NOUNS AS ADVERBS
291. Words that are ordinarily used as nouns, are sometimes used as adverbs. These are the nouns that denote time, distance, measure of value or direction. They are added to verbs and adjectives to denote the definite time at which a thing took place, or to denote the extent of time or distance and the measure of value, of weight, number or age. They are sometimes used to indicate direction. For example:
- They were gone a year.
- He talked an hour.
- They will return next week.
- They went south for the winter.
- They traveled 100 miles.
- The wheat is a foot high.
- The man weighed 200 pounds.
In these sentences, the nouns, year, miles, hour, foot, week, pounds and south are used as adverbs. Remember every word is classified according to the work which it does in the sentence.
Exercise 6
Mark the adverbs in the following poem and determine what words they modify:
THE BRIDGE OF SIGHS
One more Unfortunate
Weary of breath,
Rashly importunate,
Gone to her death!
Take her up tenderly,
Lift her with care;
Fashion'd so slenderly,
Young, and so fair!
Look at her garments
Clinging like cerements;
Whilst the wave constantly
Drips from her clothing;
Take her up instantly,
Loving, not loathing.
Touch her not scornfully;
Think of her mournfully,
Gently and humanly;
Not of the stains of her—
All that remains of her
Now is pure womanly.
Make no deep scrutiny
Into her mutiny
Rash and undutiful;
Past all dishonor,
Death has left on her
Only the beautiful.
* * * * * * *
Alas! for the rarity
Of Christian charity
Under the sun!
O! it was pitiful!
Near a whole city full,
Home, she had none.
* * * * * * *
The bleak wind of March
Made her tremble and shiver;
But not the dark arch,
Or the black flowing river:
Mad from life's history
Glad to death's mystery
Swift to be hurled—
Anywhere, anywhere
Out of the world!
In she plunged boldly,
No matter how coldly
The rough river ran;
Over the brink of it,—
Picture it, think of it,
Dissolute Man!
Lave in it, drink of it,
Then, if you can!
Take her up tenderly,
Lift her with care;
Fashion'd so slenderly,
Young and so fair!
Ere her limbs frigidly
Stiffen too rigidly,
Decently, kindly,
Smooth and compose them;
And her eyes, close them,
Staring so blindly!
Dreadfully staring
Thro' muddy impurity,
As when with the daring
Last look of despairing
Fix'd on futurity.
Perishing gloomily,
Spurr'd by contumely,
Cold inhumanity,
Burning insanity,
Into her rest.
Cross her hands humbly
As if praying dumbly,
Over her breast!
Owning her weakness,
Her evil behavior,
And leaving, with meekness,
Her sins to her Saviour!
SPELLING
LESSON 16
The English language is truly a melting pot, into which have been thrown words from almost every language under the sun. This makes our spelling very confusing many times. Because of this also, we have in our language, words which have the same sound but different meaning, having come into the language from different sources. These words are called homonyms.
Homonyms are words having the same sound but different meaning. For example:
- Plane, plain;
- write, right.
Synonyms are words which have the same meaning. For example:
- Allow, permit;
- lazy, idle.
Our spelling lesson for this week contains a list of most of the commonly used homonyms. Look up the meaning in the dictionary and use them correctly in sentences. You will note that in some instances there are three different words which have the same sound, but different meanings.
Notice especially principal and principle. Perhaps there are no two words which we use frequently which are so confused in their spelling. Principle is a noun. Principal is an adjective. You can remember the correct spelling by remembering that adjective begins with a. Principal, the adjective, is spelled with an a, pal.
Notice also the distinction between two, to and too. Look these up carefully, for mistakes are very often made in the use of these three words. Also notice the words no and know and here and hear.
Monday
- Buy—by
- Fair—fare
- Meat—meet
- Our—hour
- Pain—pane
Tuesday
- Deer—dear
- Hear—here
- New—knew
- No—know
- Peace—piece
Wednesday
- Two—to—too
- Pair—pare—pear
- Birth—berth
- Ore—oar
- Ought—aught
Thursday
- Seen—scene
- Miner—minor
- Aloud—allowed
- Stare—stair
- Would—wood
Friday
- Bear—bare
- Ascent—assent
- Sight—site—cite
- Rain—reign—rein
- Rote—wrote
Saturday
- Great—grate
- Foul—fowl
- Least—leased
- Principle—principal
- Sale—sail
PLAIN ENGLISH
LESSON 17
Dear Comrade:
We are finishing in this lesson the study of a very important part of speech. Adverbs are a necessary part of our vocabulary, and most of us need a greater supply than we at present possess. We usually have a few adverbs and adjectives in our vocabulary which are continually overworked. Add a few new ones to your vocabulary this week.
