Chapter 35

Comparisons of Adjectives

Latin sentences in which a direct comparison is made may take one of two patterns:

 Sextus est molestior quam Marcus.

 Sextus est molestior Marco.

Sextus is more annoying than Marcus.

 

In the first example, quam (than) is used with the same case on eitherside of it (i.e. molestior and Marcus are both nominative).

In the second example, no word for "than" is used, and Marco is ablative.

1. Hic servus est ignavissimus omnium. Nullum servum ignaviorem habet Cornelius.

2. Martialis Eucleide est multo prudentior.

Activity 1 - Translate the following sentences.

3. Ego semper habeo multo minus pecuniae quam tu.

4. Marcus est maximus liberorum, Sextus est minimus.

5. Ad amicum epistulam longissimam mittam, adfratrem breviorem.

Adverbs

A. Adverbs may be formed from adjectives of the 1st-2nd declension by adding -e to the base

of the adjective: 

Adjective Adverbstrenuus, -a,-um strenue, strenuously,

hard

B. Adverbs may be formed from adjectives of the 3rd declension by adding -iter to the base

of an adjective or -er to bases ending in nt:Adjective Adverbbrevis, -is, -e breviter, brieflyprudens, prudentis prudenter,

wisely

N.B. facilis, -is, -e facile, easily

Activity 2: Give the adverbs and their meanings that may be formed from these adjectives

1. ignavus, ignava, ignavum lazy

______________________ ____________________

2. fortis, fortis, forte brave

______________________ ____________________

3. lentus, lenta, lentum slow

______________________ ____________________

4. neglegens, neglegentis careless

______________________ ____________________

5. miser, misera, miserum unhappy

______________________ ____________________

6. ferox, ferociter fierce

______________________ ____________________

7. gravis, gravis, grave heavy, serious

______________________ ____________________

8. laetus, laeta, laetum happy

______________________ ____________________

9. vehemens, vehementis violent

______________________ ____________________

10. iratus, irata, iratum angry

______________________ ____________________

11. celer, celeris, celere swift

______________________ ____________________

12. pulcher, pulchra, pulchrum pretty

______________________ ____________________

Comparative and Superlative

1. The neuter singular comparative adjective ending -ius is used as the comparative adverb.

a. lentius, more slowly, rather slowly or too slowly

2. The superlative adjective ends in -us, -a, -um; the superlative adverb ends in -e.

a. lentissime, most slowly or very slowly

positive comparative superlative

laete, happily laetius laetissime

feliciter, luckily felicius felicissime

celeriter, quickly celerius celerrime

prudenter, wisely prudentius prudentissime

N.B.

diu, for a long time diutius diutissime

saepe, often saepius saepissime

Irregular Adverbs

positive comparative superlative

bene, well melius, better optime, best

male, badly peius, worse pessime, worst

facile, easily facilius, more easily facillime, most

easily

magnopere, greatly magis, more maxime, most

paulum, little minus, less minime, least

multum, much plus, more plurimum,

most

Activity 3: Translate

1. Diutius manēre mihi non licet. Necesse est mihi

celerrime ad urbem redīre.

2. Hic puer optime omnium scribit.

3. Nemo celerius quam frater meus currere potest.

4. De periculis viarum saepissime audivimus.

5. Per vias urbis lente amublāre volo.

6. Titus plurimum bibit.