Editing Latin grammar (section)

===Declension of adjectives===
Adjectives, like nouns, have different endings for the different cases, singular and plural. They also differ as to gender, having different forms for masculine, feminine, and neuter. (But masculine and neuter are identical in the genitive, dative, and ablative cases.)

Many adjectives belong to the 1st and 2nd declensions, declining in the same way as the nouns {{lang|la|puella, dominus, bellum}}. An example is the adjective {{lang|la|bonus}} "good" shown below:

{| class="wikitable sortable" 
|-
! class=unsortable|Case
! class=unsortable|''m. sg.''
! class=unsortable|''f. sg.''
! class=unsortable|''n. sg.''
! class=unsortable|
! class=unsortable|''m. pl''
! class=unsortable|''f. pl.''
! class=unsortable|''n. pl.''
! class=unsortable|
! Br
! GL
! Wh
|-
| Nominative
| '''{{lang|la|bonus|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bona|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bonum|italic=no}}''' || || '''{{lang|la|bonī|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bonae|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bona|italic=no}}''' || || 1 || 1 || 1
|-
| Vocative
| '''{{lang|la|bone|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bona|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bonum|italic=no}}''' || || '''{{lang|la|bonī|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bonae|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bona|italic=no}}''' || || 2 || 5 ||6 
|-
| Accusative
| '''{{lang|la|bonum|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bonam|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bonum|italic=no}}''' || || '''{{lang|la|bonōs|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bonās|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bona|italic=no}}''' || ||3 || 4 || 4 
|-
| Genitive
| '''{{lang|la|bonī|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bonae|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bonī|italic=no}}''' || || '''{{lang|la|bonōrum|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bonārum|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bonōrum|italic=no}}''' || || 4 || 2 || 2
|-
| Dative
| '''{{lang|la|bonō|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bonae|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bonō|italic=no}}''' || || '''{{lang|la|bonīs|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bonīs|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bonīs|italic=no}}''' ||  ||5 || 3 || 3 
|-
| Ablative
| '''{{lang|la|bonō|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bonā|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bonō|italic=no}}''' || || '''{{lang|la|bonīs|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bonīs|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|bonīs|italic=no}}''' ||  ||6 || 6 || 5 
|-
|}

Other adjectives belong to the 3rd declension, in which case the masculine and feminine are usually identical. Most 3rd declension adjectives are i-stems, and have ablative singular ''-ī'' and genitive plural ''-ium''. An example is {{lang|la|ingēns}} "huge" shown below:

{| class="wikitable sortable" 
|-
! class=unsortable|Case
! class=unsortable|''m/f. sg.''
! class=unsortable|''n. sg.''
! class=unsortable|
! class=unsortable|''m/f. pl''
! class=unsortable|''n. pl.''
! class=unsortable|
! Br
! GL
! Wh
|-
| Nominative
| '''{{lang|la|ingēns|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|ingēns|italic=no}}''' || || '''{{lang|la|ingentēs|italic=no}}''' ||  '''{{lang|la|ingentia|italic=no}}''' || || 1 || 1 || 1
|-
| Vocative
| '''{{lang|la|ingēns|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|ingēns|italic=no}}''' || || '''{{lang|la|ingentēs|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|ingentia|italic=no}}''' || || 2 || 5 ||6 
|-
| Accusative
| '''{{lang|la|ingentem|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|ingēns|italic=no}}''' || || '''{{lang|la|ingentēs/-īs|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|ingentia|italic=no}}''' || ||3 || 4 || 4 
|-
| Genitive
| '''{{lang|la|ingentis|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|ingentis|italic=no}}''' || || '''{{lang|la|ingentium|italic=no}}''' ||  '''{{lang|la|ingentium|italic=no}}''' || || 4 || 2 || 2
|-
| Dative
| '''{{lang|la|ingentī|italic=no}}''' ||  '''{{lang|la|ingentī|italic=no}}''' || || '''{{lang|la|ingentibus|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|ingentibus|italic=no}}''' ||  ||5 || 3 || 3 
|-
| Ablative
| '''{{lang|la|ingentī|italic=no}}''' ||  '''{{lang|la|ingentī|italic=no}}''' || || '''{{lang|la|ingentibus|italic=no}}''' ||  '''{{lang|la|ingentibus|italic=no}}''' || || 6 || 6 || 5 
|-
|}

In a very few 3rd declension adjectives such as {{lang|la|ācer, ācris, ācre}} "sharp, keen", the feminine is different from the masculine, but only in the nominative and vocative singular.

A few adjectives (especially comparative adjectives) decline as consonant stems, and have ablative singular ''-e'' and genitive plural ''-um''. An example is {{lang|la|melior}} "better":

{| class="wikitable sortable" 
|-
! class=unsortable|Case
! class=unsortable|''m/f. sg.''
! class=unsortable|''n. sg.''
! class=unsortable|
! class=unsortable|''m/f. pl''
! class=unsortable|''n. pl.''
! class=unsortable|
! Br
! GL
! Wh
|-
| Nominative
| '''{{lang|la|melior|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|melius|italic=no}}''' || || '''{{lang|la|meliōres|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|meliōra|italic=no}}''' || || 1 || 1 || 1
|-
| Vocative
| '''{{lang|la|melior|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|melius|italic=no}}''' || || '''{{lang|la|meliōrēs|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|meliōra|italic=no}}''' || || 2 || 5 ||6 
|-
| Accusative
| '''{{lang|la|meliōrem|italic=no}}''' ||  '''{{lang|la|melius|italic=no}}''' || || '''{{lang|la|meliōrēs|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|meliōra|italic=no}}''' || ||3 || 4 || 4 
|-
| Genitive
| '''{{lang|la|meliōris|italic=no}}''' ||  '''{{lang|la|meliōris|italic=no}}''' || ||'''{{lang|la|meliōrum|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|meliōrum|italic=no}}''' || || 4 || 2 || 2
|-
| Dative
| '''{{lang|la|meliōrī|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|meliōrī|italic=no}}''' ||  ||'''{{lang|la|meliōribus|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|meliōribus|italic=no}}''' ||  ||5 || 3 || 3 
|-
| Ablative
| '''{{lang|la|meliōre|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|meliōre|italic=no}}''' || || '''{{lang|la|meliōribus|italic=no}}''' || '''{{lang|la|meliōribus|italic=no}}''' || || 6 || 6 || 5 
|-
|}

Participles such as {{lang|la|dūcēns}} "leading" usually have ''-e'' in the ablative singular, but ''-ium'' in the genitive plural.{{sfn|Gildersleeve|Lodge|1903|p=42}}

There are no adjectives in the 4th or 5th declensions.

The adjectives {{lang|la|sōlus}} "only" and {{lang|la|tōtus}} "the whole of" decline like pronouns, with genitive singular ''-īus'' and dative singular ''-ī'':
:{{lang|la|'''tōtīus''' Graeciae}} = of the whole of Greece (genitive case)
:{{lang|la|tibī '''sōlī'''}} = to you alone (dative case)