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We now turn our attention to adjective nouns. Up to this point, our work has focused almost entirely on substantive nouns, and that work was necessary. We needed to learn how nouns are declined before we could understand how other words attach themselves to nouns in meaningful speech. With that foundation in place, we are ready to see how adjectives function in Latin.
We learned earlier that there are eight parts of speech and that a noun is a word which has cases and signifies a thing without time. A word like musa satisfies that definition perfectly. It has cases, and it signifies a thing, a muse, without any reference to time. We also learned that nouns fall into two kinds: substantives and adjectives. A substantive noun can stand by itself and make sense. The word dominus can be spoken alone and still signify a complete idea, a lord. For many lessons we have studied such substantives carefully, learning their declensions and their uses in sentences.
An adjective noun is different. An adjective is a noun that cannot stand by itself in speech, but must agree with a substantive noun, either expressed or understood, in order to have meaning. The word vera, meaning “true,” cannot stand alone. If we simply say vera, we have not yet said anything complete. We must ask, “true what?” The adjective requires a substantive to complete its meaning. Only when it is joined to a noun does it become intelligible.
Like substantive nouns, adjectives are subject to gender, number, case, declension, figure, and kind. To these we add one more property that belongs uniquely to adjectives: comparison. Adjectives can express degrees of meaning. When we say that someone is holy, we are using the positive degree. When we say that one person is holier than another, we are using the comparative degree. When we say that someone is the holiest of all, we are using the superlative degree. English forms these degrees by using the words “more” and “most” or by adding the endings “-er” and “-est.” We never combine both methods. We say either “more happy” or “happier,” but never “more happier.” The same principle applies to the superlative. The detailed study of comparison will come later. For now, it is enough to know that adjectives are capable of expressing these degrees.
First Concord
All of this leads us to a fundamental rule of Latin sentence construction, often called the “First Concord” or the “First Precept of Construction”. This rule governs how adjectives are used, and it must be observed carefully. It teaches us that nouns, adjectives, pronouns, and participles agree with their substantives in gender, number, and case. For the moment, we are concerned only with nouns and adjectives. What this means is simple but strict: whenever an adjective is joined to a substantive, the adjective must take the same gender, the same number, and the same case as the noun it modifies.
Let us see how this works in practice. Consider the sentence Fuit homo missus a Deo, “There was a man sent from God.” If we wish to say “There was a good man sent from God,” we must know how to add the word “good” correctly. The rule tells us exactly how to proceed.
First, we find the correct Latin adjective. The adjective meaning “good” is bonus, bona, bonum. Second, we determine the gender of the substantive. The word homo is masculine. Adjectives are capable of taking masculine, feminine, or neuter forms, so we select the masculine form of bonus. Third, we determine the number. The word homo is singular, so the adjective must also be singular. Finally, we determine the case. The word homo is the subject of the sentence, and therefore it is in the Nominative case. The adjective must also be in the masculine, singular, Nominative form. Following these steps leads us to bonus homo. By doing this, we satisfy the First Precept of Construction.
Before we can apply this rule easily and confidently, we must learn how adjectives are declined. Adjectives do not all follow the same pattern, but they fall into clear groups.
Some adjectives have three distinct forms in the Nominative case, one for each gender, as bonus, bona, bonum. Others have only two forms, one for masculine and feminine together, and one for neuter, as brevis and breve. Still others have only one form for all genders, as prudens or felix. Regardless of how many Nominative forms they have, all adjectives are declined either like nouns of the First and Second Declensions or like nouns of the Third Declension.
Adjectives of the First and Second Declensions form the masculine like dominus, the feminine like musa, and the neuter like templum. The adjective bonus, bona, bonum is the model for this group. In the singular number, we find bonus, bona, bonum in the Nominative; boni, bonae, boni in the Genitive; bono, bonae, bono in the Dative; bonum, bonam, bonum in the Accusative; bone, bona, bonum in the Vocative; and a bono, bona, bono in the Ablative. In the plural number, we find boni, bonae, bona in the Nominative; bonorum, bonarum, bonorum in the Genitive; bonis in the Dative; bonos, bonas, bona in the Accusative; boni, bonae, bona in the Vocative; and a bonis in the Ablative.
