Adverbs and Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
Adverbs (literally meaning ‘to the verb’) describe verbs, like adjectives describe nouns:
they usually end in -ly.
We had a slow journey - adjective
We travelled slowly - adverb
For normal 2-1-2 adjectives, the adverb is formed by removing -us from the masculine
nominative singular and adding -e to the stem:
laetus -> laet- -> laete (with ‘happy’ becoming ‘happily’)
The one exception to this is that bonus -> bene (‘well’)
For third declension adjectives, the adverb is formed by adding -iter to the stem:
fortis -> fort- -> fortiter (with ‘brave’ becoming ‘bravely’)
Note that sometimes the i in the ending is dropped, and just the -ter ending is added (so
audax -> audacter): if the stem ends in t, just -er is added.
*There are many other adverbs not formed from adjectives - these must just be learnt
(there is a list on pg 23 of the John Taylor, but they also come up in your vocab)
Exercises
1) puella donum laete accepit.
2) senex breviter respondit.
3) dominus servis severe locates est.
4) puer pecuniam senis audacter crudeliterque rapuit.
5) dominus e villa irate discessit
Adverbs (literally meaning ‘to the verb’) describe verbs, like adjectives describe nouns:
they usually end in -ly.
We had a slow journey - adjective
We travelled slowly - adverb
For normal 2-1-2 adjectives, the adverb is formed by removing -us from the masculine
nominative singular and adding -e to the stem:
laetus -> laet- -> laete (with ‘happy’ becoming ‘happily’)
The one exception to this is that bonus -> bene (‘well’)
For third declension adjectives, the adverb is formed by adding -iter to the stem:
fortis -> fort- -> fortiter (with ‘brave’ becoming ‘bravely’)
Note that sometimes the i in the ending is dropped, and just the -ter ending is added (so
audax -> audacter): if the stem ends in t, just -er is added.
*There are many other adverbs not formed from adjectives - these must just be learnt
(there is a list on pg 23 of the John Taylor, but they also come up in your vocab)
Exercises
1) puella donum laete accepit.
2) senex breviter respondit.
3) dominus servis severe locates est.
4) puer pecuniam senis audacter crudeliterque rapuit.
5) dominus e villa irate discessit
