A NOTEBO.OK
.,.
OF LAfiN SYNTAX
A.R.DAVIS
CHRISTOPHERS
SIMPLEX
A NOTEBOOK OF LATIN SYNTAX WITH DIAGRAMS
AND RULES FOR THE SUBJUNCTIVE
PRINTED IN RED
by A. R. D A VIS, M.A.
ASSISTANT MASTER AT MERCHANT TAYLORS' SCHOOL
EXAMINER IN LATIN
IN THE GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION OF LONDON UNIVERSITY
SOMETIME SCHOLAR OF SIDNEY SUSSEX COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE
LONDON WC2
HORACE
PREFACE
Latin at the Ordinary Level of the General Certificate of Education is, notoriously, both a much needed and a much failed subject.
It soon becomes clear to an examiner that it is a lack of grasp of the basic principles of sentence building that bedevils the work
of so many candidates in their Sentences, " Proses " and Unseens. This little book attempts to remedy this weakness in three
ways:
(i) The subject matter is simply and logically arranged and excludes minor points not essential to the fundamentals of
sentence and clause structure, beclluse these points are better learned in grammar and reading lessons. Overcomprehensiveness in a Latin Course blurs priorities, and the student, baffled like Dido (Quae quibus anteferam ?)
forgets an.
(ii) Diagrams and significant layout are used so that the visual memory assists the understanding.
A younger generation
that has the Iliad and the Exodus presented to it as a strip cartoon instinctively expects a visual appeal : better to go
some of the way to meet them if, in the event, they learn some Latin.
(iii) Rules for and examples of the use of the Subjunctive are printed in red. The Subjunctive, moribund in our own and other
modern languages, is very much alive in Latin, and is a constant source of error. I have found that the use of colour in
teaching helps immensely, and stimulates interest. Why not use red ink to emphasise what is right as well as to
pulverise what is wrong ?
Exercises and vocabularies have not been included as the notebook is designed to supplement and not replace existing Courses,
most of which are liberally supplied with both. Alternatively, books of exercises or bound copies of past examination papers
can be used with the Simplex. Its use will vary according to the taste of the teacher, but I would suggest, from experience with
my syntax notes from which it evolved, that plenty of practical work, oral and written, is done, with the notebook available for
reference, including both exercises on individual constructions and general revision exercises, so that its pages become thoroughly
memorised before exercises are attempted without books."
My acknowledgments are made to the publishers and printers for the help they have given in the production of the book,
and to the Handbook on the Teaching of Classics recently published by the Incorporated Association of Assistant Masters for
lending a measure of independent support for some of my ideas. The verse on Dative Verbs on page 2 is often used but I have
been unable to find it anywhere in print ; if it has a copyright, I apologise for my failure to discover it.
A. R. D.
CONTENTS
Part One
THE SIMPLE SENTENCE
1
Simple Statement
2
Dative Verbs ...
Impersonal Passive ...
3
Genitive and Ablative Verbs
4
Time, Place,and Measurement 5
Simple Questions
6
Simple Commands
7
Participles
8
ll
Gerund
Gerundive
12
Part Two
THE COMPLEX SENTENCE
NOUN CLAUSFS
Dependent Statement
Doubt and Fear
Dependent Question
18
AD1ECTIVAL CLAUSFS
19
16
17
ADVERBIAL CLAUSF3
20
21
22
23
24
25
25
25
26
27
13
15
15
...
28
In the
l.
BASIC
SIMPLE STATEMENT
NON-INFLECTED
language
rules for word endings in Latin, and their meanings, are known.
the commonest sources of error are these points about the USE
OF CASES.
(a)
(and
NOT ACCUSATIVE)
2.
3. Expressions of
TIME, PLACE
and
MEASUREMENT
INTAANSITIVE
in Latin, most
DATIVE VERBS
Dative put, remember, pray
after ENVY, SPARE, OBEY
1
2
3
PERSUADE, BELIEVE, COMMAND, to these,
4
5
6
add SUCCOUR, PARDON, and DISPLEASE.
7
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
ll.
12.
13.
