Chapter XI: Section I

OF THE NATURE OF ADJECTIVES AND THE DEGREES OF COMPARISON.

An English Adjective, whatever may be its gender, number, or case, like a rusty weathercock, never varies. Thus we say, “A certain cabinet; certain rogues.”

But as a rusty weathercock may vary in being more or less rusty, so an adjective varies in the degrees of comparison.

The degrees of comparison, like the genders, the Graces, the Fates, the Kings of Cologne, the Weird Sisters, the Jolly Postboys, and many other things, are three; the Positive, the Comparative, and the Superlative.

The Positive state simply expresses the quality of an object; as, fat, ugly, foolish.

The Comparative degree increases or lessens the signification of the positive; as, fatter, uglier, more foolish, less foolish.

The Superlative degree increases or lessens the positive to the highest or lowest degree; as, fattest, ugliest, most foolish, least foolish.

Amongst the ancients, Ulysses was the _fattest_, because nobody could _compass_ him.

Aristides the Just was the _ugliest_, because he was so very _plain_.

The most _foolish_, undoubtedly, was Homer; for who was more _natural_ than he?

The positive becomes the comparative by the addition of _r_ or _er_; and the superlative by the addition of _st_ or _est_ to the end of it; as, brown, browner, brownest; stout, stouter, stoutest; heavy, heavier, heaviest; wet, wetter, wettest. The adverbs _more_ and _most_, prefixed to the adjective, also form the superlative degree; as, heavy, more heavy, most heavy.

Most heavy is the drink of draymen: hence, perhaps, the _weight_ of those important personages. More of this, however, in our forthcoming work on Phrenology.

Monosyllables are usually compared by _er_ and _est_, and dissyllables by _more_ and _most_; except dissyllables ending in _y_ or in _le_ before a mute, or those which are accented on the last syllable; for these, like monosyllables, easily admit of _er_ and _est_. But these terminations are scarcely ever used in comparing words of more than two syllables.

We have some words, which, from custom, are irregular in respect of comparison; as, good, better, best; bad, worse, worst, &c. Much amusement may be derived from the comparisons of adjectives, as made by natural grammarians; a class of beings who generally inhabit the kitchen or stable, but may sometimes be met with in more elevated regions. A few examples will not be out of place. We are not speaking of _servants_, but of degrees of comparison; as,

POSITIVE. COMPARATIVE. SUPERLATIVE.
Good More better, Most best,
betterer or more bestest.
betterer.
Tight More tighter, Most tightest.
tighterer or more
tighterer.
Bad Wuss or wusser. Wust or wussest.
Handsome More handsomer like. Most handsomest.
Extravagant Extravaganter, Extravagantest,
more extravaganter. most extravagantest.
Stupid Stupider, Stupidest,
more stupider. most stupidest.
Little Littler, more littler. Littlest, most littlest.

With many others.

Here also may be adduced the Yankee’s “notion” of comparison; “My uncle’s a tarnation rogue; but I’m a tarnation_er_.”