Latin for Beginners, Benjamin Leonard D'Ooge [easy novels to read .TXT] 📗

{(«postumus, -a, -um») }
                                                last
  «superus, -a, -um», «superior, -ius» { «suprēmus, -a, -um» }
    above higher { «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

First learn the special vocabulary, p. 296.

I. 1. Reliquī hostēs, quī ā dextrō cornū proelium commīserant, dē superiōre locō fūgērunt et sēsē in silvam maximam recēpērunt. 2. In extrēmā parte silvae castra hostium posita erant. 3. Plūrimī captīvī ab equitibus ad Caesarem ductī sunt. 4. Caesar vērō iussit eōs in servitūtem trādī. 5. Posterō diē magna multitūdō mulierum ab Rōmānīs in valle īmā reperta est. 6. Hae mulierēs maximē perterritae adventū Caesaris sēsē occīdere studēbant. 7. Eae quoque plūrīs fābulās dē exercitūs Rōmānī sceleribus audīverant. 8. Fāma illōrum mīlitum optima nōn erat. 9. In barbarōrum aedificiīs maior cōpia frūmentī reperta est. 10. Nēmō crēbrīs proeliīs contendere sine aliquō perīculō potest.

II. 1. The remaining women fled from their dwellings and hid themselves. 2. They were terrified and did not wish to be captured and given over into slavery. 3. Nothing can be worse than slavery. 4. Slavery is worse than death. 5. In the Roman empire a great many were killed because they refused to be slaves. 6. To surrender the fatherland is the worst crime.

LESSON LVI

IRREGULAR COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES (Concluded)
ABLATIVE OF THE MEASURE OF DIFFERENCE

[Special Vocabulary]

  «aditus, -ūs», m., approach, access; entrance
  «cīvitās, cīvitātis», f., citizenship; body of citizens, state
    (city)
  «inter», prep, with acc., between, among (interstate commerce)
  «nam», conj., for
  «obses, obsidis», m. and f., hostage
  «paulō», adv. (abl. n. of «paulus»), by a little, somewhat

  «incolō, incolere, incoluī, ——», transitive, inhabit;
    intransitive, dwell. Cf. «habitō», «vīvō»
  «relinquō, relinquere, relīquī, relictus», leave, abandon
    (relinquish)
  «statuō, statuere, statuī, statūtus», fix, decide (statute), usually
    with infin.

«315.» The following adjectives are irregular in the formation of the superlative and have no positive. Forms rarely used are in parentheses.

COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE «citerior», hither («citimus», hithermost) «interior», inner («intimus», inmost) «prior», former «prīmus», first «propior», nearer «proximus», next, nearest «ulterior», further «ultimus», furthest

«316.» In the sentence Galba is a head taller than Sextus, the phrase a head taller expresses the «measure of difference» in height between Galba and Sextus. The Latin form of expression would be Galba is taller than Sextus «by a head». This is clearly an ablative relation, and the construction is called the «ablative of the measure of difference».

EXAMPLES

  «Galba est altior capite quam Sextus»
    Galba is a head taller (taller by a head) than Sextus.
  «Illud iter ad Italiam est multō brevius»
    That route to Italy is much shorter (shorter by much)

«317.» RULE. «Ablative of the Measure of Difference.» With comparatives and words implying comparison the ablative is used to denote the measure of difference.

a. Especially common in this construction are the neuter ablatives

«eō», by this, by that «nihilō»,[1] by nothing «hōc», by this «paulō», by a little «multō», by much

[Footnote 1: «nihil» was originally «nihilum» and declined like «pīlum». There is no plural.]

«318.» EXERCISES

First learn the special vocabulary, p. 297.

I. 1. Barbarī proelium committere statuērunt eō magis quod Rōmānī īnfīrmī esse vidēbantur. 2. Meum cōnsilium est multō melius quam tuum quia multō facilius est. 3. Haec via est multō lātior quam illa. 4. Barbarī erant nihilō tardiōrēs quam Rōmānī. 5. Tuus equus est paulō celerior quam meus. 6. Iī quī paulō fortiōrēs erant prohibuērunt reliquōs aditum relinquere. 7. Inter illās cīvitātēs Germānia mīlitēs habet optimōs. 8. Propior via quae per hanc vallem dūcit est inter portum et lacum. 9. Servī, quī agrōs citeriōrēs incolēbant, priōrēs dominōs relinquere nōn cupīvērunt, quod eōs amābant. 10. Ultimae Germāniae partēs numquam in fidem Rōmānōrum vēnērunt. 11. Nam trāns Rhēnum aditus erat multō difficilior exercituī Rōmānō.

II. 1. Another way much more difficult (more difficult by much) was left through hither Gaul. 2. In ancient times no state was stronger than the Roman empire. 3. The states of further Gaul did not wish to give hostages to Cæsar. 4. Slavery is no better (better by nothing) than death. 5. The best citizens are not loved by the worst. 6. The active enemy immediately withdrew into the nearest forest, for they were terrified by Cæsar’s recent victories.

