Label the images:
Aspis est pessima.
Camēlus est māior.
Cervīsia est bona.
Elephās est maximus.
Lacerta est mala.
Mulsum est melius.
Pārus est minor.
Passer est parvus.
Prīmus est doctus.
Secundus est doctior.
Taurus est magnus.
Tertius est doctissimus.
Trochilus est minimus.
Vīnum est optimum.
Vīpera est peior.
Comparatives | Comparātīva
The first is
learned. | Prīmus est __________.
The second is more
learned. | Secundus __________.
The third most
learned | Tertius __________.
Irregular
Comparison | Anōmala Comparātiō
A bull is large. |
Taurus est __________.
A camel bigger. |
Camēlus __________.
An elephant the
biggest. | Elephās __________.
A sparrow is
small. | Passer est __________.
A titmouse
smaller. | Pārus __________.
A wren the
smallest. | Trochilus __________.
Ale is good. |
Cervīsia est __________.
Meath (mead)
better. | Mulsum __________.
Wine the best. |
Vīnum __________.
A lizard is bad. |
Lacerta est __________.
A viper worse. |
Vīpera __________.
An asp the worst.
| Aspis __________.
bonus, doctior, doctissimus, doctus, magnus, malus, māior, maximus, melius, minor, minimus, optimus, parvus, peior, pessimus
[1] object of
comparison
Urbs antīqua etiam
(1) pulchrior erat (2) quam haec.
│ The ancient city was even (1) more
beautiful (2) than this one.
When, for example,
you say that the temple is older than the museum, the noun (or pronoun)
after than is known as the object of comparison. In Latin, the object of
comparison can be formed in two ways:
The man is stronger
¦ than the boy.
[i] Vir
[nominative] fortior est ¦ quam puer [nominative].
[ii] Vir
[nominative] fortior est ¦ puerō [ablative].
They are not
always interchangeable, but – at this stage – it is enough to recognise both
possibilities.
Links
Object of
comparison with:
[i] quam
[ii] the ablative
case
[2] relative
superlative
“Mirror, mirror on
the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”
[1] The
superlative can stand alone:
Fortissimus est. │
He is the bravest.
[2] The relative
superlative refers to when the superlative is used in relation to
something else e.g. the bravest of (all) the soldiers. Latin
expresses this idea in two ways:
[i] With the
genitive, and usually genitive plural since the superlative tends to be
highlighting the best, worst etc. of a group, more than one person or thing:
eloquentissimus ¦
Rōmānōrum │ the most eloquent ¦ of the Romans
doctissimus ¦
magistrōrum │ the most educated ¦ of the teachers
pulcherrima omnium fēminārum │
the most beautiful ¦ of all the women
altissima ¦ arborum │
the tallest ¦ of the trees
[ii] With ē / ex +
ablative plural
altissima ex arboribus │
the tallest of the trees
doctissimus ē magistrīs │
the most educated of the teachers
That is similar to
English “He’s the best pupil out of that whole class.
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/10/051224-level-2-degrees-of-comparison-17.htm
There are a very small number of irregular comparative and superlative of adverbs
[i] multum: a lot > magis: more > maximē:
the most; mostly; chiefly / especially
ī ad illum quem magis amās quam patrem (Seneca the
Elder) │ Go to him whom you love more than the father.
Cato’s recommendation to take
time when buying a farm, and not just to visit it once: Quotiēns ībis, totiēns magis
placēbit quod bonum erit. │ However often you (will) go, each time what will be
good will please you more.
quam ob rem mihi magis pār
est viā dēcēdere et concēdere (Plautus) │ For this reason, it is more
fitting to get out of the road and to make room for me.
exoptā id quod vīs maximē
tibi ēvenīre: fīet (Plautus) │ Long for what you desire the most to
happen to you; it shall be done.
Ubi ego erō? / Ubi maximē
esse vīs (Plautus) │ Where shall I be? / Where you most want to be.
Uxōrēs habent dēnī* duodēnīque*
inter sē commūnēs et maximē frātrēs cum frātribus parentēsque cum līberīs
(Caesar)│ Ten and even twelve have wives common to them, and particularly
brothers among brothers, and parents among their children.
