3. _Case._—The genitive singular and plural of masculine and feminine nouns end in _-es_. Occasionally proper nouns form the genitive in _-is_. The means or instrument occasionally stands in the genitive without the preposition: '_deades_ driuen,' influenced by death; '_swerdes_ slagen,' slain of the sword; '_teres_ wet,' wet with tears. Cf. '_floures bred_,' bread made with flour; '_bredes_ mel,' meal consisting of bread; '_wines_ drinc,' drink consisting of wine. Corresponding to the modern word _kinsmen_ we have such forms as '_daiges-ligt_' (daylight), '_hines-folk_' (servants), '_wifeskin_' (women). The genitive is used adverbially, as _newes_, anew; _liues_, alive. We have a few traces of the genitive in _-e_ in the following examples: '_helle_ nigt,' l. 89 (hell's night); '_helle_ bale,' l. 2525 (hell's bale); '_sterre_ name,' l. 134 (star's name); '_safte_ same,' l. 349 (shame of form); '_werlde_ nigt,' l. 1318 (world's night).[50] The genitive of _fader_ and _moder_ is, as is very seldom the case in Early English writers, _fadres_ and _modres_. An _n_ is often added to the final _-e_ (representing an A.Sax. vowel-ending) in the nom., dat., and acc. of nouns. For examples, see p. xxi. II. ADJECTIVES. 1. Adjectives have a definite and an indefinite form; the former is used when the adjective is preceded by the definite article, a demonstrative adjective, or possessive pronoun. Indef. _wis_ (wise), _god_ (good). Def. _wise_, _gode_. 2. _Number._—The plural is formed by the addition of _e_ to the singular. SINGULAR. PLURAL. _fet_ (fat), _fette_. _gret_ (great) _grete_. _other_, _othere_. _tother_, _tothere_. But the _-e_ (pl.) is seldom added to the past participle of irregular verbs. _This_ forms the plurals _thes_ (oblique cases _these_), _this_ (_thise_). _Tho_ is the plural of _that_. _Cases._—_One_ makes the genitive _ones_; as, '_ones_ bles,' of one colour. The gen. pl. _-re_ occurs in _ald-re_ (= _alre_), of all; as, 'hure _aldre_ bale,' the bale of us all; 'here _aldre_ heuedes,' the heads of them all. _Degrees of comparison._—The comparative ends in _-ere_ (_-er_), the superlative in _-este_ (_est_).[51] Very few irregular forms occur in the present poem. POSITIVE. COMPARATIVE. SUPERLATIVE. ille, werre. —— lite, lesse, leist. long, { leng. } —— { lengere. } mikel, { mo, } moste. { mor, } neg, —— neste. old, eldere, eldeste. _Numerals._—The Northumbrian forms in _-nde_ have superseded the Southern ones in _-the_; as, _seuende_ (seventh), _egtende_ (eighth), _tende_ (tenth).[52] III. PRONOUNS. 1. The first personal pronoun _Ic_ is never found softened into _Ich_ as in Laȝamon's Brut, the Ancren Riwle, and other Southern works. _I_ is found only once or twice throughout the poem.