The Plymouth Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1878-1901, 1879-04-24
Educational Column.
ApvERDs AND ADJEcTlvEs.
J. f. LANGESBAUGH.


asking US to ecide dispute whether
1t was right to say "to morrow is Sun
day" or "to- morrow will be Sundays
aud whether it is grammatical TO say
II feel bad" or Il feel badly" As 10
the first inquiry, we might truly say
we don't know which is right. and we
don't care. 1t is not worthy OF five
minutes consideration by any reas-
enable human creature. Either form
of expression is perfectly ineligible,
and both have the support Of good
usage. As to the latter. which, triil-
ing as it il, does really present "a point
for discussion, there seems TO us no
doubt that II feel bad" Is right, We
do not believe that the querlst, WHO,
rising in the morning. felt low spirit
ed, would say, Il feel blueIy," but Il
feel blue" Nor would any one who
speaks English well without thinking
about il (and only such persons speak
weld say, the grass looks greeniy,"
but "ihe glass looks green But We
say. and should say, that woman
dresses badly" or the air bites keen
iy." When the verb expresses action
or .suff ring. an adverb is required;
but when it expresses condition of
the speaker, us II feel bad" or an APP
pearance 10 him, as ''the grass looks
green" an adjective is proper. But
even under these conditions good
usage and secse admit both forms.
We may say either '-the sun shines
brightly" or "the sun shines bright"
'the river flows dafkly." or "the river
lows dark" There are many such
eases 10 which the adjective Is the
better word, aad Selections use OF adj
verbs is rather sign OF grammar
and dictionary style Of speech aud Of
writing, than CT one which comes OF a
spontaneous conformity 10 good usage
and an unconscious massey of ones
mother tongue. And it should b.
added that no one Gun learn to speak
good English. or good grammar" by
fret,ing over such questions as these;
that il is 10 be attained only by an
unconscious conformity to the usage
OF the best speakers and writers.
TxAcTyEss OF SPEECH.
1t seems to US sometimes that there
Is no habit more important aHd more
uncommon than the haiti OF exact
speech, OF careful accuracy OF state
ment. even in the smallest matters.
There are plenty OF good, well mean
ing people ia our world who never
know that they are habitually, be-
cause they are unconciously. uLtiuth-
full, and who would be shocked and
indignant IL you should accuse them
of such a fault. Yet their random
assertions, their positive differences,
the different words in which they
cloth the same fact upon each repeti-
fion. all these errors tend 10 distoIt
and faIsify, and what is that but lying?
Children, with their lively magma.
tions and their want OF judgment, are
always prone to this fault, aud need
special va ch illness to correct it,.
But while we repr0ye our little ones.
let us keep a watch over ourselves.
lest the temptation of making good
story" out of u meagre fact do not
seduce US into Misrepresentation
which we shall afterward deplore. 70
cultivate exactness of speech, is to
cultivate justice and generosity as
we'll.
SOME GIANTS.
In IT'S a Frecch academician
named Hsnrien endeayored 10 show
"A great decrease in the height OF men
between the periods OF the creation
and the Christian era. Adm. he
says, was 123 feet inches high, Eve
l18 feet 9 inches; Abraham 80 feet;
Moses % feet. The allegation about
Adam is moderate compared with
that made by ealy Rabinical writers,
who affirm that his head overtopped
the atmosphere. and that he touched
the Arctic Pole with one hand, and
the Antarctic with the other. Tradi-
fionary memorials Of the rimeval
giants still exist 10 Palestine ia the
form OF graves OF enormous dimen-
sion5; as the grave of ABEL. near
Damascus, which is 80 feet long, that
or Seth about the same size; and Noah
In Lebanon, which is 70 feet in length.
PIiny says that by an earthquake in
Crete a mountain was opened, and in
IL was dicovered skeleton standing
upright, 40 cubits long. which was
supposed 10 be that OF Orion. The
game authority relates that in the
time OF Claudlus C8 sar there was a
man named Gdbarus. brought by that
Emperor from Arabia to Rome. who
was 10 feet 4 inches high. But this
giant was not so toll as Hosia and
Secundilla: in the reign OF Augustus