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Collins Unit 1. The bane of all language
textbooks is the need to present complex and esoteric linguistic information
well before students can appreciate its importance. For now just skim this
material but be ready to revisit it in due course.
Collins # 001. Pronunciation.
Latin uses the same alphabet that English uses (more precisely, we
use practically the same alphabet the Romans did) and Latin morphology closely tracks
its phonology (i.e., Latin
words are nearly always spelled the way they soundunlike much of
English) so students generally need only hear good Latin (live or
recordings) in order to read, and eventually to
speak and write, good Latin.
Collins provides macrons and other guides to
pronunciation but the vast majority of
Latin texts do not use these marks and so memorizing them, especially
early on, is of questionable value. The times one might need
pronunciation helps to proclaim Ecclesiastical Latin publicly (say, in
the liturgy) prose accents/stresses will likely be supplied.
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For example, this text for Good Friday service shows rubrics
(printed in red) with no accent/stress marks (because they are
instructions for the minister, to be read silently) while the
words to be proclaimed aloud by him (printed in black) have
accent/stress marks. |
Responsorio absoluto, omnes
surgunt; et tunc celebrans, stans ad sedile, dicit
Orιmus, et diaconus: Flectαmus
gιnua, et omnes, flexis genibus, per
aliquod temporis spatium in silentio orant; dicto a diacono:
Levαte, omnes surgunt, et
celebrans dicit Orationem. |
Still, over time, and especially as one moves into Latin poetry, macrons and
other phonetic markers will be useful so learn them as convenient.
Collins # 002. Noun overview.
See my Nouns Basics, here. Second only to verbs, nouns lie at the heart of any language.
The challenge that English
speakers face is that Latin nouns require one to keep track of three things:
gender, number, and case (the order of these factors is not important).
One simply
must be able to analyze Latin nouns in terms of their two numbers
(singular and plural), three genders (masculine, feminine, and neuter), and five
major cases (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, and ablative) in order to
understand what Latin is doing. The rewards of a case system in terms of clarity of thought and beauty of
expression are, you will come to see, huge and Latin makes powerful use of it.
Collins # 003. Declension
I.
(basics) &
(Declension I). Easy. Commit to memory.
Think
of a declension not as mere 'group' or a 'collection' of nouns but as a family of nouns,
i.e., as a set of nouns that act very similarly among themselves
and that share certain patterns with other families. There
are five declensions in Latin (I, II, III, IV, and V). Some estimate
that one out of five Latin nouns belongs to Declension I.
Collins # 004. Preposition overview.
(prepositional phrases). See my Preposition Basics,
here.
Recitatio Quotidiana: Names of
the five cases; Declension 1.
Case uses: Nominative, 1; Genitive, 1; Dative, 1; Accusative, 1; Ablative, 1.
Collins Unit 2.
Collins #
005. Declension II, M/F. .
Easy. Commit to memory. A few of these nouns (e.g., puer, liber, magister) end in "-er". There
are a very few feminine nouns in this declension (e.g., domus, domi). Beware the
oddities for declining the noun "deus, dei". I have
heard it estimated that about one quarter of Latin nouns belong to the Declension
II.
Collins # 006. Esse present tense. .
Easy. Commit to memory.
Everybody
starts off by teaching the vital verb to be but, not only is esse irregular, it does some
very strange things, like acting as a "copulative"
(linking verb), which in turn
basically demands understanding of how adjectives work.
Personally, I would have started with some simple transitive
verbs but esse needs to be understood sooner than
later so, fine, dive in.
Collins # 007. Kinds of sentences.
Frankly, I would skip this section, as it requires too much Latin
(and English) grammar to make sense of it.
For now, just remember
that, in both Latin and English,
there are four kinds of sentences: declarative (stating what is or is not the
situation), interrogative (asking questions), imperative (giving directives or
commands), and exclamatory (expressing surprise or emotion).
Collins # 008. Direct statements.
English is notorious for using expletive or dummy
subjects in sentences, something utterly foreign to Latin. Whereas English might
say "There is a man in the church" Latin would simply say "Vir in ecclesia est",
there being no Latin word for "there" in this sense. (Ha! I just did it, see?
'There being ...'). It takes time for
English-speakers to stop looking for such subjects in Latin and to start
remembering to add them for idiomatic English translations.
