II. Comparison by -ιων, -ιστος.

§ 72. 1. Some adjectives in us and pos are compared by changing these endings to wr and ιστος. E.g.

Ηδύς, sweet, ἡδίων, ἥδιστος.

Αἰσχρός, base, αἰσχίων, αἴσχιστος.
Εχθρός, hostile, ἐχθίων, ἔχθιστος.

Κυδρός (poet.), glorious, κυδίων, κύδιστος.

2. Comparatives in īwv, neuter iov, are thus declined:

NOTE 1. The terminations -ova, -oves, -ovas may drop v, and be contracted into -w and -ους (§ 47, Ν. 1). Notice recessive accent (§ 21, 3) in the neuter singular.

NOTE 2. The irregular comparatives in wν (§ 73) are declined like ἡδίων.

III. Irregular Comparison.

§ 73. 1. The following are the most important cases of

NOTE. Irregularities in the comparison of the following words will be found in the Lexicon :

αἰσχρός, ἀλγεινός, ἅρπαξ, ἄφθονος, ἄχαρις, βαθύς, βλάξ, βραδύς, γεραιός, γλυκύς, ἐπιλήσμων, ἐπίχαρις, ἥσυχος, ἴδιος, ἴσος, λάλος, μάκαρ, μακρύς, νέος, παλαιός, παχύς, πέπων, πίων, πλησίος, πρέσβυς, προὔργου, πρώιος, σπουδαῖος, σχολαῖος, ψευδής, ὠκύς.

2. Some comparatives and superlatives have no positive, but the stem often appears in an adverb or preposition. E.g.

Ανώτερος, upper, ἀνώτατος, uppermost, from ἄνω, up; πρότερος, former, πρῶτος or πρώτιστος, first, from πρό, before; κατώτερος, lower, κατώτατος, lowest from κάτω, downward.

3. Comparatives and superlatives may be formed from nouns, and even from pronouns. E.g.

Βασιλεύς, ling, βασιλεύτερος, a greater ling, βασιλεύτατος, the greatest king ; κλέπτης, thief, κλεπτίστερος, κλεπτίστατος ; κύων, dog, κύντερος, more impudent, κύντατος, most impudent. So αὐτός, self, αὐτότατος, his very self, ipsissimus.

ADVERBS AND THEIR COMPARISON.

§ 74. 1. Adverbs are regularly formed from adjectives. Their form (including the accent) is found by changing of the genitive plural masculine to s. E.g.

Φίλως, dearly, from φίλος ; δικαίως, justly (δίκαιος); σοφῶς, wisely (σοφός), ἡδέως, sweetly ηδύς, gen. plur. ἡδέων), ἀληθῶς, truly (ἀληθής, gen. plur. ἀληθέων, ἀληθῶν); σαφῶς (Ionic σαφέως), plainly (σαφής, gen. plur. σαφέων, σαφῶν); πάντως, wholly (πᾶs, gen. plur. πάντων).

2. The neuter accusative of an adjective (either singular

or plural) may be used as an adverb. E.g.

Πολύ οι πολλά, much (πολύς); μέγα οι μεγάλα, greatly (μέγας); also μεγάλως, § 74, 1; μόνον, only (μόνος, alone).

NOTE. Other forms of adverbs with various terminations will be learnt by practice.

§ 75. The neuter accusative singular of the comparative

of an adjective forms the comparative of the corresponding adverb; and the neuter accusative plural of the superlative forms the superlative of the adverb. E.g.

Σοφῶς (σοφός), wisely; σοφώτερον, more wisely; σοφώτατα, most wisely. Αληθῶς (ἀληθής), truly; ἀληθέστερον, ἀληθέστατα. Ηδέως (ἡδύς), sweetly, ἥδιον, ἥδιστα. Σωφρόνως (σώφρων), prudently ; σωφρονέστερον, σωφρονέστατα.

NoTE 1. Other adverbs generally form a comparative in τέρω, and a superlative in τατω ; as ἄνω, above, ἀνωτέρω, ἀνωτάτω.

NOTE 2. Μάλα, much, very, has comparative μᾶλλον, more, rather ; superlative μάλιστα, most, especially.

NUMERALS.

§ 76. The cardinal and ordinal numeral adjectives, and the numeral adverbs which occur, are as follows:

Το δύο μυριάδες, 20,000 ; τρεῖς μυριάδες, 30,000 ; &c.

§ 77. 1. The cardinal numbers εis, one, δύο, two, τρεῖς, three, and τέσσαρες (or τέτταρες), four, are thus

ΝΟΤΕ 1. Δύο is sometimes indeclinable. Homer has δύω for δύο.

NOTE 2. The compounds οὐδείς and μηδείς, no one, none, are declined like εἷς. Thus, οὐδείς, οὐδεμία, οὐδέν ; gen. οὐδενός, οὐδεμιᾶς ; dat. οὐδενί, οὐδεμιᾷ; acc. οὐδένα, οὐδεμίαν, οὐδέν, &c. Plural forms sometimes occur ; as οὐδένες, οὐδένων, οὐδέσι, οὐδένας ; μηδένες, &c.

NOTE 3. Both is expressed by ἄμφω, ambo, ἀμφοῖν; and by ἀμφότερος, generally plural, ἀμφότεροι, αι, α.

2. Tho cardinal numbers from 5 to 100 are indeclinable. The higher numbers in to and all the ordinals are declined regularly, like other adjectives in os.

NoTE 1. With collective nouns in the singular, especially ἡ ἵππος, cavalry, the numerals in to sometimes appear in the singular; as τὴν διακοσίαν ἵππον, the troop of) 200 cavalry (200 horse); ἀσπὶς μυρία καὶ τετρακοσία, 10,400 shields (i.e. men with shields).

Νοτε 2. Μύριοι means ten thousand; μυρίοι, innumerable. The singular μυρίος sometimes has the latter sense; as μυρίος χρόνος, countless time; μυρία πενία, incalculable poverty.

THE ARTICLE.

§ 78. The definite article ὁ (stem το-), the, is thus de

NOTE 1. The Greek has no indefinite article; but often the indefinite τὶς (§ 84) may be translated by a or an; as ἄνθρωπός τις, a certain man, often simply a man.

NOTE 2. The feminine dual forms rá and Taîv (especially rá) are rare, and τ and Toîv are generally used for all genders.