Page:Latin for beginners (1911).djvu/156

134 COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES

a. Observe that the endings are those of the consonant stems of the third declension.

b. Compare longus, long; fortis, brave; recēns (base, recent-), recent; and decline the comparative of each.

304. Adjectives in -er form the comparative regularly, but the superlative is formed by adding -rimus, -a, -um to the nominative masculine of the positive; as,

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
ācer, ācris, ācre (Base acr-)	ācrior, ācrius	ācerrimus, -a, -um
pulcher, pulchra, pulchrum (Base pulchr-)	pulchrior, pulchrius	pulcherrimus, -a, -um
līber, lībera, līberum (Base līber-)	līberior, līberius	līberrimus, -a, -um

a. In a similar manner compare miser, aeger, crēber.

305. The comparative is often translated by quite, too, or somewhat, and the superlative by very; as, altior, quite (too, somewhat) high; altissimus, very high.

306.

EXERCISES

First learn the special vocabulary, p. 296.

I.

1. Quid explōrātōrēs quaerēbant? Explōrātōrēs tempus opportfūissimum itinerī quaerēbant.
2. Mediā in silvā ignīs quam crēberrimōs fēcimus, quod ferās tam audācis numquam anteā vīderāmus.
3. Antīquīs temporibus Germānī erant fortiōrēs quam Gallī.
4. Caesar erat clārior quam inimīcī^[1] quī eum necāvērunt.
5. Quisque scūtum ingēns et pīlum longius gerēbat.
6. Apud barbarōs Germānī erant audācissimī et fortissimī.
7. Mēns hominum est celerior quam corpus.
8. Virī aliquārum terrārum sunt miserrimī.
9. Corpora Germānōrum erant ingentiōra quam Rōmānōrum.
10. Ācerrimī Gallōrum prīncipēs sine ūllā morā trāns flūmen quoddam equōs vēlōcissimōs trādūxērunt.
11. Aestāte diēs sunt longiōrēs quam hieme.
12. Imperātor quīdam ab explōrātōribus dē recentī adventū nāvium longārum quaesīvit.

II.

1. Of all birds the eagle is the swiftest.
2. Certain animals are swifter than the swiftest horse.
3. The Roman name was most

1. Why is this word used instead of hostēs?