xl AN OUTLINE OF ANGLO-SAXON GRAMMAR, geong, young giengra giengest great, great grīetra, ' grīetest hēah, high Uīehra (hierra) hīeh(e)st lcjng, long lengra lęngest sceort, short sciertra sclertest (5) Without umlaut: ceald, cola cealdra cealdost earin, poor earmra' earmost heard, hard heardra heardost bifid, Inuā hlfidra hlndost lēof, dear lēofra lēofost rice, powerful rīcra rīcost swīð, strong swīSra swīðost swift, swift swiftra swiftest (2) In the limited class of umlauted forms the original endings were -ira, -ist; while the more common absence of umlaut proves the preference for ora, -ost. NOTE 1. — It is because comparatives follow the weak declen- ion (55, 2) that the masculine theme (in -a) is adopted as the dieme of the comparative; superlatives admit of double inflection. therefore the strong theme is here employed (in -ist, -ost, not -ista, -osta). NOTE 2. — The ending -ost (which is often represented by -ust, .-ast) is occasionally transferred to umlauted forms; and -est is often found with the unumlauted forms, particularly when these are inflected: heardesta, rīcestan, etc. 64. Some few comparatives and superlatives have no positive, but are based on corresponding adverbs or prepositions: (feorr, far) fierra fiercest (nēah, near) nēarra nīehst (ǽr, earlier) . ǽrra ærest (fore, before) furffra fyr(e)st