08.11.24: level 2; degrees of comparison [4]; comparative in -ior, -ius (3)

 

08.11.24: level 2; degrees of comparison [3]; comparative in -ior, -ius (2); comparative of 3rd declension adjectives; magis + adjective

Comparative of 3^rd declension adjectives

These take the same endings -ior and -ius but, as would be expected, are added to the stem of the adjective which is indicated by the genitive case. Sometimes that makes no difference but often the stem has changed from the nominative:

[i] fēlix: happy

> genitive singular: fēlīc¦is

> comparative: fēlīcior, fēlīcius (happier)

[ii] ingēns (huge)

> genitive singular: ingent¦is

> comparative: ingent¦ior, ingent¦ius (more enormous)

[iii] fortis, forte (brave; strong)

> genitive singular: fort¦is

> comparative: fort¦ior, fort¦ius

[iv] ācer, ācris, ācre: sharp

> genitive singular: ācr¦is

> comparative: ācr¦ior, ācr¦ius (sharper)

magis + adjective

There is one brief footnote which applies to a small group of adjectives which end in a vowel + -us, for example:

ānxi¦us, -a, -um: anxious      

assidu¦us, -a, -um: constant; regular

dubius, -ā, -um: doubtful      

ēgregius, -a, -um: distinguished       

idōneus, -ā, -um: suitable

necessārius, -a, -um: necessary

pius, -a, -um: loyal

strēnuus, -a, -um: active

To form the comparative of these adjectives would involve the addition of -ior / -ius to a stem ending in a vowel which leads to difficulties in pronunciation. Therefore, with these adjectives the word magis (more) is used; a similar construction is used with the superlative which we’ll cover when the superlative is discussed. However, this is not consistent among all Roman writers and some of these – sometimes – are found with the usual comparative endings. It is not a matter over which you should lose sleep; just look out for magis when you’re reading in Latin.

 

07.11.24: Level 1; review; practice in the verbs [12]; reading

Aquilifer tamen nōn timet. In aquam dēsilit. Nostrī stupent, nam in barbarōs aquilam portat, " Vultisne " exclāmat "aquilam barbarīs prōdere? " