Latin for Beginners Part 4

VERBS >, _he (she, it) is_; >, _they are_ >, _he (she, it) kills, is killing, does kill_

CONJUNCTION[A]

>, _and_

p.r.o.nOUNS >, interrog. p.r.o.noun, nom. sing., _who?_ > (p.r.o.nounced _co?oi'yo?os_, two syllables), interrog. p.r.o.noun, gen. sing., _whose?_

[Footnote A: A _conjunction_ is a word which connects words, parts of sentences, or sentences.]

<35.>> We learned from the table (--33) that the Latin nominative, genitive, and accusative correspond, in general, to the nominative, possessive, and objective in English, and that they are used in the same way. This will be made even clearer by the following sentence:

>, _the farmer's daughter_ (or _the daughter of the farmer_) _loves the sailor_

What is the subject? the direct object? What case is used for the subject? for the direct object? What word denotes the possessor? In what case is it?

<36.>> RULE. > _The subject of a finite verb is in the Nominative and answers the question Who? or What?_

<37.>> RULE.

<38.>> RULE. > _The word denoting the owner or possessor of something is in the Genitive and answers the question Whose?_

[Ill.u.s.tration: DIANA SAGITTAS PORTAT ET FERAS NECAT]

<39.>> EXERCISES

First learn the special vocabulary, p. 283.

I. 1. Diana est dea. 2. Latona est dea. 3. Diana et Latona sunt deae.

4. Diana est dea lunae. 5. Diana est filia Latonae. 6. Latona Dianam amat. 7. Diana est dea silvarum. 8. Diana silvam amat. 9. Diana sagittas portat. 10. Diana feras silvae necat. 11. Ferae terrarum pugnant.

For the order of words imitate the Latin above.

II. 1. The daughter of Latona does love the forests. 2. Latona's daughter carries arrows. 3. The farmers' daughters do labor. 4. The farmer's daughter loves the waters of the forest. 5. The sailor is announcing the girls' flight. 6. The girls announce the sailors' wrongs.

7. The farmer's daughter labors. 8. Diana's arrows are killing the wild beasts of the land.

<40.>> CONVERSATION

Translate the questions and answer them in Latin. The answers may be found in the exercises preceding.

1. Quis est Diana?

2. Cuius filia est Diana?

3. Quis Dianam amat?

4. Quis silvam amat?

5. Quis sagittas portat?

6. Cuius filiae laborant?

LESSON V

FIRST PRINCIPLES (_Continued_)

[Special Vocabulary]

NOUNS >, _wreath, garland, crown_ fa'bula, _story_ (fable)

>, _money_ (pecuniary)

>, _battle_ (pugnacious) >, _victory_

VERBS >, _he (she, it) gives_ narrat, _he (she, it) tells_ (narrate)

CONJUNCTION[A]

> or >, _because_

> (p.r.o.nounced _co?oi_, one syllable), interrog. p.r.o.noun, dat.

sing., _to whom?_ _for whom?_

[Footnote A: A _conjunction_ is a word which connects words, parts of sentences, or sentences.]

<41.>> > In addition to the relations.h.i.+ps between words expressed by the nominative, genitive (possessive), and accusative (objective) cases, there are other relations.h.i.+ps, to express which in English we use such words as _from_, _with_, _by_, _to_, _for_, _in_, _at_.[1]

[Footnote 1: Words like _to_, _for_, _by_, _from_, _in_, etc., which define the relations.h.i.+p between words, are called

>.]

Latin, too, makes frequent use of such prepositions; but often it expresses these relations without them by means of case forms which English does not possess. One of the cases found in the Latin declension and lacking in English is called the _dative_.

<42.>> When the nominative singular ends in <-a>>, the dative singular ends in <-ae>> and the dative plural in <-is>>.

NOTE. Observe that the _genitive singular_, the _dative singular_, and the _nominative plural_ all have the same ending, <-ae>>; but the uses of the three cases are entirely different. The general meaning of the sentence usually makes clear which case is intended.

_a._ Form the dative singular and plural of the following nouns: >, >, >, >,

>, >, >.

<43.>> > The dative case is used to express the relations conveyed in English by the prepositions _to_, _towards_, _for_.

These prepositions are often used in English in expressions of motion, such as _She went to town_, _He ran towards the horse_, _Columbus sailed for America_. In such cases the dative is not used in Latin, as _motion through s.p.a.ce_ is foreign to the dative relation. But the dative is used to denote that _to_ or _towards which_ a benefit, injury, purpose, feeling, or quality is directed, or that _for which_ something serves or exists.

_a._ What dative relations do you discover in the following?

The teacher gave a prize to John because he replied so promptly to all her questions--a good example for the rest of us. It is a pleasure to us to hear him recite. Latin is easy for him, but it is very hard for me.

Some are fitted for one thing and others for another.

<44.>> > Examine the sentence

>, _the sailor announces the flight_

Here the verb, >, governs the direct object, >, in the accusative case. If, however, we wish to mention the persons > the sailor announces the flight, as, _The sailor announces the flight >_, the verb will have two objects:

1. Its direct object, _flight_ (>) 2. Its indirect object, _farmers_

According to the preceding section, _to the farmers_ is a relation covered by the dative case, and we are prepared for the following rule:

<45.>> RULE. > _The indirect object of a verb is in the Dative._

_a._ The indirect object usually stands before the direct object.