Latin for Beginners Part 35

LESSON LIV

IRREGULAR COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES THE ABLATIVE WITH COMPARATIVES WITHOUT _QUAM_

[Special Vocabulary]

>, f., _speed_ (celerity) >, m., _shout, clamor_ >, _mild, gentle_ (lenient) >, f., _woman_ >, f., _mult.i.tude_ >, dat. >, acc. > (gen. >, abl. >, from >), no plur., m. and f., _no one_ >, _well known, n.o.ble_ >, adv. (an old abl.), _by night_ (nocturnal) >, adv., _immediately, at once_ >, adv., _suddenly_ >, _slow_ (tardy) >, _desire, wish_ (cupidity)

<307.>> The following six adjectives in <-lis>> form the comparative regularly; but the superlative is formed by adding <-limus>> to the base of the positive. Learn the meanings and comparison.

POSITIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE facilis, -e, _easy_ facilior, -ius facillimus, -a, -um difficilis, -e, _hard_ difficilior, -ius difficillimus, -a, -um similis, -e, _like_ similior, -ius simillimus, -a, -um dissimilis, -e, _unlike_ dissimilior, -ius dissimillimus, -a, -um gracilis, -e, _slender_ gracilior, -ius gracillimus, -a, -um humilis, -e, _low_ humilior, -ius humillimus, -a, -um

<308.>> From the knowledge gained in the preceding lesson we should translate the sentence _Nothing is brighter than the sun_

>

But the Romans, especially in negative sentences, often expressed the comparison in this way,

>

which, literally translated, is _Nothing is brighter away from the sun_; that is, _starting from the sun as a standard, nothing is brighter_.

This relation is expressed by the separative ablative >. Hence the rule

<309.>> RULE. > is omitted, is followed by the separative ablative._

<310.>> EXERCISES

First learn the special vocabulary, p. 296.

I. 1. Nemo milites alacriores Romanis vidit. 2. Statim imperator iussit nuntios quam celerrimos litteras Romam portare. 3. Multa flumina sunt leniora Rheno. 4. Apud Romanos quis erat clarior Caesare? 5. Nihil pulchrius urbe Roma vidi. 6. Subito mult.i.tudo audacissima magno clamore proelium acrius commisit. 7. Num est equus tuus tardus? Non vero tardus, sed celerior aquila. 8. Ubi Romae fui, nemo erat mihi amicior s.e.xto.

9. Quaedam mulieres cib.u.m militibus dare cupiverunt. 10. Rex vetuit civis ex urbe noctu discedere. 11. Ille puer est gracilior hac muliere. 12. Explorator duas (_two_) vias, alteram facilem, alteram difficiliorem, demonstravit.

II. 1. What city have you seen more beautiful than Rome? 2. The Gauls were not more eager than the Germans. 3. The eagle is not slower than the horse. 4. The spirited woman did not fear to make the journey by night. 5. The mind of the mult.i.tude was quite gentle and friendly.

6. But the king's mind was very different. 7. The king was not like (similar to) his n.o.ble father. 8. These hills are lower than the huge mountains of our territory.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ARMA ROMANA]

LESSON LV

IRREGULAR COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES (_Continued_)

[Special Vocabulary]

>, n., _command, chief power; empire_ >, f., _death_ (mortal) >, _remaining, rest of_. As a noun, m. and n. plur., _the rest_ (relic) >, n., _crime_ >, f., _slavery_ (servitude) >, f., _valley_

>, _strain, struggle; hasten_ (contend) >, _cut down, kill_. Cf. >, >

>, _terrify, frighten_ >, _receive, recover_; >, _betake one's self, withdraw, retreat_ >, _give over, surrender, deliver_ (traitor)

<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 >, _good_ > > >, _great_ > > >, _bad_

>

> >, _much_ <----, plus="">>

> >, _many_

>

>

>, _small_ > >

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

>, (>, { > } _outward_ _outer_) {(>) } _outermost, last_ >, >, { > } _low_ _lower_ { > } _lowest_

>, (

>, {

> } _next_ _later_) {(

>) } _last_ >, > { > } _above_ _higher_ { > } _highest_

<313.>>

>, _more_ (plural _more, many, several_), is declined as follows:

SINGULAR PLURAL MASC. AND FEM. NEUT. MASC. AND FEM. NEUT.

_Nom._ ---- plus plures plura _Gen._ ---- pluris plurium plurium _Dat._ ---- ---- pluribus pluribus _Acc._ ---- plus pluris, -es plura _Abl._ ---- plure pluribus pluribus

_a._ In the singular

> is used only as a neuter substantive.

<314.>> EXERCISES

First learn the special vocabulary, p. 296.

I. 1. Reliqui hostes, qui a dextro cornu proelium commiserant, de superiore loco fugerunt et sese in silvam maximam receperunt. 2. In extrema parte silvae castra hostium posita erant. 3. Plurimi captivi ab equitibus ad Caesarem ducti sunt. 4. Caesar vero iussit eos in servitutem tradi. 5. Postero die magna mult.i.tudo mulierum ab Romanis in valle ima reperta est. 6. Hae mulieres maxime perterritae adventu Caesaris sese occidere studebant. 7. Eae quoque pluris fabulas de exercitus Romani sceleribus audiverant. 8. Fama illorum militum optima non erat. 9. In barbarorum aedificiis maior copia frumenti reperta est.

10. Nemo crebris proeliis contendere sine aliquo periculo 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.

LESSON LVI

IRREGULAR COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES (_Concluded_) ABLATIVE OF THE MEASURE OF DIFFERENCE

[Special Vocabulary]

>, f., _citizenship; body of citizens, state_ (city) >, prep, with acc., _between, among_ (interstate commerce) >, conj., _for_ >, m. and f., _hostage_

>, adv. (abl. n. of

>), _by a little, somewhat_

>, transitive, _inhabit_; intransitive, _dwell_. Cf. >, > >, _leave, abandon_ (relinquish) >, _fix, decide_ (statute), usually with infin.

<315.>> The following adjectives are irregular in the formation of the superlative and have no positive. Forms rarely used are in parentheses.

COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE >, _hither_ (>, _hithermost_) >, _inner_ (>, _inmost_)

>, _former_

>, _first_

>, _nearer_

>, _next, nearest_ >, _further_ >, _furthest_

<316.>> In the sentence _Galba is a head taller than s.e.xtus_, the phrase _a head taller_ expresses the > in height between Galba and s.e.xtus. The Latin form of expression would be _Galba is taller than s.e.xtus >_. This is clearly an ablative relation, and the construction is called the

EXAMPLES

> _Galba is a head taller_ (taller by a head) _than s.e.xtus_.

> _That route to Italy is much shorter_ (shorter by much)

<317.>> RULE.

_a._ Especially common in this construction are the neuter ablatives

>, _by this, by that_ >,[1] _by nothing_ >, _by this_

>, _by a little_ >, _by much_