RULE 34.-To compare an adjective add to the positive r,28 or er for the comparative, and st or est29 for the superlative; in both cases soften the radical vowels a o u into ä ö ü,30 as, arm, ärmer, der ärmste; klein, kleiner, der kleinste; grosz, gröszer, der gröszte.31 RULE 35.-Comparatives and superlatives are declined in the same way as the adjective in its positive form. (See Rules 31, 32, and 33.) Decline der beste Vater, ein ärmerer Knabe, unser schöneres Buch, schönste Blume, ein kleinerer Bruder. REMARK 28.-r take only adjectives ending in e, as-weise, weiser; nahe, näher; sachte, sachter; but er take all others—grosz, gröszer; g'ücklich, glücklicher. REMARK 29.-The est is only used for the sake of euphony, instead of st, as—grosz, gröszest; heisz, heiszest. REMARK 30.-The following do not modify the vowels: (a) All derived adjectives (see Remark 25) and participlesdankbar-er, lachend-er, gebogen-er. (b) Adjectives having o or a double vowel for their radical vowelschaal-er, stolzer. (c) The following adjectives-blasz, pale; sachte, gently; rund, round; bunt, variegated; stumpf, blunt; sanft, gentle; matt, weary; falsch, false; flach, flat; gerade, straight. REMARK 31.-Adjectives can also be compared: (a) By placing before the positive the words mehr, more; minder,* less; sehr, very; überaus, above all; ungemein, uncommonly; auszerordentlich, extraordinarily; höchst, most; zu, allzu, too; vorzüglich, especially, as-mehr grosz als klein, rather larger than small; minder klug als reich, less wise than rich; sehr reich, very rich; ungemein brav, uncommonly brave. (b) By prefixing to the positive the syllable erz (arch) or some other explicative word, as-eiskalt, very cold (cold as ice); kohlschwarz, very black (black as a coal); schneeweisz, very white (white as snow); erzdumm, very stupid (arch stupid). * Observe that mehr and minder must be used of necessity where two adjectives or two qualities are compared: mehr schwarz als braun, more black than brown; minder häszlich als unangenehm, more ugly than disagreeable. CHAPTER VI. OF NUMERAL ADJECTIVES. RULE 36.-Numeral adjectives point out the number, quantity, order, classification, or extent of nouns ; they are: 1. Cardinal.35 2. Ordinal. 3. Augmentative. 5. Multiplicative. 7. Bisecting. 8. Indefinite. (c) By using 80 or ebenso (as) before the positive, and wie or als (as) after it-er ist ebenso reich wie sein Bruder, he is as rich as his brother. (d) By placing before the comparative the words viel, much; weit, far; noch, still; wenig, less; ungleich, unlike; bei weitem, by far; aser ist weit gelehrter als sein Bruder, he is far more learned than his brother; Sie sind bei weitem reicher als er, you are by far richer than he; er ist viel unglücklicher als sein Bruder, he is much more unhappy than his brother. (e) By prefixing to the superlative the words aller, am, auf, zum, im, as --- allerliebster, dearest; auf das schönste, most beautifully; im mindesten, in the least; am meisten, the most; zum besten, for the best. REMARK 32.-With some adjectives only the superlative is used: aüszere, äuszerste; (outward) hintere, hinterste; (behind) obere, oberste; (upper) vordere, vorderste; (fore) untere, unterste; (under) REMARK 33.-Some adjectives are irregularly compared; they are-high, hoch, höher, höchst; near, nahe, näher, nächst; much, viel, mehr, meist; soon, bald, eher, ehest; good, gut, besser, best. REMARK 34.-Use, to express : size: klein, kleiner, kleinste, value: gering, geringer, geringste, character: schlecht, schlechter, schlechteste, a consequence: schlimm, schlimmer, schlimmste, for small or little. } for bad. REMARK 35.-Some cardinal numbers are used as substantives; zwei and drei take er in the genitive, and the others take e or en in the plural; as-zweier Knaben, of two boys; von sechsen, out of six; die RULE 37. The cardinal numbers are invariable; 90. neunzig, &c., &c. 100. hundert. 101. hundert und eins. 199. hundert und neun und neunzig. 21. ein und zwanzig. 200. zwei hundert. RULE 38.-Ordinal numbers are formed from the cardinal ones by adding te up to nineteen and ste from Hunderte, the hundreds; die Tausende, the thousands; mit Vieren fahren, to drive four horses; alle Neune werfen, to throw all nine (at ninepins). REMARK 36.