Collins # 009. Agreement of subject-verb.
&
.
Easy.
Latin sometimes uses what
looks like a singular subject with a plural verb or a plural subject with a
singular verb. This might have resulted from whats called constructio
ad sensum, that is, taking the sense of the word
rather than its pure grammatical form. Constructio
ad sensum is rare.
Collins # 010. Genitive of possession.
(theoretical background). Easy.
I discourage students from using the English genitive case (our apostrophe-'s'
form) to render Latin
genitives orally because it is impossible for the English ear to distinguish genitive
singulars from nominative plurals. I have students render,
say, ecclesia Domini as church of the Lord
instead of the Lords church, even though the latter is
correct English.
Recitatio Quotidiana: Names of
the five cases!; Declensions 1 & 2 (masculine); esse present.
Case uses: Nominative, 1; Genitive, 1; Dative, 1; Accusative, 1; Ablative, 1.
Collins Unit 3.
Collins # 011. Second
Declension N. .
Easy. Commit to memory.
Collins # 012. Esse imperfect. Easy.
Commit to memory.
Collins # 013. Esse future. Easy.
Commit to memory.
Collins # 014. Dative of the possessor. .
Easy. Don't think of esse in these phrases as a form of 'to be' but rather as a form
of "belong". If the assertion is short, has a form of esse in
it, and has something capable of possessing the dative and something capable of
being possessed in the nominative, it's probably a dative of the possessor
construction.
Recitatio Quotidiana: Declensions 1-2; esse
present, imperfect, future.
Case uses: Nominative, 1; Genitive, 1; Dative, 2; Accusative, 1; Ablative, 1.
Collins Unit 4.
Collins # 015. Adjective overview. .
See my Adjective Basics, here.
Collins # 016. Group I & II adjectives. .
Easy. If you know your Declension I and II endings you already know these
adjectival endings.
Collins # 017. Agreement
of adjective-noun. .
Easy.
Adjectives always agree with their nouns in Gender, Number, and
Case, and thus they live well. :) Also, adjectives never lie; their gender,
number, and case are always immediately evident, shedding light thereby on
occasional pesky nouns that disguise one of more of these aspects.
Collins # 018. Nominal sentences. Latin phrases and
sentences are happy to drop a present tense form of esse, as in, "Vir in
ecclesia" (the man [is] in the church). But note, the mood of the dropped esse might be
subjunctive (studied below): Dominus vobiscum, anyone?
Collins # 019. Syntax questions. Optional.
Recitatio Quotidiana: Declensions 1-2; esse present, imperfect, future!.
Case uses: Nominative, 2; Genitive, 2; Dative, 3; Accusative, 2; Ablative, 2.
Collins
Unit 5.
Collins # 020. Verb overview. See
my Verb Basics, here.
I present
this material differently. If one wishes to read this section, fine, but skip the discussion of "aspect" and "mood" for, important though those
topics are, they can wait till one is better grounded in
verbs.
Collins # 021. Present stem system. For now, just lock in your mind that Latin has six tenses (times) in the
indicative mood, three of which tenses (present, imperfect, and future) are
known as "present tenses".
Collins # 022.
Conjugation I, present.
Easy. Commit to memory. This topic occasions notes on how I suggest that students learn their paradigms.
One can, and most Latin systems do, explain finite (i.e.,
conjugated) verbs as a
series of interchangeable letter sets (mostly infixes and suffixes) that are
added to
roots/stems in order to indicate the function of the verb in respect of person, number, tense, voice, mood. Such
an approach, however complicated it is at times, works fine and ably highlights
the linguistic foundations of Latin. Collins follows this approach
although, in my view, he explains it inadequately.
One can, in any event, also approach finite Latin verbs as consisting of a base
that conveys the basic concept of the verb and an ending that conveys the
function of the verb is a given phrase or sentence. This approach, though not
without its own complications, allows recitations of fuller sound sets that,
especially with younger learners, more easily lend themselves to memorization. I use this
approach with beginners and over time let them move to the more common approach as they
advance in understanding.
Collins # 023. Latin word order. .
The order of English words in phrases and sentences is overwhelmingly, and
almost always must be, subject-verb-object (SVO) while Latin is equally
comfortable with subject-object-verb (SOV) and SVO and is no stranger to other
sequences. In Latin, case drives syntax, not word order.
