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Rules of Agreement.
286.
Adjectives, Adjective Pronouns, and Participles
agree with their nouns in Gender, Number, and Case: -
- vir fortis, a brave
man.
- illa mulier, that
woman.
- urbium mágnarum, of
great cities.
- cum ducentís
mílitibus, with two hundred soldiers.
- imperátor victus est,
the general was beaten.
- secútae sunt
tempestátés, storms followed.
NOTE: All rules for the agreement of adjectives apply also to
adjective pronouns and to participles.
a. With two or more nouns the adjective is
regularly plural, but often agrees with the nearest (especially when attributive): -
- Nísus et Euryalus
prímí (Aen. v. 294), Nisus and Euryalus
first.
- Caesaris omní et
grátiá et opibus fruor (Fam. i. 9. 21), I enjoy
all Caesar's favor and resources.
NOTE: An adjective referring to two nouns connected by the
preposition cum is occasionally plural
(synesis, § 280. a): as, -
Iuba cum Labieno captí
(B. Afr. 52), Juba and Labienus were taken.
b. A collective noun may take an adjective
of a different gender and number agreeing with the gender and number of
the individuals implied (synesis, § 280. a): -
- pars certáre
parátí (Aen. v. 108), a part ready to contend.
- colóniae aliquot déductae,
Príscí Latíní
appellátí (Liv. i. 3), several colonies
were planted (led out) [of men] called Old Latins.
- multitúdó
convictí sunt (Tac. Ann. xv. 44), a multitude were
convicted.
- mágna pars raptae
(id. i. 9), a large part [of the women] were seized.
NOTE: A superlative in the predicate rarely takes the gender
of a partitive genitive by which it is limited: as, - vélócissimum animálium delphínus est
(Plin. N. H. ix. 20), the dolphin is the swiftest [creature] of
creatures.