UNIT SIX

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Adverbs derived from adjectives were capable of forming degrees of comparison. The comparative was regularly formed with -or and the superlative with -ost, e.g.

heard – heardor – heardost, wīde (widely) – wīdor – wīdost.

However, there were remnants of an earlier type with IE –is, e.g.

Gt airis (earlier).

In OE the ending disappeared leaving only mutation of the root vowel, e.g.

A few adverbs, corresponding to adjectives with suppletive degrees of comparison, also derive their degrees of comparison by the suppletive method, e.g.

2.6.8. The Verb: General Characteristics

The system of the OE verb was more complicated than that of any other part of speech. The OE verb had the categories of (1) number – singular and plural, (2) person – the first, the second and the third, (3) tense – the present and past, (4) mood, (5) aspect – perfective and imperfective, (6) voice – in the system of participles.

The category of number was much more developed than in modern English. Number was distinguished not only in the indicative, but in the subjunctive and the imperative as well. There were only two numbers, singular and plural. The OE verb had already no dual ending, so that the plural forms of the verb went together with the dual forms of the personal pronouns too.

OE verbs distinguished only two tenses, the present and the past. There was no future. A present tense form conveyed a future action with adverbs of future time as in modern English «I leave tomorrow». There were two tenses not only in the indicative but in the subjunctive as well. In OE the future action could also be expressed with the help of verb phrases made up of the verbs sculan and willan with the infinitive that will develop into analytical forms later.

There were three moods in OE, the indicative, the subjunctive and the imperative. The subjunctive was more widespread than in modern English.

Until recently it was believed that OE verbs distinguished two aspects – the perfective (expressed with the help of some prefixes (a-, be-, for- and particularly the prefix ʒe-) and the imperfective (without prefixes). E.g. the OE dōn, wrītan are regarded as corresponding, ʒewrītan – to the Russian perfective сделать, написать. Nevertheless, such correspondence was irregular. Some verbs could express a perfective meaning without prefixes, e.g. to the Russian imperfective делать, писать, whereas OE ʒedōn

cuman (come), brinʒan (bring), while verbs with the prefix ʒe- could also change the lexical meaning of the verb without making it perfective: beran (carry) - ʒeberan (bear a child).

The verb understandan (understand) could express both perfective and imperfective meanings and correspond to the Russian понимать and понять. Hence, it is difficult to speak of aspect as a stable category in OE.

There were also other means of expressing aspect meanings: verb phrases made up of the verbs habban, bēon, weorðan (have, be, become) and the present or past participle. Phrases with the present participle were used to describe a prolonged state or action: þǣr wǣron sume of ðæm bōcerum sittende (there were some of those learned men sitting). The phrases with the past participle indicated a completed action: hīe hæfdon þā heora stefn ʒesetenne (they had that term finished). Later such phrases will develop into analytical forms (Continuous and Perfect).

In OE there remained almost no traces of the IE medio-passive forms in the finite verb. Only the opposition of the two participles, the active present participle and the passive past participle wrītende - ʒewrīten presents a partial voice opposition. The passive meaning was coveyed also with the help of past participle of transitive verbs used as predicatives with the verbs bēon (be) and weorðan (become). Gradually such phrases turned into the analytical forms of the passive voice.

OE verbs fell into two main classes: strong (verbs with vowel gradation) and weak (verbs with suffixation). They differed from each other in building their past tense forms and past participle. Strong verbs employed a root vowel interchange whereas weak verbs used the dental suffix -d or -t.

OE verbs showed changes in forms in the present tense singular for the 1-st, 2-nd and 3-rd persons.In the past tense singular one form was used for the 1-st and 3-rd persons, the other – for the 2-nd. In the plural, one form was used for all persons.