LANGUAGE, ETC., ABORIGINES OF PORT STEPHENS. 107 



Present Participle. 

 Mur'-roo-ma-lin (making) 

 Bun-yil'-lin (striking) 

 YaT-16-waT-lin (sitting down) 

 Bud-jee-lin (biting) 

 Boon'-ma-lin (stealing) 

 Boo-ba'-lin (lying down) 

 Bit'-yeel-lin (drinking 



The verbs have no passive, but the sense of the passive is 

 rendered by means of the indicative. 



Example V. — 1. Wut'-ta koor'-ee win'-yal-la. 2. Too-mul-la 

 kidn ku'-reel-la. 3. Bud'-jee nii'-ar-nuh. 4. Kut'-ti nut'- 

 wa-nuh 1 wun'-da doo'-kun kut'-ti bar'-ee-a. 5. Nut'-wa 

 gum'-mi mur'-roo-ma-lin. 6. Bing'-hl-goo-ba bar-ra-kun' 

 goo bun-yil'-la. 7. Nut'-wa bee-yar-goo-ba yuk'ree boon'- 

 ma-la. 8. Noo-kwum-ba nur'-rin kidn-goo-ba bor-tfi' 

 dun-yil'-la. 



Translation — 1. A man was burnt in the fire (lit. fire burnt a 

 man). 2. The woman was drowned in the creek (lit. creek 

 drowned the woman). 3. I will bite. 4. I will go when 

 the sun sets {lit. I will go when the sun goes from me). 

 5. I made a spear. 6. I struck him with the eldest 

 brother's boomerang. 7. I stole my father's wommera. 

 8. His eldest sister ate the woman's food. 



9. Adjectives. — Adjectives are generally placed after the noun 

 they qualify — 



Koor'-ee mur'-rook, a bad man; kidn yer-ra-kee, a bad woman. 



The comparative is formed by adding "bing" to the adjective, 

 and the superative by the addition of "bee-rang," signifying 

 "very"— 



mur'-rook, good ; mur'-rook-bing, better ; mur'-rook-bee-rang, best 

 yer'-ra-kee, bad ; yer'-ra-kee-bing, worse; yer'-ra-bee-bee-rang, worst. 



1 h is guttural, see explanation hereinbefore. 