Do not slight the exercises in these lessons. The study of the lesson is only the beginning of the theoretical knowledge. You do not really know a thing until you put it into practice. You may take a correspondence course on how to run an automobile but you can not really know how to run a machine until you have had the practical experience. There is only one way to become expert in the use of words and that is to use them. Every day try to talk to some one who thinks and reads. While talking watch their language and your own. When a word is used that you do not fully understand, look it up at your very first opportunity and if you like the word use it a number of times until it has become your word.
We have been following in these letters, which are our weekly talks together, the development of the alphabet. It is really a wonderful story. It brings to us most vividly the struggle of the men of the past. Last week we found how they began to use symbols to express syllables, parts of a word. We found that this was a great step in advance. Do you not see that this was not an eye picture but an ear picture? The symbol did not stand for the picture of the object it named but each symbol stood for the sound which composed part of the word.
After a while it dawned upon some one that all the words which man used were expressed by just a few sounds. We do not know just when this happened but we do know that it was a wonderful step in advance. Cumbersome pictures and symbols could be done away with now. The same idea could be expressed by a few signs which represented the few sounds which were used over and over again in all words. Let us not fail to realize what a great step in advance this was. These symbols represented sounds. The appeal was through the ear gate of man, not through the eye gate.
Thus came about the birth of the alphabet, one of the greatest and most momentous triumphs of the human mind. Because of this discovery, we can now form thousands of combinations expressing all our ideas with only twenty-three or twenty-four symbols,—letters that represent sounds. Since we have at our command all of this rich fund of words, let us not be content to possess only a few for ourselves. Add a word daily to your vocabulary and you will soon be surprised at the ease and fluency of your spoken and written speech; and with this fluency in speech will come added power in every part of your life.
Yours for Education,
THE PEOPLE'S COLLEGE.
COMPARISON OF ADVERBS
292. You will recall that we found that adjectives change in form to show different degrees of quality. A few adverbs are compared the same as adjectives. Some form the comparative and superlative degree in the regular way, just as adjectives, by adding er and est; for example:
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| soon | sooner | soonest |
| late | later | latest |
| often | oftener | oftenest |
| early | earlier | earliest |
| fast | faster | fastest |
293. Most adverbs form their comparative and superlative by the use of more and most or less and least, just as adjectives do; for example:
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| clearly | more clearly | most clearly |
| nobly | more nobly | most nobly |
| ably | more ably | most ably |
| truly | more truly | most truly |
Or, in the descending comparison:
| clearly | less clearly | least clearly |
| nobly | less nobly | least nobly |
| ably | less ably | least ably |
| truly | less truly | least truly |
294. The following adverbs are compared irregularly. It would be well to memorize this list:
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| ill | worse | worst |
| well | better | best |
| badly | worse | worst |
| far | further (farther) | furthest (farthest) |
| little | less | least |
| much | more | most |
Some adverbs are incapable of comparison, as here, there, now, today, hence, therefore, etc.
Exercise 1
In the following sentences mark which adverbs are used in the positive, which in the comparative and which in the superlative degree:
- He came too late to get his letter.
- I can understand clearly since you have explained the matter to me.
- He speaks most truly concerning a matter of which he is well informed.
- If he comes quickly he will arrive in time.
- I will be able to speak more effectively when I have studied the subject.
- Those who argue most ably are those who are in complete possession of the facts.
- He needs to take a course such as this very badly.
- I am too weary to go farther today.
- This is the least expensive of them all.
- If he arrives later in the day I will not be able to see him.
- I can understand him more clearly than I can his friend.
- You must work more rapidly under the Taylor system of efficiency.
- Those who are least trained lose their positions first.
- Those who are best fitted for the positions do not always receive them.