COMPARISON (OF. cow pamistin, Fr. cent paraison, from Lat. corn/a/ratio, from eomparare, to compare). in grammar, and as applied to adjectives (q.v.). that which marks the degree in which the quality is attributed to the object, as compared with other objects. There are three degrees of comparison. The positive in dicates the quality generally, without com parison: the comparative, a higher degree of the quality than is attributed to other things; and the superlative, the highest degree that is attributed to any of the things under considera tion. Sometimes the positive is not regarded as a degree of comparison. There are two trays of expressing these degrees. (1) By an inflection or change of the word: as, hard, harder, hardest; happy, happier. happiest. This mode prevails almost exclusively in Greek and Latin. (2) By an additional word, as more most happy. This may be called logical comparison, the other, grammatical. In French, with the exception of a few irregular adjectives, all adjectives follow the logical method. In English, the logical muthod is gent-rally preferred when the gram matical won hl produce a word difficult or harsh M the pronunciation. This is generally the case
in English the simple is of more than one syllable; but it is not always so. Thus, carneste•, prfidenter, would make harsh com binations; not so politer, disci-47.dd., happier. The difference is, that in earnest yr, pradenter, the accent being on the first syllable, two unac cented syllables of discordant character are thrown together; in politer, discr•eter, the un accented syllables are separated; and in happier, though they come together, they readily coalesce. Thus, the laws of euphony determine this point, as they do much else in language. Carlyle and Ruskin use many comparative and superlative forms that are not generally recognized. In gen eral, it is only adjectives of quality that admit of comparison; and even adjectives of quality cannot be compared when the quality does not admit of degrees; as, a circular space. a gold ring, a universal wish. Adverbs (q.v.) in Eng lish are compared exactly like adjectives, logical comparison