The Grammar of English Grammars Part 83

4. Of doubt or uncertainty; as, _Perhaps, haply, possibly, perchance, peradventure, may-be_.

5. Of mode or way; as, _Thus, so, how, somehow, nohow, anyhow, however, howsoever, like, else, otherwise, across, together, apart, asunder, namely, particularly, necessarily, hesitatingly, trippingly, extempore, headlong, lengthwise_.

V. _Conjunctive adverbs_ are those which perform the office of conjunctions, and serve to connect sentences, as well as to express some circ.u.mstance of time, place, degree, or the like. This cla.s.s embraces a few words not strictly belonging to any of the others: as, (1.) The adverbs of cause; _why, wherefore, therefore_; but the last two of these are often called conjunctions. (2.) The p.r.o.nominal compounds; _herein, therein, wherein_, &c.; in which the former term is a subst.i.tute, and virtually governed by the enc.l.i.tic particle.

OBSERVATIONS.

OBS. 1.--Conjunctive adverbs often relate equally to two verbs in different clauses, on which account it is the more necessary to distinguish them from others; as, "And they feared _when_ they heard that they were Romans,"--_Acts_, xvi, 38. Here _when_ is a conjunctive adverb of time, and relates equally to _feared_ and to _heard_. "The right of coming on the sh.o.r.e for their purposes in general, _as_ and _when_ they please."--_Holroyd_. Here _as_ is a conjunctive adverb of manner, and _when_, of time; both relating equally to _coming_ and to _please_.

OBS. 2.--The following words are the most frequently used as conjunctive adverbs: _after, again, also, as, before, besides, consequently, else, ere, even, furthermore, hence, how, however, moreover, nevertheless, otherwise, since, so, still, till, then, thence, therefore, too, until, when, where, wherefore, whither_, and _while_, or _whilst_.

OBS. 3.--Adverbs of _time, place_, and _manner_, are generally connected with verbs or participles; those of _degree_ are more frequently placed before adjectives or adverbs: the latter, however, sometimes denote the measure of actions or effects; as, "And I wept _much_"--_Rev._, v, 4. "And Isaac trembled _very exceedingly_"--_Gen._, xxvii, 33. "Writers who had felt _less_, would have said _more_"--_Fuller_.

"Victors and vanquished, in the various field, Nor _wholly_ overcome, nor _wholly_ yield."--_Dryden_.

OBS. 4.--The adverbs _here, there_, and _where_, when compounded with prepositions, have the force of p.r.o.nouns, or of p.r.o.nominal adjectives: as, _Hereby_, for _by this; thereby_, for _by that_; _whereby_, for _by which_, or _by what_. The prepositions which may be subjoined in this manner, are only the short words, _at, by, for, from, in, into, of, on, to, unto, under, upon_, and _with_. Compounds of this kind, although they partake of the nature of p.r.o.nouns with respect to the nouns going before, are still properly reckoned adverbs, because they relate as such to the verbs which follow them; as, "You take my life, when you do take the means _whereby_ I live."--_Shak_. Here _whereby_ is a conjunctive adverb, representing _means_, and relating to the verb _live_.[309] This mode of expression is now somewhat antiquated, though still frequently used by good authors, and especially by the poets.

OBS. 5--The adverbs, _when, where, whither, whence, how, why, wherefore, wherein, whereof, whereby_, and other like compounds of _where_, are sometimes used as _interrogatives_; but, as such, they still severally belong to the cla.s.ses under which they are placed in the foregoing distribution, except that words of interrogation are not at the same time connectives. These adverbs, and the three p.r.o.nouns, _who, which_, and _what_, are the only interrogative words in the language; but questions may be asked without any of them, and all have other uses than to ask questions.

OBS. 6.--The conjunctive adverbs, _when, where, whither, whence, how_, and _why_, are sometimes so employed as to partake of the nature of _p.r.o.nouns_, being used as a sort of _special relatives_, which refer back to antecedent nouns of _time, place, manner_, or _cause_, according to their own respective meanings; yet being adverbs, because they relate as such, to the verbs which follow them: as, "In the _day when_ G.o.d shall judge the secrets of men."--_Rom._, ii, 16. "In a _time when_ thou mayest be found."--_Psal._, x.x.xii, 6. "I sought for some time what I at length found here, a _place where_ all real wants might be easily supplied."--_Dr.

Johnson_. "To that _part_ of the mountain _where_ the declivity began to grow craggy."--_Id._ "At _Canterbury, whither_ some voice had run before."--_Wotton_. "Look unto the _rock whence_ ye are hewn, and to the hole of the _pit whence_ ye are digged."--_Isaiah_, li, 1. "We may remark three different _sources whence_ it arises."--_Blair's Rhet._, p. 163.

