Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs

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Comparison of Adjectives:
Synopsis	Comparatives & Superlatives	3rd Declension
More Adjectives	Declensions	********
Comparison of Adverbs:
Synopsis	Conversions	a)gaqo&j
Correspondence	Notes	'More than'
w(j + Superlative	Irregular Examples	Exercises
Reading	********	********

COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES: Synopsis:

An adjective has three stages of comparison.

It is said to be positive in its simple form:

the wise judge
the quick hare
the beautiful goddess.

In the comparative it is compared with someone or something else:

the judge is wiser than the general
the hare is quicker than the tortoise
Aphrodite is more beautiful than Hera.

The superlative gives a superiority to all else in the category:

the wisest judge
the quickest animal
the most beautiful goddess.

In English the comparative and superlative are formed regularly by adding -er, -est as:

tall, taller, tallest;

if the adjective ends in a single consonant this is doubled as:

big, bigger, biggest,

if it ends in -y this changes to -i- as:

pretty, prettier, prettiest,

if it ends in -e then this is elided as:

wise, wiser, wisest.

If the adjective has three or more syllables then more and most are generally used as:

beautiful, more beautiful, most beautiful.

Comparative and superlative in Greek adapt in much the same way in that the regular ending, comparable to -er, -est, is -teroj, -tatoj, added to the masculine singular without the final sigma:

a)rxai=oj	a)rxaio&teroj	a)rxaio&tatoj
old	older	oldest
i0sxuro&j	i0sxuro&teroj	i0sxuro&tatoj
strong	stronger	strongest

However, if the penultimate syllable has a short vowel this is lengthened

(to avoid the cacophony of four consecutive short syllables):

sofo&j	sofw&teroj	sofw&tatoj
wise	wiser	wisest
a!cioj	a)ciw&teroj	a)ciw&tatoj
worthy (of)	worthier	worthiest

In third declension adjectives the endings are added to the neuter singular:

safh&j	safe/steroj	safe/statoj
clear	clearer	clearest
baru&j	baru&teroj	baru&tatoj
heavy	heavier	heaviest

with -esteroj, -estatoj added to neuters ending in -on:

eu)dai/mwn	eu)daimone/steroj	eu)daimone/statoj
happy	happier	happiest

Some adjectives have:

the comparative ending in -iwn
the superlative ending in -istoj

h(du&j	h(di/wn	h3distoj
pleasant	pleasanter	pleasantest
kako&j	kaki/wn	ka&kistoj
	xei/rwn	xei/ristoj
bad	worse	worst

These two adjectives drop the -r- in the comparative and superlative:

ai1sxroj	ai0sxi/wn	ai1sxistoj
ugly	uglier	ugliest
e1xqroj	e0xqi/wn	e1xqistoj
hostile	more hostile	most hostile

and note that this very common adjective doubles the lambda:

kalo&j	kalli/wn	ka&llistoj
beautiful	more beautiful	most beautiful

The declension of the comparative adjective is:

-teroj, -tera, -teron

(like ai1sxroj, ai1sxra, ai1sxron)

or -wn, -on (like sw&frwn, sw~fron),

the declension of the superlative is in

-oj, -h, -on

like kalo&j, kalh&, kalo&n.

ADVERBS AND THEIR COMPARISON

SYNOPSIS

An adjective describes a noun and agrees with it in gender, number and case.

An adjective usually has a corresponding adverb which accompanies a verb or explains how the action of the verb is performed, e.g.

The beautiful goddess sings beautifully

where beautiful is an adjective describing goddess, but beautifully is an adverb explaining sings.

In English an adjective is converted to an adverb by adding -ly (wise, wisely),

in Greek the endings

-oj, -hj change to -wj,
-wn changes to -onwj
-uj changes to -ewj

(i.e. in general -wn of genitive plural becomes -wj):

sofo&j	sofw~j	a)lh&qhj	a)lh&qwj
wise	wisely	true	truly
taxu&j	taxe/wj	sw&frwn	swfro&nwj
quick	quickly	prudent	prudently

Irregular (as in English) is the adverb of a)gaqo&j good which is eu} well,

hence English derivatives in eu- connecting with good as euphony, eulogy, eugenics.

Because the adverb accompanies a verb it has no gender, number or case and therefore

does not change its form.