10
ll
HEAL, FAVOUR, HURT, RESIST and INDULGERE
12
13
14
15
NOT Sanare
Faveo (2) favi fautum
14. Noceo (2) but NOT Laedo (3)
15. Resisto (3) reSTITI, NO SUPINE
16. Indulge in, give in to
16
2. Most VERBS COMPOUNDED WITH PREPOSITIONS take a DATIVE case of the word the preposition would have governed:
Bellum TIBI INFERO I make war on you
(Bellum IN TE fero)
Caesar Labienum exercitUI praefecit Caesar put Labienus in charge of the army
(PrAE exercitU fecit)
IMPERSONAL PASSIVE
Dative verbs MUST be used IMPERSONALLY in the PASSIVE: i.e. they must ONLY be used in the THIRD PERSONAL
SINGULAR NEUTER, the Subject in English being retained in the DATIVE in Latin;
The laws are obeyed (IT is obeyed TO the laws) LEGIBUS paretur
The prisoners were spared (IT was spared TO to prisoners) CAPfiVIS PARSUM EST
IMPERSONAL PASSIVE is sometimes used in Latin of verbs which are INTRANSITIVE in English to translate
There is/was+ a NOUN derived from the verb:
There was a keen battle (it was fought keenly) ACRITER PUGNATUM EST
There is a rush to arms (it is rushed to arms) AD ARMA CONCURRITUR
GENITIVE VERBS
ABLATIVE VERBS
GENITIVE VERBS
1. Never forget to remember that REMEMBER Memini and FORGET Obliviscor (3) Oblitus Sum take the GENITIVEexcept of a NEUTER Pronoun or Adjective, when ACCUSATIVE is used to avoid confusion with the masculine
ID meminj, sed EIUS oblitus sum I remember THAT, but I have forgotten HIM
2. FIVE Impersonal verbs of EMOTION
MISERET pity PAENITET regret PUDET shame TAEDET weary PIGET disgust
have ACCUSATIVE of the PERSON who feels (English Subject), and GENITIVE of the CAUSE (person or thing)
Paenitet ME sceleriS (It repents me of the crime) I am sorry FOR the crime
Miseruit NOS TUI (It pitied us of you) WE were sorry FOR you
3. ACQUIT, CONDEMN, ACCUSE take Genitive of the crime, etc. as English.
ABLATIVE VERBS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
*
HOWLONG
Caesar quadraginta
octo annOS vixit
.. .for forty eight years
TIME
ABLATIVE
1.
}1---+-No preposition*
C.decem anniS
Galliam vicit
...... within ten years
2. TIME WHEN
C.hOC diE necatus est
ON this day
PLACE
MOTION TO
in, ad tempiUM
.mm
Preposition except
1.
1.
MOTION FROM
ab, ex tempiO
2. REST AT
in tempiO
MEASUREMENT
Arbor viginti pedES alta
,,
,,'
LJ_
,
No preposition
LOCATIVE
SINGULAR
NB
PLAIN MEASUREMENT
case
PLURAL
3 Decl.
All
=GEN
MEASUREMENT IN COMPARISON
Romae
Domi
Corintbi
=DAT
Ruri
=ABL
Cartbagini Athenis
Gadibus
at Cadiz
SIMPLE QUESTIONS
1. With INTERROGATIVE WORD Quis, Quid, Ubi, Cur? etc.
As English: Quando venies?
2. NO INTERROGATIVE WORD
Latin: NE after first word.
VeniesNE eras?
3. LEADING QUESTION-YES
English: Surely ...... ?, or equivalent
Latin: NONNE first
Noone Romam vidisti? You've seen Rome, haven't you?
=SURELY you have seen Rome
4. LEADING QUESTION-NO
English: Surely ......not ...... ?, or equivalent
Latin: NUM first
Num canem times? You don't fear the dog, do you?
=SURELY you do NOT fear the dog
6.
5.
ALTERNATIVE
PARTICIPLES
PARTICIPLES are
Have TENSE and VOICE
VERB .....1---+-~--~ADJECTIVES
and can govern CASE
Latin Verbs have only THREE Participles as follows:
TENSE
GENDER, NUMBER,
CASE
VOICE
Active
Amans loving
Amaturus going to love
Passive
Present
Future
Past
Amatus having been loved
NB DEPONENT VERBS have all THREE Participles with ACTIVE meaning:
Present and Future Active in form conans, conaturus. Past Passive in form, active in meaning conatus.
1.
PRESENT PARTICIPLE
CAUTION English Present Participle is often loosely used for a Past Participle. Check by putting WHILE in front:
if meaning is Past, Latin uses Past Participle.
e.g. TRYING for a long time, I gave up=AFTER (not WHILE) trying. Therefore CONATUS, not CONANS.
usES
(a) as English
Currens ad amicum cecidit (While) running to his friend he fell.
(b) Often=English NOUN or RELATIVE clause
Laborantibus auxilium tulit he bore help to those working, the workers, those who worked.
2.
FUTURE PARTICIPLE
(a) English Going to, about to
Haec LOCUTURUS, Marcum vidi. Going to, about to, say this, I saw Marcus.
