Latin for beginners (1911)/Part II/Lesson LV

by Benjamin Leonard D'Ooge

Layout 2

LESSON LV

IRREGULAR COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES (Continued)

311. Some adjectives in English have irregular comparison, as good, better, best; many, more, most. So Latin comparison presents some irregularities. Among the adjectives that are compared irregularly are

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
bonus, -a, -um, good	melior, melius	optimus, -a, -um
magnus, -a, -um, great	maior, maius	maximus, -a, -um
malus, -a, -um, bad	peior, peius	pessimus, -a, -um
multus, -a, -um, much	——, plūs	plūrimus, -a, -um
multī, -ae, -a, many	plūrēs, plūra	plūrimī, -ae, -a
parvus, -a, -um, small	minor, minus	minimus, -a, -um

312. The following four adjectives have two superlatives. Unusual forms are placed in parentheses.

exterus, -a, -um, outward	(exterior, -ius, outer)	extrēmus, -a, -um (extimus, -a, -um)	outermost, last
īnferus, -a, -um, low	īnferior, -ius, lower	īnfimus, -a, -um īmus, -a, -um	lowest
posterus, -a, -um, next	(posterior, -ius, later)	postrēmus, -a, -um (postumus, -a, -um)	last
superus, -a, -um, above	superior, -ius, higher	suprēmus, -a, -um summus, -a, -um	highest

313. Plūs, more (plural more, many, several), is declined as follows:

	Singular		Plural
	MASC. AND FEM.	NEUT.	MASC. AND FEM.	NEUT.
Nom.	——	plūs	plūrēs	plūra
Gen.	——	plūris	plūrium	plūrium
Dat.	——	——	plūribus	plūribus
Acc.	——	plūs	plūrīs, -ēs	plūra
Abl.	——	plūre	plūribus	plūribus

a. In the singular plūs is used only as a neuter substantive. 314.

EXERCISES

First learn the special vocabulary, p. 296.

I.

1. Reliquī hostēs, quī ā dextrō cornū proelium commīserant, dē superiōre locō fūgērunt et sēsē in silvam maximam recēpērunt.
2. In extrēmā parte silvae castra hostium posita erant.
3. Plūrimī captīvī ab equitibus ad Caesarem ductī sunt.
4. Caesar vērō iussit eōs in servitūtem trādī.
5. Posterō diē magna multitūdō mulierum ab Rōmānīs in valle īmā reperta est.
6. Hae mulierēs maximē perterritae adventū Caesaris sēsē occīdere studēbant.
7. Eae quoque plūrīs fābulās dē exercitūs Rōmānī sceleribus audīverant.
8. Fāma illōrum mīlitum optima nōn erat.
9. In barbarōrum aedificiīs maior cōpia frūmentī reperta est.
10. Nēmō crēbrīs proeliīs contendere sine aliquō perīculō potest.

II.

1. The remaining women fled from their dwellings and hid themselves.
2. They were terrified and did not wish to be captured and given over into slavery.
3. Nothing can be worse than slavery.
4. Slavery is worse than death.
5. In the Roman empire a great many were killed because they refused to be slaves.
6. To surrender the fatherland is the worst crime.

Reading Selection

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References