11. (5) a and ä change to e before the comparative suffix -mpa in disyllabic words, and before the suffix ta, tta, of the passive. Vanha, old, comparative vanhempi; istutan, I plant, istutetaan, passive.

12. (6) The nominative sing. of superlatives (stem -impa), and of caritive adjectives (stem -toma), drops a: kovimpa becomes kovin (by rules [24], [46]); and viattoma, innocent, viaton ([46]).

13. (7) a, ä become i in the nominative sing. of comparatives, stem kovempa, nominative kovempi.

E.

14. (1) E is always rejected before i. Kive-illä becomes kivillä, with stones; Mere-illä, Merillä.

15. (2) Dissyllables ending in e always change that vowel to i in the nominative singular. Stems, mere, sea, tuule, wind, nominatives, meri, tuuli.

The only important exceptions to this rule are the words itse, self, and kolme, three. Nukke, a doll, is also found, and sine, blue, is used as well as sini.

The stem miehe, man, makes mies in the nominative sing.

16. (3) Polysyllabic stems ending in e reject it in the nominative sing. Stem, sisare; nominative, sisar, a sister.