Collins # 024. Coordination in a compound sentence. Easy.
Collins # 025. Accusative as direct object. .
Easy.
Collins # 026. Dative as indirect object. .
Note that the indirect object of a verb in English can work without a
preposition but can also work with a preposition: "Give Michael the ball" and
"Give the ball to Michael" are both correct. In Latin, however, the dative
never, ever, takes a preposition. Ever. Also, a useful adage has it
"give, offer, show, tell, look for a dative", short for "With verbs of giving,
offering, showing, telling, or their correlatives, look for an indirect object
in the dative case, not that one will be always be there, but it is there lots
of time."
Collins # 027. Ablative of separation. .
Easy.
Collins # 028. Compounding of verbs. Easy.
Collins #
029. Parsing. This important skill is acquired only with practice
over time.
Recitatio Quotidiana: Declensions 1-2; Conjugation 1, present.
Case uses: Nominative, 2; Genitive, 2; Dative, 3; Accusative, 2; Ablative, 3.
Collins Unit 6.
Collins # 030.
Conjugation II, present. Easy. Commit to memory.
Collins # 031.
Conjugation
III,
present. Easy. Commit to memory. Of the four conjugations of Latin verbs,
the third conjugation is the naughty one. For now, recall that there are two
main subgroups of verbs within the third conjugation known as the "o-variety"
and the "io-variety".
Collins # 032.
Conjugation
IV, present. Easy. Commit to memory.
Collins # 033. Direct question, -ne. Easy.
. The word to which interrogative particle "-ne" is attached
is usually
the main finite verb of the phrase or sentence. I have seen "-ne" appear
as late as three or four words into a sentence (and always on the main verb) but this is rare.
Collins # 034. Ablative of means. .
Easy.
Collins # 035. Ablative of manner.
.
The 'anticipatory adjective' in front of the preposition appears only when it is the lone adjective for the noun in the phrase.
Recitatio Quotidiana: Declensions 1-2; Conjugations 1-4, present.
Case uses: Nominative, 2; Genitive, 2; Dative, 3; Accusative, 2; Ablative, 5.
Collins Unit 7.
Collins # 036. Present passive.
&
(background theory). See also Verb Basics 4,
above. Careful, the "-re" ending
occasionally used in the 2nd person singular can look like an infinitive.
Collins # 037. Ablative of personal agency.
.
Think of this as a polite variation on the ablative of means used when the
'means' is a person (God, angel, human) and so is marked by the preposition "a"
(or ab/s). Animals fall into a grey zone, sometimes treated as persons,
sometimes not.
Collins # 038. Ablative with certain adjectives.
.
I think of this as subset of the ablative of respect (below), but that's probably
just me.
Recitatio Quotidiana: Declensions 1-2;
Conjugations 1-4, present; Passive
voice endings.
Case uses: Nominative, 2; Genitive, 2; Dative, 3; Accusative, 2; Ablative, 7.
Collins Unit 8.
Collins # 039.
Conjugations I thru IV, imperfect active.
.
Easy. Commit to memory.
Collins # 040. Conjugations
I thru IV, imperfect
passive.
.
Easy.
Commit to memory.
Collins # 041. Subordination. The
grammatical concepts here are not difficult but they do require sorting.
(1) A simple
sentence has one subject and one verb: "The dog ate my homework." A compound
sentence has two (or more) subjects and verbs that are independent from each
other: "The dog ate my homework and I rewrote my assignment." A complex
sentence has two (or more) subjects and verbs but one subject-verb
phrase (i.e., clause) is subordinate to the other clause: "Because the dog ate my homework, I rewrote
my assignment." The first clause is subordinate to, and thus dependent on,
the second clause.
(2) There are three main types of subordinate
clauses: noun clauses, adjective clauses, and adverbial clauses. More on this later.
(3) Among adverbial clauses, Latin has four types: temporal,
concessive, conditional, and causal. More on this later.
Collins # 042. Causal clauses.
.
If an adverbial clause explains why the independent clause happens it is usually
introduced by quia, quod, or quoniam (QQQ) and its verb is
indicative. See also # 135.
