and never has been heard of since, his dog came home without him; but whether he shot himself or was carried away by the Indians, nobody can tell. I was then but a little girl."

Rip had but one question more to ask; and he put it with a faltering voice:

"Where's your mother ?"

"Oh, she too died but a short time since; she broke a bloodvessel in a fit of passion at a New England peddler."

There was a drop of comfort, at least, in this intelligence. The honest man could contain himself no longer. He caught his daughter and her child in his arms. "I am your father!" cried he "Young Rip Van Winkle once-old Rip Van Winkle now! Does nobody know poor Rip Van Winkle **

WASHINGTON IRVING: Rip Van Winkle

ADJECTIVES

177. Kinds of Adjectives.

Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns. Descriptive or qualitative adjectives express an attribute or quality:

good, sour, hard, long, righteous, hot, clear, loud.

Quantitative adjectives express amount or number: little, few, many, all, much, ten.

Demonstrative adjectives merely point out or distinguish:

this, that, every, the former, the other.

The two classes last mentioned include the pronominal adjectives, or adjectives used sometimes as pro

nouns.

178. Functions of Adjectives that Follow their Nouns. When an adjective does not precede its noun or pronoun, it is commonly used in one of the three following ways:

(a) As Subject Complement (§ 61):

1. He is tall and handsome.

2. The speaker was too dogmatic to suit me.

3. This child has always been considered delicate.

4. He at once became angry and insolent.

(b) As Object Complement (§ 64): 1. The journey made him sick.

2. I consider him honest and capable.

3. Your idleness renders your education useless. (c) As an Appositive (§ 69):

1. They pushed the boat from the shore, eager and impatient to see whether it would sink or sail.

2. Her complexion, clear but pale, was heightened by the brilliancy of her eyes.

3. The prisoner, calm and stolid, awaited the verdict without a tremor.

NOTE.-Appositive adjectives may precede their nouns: Calm and stolid, the prisoner awaited the verdict without a tremor. 179. Adjectives as Nouns, and Nouns as Adjectives. (a) When an adjective is preceded by the, the noun is frequently omitted. The adjective is then said to be used as a noun:

1. To the pure all things are pure.

2. The bravest are the tenderest,

The loving are the daring.

3. All the impulses of her nature were toward the true, the beautiful, and the good.

(b) Almost any noun may be used as a descriptive adjective:

1. This man is the head waiter.

2. The tariff is not merely a party question.

3. The name of Palmer is a household word in many Southern homes.

4. During my childhood days school exhibitions were great occasions.

180. Adjectives and Adverbs.

Many copulative verbs (§ 62) may be followed either by adjectives or by adverbs. Shall we say "The sun shines bright" or "The sun shines brightly"? Either is correct, but there is a slight difference of meaning between the two. When we use "bright" we are thinking more of the sun; when we use "brightly, we are thinking more of the verb "shines." Compare these sentences, and tell what each means:

1. He turned pale as I passed him.

2. He turned quickly as I passed him.
3. She looked sweet in her pink gingham.

4. She looked sweetly into her mother's face.
5. The physician felt the man's pulse carefully.
6. The pulse felt cold.

7. The verdict appeared just.

8. The ship suddenly appeared.

181. "Well" and "Badly" as Adjectives.

It is not right to say "I feel good" or "I feel bad" unless you mean "I feel righteous" or "I feel wicked." The following sentences are correct:

1. Do you feel well?

2. No, I feel badly.

3. John is looking unusually well this summer.

4. Henry looked badly after his attack of fever.

In these sentences "well" is an adjective, as in "I am well"; and "badly," though in form an adverb, is also in function an adjective, meaning "unwell."

182. Phrases and Clauses as Adjectives (§74, (c), §86).

(a) Every phrase modifying a noun or pronoun performs the function of an adjective. The most common form of the adjective phrase is the prepositional phrase, or phrase introduced by a preposition:

It was a task that required the patience of a Job and the courage of a Paul.

Or, we may say "a Job-like patience and a Pauline courage" (§ 75).

(b) Every clause introduced by a relative pronoun is an adjective clause modifying the noun or pronoun used as antecedent. When, where, and while, if preceded by nouns, also introduce adjective clauses (§ 86):

1. Thomas Jefferson was in Europe at the time when the Federal Convention of 1787 was called.

2. This is the place where we boys used to go in swimming. 3. All the time while the recitation was going on, a noise was kept up outside.

183. The Two Articles.

The definite article the and the indefinite article a or an are really demonstrative adjectives. They do not qualify or describe; they merely point out. The difference between the two articles may be seen in such sentences as "I saw a blind man yesterday" and "I saw the blind man yesterday," or "Mr. A. is a leader in every good movement" and "Mr. A. is the leader in every good movement."