Latin for Beginners · Lesson LVI · Part 11: Comparing adjectives and adverbs
56. More irregular comparison; the ablative of degree of difference
Goal: Your child knows comparatives like prior and proximus and uses multō, paulō and nihilō to say 'much', 'a little' and 'not at all' with comparatives.
You'll need
- The book: the lesson pages, plus the special vocabulary at the back of the book
- A notebook and pencil
- Index cards for new words
What's in the book
Comparatives with no regular positive, such as citerior, prior and ulterior (§ 315), the ablative of the measure of difference with its rule (§§ 316 and 317), and eleven Latin and six English sentences. Vocabulary on page 297.
The lesson, step by step
Warm up
Your child chants the five irregular comparisons from the last lesson.
Five more
These come from place words. Read the § 315 table aloud: citerior (hither), interior (inner), prior and prīmus (former, first), propior and proximus (nearer, next), ulterior and ultimus (farther, farthest).
By how much?
'Taller by a head', 'much longer', 'a little faster': Latin puts the 'by how much' in the ablative.
With comparatives and words implying comparison the ablative is used to denote the measure of difference.
Galba est altior capite quam Sextus
The common ones: multō (by much), paulō (by a little), nihilō (by nothing), hōc (by this).
Vocabulary
Page 297. Some of the words:
cīvitās, cīvitātis, f., citizenship; body of citizens, state (city)
nam, conj., for
relinquō, relinquere, relīquī, relictus, leave, abandon (relinquish)
Latin to English
Translate the eleven sentences. Two of them:
Haec via est multō lātior quam illa.
Tuus equus est paulō celerior quam meus.
English to Latin
Write the six sentences. The book gives hints in parentheses, such as 'more difficult by much'.
Wrap-up
Your child translates 'much better', 'a little braver' and 'not at all slower' into Latin. Memorize § 315 and the new words.
Answers to the book's problems
1. The barbarians decided to join battle all the more because the Romans seemed to be weak. 2. My plan is much better than yours because it is much easier. 3. This road is much wider than that. 4. The barbarians were not at all slower than the Romans. 5. Your horse is a little swifter than mine. 6. Those who were a little braver kept the rest from abandoning the approach. 7. Among those states Germany has the best soldiers. 8. The nearer road, which leads through this valley, is between the harbor and the lake. 9. The slaves who lived on the nearer fields did not want to leave their former masters, because they loved them. 10. The farthest parts of Germany never came under the protection of the Romans. 11. For across the Rhine the approach was much more difficult for the Roman army.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.