а. 更 kung‘, 還 wan, 又 i‘, 再 tse‘, signify more. They precede their word, and form the comparative degree, v. [Art. 177].
b. 頂 ’ting, 最 tsûe‘, 極 kiuh, 蠻 man, 怪 kwá‘, 好 ’hau, 狠 ’hun, very. These words precede their word and form the superlative. v. [Art. 178].
c. 些 ’sí, 煞 sah, 極 kiuh, 野 ’yá, come after their word and form a superlative.
d. 忒 t’uh, gives to adjectives the sense of too; e.g. 忒大 t’uh dú‘, too large.
Obs. i. These words which in English qualify only adjectives, sometimes qualify verbs whether construed as participles or not. 頂愛拉 個 ’ting é‘ ’lá kú‘, the most beloved; 蠻會做 man wé‘ tsú‘, extremely well able to do it; 話煞 wó‘ sah, say decisively; 極有文 理 kiuh ’yeu vun ’lí, has very (great) literary beauty; or it has extreme beauty.
Obs. ii. The mandarin intensitive particle 好 ’hau is found only in the phrase 好幾 ’hau ’kí, very many.
Obs. iii. It has been seen in illustrating the comparison of adjectives, that some verbs, single and grouped with the auxiliaries tuh and lé, (得, 來,) are applied to adjectives. In addition to the examples there given, may be noticed 熱勿過 nyih veh kú‘, unbearably hot.
Correlative Adverbs. 265. The questions how? how much? how many? why? when? and where? are formed by interrogative pronouns with the most general words for manner, place and time, and a mere particle for the rest.
| 那能 ná‘ nung, how? | 幾時 ’kí zz, when? |
| 幾許 ’kí hó‘, how much? | 那裏 ’á ’lí, where? |
| „ how many? | 啥所 sá‘ sü, „ |
| 啥咾 sá‘ lau, why? Also 為啥 wé‘ sá‘, 有啥 ’yeu sá‘. | |
Obs. i. How may parts in ten? is 十分裏幾分 seh vun‘ ’lí ’kí vun‘. The answer might be 十分裏有三分 seh vun‘ ’lí ’yeu san vun‘, three tenths. Questions and replies may be framed in the same way with any numerals.