(b) To express INTENTION/PURPOSE
Veni te VISURUS I came intending to, in order to, see you.
PARTICIPLES Cbntd.
3.
NO DEPONENT
VERB:HAVING verb
TRANSITIVE*
PASSIVELY.
2 See if its SUBJECT (formerly OBJECT) is repeated as a LINK PRONOUN in Main clause.
(iia) LINK PRONOUN
Omit link pronoun, and put Participle and Noun into case of Link Pronoun.
ACCUSATIVE Having captured the city, he burned it.
The city captured, he burned IT (Ace) He burned the c,aptured city incendit captam urbem.
DATIVE Having seen the soldier, they gave HIM (Oat) a book. Militi viso librum dederunt
(iib) NO LINK PRONOUN The phrase is NOT linked to Main Clause, i.e. ABSOLUTE.
Therefore put Noun and Participle into ABLATIVE ABSOLUTE.
(With) the city captured, they went away URBE CAPTA, abierunt.
(iii) HAVING verb
INTRANSITIVEt
Having verb cannot be turned Passively, therefore a Past Participle Passive cannot be used.
Render as WHEN clause, using UBI+ Indic.
HAVING COME TO ROME they saw the Forum UBI Ro~m VENERUNT, Forum viderunt.
i.e. governs ACCUSATIVE case in Latin.
t governs NO case,
or GENITIVE, DATIVE, or ABLATIVE Case in Latin.
PARTICIPLES Contd.
. d
Caesare loquente}
.
t e messenger arnve
locuturo nuntius vemt ,
,
, about to speak
(b) The verb ESSE to be, having no Present Participle, is understood where required
.
with you as leader }
Te duce vmcemus
.J
l .J h.
we shall conquer
unuer your eauers lp
TRANSLATION OF PARTICIPLES
After losing} h h
h fi und.
I. LITERALLY Having lost t e s eep, e 0
It
2. BY A MAIN VERB He LOST the sheep AND found it
3. RELATIVE CLAUSE He found the sheep WHICH HE HAD LOST
4. by most kinds of ADVERBIAL CLAUSE
TIME When, after
CAUSE Because, sinceJ
.
CONCESSION Although
he lost the sheep, he found 1t
CONDITION
If
GERUND
Verb/NOUN ACTIVE
1. In Latin used ONLY for ENGLISH Gerund (Verb Noun -lNG) GOVERNED BY CASE PROPOSITIONS
(a) With Verbs which in Latin govern a case other than Accusative:
Ars aliiS persuadendl the art of persuading others.
(b) When the object of the Gerund is a Neuter Pronoun or Adjective, to distinguish it from the
Masculine:
Capax omniA superandl GERUND capable of overcoming all THINGS.
omniUM superandORUM GERUNDIVE capable of overcoming all MEN.
(c) With Genitive Plural Nouns, 1st and 2nd Declensions, to avoid ugly repetition of orum/
arum:
Signum arma capiendi GERUND NOT armorum capiendorum GERUNDIVE.
11
Verb/ADJECTIVE PASSIVE
GERUNDIVE
I A For English GERUND+oBJECT It------------------------------When English Gerund, governed by a case preposition, itself governs an object
Latin uses GERUNDIVE of verb with Accusative.
Tum the phrase Passively, and make the Gerundive, which acts as a Present Participle Passive here, agree with
the noun, e.g. By reading books we learn much . . .
By books BEING READ we learn much LibriS LegendiS multa discimus
NB 1. See previous page for 3 cases where Gerund is used instead.
NB 2. Gerundive with ad (Ace) and causa (Gen) is often used for PURPOSE.
Victoriae
causa} proeliom comm1s1t
. . .1,.,..o wm
.. a vzctory,
he }ome
d battle.
.
. reportandae
rta d
Ad VIctonam repo n am
NB 3. Caesar had a bridge built . .. (Caesar looked after a bridge being built . ..)
Caesar PONTEM FACIENDUM CURAVIT.
He
is
at
home
SUBJECT VERB
ENGLISH ACC/INFINITIVE
13
GENDER
/
)DMBER
The boy
Puer
The girls
Puellae
NOTE
"'
RELATIVE CLAUSE
ANTECEDENT
WHOM
QUEM
WHOSE
QUARUM
/saw
vidi
father was dead
pater mortuus erat
was running
currebat
returned home
domum redierunt
1. NEVER omit the Relative in Latin: The man I know Is QUEM novi.
2. Superlatives with the Antecedent are put inside the Relative Clause and agree with the Relative Pronoun:
Send the best books you have Mitte libros quos OPTIMOS babes.
19
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