Comparison of Adjectives: Regular Comparative and Superlative Forms

LatinPraxis Index

What do comparisons of adjectives (positive-comparative-superlative degrees) look like in English?

What is the first step to take to form the regular comparative or superlative degrees of an adjective in Latin?

Then what do you do to go from that first step to the comparative...

  ...or from that first step to the superlative?

Comparative forms are like third-declensions adjectives, but how are they different from regular third-declension adjectives?

Adjectives have degrees of comparison:

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
red	redder	reddest
happy	happier	happiest
ingenious	more ingenious	most ingenious
good	better	best

In English, some comparisons are regular, like the ones that add -(i)er and -(i)est, or more and most. And some are irregular, like good-better-best. So too in Latin: there are some adjectives that show predictable changes and some that do not.

The general rules for the regular Latin comparison of adjectives are as follows:

First, find the BASE on which all the comparative and superlative forms are made. You do this by removing any genitive singular ending of the adjective.

An adjective like beâtus, a, um gives the genitive forms beâtî (masculine), beâtae (feminine), beâtî (neuter). Remove the genitive endings -î, -âe, or -î and you have as a base:

BEÂT-

An adjective like fidêlis, e gives the genitive forms fidêlis (in all genders) Remove the genitive -is and you have as a base:

FIDÊL-

Use the base to form BOTH the comparative AND the superlative degrees of the adjective.

For COMPARATIVE forms, add to the base the endings

-IOR (m. /f., genitive -iôris)

-IUS (neuter, genitive -iôris)

CLUE: The -IOR- in a position right before an adjective's case-ending is a good clue to use to recognize comparatives. But remember that -IUS occurs twice: in the neuter nominative and accusative singular forms.

For SUPERLATIVE forms, add to the base the endings

-ISSIMUS, -A, -UM

and decline the word as you would bonus, a, um.

  

CLUE: The -ISSIM- in a position right before an adjective's case-ending is a good clue to use to recognize superlatives.

Latin Teaching Materials at Saint Louis University:
Claude Pavur 1997 - 2003.   This material is made freely available for non-commercial educational use.