DESCRIPTIVE ADJECTIVES.
143. This large class
includes several kinds of words:—
(1) SIMPLE ADJECTIVES expressing quality; such as
safe, happy, deep, fair, rash,
beautiful, remotest, terrible, etc.
(2) COMPOUND ADJECTIVES, made up of various words thrown
together to make descriptive epithets. Examples are, "Heaven-derived
power," "this life-giving book," "his spirit wrapt and
wonder-struck," "ice-cold water," "half-dead traveler,"
"unlooked-for burden," "next-door neighbor,"
"ivory-handled pistols," "the cold-shudder-inspiring Woman in
White."
(3) PROPER ADJECTIVES, derived from proper nouns; such as,
"an old English manuscript," "the Christian pearl of charity,"
"the well-curb had a Chinese roof," "the Roman writer
Palladius."
(4) PARTICIPIAL
ADJECTIVES, which are either pure participles used to describe, or participles
which have lost all verbal force and have no function except to express
quality. Examples are,—
Pure participial adjectives: "The healing
power of the Messiah," "The shattering sway of one strong arm,"
"trailing clouds," "The shattered squares have opened into line,"
"It came on like the rolling simoom," "God tempers the wind to the
shorn lamb."
Faded participial adjectives: "Sleep is a
blessed thing;" "One is hungry, and another is drunken;" "under
the fitting drapery of the jagged and trailing clouds;" "The clearness
and quickness are amazing;" "an aged man;" "a charming
sight."
Caution.
144. Care is needed, in
studying these last-named words, to distinguish between a participle that forms
part of a verb, and a participle or participial adjective that belongs to a
noun.
For instance: in the sentence, "The work was well and
rapidly accomplished," was accomplished is a verb; in this, "No man of
his day was more brilliant or more accomplished," was is the verb, and
accomplished is an adjective. |
