COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES, The comparison of adjectives expreffes the quality in different degrees; as, hard, harder, hardeft. Thofe adjectives only are compared, whofe fignification admits the diftinction of more and lefs. The degrees of comparison are three, the Pofitive, Comparative, and Superlative. I The Pofitive feems improperly to be called a degree. It fimply fignifies the quality; as, durus, hard; and ferves only as a founda tion for the other degrees. By it we exprefs the relation of equality; as, he is as tall as I. The Comparative expreffes a greater degree of the quality, and has always a reference to a lefs degree of the fame; as, fronger, wifer. The Superlative expreffes the quality carried to the greatest degree; as, frongeft, wifeft. The Comparison of LATIN Adjectives, The comparative degree is formed from the first cafe of the pofitive in i, by adding the fyllable or, for the mafculine and feminine, and us, for the neuter: The fuperlative is formed from the fame cafe, by adding fsimus; as, Altus, high, genit. alti; Comparative, altior, for the mafc. altior, for the feminine, altius, for the neut. higher : Superlative, altiffimus, -a, -um, higheft./ So mitis, meek; dative, miti: mitior, -or, -us, meeker; "mitifsimus, -a, -um, meekest. : If the pofitive end in er, the fuperlative is formed by adding rimus; as, pauper, poor; pauperrimus, pooreft./ The comparative is always of the third declenfion The fuperlative of the first and fecond; as, altus, altior, altiffimus; alta, altior, altiffima; altum, altius, altiffimum; gen. alti, altiōris, altiffimi, &c. Irregular and Defective Comparison. Fem. Multa, plurima; neut. multum, plus, plurimum; plur. Multi; plures, plurimi; multæ, plures, plurimæ, &c. In feveral of these, both in English and Latin, the comparative and superlative seem to be formed from fome other adjective which in the positive has fallen into disuse: in others, the regular form is contracted; as, maximus, for magnissimus: moft, for moreft; leaft, for Leffeft; worst, for worsef 2. These five have their superlative in lĭmus : Facilis, facilior, facillimus, eafy. Gracilis, gracilior,gracillimus, lean. Imbecillis, imbecillior, imbecilli mus, weak. Humilis, humilior, humillimus,low. Similis, fimilior, fimillĭmus, like. 3. The following adjectives have regular comparatives, but form the fuperlative differently: Citer, citerior, citimus, near. mús, outward. Infĕrus,-ior, infimus,or imus, belors. Maturus, -ior, maturrimus, or maturiffimus, ripe. Pofterus, pofterior, poftremus, behind. Superus, -rior, fuprēmus, or fummus, high. Vetus, veterior, veterrimus, old. 4. Compounds in dicus, lõquus, ficus, and volus, have entior, and entiffimus; as, maledicus, railing, maledicentior, maledicentiffimus: So magniloquus, one that boafteth; beně ficus, beneficent; malevõlus, malevolent; mirificus, wonderful, -entior, -entiffimus, or mirificiffimus. There are a great many adjectives, which, though capable of having their fignification increased, yet either want one of the degrees of comparison, or are not compared at all. 1. The following adjectives are not used in the positive, Deterior, worse, deterrimus. Ocior, fwifter, ocifsimus. Prior, former, primus. Propior, nearer, proximus, nearest of next. Ulterior, farther, ultimus. 2. The following want the comparative: Inclytus, inclytiffimus, renowned. Nuperus, nuperrimus, late. 3. The following want the fuperlative: Adolefcens, adolefcentior, young. Diuturnus, diuturnior, lafting. Ingens, ingentior, huge. Juvenis, junior, young. Opimus, opimior, rich. Pronus, pronior, inclined down wards To fupply the fuperlative of juvenis or adolefcens, we fay minimus natu, the youngest; and of fenex, maximus natu, the oldeft. Adjectives in ilis,alis, and bilis, alfo want the fuperlative; as, civilis, civilior, civil; regālis, regalior, regal; flebilis, -ior, lamentable. So juvenilis, youthful; exilis, small, regālis, like a king, &c. To these add several others of different terminations: Thus, arcānus, -ior, fecret; declīvis, -ior, bending downwards; longinquus, -ior, far off; propinquus, -ior, near. Anterior, former ; fequior, worse; fatior, better; are only found in the comparative. 4. Many adjectives are not compared at all: fuch are those compounded with nouns or verbs; as, versicolor, of divers colours; pestifer, poisonous: also adjectives in us pure, in ivus, īnus, orus, or imus, and diminutives; as, dubius, doubtful; vacuus, empty; fugitivus, that flieth away; matutīnus, early; canōrus, thrill; legitimus, lawful; tenellus, fomewhat tender; majufculus, &c.: together with a great many others of various terminations; as, almus, gracious; pracox, -ocis, early ripe; mirus, egenus, lacer, memor, fofpes, &c. foon or This defect of comparifon is fupplied by putting the adverb magis before the adjective, for the comparative degree; and valde or maxime for the fuperlative; thus, egenus, needy; magis egenus, more needy; valde or maxime egenus, very or most needy. Which form of comparison is also used in those adjectives which are regularly compared. PRONOUN. A pronoun is a word which stands inftead of a noun.↑ Thus, I ftands for the name of the perfon who fpeaks; thou, for the name of the perfon addreffed. Pronouns ferve to point out objects, whofe names we either do not know, or do not want to mention. They also serve to fhorten discourse, and prevent the too frequent repetition of the same word; thus, instead of faying, When Gafar had conquered Gaul, Cafar turned Cafar's arms against Cafar's country, we say, When Cæfar had conquered Gaul, be turned his arms against bis country. The fimple pronouns in Latin are eighteen; ego, tu, fui; ille, ipfe, ifle, hic, is, quis, qui; meus, tuus, fuus, nofter, vefler; noftras, veftras, and cujas. Three of them are fubftantives, ego, tu, fui; the other fifteen are adjectives. Obf. 1. Ego wants the vocative, because one cannot call upon himself, except as a fecond perfon: thus we cannot fay, 0 ego, Ò I; O nos, O we. Obf. 2. Mibi in the dative is sometimes by the poets contracted into mi. Obf. 3. The genitive plural of ego was anciently noftrorum and noftrarum; of tu, veftrorum and veftrarum, which were afterwards con tracted into noftrum and veftrum. We commonly use noftrum and veftrum after partitives, numerals, comparatives, or fuperlatives; and noftri and veftri after other words. The English fubftantive pronouns, be, fe, it, are expreffed in Latin by thefe pronominal adjectives, ille, ifte, hic, or is; as, Ille, for the mafc. illa, for the fem. illud, for the neut that: or, ille, he; illa, fhe; illud, it, or that; thus, Ipfe, he himself, ipfa, she herself, ipfum, itself; and ifte, ifta, iftud, that, are declined like ille; only ipfe has ipfum in the nom. acc. and voc. fing. neut. Ipfe is often joined to ego, tu, fui; and has in Latin the fame force with felf in English, when joined with a pofpronoun; as, ego ipfe, I myself. feffive Quis, quæ, quod, or quid? which, what? Or Quis? who or what man ? qua ? who? or what woman? quod or quid?' what? or what thing? thus, N. quis, quæ, quod or quid,N. qui, quæ, G. cujus,cujus, cujus, D. cui, cui, cui, quæ, G. quorum,quarum,quorúm, quem,quam,quodorquid, A. quos, quas, quæ, A. quo, qua, quo. A. queis, or quibus, &c. |