ollowing words exhibit a change of vowel.

_Positive._ _Comparative._ _Superlative._

Lang, Lengre, Lengest. _Long._
Strang, Strengre, Strengest. _Strong._
Geong, Gyngre, Gyngest. _Young._
Sceort, Scyrtre, Scyrtest. _Short._
He['a]h, Hyrre, Hyhst. _High._
Eald, Yldre, Yldest. _Old._

s. 241. Now the fourth of these facts explains the present forms _elder_
and _eldest_, the comparatives and superlative of _old_, besides which
there are the regular forms _old-er_ and _old-est_; between which there is,
however, a difference in meaning--_elder_ being used as a substantive, and
having a plural form, _elders_.

s. 242. The abverbial forms in -or and -ost, as compared with the
adjectival in -re, and -este explain the form _rather_. This rhymes to
_father_; the a being full. Nevertheless, the positive form is _rather_
meaning _quick, easy_ = the classical root [Greek: rhad-] in [Greek:
rhadios]. What we do _quickly_ and _willingly_ we do _preferably_. Now if
the word _rather_ were an adjective, the vowel of the comparative would be
sounded as the a in _fate_, as it is, however, it is abverbial, and as such
is properly sounded as the a in _father_.

The difference between the action of the small vowel in -re, and of the
full in -or effects this difference, since o being a full vowel, it has the
effect of making the a full also.

s. 243. The old form in -s will be considered, after notice has been taken
of what may be called--

s. 244. _Excess of expression._--Of this two samples have already been
given: 1. in words like _songstress_; 2. in words like _children_. This may
be called _excess of expression_; the feminine gender, in words like
_songstress_, and the plural number, in words like _children_, being
expressed twice over. In the vulgarism _betterer_ for _better_, and in the
antiquated forms _worser_ for _worse_, and _lesser_ for _less_, we have, in
the case of the comparatives, as elsewhere, an excess of expression. In the
old High German we have the forms _betser[^o]ro_, _m[^e]r[^o]ro_,
_[^e]rerera_ = _better_, _more_, _ere_.

s. 245. _Better_.--Although in the superlative form _best_ there is a
slight variation from the strict form of that degree, the word _better_ is
perfectly regular. So far, then, from truth are the current statements that
the comparison of the words