Business English Part 24

1. Why do you walk so _slow_--_slowly_?

2. Speak _louder_--_more loudly_.

3. I cannot explain why he spoke so _gentle_--_gently_.

4. The automobile was going very _swift_--_swiftly_.

5. The well has been dug very _deep_--_deeply_.

6. He is not _near_--_nearly_ so tall as you are.

7. Are you cutting that _even_--_evenly_?

8. She does pen and ink sketches _beautiful_--_beautifully_.

9. Why can't I grow _quicker_--_more quickly_?

10. I feel _bad_--_badly_ this morning.

11. Can you do all I have asked? _Easy_--_easily_.

12. She does her work _good_--_well_.

13. She does her work _fine_--_finely_.

14. I am _real_--_very much_ surprised to see you.

15. He became _real_--_very_ angry.

16. I'm afraid it's not _near_--_nearly_ big enough.

17. She works twice as _quick_--_quickly_ as you do.

18. He _sure_--_surely_ is a good speaker. He seems _sure_--_surely_ of himself.

19. Are you going? _Sure_--_surely_?

20. He says he is _near_--_nearly_ starved.

21. He worked _steady_--_steadily_ all morning. The others did not work _near_--_nearly_ so hard.

22. I am speaking as _serious_--_seriously_ as I can.

23. The orange tastes _bitter_--_bitterly_.

24. Don't you think he has been acting _queer_--_queerly_?

25. The coat is finished _nice_--_nicely_.

=Exercise 92=

Explain the proper position of the italicized adverbs in the following sentences. Remember that an adverb must stand as closely as possible to the word that it modifies, but remember also that an infinitive, although made up of two parts, is _one_ word and should not be split by an adverb.

1. I _merely_ want the Milwaukee list of customers.

2. You _almost_ write like her.

3. Your writing is like hers _almost_.

4. I can _not_ find one of the papers I had on the desk.

5. He told me to _carefully_ add the figures in the column.

6. I expect to _quickly_ finish my dictation.

7. I don't _even_ understand the first problem in the lesson.

8. Don't say you don't _ever_ expect to go to school again.

9. All the statements are _not_ on my desk.

10. He promised to _quickly_ settle the matter.

11. I wish you to _clearly_ understand the situation.

12. I _only_ have two more items to enter.

13. I _only_ expect to take a short vacation this year.

14. He _only_ spoke of two causes of the loss in trade.

15. I _only_ decided to take the Western instead of the Eastern trip at the last moment.

=Exercise 93--Comparison=

Adjectives are compared so as to express different degrees of quality.

There are three degrees of comparison, the _positive_, the _comparative_, and the _superlative_. When the object modified or described by the adjective is not compared with another, the first or _positive_ degree is used. When two objects are compared, the second or _comparative_ degree is used to denote more or less of the quality expressed by the adjective. When several objects are compared, the _superlative_ degree of the adjective is used to express the highest or the lowest possible degree of the adjective.

The usual method of comparing an adjective is to add _er_ to the positive to form the comparative, and _est_ to form the superlative.

Frequently, however, especially for an adjective of two or more syllables, the comparative is formed by prefixing _more_ or _less_ to the positive, and the superlative by prefixing _most_ or _least_.

Besides the adjectives in these two cla.s.ses there are some which do not follow any regular method and must, therefore, be watched a little more closely.

The following table ill.u.s.trates the different methods of comparison:

_Positive_ _Comparative_ _Superlative_ bright brighter brightest dangerous more dangerous most dangerous beautiful more beautiful most beautiful good better best bad worse worst ill worse worst