[ LESSON LV]
IRREGULAR COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES (Continued)
[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 |
|---|---|---|
| bonus, -a, -um, good | melior, melius | optimus, -a, -um |
| magnus, -a, -um, great | maior, maius | maximus, -a, -um |
| malus, -a, -um, bad | peior, peius | pessimus, -a, -um |
| multus, -a, -um, much | ——, plūs | plūrimus, -a, -um |
| multī, -ae, -a, many | plūrēs, plūra | plūrimī, -ae, -a |
| parvus, -a, -um, small | minor, minus | minimus, -a, -um |
[312.] The following four adjectives have two superlatives. Unusual forms are placed in parentheses.
| exterus, -a, -um, outward | (exterior, -ius, outer) |
extrēmus, -a, -um (extimus, -a, -um) | outermost, last |
| īnferus, -a, -um, low | īnferior, -ius, lower |
īnfimus, -a, -um īmus, -a, -um | lowest |
| posterus, -a, -um, next | (posterior, -ius, later) |
postrēmus, -a, -um (postumus, -a, -um) | last |
| superus, -a, -um, above | superior, -ius, higher |
suprēmus, -a, -um summus, -a, -um | highest |
[313.] Plūs, more (plural more, many, several), is declined as follows:
| Singular | Plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MASC. AND FEM. | NEUT. | MASC. AND FEM. | NEUT. | |
| Nom. | —— | plūs | plūrēs | plūra |
| Gen. | —— | plūris | plūrium | plūrium |
| Dat. | —— | —— | plūribus | plūribus |
| Acc. | —— | plūs | plūrīs, -ēs | plūra |
| Abl. | —— | plūre | plūribus | plūribus |
a. In the singular plūs is used only as a neuter substantive.
[314.] EXERCISES