Section 3: Adjective Nouns
SECTION III.
OF ADJECTIVE NOUNS.
1. ADJECTIVES are of one, two, or three terminations.
2. Adjectives of three Terminations are declined thus: — Singular.
Nom. Cien. Dat. Acc. Voc. Abl.
Mas. Dur-us, hard, -i, -o, -um, -e, -o.
Fem. Dur-a, -ae, -ae, -am, -a, -a.
Neu. Dur-um, -i, -o -um, -um, -o.
Plural.
Mas. Dur-i. -orum, -is, -os, -i, -is.
Fem. Dur-ae, -arum, -is, -as, -ae, -is.
Neu. I)ur-a, -orum, -is, -a, -a, -is.
3. All Adjectives ending in us, except vetus, Gen. veteris, old; some in er, as, sacer, sacra, sacrum, holy; and one in ur, as satur, satura, saturum, well-fed, are declined like durus.
4. These Adjectives form the Genitive in ius, the Dative in i: Unus, solus, totus, ullus, nullus, alter, uter, neuter; and alius, which makes the Neuter aliud, Gen. alius, Dat. alii. These six last want the Vocative.
5. Adjectives of two Terminations are declined thus: — Singular.
Nom. Gen. Dat. Acc. Voc. Abl.
M. or F. Trist-is, sad, -is, -i, -em, is, -i.
N. Trist-e, -is, -I, -e, -e, -i.
Plural.
M. or F. Trist-es, -ium, -ibus, -es, -es, -ibus.
N. Trist-ia, -ium, -ibus, -ia, -ia, -ibus.
Or thus: —
Singular.
Nom. Gen. Dat. Acc. Voc. Abl.
M. or F. Duri-or, harder,-oris, -ori, -orem, -or, -ore. N. Duri-us, -oris, -ori, -us, -us, -ore, or
-ori.
Plural.
M. or F. Durior-es, -um, -ibus, -es, -es, -ibus.
N. Durior-a, -um, -ibus, -a, -a, -ibus.
6. The following in er are declined like tristis: Campester, volucer, celeber, celer, saluber, sylvester, alacer, pedester, equester.
7. Adjectives of one Termination are declined thus: — Singular.
Nom. Gen. Dat. Acc. Voc. Abl.
M. or F. Amen-s, mad, -tis, -ti, -tem, -s, -te, or-ti. N. Amen-s, -tis, -ti, -s, -s, -te, or-ti.
Plural.
M. or F. Amen-tes, -tium, -tibus, -tes, -tes, -tibus. N. Amen-tia, -tium, -tibus, -tia, -tia, -tibus.
8. Adjectives ending in as, es, ar, or, z, or s, and some in er, are declined like amens.
9. Adjectives of the Comparative Degree are declined like durior; of the Superlative, like durus.
10. Participles of the Present Tense are declined like amens; all other Participles, like durus.
11. Adjectives have three Degrees of Comparison; the Positive, which is the Adjective itself; the Comparative, which declares some preference or excess, and sometimes defect; the Superlative, which often shows an excess above the Positive to the highest degree.
12. The Comparative Degree is formed by adding or to the first Case of the Positive ending in i; as, altus, high, alti, altior, higher.
13. The Superlative, by adding ssimus; as, altissimus, highest. Pos. Com. Sup.
From Durus, G. duri, are formed durior, durissimus. Mollis, G. mollis, D. molli, mollior, mollissimus.
14. But Adjectives in er form the Superlative by adding rimus; as, asper, asperrimus.
15. Agilis, docilis, facilis, gracilis, humilis, imbecillis, similis, by changing is into limus; as, similis, like; simillimus, most like.
16. Words ending in us pure, form the Comparative by adding magis; the Superlative, by adding maxime, valde, perquam, or admodum; as, pius, pious; magis pius, more pious; maxime pius, most pious.
17. The following words are irregularly compared: Bonus, good, melior; optimus; malus, bad, pejor, pessimus; magnus, great, major, maximus; parvus, little, minor, minimus; multus, many, plus, N., plurimus; inferus, below, infimus; superus, above, superior, supremus or summus; posterus, posterior, postremus; exterus, exterior, extremus; nequam, wicked, nequior, nequissimus; benevolus, benevolentior, benevolentissimus; and so maledicus, munificus, magniloquus.
18. Duo and ambo are thus declined: —
Nom. Gen. Dat. Acc. Voc. Abl.
M. Duo, two, -orum, -obus, -os, -o, -obus.
F. Du-ae, -arum, -abus, -as, -ae, -abus.
N. Du-o, -orum, -obus -o, -o, -obus.
M. or F. Tr-es, three, -ium, -ibus, -es, -es, -ibus. N. Tri-a, -um, -bus, -a, -a, -bus.
19. Other numerals, to centum, au hundred, are indeclinable.