gander -- goose Gentleman -- lady Hart -- roe Horse -- mare Husband -- wife King -- queen Lord -- lady Man -- woman Monk (or friar) -- nun Nephew -- niece Papa -- mamma Ram -- ewe Sir -- madam Son -- daughter Stag -- hind Uncle -- aunt Wizard -- witch (2) By adding a syllable (-ess, -ine, -trix, -a, etc) as, Masculine -- Feminine Author -- authoress Baron -- baroness Count -- countess Giant -- giantess Heir -- heiress Host -- hostess Jew -- Jewess Lion -- lioness Manager -- manageress Mayor -- mayoress Patron -- patroness Peer -- peeress Poet -- poetess Priest -- priestess Prophet -- prophetess Shepherd -- shepherdess Steward -- stewardess Viscount -- viscountess [Note that in the following -ess is added after dropping the vowel of the masculine ending] Masculine -- Feminine Actor -- actress Benefactor -- benefactress Conductor -- conductress Enchanter -- enchantress Founder -- foundress Hunter -- huntress Instructor -- instructress Negro -- negress Abbot -- abbess Duke -- duchess Emperor -- empress Preceptor -- preceptress Prince -- princess Songster -- songstress Tempter -- temptress Seamster -- seamstress Tiger -- tigress Traitor -- traitress Waiter -- waitress Master -- mistress Murderer -- murderess Sorcerer -- sorceress Note:- The suffix -ess is the commonest suffix used to form feminine nouns, from the masculine, and is the only one which we now use in forming a new feminine noun. Page 10 Masculine -- Feminine Hero -- heroine Testator -- testatrix Czar -- czarina Sultan -- sultana Signor -- signora Fox -- vixen (3) By placing a word before or after; as, Masculine -- Feminine Grandfather -- grandmother Greatuncle -- greataunt Manservant -- maidservant Landlord -- landlady milkman -- milkwoman peacock -- peahen salesman -- saleswoman washerman -- washerwoman.

CHAPTER 7

 THE NOUN: NUMBER 30. 

Notice the change of form in the second word of each pair: Tree (Box, Fox, Man) Trees (Boxes, Oxen, Men) The first word of each pair denotes one thing, the second word of each pair denotes more than one. A Noun that denotes one person or thing, is said to be in the Singular Number; as, Boy, girl, cow, bird, tree, book, pen. A Noun that denotes more than one person or thing, is said to be in the Plural Number; as, Boys, girls, cows, birds, trees, books, pens. Thus there are two Numbers in English-the Singular and the Plural. A work from S. CHAND & COMPANY LTD. How Plurals are Formed 31. (i) The Plural of nouns is generally formed by adding -s to the singular ; as, boy, boys; pen, pens; girl, girls; desk, desks; book, books; cow, cows. (ii) But Nouns ending in -s, -sh, -ch (soft), or -x form the plural by adding -es to the singular; as, class, classes; kiss, kisses; dish, dishes; brush, brushes; match, matches; watch, watches; branch, branches; tax, taxes; box, boxes. (iii) Most Nouns ending in -o also form the plural by adding -es to the singular ; as, buffalo, buffaloes; mango, mangoes; hero, heroes; potato, potatoes; cargo, cargoes, echo, echoes; negro, negroes; volcano, valcanoes. (iv) A few nouns ending in -o merely add -s; as, Page 11 dynamo, dynamos; solo, solos; ratio, ratios; canto, cantos; memento, mementos; quarto, quartos; piano, pianos; photo, photos; stereo, siereos. kilo, kilos; logo, logos; commando, commandos (v) Nouns ending in -y, preceded by a consonant, form their plural by changing -y into -i and adding -es; as, baby, babies; lady, ladies; city, cities; army, armies; story, stories; pony, ponies. (vi) The following nouns ending in -f or -fe form their plural by changing -for -fe into v and adding -es ; as, thief, thieves; wife, wives; wolf, wolves; life, lives; calf, calves; leaf, leaves; loaf, loaves; knife, knives; shelf, shelves, half, halves; elf, elves; self, selves; sheaf, sheaves. The nouns dwarf, hoof, scarf and wharf take either -s or -ves in the plural. dwarfs or dwarves; hoofs or hooves; scarfs or scarves; wharfs or wharves Other words ending in -for -fe add -s; as, chief, chiefs; safe, safes; proof, proofs gulf, gulfs; cliff, cliffs; handkerchief, handkerchiefs 32. A few nouns form their plural by changing the inside vowel of the singlar; as, man, men; woman, women; foot, feet; tooth, teeth; goose, geese; mouse, mice; louse, lice. 33. There are a few nouns that form their plural by adding -en to the singular; as, ox, oxen; child, children. The plural offish is fish or fishes. The form fishes is less usual. 34. Some nouns have the singular and the plural alike; as, Swine, sheep, deer; cod, trout, salmon; aircraft, spacecraft, series, species. Pair, dozen, score, gross, hundred, thousand (when used after numerals), I bought three dozen oranges. Some people reach the age of three score and ten. The sari cost me five thousand rupees. Stone, hundredweight. He weighs above nine stone. Twenty hundredweight make one ton. 35. Some nouns are used only in the plural. (1) Names of instruments which have two parts forming a kind of pair; as, Bellows, scissors, tongs, pincers, spectacles. Page 12 (2) Names of certain articles of dress; as, Trousers, drawers, breeches, jeans, tights, shorts, pyjamas. (3) Certain other nouns; as, Annals, thanks, proceeds (of a sale), tidings, environs, nuptials, obsequies, assets, chatels. 36. Some nouns originally singular are now generally used in the plural; as, Alms, riches, eaves. Riches do many things. 