*dēnus, -a, -um: ten (each); duodēnus, -a, -um: twelve
(each)
[ii] parum: not enough > minus: less > minimē:
least (of all); very little; no; not at all
Pacidēius suōs equitēs exporrigere coepit in longitūdinem,
quī nihilō minus ¦ fortissimē ācerrimēque
pugnābant. (Dē bellō Āfricō; adapted) │ Pacideius began to deploy his horsemen
on a broader front, and they still fought with the utmost gallantry and spirit.
[= and no less did they fight most bravely and (most)
fiercely]
Quid vīs, Pamphile? / Pa. Hinc abīre mātrem? minimē.
(Terence) │ What do you want, Pamphilus? / PAMPHILUS: My mother go away? By
no means.
Iam illud minimē mīrum est (Cicero) │ Now that is not
at all strange
Nicostrātus quīdam, fidēlis Oppianicī servolus, percūriōsus
et minimē mendāx (Cicero) │ a certain Nicostratus, a faithful slave of
Oppianicus's, a man who was very curious and by no means a liar
[iii] diū: for a long time > diūtius: for longer;
for too long > diūtissimē: for the longest time; for a very
long time
Nam mihi quidem quotīdiē augēscit magis / Dē fīliō
aegritūdō; et quantō diūtius / abest, magis cupiō tantō et magis
dēsīderō. (Terence)│ For really my sorrow about my son increases [= grows more]
daily; and the longer he is away from me, so much more do I wish
for him, and the more I miss him.
Superlative adverb and adjective in the same sentence:
Quī diūtissimē impūberēs permānsērunt, maximam
inter suōs ferunt laudem. (Caesar) │ Those who have remained virgins for the
longest time, they bear the greatest praise amongst their own
people.
[iv] potius: rather > potissimum: first
of all; above all; in preference to all; most preferably
Quidquid est, ipse ībit potius (Plautus) │ Whatever
it is, he’ll rather go there himself.
vōbīs nārrābō potius meās nunc miseriās (Plautus) │ I
will rather [ = I’ll prefer to] relate my woes to you.
[v] saepe: often > saepius: more often > saepissimē: most
often
Quīn melius nōvī quam tū et vīdī saepius. (Plautus)
│ Why, I know him better than yourself, and have seen him more times.
tū mē dē tuīs rēbus omnibus et dē Lentulī tuī nostrīque studiīs et exercitātiōnibus velim quam familiārissimē certiōrem et quam saepissimē faciās (Cicero) │ I should like you to write about all your affairs, and about the studies and training of your son Lentulus (whom I regard as mine also) as confidentially and as frequently as possible
superlative adverb
Remove the ending of the superlative adjective and add -ē;
again, even if that superlative form is irregular, it makes no difference
because all the superlative adjectives have the same ending i.e. -us > -ē
pulcherrim¦us > pulcherrimē: most / very beautifully
fortissimus > fortissimē: most / very bravely
facillimus > facillimē: most / very easily
optimus > optimē: the best / very well
Again, the superlative, if no specific comparison is being made,
can translate as “very” + the adverb:
Quid agis? │ How are you doing? > Bene, grātiās
tibi agō. │ Well, thank you. > Optimē, grātiās tibi agō. │ Very well, thank you.
quam + superlative adverb = as …ly as possible
This extract from one of Cicero’s letters shows [i] quam +
the superlative adverb and [ii] the superlative adjective both conveying “as X
as possible”:
simul ac prōgredī coeperō, quam celerrimē poterō, et quam
crēberrimīs litterīs faciam, ut tibi nota sit omnis ratiō diērum atque
itinerum meōrum (Cicero) │ as soon as I start to advance, I shall, as
quickly as I possibly can, and by as frequent letters as possible,
make sure that you are aware of the whole programme of my dates and routes
The comparative and superlative of adverbs is just one small step from the adjectives: we’ll begin with the comparative adverb.
