SP: Lesson - Latin Adjective and Adverb Review
Latin Adjective and Adverb Review
Download and review the Latin I Adjectives Review Links to an external site. handout.
Adjectives are modifiers used with nouns and pronouns, which add additional details about that noun or pronoun. In Latin, adjectives use noun endings and are grouped by the set of declensional endings they use. Adverbs are modifiers used with verbs and adjectives.
The image shows a pile of ancient Roman coins. That word, ancient, is an adjective.
Adjective Review - Declension (Categories)
There are three major declensions (categories) of adjectives in Latin:
- 1st and 2nd declension adjectives. These adjectives borrow their noun endings from the 1st and 2nd declension. They are written in the dictionary with three parts: masculine, feminine, neuter - all nominative, usually singular.
- altus, alta, altum
- The base is obtained by dropping the -a from the feminine form:
- alta - a = alt-
- Irregular Adjectives. These adjectives look very similar to 1st/2nd declension adjectives, but have the following distinct features:
- The genitive singular ends in -ius for all genders
- The dative singular ends in -i for all genders
- Examples:
- unus, una, unum (gen. unius; dat. uni) - one
- alius, alia, aliud - another
- For more on irregular adjectives, please refer to the Latin I Adjectives Review Links to an external site. handout.
- 3rd Declension Adjectives. These adjectives borrow their noun endings from 3rd declension, i-stem nouns. These adjectives will be the first focus of the lesson in this module.
Adverb Review
Adverbs are modifiers used with verbs and adjectives. In English, they often end in -ly, but there are many adverbs that do not. In Latin, many adverbs are formed by using an adjective base. 1st/2nd Declension adjectives form an adverb in the following manner:
- Adjective base + e
- Example adjective: altus, alta, altum - high, deep
- Base: alt- (alta - a)
- Add -e: alt + e = alte
- alte - highly, deeply