Collins # 043. Indirect statement, object
clauses. The grammatical concept here is not difficult but it does require some
background. There are two kinds of statements, direct and indirect. A direct
statement makes an assertion: "Robert likes pizza." An indirect statement
contains an assertion made by another: "Mom thinks that Robert likes pizza." The main
assertion here is 'mom thinks' while 'Robert likes pizza' effectively acts as a
direct object of the verb 'think'. Indirect assertions are generally
introduced by quia, quod, or quoniam (trans: 'that') and
its verb is typically indicative. And that Greek anticipatory accusative is cool
but very rare. And,
(this is early, but look at it now).
Collins # 044. Ellipsis. Easy.
Recitatio Quotidiana:
Declensions 1-2; Conjugations 1-4, present, imperfect; Passive voice endings!
Case uses: Nominative, 2; Genitive, 2; Dative, 3; Accusative, 2; Ablative, 7.
Collins Unit 9.
Collins # 045. Conjugation I and II, future active.
.
Easy. Commit to memory.
Collins # 046. Conjugation I and
II, future passive. Easy.
Commit to memory.
Collins # 047. Conjugation III
and IV, future active.
.
Easy. Commit to memory.
Collins # 048. Conjugation III
and IV, future passive. Easy.
Commit to memory.
Collins # 049. Infinitive subject.
.
I learned infinitives as verbs (albeit very unusual verbs with things like a
gender) but the majority of grammarians regard infinitives as nouns (albeit very
unusual nouns with things like tense and voice). Either approach works.
Collins # 050. Ablative of respect.
Easy.
Recitatio Quotidiana:
Declensions 1-2; Conjugations 1-4, present, imperfect, future.
Case uses: Nominative, 2; Genitive, 2; Dative, 3; Accusative, 2; Ablative, 8.
Collins Unit 10.
Collins # 051. Perfect active system.
or .
It's almost as if Latin decided to have mercy on students who have had to manage
a variety of endings over four conjugations to handle the three present tenses. Latin's three perfect tenses (perfect, plu-perfect,
and future perfect), in contrast, use just one set of endings for each tense
that works across the board for all four conjugations. The base for all three perfect tenses, moreover, is easy to find in the
third principle part of the verb.
Collins # 052.
Conjugations I thru IV, perfect active.
or .
See also # 174, below.
Easy.
Commit to memory. Occasionally, especially in poetry, the second person forms of the perfect tense drop "-vi-" from within the form, resulting in an 'syncopated form' of the
verb.
Collins # 053. Relative pronoun, qui, quae,
quod. .
Commit to memory.
Collins # 054. Use of relative pronoun. Easy,
though that 'connective relative' takes some getting used to. Sample sentences,
here.
Collins # 055. Use of interrogative
adjective. Easy.
Recitatio Quotidiana:
Declensions 1-2; Conjugations 1-4, present, imperfect, future!; Perfect tense;
Relative pronouns.
Case uses: Nominative, 2; Genitive, 2; Dative, 3; Accusative, 2; Ablative, 8.
Collins
Unit
11.
Collins # 056. Conjugations
I thru IV, pluperfect active.
here.
Easy. Commit to memory.
Collins # 057.
Conjugations I thru IV, future perfect active.
here.
Easy. Commit to memory. Remember the "-erint" in the 3rd person plural that avoids confusion
with the 3rd person plural of the perfect tense.
Collins # 058. Ablative of cause. .
One could, I suppose, think of the ablative of cause as a variation of the
ablative means.
Collins # 059. Direct quotation. Easy.
Recitatio Quotidiana: Declensions 1-2; Conjugations 1-4,
perfect, plu-perfect, future-perfect tenses; Relative pronouns!.
Case uses: Nominative, 2; Genitive, 2; Dative, 3; Accusative, 2; Ablative, 9.
Collins Unit 12.
Collins # 060.
possum, posse, potui, .
.
Easy. Commit to memory. Considering how predictable posse is it hardly deserves the
designation "irregular".
Collins # 061.
Complementary infinitive.
.
Easy. Operates as does the similar English expression.
Collins # 062.
Object infinitive. Easy. Just add the "how to".
Collins # 063.
Perfect passive system.
.
Remember that the participle drives the tense of the phrase, not the auxiliary verb
(which basically provides only the person of the verb).
Collins # 064.