Whatever the comparative form of the adjective is, it will
be the neuter that is used as the comparative adverb:
[i] laetus, -a, -um: happy
> comparative adjective: laetior [masculine / feminine] │
laetius [neuter]: happier
> comparative adverb laetius: more happily
[ii] comparative adjective: pulchrior [masc. / fem.] │
pulchrius [neut.]: more beautiful
> comparative adverb: pulchrius: more beautifully
Ancilla pulchrius cantabat. │The maidservant was singing more
beautifully.
Even if the comparative has an irregular form, it will still
be the neuter that is used:
[iii] comparative adjective: melior [masc. / fem.] │ melius
[neut.]: better
> comparative adverbs: melius: better
As with the comparative of adjectives – if no obvious
comparison is being made – the translation of the comparative adverb could be
“rather beautifully” or “too quickly”.
[a] Complete the translations with the English word or
phrase listed below.
Plūrimōs diēs huius annī nihil fēcimus. │ For [1] __________
days (of) this year we have done nothing.
Cūr quaeritis auxilium plūrimum dē servīs deī celerrimī?
│ Why do you ask for [2] __________ assistance from the servants of the [3]
__________ god?
Optima legiō, quae oppida īnsulae servāverat,
crēdidit imperātōrī. │ The [4] __________
legion, which had saved the towns of the island, believed the emperor.
Maximumne est templum, quod umquam vīdistī? │ Is the
temple the [5] __________ which you have ever seen?
Pessimīs impetibus cīvibus nūllus cibus erat. │
Because of the [6] __________ attacks the citizens had no food.
Versūs quam pulcherrimōs scrīpsit poēta clārissimus.
│ The [7] __________ poet wrote verses (which were) [8] __________.
Prīnceps senātūs dēbet esse quam nōbilissimus. │ The
leader of the senate ought to be [9] __________.
In caelō fulgente sōle, antrum est quam obscūrissimum.
│ Though the sun shines in the sky, the cave is [10] __________.
Mel est semper dulcissimum cibōrum omnium, quī
in vīllā sunt. │ Honey is always the [11] __________ foods, which are in
the villa.
Vēnistis ad urbem maximam tōtīus orbis terrārum. │ You
have come to the [12] __________ city of [ = in] the whole world.
as beautiful as possible; as dark as possible; as noble as
possible; best; biggest; greatest; most famous; sweetest of all; swiftest; the
most; very many; worst
[b] Complete the translations with the Latin word listed
below. Note that most of these translate as “very + adjective” rather than
“most + adjective”:
Haec est rēs [1] __________. │ This is a most serious matter.
Labor [2] __________
erat. │ The work was very difficult.
[3] __________ erat librum legere. │ It was very
easy to read the book.
Oppidum in [4] __________ monte situm est. │ The town
is located on the highest mountain.
Sōcratēs vir [5] __________ et [6] __________
erat. │ Socrates was a very wise and most educated man.
Amīcī in caldārium intrant, in quō aquā [7] __________
est. │ The friends go into the caldarium, in which the water is hottest.
[8] __________ ventus ab aquilōne cum [9] __________
nebulā, et cum [10] __________ pulvere. │ A very strong wind
from the north with a very large amount of fog, and very thick
dust.
altissimō; calidissima; dēnsissimō; difficillimus; doctissimus; facillimum; fortissimus; gravissima; maximā; sapientissimus
Latin tutorial: superlatives
Complete the translation with the word or phrase listed
below.
Pulcherrima fīlia rēgis capiētur ab inimīcīs nautīs. │
The [1] __________ daughter of the king will be captured by enemy
sailors.
Apud parentēs meōs bibam vīnum dulcissimum. │ At my
parentsʼ (house) I shall drink
the [2] __________ wine.
In silvā nēmō vīdit candidissimum celerrimumque
equum. │ In the forest no one saw the [3] __________ and [4] __________horse.
Agricola sēmina in terram firmissimam iēcit. │ The
farmer threw seeds into [5] __________ land.
Nōn possunt servī veterēs novissimō hominī placēre. │
The old slaves are not able to please the [6] __________ man.
Flēns puer in āram sacerrimam pōnētur. │ The weeping
boy will be placed onto the [7] __________ altar.
Nōn fīdimus huic, quī in monte altissimō habitat. │ We
do not trust this man, who lives on the [8] __________ mountain.
