COMPARISON

OF

ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

CHARACTERISTICS OF ADJECTIVES

• Most adjectives describe the quality of an object

• E.G.: pretty girl; brave boy

• BUT - - one girl may be prettier than another and one boy may be braver than another.

• AND THEN - - there is the prettiest girl and the bravest boy.

This difference in amount between pretty, prettier and prettiest is

calledDEGREEDEGREE

First degreePOSITIVE

Second degreeCOMPARATIVE

Third degreeSUPERLATIVE

Pretty Prettier Prettiest

Brave Braver bravest

• The comparative is used only when comparing two objects.

• The superlative is used when comparing more than two objects.

•In English, the comparative is regularly formed by adding -er to the positive: large, larger. Sometimes the adverb more is used with the positive: frequent, more frequent.

•The superlative is regularly formed by adding -est to the positive: large … largest. Sometimes the adverb most is used with the positive: frequent … most frequent.

• Sometimes a comparative is implied but not expressed. It is then expressed with the adverbs too or rather:– This lesson is too short.– This lesson is rather short.

• Sometimes the superlative is used to show that a noun has a quality in a very high degree but not necessarily the highest. It is then expressed with the adverb very:– A very brave man ...

Positive base m. & f. n. form meaning

clarus clar- -ior ius clarior,clarius

clearer

fortis fort- -ior -ius fortior,fortius

braver

audax audac- -ior -ius audacior,audacius

bolder

potens potent- -ior -ius potentior,potentius

morepowerful

The comparative of adjectives is regularly formed by adding -ior for the masculine and

feminine and -ius for the neuter to the base of the positive

The superlative of adjectives is regularly formed by adding -issimus, -a, -um to the base

of the positive

Positive base m. & f. n. form meaning

clarus clar- -issimus,-a

-um clarissimus, -a, -um

clearest

fortis fort- -issimus,-a

-um fortissimus, -a, -um

bravest

audax audac- -issimus,-a

-um audacissimus,-a, -um

boldest

potens potent- -issimus,-a

-um potentissimus,-a, -um

mostpowerful

Some adjectives have an unusual comparison.

positive comparative superlative

liber, libera,liberum

liberior, liberius liberrimus,liberrima,

liberrimumacer, acris,acre

acrior, acrius acrrimus, acrrimma,acrrimum

All adjectives whose masculine singular in the positive degree ends in -er form the superlative by

adding -rimus to this positive.

Six adjectives whose masculine singular in the positive ends in -lis form the superlative by adding

-limus to the base of the positive.

POSITIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE MEANINGS

similis,simile

similior,similius

simillimus,simillima,

simillimum

like,more like,most like

dissimilisdissimile

dissimiliordissimilius

dissimillimusdissimillima

dissimillimum

unlikemore unlikemost unlike

facilisfacile

faciliorfacilius

facillimusfacillima

facillimum

easyeasiereasiest

difficilisdifficile

difficiliordifficilius

difficillimusdifficillima

difficillimum

difficultmore difficultmost difficult

humilishumile

humiliorhumilius

humillimushumillima

humillimum

lowlowerlowest

gracilisgracile

graciliorgracilius

gracillimusgracillima

gracillimum

slendermore slendermost slender

ADVERBS

• Adverbs are formed from adjectival forms.– POSITIVE DEGREE

• first and second declension add -e to the base

• third declension adds -iter to the base

– COMPARATIVE DEGREE• the comparative nominative neuter form is used: -ius

– SUPERLATIVE FORM• add the -e ending to the nominative masculine

superlative form

EXAMPLES OF REGULAR ADVERBS

Inferus Low Inferior Lower InfimusImus

lowest

clare clearly clarius moreclearly

clarissime mostclearly

libere freely liberius morefreely

liberrime mostfreely

fortiter bravely fortius morebravely

fortissime mostbravely

celeriter quickly celerius morequickly

celerrime mostquickly

similiter similarly similius moresimilarly

simillime mostsimilarly

EXEMPLI GRATIA:

Testudo non celeris est.

Ea tarde, non celeriter currit.

Cuniculus celerior quam testudo est.

Hic celeriter currit, celerius quam testudo.

Columbus celerior quam testudo cuniculusque est. Celerrimus omnium est.

Ille celerrime, celerius quam testudo cuniculusque currit.