3.8.3. The Adjective

By the end of the ME period the agreement of the adjective with the noun in gender and case was lost. Tha first category to disappear was gender (XI c.). The instrumental case had already fused with the dative by the end of the OE period. Towards the end of the 13-th c., all case distinctions were lost. So, in the attributive group, consisting of a noun and an adjective, the case was expressed only once by the noun, e.g. Nominative, sg: good dai – Possessive, sg : good daies.

There remained only some number distinctions and distinctions between strong and weak forms.

The peculiar suffix -en (< OE -an) of the weak declension lost its n and was reduced to –e. Thus, the paradigm of the adjective consisted of four forms distinguished by a single vocalic ending.

3.8.3.1. Declension of Adjectives in Late Middle English

Declension	Singular number	Plural number
Strong	yong	yonge
Weak	yonge	yonge

In other words, it was still possible to distinguish between the strong and weak form of an adjective in the singular. Cf. the yonge sonne (young sun) (weak declension) – a yong Squier (a young squire) (strong declension) and between the singular and plural form of a strong adjective, e.g. smale faules maken melodye (Chaucer) (plural form).

Some adjectives ending in -e, e.g. wēste, wilde, swēte, rīce were already unchangeable, contributing to the decay of adjectival endings.

In the Northern dialects the declension of adjectives was completely lost, the only surviving -e was dropped and the adjective became invariable, except for degrees of comparison.

3.8.3.2. Degrees of Comparison

The OE suffixes of the comparative and the superlative degrees weakened: -ra > -er, -ost > -est, e.g. glad – gladder – gladdest.

Moreover, the suffixes -er, -est were used not only with monosyllabics but also with longer adjectives, e.g. one of the beautifullest men in the world (Thomas Fuller, The Holy State and the Profane State).

Several adjectives kept a mutated vowel in the comparative and superlative degrees, e.g.

old – elder – eldest, long – lenger – lengest, strong – strenger – strengest.

Yet, the interchange of the root vowel was less common than before.

Since most adjectives with the root vowel alternation had parallel forms without it, the forms with an interchange in NE fell out of use, e.g.

long – longer – longest replaced OE long – lenger – lengest.

However, the interchange of root vowel survived in the adjective old – elder – eldest, where the difference in meaning from older – oldest was most essential.

Other traces of the old alternation are evident in the pair farther – further, and in the words nigh, near and next, which go back to the degrees of comparison of the OE adjective nēah (near).

Several adjectives preserved suppletive degrees of comparison: gōd – better – betst, evil – werse – werst, mochel – mōre – mōst, litel – lasse – l st.

The most important innovation in the ME period was the growth of analytical forms of the degrees of comparison (phrases with more, most), which go back to OE combinations of the adverbs mā, bet, betst, swiþor (more, better), swiþost (most, best) with participles (the XIII c.). Later this usage spread to adjectives and became common in the XVI c.

It is noteworthy that in ME such phrases went together with all kinds of adjectives, irrespective of the number of syllables and mostly with mono- and disyllabic words, e.g. more swete for sweeter, better worthy for worthier (Chaucer).

The two sets of forms (synthetic and analytical) were in free variation until the XVII and XVIII cc., when the modern standard usage was established.

Another curious peculiarity in Early NE texts is the so-called «double comparatives» and «double superlatives», e.g. more fressher (Malory), most unkindest (Shakespeare).

We will grace his heels with the most boldest and best hearts of Rome (Shakespeare, Julius Caesar)