Comes facundus in via prõ vehiculō est. (Publilius)
A chatty companion on a journey is as good as a carriage

CHAPTER XXII

COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES IN US AND -ER. DE CLENSION OF THE COMPARATIVE FORMATION AND COMPARISON OF ADVERBS. ABLATIVE WITH THE COMPARATIVE

FIRST SECTION

194. Preliminary Review. -1. Write side by side the synopses in the Indicative Passive of regō, mittō, dīcō, dūcō. 2. Conjugate each tense, testing your speed. 3. Review the Translation Exercises (191)

for oral and written work.

195. Comparison of Adjectives in English. In English a descriptive adjective regularly changes in form to express the quality in different degrees, thus: high, higher, highest. But with many adjectives the adverbs more and most are used to express greater degrees of the quality, thus: more beautiful, most recent.

A descriptive adjective usually has "three degrees of comparison," named Positive, Comparative, and Superlative.

NOTE. The Positive degree (cf. pónō, I place, assign) assigns the quality without comparison (e.g. the high wall); the Comparative degree (cf. cómparō, I bring together, compare) states the quality in comparison with that of one or more other objects (e.g. The wall is higher than the tree); the Superlative degree (cf. súper + látus, carried above) states the quality as in the highest degree, — above two or more other objects (e.g. This mountain is the highest of the three).

196. Comparison of Adjectives in Latin. - Adjectives are regularly compared in Latin, as in English, by changes in

sicker

sickest

líber, libera, líberum libérior, m., f., libérius, n. lībérrimus, -a, -um

sick aéger, aégra, aégrum aégrior, m., f., aégrius, n. aegérrimus, -a, -um

197. Rule. The Comparative is formed by adding -ior to the base; and the Superlative is formed by adding -issimus to the base. Adjectives ending in -er form the Superlative by adding -rimus to the Nominative masculine of the Positive.

198. The Declension of the Comparative. The Positive and Superlative have the case endings of the First and Second Declensions. The Comparative has the case endings of the Third Declension, thus:

Observe.

The masculine, feminine, and neuter forms are

alike in the Genitive, Dative, and Ablative. It will, therefore, save time to give but one form in these cases.

199. Suggestions for Study. -1. Repeat the declension of altior several times from memory. 2. Pronounce carefully the adjectives of the following list in the Positive, Comparative, and Superlative degrees. 3. Practice giving the comparison of the adjectives from memory. 4. Decline rapidly the Comparative of lóngus, and of púlcher.

200. Formation and Comparison of Adverbs. — Adverbs in English are formed from adjectives by adding -ly; the Comparative adverb is expressed by prefixing more to the Positive adverb; the Superlative adverb by prefixing most to the Positive adverb.

Adverbs in Latin are regularly formed from adjectives by adverbial endings. Thus adjectives of the First and Second Declensions form their adverbs as follows:

201. Rule.

Adjectives of the First and Second De

clensions regularly form the Positive adverb by adding -ē

to the base of the adjective; the Comparative is formed by adding -ius 1; the Superlative by adding -íssimē; but all adjectives ending in -er form the Superlative adverb by adding -rime to the Nominative masculine of the Positive.

202. Suggestions for Study. -1. Pronounce carefully the above adverbs in the Positive, Comparative, and Superlative. Then, cover the Comparative and Superlative forms, and give these forms for each of the adverbs from memory. 2. Write the comparison of the following adjectives: áltus, fírmus, tárdus, cértus, iústus, aéger, líber, púlcher, nótus, créber, and dénsus. 3. Form the adverb from each of these, and write its comparison.

1 It is really the Accusative singular neuter of the Comparative adjective. 2 in (not) + prō (before) + p. p. p. of videō (see), unforeseen.

SECOND SECTION

204. The Comparative with Quam. In the English sentence (1) Summer is longer than winter (is), a parison is expressed by the Comparative adjective longer followed by the conjunction than. The two things compared are in the same case, for summer is the subject of is, and winter is the subject of is understood. The sentence becomes in Latin: Aestās longior est quam hiems (est).

Also (2) He suffered more from fear than (from) wounds becomes: Timōre magis labōrābat quam vulneribus (labōrābat). Here the things compared are Ablatives of Cause.

205. Rule. In comparisons, if quam, than, is expressed, the things compared are in the same case (the same usage in Latin as in English).

Roman Lamps

206. The Comparative without Quam. In Latin, quam, than, is often omitted, but only when the things compared would be in the Nominative or Objective case in English; thus we may say in Latin: Praemia pulchriōra sunt quam dōna or Praemia sunt dōnīs pulchriōra, Rewards are more beautiful than gifts. In the latter sentence quam was omitted and the second thing compared is in the Ablative case.

207. Rule. In comparisons, if quam, than, is omitted, the second thing compared is put in the Ablative case, which preferably comes before the Comparative.