Timētisne mortem miserrimam? │ Do you fear a [9] __________
death?
Vōcem tristissimam equitis audīvimus. │ We heard the [10] __________ voice of the cavalryman.
Ferissima animālia silvae possunt hominibus
fēminīsque illīus oppidī nocēre. │ [11] The __________ animals of the
forest are able to harm the men and women of that town.
Quid faciēs postquam tempestās fortissima vēnerit? │
What will you do after the [12] __________ storm has come [= will have
come]?
Nēmō est dignior quam is. Est dignissimus cīvis
Rōmae. │ No one is more worthy than him. He is the [13] __________
citizen of Rome.
Nōlī indulgēre fēlīcissimīs iūcundissimīsque
līberīs! │ Do not indulge the [14] __________ and [15] __________
children!
Nēmō improbissimum scelus facit. │ No one does a [16]
__________ crime.
Agricola pecū ovium agente, nūbēs lentissimae in
caelō stetērunt. │ While the farmer was driving the flock of sheep, the [17] __________
clouds stood in the sky.
happiest; highest; most beautiful; most joyful; most radiant; most recent; most sacred; most worthy; most wretched; slowest; strongest; sweetest; very hard; very sad; very swift; very wicked; wildest
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”
Take a look at the last sentence from Peckett and Munday’s
Principia:
(c) sed auris tertia est longissima omnium │ but the third
ear is the longest of (them) all.
[1] The superlative can stand alone:
Fortissimus est. │ He is the bravest.
[2] The relative superlative refers to when the
superlative is used in relation to something else e.g. the bravest of (all)
the soldiers. Latin expresses this idea in two ways:
[i] With the genitive, and usually genitive plural since the
superlative tends to be highlighting the best, worst etc. of a group, more than
one person or thing:
eloquentissimus ¦ Rōmānōrum │ the most eloquent ¦ of the
Romans
doctissimus ¦ magistrōrum │ the most educated ¦ of the
teachers
pulcherrima omnium fēminārum │ the most beautiful ¦ of all
the women
altissima ¦ arborum │ the tallest ¦ of the trees
[ii] With ē / ex + ablative plural
altissima ex arboribus │ the tallest of the
trees
doctissimus ē magistrīs │ the most educated of
the teachers
That is similar to English “He’s the best pupil out of that
whole class.”
[3] Note that, in English, the preposition ‘in’ can be used
to express a relative superlative, for example, ‘the most beautiful temple in
the world,’ but Latin does not express the idea in that way:
pulcherrimum ¦ orbis [genitive] terrārum ¦ templum │ the
most beautiful temple ¦ in the world
Urbs quam vidētis, pulcherrima Italiae [genitive] est. │ The city which
you see is the most beautiful in Italy.
[4] In a relative superlative construction, the superlative
adjective will always be translated as a superlative i.e. not as ‘very +
adjective’. Compare:
mōns altissimus │ a very high mountain │ the highest mountain
altissimus montium / altissimus ē montibus │ the highest of the mountains
quam + superlative
Don’t confuse the different uses of quam
[i] quam is used with the comparative to express the
object of comparison
Mārcus altior est quam Sextus. │ Marcus is taller than
Sextus.
[ii] quam is also used with the superlative but not
with the same meaning
When used with a superlative quam conveys ‘as [adjective] as possible’:
quam potentissimus │ as powerful as possible
In the same way as the comparative form, when no obvious comparison is being made can be translated by ‘rather + adjective’ or ‘too + adjective’ e.g. fortior: braver / rather brave / too brave, so too the superlative can be translated as ‘very + adjective’ if there is no apparent idea of comparison:
Rēgina pulcherrima est. │ The queen is the most beautiful. │ The queen is very beautiful.
English can use most to convey the idea of 'very' rather than a superlative:
"That was a most interesting lecture" = a very / an extremely interesting lecture, as opposed to "That was the most interesting lecture (that I've ever been to)"
However, if it is clear that a superlative is being used, then the adjective can only be translated as a superlative.
Pulcherrima omnium fēminārum soror tua est. │ Your sister is the most beautiful of all women.