37. The following nouns look plural but are in fact singular: (1) Names of subjects mathematics, physics, electronics, etc. (2) The word news (3) Names of some common diseases measles, mumps, rickets (4) Names of some games billiards, draughts Mathematics is his favourite study. No news is good news. India won by an innings and three runs. Measles is infectious. Billiards is my favourite game. ‘Means’ is used either as singular or plural. But when it has the meaning of ‘wealth’ it is always plural; as, He succeeded by this means (or, by these means) in passing the examination. His means are small, but he has incurred no debt. 38. Certain Collective Nouns, though singular in form, are always used as plurals; as, Poultry, cattle, vermin, people, gentry. These poultry are mine. Whose are these cattle? Vermin destroy our property and carry disease. Who are those people (= persons)? There are few gentry in this town. Note:- As a Common Noun 'people' means a 'nation' and is used in both singular and plural; as, The Japanese are a hard-working people. There are many different peoples in Europe. 39. A Compound Noun generally forms its plural by adding -s to the principal word; as, Singular -- Plural Commander-in-chief -- commanders-in-chief Coat-of-mail -- coats-of-mail Son-in-Law -- sons-in-law Page 13 Daughter-in-law -- daughters-in-law Step-son -- step-sons Step-daughter -- step-daughters Maid-servant -- maid-servants (but man-servant, plural men-servants) Passer-by -- passers-by Looker-on -- lookers-on Man-of-war -- men-of-war. We say spoonfuls and handfuls, because spoonful and handful are regarded as one word. Note that the Proper Nouns Brahman and Mussulman are not compounds of man; therefore their plurals are Brahmans and Mussulmans. 40. Many nouns taken from foreign languages keep their original plural form; as, Form LatinErratum, errata; -- formula, formulae (or formulas): index, indices; -- memorandum, memoranda; radius, radii; -- terminus, termini (or terminuses). From GreekAxis, axes; -- parenthesis, parentheses; crisis, crises; -- hypothesis, hypotheses; basis, bases; -- phenomenon, phenomena; analysis, analyses; -- criterion, criteria. From ItalianBandit, banditti, (or bandits) From FrenchMadame (madam), mesdames; monsieur, messieurs. From HebrewCherub, cherubim (or cherubs); seraph, seraphim (or seraphs). 41. Some nouns have two forms for the plural, each with a some what different meaning. Singular -- Plural Brother -- brothers, sons of the same parent. brethren, members of a society or a community. Cloth -- cloths, kinds or pieces of cloth, clothes, garments. Die -- dies, stamps for coining, dice, small cubes used in games. Index -- indexes, tables of contents to books, indices, signs used in algebra. Page 14 Penny pennies, number of coins, pence, amount in value. 42. Some nouns have two meanings in the singular but only one in the plural. Singular -- Plural Light: (1) radiance, (2) a lamp -- Lights: lamps. People: (1) nation, (2) men and women -- Peoples: nations. Powder: (1)dust, (2) a dose of medicine in fine grains like dust -- Powders: doses of medicine. Practice: (1) habit (2) exercise of a profession -- Practices: habits. 43. Some nouns have one meaning in the singular, two in the plural. Singular -- Plural Colour: hue. -- Colours: (1) hues, (2) the flag of a regiment. Custom: habit. -- Customs: (1) habits, (2) duties levied on imports. Effect: result -- Effects: (1) results, (2) property. Manner: method. -- Manners: (1) methods, (2) correct behaviour. Moral: a moral lesson. -- Morals: (1) moral lessons, (2) conduct Number: a quantity. -- Numbers: (1) quantities, (2) verses. Pain: suffering. -- Pains : (1) sufferings, (2) care, exertion. Premise: proposition -- Premises: (1) propositions; (2) buildings. Quarter: fourth part. -- Quarters: (1) fourth parts; (2) lodgings. Spectacle: a sight. -- Spectacles: (1) sights; (2) eye-glasses. Letter: (1) letter of the alphabet; (2) epistle -- Letters: (1) letters of the alphabet; (2) epistle; (3) literature. Ground: (1) earth; (2) reason -- Grounds: (1) enclosed land attached to house. (2) reason; (2) reasons; (3) dregs. 44. Some nouns have different meanings in the singular and the plural. Singular -- Plural Advice: counsel. -- Advices: information. Air: atmosphere. -- Airs: affected manners. Good: benefit, well-being. -- Goods: merchandise. Compass: extent, range. -- Compasses: an instrument for drawing circles. Respect: regard. -- Respects: compliments. Page 15 Physic: medicine. -- Physics: natural science. Iron: a kind of metal. -- Irons: fetters. Force: strength. -- Forces: troops. 45. Letters, figures and other symbols are made plural by adding an apostrophe and s; as, There are more e's than a's in this page. Dot your i's and cross your t's. Add two 5's and four 2's. 46. It is usual to sayThe Miss Smiths. (Singular, Miss Smith.) 47. Abstract Nouns have no plural. They are uncountable. Hope, charity, love, kindness. When such words do appear in the plural, they are used as countables; as Provocations = instances or cases of provocation. Kindnesses = acts of kindness. Names of substances are also uncountables and are not therefore used in the plural. Copper, iron, tin, wood. When such words are used in the plural, they become countables with changed meanings; as, Coppers = copper coins; irons = fetters; tins = cans made of tin; woods = forests.

CHAPTER 8 

THE NOUN: CASE 48. 