"I'll tell you a _way how_ you may live your time over again."--_Collier's Antoninus_, p. 108. "A crude account of the _method how_ they perceive truth."--_Harris's Hermes_, p. 404. "The _order how_ the Psalter is appointed to be read."--_Common Prayer_. "In the same reasoning we see the _cause, why_ no substantive is susceptible of these comparative degrees."--_Hermes_, p. 201. "There seems no _reason why_ it should not work prosperously."--_Society in America_, p. 68. "There are strong _reasons why_ an extension of her territory would be injurious to her."--_Ib._ "An other _reason why_ it deserved to be more studied."--_Blair's Rhet._, p. 123. "The _end why_ G.o.d hath ordained faith, is, that his free grace might be glorified."--_Goodwin_.

OBS. 7.--The direct use of adverbs for p.r.o.nouns, is often, if not generally, inelegant; and, except the expression may be thereby agreeably shortened, it ought to be considered ungrammatical. The following examples, and perhaps also some of the foregoing, are susceptible of improvement: "Youth is _the time, when_ we are young."--_Sanborn's Gram._, p. 120. Say rather, "Youth is _that part of life which_ succeeds to childhood." "The boy gave a satisfactory _reason why_ he was tardy."--_Ibid._ Say rather, "The boy gave a satisfactory reason _for his tardiness_." "The several _sources from whence_ these pleasures are derived."--_Murray's Key_, p.

258. Say rather--"sources from _which_" "In _cases where_ it is only said, that a question has been asked."--_Kirkham's Gram._, p. 117. Say, "In _those_ cases _in which_." "To the false rhetoric of the _age when_ he lived."--_Harris's Hermes_, p. 415. Say rather--"of the age _in which_ he lived."

OBS. 8.--When a conjunctive adverb is equivalent to both an antecedent and a relative, the construction seems to be less objectionable, and the brevity of the expression affords an additional reason for preferring it, especially in poetry: as, "But the Son of man hath not _where_ to lay his head."--_Matt._, viii, 20. "There might they see _whence_ Po and Ister came."--_Hoole's Ta.s.so._ "Tell _how_ he formed your shining frame."--_Ogilvie._ "The wind bloweth _where_ it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell _whence_ it cometh, and _whither_ it goeth."--_John_, iii, 8. In this construction, the adverb is sometimes preceded by a preposition; the noun being, in fact, _understood_: as,

"Sinks, like a sea-weed, _into whence_ she rose."--_Byron._

"Here Machiavelli's earth return'd _to whence_ it rose."--_Id._

OBS. 9.--The conjunctive adverb _so_, very often expresses the sense of some word or phrase going before; as, "Wheresoever the speech is corrupted, _so_ is the mind."--_Seneca's Morals_, p. 267. That is, the mind is _also corrupted_. "I consider grandeur and sublimity, as terms synonymous, or nearly _so_."--_Blair's Rhet._, p. 29. The following sentence is grossly wrong, because the import of this adverb was not well observed by the writer: "We have now come to _far the most complicated_ part of speech; and one which is sometimes rendered _still more so_, than the nature of our language requires."--_Nutting's Gram._, p. 38. _So_, in some instances, repeats the import of a preceding _noun_, and consequently partakes the nature of a _p.r.o.noun_; as,

"We think our fathers _fools_, so wise we grow; Our wiser sons, no doubt, will think us _so_."--_Pope, on Crit._

OBS. 10.--"_Since_ is often improperly used for _ago_: as, 'When were you in France?--Twenty years _since_.' It ought to be, 'Twenty years _ago_.'

_Since_ may be admitted to supply the place of _ago that_: it being equally correct to say, 'It is twenty years _since_ I was in France;' and, 'It is twenty years _ago, that_ I was in France.'"--_Churchill's Gram._, p. 337.

The difference between _since_ and _ago_ is clearly this: the former, being either a preposition or a conjunctive adverb, cannot with strict propriety be used _adjectively_; the latter, being in reality an old participle, naturally comes after a noun, in the sense of an adjective; as, _a year ago, a month ago, a week ago_. "_Go, ago, ygo, gon, agon, gone, agone_, are all used indiscriminately by our old English writers as the past participle of the verb _to go_."--_Tooke's Diversions_, Vol. i, p. 376. "Three days _agone_, I fell sick."--_1 Samuel_, x.x.x, 13.

MODIFICATIONS.

Adverbs have no modifications, except that a few are compared, after the manner of adjectives: as, _soon, sooner, soonest; often, oftener, oftenest;[310] long, longer, longest; fast, faster, fastest_.