Perfect passive. Easy.
Collins # 065.
Uses of perfect passive participle (PPP). Easy.
Recitatio Quotidiana:
Declensions 1-2; Conjugations 1-4, perfect, plu-perfect, future-perfect tenses!; posse, all tenses.
Case uses: Nominative, 2; Genitive, 2; Dative, 3; Accusative, 2; Ablative, 9.
Collins Unit 13.
Collins # 066.
Pluperfect passive.
.
Easy.
Collins # 067.
Future perfect passive.
.
Easy.
Collins # 068.
Ablative absolute.
a/o .
This section is oddly placed for one cannot fully understand the ablative
absolute unless one knows all of the participles. For my participle overview, go
here. Still, Latin loves the
ablative absolute (whereas English generally avoids it) and Collins, using only
a perfect passive participle, puts it here. So, okay.
The noun in an ablative absolute phrase appears in the ablative case as does the
participle working with it and which, importantly, drives the 'tense' of the phrase.
Recall that every participle is built on a verb. The preposition 'with' almost always works to get at the sense of the phrase
(although good English style might suggest dropping it in your final
translation). So, a NOUN and a PERFECT PASSIVE PARTICIPLE usually translates as
"with the NOUN having been VERB-ED" while a NOUN and a PRESENT ACTIVE
PARTICIPLE usually translates as "with the NOUN VERB-ING". By the way, the noun in an ablative absolute will almost never have anything to
do with the subject of the main sentence.
Collins # 069.
Temporal clauses.
.
There are many more introductory words than Collins lists here. The key to using
these phrases correctly is to remember that they apply to factual situations and not
to
speculative.
Collins # 070.
Synopsis of verb. Useful exercise but optional.
Recitatio Quotidiana:
Declensions 1-2; Conjugations 1-4; posse, all tenses!.
Case uses: Nominative, 2; Genitive, 2; Dative, 3; Accusative, 2; Ablative,
10.
Collins Unit 14.
Collins # 071.
Declension III, M/F.
.
Easy. Commit to memory. Something approaching half of all Latin nouns belong to
Declension III.
Collins # 072.
Declension III, N.
.
Easy. Commit to memory.
Collins # 073.
Genitive of description. Easy. Works as does the similar English expression.
Collins # 074.
Ablative of description.
.
The key here is to look for an ablative adjective accompanying an adjective
noun.
Collins # 075.
Subjective & objective genitive. This construction requires some imagination but
it makes sense. English cannot do this without resort to its two forms of
the genitive.
Collins # 076.
Dative of dis/advantage. Easy.
Collins # 077.
Apposition.
.
Easy.
Collins # 078.
Concessive clauses. I learned these as "etsi...tamen" clauses. The fact
that both verbs use the indicative mood makes them works as do similar English
expressions.
Recitatio Quotidiana: Declensions 1-3;
Conjugations 1-4.
Case uses: Nominative, 3; Genitive, 5; Dative,
5; Accusative, 2; Ablative, 11.
Collins Unit 15.
Collins # 079.
Declension III, M/F, i-stem.
& .
Commit to memory. These are just weird.
Collins # 080.
Declension III N, i-stem.
Commit to memory. These are just
weirder.
Collins # 081.
Partitive genitive. Easy. Works as does the similar English phrase.
Collins # 082.
Dative with certain adjectives.
.
Easy. Operates as does English.
Collins # 083.
Predicate accusative. .
Logical but sometimes requires a second look to see what is happening.
Collins # 084.
Cognate accusative.
.
Easy.
Recitatio Quotidiana: Declensions 1-3; Conjugations 1-4.
Case uses: Nominative, 3; Genitive, 6; Dative,
6; Accusative, 4; Ablative, 11.
Collins Unit 16.
Collins # 085.
Group III adjectives.
.
The only thing to keep track of here is the nominative singular form that can
come in one, two, or three spellings. After that, these adjectives are highly
predictable.
Collins # 086.
Present active participles (PAP).
.
Latin loves participles and the "-nt-" infix of the PAP reminds one of the word
"present". The nominative singular form ends in "-ns", almost as if it were
invented for English speakers studying the nominative singular.
Collins # 087.
Use of the present active participle (PAP). Easy.
Collins # 088.
Declension IV, M/F.
