LESSON LIX: Comparison of Adjectives.
Comparison of Adjectives
541. Most adjectives add τερος to the stem to form the comparative, and τατος to form the superlative.
POSITIVE. | COMPARATIVE. | SUPERLATIVE. |
---|---|---|
πιστός (πιστο), faithful | πιστό-τερος more faithful | πιστό-τατος most faithful |
πολέμιος (πολεμιο)hostile | πολεμιώ-τερος more hostile | πολεμιώ-τατος most hostile |
ἀσφαλής (ἀσφαλεσ)safe | ἀσφαλέσ-τερος safer | ἀσφαλέσ-τατος safest |
542. When the penult of stems in ο is long by nature, or the vowel of the penult is followed by two consonants, the stem remains unchanged; otherwise ο is lengthened to ω. For the declension, see 750.
Comparatives Ending in ῑων and ιστος
543. Some adjectives, chiefly in υς and ρος, are compared by changing these endings to ῑων and ιστος.
POSITIVE. | COMPARATIVE. | SUPERLATIVE. |
---|---|---|
ἡδύς, sweet | ἡδ-ίων (sweeter) | ἥδ-ιστος (sweetest) |
κακός, bad | κακ-ίων (worse) | κάκ-ιστος (worst) |
αἰσχρός, shameful | αἰσχ-ίων (more shameful) | αἴσχ-ιστος (most shameful) |
Paradigms
544. Learn the declension of ἡδίων.
Masculine and Feminine Declension of ἡδίων, Sweeter | |
---|---|
Nominative Singular | ἡδύ |
Genitive Singular | ἡδέος |
Dative Singular | (ἡδέ-ϊ) ἡδεῖ |
Accusative Singular | ἡδύ |
Nominative and Vocative Plural | ἡδέα |
Genitive Plural | ἡδέων |
Dative Plural | ἡδέσι |
Accusative Plural | ἡδέα |
Neuter Declension of ἡδίων, Sweeter | |
---|---|
Nominative Singular | ἡδίων |
Genitive Singular | ἡδίον-ος |
Dative Singular | ἡδίον-ι |
Accusative Singular | ἡδίον-α, ἡδίω |
Nominative and Vocative Plural | ἡδίον-ες, ἡδίους |
Genitive Plural | ἡδῑόν-ων |
Dative Plural | ἡδίοσι |
Accusative Plural | ἡδίον-ας, ἡδίους |
The Genitive of Comparison
545. Adjectives of the comparative degree take the genitive.
Thus, οὗτοι κακίονές εἰσι τῶν ἄλλων, these are greater cowards than the others.
546. Adjectives in the superlative may be followed by the partitive genitive.
Thus, πέμπει τῶν πελταστῶν τοὺς ἰσχῡροτάτους, he sends the strongest of the light infantry.
547. The superlative may express simply a very high degree of the quality.
Thus, πολεμιώτατος ἦν βασιλεὺς τοῖς Ἕλλησι, the king was very hostile to the Greeks.
548. VOCABULARY.
αἰσχρός, ά, όν | shameful, disgraceful. |
Βαβυλών, ῶνος, ἡ | Babylon. |
βίος, ου, ὁ | life. |
γεύω, γεύσω, ἔγευσα, γέγευμαι | give a taste; mid., taste. |
ἴσως | adv., perhaps. |
Κιλικίᾱ, ᾱς, ἡ (cf. Κίλιξ) | Cilicia. |
πλαίσιον, ου, τό | square, of troops. |
πολεμικός, ή, όν (cf.πόλεμος) | fit for war, skilled in war, warlike. |
σκευοφόρος, ον | baggage-carrying; σκευοφόρα as noun, pack-animals, baggagetrain. |
ταχὐς, εῖα, ύ (cf. τάχα) | quick, swift. |
τελευτάω, τελευτήσω, ἐτελεύτησα, τετελεύτηκα, ἐτελευτήθην (cf. τελευτή) | bring to an end, end one’s life, die. |
τελευτή, ῆς, ἡ (cf. τέλος) | end. |
τέλος, ους, τό | fulfilment, end. |
χρόνος, ου, ὁ | time, season, period. |
549. READ ALOUD AND TRANSLATE:
1. τὰ δὲ κρέα τούτων τῶν ὀρνίθων ἥδιστα ἦν. |
2. μὴ κακίους ὦμεν τῶν ἄλλων Ἑλλήνων. |
3. ἐν τῇ τελευτῇ τοῦ βίου χαλεπώτατος ἐγένετο ὁ ἀνήρ. |
4. οὔπω δὴ πολλοῦ χρόνου1 ἡδίονος οἴνου2 γέγευμαι. |
5. τούτους ἔφασαν οἱ εἰς Βαβυλῶνα στρατευσάμενοι πολεμικωτάτους εἶναι. |
6. ἐντεῦθεν Κῦρος τὴν γυναῖκα εἰς τὴν Κιλικίᾱν ἀποπέμπει τὴν ταχίστην ὁδόν3. |
7. οὗτοί εἰσι κάκιστοί τε καὶ αἴσχιστοι ἄνδρες. |
8. τέλος4 δὲ μῑκρόταται γίγνονται αἱ τάφροι. |
9. Κῦρος οὕτως ἐτελεύτησεν, ἀνὴρ ὢν ἄρχειν ἀξιώτατος. |
10. πάντες οὗτοι οἱ βάρβαροι πολεμιώτεροι ἡμῖν ἔσονται τῶν παρὰ βασιλεῖ ὄντων. |
11. ἴσως οὖν ἀσφαλέστερον ἔσται ἡμῖν πορεύεσθαι πλαίσιον ποιησαμένους5 τῶν ὁπλῑτῶν, ἵνα τὰ σκευοφόρα ἐν ἀσφαλεστέρῳ6 ᾖ. |
NOTES.—1 Genitive of the time within which (854).—2 The genitive follows verbs signifying to taste (846).—3 Adverbial accusative (835), by the shortest road.—4Adverbial accusative, finally.—5 ποιησαμένους limits ἡμᾶς understood, the subject of πορεύεσθαι.—6in safer (position), in greater security.
551. Advance. Midnight Review.
ἐντεῦθεν ἐξελαύνει διὰ τῆς Βαβυλωνίᾱς σταθμοὺς τρεῖς
παρασάγγᾱς δώδεκα. ἐν δὲ τῷ τρίτῳ σταθμῷ Κῦρος ἐξέτασιν
ποιεῖται τῶν Ἑλλήνων καὶ τῶν βαρβάρων ἐν τῷ
πεδίῳ περὶ μέσᾱς νύκτας· ἐδόκει γὰρ τῇ αὔριον ἥξειν
NOTES.—4. ἐδόκει: he thought.— τῇ αὔριον: sc. ἡμέρᾳ (811), the next day, dative of the time when (870).— ἥξειν: future infinitive in indirect discourse (469).— 5. μαχούμενον: future participle expressing purpose (495, 4).— 7. διέταξε: Cyrus drew up his barbarian force (τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ) on the left of the entire Greek force.—8. ἡμέρᾳ: the dative follows ἅμα (864).