SECTION VII.—­DERIVATION OF ADVERBS.

1.  In English, many Adverbs are derived from adjectives by the addition of ly:  which is an abbreviation for like, and which, though the addition of it to a noun forms an adjective, is the most distinctive as well as the most common termination of our adverbs:  as, candid, candidly; sordid, sordidly; presumptuous, presumptuously.  Most adverbs of manner are thus formed.

2.  Many adverbs are compounds formed from two or more English words; as, herein, thereby, to-day, always, already, elsewhere, sometimes, wherewithal.  The formation and the meaning of these are, in general, sufficiently obvious.

3.  About seventy adverbs are formed by means of the prefix, or inseparable preposition, a; as, Abreast, abroach, abroad, across, afar, afield, ago, agog, aland, along, amiss, atilt.

4. Needs, as an adverb, is a contraction of need is; prithee, or pr’ythee, of I pray thee; alone, of all one; only, of one-like; anon, of the Saxon an on; i.e., in one [instant]; never, of ne ever; i.e., not ever.  Prof.  Gibbs, in Fowler’s Grammar, makes needs “the Genitive case of the noun need.”—­P. 311.

5. Very is from the French veray, or vrai, true; and this, probably, from the Latin verus.  Rather appears to be the regular comparative of the ancient rath, soon, quickly, willingly; which comes from the Anglo-Saxon “Rathe, or Hrathe, of one’s own accord.”—­Bosworth.  But the parent language had also “Hrathre, to a mind.”—­Id. That is, to one’s mind, or, perhaps, more willingly.

OBSERVATIONS.

OBS. 1.—­Many of our most common adverbs are of Anglo-Saxon derivation, being plainly traceable to certain very old forms, of the same import, which the etymologist regards but as the same words differently spelled:  as, All, eall, eal, or aell; Almost, ealmaest, or aelmaest; Also, ealswa, or aelswa; Else, elles; Elsewhere, elleshwaer; Enough, genog, or genoh; Even, euen, efen, or aefen; Ever, euer, aefer, or aefre; Downward, duneweard; Forward, forweard, or foreweard; Homeward, hamweard; Homewards, hamweardes; How, hu; Little, lytel; Less, laes; Least, laest; No, na; Not, noht, or nocht; Out, ut, or ute; So, swa; Still, stille, or stylle; Then, thenne; There, ther, thar, thaer; Thither, thider, or thyder; Thus, thuss, or thus; Together, togaedere, or togaedre; Too, to; When, hwenne, or hwaenne; Where, hwaer; Whither, hwider, hwyder, or hwyther; Yea, ia, gea, or gee; Yes, gese, gise, or gyse.