The genitive of fader and moder is, as is very seldom the case in Early English writers, fadres and modres.
An n is often added to the final -e (representing an A.Sax. vowel-ending) in the nom., dat., and acc. of nouns. For examples, see p. xxi.
II. Adjectives.
1. Adjectives have a definite and an indefinite form; the former is used when the adjective is preceded by the definite article, a demonstrative adjective, or possessive pronoun.
| Indef. | wis (wise), | god (good). |
| Def. | wise, | gode. |
2. Number.—The plural is formed by the addition of e to the singular.
| SINGULAR. | PLURAL. |
| fet (fat), | fette. |
| gret (great), | grete. |
| other, | othere. |
| tother, | tothere. |
But the -e (pl.) is seldom added to the past participle of irregular verbs. This forms the plurals thes (oblique cases these), this (thise). Tho is the plural of that.
Cases.—One makes the genitive ones; as, 'ones bles,' of one colour. The gen. pl. -re occurs in ald-re (= alre), of all; as, 'hure aldre bale,' the bale of us all; 'here aldre heuedes,' the heads of them all.
Degrees of comparison.—The comparative ends in -ere (-er), the superlative in -este (est).[[51]] Very few irregular forms occur in the present poem.