Examine these sentences:- 1. John threw a stone. 2. The horse kicked the boy. In sentence 1, the noun John is the Subject. It is the answer to the question, “Who threw a stone?” The group of words threw a stone is the Predicate. The Predicate contains the verb threw. What did John throw?-A stone. Stone is the object which John threw. The noun stone is therefore called the Object. In sentence 2, the noun horse is the Subject. It is the answer to the question, 'Who kicked the boy?” The noun boy is the Object. It is the answer to the question, 'Whom did the horse kick?” 49. When a noun (or pronoun) is used as the Subject of a verb, it is said to be in the Nominative Case. Page 16 When a noun (or pronoun) is used as the Object of a verb, it is said to be in the Objective (or Accusative) Case. Note-To find the Nominative, put Who? or What? before the verb. To find the Accusative put, Whom? or What? before the verb and its subject. 50. A noun which comes after a preposition is also said to be in the Accusative Case; as, The book is in the desk. The noun desk is in the Accusative Case, governed by the preposition in. 51. Read the following sentences:- Hari broke the window. (Object) The window was broken. (Subject) It will be seen that Nouns in English have the same form for the Nominative and the Accusative. The Nominative generally comes before the verb, and the Accusative after the verb. Hence they are distinguished by the order of words, or by the sense. 52. Compare:- 1. Rama gave a ball. 2. Rama gave Hari a ball. In each of these sentences the noun ball is the Object of gave. In the second sentence we are told that Hari was the person to whom Rama gave a ball. The noun Hari is called the Indirect Object of the verb gave. The noun ball, the ordinary Object, is called the Direct Object. It will be noticed that the position of the Indirect Object is immediately after the verb and before the Direct Object. Note: Rama gave Hari a ball = Rama gave a ball to Hari. Will you do me a favour? = Will you do a favour to me? I bought Rama a ball = I bought a ball for Rama. Fetch the boy a book = Fetch a book for the boy. She made Ruth a new dress = She made a new dress for Ruth. Get me a taxi = Get a taxi for me. We see that the Indirect Object of a verb denotes the person to whom something is given, or for whom something is done. 53. Examine the sentence:- This is Ram's umbrella. Ram's umbrella = the umbrella belonging to Rama. The form of the noun Rama is changed to Rama's to show ownership of possession. The Noun Rama’s is therefore said to be in the possessive (or Genitive) Case Page 17 The Possessive answers the question, ‘Whose?’ Whose umbrella? - Rama's. 54. The Possessive Case does not always denote possession. It is used to denote authorship, origin, kind, etc. as, Shakespeare's plays = the plays written by Shakespeare. A mother's love = the love felt by a mother. The President's speech = the speech delivered by the President. Mr. Aggarwal's house = the house where Mr. Aggarwal lives. Ashok's school = the school where Ashok goes. A children's playground = a playground for children. A week's holiday = a holiday which lasts a week. Formation of the Possessive Case 55. (1) When the noun is Singular, the Possessive Case is formed by adding ‘s to the noun; as, The boy's book; the king's crown. Note:- The letter s is omitted in a few words where too many hissing sounds would come together; as, For conscience' sake; for goodness' sake; For justice' sake; for Jesus' sake; Moses' laws. (2) When the noun is Plural, and ends in s, the Possessive Case is formed by adding only an apostrophe; as, Boys' school; girls' school; horses' tails. (3) When the noun is Plural but does not end in s, the Possessive sign is formed by adding 's as, Men's club; children's books. 56. When a noun or a title consists of several words, the Posses sive sign is attached only to the last word; as, The King of Bhutan's visit. The Prime Minister of Mauritius's speech. 57. When two nouns are in apposition, the possessive sign is put to the latter only; as, That is Tagore the poet's house. 58. Also when two nouns are closely connected, the possessive is put to the latter; as, Karim and Salim's bakery. William and Mary's reign. 59. Each of two or more connected nouns implying separate possession must take the possessive sign; as, Raja Rao's and R.K. Narayan's novels. Goldsmith's and Cowper's poems. Use of the Possessive Case 60. The Possessive Case is now used chiefly with the names of living thing; as, The Governor’s bodyguard; the lion’s mane. Page 18 So we must say: The leg of the table [not, the table's leg]. The cover of the book [not, the book's cover]. The roof of the house [not, the house's roof). 61. But the Possessive is used with the names of personified (When n inanimate thing has ascribed to it the attributes of a person it is said to be personified. (See § 28)) objects; as, India's heroes; Nature's laws; Fortune's favourite; at duty's call; at death's door. 62. The Possessive is also used with nouns denoting time, space or weight; as, A day's march; a week's holiday; in a year's time; a stone's throw; a foot's length; a pound's weight. 63. The following phrases are also in common use:- At his fingers' ends; for mercy's sake; to his heart's content; at his wit's end; a boat's crew. 64. The possessive of a proper name or of a noun denoting a trade, profession, or relationship may be used to denote a building or place of business (church, house, school, college, shop, hospital, the atre; etc.) as, She has gone to the baker's ( = baker's shop). Tonight I am dining at my uncle's ( = uncle's house). Can you tell me the way to St .Paul's ( ='St. Paul's church)? I attend the Town High School but my cousin attends St. Xavier's. He was educated ai St. Joseph's. 65. When you are in doubt whether to use a noun in the possessive case or with the preposition of, remember that, as a general rule, the possessive case is used to denote possession or ownership. Thus it is better to say 'the defeat of the enemy' than 'the enemy's defeat', even though no doubt as to the meaning would arise. Sometimes, however, a noun in the possessive case has a different meaning from a noun used with the preposition of; as, ‘The Prime Minister's reception in Delhi’ means a reception held by the Prime Minister in Delhi. ‘The reception of the Prime Minister in Delhi’ means the manner in which the people welcomed him when he entered Delhi. The phrase 'the love of a father' may mean either 'a father's love of his child' or 'a child's love of his father'. Nouns in Apposition 66. Read the following sentence:- Rama, our captain, made fifty runs. We see that Rama and our captain are one and the same person. The noun captain follows the noun Rama simply to explain which Rama is referred to. Page 19 When one noun follows another to describe it, the noun which follows is said to be in apposition to the noun which comes before it. [Apposition means placing near.] A noun in apposition is in the same case as the noun which it explains. In the above sentence the noun captain is in apposition to the noun Rama, and is in the Nominative Case (because Rama is in the Nominative Case.) Further examples:- 1. Kabir, the great reformer, was a weaver. 2. Yesterday I met your uncle, the doctor. 3. Have you seen Ganguli, the artist's drawings? In sentence 1, the noun in apposition is in the Nominative Case. In sentence 2, the noun in apposition is in the Accusative Case. [Why?] In sentence 3, the noun in apposition is in the Genitive Case. [Why?]