-The number eins (an unit) expresses only an indefinite object, and remains invariable; but it changes into ein, eine, ein, when placed before a noun, and is the indefinite article (see Rule 6); if preceded by the definite article it is declined like the adjective, according to Rule 31; if followed immediately by a possessive pronoun or used by itself (implying only one) it takes the endings of the definite article, and becomes an indefinite pronoun. (See Rule 53.) Decline-(a) ein Hund, a dog; eine Katze, a cat; ein Buch, a book. (b) der eine, die eine, das eine, the one. (c) einer, eine, eines, only one. REMARK 37.-Instead of zwei the Germans use beide (both) to represent two inseparable persons or things; as-beide Augen, both eyes; beide Herren sind hier gewesen, both (the two) gentlemen were here. Beide is declined like an adjective in the plural. REMARK 38.-If cardinal numbers are united to nouns expressing part of a whole, those nouns remain in the singular, although there is a plural in the English; as-drei Pfund, three pounds; sechs Fusz, six feet; hundert Mann stark, consisting of one hundred men. twenty upwards. Der erste (the first) is an exception. Der letzte (the last) also belongs to them.39 They are all declined like the adjectives. (See Rules 31, 32.40) Write out the ordinal numbers up to 100 and decline der erste, der zwanzigste, der dritte, der letzte, der hundertste. RULE 39.—To form augmentative numbers add fach or fältig to cardinal ones; as-einfach, simple; dreifältig, threefold; sechsfach, sixfold, &c., &c. Write out the augmentative numbers up to 15. RULE 40.-To form fractional numbers add tel to cardinal ones up to nineteen and stel from twenty upwards (halb, drittel, excepted), 42 as-viertel 1, fünftel, &c., &c. 41 Write out the fractional numbers up to 25. Remark 39.—THE FIRST and THE LAST is translated by der erste and der letzte when following the verb to be; as-ich war der erste du bist der letzte; in every other case it is rendered by zuerst and zuletzt; as—er kam zuerst, he came first; sie ging zuletzt, she went last. REMARK 40.-(a) When indicating the order of a prince the ordinal number is written with a capital letter, and follows the noun, it is always preceded by the definite article and is declined, whereas the proper noun remains invariable; as- - Wilhelm der Vierte, Ludwig der Vierzehnte. Decline them. (b) To express dates the ordinal number is placed before the month, and agrees with it in case: der sechste Mai, the 6th of May; den sechsten Mai, on the 6th of May. (Observe that the oF preceding the month is not translated, but the numeral is put in the accusative case.) REMARK 41.-The twelve hours of the day are expressed by the cardinal numbers themselves, or with Uhr, which is always invariable (instead of zwölf Uhr, we may say: Mittag for noon, and Mitternacht for midnight). The half-hours, quarter hours, and minutes are expressed: halb eins, past 12; halb zwei, past 1 ; &c., &c.; ein Viertel auf drei, past 2; ein Viertel auf fünf, past 4; drei Viertel auf drei, to 3; drei Viertel auf fünf, to 5; zehn Minuten nach fünf, 10 minutes past 5; zehn Minuten vor sechs, 10 minutes to 6, &c., &c. RULE 41.-Multiplicative numbers are formed from cardinal ones by the addition of mal; as-einmal, once; zweimal, twice; dreimal, thrice; &c., &c. Write out the multiplicative numbers up to 15. RULE 42.-Numbers pointing out kinds are formed by adding erlei to cardinal numbers; as-einerlei, of one kind; zweierlei, of two kinds; &c., &c. Write out the numbers pointing out the kind up to 20. RULE 43.-Bisecting numbers up to ten are formed by adding halb to ordinal ones; as—ein halb, 1⁄2; anderthalb, 11; drittehalb, 21; viertehalb, 31; but from ten it is better to say, zehn und ein halb, 101; elf und ein halb, 111. Write out bisecting numbers up to 15. 44.—Indefinite numerals, or rather indefinite adjectives, are either used with nouns or by themselves, (that is instead of nouns) they are: viele, many; wenige, few; mehrere, several; manche, many a one; beides, both; andere, others; einige, some; etliche, a few; 43 REMARK 42.-The division of time is expressed by das Jahrhundert, the century; das Jahr, the year; ein halbes Jahr, half a year; ein Viertel Jahr, three months; drei Viertel Jahr, three quarters; fünf Viertel Jahr, a year and a quarter; ein Monat, a month; eine Woche or acht Tage, a week; vierzehn Tage or zwei Wochen, a fortnight; ein Tag, a day; eine Stunde, an hour; eine halbe Stunde, half an hour; eine Viertel Stunde, a quarter of an hour; eine Minute, a minute; eine Sekonde, a second. They are all nouns, and consequently they are all declined and take a plural. REMARK 43.-Kein, viel, mehr, wenig, used as adverbs or with collective nouns, are invariable; as-wenig Wein, a little wine; viel Geld, much money; wenig Ehre, little honour. |