Chapter XIV: Adjectives, Strong and Weak

78. The declension of adjectives conforms in general to the declension of nouns, though a few pronominal inflections have influenced certain cases. Adjectives belong either to (1) the Strong Declension or to (2) the Weak Declension. The Weak Declension is employed when the adjective is preceded by #sê# or #ðês#, _the_, _that_, or _this_; otherwise, the Strong Declension is employed: #ðâ gôdan cyningas#, _the good kings_; #ðês gôda cyning#, _this good king_; but #gôde cyningas#, _good kings_.

NOTE.--The Weak Declension is also frequently used when the
adjective is employed in direct address, or preceded by a
possessive pronoun: #Dryhten, ælmihtiga God ... ic bidde ðê for
ðînre miclan mildheortnesse#, _Lord, almighty God, I pray thee,
for thy great mercy_.

(1) #Strong Declension of Adjectives.#

(a) _Monosyllables._

79. The strong adjectives are chiefly monosyllabic with long stems: #gôd#, _good_; #eald#, _old_; #long#, _long_; #swift#, _swift_. They are declined as follows.

80. Paradigm of #gôd#, _good_:

_Masculine._ _Feminine._ _Neuter._

_Sing. N._ gôd gôd gôd
_G._ gôdes gôdre gôdes
_D._ gôdum gôdre gôdum
_A._ gôdne gôde gôd
_I._ gôde ---- gôde

_Plur. N.A._ gôde gôda gôd
_G._ gôdra gôdra gôdra
_D.I._ gôdum gôdum gôdum

81. If the stem is short, -u is retained as in #giefu# (§ 39, (1)) and #hofu# (§ 33, (1)). Thus #glæd# (§ 27, Note 1), _glad_, and #til#, _useful_, are inflected:

_Masculine._ _Feminine._ _Neuter._
_Sing. N._ { glæd gladu glæd
{ til tilu til

_Plur. N.A._ { glade glada gladu
{ tile tila tilu

(b) _Polysyllables._

82. Polysyllables follow the declension of short monosyllables. The most common terminations are #-en#, _-en_; #-fæst#, _-fast_; #-full#, _-ful_; #-lêas#, _-less_; #-lîc#, _-ly_; #-ig#, _-y_: #hæ:ð-en# (#hæ:ð# = _heath_), _heathen_; #stede-fæst# (#stede# = _place_), _steadfast_; #sorg-full# (#sorg# = _sorrow_), _sorrowful_; #cyst-lêas# (#cyst# = _worth_), _worthless_; #eorð-lîc# (#eorðe# = _earth_), _earthly_; #blôd-ig# (#blôd# = _blood_), _bloody_. The present and past participles, when inflected and not as weak adjectives, may be classed with the polysyllabic adjectives, their inflection being the same.

Syncopation occurs as in a-stems (§ 27, (4)). Thus #hâlig#, _holy_, #blîðe#, _blithe_, #berende#, _bearing_, #geboren#, _born_, are thus inflected:

_Masculine._ _Feminine._ _Neuter._
_Sing. N._ { hâlig hâlgu hâlig
{ blîðe blîðu blîðe
{ berende berendu berende
{ geboren geborenu geboren

_Plur. N.A._ { hâlge hâlga hâlgu
{ blîðe blîða blîðu
{ berende berenda berendu
{ geborene geborena geborenu

(2) #Weak Declension of Adjectives.#

83. The Weak Declension of adjectives, whether monosyllabic or polysyllabic, does not differ from the Weak Declension of nouns, except that -ena of the genitive plural is usually replaced by -ra of the strong adjectives.

_Masculine._ _Feminine._ _Neuter._
84. _Sing. N._ gôda gôde gôde
_G._ gôdan gôdan gôdan
_D.I._ gôdan gôdan gôdan
_A._ gôdan gôdan gôde

_All Genders._
_Plur. N.A._ gôdan
_G._ gôdra (gôdena)
_D.I._ gôdum

85. RULE OF SYNTAX.

_Adjectives agree with their nouns in gender, number, and case; but participles, when used predicatively, may remain uninflected_ (§ 139, § 140).

86. VOCABULARY.

dêad, _dead_.
eall, _all_.
hâl,[1] _whole, hale_.
heard, _hard_.
ðæt hors, _horse_.
lêof, _dear_ [as lief].
ly:tel, _little_.
micel, _great, large_.
monig, _many_.
niman, _to take_ [nimble, numb].
nîwe, _new_.
rîce, _rich, powerful_.
sôð, _true_ [sooth-sayer].
stælwierðe,[2] _serviceable_ [stalwart].
swîðe, _very_.
sê tûn, _town, village_.
sê ðegn, _servant, thane, warrior_.
ðæt ðing, _thing_.
sê weg, _way_.
wîs, _wise_.
wið (with acc.), _against_, in a hostile sense [with-stand].
sê ilca, _the same_ [of that ilk].

[Footnote 1: #Hâlig#, _holy_, contains, of course, the same
root. "I find," says Carlyle, "that you could not get any better
definition of what 'holy' really is than 'healthy--completely
healthy.'"]

[Footnote 2: This word has been much discussed. The older
etymologists explained it as meaning _worth stealing_. A more
improbable conjecture is that it means _worth a stall_ or
_place_. It is used of ships in the _Anglo-Saxon Chronicle_. As
applied to men, Skeat thinks it meant _good_ or _worthy at
stealing_; but the etymology is still unsettled.]

87. EXERCISES.

I. 1. Ðâs scipu ne sind swîðe swift, ac hîe sind swîðe stælwierðu. 2. Sêo gôde cwên giefð æ:lcum ðegne moniga giefa. 3. Ðês wîsa cyning hæfð monige micele tûnas on his rîce. 4. Næ:nig mon is wîs on eallum ðingum. 5. Ðy: ilcan dæge (§ 98, (2)) mon fond (found) ðone ðegn ðe mînes wines bêc hæfde. 6. Ealle ðâ secgas ðâ ðe swift hors habbað rîdað wið ðone bonan. 7. Ðîne fîend sind mîne frîend. 8. Sê micela stân ðone ðe ic on mînum hondum hæbbe is swîðe heard. 9. Hîe sceððað ðæ:m ealdum horsum. 10. Uton niman ðâs tilan giefa ond hîe beran tô ûrum lêofum bearnum.

II. 1. These holy men are wise and good. 2. Are the little children very dear to the servants (dat. without #tô#)? 3. Gifts are not given (§ 70, Note 1) to rich men. 4. All the horses that are in the king's fields are swift. 5. These stones are very large and hard. 6. He takes the dead man's spear and fights against the large army. 7. This new house has many doors. 8. My ways are not your ways. 9. Whosoever chooses me, him I also (#êac#) choose. 10. Every man has many friends that are not wise.