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

by Benjamin Leonard D'Ooge

Layout 2

LESSON LVII

FORMATION AND COMPARISON OF ADVERBS

319. Adverbs are generally derived from adjectives, as in English (e.g. adj. sweet, adv. sweetly). Like adjectives, they can be compared; but they have no declension.

320. Adverbs derived from adjectives of the first and second declensions are formed and compared as follows:

	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Adj. Adv.	cārus, dear cārē, dearly	cārior cārius	cārissimus cārissimē
Adj. Adv.	pulcher, beautiful pulchrē, beautifully	pulchrior pulchrius	pulcherrimus pulcherrimē
Adj. Adv.	līber, free līberē, freely	līberior līberius	līberrimus līberrimē

a. The positive of the adverb is formed by adding -ē to the base of the positive of the adjective. The superlative of the adverb I.formed from the superlative of the adjective in the same way.

b. The comparative of any adverb is the neuter accusative singular of the comparative of the adjective.

321. Adverbs derived from adjectives of the third declension are formed like those described above in the comparative and superlative. The positive I.usually formed by adding -iter to the base of adjectives of three endings or of two endings, and -ter to the base of those of one ending;^[1] as,

	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Adj. Adv.	fortis, brave fortiter, bravely	fortior fortius	fortissimus fortissimē
Adj. Adv.	audāx, bold audācter, boldly	audācior audācius	audācissimus audācissimē

322. Case Forms as Adverbs. As we learned above, the neuter accusative of comparatives is used adverbially. So in the positive or superlative some adjectives, instead of following the usual formation, use the

accusative or the ablative singular neuter adverbially; as,

Adj. Adv.	facilis, easy facile (acc.), easily	prīmus, first prīmum (acc.), first prīmō (abl.), at first
Adj. Adv.	multus, many multum (acc.), much multō (abl.), by much	plūrimus, most plūrimum (acc.), most

323. Learn the following irregular comparisons:

bene, well	melius, better	optimē, best
diū, long (time)	diūtius, longer	diūtissimē, longest
magnopere, greatly	magis, more	maximē, most
parum, little	minus, less	minimē, least
prope, nearly, near	propius, nearer	proximē, nearest
saepe, often	saepius, oftener	saepissimē, oftenest

324. Form adverbs from the following adjectives, using the regular rules, and compare them: laetus, superbus, molestus, amīcus, ācer, brevis, gravis, recēns.

325. Rule. Adverbs. Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

326.

EXERCISES

First learn the special vocabulary, p. 297.

I.

1. Nūlla rēs melius gesta est quam proelium illud^[2] ubi Marius multō minōre exercitū multō maiōrēs cōpiās Germānōrum in fugam dedit.
2. Audācter in Rōmānōrum cohortīs hostēs impetūs fēcērunt # Marius autem omnēs hōs fortissimē sustinuit.
3. Barbarī nihilō fortiōrēs erant quam Rōmānī.
4. Prīmō barbarī esse superiōrēs vidēbantur, tum Rōmānī ācrius contendērunt.
5. Dēnique, ubi iam diūtissimē paene aequō proeliō pugnātum est, barbarī fugam petiērunt.
6. Quaedam Germānōrum gentēs, simul atque rūmōrem illīus calamitātis audīvērunt, sēsē in ultimīs regiōnibus fīnium suōrum abdidērunt.
7. Rōmānī saepius quam hostēs vīcērunt, quod meliōra arma habēbant.
8. Inter omnīs gentīs Rōmānī plūrimum valēbant.
9. Hae cohortēs simul atque in aequiōrem regiōnem sē recēpērunt, castra sine ūllā difficultāte posuērunt.

II.

1. Some nations are easily overcome by their enemies.
2. Germany is much larger than Gaul.
3. Were not the Romans the most powerful among the tribes of Italy?
4. On account of (his) wounds the soldier dragged his body from the ditch with the greatest difficulty.
5. He was able neither to run nor to fight.
6. Who saved him? A certain horseman boldly undertook the matter.
7. The rumors concerning the soldier’s death were not true.

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References

1. This is a good working rule, though there are some exceptions to it.
2. ille standing after its noun means that well-known, that famous.