[1] There are a small number of irregular superlative forms although they have the same endings and decline in the same way as all other superlatives.
bonus, -a, -um: good > optimus, -a, -um: best
malus, -a, -um: bad > pessimus, -a, -um: worst
magnus, -a, -um: big > maximus, -a, -um: biggest
parvus, -a, -um: small > minimus, -a, -um: smallest
multus, -a, -um: much >
plūrimus, -a, -um: most; very many
[2] As with māior and minor, the superlatives maximus
and minimus can be used when talking about ages:
Sextus maximus nātū est. │ Sextus is the eldest.
Mārcus minimus nātū est. │ Marcus is the youngest.
Claudia maxima nātū est. │ Claudia is the eldest.
Flavia minima nātū est. │ Flavia is the youngest.
[3] Four of these irregualr superlatives are seen in English
derivatives:
optimus, -a, -um: best > Engl. deriv: optimist;
optimistic
pessimus, -a, -um: worst > Engl. deriv: pessimist;
pessimistic
minimus, -a, -um: smallest > Engl. deriv: minimum
maximus, -a, -um: largest > Engl. deriv: maximum
maximē + adjective
In the posts on comparatives we saw that certain adjectives which end in a vowel + us often do not form the comparative with -ior and -ius; instead they use magis (more) + the adjective. The same applies to the superlative of those adjectives where the superlative is expressed by maximē (most) + the adjective. Remember, though, that this is not a consistent use among Roman writers.
ānxius, -a, -um (anxious) > magis ānxius, -a, -um (more anxious) > maximē ānxius, -a, -um (most anxious)
And the world's greatest superlative: CIRCUS MAXIMUS
Image #1: The superlative in English expresses: the biggest or the most beautiful or, with irregular forms e.g. the best or the worst.
a superlative performance: one that is done to the
highest degree of skill
positive degree
longus, -a, um: long
comparative degree
longior, longius: longer
superlative degree
long¦issim¦us, long¦issim¦a, long¦issim¦um: (the) longest
[1] Images #2 and #3: For almost all adjectives Latin adds
-issimus, -a, -um to the stem of the adjective and they decline in exactly the
same way as any other 1st / 2nd declension adjective.
calid|us, -a, -um: hot > calid|issimus, -a, -um: hottest
frīgid|us, -a, -um: cold
> frīgid|issimus, -a, -um: coldest
[2] Image #4: Adjectives which end in -r in the positive
degree form the superlative by adding -rimus to the masculine nominative
singular form i.e. the /r/ is doubled:
pulcher, pulchra, -um: beautiful
> pulcherrimus, -a, -um: most
beautiful
ācer, ācris, ācre: bitter; severe > ācerrimus, -a,
-um: most bitter; most severe
[3] Image #5: For 3rd declension adjectives -issimus, -a,
-um is added to the stem of the genitive singular of the positive degree of the
adjective. 2 examples:
[i] nominative singular: fēlīx (happy)
> genitive singular: fēlīc¦is
> comparative: fēlīc¦ior (happier)
> superlative: fēlīc¦issimus (happiest)
[ii] nominative singular: recēns (recent)
> genitive singular: recent¦is
> comparative: recent¦ior (more recent)
> superlative: recent¦issimus (most recent)
[4] A small group of adjectives form their superlative by
adding -limus, -a, -um to the stem i.e. the /l/ is doubled; the six adjectives
listed below are the only ones which form the superlative in this way.
facil | is, -e: easy > facillimus, -a, -um:
easiest
difficilis, -e: difficult > difficillimus, -a, -um: most
difficult
similis, -e: similar > simillimus, -a, -um: most similar
dissimilis, -e: dissimilar; different > dissimillimus,
-a, -um: most unlike
gracilis, -e: slender > gracillimus, -a, -um: most
slender
humilis, -e: humble > humillimus, -a, -um: humblest
Some Latin comparatives have ended up in English not only as adjectives but also as nouns, for example:
interior design; the interior of a house
Engl. interior < La. interior, interius (inner); not a
comparative of an adjective (there is no positive degree) but of inter
(between; among)
Engl. exterior < La. exterior, exterius (outer) <
exter, -a, -um (on the outside)
Engl. superior < La. superior, superius (higher) <
superus, -a, -um (above; upper)
Engl. inferior < La. īnferior, īnferius < īnferus, -a,
-um (low)
Engl. major < La. māior, māius (bigger); irregular
comparative of magnus, -a, -um (big)
Engl. minor < La. minor, minus (smaller); irregular
comparative of parvus, -a, -um (small)
One of the images shows a nice English wordplay on “major” – Charles Ingram was a Major in the army, but then blatantly cheated on “Who wants to be
a millionaire?”, hence the double meaning of “Major Fraud”. Incidentally he was
convicted of major fraud – but, because of it, he wasn’t a Major any more!
