10: The Adjective

Question 1

Recite the table of adjectives

Answer 1

• When gender and number endings are added to adjectives, the nature of the syllables may change, resulting in changes in the vowels.

Question 2

What are Geminate Roots?

Answer 2

• Those roots in which the second and third consonants are identical
  
  • לבב
• The duplicate consonants can be dealt with in one of two ways:
  
  • gemination
  • reduplication

Question 3

What is the gemination way of dealing with duplicate consonants?

Answer 3

1. One consonant is written when there is no ending
   
   • לֵב = heart
2. When an ending is added, two consonants are written, indicated by a strong dagesh
   
   • לִבּוֹת = hearts

Question 4

What is the reduplication way of dealing with duplicate consonants?

Answer 4

1. Both consonants are written and a vowel is placed in between
   
   • לֵבָב

Question 5

How can you recognize Geminate nouns and adjectives?

Answer 5

Geminate nouns and adjectives are often recognizable in the ms form by the presence of a patach under the first of two consonants.

• עַם

Question 6

How do you deal with Adjectives from Geminate roots?

Answer 6

Adjectives from geminate roots manifest gemination, not reduplication.

Question 7

What are the three uses of adjectives in Hebrew?

Answer 7

1. Attributive
2. Predicate
3. Substantive

Question 8

What is the Attributive adjective?

Answer 8

1. Describes a noun, for example, “the good boy”.
   
   • must agree in gender, number, and definiteness, and follow the noun it describes.

Question 9

What is the Predicate adjective?

Answer 9

1. Serves as the predicate of a sentence, for example, “the boy is good”.
   
   • when an adjective is predicate, a form of “to be” is supplied in an English translation.
   • A predicate adjective must agree in gender and number with the subject but will not have the definite article
   • Will tend to come before the noun it describes.

Question 10

What is the Substantive adjective?

Answer 10

1. A substantive adjective is used as a noun.
   
   • Context will indicate substantive use of this sort
   • does not have a noun that matches either in gender and number

Question 11

How do we use adjectives as comparatives?

Answer 11

1. Hebrew expresses the comparative by using this order: an adjective + noun/pronoun + מִן + noun/pronoun
   
   • חָכָם הַמֶּלֶךְ מִן־הַכֹּהֵן = “The king is wiser than the priest.”

Question 12

How can you describe a noun with more than one adjective?

Answer 12

Adjectives may be joined by vav conjunction to describe a single noun. The same rules of agreement apply.

• נָבִיא גָּדוֹל וְחָכָם = “a great and wise prophet”

Question 13

אַחֵר

Answer 13

other, another

Question 14

בֵּרִית

Answer 14

covenant

Question 15

זָקֵן

Answer 15

old, elder

Question 16

חָזָק

Answer 16

firm, strong

Question 17

לֶחֶם

Answer 17

bread, food

Question 18

מַיִם

Answer 18

water, waters

Question 19

שָׁמַיִם

Answer 19

sky, heaven

Question 20

כָּרַת

Answer 20

he cut

• this word is used as “cutting a covenant”

Question 21

מָלַךְ

Answer 21

he ruled, was king

Question 22

שָׁכַב

Answer 22

he lied down (himself)