Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs including Ablative of Comparison

Adjectives have 3 degrees of comparison

Normal - tall
Comparative - taller, rather tall
Superlative - tallest, very tall, most tall
It’s the same for adverbs

Normal - often
Comparative - more often, quite often
Superlative - very often, most often

	2-1-2 Adjectives	Adverbs from 2-1-2 Adjectives	3-3-3 Adjectives	Adverbs from 3-3-3 Adjectives.
Normal	Densus –a-um	dense	hilaris -is -e	hilariter
Comparative	densior -ior -ius	densius (neuter singular of adjective)	hilarior -ior -ius	hilarius (neuter singular of adjective)
Superlative	densissimus -a -um	densissime	hilarissimus -a -um	hilarissime

Comparative adjectives/adverbs invite comparison, so often you will see the word "than" in the English sentence.

Eg, my brother is taller than me.
There are two ways to express "than" in Latin.

i) quam - means ‘than’
When used, the first and the second thing being compared need to be in the same case, so the English needs be changed sometimes.

frater meus altior est quam ego

My brother is taller than me --> My brother is taller than I
This is because my brother is taller than I (am tall)

ii) The so-called ablative of comparison

Galli ferociores erant Britannis
The Gauls were fiercer than the British.

This page was written by Nick Brown

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