LESSON LVII FORMATION AND COMPARISON OF ADVERBS

[Special Vocabulary]

  «aequus, -a, -um», even, level; equal
  «cohors, cohortis (-ium)», f., cohort, a tenth part of a legion,
     about 360 men
  «currō, currere, cucurrī, cursus», run (course)
  «difficultās, -ātis», f., difficulty
  «fossa, -ae», f., ditch (fosse)
  «gēns, gentis (-ium)», f., race, tribe, nation (Gentile)
  «negōtium, negōtī», n., business, affair, matter (negotiate)
  «regiō, -ōnis», f., region, district
  «rūmor, rūmōris», m., rumor, report. Cf. fāma
  «simul atque», conj., as soon as

  «suscipiō, suscipere, suscēpī, susceptus», undertake
  «trahō, trahere, trāxī, trāctus», drag, draw (ex-tract)
  «valeō, valēre, valuī, valitūrus», be strong; plūrimum valēre,
     to be most powerful, have great influence (value). Cf. validus

«319.» Adverbs are generally derived from adjectives, as in English (e.g. adj. sweet, adv. sweetly). Like adjectives, they can be compared; but they have no declension.

«320.» Adverbs derived from adjectives of the first and second declensions are formed and compared as follows:

POSITIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE Adj. cārus, dear cārior cārissimus Adv. cārē, dearly cārius cārissimē

Adj. pulcher, beautiful pulchrior pulcherrimus Adv. pulchrē, beautifully pulchrius pulcherrimē

Adj. līber, free līberior līberrimus Adv. līberē, freely līberius līberrimē

a. The positive of the adverb is formed by adding «-ē» to the base of the positive of the adjective. The superlative of the adverb is formed from the superlative of the adjective in the same way.

b. The comparative of any adverb is the neuter accusative singular of the comparative of the adjective.

«321.» Adverbs derived from adjectives of the third declension are formed like those described above in the comparative and superlative. The positive is usually formed by adding «-iter» to the base of adjectives of three endings or of two endings, and «-ter» to the base of those of one ending;[1] as,

POSITIVE COMPARATIVE SUPERLATIVE Adj. fortis, brave fortior fortissimus Adv. fortiter, bravely fortius fortissimē

Adj. audāx, bold audācior audācissimus Adv. audācter, boldly audācius audācissimē

    [Footnote 1: This is a good working rule, though there are some
    exceptions to it.]

«322.» «Case Forms as Adverbs.» As we learned above, the neuter accusative of comparatives is used adverbially. So in the positive or superlative some adjectives, instead of following the usual formation, use the accusative or the ablative singular neuter adverbially; as,

  Adj. facilis, easy prīmus, first
  Adv. facile (acc.), easily prīmum (acc.), first
                                      prīmō (abl.), at first
  Adj. multus, many plūrimus, most
  Adv. multum (acc.), much plūrimum (acc.), most
          multō (abl.), by much

«323.» Learn the following irregular comparisons:

bene, well melius, better optimē, best diū, long (time) diūtius, longer diūtissimē, longest magnopere, greatly magis, more maximē, most parum, little minus, less minimē, least prope, nearly, near propius, nearer proximē, nearest saepe, often saepius, oftener saepissimē, oftenest

«324.» Form adverbs from the following adjectives, using the regular rules, and compare them: «laetus», «superbus», «molestus», «amīcus», «ācer», «brevis», «gravis», «recēns.»

«325.» RULE. «Adverbs.» Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

«326.» EXERCISES

First learn the special vocabulary, p. 297.

I. 1. Nūlla rēs melius gesta est quam proelium illud[2] ubi Marius multō minōre exercitū multō maiōrēs cōpiās Germānōrum in fugam dedit. 2. Audācter in Rōmānōrum cohortīs hostēs impetūs fēcērunt 3. Marius autem omnēs hōs fortissimē sustinuit. 4. Barbarī nihilō fortiōrēs erant quam Rōmānī. 5. Prīmō barbarī esse superiōrēs vidēbantur, tum Rōmānī ācrius contendērunt. 6. Dēnique, ubi iam diūtissimē paene aequō proeliō pugnātum est, barbarī fugam petiērunt. 7. Quaedam Germānōrum gentēs, simul atque rūmōrem illīus calamitātis audīvērunt, sēsē in ultimīs regiōnibus fīnium suōrum abdidērunt. 8. Rōmānī saepius quam hostēs vīcērunt, quod meliōra arma habēbant. 9. Inter omnīs gentīs Rōmānī plūrimum valēbant. 10. Hae cohortēs simul atque in aequiōrem regiōnem sē recēpērunt, castra sine ūllā difficultāte posuērunt.

II. 1. Some nations are easily overcome by their enemies. 2. Germany is much larger than Gaul. 3. Were not the Romans the most powerful among the tribes of Italy? 4. On account of (his) wounds the soldier dragged his body from the ditch with the greatest difficulty. 5. He was able neither to run nor to fight. 6. Who saved him? A certain horseman boldly undertook the matter. 7. The rumors concerning the soldier’s death were not true.

[Footnote 2: «ille» standing after its noun means that well-known, that famous.]

LESSON LVIII NUMERALS · THE PARTITIVE GENITIVE

[Special Vocabulary]

«commeātus,