Latin for Beginners Part 7

<64.>> We have for some time now been using adjectives and nouns together and you have noticed an agreement between them in _case_ and in _number_ (--54). They agree also in _gender_. In the phrase >, we have a feminine adjective in <-a>> agreeing with a feminine noun in <-a>>.

<65.>> RULE.

<66.>> Feminine adjectives in <-a>> are declined like feminine nouns in <-a>>, and you should learn to decline them together as follows:

NOUN ADJECTIVE > (base >), > (base >), f., _lady_ _good_

SINGULAR TERMINATIONS _Nom._ do'mina bona -a _Gen._ dominae bonae -ae _Dat._ dominae bonae -ae _Acc._ dominam bonam -am _Abl._ domina bona -a

PLURAL _Nom._ dominae bonae -ae _Gen._ domina'rum bona'rum -arum _Dat._ dominis bonis -is _Acc._ dominas bonas -as _Abl._ dominis bonis -is

_a._ In the same way decline together

>, _the bad girl_; >, _great fortune._

<67.>> The words >, _G.o.ddess_, and >, _daughter_, take the ending <-abus>> instead of <-is>> in the _dative and ablative plural._ Note the _dative and ablative plural_ in the following declension:

> (bases > >)

SINGULAR PLURAL _Nom._ dea bona deae bonae _Gen._ deae bonae dea'rum bona'rum _Dat._ deae bonae dea'bus bonis _Acc._ deam bonam deas bonas _Abl._ dea bona dea'bus bonis

_a._ In the same way decline together >.

<68.>> > The order of words in English and in Latin sentences is not the same.

In English we arrange words in a fairly fixed order. Thus, in the sentence _My daughter is getting dinner for the farmers_, we cannot alter the order of the words without spoiling the sentence. We can, however, throw emphasis on different words by speaking them with more force. Try the effect of reading the sentence by putting special force on _my, daughter, dinner, farmers_.

In Latin, where the office of the word in the sentence is shown by its _ending_ (cf. --32.1), and not by its _position_, the order of words is more free, and position is used to secure the same effect that in English is secured by emphasis of voice. To a limited extent we can alter the order of words in English, too, for the same purpose. Compare the sentences

_I saw a game of football at Chicago last November_ (normal order) _> I saw a game of football at Chicago_ _At Chicago, last November, I saw a game of >_

1. In a Latin sentence the most emphatic place is the _first_; next in importance is the _last_; the weakest point is the _middle_. Generally the _subject_ is the most important word, and is placed _first_; usually the _verb_ is the next in importance, and is placed _last_.

The other words of the sentence stand between these two in the order of their importance. Hence the normal order of words--that is, where no unusual emphasis is expressed--is as follows:

_subject_--_modifiers of the subject_--_indirect object_-- _direct object_--_adverb_--_verb_

Changes from the normal order are frequent, and are due to the desire for throwing emphasis upon some word or phrase. _Notice the order of the Latin words when you are translating, and imitate it when you are turning English into Latin._

2. Possessive p.r.o.nouns and modifying genitives normally stand after their nouns. When placed before their nouns they are emphatic, as

>, _my daughter_; >, _> daughter_; >, _Galba's cottage_; >, _> cottage_.

Notice the variety of emphasis produced by writing the following sentence in different ways:

> (normal order) > (> and > emphatic)

3. An adjective placed before its noun is more emphatic than when it follows. When great emphasis is desired, the adjective is separated from its noun by other words.

> (

> not emphatic) > (

> more emphatic)

> (

> very emphatic)

4. Interrogative words usually stand first, the same as in English.

5. The copula (as >, >) is of so little importance that it frequently does not stand last, but may be placed wherever it sounds well.

<69.>> EXERCISE

First learn the special vocabulary, p. 284.

_Note the order of the words in these sentences and pick out those that are emphatic._

1. Longae non sunt tuae viae. 2. Suntne tubae novae in mea casa? Non sunt. 3. Quis lata in silva habitat? Diana, lunae clarae pulchra dea, lata in silva habitat. 4. Nautae altas et latas amant aquas. 5. Quid ancilla tua portat? Ancilla mea tubam novam portat. 6. Ubi sunt Lesbia et Iulia? In tua casa est Lesbia et Iulia est in mea. 7. Estne Italia lata terra? Longa est Italia, non lata. 8. Cui Galba agricola fabulam novam narrat? Filiabus dominae clarae fabulam novam narrat. 9. Clara est insula Sicilia. 10. Quem laudat Latona? Latona laudat filiam.

>

LESSON IX

THE SECOND OR _O_-DECLENSION

[Special Vocabulary]

NOUNS >, n., _war_ (re-bel) >, f., _firmness, constancy, steadiness_ dominus, -i, m., _master, lord_ (dominate) >, m., _horse_ (equine) >, n., _grain_ >, m., _lieutenant, amba.s.sador_ (legate) >, m., _Marcus, Mark_ >, m., _wall_ (mural) >, m., _townsman_ >, n., _town_

>, n., _spear_ (pile driver) >, m., _slave, servant_ s.e.xtus, -i, m., _s.e.xtus_

VERBS >, _he (she, it) cares for_, with acc.

>, _he (she, it) hastens_

<70.>> Latin nouns are divided into five declensions.

The declension to which a noun belongs is shown by the ending of the genitive singular. This should always be learned along with the nominative and the gender.

<71.>> The nominative singular of nouns of the Second or _O_-Declension ends in <-us>>, <-er>>, <-ir>>, or <-um>>. The genitive singular ends in <-i>>.

<72.>> > Nouns in <-um>> are neuter. The others are regularly masculine.

<73.>> > Masculines in <-us>> and neuters in <-um>> are declined as follows:

> (base >),

> (base

>), m., _master_ n., _spear_

TERMINATIONS TERMINATIONS SINGULAR _Nom._ do'minus[1] -us pilum -um _Gen._ domini -i pili -i _Dat._ domino -o pilo -o _Acc._ dominum -um pilum -um _Abl._ domino -o pilo -o _Voc._ domine -e pilum -um

PLURAL _Nom._ domini -i pila -a _Gen._ domino'rum -orum pilo'rum -orum _Dat._ dominis -is pilis -is _Acc._ dominos -os pila -a _Abl._ dominis -is pilis -is

[Footnote 1: Compare the declension of > and of >.]

_a._ Observe that the masculines and the neuters have the same terminations excepting in the nominative singular and the nominative and accusative plural.

_b._ The vocative singular of words of the second declension in <-us>> ends in <-e>>, as >, _O master_; >, _O slave_.

This is the most important exception to the rule in --56.a.