[i] Apart from the nom. sg. masc. / fem. [clarior; fortior], all
the comparative declension in -or has a long ō: clariōris, clariōrem; fortiōrī,
fortiōrēs etc.
[ii] There is an alternative accusative plural ending in -īs:
clariōrēs / clariōrīs; fortiōrēs / fortiōrīs
[iii] The only distinction between masc. / fem. forms and neut.
forms is in the nom. / acc sg. and pl.
[iv] Compare the declension of the comparative adjective and 3rd
declension nouns. Apart from the nominative singular and the neuter accusative
singular, the noun endings and the endings for the comparative adjective are
the same.
All comparative adjectives, apart from plūs, are formed in
the same way regardless of whether the positive form is 1st / 2nd declension or
3rd declension:
1st / 2nd declension: longus,
-a, -um > longior, -ius
3rd declension: brevis, -e > brevior, -ius
Latin tutorial: summary of all the points previously discussed:
Complete the translations with the words and phrases listed
below:
better; braver; fatter; higher than; more famous; much
higher; of a bigger; of many; rather beautiful; rather huge; rather white; swifter;
than dogs; the more; the more beautiful; wilder; worse
Pause for thought: this post looks at three features of one word, namely plūs:
[i] what it means, [ii] how it is used – and not used, and [iii]
how it is formed i.e. its declension
It is a very good example of the need to decide how
far you want to go when learning a particular aspect of Latin. What it means in
terms of passive reading is the crucial point because, regardless of its
different forms and ways in which it is used, the main aim is to recognise
it and to know its meaning. When I started I focused on [i] and [ii]. I vaguely
familarised myself with the endings i.e. I took a look at them but didn’t sit
down and learn them.
As has been mentioned so often before, you can become more
secure with the endings of Latin when reading the language in context. Look at
the quotations and phrases below from two different perspectives: pretty much
every example of plūs – regardless of its form - translates as ‘more’;
leave the endings until later.
Another point to note: a declension table will give you all
the forms, but some forms are very rare – and, as the table shows – there are
occasions when one does not exist i.e. it is not attested anywhere. As Orwell
(sort of) stated: “All endings are equal, but some endings are more equal than
others.”
plūs: more; it is the comparative form of multus, -a,
-um (much)
Note: While Modern French uses plus
+ the adjective to form comparatives e.g. plus grand (bigger) and
plus intéressant (more interesting), Latin does not use plūs
in that way: you cannot say *plūs altus* or *plūs pulcher* to express
taller or more beautiful.
[1] In the singular, it functions
as a noun:
paulō plūs quam
mille passūs (Livy) │ a little more than 1,000 paces [= a Roman
mile]
Cicero in the prosecution case against
Verres:
… arātōrēs vī et metū coāctōs
Aprōniō multō plūs quam dēbuerint dedisse, │ … the cultivators, coerced by violence and
fear, gave much more to Apronius than they owed
In the singular it is also used
with another noun in the genitive case to express more of something:
plūs vīnī: more
wine; note the French equivalent which replaces the genitive case with ‘de’
(of): plus de vin i.e. literally ‘more (of) wine’
plūs pecūniae
habēre │ to have more money
plūs malī quam bonī
adferre (Cicero) │ to bring more bad than good
[2] In the plural, plūrēs functions as an adjective agreeing with the noun i.e. it does not govern the genitive in the way that plūs does.
The translation may not always
specifically express “more” but some term referring to “a (fairly) great number”
or, depending on context, ‘too many’:
ē plūribus ūnum: out of
many, one
[i] Plūs ¦ nummōrum
invēnimus. │ We found more (of the) coins.