There is a special group of adjectives that follow this same general pattern but have an important difference in the singular Genitive and Dative. Adjectives such as alter, altera, alterum have -ius in the Genitive singular and -i in the Dative singular for all genders. These adjectives do not have a Vocative form. Several common adjectives follow this pattern, including alius, ullus, nullus, uter, uterque, alteruter, and neuter. A small number of related adjectives, such as totus, solus, and unus, share the same Genitive and Dative peculiarities but do retain the Vocative case.
As we study adjectives, we must keep the First Concord always before us. An adjective never chooses its form independently. Its form is determined entirely by the substantive it modifies. When we read Latin, we identify the gender, number, and case of the substantive, and then we understand the adjective by seeing that it agrees with that substantive. When we write Latin, we reverse the process, carefully matching the adjective to the noun in all three respects.
This lesson marks an important turning point. Until now, we have been learning forms largely in isolation. With adjectives, we begin to see how Latin builds meaning by agreement rather than by word order. As we continue, this principle will become second nature, and reading Latin will begin to feel far more precise and intelligible than it did before.
Memory Work
1. REVIEW: How many sorts of nouns are there?
Two: Substantive and Adjective.
2. REVIEW: What is a substantive noun?
A substantive noun is a noun which cannot agree with another in meaning, but stands by itself in speech, as: mensa, a table; manus, a hand; rex, a king. It is said well: the table supports, the hand holds, the king governs.
3. REVIEW: What is an adjective noun?
An adjective noun is a noun which must agree with a substantive noun (either expressed or understood) to have meaning; or, a noun which cannot stand by itself in speech, as: wise, poor, great.
4. How many kinds of adjectives are there?
Three: for either they have Three Terminations in the Nominative case, as bonus, bona, bonum (good); or Two, as brevis & breve (short); or only One, as prudens (prudent) or felix (happy).
5. How many things happen to an adjective?
All that happen to a substantive and also Comparison, because to adjectives more or less may be added; as just, less just, more just; strong, less strong, stronger.
6. How are adjective nouns declined?
Adjectives are either of the First and Second Declension (Lesson 22), or of the Third Declension (Lesson 23). Those that are of the First and Second Declension make the masculine gender like dominus, the feminine like musa and the neuter like templum.
7. Decline bonus, bona, bonum (good):
Singulariter: Nominativo, bonus, bona, bonum, good; Genitivo, boni, bonae, boni; Dativo, bono, bonae, bono; Accusativo, bonum, bonam, bonum; Vocativo, O bone, bona, bonum; Ablativo, a bono, bona, bono.
Pluraliter: Nominativo, boni, bonae, bona; Genitivo, bonorum, bonarum, bonorum; Dativo, bonis; Accusativo, bonos, bonas, bona; Vocativo, O boni, bonae, bona; Ablativo, a bonis.
8. In the same manner the following adjectives are declined, only that they have -ius in the Genitive Singular and -i in the Dative Singular for all Genders.
Singulariter: Nominativo, alter, altera, alterum, another; Genitivo, alterius; Dativo, alteri; Accusativo, alterum, alteram, alterum; Vocativo caret; Ablativo, ab altero, altera, altero. Pluraliter: declined as bonus, bona, bonum.
9. What other adjectives are declined like alter, altera, alterum?
Also declined like Alter, altera, alterum are: Alius, alia, aliud (another). Genitivo, alius; Dativo, alii &c.; Ullus, ulla, ullum (any); ullius, ulli, &c.; Nullus, nulla, nullum (none); nullius, nulli &c.; Uter, utra, utrum (either); utrius, utri &c.; Uterque, utraque, utrumque (both); utriusque, utrique &c.; Alteruter, alterutra, alterutrum (one of two); alterutrius, alterutri &c.; Neuter, neutra, neutrum (neither of two); neutrius, neutri.
All of these lack the Vocative case, but the following have it: Totus, tota, totum (all, the whole); totius, toti; Solus, sola, solum (alone); solius, soli; Unus, una, unum (one); unius, uni. The other cases are like bonus, bona, bonum.
10. First Concord: Nouns, Adjectives, Pronouns and Participles agree with their Substantives in Gender, Number and Case.
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