CHAPTER 9

 THE ADJECTIVE 67. 

Read the following sentences :- 1. Sita is a clever girl. (Girl of what kind1?) 2. I don't like that boy, (Which boy ?) 3. He gave me five mangoes. (How many mangoes?) 4. There is little time for preparation. (How much time ?) In sentence 1, ‘clever’ shows what kind of girl Sita is; or, in other words, ‘clever’ describes the girl Sita. In sentence 2, ‘that’ points out which boy is meant. In sentence 3, ‘five’ shows how many mangoes he gave me. In sentence 4, ‘little’ shows how much time there is for preparation. A word used with a noun to describe or point out, the person, animal, place or thing which the noun names, or to tell the number or quantity, is called an Adjective. So we may define an Adjective as a word used with a noun to add something for its meaning. [Adjective means added to.] 68. Look at the following sentences:- 1. The lazy boy was punished. 2. The boy is lazy. In sentence 1, the Adjective lazy is used along with the noun boy as an epithet or attribute. It is, therefore, said to be used Attributively. In sentence 2, the Adjective lazy is used along with the verb is, Page 20 and forms part of the Predicate. It is, therefore, said to be used Predicatively. Some Adjectives can be used only Predicatively; as, She is afraid of ghosts. I am quite well. A work from S. CHAND & COMPANY LTD. Kinds of Adjectives Adjectives may be divided into the following classes:- 69. Adjectives of Quality (or Descriptive Adjective) show the kind or quality of a person or thing; as, Kolkata is a large city. He is an honest man. The foolish old crow tried to sing. This is a Grammar of the English (Adjectives formed from Proper Nouns (e.g., French wines, Turkish tobacco, Indian tea, etc.) are sometimes called Proper Adjectives. They are generally classed with Adjectives of Quality) language. Adjectives of Quality answer the question : Of what kind ? 70. Adjectives of Quantity show how much of a thing is meant as, I ate some rice. He showed much patience. He has little intelligence. We have had enough exercise. He has lost all his wealth. You have no sense. He did not eat any rice. Take great care of your health. He claimed his half share of the booty. There has not been sufficient rain this year. The whole sum was expended. Adjectives of Quantity answer the question: How much? 71. Adjectives of Number (or Numeral Adjectives) show how many persons or things are meant, or in what order a person or thing stands; as, The hand has five fingers. Few cats like cold water. There are no pictures in this book. I have taught you many things. All men must die. Here are some ripe mangoes. Most boys like cricket. There are several mistakes in your exercise. Sunday is the first day of the week Page 21 72. Adjectives of Number (or Numeral Adjectives) are of three kinds:- (i) Definite Numeral Adjectives, which denote an exact number; as, One, two, three, etc. -- These are called Cardinals. First, second, third, etc. -- These are called Ordinals. [A Cardinal denotes how many, and an Ordinal the order of things in a series. It will be seen that Ordinals really do the work of Demonstrative Adjectives. See 74] (ii) Indefinite Numeral Adjectives, which do not denote an exact number; as, All, no; many, few; some, any; certain, several, sundry. (iii) Distributive Numeral Adjectives, which refer to each one of a number; as., Each boy must take his turn. India expects every man to do his duty. Every word of it is false. Either pen will do. On either side is a narrow lane. Neither accusation is true. 73. The same Adjective may be classed as of Quantity or Number, according to its use. Adjectives of Quantity -- Adjectives of Number I ate some rice. -- Some boys are clever. He has lost all his wealth. -- All men must die. You have no sense. -- There are no pictures in this book. He did not eat any rice. -- Are there any mango-trees in this garden? I have enough sugar. -- There are not enough spoons. 74. Demonstrative Adjectives point out which person or thing is meant; as, This boy is stronger than Hari. That boy is industrious. These mangoes are sour. Those rascals must be punished. Yonder fort once belonged to Shivaji. Don't be in such a hurry. I hate such things. Demonstrative Adjectives answer the question: Which ? [It will be noticed that this and that are used with Singular nouns and these and those with Plural nouns.] 75. What, which and whose, when they are used with nouns toask questions, are called Interrogative Adjectives; as, What manner of man is he? Which way shall we go? Whose book is this? [It will be seen that what is used in a general sense, and which in a selective sense.] Page 22 Exercise in Grammar 6 Pick out all the Adjectives in the following sentences, and say to which class each of them belongs:- 1. The ship sustained heavy damage. 2. I have called several times. 3. Every dog has his day. 4. A live ass is better than a dead lion, 5. Every man has his duties. 6. Say the same thing twice over. 7. Several persons were present at the time, 8. He is a man of few words. 9. Neither party is quite in the right. 