micel
FOCUSED PRACTICE · 1 PARADIGM · 3 FORMS
great
Core drill · 200×
0 / 200 correct repetitions
- Positive → Comparative → Superlative
- Each Degrees
0 / 3 forms · 1 line
Comparison of Adjectives
Historical Grammar
96. (1) Adjectives are regularly compared by adding –ra for the comparative, and –ost (rarely –est) for the superlative:
(2) Forms with i-umlaut usually have superlative in –est:
(3) The following adjectives are compared irregularly:
(4) The positive is sometimes supplied by an adverb:
(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.
| Positive. | Comparative. | Superlative. |
|---|---|---|
| earm, poor | earmra | earmost |
| rīce, rich | rīcra | rīcost |
| smæl , narrow | smǣlra | smalost |
| brād , broad | brādra (brǣdra) | brādost |
| swift, swift | swiftra | swiftost |
| Positive. | Comparative. | Superlative. |
|---|---|---|
| eald, old | ieldra | ieldest |
| lǫng, long | lęngra | lęngest |
| strǫng, strong | stręngra | stręngest |
| geong, young | giengra | giengest |
| hēah, high | hīerra | hīehst |
| Positive. | Comparative. | Superlative. |
|---|---|---|
| gōd, good | bętra | bętst |
| lȳtel, little, small | lǣssa | lǣst |
| micel, great, much | māra | mǣst |
| yfel, bad | wiersa | wierst |
| Positive. | Comparative. | Superlative. |
|---|---|---|
| feor, far | fierra | fierrest |
| nēah, near | nēarra | nīehst |
| ǣr, before | ǣrra, former | ǣrest, first |
Historical Exercises & Reading
100. EXERCISES.
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 wæs 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 cyning 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 too.
9. The richest men are not always (ā) the wisest men.
Loquentes Practice Reference
Our drill practices regular, i-umlauted and irregular degrees of comparison. All four tables above are Smith’s own <table> elements from §96, reproduced cell for cell.