Latin for Beginners by Benjamin Leonard D'Ooge (best motivational novels .txt) 📖

sentences

  1. Rōmānī «Caesarem cōnsulem» fēcērunt,
       the Romans made «Cæsar consul».

  2. «Caesar cōnsul» ā Rōmānīs factus est,
       «Cæsar» was made «consul» by the Romans.

a. Observe in 1 that the transitive verb «fēcērunt», made, has two objects: (1) the direct object, «Caesarem»; (2) a second object, «cōnsulem», referring to the same person as the direct object and completing the predicate. The second accusative is called a Predicate Accusative.

b. Observe in 2 that when the verb is changed to the passive both of the accusatives become nominatives, the direct object becoming the subject and the predicate accusative the predicate nominative.

«392.» RULE. «Two Accusatives.» Verbs of «making», «choosing», «calling», «showing», and the like, may take a predicate accusative along with the direct object. With the passive voice the two accusatives become nominatives.

«393.» The verbs commonly found with two accusatives are

«creo, creāre, creāvī, creātus», choose «appellō, appellāre, appellāvī, appellātus» } «nōminō, nōmināre, nōmināvī, nōminātus» } call «vocō, vocāre, vocāvī, vocātus» } «faciō, facere, fēcī, factus», make

«394.» EXERCISES

I. 1. In Germāniae silvis sunt[1] multa genera ferārum quae reliquīs in locīs nōn vīsa sint. 2. Erant[1] itinera duo quibus Helvētiī domō discēdere possent. 3. Erat[1] manus nūlla, nūllum oppidum, nūllum praesidium quod sē armīs dēfenderet. 4. Tōtō frūmentō raptō, domī nihil erat quō mortem prohibēre possent. 5. Rōmānī Galbam ducem creāvērunt et summā celeritāte profectī sunt. 6. Neque erat[1] tantae multitūdinis quisquam quī morārī vellet. 7. Germānī nōn iī sunt quī adventum Caesaris vereantur. 8. Cōnsulibus occīsīs erant quī[2] vellent cum rēgem creāre. 9. Pāce factā erat nēmō quī arma trādere nōllet. 10. Inter Helvētiōs quis erat quī nōbilior illō esset?

II. 1. The Romans called the city Rome. 2. The city was called Rome by the Romans. 3. The better citizens wished to choose him king. 4. The brave soldier was not the man to run. 5. There was no one [3]to call me friend. 6. These are not the men to[4] betray their friends. 7. There were (some) who called him the bravest of all.

    [Footnote 1: Remember that when the verb «sum» precedes its subject
    it is translated there is, there are, there were, etc.]

    [Footnote 2: «erant quī», there were (some) who. A wholly
    indefinite antecedent of «quī» does not need to be expressed.]

[Footnote 3: A relative clause of characteristic or description.]

[Footnote 4: See §389.b.]

* * * * *

«Eighth Review, Lessons LXI-LXIX, §§527-528»

* * * * *

LESSON LXX THE CONSTRUCTIONS WITH THE CONJUNCTION CUM THE ABLATIVE OF SPECIFICATION

«395.» The conjunction «cum» has the following meanings and constructions:

«cum» TEMPORAL = when, followed by the indicative or the subjunctive «cum» CAUSAL = since, followed by the subjunctive «cum» CONCESSIVE = although, followed by the subjunctive

As you observe, the mood after «cum» is sometimes indicative and sometimes subjunctive. The reason for this will be made clear by a study of the following sentences:

  1. «Caesarem vīdī tum cum in Galliā eram»,
       I saw Cæsar at the time when I was in Gaul.

  2. «Caesar in eōs impetum fēcit cum pācem peterent»,
       Cæsar made an attack upon them when they were seeking peace.

  3. «Hoc erat difficile cum paucī sine vulneribus essent»,
       this was difficult, since only a few were without wounds.

4. «Cum prīmī ōrdinēs fūgissent, tamen reliquī fortiter cōnsistēbant», though the front ranks had fled, yet the rest bravely stood their ground.

a. The underlying principle is one already familiar to you (cf. §389.a). When the «cum» clause states a fact and simply fixes the time at which the main action took place, the indicative mood is used. So, in the first example, «cum in Galliā eram» fixes the time when I saw Cæsar.

b. On the other hand, when the «cum» clause describes the circumstances under which the main act took place, the subjunctive mood is used. So, in the second example, the principal clause states that Cæsar made an attack, and the «cum» clause describes the circumstances under which this act occurred. The idea of time is also present, but it is subordinate to the idea of description. Sometimes the descriptive clause is one of cause and we translate «cum» by since; sometimes it denotes concession and «cum» is translated although.

«396.» RULE. «Constructions with Cum». The conjunction «cum» means «when», «since», or «although». It is followed by the subjunctive unless it means «when» and its clause fixes the time at which the main action took place.

NOTE. «Cum» in clauses of description with the subjunctive is much more common than its use with the indicative.

«397.» Note the following sentences:

1. «Oppidum erat parvum magnitūdine sed magnum multitūdine hominum», the town was small in size but great in population.