.
List of common Fourth Declension nouns,
here. Most of these nouns are masculine, common exceptions being "domus, -us" and
"manus, -us".
Collins # 089.
Declension IV, N.
.
Seldom encountered but easy to learn.
Recitatio Quotidiana:
Collins Unit 17.
Ablative and Accusative of place.
.
Collins # 090.
volo, velle, volui, .
.
Easy. More likely "want" than "wish".
Collins # 091.
eo, ire, ivi, itus.
.
Easy. Usually used with a prepositional prefix attached.
Collins # 092.
Accusative of place toward. Easy.
Collins # 093.
Ablative of place where. Easy.
Collins # 094.
Ablative of place from. Easy.
Collins # 095.
Locative.
& .
Cool, but a bit tricky.
Recitatio Quotidiana:
Collins Unit 18.
Collins #
096. Future active participle.
.
Easy to form but harder to get used to using.
Collins # 097.
Future passive participle.
.
Easy to form but harder to get used to using.
Collins # 098.
Periphrastics.
Scarcely distinguishable from the Greek
periphrastic discussed in # 173.
Collins # 099.
Dative of personal agency.
.
Easy to form but harder to get used to using.
Collins # 100.
Review of participles.
.
Optional.
Recitatio Quotidiana:
Collins Unit 19.
Collins #
101. Declension V.
.
Easy. Commit to memory. List of common Fifth Declension nouns,
here.
Collins # 102.
Imperative.
(active voice). A ditty reminds students that "Dic, duc,
fac, beware! Got no 'e' when it ought'a be there."
Collins # 103.
Vocative.
.
 . Easy.
Collins # 104.
Personal pronouns, I, II.
.
Easy. Commit to memory.
Collins # 105.
Double accusative. Easy, same as English.
Recitatio Quotidiana:
Note: At the
conclusion of Collins Unit 19 and before beginning Unit 20 an important stage of
Latin study has been reached and it is a good place to pause, review what has
been learned, and make sure that the basic forms studied so far (especially
declensions and indicative mood conjugations) have been mastered. At this
point a student should be in the habit of daily recitation of key forms
following what might be called a "Repititio Quotidiana Latina" consisting
of:
Collins Unit 20.
This unit is terribly overloaded presenting as it does deponent & semi-deponent
verbs and the subjunctive mood in the space of a few pages. Oh well.
Collins # 106.
Deponent verbs.
.
These are strange verbs but understanding whence they arose helps one grasp
their function. Also, rather than thinking of their participles as exceptions to
the exception, think of them as largely returning to the normal function of a
participle.
Collins # 107.
Semi-deponent verbs. Truly are strange verbs but there are few enough
important semi-deponents to simply remember what they are (esp. audeo, fido,
gaudeo, and soleo) and go on with life.
Collins # 108.
Subjunctive overview.
.
The subjunctive allows Latin a precision in verbs that has nearly died out in
English. Coming to realize how that precision verbal works demystifies much of
the subjunctive. There will be no future tenses in the subjunctive and sign
words such as "ut" or "utinam" will help from time to time.
One of the most
useful keys to the handling subjective is spotting when they are being used in a
main clause (e.g., hortatory, potential, optative, deliberative qq) and when
they are being used in a dependent clause (e.g., purpose, result, indirect qq).
Note also uses related to circumstantials and conditions.
Collins # 109.
Present subjunctive, Conjugation I.
(active) &
(passive). Easy. If you see an 'e' in a first conjugation verb where there shouldn't
be an 'e', it's subjunctive.
Collins # 110.
Direct commands/requests.
(optative).
Collins # 111.
Syntax questions. Optional.
Collins Unit 21.
Collins #
112. Present subjunctive, Conjugation II, III, IV.
Easy. If you see an 'a' in a second, third, or
fourth conjugation verb where there shouldn't be an 'a', it's subjunctive.
Collins # 113.
Jussive subjunctive.
.
Easy.
Collins # 114.
Deliberative subjunctive.
.
Easy.
Collins # 115. Conditional
[sentences], simple & future vivid or less vivid.
.