10. What time is if? 11. Which pen do you prefer? 12. The way was long, the wind was cold, the minstrel was infirm and old. 13. He comes here every day. 14. I have not seen him for several days. 15. There should not be much talk and little work. 16. Abdul won the second prize. 17. The child fell down from a great height. 18. He was absent last week. 19. He died a glorious death. 20. A small leak may sink a great ship. 21. Good wine needs no bush. 22. I like the little pedlar who has a crooked nose. 23. King Francis was a hearty King and loved a royal sport. 24. In the furrowed land the toilsome patient oxen stand. 25. My uncle lives in the next house. 26. Some dreams are like reality. 27. A cross child is not liked. 28. It is an ill wind that blows nobody any good. 76. In the following sentences the words own and very are used as Emphasizing Adjectives:- I saw it with my own eyes. He was beaten at his own game. Mind your own business. He is his own master. That is the very thing we want. “When all else left my cause. My very adversary took my part”. 77. The word what is sometimes used as an Exclamatory Adjective; as. What genius! What folly! What an idea! What a blessing! What a piece of work is man! 78. As already pointed out (§ 74) this and that are the only Adjectives which are inflected or changed in form to show number. This girl sings. These girls sing. That boy plays. Those boys play. This, these indicate something near to the speaker. That, those indicate more distant objects. Formation of Adjectives 79. (i) Many Adjectives are formed from Nouns. Noun -- Adjective Boy -- boyish Fool -- foolish Dirt -- dirty Storm -- stormy Page 23 Care -- careful Pardon -- pardonable Play -- playful Laugh -- laughable Hope -- hopeful Outrage -- outrageous Venture -- venturesome Courage -- courageous Trouble -- troublesome Glory -- glorious Shame -- shameless Envy -- envious Sense -- senseless Man -- manly Silk -- silken King -- kingly Gold -- golden Gift -- gifted (ii) Some Adjectives are formed from Verbs. Verb -- Adjective Tire -- tireless Cease -- ceaseless Talk -- talkative Move -- moveable (iii) Some Adjectives are formed from other Adjectives. Adjective -- Adjective Tragic -- tragical Black -- blackish Whole -- wholesome White -- whitish Three -- threefold Sick -- sickly Exercise in Composition 7 Supply suitable Adjectives:- 1. The town stood a --- siege. 2. The --- prize was won by a Hindu. 3. The --- woman lives in a wretched hut. 4. This is a very --- matter. 5. The battle of Waterloo ended in a --- victory. 6. Suddenly there arose a --- storm. 7. It is a --- lie. 8. The --- tidings were a heavy blow to the old man. 9. Here is a rupee: pay the fare and keep the --- money. 10. His reading is of a very --- range. 11. The injured man wants --- advice. 12. You cannot have it --- ways. 13. India expects --- man to do his duty. 14. The --- bird catches the worm. 15. Have you any --- reason to give? 16. ---anxiety has undermined his health. 17. There were riots in --- places. 18. An --- man will not reason calmly. 19. He stands --- feet in his stockings. 20. Nelson won for himself --- fame. 21. I have no --- cash. 22. He always walks with a --- step. 23. --- errors are not easily corrected. 24. Every cloud has a --- lining. 25. He was a man of --- ambition. 26. He was listened to in --- silence. Exercise in Composition 8 Form Adjectives from the following Nouns: [Attach each Adjective to a suitable noun.] Ease, pity, time, heaven, health, wealth, love, hill, need, green, room, cost. Page 24 pain, doubt, wonder, peace, child, prince, mountain, ridicule, picture, labour, wood, pomp, artist, progress, slave, contempt, tempest, sense, quarrel, I thought, hope, friend. Exercise in Composition 9 Use each of the following Adjectives in a sentence: [Models.- A soft answer turneth away wrath. His polite manners have endeared him to all. Swimming is a healthy exercise. A certain man fell among thieves.] Happy, sad, industrious, lazy, big, small, soft, harsh, hard, polite, rude, wise, foolish, rich, poor, young, new, old, long, short, quick, slow, strong, weak, handsome, ugly, clever, dull, kind, cruel, healthy, dutiful, distant, certain. Exercise in Composition 10 Use a suitable Adjective with each of the following Nouns : [Models.- A violent storm. A long siege. A decisive victory. A populous city. A devoted husband. Storm, siege, sleep, victory, advice, blow, silence, hands, water, servant, flower, city, artist, dealer, voice, husband, subject, child, king, dog. Exercise in Composition 11 Use as many suitable Adjectives as you can with each of the following Nouns: [Models. - A narrow street, a wide street, a crooked street, a dirty street A clean street. A deliberate lie, a black lie, a white lie.] Fortune, man, news, storm, health, noveh progress, room, incident. Exercise in Composition 12 Write down the Adjectives opposite in meaning to the following:- Courageous, many, wild, hot, lean, heavy, costly, barren, beautiful, patient, honest, civilized, careful, strong, experienced, slow, friendly, cruel, soft.

CHAPTER 10

 COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES 80. 

