16. Strong adjectives

Table 8.2 shows the strong endings attached to an adjective with a long stem. (Forms in bold type should be compared with thedemonstrative pronouns, others with the strong nouns.)

Table 8.2. Strong adjectives (long stems)
		masculine	neuter	feminine
singular	nominative	gōd ‘good’	gōd	gōd
	accusative	gōdne		gōde
	genitive	gōdes		gōdre
	dative	gōdum
	instrumental	gōde
plural	nominative	gōde	gōd, gōde	gōda, -e
	accusative
	genitive	gōdra
	dative	gōdum

The adjectives are subject to the same kinds of transformations that affect the nouns. Those with long stems differ from those withshort stems (table 8.3) in that the feminine nominative singular and the neuter nominative/accusative plural end in -u (see 6.1.1 for an explanation).

Table 8.3. Strong adjectives (short stems)
		masculine	neuter	feminine
singular	nominative	hwæt ‘vigorous’	hwæt	hwatu
	accusative	hwætne		hwate
	genitive	hwætes		hwætre
	dative	hwatum
	instrumental	hwate
plural	nominative	hwate	hwatu, -e	hwata, -e
	accusative
	genitive	hwatra
	dative	hwatum

Table 8.3 also shows that when the vowel of an adjective with a short stem is æ or ea, it alternates with a, as has already been discussed in connection with nouns. In some other adjectives, h is dropped between voiced sounds, so, for example, the masculine accusative singular of hēah ‘high’ is hēane and the feminine nominative singular is hēa.

The masculine/neuter dative singular ending -um may cause confusion, for this is also the ending of the dative plural nouns and adjectives, and you may already have come to think of it as plural. Remember it this way: -um is always dative, and in nouns it is always plural.

• The second syllable of a two-syllable adjective, like that of a two-syllable noun, may be syncopated, so the dative plural of hāliġ ‘holy’ is hālgum but the masculine accusative singular is hāliġne.

• The nominative and accusative plural ending -e is very frequent for both feminines and neuters in late Old English, when -e becomes the dominant ending for all genders. You will also see occasional -a in nominative and accusative plural neuters.

• Possessive adjectives are always declined strong, and so is ōðer ‘other, second’, regardless of context.

8.3. Weak adjectives

The weak adjectives (table 8.4) are almost exactly like the weak nouns. The difference is that the ending of the genitive plural of a weak adjective is usually the same as that of a strong adjective.

Table 8.4. Weak adjectives
		masculine	neuter	feminine
singular	nominative	gōda ‘good’	gōde	gōde
	accusative	gōdan		gōdan
	genitive	gōdan
	dative
plural	nominative	gōdan
	accusative
	genitive	gōdra, -ena
	dative	gōdum

There is no distinction between long and short stems, except that æ or ea in a short root syllable always becomes a, so the weak masculine nominative singular of hwæt ‘vigorous’ is hwata. Because all weak endings begin with vowels, h is always dropped at the end of a root syllable (as with some nouns), so the weak nominative/accusative plural of hēah ‘high’ is hēan. As with nouns and strong adjectives, the second syllable of a two-syllable adjective can be syncopated, so the weak nominative/accusative plural of hāliġ ‘holy’ is hālgan.

Comparative adjectives and ordinal numbers (except for ōðer ‘second’) are always declined weak.