Part 2 — CHAPTER XVII. Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs.
Reading edition
Adjectives.
96.
(1) Adjectives are regularly compared by adding -ra for the comparative, and -ost (rarely -est) for the superlative:
Positive. Comparative. Superlative.
earm, poor earmra earmost
rīce, rich rīcra rīcost
smæl, narrow smælra smalost
brād, broad brādra (brǣdra) brādost
swift, swift swiftra swiftost
(2) Forms with i-umlaut usually have superlative in -est:
Positive. Comparative. Superlative.
eald, old ieldra ieldest
lǫng, long lęngra lęngest
strǫng, strong stręngra stręngest
geong, young giengra giengest
hēah, high hīerra hīehst
(3) The following adjectives are compared irregularly:
Positive. Comparative. Superlative.
gōd, good bętra bętst
lȳtel, little, small lǣssa lǣst
micel, great, much māra mǣst
yfel, bad wiersa wierst
(4) The positive is sometimes supplied by an adverb:
Positive. Comparative. Superlative.
feor, far fierra fierrest
nēah, near nēarra nīehst
ǣr, before ǣrra, former ǣrest, first
(5) The comparatives all follow the Weak Declension. The superlatives, when preceded by the definite article, are weak; but when used predicatively they are frequently strong: sē lǣsta dǣl, the least part; Ðonne cymeð sē man sē ðæt swiftoste hors hafað tō ðǣm ǣrestan dǣle and tō ðǣm mǣstan, Then comes the man that has the swiftest horse to the first part and to the largest. But, ðæt bȳne land is ēasteweard brādost (not brādoste), the cultivated land is broadest eastward; and (hit) bið ealra wyrta mǣst, and it is largest of all herbs; Ac hyra (= hiera) ār is mǣst on ðǣm gafole ðe ðā Finnas him gyldað, But their income is greatest in the tribute that the Fins pay them.
(6) The comparative is usually followed by ðonne and the nominative case: Sē hwæl bið micle lǣssa ðonne ōðre hwalas, That whale is much smaller than other whales; Ðā wunda ðæs mōdes bēoð dīgelran ðonne ðā wunda ðæs līchaman. The wounds of the mind are more secret than the wounds of the body.
But when ðonne is omitted, the comparative is followed by the dative: Ūre Ālīesend, ðe māra is ǫnd mǣrra eallum gesceaftum, Our Redeemer, who is greater and more glorious than all created things; nē ongeat hē nō hiene selfne bętran ōðrum gōdum mǫnnum, nor did he consider himself better than other good men.
Adverbs.
97.
(1) Adverbs are regularly compared by adding -or for the comparative and -ost (rarely -est) for the superlative:
Positive. Comparative. Superlative.
georne, willingly geornor geornost
swīðe, very, severely swīðor, more swīðost, most, chiefly
ǣr, before ǣror, formerly ǣrest, first
norð, northwards norðor norðmest1
(2) The comparatives of a few adverbs may be found by dropping -ra of the corresponding adjective form:
Positive. Comparative. Superlative.
lǫnge, long lęng lęngest
micle, much mā mǣst
wel, well bęt bętst
Expressions of Time.
98.
(1) Duration of time and extent of space are usually expressed by the accusative case: Ealle ðā hwīle ðe ðæt līc bið inne, All the time that the body is within; twēgen dagas, for two days; ealne weg, all the way, always.
(2) Time when is more often expressed by the instrumental case when no preposition is used: ðȳ ilcan dæge, the same day; ǣlce gēare, each year; ðȳ gēare, that year; ǣlce dæge, each day.
(3) Time or space within which is expressed by on and the dative: on sumera, in summer; on wintra, in winter; on fīf dagum, in five days; on fīf mīlum, in five miles; on ðissum gēare, in this year; on ðǣm tīman, in those times. Sometimes by the genitive without a preceding preposition: ðǣs gēares, in that year.
99.
Vocabulary.
ðæt gefylce [folc], troop, division.
ðæt lǫnd (land), land.
sēo mīl, mile.
ōðer ... ōðer, the one ... the other; the former ... the latter.
sē sige, victory.
sige2 habban, to win (the) victory.
sprecan, to speak.
ðæt swīn (swȳn), swine, hog.
wēste, waste.
100.
Exercises.
I. 1. Hē hæfð ðrēo swīðe swift hors. 2. Ic hæbbe nigontīene scēap ǫnd mā ðonne twēntig swīna. 3. Sēo gōde cwēn cīest twā hund mǫnna. 4. Uton feohtan wið ðā Dęne mid ðrīm hunde scipa. 5. Ǫnd hīe wǣron on twǣm gefylcum: on ōðrum wæs3 Bāchsęcg ǫnd Halfdęne ðā hǣðnan cyningas, ǫnd on ōðrum wǣron ðā eorlas. 6. Ðū spricst sōðlīce. 7. Ðonne rīt ǣlc mǫn his weges. 8. Æfter mǫnigum dagum, hæfde Ælfred cyning4 sige. 9. Ðis lǫnd is wēste styccemǣlum. 10. Ðēs feld is fīftiges mīla brād. 11. Ælfred cyning hæfde mǫnige frīend, for ðǣm ðe hē wæs ǣgðer ge wīs ge gōd. 12. Ðā hwalas, ðe ðū ymbe spricst, sind micle lǣssan ōðrum hwalum. 13. Hēo is ieldre ðonne hiere swuster, ac mīn brōðor is ieldra ðonne hēo. 14. Wē cumað tō ðǣm tūne ǣlce gēare. 15. Ðā męn ðe ðā swiftostan hors hǣfdon wǣron mid ðǣm Dęnum fēower dagas.
II. 1. Our army (werod) was in two divisions: one was large, the other was small. 2. The richest men in the kingdom have more (mā) than thirty ships. 3. He was much wiser than his brother. 4. He fights against the Northumbrians with two ships. 5. After three years King Alfred gained the victory. 6. Whosoever chooses these gifts, chooses well. 7. This man’s son is both wiser and better than his father. 8. When the king rides, then ride his thanes also. 9. The richest men are not always (ā) the wisest men.
