Schaum's Outline of Latin Grammar - Alan Fishbone [37]
The wise man, when he heard this,
departed.
Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
The comparative or superlative degree of the adjective may be used alone as a strengthened form of the positive.
Pater est sapientior.
The father is very wise.
Pater est sapientissimus.
The father is extremely wise.
Comparative adjectives often occur with an ablative of comparison nearby (see p. 93).
Pater est sapientior fõÅlioÅ.
The father is wiser than the son.
Comparative adjectives may also express a comparison using the adverb quam.
Pater est sapientior quam fõÅlius.
The father is wiser than the son (is).
1 ` Substantive' is another term for noun.
CHAPTER 7 Syntax of the Adjective
101
When quam is used, both terms in the comparison must be in the same case: fõÅlius on page 100 is nominative to correspond with pater.
DõÅcoÅ patrem sapientioÅrem esse
I say that the father is wiser than the
quam fõÅlium.
son.
Here fõÅlium is accusative, to correspond to patrem, itself the subject of an indirect statement.
Superlative adjectives often take a partitive genitive.
PecuÅnia est pessima omnium maloÅrum. Money is the worst of all evil things.
Sometimes the superlative will occur with quam to express the adjective's meaning `às strongly as possible.'
Pater est quam sapientissimus.
The father is as wise as possible.
Exercises
1. Translate the following.
1. MalõÅ pecuÅniam amant.
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2. Multa pecuÅnia est multoÅ melior amoÅre.
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3. Multa pecuÅnia est multoÅ melior quam multus amor.
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4. Aurum pulcherrimum omnium bonoÅrum est.
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5. DõÅcoÅ aquam esse quam pulcherrimam.
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6. PoeÅta miser deÅ avaÅritiaÅ RoÅmaÅnoÅrum claÅmaÅbat.
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7. PoeÅta deÅ avaÅritiaÅ RoÅmaÅnoÅrum miser claÅmaÅbat.
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2. Translate the following.
1. LuÅce sunt claÅrioÅra noÅbõÅs tua coÅnsilia omnia.
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CHAPTER 7 Syntax of the Adjective
2. Hanc veÅroÅ taeterrimam beÅluam quis ferre potest?
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3. Habet quidem certeÅ reÅs puÅblica aduleÅscentõÅs noÅbilissimoÅs paraÅtoÅs deÅfensoÅreÅs.
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4. Quis claÅrioÅribus virõÅs quoÅdam tempore iuÅcundior, quis turpioÅribus coniunctior? Quis cõÅvis melioÅrum partium aliquandoÅ, quis taetrior hostis huic cõÅvitaÅtõÅ? Quis in voluptaÅtibus inquinaÅtior, quis in laboÅribus patientior? Quis in rapaÅcitaÅte avaÅrior, quis in largõÅtioÅne effuÅsior?
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Vocabulary
lux,