The comparison of adverbs (always in English with more, most) follows that of the corresponding adjective:

the comparative of the adverb is the same as the neuter singular of the adjective

the superlative of the adverb is the same as the neuter plural of its adjective

The comparison of adverbs corresponding to the adjectives previously given therefore are:

i0sxurw~j	i0sxuro&teron	i0sxuro&tata
strongly	more strongly	most strongly
sofw~j	sofw&teron	sofw&tata
wisely	more wisely	most wisely
safw~j	safe/steron	safe/stata
clearly	more clearly	most clearly
swfro&nwj	swfrone/steron	swfrone/stata
prudently	more prudently	most prudently
h(de/wj	h(di/on	h#dista
pleasantly	more pleasantly	most pleasantly

and similarly:
kakw~j	kaki/on	ka&kista
ai1sxrwj	ai1sxion	ai1sxista
kalw~j	ka&llion	ka&llista

NOTES
The comparative and superlative of adjectives and adverbs can be used without reference to others and then have the sense for the comparative of rather, quite and for the superlative of very:
sofw&tero&j e0sti.	sofw&tato&j e0sti.
he is quite / rather wise.	he is very wise.
sofw&teron kri/nei.	sofw&tata kri/nei.
he judges quite / rather wisely.	he judges very wisely.

More than with a comparative adjective can be translated in two ways:
EITHER
translate "than" by h! with the same case as before
OR
without translating "than" put the noun in the genitive* (genitive of comparison*)
The king is wiser than the general.
o( basile/uj sofw&tero&j e0sti	h! o( strathgo&j.
or	tou~ strategou~.

Cf. from the chorus in Sophocles' Antigone:

polla_ ta_ deina&, kou)de\n a)nqrw&pou deino&teron.

Many things are awe-inspiring, and nothing more awe-inspiring than man.

With an adverb only the first way (h! = than) can be used:

a)lhqe/steron gra&fei h! le/gei.

He writes more truly than he speaks.

w(j with a superlative adverb translates: as ... as possible
feu&gein taxe/wj	to run away quickly
feu&gein w(j ta&xista	to run away as quickly as possible

Irregular comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs:

Positive		Comparative	Superlative
taxu&j		qa&sswn	ta&xistoj
quick
taxe/wj		qa~sson	ta&xista
quickly
r(a&\|dioj		r(a&\|wn	r(a&\|stoj
easy
me/gaj		mei/zwn	me/gistoj
big
o)ligo&j		mikro&teroj	mikro&tatoj
little	or	mei/wn
		h#sswn	e0la&xistoj
or		e0la&sswn
polu&j		plei/wn	plei=stoj
much		(neuter ple/on)
a)gaqo&j		a)mei/nwn	a!ristoj
good	or	belti/wn	be/ltistoj
or as stronger, strongest		krei/sswn	kra&tistoj
eu]		a!meinon	a!rista
well
and note:
ma&la		ma~llon	ma&lista
very / very much		more	most
pro&		pro&teroj	prw~toj
in front		former	first

EXERCISES

16(i)

Complete, in the manner of the first sentence:

e0gw_ me\n me/gaj, su_ de\ mei/zwn, a)ll 0 e0kei=noj o( me/gistoj.

e0gw_ me\n sofo&j,

e0gw_ me\n dikai=oj,

e0gw_ me\n a)gaqo&j,

e0gw_ me\n taxu&j,

Now check your ANSWERS here.

16(ii)

Translate in two ways:
The father is stronger than the child.


The soldiers are braver than the sailors.


Deeds are clearer than words.


Nothing is sweeter than life.

Now check your ANSWERS here.

16(iii)

Translate:

Helen is the fairest of women.

h( 9Ele/nh e0sti kalli/sth tw~n gunaikw~n.

Homer is the best of poets.

Zeus is the greatest of all.

Water is healthier than wine.

No one was happier than the king.

Now check your ANSWERS here.

16(iv)

Translate:
To judge wisely
-- as wisely as possible
To fight bravely
--as bravely as possible
To work well
--as well as possible

Now check your ANSWERS here.

READING:
	oi0 me\n i0pph&wn stra&ton, oi0 de\ pe/sdwn
	oi0 de\ na&wn fai=s 0 e0pi ga~n me/lainan
	e1mmenai ka&lliston, e0gw_ de\ kh~n 0 o!t-
	tw\| tij e1ratai.
	Sappho
(e1mmenai = ei]nai, kh~n o#ttw = e0kei=no o#tou)
Some say a force of cavalry, some of infantry, some of warships is fairest on the dark earth, but I say it is whom one loves.

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