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LESSON 4

ADJECTIVE. TWO GROUPS OF ADJECTIVES

In this lesson you will:

•Become familiar with the characteristics of Latin adjectives.

•Learn morphological categories of Latin adjectives.

•Learn how to find the stem and the declension of adjectives.

•Learn how to make grammatical agreement of adjectives with nouns.

This lesson is divided into the following sections:

I.Introduction.

II. The 1st group of adjectives. III. The 2nd group of adjectives.

IV. Adjectives of one form for all genders.

V. Agreement of adjectives and nouns.

VI. Exercises.

VII. Vocabulary

I. INTRODUCTION

Adjective is a word expressing a quality of a thing: major (large), longus (long), frontālis (frontal).

In all Latin terms the position of adjectives is after the noun with which it has grammatical agreement.

According to their endings all Latin adjectives can be divided into two groups: the first and the second group.

II.THE 1ST GROUP OF ADJECTIVES

The adjectives of the 1st group have different forms for every gender:

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These adjectives are declined on the pattern of the 1st and 2nd declensions. They have identical Nominative and Genitive forms with nouns: masculine – us (-i), feminine –a (-ae), neuter –um (-i).

Their dictionary form consists of three components:

1.adjective in the masculine form;

2.the feminine ending;

3.the neuter ending.

E.g.: transversus, a, um (transverse); internus, a, um (internal); profundus, a, um (profound).

The stem of the 1st group adjectives is obtained from the Nominative form by removing the gender ending:

The adjectives ending in –er fall also into this adjective group. In the anatomical terminology only some of them are used:

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As for the stem of adjectives with the ending - er in masculine it is obtained from the Nominative form by removing the feminine ending.

III.THE 2ND GROUP OF ADJECTIVES

Into this group fall adjectives of the 3rd declension. The adjectives of the 2nd group are the adjectives of the frontālis type:

As indicated in the table the adjectives of this group have identical Nominative masculine and feminine forms ending in –is and the neuter ending –e. The Genitive form is identical for all genders.

Their dictionary form consists of two components:

1.the common masculine and feminine Nominative form;

2.the neuter ending –e.

E.g.: frontālis, e (frontal); cervicālis, e (cervical).

The stem of the 2nd group adjectives is obtained from the Nominative form by removing the gender ending:

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IV. THE 2ND GROUP ADJECTIVES OF ONE FORM FOR ALL GENDERS

In the anatomical terminology some adjectives of one form for all genders are used. In the dictionary form of such adjectives the Nominative form (common for all genders) is first indicated, and then the Genitive ending with the stem part.

Remember these adjectives:

The stem of such adjectives is obtained from the Genitive form singular by removing the ending.

V.AGREEMENT OF ADJECTIVES AND NOUNS

To agree a noun and an adjective means to use them in the same Gender,

Number and Case.

To agree a noun and an adjective you should:

1.determine gender, number and case of the noun;

2.determine group of the adjective by its dictionary form;

3.agree the adjective and the noun by gender, number and case.

For example, you translate from English into Latin the following anatomical terms: mastoid process, vertebral foramen.