Read these sentences: 1. Rama's mango is sweet. 2. Hari's mango is sweeter than Rama's. 3. Govind's mango is the sweetest of all. Page 25 In sentence 1, the adjective sweet merely tells us that Rama's mango has the quality of sweetness, without saying how much of this quality it has. In sentence 2, the adjective sweeter tells us that Hari's mango, compared with Rama's, has more of the quality of sweetness. In sentence 3, the adjective sweetest tells us that of all these mangoes Govind's mango has the greatest amount or highest degree of the quality of sweetness. We thus see that Adjectives change in form (sweet, sweeter, sweetest) to show comparison. They are called the three Degrees of Comparison. The Adjective sweet is said to be in the Positive Degree. The Adjective sweeter is said to be in the Comparative Degree. The Adjective sweetest is said to be in the Superlative Degree. The Positive Degree of an Adjective is the Adjective in its simple form. It is used to denote the mere existence of some quality of what we speak about. It is used when no comparison is made. The Comparative Degree of an Adjective denotes a higher degree of the quality than the Positive, and is used when two things (or sets of things) are compared; as, This boy is stronger than that. Which of these two pens is the better? Apples are dearer than oranges. The Superlative Degree of an Adjective denotes the highest degree of the quality, and is used when more than two things (or sets of things) are compared; as, This boy is the strongest in the class. Note 1:- There is another way in which we can compare things. Instead of saying 'Rama is stronger than Balu we can say 'Balu is less strong than Rama'. Instead of saying 'Hari is the laziest boy in the class', we can say 'Hari is the least industrious boy in the class7. Note 2:- The Superlative with most is sometimes used where there is no idea of comparison, but merely a desire to indicate the possession of a quality in a very high degree; as, This is most unfortunate. It was a most eloquent speech. Truly, a most ingenious device! This usage has been called the Superlative of Eminence, or the Absolute Superlative. Formation of Comparative and Superlative 81. Most Adjectives of one syllable, and some of more than one, form the Comparative by adding er and the Superlative by adding est to the positive. Page 26 Positive -- Comparative -- Superlative Sweet -- sweeter -- sweetest Small -- smaller -- smallest Tall -- taller -- tallest Bold -- bolder -- boldest Clever -- cleverer -- cleverest Kind -- kinder -- kindest Young -- younger -- youngest Great -- greater -- greatest When the Positive ends in e, only r and st are added. Brave -- braver -- bravest Fine -- finer -- finest White -- whiter -- whitest Large -- larger -- largest Able -- abler -- ablest Noble -- nobler -- noblest Wise -- wiser -- wisest When the Positive ends in j, preceded by a consonant, the y is changed into i before adding er and est. Happy -- happier -- happiest Easy -- easier -- easiest Heavy -- heavier -- heaviest Merry -- merrier -- merriest Wealthy -- wealthier -- wealthiest When the Positive is a word of one syllable and ends in a single consonant, preceded by a short vowel, this consonant is doubled before adding er and est. Red -- redder -- reddest Big -- bigger -- biggest Hot -- hotter -- hottest Thin -- thinner -- thinnest Sad -- sadder -- saddest Fat -- fatter -- fattest 82. Adjectives of more than two syllables form the Comparative and Superlative by putting more and most before the Positive. Positive -- Comparative -- Superlative Beautiful -- more beautiful -- most beautiful Difficult -- more difficult -- most difficult Industrious -- more industrious -- most industrious Courageous -- more courageous -- most courageous Two-syllable adjectives ending infill (e.g. useful), less (e.g. hope less), ing (e.g. boring) and ed (e.g. surprised) and many others (e.g. modern, recent, foolish, famous, certain) take more and most. The following take either er and est or more and most. : polite simple feeble gentle narrow cruel common handsome pleasant stupid She is politer/more polite than her sister. He is the politest/most polite of them. A work from S CHAND & COMPANY LTD 83. The-Comparative-in er is not used when we compare two qualities in the same person or thing. If we wish to say that the courage of Rama is greater than the courage of Balu, we say Page 27 Rama is braver than Balu. But if we wish to say that the courage of Rama is greater than his prudence, we must say, Rama is more brave than prudent. 84. When two objects are compared with each other, the latter term of comparison must exclude the former; as, Iron is more useful than any other metal. If we say, Iron is more useful than any metal, that is the same thing as saying 'Iron is more useful than iron' since iron is itself a metal. Irregular Comparison 85. The following Adjectives are compared irregularly, that is, their Comparative and Superlative are not formed from the Positive:- Positive -- Comparative -- Superlative Good, well -- better -- best Bad, evil, ill -- worse -- worst Little -- less, lesser -- least Much -- more -- most (quantity) Many -- more -- most (number) Late -- later, latter -- latest, last Old -- older, elder -- oldest, eldest Far -- farther -- farthest (Nigh) -- (nigher) -- (nighest), next (Fore) -- (former) -- foremost, first (Fore) -- further -- furthest (In) -- inner -- inmost, innermost (Up) -- upper -- upmost, uppermost (Out) -- outer, (utter) -- utmost, uttermost Note:- The forms nigh, nigher, nighest, fore and utter are outdated. Exercise in Grammar 13 Compare the following Adjectives:- Black, excellent, ill, gloomy, mad, safe, bad, unjust, gay, able, dry, timid, ugly, true, severe, exact, agreeable, difficult, little, few, numerous, merry. 