How to parse. ...

Par. 429, 430.] ADJECTIVES.

247

429 "A" (like "the" above) is used before names,
when the name represents a character, e.g. ' a
Croesus," i.e. "a man of immense wealth."
" A little." See Par. 217.
With many Adjectives that from use or termination approach Adverbs, " a " is often placed after,
instead of before, the Adjective, e.g. " many a," 1
" what a," " such a," " half a." In Early English
we also find " each a," "which a." Hence, though
we cannot say "severe a man," we can say " so
severe, too severe, as severe, a man."
"A" is for " one" in "all of a sort, a piece." Compare:"And surely, Heav'n and I are of a mind? "-POPE.
Other Adjectives.
430 Very once meant "genuine " (Lat. verus). Hence
it came to mean " itself," "themselves," &c.; e.g.
(1) "Your very looks betray you."
The Adjective follows, instead of dividing or preceding, " something," "any thing," "every thing,"
and other similar Compounds of "thing." The
reason seems to be that in Early English these
words were sometimes used Partitively and followed
by " of," thus:(1) "Of Nazareth may something of good be?"
WYCKLIFFE.
1 See Shakspearian Grammar, Paragraph 81; see also Par. 218
above.