332 NEW ZEALAND LANGUAGE. PART III. 



If we wish to express the quality of an object, by inter- 

 posing in our language the auxiliary verb to be, the latter 

 is often omitted in the New Zealand language, and the 

 adjective, with the prefix, is placed before the substantive ; 

 or if the prefix is given, the indefinite article e or he is placed 

 before the adjective ; for instance : 



Kapai te taro 



E pai te taro the bread is good. 



GRADATIONS. 



A gradation, without comparison, is often expressed by a 

 repetition of the root, as in Italian : thus : 



Pai good. 



Paipai very good. 



Or by adding to one of these forms the auxiliary verb 

 waka : 



Wakapai good. 



Wakapaipai very good. 



Or by adding the word tino, much : 



E paki te ra the day is calm. 



E tino paki te ra . . . . the day is very calm. 



A gradation is also very commonly formed by the words 

 nui (large) or nuinui, contracted nunui ; or by the words 

 nohi or nohinohi, contracted nonohi ; thus : 



He puke nui a high hill. 



He puke nunui, or nuinui . . a very high hill. 



He waka nohinohi .... a very small canoe. 



Sometimes it is expressed by the word rawa : 

 Ka riri rawa ia .... he became very angry. 



COMPARATIVE DEGREE. 



1 . Comparative of Equality. 



This is formed with the adverbs penei (like this) or me 

 (a conjunction meaning and) ; thus : 



He Rangatira nui ko Heu Heu me (or penei) Rauparaha. 

 Heu Heu is as great a chief as Rauparaha. 