86. The double forms of the Comparative and Superlative of the Adjectives given in § 85 are used in different ways. Later, latter; latest, last. - Later and latest refer to time; latter and last refer to position. He is later than I expected. I have not heard the latest news. The latter chapters are lacking in interest. The last chapter is carelesslv written Ours is the last house in the street. Page 28 Elder, older; eldest, oldest.- Elder and eldest are used only of persons, not of animals or things; and are now confined to members of the same family. Elder is not used with than following. Older and oldest are used of both persons and things. John is my elder brother. Tom is my eldest son. He is older than his sister. Rama is the oldest boy in the eleven. This is the oldest temple in Kolkata. Farther, further.- Both farther and further are used to express distance. Further, not farther, is used to mean “additional”. Kolkata is farther/further from the equator than Colombo. After this he made no further remarks. I must have a reply without further delay. Nearest, next.- Nearest means the shortest distance away. Next refers to one of a sequence of things coming one after the other. Mumbai is the seaport nearest to Europe. Where is the nearest phone box? Karim's shop is next to the Post Office. My uncle lives in the next house. Exercise in Composition 14 (a) Fill the blank spaces with 'later' or 'latter' :- 1. The majority accepted the --- proposal. 2. The --- part of the book shows signs of hurry. 3. At a --- date, he was placed in charge of the whole taluka. 4. I prefer the --- proposition to the former. 5. Is there no --- news than last week's? (b) Fill the blank spaces with ‘older’ or ‘elder’ :- 1. I have an --- sister. 2. Rama is --- than Had by two years. 3. His --- brother is in the Indian Police Service. 4. She is the --- of the two sisters. 5. The nephew is --- than his uncle. (c) Fill the blank spaces with 'oldest' and 'eldest' :- 1. Rustam is the --- of my uncle's five sons. 2. He is the --- member of the School Committee. 3. That is Antonio, the duke's --- son. 4. The --- mosque in the town is near the railway station. 5. Mr. Smith is the --- teacher in the school. (d) Fill the blank spaces with 'farther' or 'further':- 1. I can't walk any ---. 2. No --- reasons were given. 3. He walked off without --- ceremony. 4. Until --- orders Mr. K.S. Dave will act as Headmaster of Nira High School. 5. To let, a bungalow at Ridge Road. For --- particulars apply to Box. No. 65. Page 29 (e) Fill the blank spaces with 'latest' or 'last':- 1. The --- news from China is very disquieting. 2. The --- time I saw him, he was in high spirits. 3. To-day is the --- day for receiving lenders. 4. We expect to get the --- news in a few hours. 5. The --- Moghul Emperor came to an ignominious end. (j) Fill the blank spaces with 'nearest' or 'next':- 1. This is the --- post office to my house. 2. The pillar-box is --- to my house. 3. The burglar was taken to the --- police station. 4. His house is --- to mine. 5. The --- railway station is two miles from here. 87. Certain English Comparatives have lost their comparative meaning and are used as Positive. They cannot be followed by than. These are:- Former, latter, elder, upper, inner, outer, utter. Both the tiger and (he leopard are cats; the former animal is much larger than the latter. The inner meaning of this letter is not clear. The soldiers ran to defend the outer wall. My elder brother is an engineer. This man is an utter fool. 88. Certain Comparatives borrowed from Latin have no Positive or Superlative degree. They all end in or, not er. They are twelve in all. Five of them have lost their Comparative meaning, and are used as Positive Adjectives. These are:- Interior, exterior, ulterior, major, minor. The exterior wall of the house is made of stone; the interior walls are of wood. His age is a matter of minor importance. I have no ulterior motive in offering you help. The other seven are used as Comparative Adjectives but are followed by to instead of than (See § 89) 89. The comparative degree is generally followed by than; but Comparative Adjectives ending in -or are followed by the preposition to; as, Inferior, superior, prior, anterior, posterior, senior, junior. Hari is inferior to Ram in intelligence. Rama's intelligence is superior to Hari's. His marriage was prior to his father's death. He is junior to all his colleagues. All his colleagues are senior to him. 90. Adjectives expressing qualities that do not admit of different degrees cannot, strictly speaking, be compared; as, Square, round, perfect, eternal, universal, unique. Strictly speaking, a thing cannot be more square, more round, more perfect. But we say, for instance, Page 30 Exercise in Grammar 15 Point out the Adjectives and name the Degree of Comparison of each:- 1. The poor woman had seen happier days. 2. Do not talk such nonsense. 3. Make less noise. 4. That child has a slight cold. 5. A live ass is stranger than a dead lion. 6. Say the same thing twice over. 7. Soloman was one of the wisest men. 8. Hunger is the best sauce. 9. His simple word is as good as an oath. 10. There was not the slightest excuse for it. 11. My knife is sharper than yours. 12. Small people love to talk of great men. 13. Of two evils choose the less. 14. I hope the matter will be cleared up some day. 15. Your son makes no progress in his studies. 16. Open rebuke is better than secret love. 17. We never had such sport. 18. I have other things to attend lo. 19. Hari is the idlest boy in the class. 20. I promise you a fair hearing. 21. There is much to be said on both sides. 22. He gave the boys much wholesome advice. 23. He thinks he is wiser than his father. 24. No news is good news. 25. Bangladesh has the largest tea garden in the world. 26. Lead is heavier than any other metal. 27. I congratulated him on his good fortune. 28. He has many powerful friends. 