Chapter II: Adjectives

1. Adjectives have a definite and an indefinite form; the former is used when the adjective is preceded by the definite article, a demonstrative adjective, or possessive pronoun.

Indef. _wis_ (wise), _god_ (good).
Def. _wise_, _gode_.

2. _Number._—The plural is formed by the addition of _e_ to the singular.

SINGULAR. PLURAL.
_fet_ (fat), _fette_.
_gret_ (great) _grete_.
_other_, _othere_.
_tother_, _tothere_.

But the _-e_ (pl.) is seldom added to the past participle of irregular verbs. _This_ forms the plurals _thes_ (oblique cases _these_), _this_ (_thise_). _Tho_ is the plural of _that_.

_Cases._—_One_ makes the genitive _ones_; as, '_ones_ bles,' of one colour. The gen. pl. _-re_ occurs in _ald-re_ (= _alre_), of all; as, 'hure _aldre_ bale,' the bale of us all; 'here _aldre_ heuedes,' the heads of them all.

_Degrees of comparison._—The comparative ends in _-ere_ (_-er_), the superlative in _-este_ (_est_).[51] Very few irregular forms occur in the present poem.

POSITIVE. COMPARATIVE. SUPERLATIVE.
ille, werre. ——
lite, lesse, leist.
long, { leng. } ——
{ lengere. }
mikel, { mo, } moste.
{ mor, }
neg, —— neste.
old, eldere, eldeste.

_Numerals._—The Northumbrian forms in _-nde_ have superseded the Southern ones in _-the_; as, _seuende_ (seventh), _egtende_ (eighth), _tende_ (tenth).[52]