A Practical Grammar of the Latin Language/Lesson 5

Of the Declension of Adjectives.

 * A. Adjectives are inflected like substantives of the first, second, and third declensions. Those in us, a, um and er, a, um belong to the first and second declension; those in er, is, e, those in is, is, e and all the adjectives of one termination, to the third.


 * B. Some adjectives have a special termination for each of the three genders (e.g., bonus, a, um, ācer, ācris, ācre), some have one common form for the masculine and feminine (e.g., vīlis, m. & f., vīle, n.), and others have but one ending (in the nominative singular) for every gender (e.g., fēlix, dīves, &c.). The following paradigms exhibit the declension of bonus, pulcher, and turpis, in the singular.


 * C. Rule. When a substantive expresses the relation of property or possession, it is put in the genitive; as,


 * D. Rule. Adjectives (and the adjective pronouns meus, tuus, &c.) may stand either before or after their substantives; but when the substantive is a monosyllable, the adjective comes always last.

Exercise 4.
See the answers here.


 * 1) Have you the leathern trunk? &mdash; I have not the leathern trunk.
 * 2) Have you my pretty trunk? &mdash; I have not your pretty trunk.
 * 3) Which trunk have you? &mdash; I have the wooden trunk.
 * 4) Have you my old button? &mdash; I have it not.
 * 5) Which money have you? &mdash; I have the good money.
 * 6) Which cheese have you? &mdash; I have the old cheese.
 * 7) Have you anything? &mdash; I have something.
 * 8) Have you my large dog? &mdash; I have it not.
 * 9) Have you your good gold? &mdash; I have it.
 * 10) Which dog have you? &mdash; I have the tailor's dog.
 * 11) Have you the neighbor's large dog? &mdash; I have it not.
 * 12) Have you the dog's golden ribbon? &mdash; No, Sir, I have it not.
 * 13) Which coat have you? &mdash; I have the tailor's good coat.
 * 14) Have you the neighbor's good bread? &mdash; I have it not.
 * 15) Have you my tailor's golden ribbon? &mdash; I have it.
 * 16) Have you my pretty dog's ribbon? &mdash; I have it not.
 * 17) Have you the good baker's good horse? &mdash; I have it.
 * 18) Have you the good tailor's horse? &mdash; I have it not.
 * 19) Are you hungry? &mdash; I am hungry.
 * 20) Are you sleepy? &mdash; I am not sleepy.
 * 21) Which candlestick have you? &mdash; I have the golden candlestick of my good baker.

Footnotes.
$1$ Some adjectives of this declension retain the e of the root-termination, e.g. tener, tenera, tenerum; miser, misera, miserum. But the majority reject it. $2$ Adjectives of the third declension have e or i in the ablative singular, but those whose neuter ends in e have i only. $3$ Quidquam is generally put, when the sentence contains a negation (either expressed or implied), a condition, comparison, &c., and also in connection with the particles vix, scarcely, and sine, without. (Compare Lesson VI. C.) $4$ Ēsuriēns and sitiēns, properly the present participles of the verbs ēsuriō, I am hungry, and sitiō, I am thirsty. When hungry and thirsty are in the predicate of the sentence, it is necessary to use verbs, and not the participles. $5$ The common rule is that the genitive (and in general every word governed) should be put before the word governing it. This, however, is by no means invariable, and the learner may safely use either of the formulas in the sense of their English equivalents. $6$ Instead of the possessive genitive, the Romans sometimes employ an adjective; as domus paterna for domus patris, the father's house; homō ingeniōsus for homō ingeniī, a man of talent, &c.