2. «Homō erat corpore īnfīrmus sed validus animō», the man was weak in body but strong in courage.

a. Observe that «magnitūdine», «multitūdine», «corpore», and «animō» tell in what respect something is true. The relation is one covered by the ablative case, and the construction is called the ablative of specification.

«398.» RULE. «Ablative of Specification.» The ablative is used to denote «in what respect» something is true.

«399.» IDIOMS

  «aliquem certiōrem facere», to inform some one (lit. to make some
    one more certain)
  «certior fierī», to be informed (lit. to be made more certain)
  «iter dare», to give a right of way, allow to pass
  «obsidēs inter sē dare», to give hostages to each other

«400.» EXERCISES

I. 1. Helvētiī cum patrum nostrōrum tempore domō prefectī essent, cōnsulis exercitum in fugam dederant. 2. Cum Caesar in Galliam vēnit, Helvētiī aliōs agrōs petēbant. 3. Caesar cum in citeriōre Gallia esset, tamen dē Helvētiōrum cōnsiliīs certior fīēbat. 4. Cum Helvētiī bellō clārissimī essent, Caesar iter per prōvinciam dare recūsāvit. 5. Lēgātus cum haec audīvisset, Caesarem certiōrem fecit. 6. Cum principēs inter sē obsidēs darent, Rōmānī bellum parāvērunt. 7. Caesar, cum id nūntiātum esset, mātūrat ab urbe proficīscī. 8. Nē virtūte quidem Gallī erant parēs Germānis. 9. Caesar neque corpore neque animō īnfīrmus erat. 10. Illud bellum tum incēpit cum Caesar fuit cōnsul.

Observe in each case what mood follows «cum», and try to give the reasons for its use. In the third sentence the «cum» clause is concessive, in the fourth and sixth causal.

II. 1. That battle was fought at the time when («tum cum») I was at Rome. 2. Though the horsemen were few in number, nevertheless they did not retreat. 3. When the camp had been sufficiently fortified, the enemy returned home. 4. Since the tribes are giving hostages to each other, we shall inform Cæsar. 5. The Gauls and the Germans are very unlike in language and laws.

LESSON LXXI VOCABULARY REVIEW · THE GERUND AND GERUNDIVE · THE PREDICATE GENITIVE

«401.» Review the word lists in §§510, 511.

«402.» «The Gerund.» Suppose we had to translate the sentence

By overcoming the Gauls Cæsar won great glory

We can see that overcoming here is a verbal noun corresponding to the English infinitive in -ing, and that the thought calls for the ablative of means. To translate this by the Latin infinitive would be impossible, because the infinitive is indeclinable and therefore has no ablative case form. Latin, however, has another verbal noun of corresponding meaning, called the «gerund», declined as a neuter of the second declension in the genitive, dative, accusative, and ablative singular, and thus supplying the cases that the infinitive lacks.[1] Hence, to decline in Latin the verbal noun overcoming, we should use the infinitive for the nominative and the gerund for the other cases, as follows:

Nom. «superāre», overcoming, to overcome INFINITIVE Gen. «superandī», of overcoming } Dat. «superandō», for overcoming } Acc. «superandum», overcoming } GERUND Abl. «superandō», by overcoming }

Like the infinitive, the gerund governs the same case as the verb from which it is derived. So the sentence given above becomes in Latin

«Superandō Gallōs Caesar magnam glōriam reportāvit»

[Footnote 1: Sometimes, however, the infinitive is used as an accusative.]

«403.» The gerund[2] is formed by adding «-ndī, -ndō, -ndum, -ndō», to the present stem, which is shortened or otherwise changed, as shown below:

PARADIGM OF THE GERUND

CONJ. I CONJ. II CONJ. III CONJ. IV Gen. amandī monendī regendī capiendī audiendī Dat. amandō monendō regendō capiendō audiendō Acc. amandum monendum regendum capiendum audiendum Abl. amandō monendō regendō capiendō audiendō

a. Give the gerund of «cūrō», «dēleō», «sūmō», «iaciō», «veniō».

b. Deponent verbs have the gerund of the active voice (see §493). Give the gerund of «cōnor», «vereor», «sequor», «patior», «partior».

[Footnote 2: The gerund is the neuter singular of the future passive participle used as a noun, and has the same formation. (Cf. §374.d.)]

«404.» «The Gerundive.» The gerundive is the name given to the future passive participle (§374.d) when the participle approaches the meaning of a verbal noun and is translated like a gerund. It is the adjective corresponding to the gerund. For example, to translate the plan of waging war, we may use the gerund with its direct object and say «cōnsilium gerendī bellum»; or we may use the gerundive and say «cōnsilium bellī gerendī», which means, literally, the plan of the war to be waged, but which came to have the same force as the gerund with its object, and was even preferred to it.

«405.» Compare the following parallel uses of the gerund and gerundive:

          GERUND GERUNDIVE
  Gen. «Spēs faciendī pācem» «Spēs faciendae pācis»
  Dat. «Locus idōneus pugnandō» «Locus idōneus castrīs pōnendīs»
           _A place suitable for A place suitable for
              fighting