29. The longest lane has a turning. Exercise in Grammar 16 Make three columns, and write the following Adjectives in the Positive, Comparative and Superlative Degrees:- [Be careful to use the form of comparison that is pleasing to the ear.] Shameful, clever, pretty, interesting, hopeful, honest, important, patient, rude, delightful, stupid, attractive, heavy, beautiful, fortunate, pleasant. A work from S. CHAND & COMPANY LTD. Exercise in Composition 17 Supply the proper form (Comparative or Superlative) of the Adjective:- [Note:-The Comparative and not the Superlative should be used to compare two things.] 1. Good - How is your brother to-day? Is he ---? 2. Hot - May is --- here than any other month. 3. Pretty - Her doll is --- than yours. 4. Idle - Hari is the --- boy in the class. 5. Sharp - Your knife is sharp, but mine is ---. 6. Dear - Honour is --- to him than life. 7. Rich - He is the --- man in our town. 8. Old - Mani is two years --- than Rati. 9. Large - Name the --- city in the world. 10. Good - He is the --- friend I have. Page 31 11. Bad - He is the --- boy of the two. 12. Bad - Raman's work is bad, Hari's is ---, but Govind's is the ---. 13. Ferocious - There is no animal --- than the tiger. 14. Bad - The trade is in a --- condition to-day than it was a year ago. 15. Tall - He is the --- of the two. 16. Dry - Sind is the --- part of Pakistan. 17. Useful - Iron is --- than any other metal. 18. Useful - Iron is the --- of all metals. 19. Great - Who is the --- living poet ? 20. Nutritious - I think he requires a --- diet. 21. Proud - It was the --- moment of his life. 22. Good -The public is the --- judge. 23. Little - That is the --- price I can take. 24. Light - Silver is --- than gold. Exercise in Composition 18 Supply appropriate Comparatives or Superlatives to each of the following:- 1. Prevention is --- than cure. 2. Akbar had a --- region than Babar. 3. Sachin Tendulkar is the --- batsman in the world. 4. The pen is --- than the sword. 5. The --- buildings are found in America. 6. The Pacific is --- than any other ocean. 7. Which of the two girls has the --- dress? 8. Honour is --- to him than life. 9. This pen is --- than the other. 10. Who is the --- boy in the class ? 11. The Eiffel Tower is --- than Qutab Minar. 12. My uncle is --- than my father. 13. The multi-millionaire Mr. Sen is the --- in this town. 14. Wordsworth is a --- poet than Cowper. 15. Balu is the --- bowler in the eleven. 16. The streets of Mumbai are --- than those of Ahmedabad. 17. Ooty is --- than Chennai. 18. The piano was knocked down to the --- bidder. 19. Mount Everest is the --- peak of the Himalayas. 20. He writes a --- hand than his brother. 21. He writes the --- hand in his class. 22. He is one of the --- speakers in Punjab. 23. Who was the --- general, Alexander or Caesar? 24. The --- fables are those attributed to j45sop. 25. The Arabian Nights is perhaps the --- story-book, 26. Shakespeare is --- than any other English poet. 27. Of all countries, China has the --- population in the world. 28. Clouds float in the sky because they are --- than the air. 29. There are two ways of doing the sum, but this one is the ---. 30. It is good to be clever, but it is --- to be industrious. 31. This is the --- of my two sons. 32. This is the --- that I can do? Page 32 Exercise in Composition 19 Change the following sentences by using 'less' or 'least' without changing the meaning:- 1. The mango is sweeter than the pine-apple. 2. Silver is more plentiful than gold. 3. This is the most useless of all my books. 4. Wolfram is one of the rarest minerals. 5. The wild-apple is the sourest of all fruits. 6. Iron is more useful than copper. Interchange of the Degrees of Comparison 91. As the following examples show, it is possible to change the Degree of Comparison of an Adjective in a sentence, without changing the meaning of the sentence:- Superlative - Lead is the heaviest of all metals. Comparative - Lead is heavier than all other metals. Comparative - Mahabaleshwar is cooler than Panchgani. Positive - Panchgani is not so cool as Mahabaleshwar. Positive - He is as wise as Solomon. Comparative - Soloman was not wiser than he is. Superlative - Shakuntala is the best drama in Sanskrit. Comparative - Shakuntala is better than any other drama in Sanskrit. Positive - No other drama in Sanskrit is so good as Shakuntala. Superlative - Chennai is one of the biggest of Indian cities. Comparative - Chennai is bigger than most other Indian cities. Positive - Very few Indian cities are as big as Chennai. Positive - Some poets are at least as great as Tennyson. Comparative - Tennyson is not greater than some other poets, I Some poets are not less great than Tennyson. Superlative - Tennyson is not the greatest of all poets. Exercise in Composition 20 Change the Degree of Comparison, without changing the meaning:- 1. Malacca is the oldest town in Malaysia. 2. Soya beans are at least as nutritious as meat. 3. No other planet is so big as Jupiter. 4. Very few boys are as industrious as Latif. 5. He would sooner die than tell a lie. 6. India is the largest democracy in the world. 7. Shakespeare is greater than any other English poet. 8. Samudra Gupta was one of the greatest of Indian Kings. 9. The tiger is the most ferocious of all animals. 10. Australia is the largest island in the world. 11. Lead is heavier than any other metal. 12. Some people have more money than brains. 13. A wise enemy is better than a foolish friend. 14. The Marwaries are not less enterprising than any other community in India. 15. I know him quite as well as you do. 16. You do not know him better than I do. 17. No other man was as strong as Bhim. 18. Some boys are the list as industrious as Suresh. 19. Mount Everest is the highest peak of the Himalayas. Page 33 20. Very few animals are as useful as the cow. 21. America is the richest country in the world. 22. It is easier to preach than to practise. 23. Iron is more useful than all the other metals. 24. Open rebuke is better than secret love. 25. The Sears Tower is the tallest building in the world. 26. Sir Surendranath was at least as great an orator as any other Indian. 27. Ooty is as healthy as any resort in India. 28. The pen is mightier than the sword.