§286. Rules of Agreement

Adjectives, Adjective Pronouns, and Participles agree with their nouns in Gender, Number, and Case:—

• vir fortis, a brave man.
• illa mulier, that woman.
• urbium māgnārum, of great cities.
• cum ducentīs mīlitibus, with two hundred soldiers.
• imperātor victus est, the general was beaten.
• secūtae sunt tempestātēs, storms followed.

a. With two or more nouns the adjective is regularly plural, but often agrees with the nearest (especially when attributive):—

• Nīsus et Euryalus prīmī (Aen. 5.294), Nisus and Euryalus first.
• Caesaris omnī et grātiā et opibus fruor (Fam. 1.9.21), I enjoy all Cæsar's favor and resources.

b. A collective noun may take an adjective of a different gender and number agreeing with the gender and number of the individuals implied (synesis, § 280. a):—

• pars certāre parātī (Aen. 5.108), a part ready to contend.
• colōniae aliquot dēductae, Prīscī Latīnī appellātī (Liv. 1.3), several colonies were planted (led out) [of men] called Old Latins.
• multitūdō convictī sunt (Tac. Ann. 15.44), a multitude were convicted.
• māgna pars raptae (id. 1.9), a large part [of the women] were seized.