Chapter VII: Of Adverbs

Having as great a dislike as the youngest of our readers can have to repetitions, we shall not say what an adverb is over again. It is, nevertheless, right to observe, that some adverbs are compared: as, far, farther, farthest; near, nearer, nearest. In comparing those which end in _ly_, we use _more_ and _most_: as, slowly, more slowly, most slowly.

Q. Who, of all the civic functionaries, moves “most slowly?”

A. Mr. Hobler.

There are a great many adverbs in the English Language: their number is probably even greater than that of abusive epithets. They are divisible into certain classes; the chief of which are Number, Order, Place, Time, Quantity, Manner or Quality, Doubt, Affirmation, Negation, Interrogation, and Comparison.

A nice little list, truly! and perhaps some of our readers may suppose that we are going to exemplify it at length: if so, all we can say with regard to their expectation is, that we wish they may get it gratified. In the meantime, we will not turn our Grammar into a dictionary, to please anybody. However, we have no objection to a brief illustration of the uses and properties of adverbs, as contained in the following passage:--

“_Formerly_, _when first_ I began to preach and to teach, _whithersoever_ I went, the little boys followed me, and _now_ and _then_ pelted me with brick-bats, as _heretofore_ they pelted Ebenezer Grimes. And _whensoever_ I opened my mouth, _straightways_ the ungodly began to crow. _Oftentimes_ was I hit in the mouth with an orange: _yea_, and _once_, _moreover_, with a rotten egg; _whereat_ there was much laughter, which, _notwithstanding_, I took in good part, and wiped my face, and looked _pleasantly_. For _peradventure_ I said, they will listen to my sermon; _yea_, and after that we may have a collection. So I was _nowise_ discomfited; _wherefore_ I advise thee, Brother Habakkuk, to take no heed of thy persecutors, seeing that I, _whereas_ I was once little better off than thyself, have _now_ a chapel of mine own. And _herein_ let thy mind be comforted, that, preach as much as thou wilt against the Bishop, thou wilt not, _therefore_, in these days, be in danger of the pillory. Howbeit,” &c.

_Vide_ Life of the late pious and Rev. Samuel Simcox (letter to Habbakuk Brown).