[ii] Plūrēs nummōs
invēnimus. │ We found more coins.
Examples:
[i]
Itaque domī gaudet, plūs
in diē nummōrum accipit, quam alter patrimōnium habet. (Petronius:
Satyricon) │ So he rejoices at home and receives more coins in a day
than another person has as a whole fortune.
Plūs tamen hostium fuga
quam proelium absūmpsit; (Livy)│ Yet more of the enemy perished in
flight than in the battle
plūs voluptātum
habēre quam dolōrum (Cicero) │ to have more (of) pleasures than (of) pains
A fairly loose translation of a
line from Juvenal:
Aspice portūs et plēnum magnīs
trabibus mare: plūs hominum es iam in pelagō. Look at our ports, our
seas, crowded with big ships ! The men at sea now outnumber those
on shore [i.e. more men]
[ii]
… cum ōrātōrēs duo aut plūrēs
populī iūdiciō probantur (Cicero) │ … when two or more speakers are
judged by the people
Quid ego plūra dīcam?
(Cicero) │ What more (words) am I to say?
In these last two examples, note how the translation may not be "more" but rather some general expression of a large number which can vary depending upon context:
Iste petit ā rēge et ¦ eum plūribus
verbīs ¦ rogat ut id ad sē mittat (Cicero) │ He begs the king, and ¦ entreats
him most earnestly [= asks him with very / too many words] ¦ to send it
to him
Inde plūrium diērum praeparātīs cibāriīs cōnsilium erat īre ad hostem (Livy) │ From there, after several days' rations had been prepared, the plan was to march against the enemy.
Complete the translations with the missing words and phrases listed below.
a little smaller; as wealthy; crueller; less; more; more
blessed; much wiser; prettier; sicker; tall as; than; than freedom; than he
(is); that one; the more; the more frightened
The adverb multō ‘by much’, originally an ablative of multus, is used when emphasising the amount of difference; in grammar this is known as the ablative of degree of difference i.e. by how much something / someone is taller, wider, richer etc.
Rēx multō fortior quam frāter est. │ The king is much / far braver than his brother.
Ego in terram eō multō pulchriōrem. │ I am going to a much more
beautiful country.
Horātia multō prūdentior est quam cēterae. │
Horatia is much wiser than the others.
Examples of other adverbs which function in the same way
are:
[i] paulō: by a little
haec quaestiō paulō difficilior est │ this
problem is a little more difficult
[ii] tantō: by so much; tantō melior / melius │ all (so
much) the better
'tantō melior' inquit 'Massa, dōnō tibi
cālīgās'. (Petronius) │ “Better than ever, Massa,” he said, “I
will give you a pair of boots.”
[iii] dīmidiō: by
half; dimidio brevius │ shorter by half; half as short
Hibernia īnsula, dīmidiō minor ut exīstimātur
quam Britannia (Caesar) │ Ireland, smaller, as is reckoned, than
Britain, by one half
[iv] aliquantō: by a little (somewhat); considerably
Johannes Jonstonus’s 300 page work on birds published in
1657 has a superb set of illustrations. In the descriptions of the birds there
are many good examples of comparatives and the use of aliquantō:
Masculus aliquantō longior est, corpore, collō ac cristā ampliōrī. Rōstrum fēminae brevius est … [Johannes Jonstonus: Historiae naturalis de avibus (1657)] │ The male is somewhat longer, with a larger body, neck, and crest. The female's beak is shorter …
Latin tutorial: ablative of degree of difference
The comparative may not always be translated as ____er or more ____ but as [i] rather + adjective or [ii] too + adjective
Where no obvious comparison is being made:
‘Mīles fortior est.’ could equally be translated as ‘The
soldier is braver’ or ‘The soldier is rather brave’
‘hoc difficilius est’ / this is more difficult / this is
rather difficult / this is too difficult; context will determine whether rather
/ too + adjective is preferable to a comparative.
If, however, a comparison is clearly being made (with
something or someone else) then only a translation as a comparative will be
used:
Mīles fortior quam agricola est. / The soldier is
braver than the farmer.
