[Ora Maritima: Edward Sonnenschein, Professor of Greek and Latin at the university of Birmingham (1902); this is a superb little reader for beginners in Latin; Sonnenschein carefully constructs the text according to grammatical structures]
1. Quam bella est ōra maritima! Nōn procul ab ōrā maritimā est villa. In villā amita mea habitat; et ego cum amitā meā nunc habitō. Ante iānuam villae est ārea. In āreā est castanea, ubi luscinia interdum cantat. Sub umbrā castaneae ancilla interdum cēnam parat. Amō ōram maritimam; amō villam bellam.
Vocabulary
ōra maritima: seashore
quam: how (used in exclamations) Quam bella ...! How beautiful...!
bellus, -a, -um: beautiful; don't confuse the adjective with the neuter noun 'bellum' which means 'war'
procul: far
ā (before consonants) / ab (before vowels): preposition + ablative case; from
ārea: open space
luscinia: nightingale
interdum: sometimes
sub: preposition + ablative case; under
umbra: shade
- What would you see in a maritime museum?
- Why would a lady attend an ante-natal clinic?
- Why are submarines so called?
- What was the original function of an umbrella?
Notes
[1] You should always first read a text for understanding and not be distracted by the occasional word or phrase that is challenging you. You can refer to vocabulary and notes and information in previous posts to help you.
[2] Once the process of understanding is complete, take a second look at the text to see how the cases are being used. Identify the cases in these extracts and explain the uses:
Nōn procul (i) ab ōrā maritimā...
(ii) In villā (iii) amita mea habitat
ego (iv) cum amitā meā nunc habitō
ancilla ... (v) cēnam parat
Amō (vi) ōram maritimam
[3] Note the use of more than one case in the same construction:
Ante iānuam (accusative) ¦ villae (genitive) = before (in front of) the door ¦ of the house
Sub umbrā (ablative) ¦ castaneae (genitive) = beneath the shade ¦ of the chestnut tree
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