Terminology here is a jumble. Here's how I think of it: A conditional sentence
has at least two clauses, a condition clause (aka, conditional), called the protasis, usually marked by a word such as 'if' or
'unless', that is grammatically (not logically, grammatically) dependent
on the other clause, and a main clause, called the apodisis,
usually marked by an expressed or implied 'then', that is grammatically (not
logically, grammatically) independent of the other clause. Now, because
every clause must have at least one finite verb, and because finite verbs must
appear in moods, the issue is, what moods do the verbs in the two kinds of clauses
of a conditional sentence take. The rules governing these mood choices vary with
the kind of conditional clause being considered. Whew.
Collins Unit 22.
Collins #
116. Imperfect subjunctive.
(active)
(passive). Easy.
Collins # 117.
Sequence of tenses.
.
There is no simple way through this topic so the goal, for now, is simply to
recognize when it is happening, and then why. Do remember, though, the sequence
of tenses is usually logical (though not always compelling so) but it is always
grammatical, as in, the choice of mood and tense is always driven by
grammar, if not always by logic.
Collins # 118.
Purpose clauses.
.
If one has a basic grasp of sequence of tenses this topic is not difficult.
Collins # 119.
Infinitive of purpose. Easy.
Operates as does the similar English expression.
Collins # 120.
Indirect commands/requests.
.
The subjunctive is much more common here, the infinitive being a late
development.
Collins Unit 23.
Collins #
121. Sum, posse, present subjunctive. Easy. Commit to memory.
Collins # 122.
hic, ille.
(hic) &
(ille). Easy. Commit to memory.
Collins # 123.
Personal Pronoun III (is, ea, id).
.
Easy. Commit to memory.
Collins # 124.
Result clauses.
.
Easy.
Collins # 125.
Characterizing result clauses. Easy.
Collins Unit 24.
Collins #
126. eo, volo, present subjunctive.
(volo). Easy.
Collins # 127.
Ipse, ipsa, ipsum. Easy.
Commit to memory.
Collins # 128.
Present contrafactuals. Uses the imperfect subjunctive for both clauses. English renders the if-clause as "were ..." and the then-clause as "would
...". See also # 132
Collins # 129.
Gerundives.
.
This is the future passive participle so it is always an adjective. It works
only in oblique cases.
Collins # 130.
Gerunds.
.
A neuter singular gerundive can act as noun in an oblique case and is rendered
in English in the active voice. Sounds stranger than it is.
Collins Unit 25.
Collins #
131. Pluperfect subjunctive.
(active) &
(passive). Easy.
Collins # 132.
Past contrafactuals. Uses the
pluperfect subjunctive for both clauses. English renders the if-clause with "had ..." and the then-clause with "would
have
...".
See also # 128.
Collins # 133.
Clauses of fearing. The occurrence being feared is put into the
subjunctive and marked by the logically correct (just don't think about it too
long) "ne" or "ut" (the latter of which, btw, I think is better rendered
'whether').
Collins #
134. Unattainable wishes. Easy. "Utinam" is the marker
here.
Collins # 135.
Quia, quod, and quoniam (QQQ)
with subjunctives. Easy. See also # 042.
Collins Unit 26.
Collins #
136. Perfect subjunctive.
(active). Easy. Use context to avoid confusing this with with future perfect
indicative.
Collins # 137.
Direct questions. .
Easy.
Collins # 138.
Indirect questions. . Of the three methods presented here for asking indirect questions the use of the
subjunctive is most common.
Collins # 139.
Donec & dum clauses. Easy.
Collins # 140.
Interrogative pronouns. Easy, the only significant thing to remember is
the nominative singular; the rest of the relative pronoun of # 053.
Collins #
141. Adverbial Accusative. Easy but not likely to be
appreciated until it is seen in context over time.
Collins Unit 27.
Collins # 142.
Comparison of adjectives.
(comparative).
(superlative). Easier to recognize than to form.
Collins # 143.
Ablative of comparison. .
See also 'quam'.
.
Easier to recognize than to form.
Collins # 144.
Ablative of degree of difference.
.
Easier to recognize than to form.
Collins Unit 28.
Collins #
145. suus; , sui.
.
Easy. Commit to memory.
Collins # 146.
Partly irregular adjectives. Easy. Unus, -a, -um serves as the number
'one'.
Collins # 147.
Comparison of adverbs. Easy. The notes here are important.
Collins # 148. Cum
clauses.
(temporal).
