| melior, better | plús, more | |||
|
| SINGULAR | M., F. | ||
| NOM. | melior | melius | - - | plús |
| GEN. | melióris | melióris | - - | plúris |
| DAT. | meliórí | meliórí | - - | - - |
| ACC. | meliórem | melius | - - | plús |
| ABL. | melióre (-í) | melióre (-í) | - - | plúre |
|
| PLURAL | NOM. | meliórés | |
| GEN. | meliórum | meliórum | plúrium | plúrium |
| DAT. | melióribus | melióribus | plúribus | plúribus |
| ACC. | meliórés (-ís) | melióra | plúrés (-ís) | plúra |
| ABL. | melióribus | melióribus | plúribus | plúribus |
a. All comparatives except plús are declined like melior.
b. The stem of comparatives properly ended in ós-; but this became or in the nominative masculine and feminine, and ór- in all other cases except the nominative and accusative singular neuter, where s is retained and o is changed to u (cf. honor, -óris; corpus, -oris). Thus comparatives appear to have two terminations.
c. The neuter singular plús is used only as a noun. The genitive (rarely the ablative) is used only as an expression of value (cf. § 417). The dative is not found in classic use. The compound complúrés, several, has sometimes neuter plural complúria.