The following are irregularly compared: _well, better, best; badly_ or _ill, worse, worst; little less, least; much, more, most; far, farther, farthest; forth, further, furthest. Rath, rather, rathest_, is now used only in the comparative.

OBSERVATIONS.

OBS. 1.--Most adverbs that are formed from adjectives by the addition of _ly_, will admit the comparative adverbs _more and most, less_ and _least_, before them:, as, _wisely, more wisely, most wisely; culpably, less culpably, least culpably_. This is virtually a comparison of the latter adverb, but the grammatical inflection, or degree, belongs only to the former; and the words being written separately, it is certainly most proper to pa.r.s.e them separately, ascribing the degree of comparison to the word which expresses it. As comparison does not belong to adverbs in general, it should not be mentioned in parsing, except in the case of those few which are varied by it.

OBS. 2.--In the works of Milton, and occasionally in those of some other poets of his age,[311] adverbs of two syllables, ending in _ly_, are not only compared regularly like adjectives of the same ending, but are used in the measure of iambic verse as if they still formed only two syllables.

Examples:--

"But G.o.d hath _wiselier_ arm'd his vengeful ire."

--_P. Lost_, B. x, l. 1022.

"Destroyers _rightlier_ call'd and plagues of men."

--_Ib._, B. xi, l. 699.

"And on his quest, where _likeliest_ he might find."

--_Ib._, B. ix, l. 414.

"Now _amplier_ known thy Saviour and thy Lord."

--_Ib._, B. xii, l. 544.

"Though thou wert _firmlier_ fasten'd than a rock."

--_Sam. Agon._, l. 1398.

"Not rustic, as before, but _seemlier_ clad."

--_P. Reg._, B. ii, l. 299.

-------------------------"Whereof to thee anon _Plainlier_ shall be reveal'd."

--_Paradise Lost_, B. xii, l. 150.

------------"To show what coast thy sluggish erare Might _easiliest_ harbour in."

--_Shakspeare, Cymb._, Act IV.

"Shall not myself be _kindlier_ mov'd than thou art?"

--_Id., Tempest_, Act V.

"But _earthlier_ happy is the rose distill'd."

--_Id., M. S. N. Dream_, Act I.

OBS. 3.--The usage just cited is clearly a.n.a.logical, and has the obvious advantage of adding to the flexibility of the language, while it also multiplies its distinctive forms. If carried out as it might be, it would furnish to poets and orators an ampler choice of phraseology, and at the same time, obviate in a great measure the necessity of using the same words both adjectively and adverbially. The words which are now commonly used in this twofold character, are princ.i.p.ally monosyllables; and, of adjectives, monosyllables are the cla.s.s which we oftenest compare by _er_ and _est_: next to which come dissyllables ending in _y_; as, _holy, happy, lovely_.

But if to any monosyllable we add _ly_ to form an adverb, we have of course a dissyllable ending in _y_; and if adverbs of this cla.s.s may be compared regularly, after the manner of adjectives, there can be little or no occasion to use the primitive word otherwise than as an adjective. But, according to present usage, few adverbs are ever compared by inflection, except such words as may also be used adjectively. For example: _cleanly, comely, deadly, early, kindly, kingly, likely, lively, princely, seemly, weakly_, may all be thus compared; and, according to Johnson and Webster, they may all be used either adjectively or adverbially. Again: _late, later, latest_, is commonly contrasted in both senses, with _early, earlier, earliest_; but if _lately, latelier, lateliest_, were adopted in the adverbial contrast, _early_ and _late, earlier_ and _later, earliest_ and _latest_, might be contrasted as adjectives only.

OBS. 4.--The using of adjectives for adverbs, is _in general_ a plain violation of grammar. Example: "_To_ is a preposition, governing the verb _sell_, in the infinitive mood, _agreeable_ to Rule 18, which says, The preposition TO governs the infinitive mood."--_Comly's Gram._, p. 137. Here _agreeable_ ought to be _agreeably_; an adverb, relating to the participle _governing_. Again, the using of adverbs for adjectives, is a fault as gross. Example: "Apprehending the nominative to be put _absolutely._"-- _Murray's Gram._, p. 155. Here _absolutely_ ought to be _absolute_; an adjective, relating to the word _nominative_. But, _in poetry_, there is not only a frequent subst.i.tution of quality for manner, in such a way that the adjective may still be pa.r.s.ed adjectively; but sometimes also what _appears_ to be (whether right or wrong) a direct use of adjectives for adverbs, especially in the higher degrees of comparison: as,

"_Firmer_ he roots him the _ruder_ it blow."

--_Scott, L. of L._, C. ii, st. 19.

"True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, As those move _easiest_ who have learn'd to dance."

--_Pope, Ess. on Crit._