(causal, concessive).
(circumstantial). Lock in your mind the indicative with temporal applications,
and the subjunctive with everything else, and you will basically have it.
Collins Unit 29.
Collins #
149. Indefinite pronouns/adjectives. Easy. The enclitics are
interesting and important to note.
Collins # 150.
Double dative.
.
Not common, but interesting when it occurs.
Collins # 151.
Review of clauses. Optional.
Collins Unit 30.
Collins # 152. Present infinitives. Latin infinitives (like English
infinitives) have two voices, active and passive. The infinitives seen up till
now have been active voice only, but passives are easy to form.
Collins # 153. Negative commands/requests.
.
Easy.
Collins #
154. Indirect speech, Subject accusative with present infinitive.
&
&
.
Latin loves this structure, so note it.
Collins Unit 31.
Collins # 155. Perfect infinitives. Latin infinitives (like English
infinitives) have three tenses (present, as found in the second principal part, a
perfect, and a rare future). The infinitives seen up till now have been
present tense only.
Collins #
156. Subject accusative with perfect infinitive. .
Easy.
Collins # 157. Predicate Genitive. Easy. Sometimes called the
genitive of characteristic.
Collins # 158. Conditional relatives. Easy.
Collins Unit 32.
Collins # 159. Future active infinitive. The future passive infinitive is, as
Collins said, very rare, but, in a nutshell, it uses the verb ire in the
passive, iri, and the supine (which Collins does not explain).
.
Collins # 160. Indirect speech, Subject accusative with future infinitive. .
Collins # 161. Indirect reflexives.
Collins # 162. Summary of ways to express purpose.
Collins Unit 33.
Collins # 163. fero, ferre, tuli, latus.
Collins # 164. Ablative of time when/within which.
.
Collins # 165. Accusative of extent of time/space. .
Collins # 166. Ablative of duration. The ablative to express duration is
not as common as the accusative of duration.
Collins # 167. Summary of conditional clauses.
(mixed conditions). Optional.
Collins Unit 34.
Collins # 168. Fio, fieri, , factus sum.
Collins # 169. Cardinal and ordinal numbers.
.
There are two tricks here: (a) appreciate what it means to say that
all cardinal numbers (to say nothing of ordinal numbers, of course) are
adjectives, but that they do not decline past the number three; and (b)
realize how widely English uses numbers as names (i.e., as nouns),
something impossible for the Roman mind.
Collins # 170. Impersonal verbs.
Collins # 171. Summary of Genitive. =
Collins # 172. Summary of Dative. .
Some other aspects of the dative include:
Dative as indirect object,
;
Dative with special verbs,
;
Dative with compounds,
;
Dative of reference,
;
Dative of separation.
;
Double dative and dative of purpose,
;
Dative with adjectives,
.
Collins Unit 35.
Collins # 173. Greek periphrastics. Greek periphrastics sound scary but are actually easy. What to Roman
ears sounded like a "round-about way" of talking (Greek: peri-phrastic)
is virtually identical to the English present (progressive) tense.
Compare the one-word Latin sentence: Laudo [I praise I am
praising I do praise] with the two-word Latin sentence Sum laudans [I am
praising, lit., 'I am the praising one']. A good Roman, of course, does
not want to use two words to say what could accurately be said with one, but, the Greeks used periphrastic
forms, and the Greeks were pretty cool grammar-wise. See also grammar
section 98.
Collins # 174. Syncopated perfects. Syncopated verb forms shorten some longish verb forms for easier speaking.
See also # 052, above. An example of syncopation is found in the medieval
student drinking song
Gaudeamus igitur. The second verse of Gaudeamus asks "Ubi
sunt qui ante nos, in mundo fuere?" [Where are those who were in the
world before us?]. The word fuere looks like, at first glance,
some sort of infinitive; it's not: fuere is just a shortened form of
fuerunt.
Collins # 175. Historical present. Easy.
Collins # 176. Cognate Ablative. Easy.
Collins # 177. Summary of Accusative. =
Collins # 178. Summary of Ablative. Some other aspects of the ablative include:
Ablative of accompaniment,
;
Ablative supine,
;
Ablative of price,
;
Ablative with opus and usus,
;
Ablative of source/material,
; Ablative with PUFF-V deponents,
.
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