1. Adjectives

2. Positive Degree
Adjectives have three degrees, positive, comparative, and superlative.
Last year we learned the positive degree for many adjectives.
Some of those adjectives were called first and second declension adjectives because when you decline them, you use the first and second declension noun endings. Here are some of the first and second declension adjectives from last year:
altus-a-um = high or deep; latus-a-um = wide; longus-a-um = long
laetus-a-um = happy; sacer-sacra-sacrum = sacred;
miser-misera-miserum = sad; pulcher-pulchra-pulchrum beautiful

3. Practice using first and second declension endings by declining altus-alta-altum Check your work with your PIB buddy.

4. Positive Degree continued…
There were other adjectives we learned last year as well and these declined in third declension. They used third declension endings and all had long “ī” in the ablative singular and “ium” in the genitive plural. Also, the neuters have “ia” in nom. and acc. plural. Examples were:
M F N Three termination adjectives have three separate forms for nominative sing. = m.f.n.
celer-celeris-celere swift
acer-acris-acre sharp or bitter
M/F N Two termination adjectives have two separate forms for nom. sing. = m.f.n.
fortis, forte strong or brave
facilis, facile easy
difficilis, difficile hard
One termination adjectives have one form for nom. sing. and you are given the genitive form so that you may
MFN genitive singular decline the adj. You still need to make two charts because neuter endings are different!
ingens, ingentis huge or enormous
potens, potentis powerful
The way to find the base of a third declension adjective is to remove the ending from the feminine form.

5. Practice Declining celer-celeris-celere Remember that all third declension adjectives have long “ī” in the ablative singular and “ium” in the genitive plural. In addition to that, the neuters have “ia” in both the nominative and accusative plural. Do this with your PIB buddy!

6. Adjectives also come in the comparative degree
This allows us to compare things.
Something is bigger/wider/prettier THAN something else.
We need to take the positive degree adjective and change it into a comparative form. All you have to do is take the BASE of the positive degree of the adjective and add –ior for the m/f and –ius for the neuter! HOW DO YOU FIND AN ADJECTIVE’S BASE?
Answer: Look at the feminine and take off its ending.
Try writing the base for these adjectives and have your PIB buddy check your work.
M F N M F N M/F N
altus-alta-altum pulcher-pulchra-pulchrum fortis, forte

7. Answers:
m f n
The base of altus-alta-altum is alt because you took off the “a” from the feminine form.
m f n
The base of pulcher-pulchra-pulchrum is pulchr because you took off the “a” from the feminine form.
m/f n
The base of fortis, forte is fort because you took off the “is” ending from the feminine form

8. When you add –ior or –ius to the base of the positive degree, you create the comparative degree. Now you are ready to compare things. There are two ways you will need to learn.
Puella est laetior quam puer.
The girl is happier (comparative degree fem. Form because puella is feminine)
than (quam) the boy. Another way to do it is to write an ablative of comparison.
Puella est laetior puero (long “o” = abl. s.).
This means: The girl is happier than the boy. When you leave out the word quam you must put the second word in the ablative case in order to make the comparison.
You may also use comparatives to mean “rather” and so you don’t necessarily have to compare two things. Puella est altior. = The girl is rather tall. I am using the comparative form, but I am not comparing two things!

9. Now let’s review what we learned so far.
Figure out which adjectives belong to the first and second declension and which belong to the third? How do you know? Can you decline them all in the positive degree? Do this out loud for one or two.
callidus-callida-callidum clever
defessus-defessa-defessum tired
horribilis, horribile
omnis, omne
mirabilis, mirabile

10. Now change these positive degree adjectives to comparative degree adjectives. First, find the base. How do you find the base of all adjectives?
callidus-callida-callidum clever
defessus-defessa-defessum tired
horribilis, horribile
mirabilis, mirabile

11. The girl is more horrible than the boy. (two ways)
How would your write each of these sentences two different ways. Check with your PIB buddy.
The girl is more horrible than the boy. (two ways)
The girl is more tired than the boy. (two ways)
puella, puellae f. girl horribilis, horribile
puer, puerī m. boy defessus-a-um tired

12. When declining the comparatives, decline them just like regular third declension nouns.
M and F
blank is ī em e
ēs um ibus ēs ibus
and
Neuter
blank is ī blank e
a um ibus a ibus

13. Finally, the last degree is superlative and it means very______or the most____or the___est!
To form these, get the base and add –issimus-issima-issimum and decline them just the way you decline first and second declensions…a, ae, ae, am ā……us ī ō um, ō … um ī ō um ō
If the base ends in “l” don’t add –issimus-a-um, just add –limus-lima-limum and if the base ends in “r” just add –rimus-rima-rimum
The base of altus-alta-altum I = alt so add issimus-a-um
Answer latissimus
For facilis, facile the base is facil so add –limus-lima-limum = facillimus- facillima-facillimum
For celer add –rimus-rima-rimum = celerrimus-celerrima-celerrimum

14. frigidus-frigida-frigidum
Identify which of these adjectives is positive, comparative, or superlative. Write m. f. n. above the corresponding forms. Translate each word in all possible ways. Check with your PIB buddy!
sacrior, sacrius
latissimus-a-um
longus-longa-longum
similis, simile
frigidus-frigida-frigidum