NOTE. Like, Worth.  The adjective like is a contraction of the participle likened, and generally has the preposition unto understood after it.  “She is like [unto] her brother.”  “They are unlike [to] him.”  “The kingdom of heaven is like [likened or made like] unto a householder.”

The noun worth has altogether dropped its associated words.  “The cloth is worth ten dollars a yard;” that is, The cloth is of the worth of ten dollars by the yard, or for a, one, or every yard.

Some eminent philologists do not admit the propriety of supplying an ellipsis after like, worth, ere, but, except, and than, but consider them prepositions.  See Anomalies, in the latter part of this work.

REMARKS ON ADJECTIVES AND NOUNS.

A critical analysis requires that the adjective when used without its noun, should be parsed as an adjective belonging to its noun understood; as, “The virtuous [persons] and the sincere [persons] are always respected;” “Providence rewards the good [people,] and punishes the bad [people.]”

  “The evil [deed or deeds] that men do, lives after them;
  “The good [deed or deeds] is oft-interred with their bones.”

But sometimes the adjective, by its manner of meaning, becomes a noun, and has another adjective joined to it; as, “the chief good;” “The vast immense [immensity] of space.”

Various nouns placed before other nouns, assume the character of adjectives, according to their manner of meaning; as, “Sea fish, iron mortar, wine vessel, gold watch, corn field, meadow ground, mountain height.”

The principle which recognises custom as the standard of grammatical accuracy, might rest for its support on the usage of only six words, and defy all the subtleties of innovating skeptics to gainsay it.  If the genius and analogy of our language were the standard, it would be correct to observe this analogy, and say, “Good, good_er_, good_est_; bad, bad_der_, bad_dest_; little, littl_er_, littl_est_; much, much_er_; much_est_.”  “By this mean;” “What are the news.”  But such a criterion betrays only the weakness of those who attempt to establish it.  Regardless of the dogmas and edicts of the philosophical umpire, the good sense of the people will cause them, in this instance, as well as in a thousand others, to yield to custom, and say, “Good, better, best; bad, worse, worst; little, less, least; much, more, most;” “By this means;” “What is the news?”