[1] Two people / things being compared may be the same i.e. a comparative of equality. English uses “X is as [adjective] as Y” e.g. John is as tall as Peter. Alternatively, a person / thing may not be as big as someone / something else. In this type of construction a comparative adjective is not used – either in English or in Latin.
To express this idea Latin uses (nōn) tam [adjective]
quam …
Antōnius est tam [altus] quam Lūcius. │
Antonius is as [tall] as Lucius.
Tam esse clēmēns tyrannus quam rēx importūnus
potest (Cicero) │ A tyrant may be as mild as a king may be harsh
Via Latīna nōn tam longa est quam via
Appia. │The Latin Road is not as long as the Appian Way.
Nōn enim tam praeclārum est scīre Latīnē quam
turpe nescīre (Cicero) │ For it is not as praiseworthy to know Latin
as it is shameful to not know it.
From “In taberna quando sumus” (Medieval)
Tam prō Pāpā quam prō rēge / bibunt omnēs sine
lēge │ Without restraint they all drink [literally] as to the Pope as
to the king [ = equally to the Pope and to the king; they drink as many toasts
to the Pope as they do to the king]
[2] one may be less than as opposed to more than
minus … quam …
Canis minus vēlōx quam cervus est. │ A dog is less
swift than a deer.
Mīles minus fortis quam prūdēns est. │ The
soldier is less brave than wise.
English may “play around” with translations of “less” i.e. “The
dog is slower than a deer / isn’t as swift as a deer” and “The soldier is not
so much brave as wise”.
[3] “The bigger, the better / the more the merrier”
[a] quantō [+ comparative] … tantō [+ comparative] / the
____ er … the ____ er
Quantō pulchrior tempestās erat, tantō
fēlīciōrēs erāmus. │ The nicer the weather was, the
happier we were.
[b] quō [+ comp.] … hōc (eō) [+ comp.] / the ____ er … the
____ er
Quō pulchrior tempestās erat, hōc fēlīciōrēs
erāmus. │ The nicer the weather was, the happier we
were.
Quō quis est fortior, eō est generōsior.
│ The braver someone is, the
nobler he is.
Quō quid est melius, eō rārius
est. │ The better a thing, the rarer it is.
[1] A comparative can stand alone:
The second nose is longer.
[2] A comparative can also compare X to Y:
The second nose is longer ¦ than the first nose.
‘than’ introduces the object of comparison i.e. the
person / thing which is being compared.
[3] Latin can form the object of comparison in two ways:
[i] comparative + quam (than) + the person / thing being
compared; similar to English:
Nāsus secundus est longior quam nāsus prīmus.
[ii] The object of comparison is in the ablative case
without quam
Nāsus secundus est longior nāsō prīmō.
[i] and [ii] have the same meaning
The man is stronger than the boy.
This can be expressed in both ways as shown above:
[i] Vir [nominative] fortior est ¦ quam puer [nominative].
[ii] Vir [nominative] fortior est ¦ puerō [ablative].
Similarly:
Haec via longior ¦ quam illa est. │ Haec via longior ¦ illā
[ablative] est. │ This road is longer than that one.
Maior nātū sum ¦ quam frāter. │ Maior nātū sum ¦ frātre. [ablative]
│ I’m older than my brother.
Minor nātū sum ¦ quam soror. │ Minor nātū sum ¦ sorōre. │ I’m
younger than my sister.
[4] When
quam is used the nouns being compared are in the same case:
[i] The walls ¦ of the city are higher ¦ than the estate’s
[= (those) of the estate]
Moenia urbis [genitive] altiora sunt quam villae [genitive].
[ii] I have never
seen ¦ a more sensible girl ¦ than Flavia.
Numquam puellam prūdentiōrem [accusative] vīdī quam Flāviam [accusative].
[iii] I have seen ¦
many braver men ¦ than Achilles.
Multōs virōs vīdī fortiōrēs [accusative] quam Achillem [accusative].
[iv] The journey is longer by road ¦ than by sea.
Iter longius viā [ablative] ¦ quam marī [ablative] est.
[i] comparisons with quam
[ii] ablative of comparison