Immagini della pagina
PDF
ePub

ADJECTIVES OF ONE TERMINATION IN THE
NOMINATIVE SINGULAR.

61. Of the adjectives in which the nominative singular stands for all three genders, the most important class is that in which the nominative ends in -ns.

Declension of the adjective RECENS, fresh.

[blocks in formation]

Similarly are declined all adjectives in -ens, -entis, or -ans,

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

The general rule of these declensions is that the ablative ends

in ě or i, but usually in i.

Dives, pauper, sospes, and superstes have it in e only.

The N. Ac. V. neut. pl. of vetus is vetera, and the gen. veterum. The N. Ac. V. neut. pl. of dives is ditia, and the gen. divitum. Many of the adjectives of one termination have no N. Ac. V. neuter plural; many make it in -a instead of -ia, and the genitive in -um instead of -ium.

63. The following may be studied with advantage, as being likely to fix the gender of certain nouns more firmly in the memory:

Calor nimius, excessive heat.
Cervix valida, a brawny neck.
Dux neglegens, a careless leader.
Custos diligens, a watchful

guardian.

Coniunx fidelis, a faithful spouse.
Mos antiquus, an ancient custom.
Frons serena, a calm brow.
Fons lucidus, a bright spring.
Quies perpetua, uninterrupted
repose.

Palus uda, a wet swamp.
Amnis rapidus, a swift river.
Avis garrula, a chattering bird.
Turris excelsa, a lofty tower.
Testis vivus, a living witness.
Iudex aequus, an impartial judge.
Vox acuta, a shrill voice.
Imago vivida, a life-like portrait.
Mus exiguus, a tiny mouse.
Lepus timidus, a timorous hare.
Seges matura, a ripe crop.
Sors incerta, a dubious chance.
Nemus opācum, a shady grove.

Iter longum, a long journey.
Arbor frugifera, a fruitful tree.
Aurea aetas, the golden age.
Mons altus, a lofty mountain.
Grave onus, a heavy burden.
Dura ilex, the tough holm-oak.
Grex vagus, a wandering flock.
Lex antiqua, an ancient law.
Pes celer, a quick foot.
Laus magna, great praise.
Ignis fervidus, a glowing fire.
Nāvis ampla, a spacious ship.
Hostis ferus, a savage enemy.
Urbs pulchra, a fair city.
Lux clara, bright light.

Lapis asper, a rugged stone.

Ordo lucidus, a clear arrangement. Regio finitima, a neighbouring district.

Ros gelidus, cool dew.

Abies ardua, a towering fir.
Bos piger, a lazy ox.

Nomen splendidum, a glorious name.
Rus amaenum, the charming country.

DECLENSION OF NOUNS WITH U-STEMS.

64. Nouns of this division have the ending us in the nominative singular when they are Masculine or Feminine, and u when they are Neuter.

1. Nominative in us.

There are two nouns-Sus, suis, swine, and Grūs, gruis, crane, of common gender, which are declined with uncontracted forms; thus

[blocks in formation]

The other nouns of this division are declined like Fructus, fruit

[blocks in formation]

NOTE. The genitive Fructus is a contraction of Fructuis; Fructu is a contraction of Fructue, and the full forms Fructui and Fructuum are often contracted into Fructu and Fructum.

Like Fructus are declined the following Masculine nouns, chiefly in sus and tus, which endings are comparatively rare in the O declension ::

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

The following have ŭbus for ibus in the dative and ablative plurals, some dissyllable in -cus, as Arcus, acus, Lacus; also Partus, Portus, and tribus.

Artus, joints, is rarely found in the singular, and has Artubus

[blocks in formation]

The forms in the brackets are rare, but used by classical writers.

Some Feminine words have forms of the U as well as the O declension; such are, colus, distaff, laurus, bay-tree, pīnus, pine, myrtus, myrtle, ficus, fig.

Specus, cave, is used by Virgil as a Neuter noun, of which specubus is the ablative plural.

[blocks in formation]

This and gěnu, knee, are the only words to which anything like a complete declension of this form can be assigned.

There is an ablative form, gělu, frost, but the genitive gěli and the accusative gělum occur.

There is pecua and dative and ablative pecubus, cattle, as if from a nominative pĕcu.

And there is věrůbus, a dative and ablative, from verū, spit.

DECLENSION OF E-NOUNS.

66. This declension includes a few nouns ending in es, of which two only are declined fully, res, thing, and dies, day. Res and all other nouns of this declension are feminine, except dies, which is of common gender in the singular, and masculine in the plural, and mĕrīdies, noon, which is masculine.

[blocks in formation]

NOTE.-The form of the genitive plural leads some grammarians to put these nouns with the A and O stems.

Most of the other nouns in this declension have only the nom. acc. and voc. plural, and some have no cases of the plural at all.

« IndietroContinua »