Page:A simplified grammar of the Swedish language.djvu/62

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The masculine singular and plural termination -e is generally changed to -a for the sake of euphony in speaking. It should, however, be retained when the adjective is used as a noun, or when it follows the latter as a distinctive cognomen, or is used as a vocative; as den gode, 'the good (man);' de vise, 'the wise (men);' Gustaf Adolf den store, 'Gustavus Adolphus the Great;' I ädle män! 'ye noble men!' Where the adjective is used to express a noun, it takes s in the genitive; as, de gamles son, 'the old people's son.'

Some adjectives are defective or irregular in their mode of declension; as, grå, 'grey,' which may remain unchanged, or take an a in the plural; as, grå ögon or gråa ögon, 'grey eyes.' Små, although the plural of liten, litet, 'little', may be used in the singular masculine and feminine in a collective sense; as, små fisk, 'small fish;' småskog, m., 'underwood.' As a noun or an adverb, smått is of common occurrence; as, Jag har smått om tid, 'I am pinched for time;' det regnar smått, 'it is (a small rain) drizzling.'

Survivals of the older forms are to be found in such expressions as, till fullo, 'in full;' på ljusan dag, 'in broad daylight.'

Adjectives ending in a, e, se; as, bra (abbr. of braf), 'fine;' lika, 'like;' öde, 'desert;' gängse, 'current,' do not admit of being declined.

A similar rule applies to present participles and adverbs