18.03.24: sentence building

A technique used in language teaching is sentence building. It’s particularly effective when, for example, working with non-native speakers of English (or any other foreign language) and designed to encourage the student to expand on what (s)he is saying so that they use a wider range of vocabulary and / or reinforce certain structures. Here’s an example used with younger students.

[What do you drink at breakfast time?]

> coffee [pretty standard one-word response]

[What do you drink at breakfast time?]

> I drink coffee.

[Do you drink a glass of coffee?]

> I drink a cup of coffee.

[Hot or cold?]

> I drink a cup of hot coffee.

[Do you drink coffee every day? Is it a small cup? Do you like milk and sugar?]

> I usually have a big cup of hot coffee with milk but I don’t like sugar.

Those kinds of stimulus questions in brackets push a youngster further. But, as an IELTS trainer, I still use that basic technique even with very advanced, but sometimes shy or uncertain students so that they can express their opinion. That same building method is used in essay writing; if the essay title is “Do you think smoking should be banned in public places?”, and the student is staring at a blank piece of A4, you need to start at the “shallow end” with simple questions on the topic upon which you build and elicit more detailed response.

In developing confidence in, here, case endings, don’t jump in at the “deep end” because the deep end is Cicero, Virgil, Ovid, Horace etc. Just start with some elementary concepts. The examples below illustrate use of two cases – accusative and genitive - working together in the same sentence. A technique similar to the “coffee” question above is being used.

(1) [i] amphora [ii] vīnum; [i] amphora [ii] wine

> [i] amphora [nominative] ¦ [ii] vīnī [genitive]

• an amphora ¦ of wine

> Vinārius ¦ [i] amphoram [accusative] ¦ [ii] vīnī [genitive] vēndit.

• The wine-merchant is selling ¦ an amphora ¦ of wine.

+ optimus, -a, -um: very good; (the) best

> vinum optimum: very good wine

> Vinārius [i] amphoram ¦ [ii] vīnī optimī vēndit.

• The wine-merchant is selling ¦ an amphora ¦ of very good wine.

> Vinārius ¦ [i] amphorās ¦ [ii] vīnī optimī vēndit.

• The wine-merchant sells ¦ amphoras ¦ of very good wine.

+ multi, -ae, -a: many

> Hic vinārius ¦ [i] multās amphorās ¦ [ii] vīnī optimī vēndit.

• This wine-merchant sells many amphoras ¦ of very good wine.

(2) [i] situla [ii] aqua; [i] bucket [ii] water

> [i] situla ¦ [ii] aquae

• a bucket of water

> Ancilla ¦ [i] situlam ¦ [ii] aquae portat.

• The maid-servant is carrying ¦ a bucket ¦ of water

+ frīgida, -a, -um: cold

> aqua frīgida: cold water

> Ancilla ¦ [i] situlam ¦ [ii] aquae frīgidae portat.

• The maidservant is carrying a bucket of cold water.

+ duo [masc.], duae [fem.], duo [neut.]

> Servus ancillaque [ī] duās situlās [iī] aquae frīgidae portant.

• The slave and slave-girl are carrying two buckets of cold water.

Below are some sample sentences. How would you translate them? What cases are being used and how are they working together? The vocabulary is either listed immediately below, or in the image posted.

• afferō, afferre [irr.] bring
• dēfessus, -a, -um: tired; exhausted
• merus, -a, -um: pure; undiluted (of wine)
• oleum: oil; olive oil

[1] Agricola ¦ cum corbulā ¦ ūvārum ¦ venit.

[2] Agricola ¦ cum corbulā ¦ ūvārum nigrārum ¦ venit.

[3] Fēmina ¦ olīvās ¦ emit.

[4] Fēmina ¦ ōllam ¦ olīvārum ¦ emit.

[5] Fēmina Rōmāna ¦ ūnam ōllam ¦ olīvārum ¦ in macellō ¦ emit.

[6] Ancilla ¦ urceum ¦ aquae affert.

[7] Ancillae ¦ urceōs ¦ vīnī optimī afferunt.

[8] Dominus ¦ vīnum ¦ bibit.

[9] Dominus ¦ pōculum ¦ vīnī ¦ bibit.

[10] Dominus ¦ pōculum ¦ vīnī merī ¦ bibit.

[11] In mēnsā ¦ sunt ¦ ōva.

[12] In mēnsā ¦ sunt ¦ multa ōva.

[13] In mēnsā ¦ est ¦ patella ōvōrum.

[14] Servus ¦ saccum ¦ portat.

[15] Servus ¦ saccum ¦ frūmentī ¦ portat.

[16] Servī dēfessī ¦ duōs saccōs ¦ frūmentī portant.

[17] Quantī cōnstat ¦ hoc oleum?

[18] Tabernārius ¦ fēminae ¦ guttum ¦ oleī ¦ dat.