Adjectives and adverbs: agreement and comparison
Match descriptions to nouns and interpret regular and listed irregular comparisons.
Section MORPH-ADJECTIVES · Adjectives, comparison and adverbs
Exam scope and assessment notes
Original teaching foundations for the 2026–2028 syllabus. Six prescribed texts have passage-specific sequences; all 693 printed vocabulary rows have been reconciled into 692 distinct records, with additional number, comparison and compound-verb practice. Linked teaching and lexical self-checks do not certify mastery. Complete line-by-line annotation, further translation and scansion practice, qualified Latin-teacher review, full timed papers and human marking remain outstanding. Open the assigned edition alongside these lessons: public ancient texts can differ in spelling, punctuation or editorial readings from the prescribed prose anthology. Practice explanations are formative, not Cambridge questions, marks or predicted grades. Cambridge has announced withdrawal; the last assessment is June 2028, in administrative zones 3, 4, 5 and 6 only. Confirm entry with your centre.
Before you begin
- Read a short Latin sentence with a finite verb
- Check endings and vocabulary in context
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Which evidence should you check first when a Latin sentence is unclear?
What you will learn
- Match an adjective to a noun by gender, number and case.
- Interpret comparative and superlative forms and common adverbs in context.
An adjective follows its noun's grammar
Latin adjectives agree with the noun they describe in gender, number and case, even when endings differ because the adjective and noun belong to different declensions.
Check which noun the adjective describes before translating. Do not assume the nearest noun is always its match.
Comparison changes the force of a description
The syllabus includes regular comparison and the irregular adjectives bonus, malus, magnus, parvus, multus and pauci. It also includes adverbial equivalents and diu, prope and saepe.
Translate a comparative or superlative in context. An adverb describes how an action happens; an adjective describes a noun.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
What must agree between a Latin adjective and the noun it describes?
Worked example
Translate “Puellae laetae currunt” and explain the agreement.
Show the worked solution
- Find the plural subject puellae.
- Laetae is feminine nominative plural and agrees with puellae.
- Currunt is third-person plural.
Answer The happy girls run. Laetae agrees with puellae in feminine gender, nominative case and plural number.
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Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
In “Milites fortes urbem servant”, identify the noun described by fortes and translate the sentence.
Give me a hint
Check number and case as well as the adjective's meaning.
Compare my reasoning
- Milites is nominative plural.
- Fortes is nominative plural and describes milites.
- Servant is plural; urbem is the object.
The brave soldiers protect the city. Fortes describes milites and agrees in nominative plural; urbem is the accusative object.
Look for these in your work
- Matches adjective and noun
- Identifies subject and object
- Explains agreement
A narrator says “Hodie celerius iter facimus quam heri.” What is being compared?
Give me a hint
Find the adverb that modifies the action and the comparison word quam.
Compare my reasoning
- Celerius describes how the journey is made.
- Quam introduces the comparison.
- Heri gives the earlier comparison point.
We are travelling more quickly today than yesterday. Celerius is an adverbial comparison modifying the journey; it does not describe a noun.
Look for these in your work
- Recognises the adverb
- Finds both comparison points
- Keeps the comparison attached to the action
Explain why “puellae boni” is not a reliable agreement match when it is intended to mean “good girls”.
Give me a hint
Check gender as well as number and case.
Compare my reasoning
- Puellae is feminine nominative plural.
- Boni is masculine nominative plural.
- Choose the feminine plural form of bonus.
The adjective must be bonae: puellae and bonae are feminine nominative plural. Boni is masculine, so it does not agree with puellae.
Look for these in your work
- Checks all three agreement features
- Corrects the adjective
- Explains the mismatch
Common mistakes
- Matching only by the last letter
- Confusing an adjective with an adverb
- Translating a comparative without identifying what is compared
What can you explain now?
What must agree between a Latin adjective and the noun it describes?
Compare with the explanation
Gender, number and case
The endings can look different, but the grammatical features must match.
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Make it stick
What must agree between a Latin adjective and the noun it describes?
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.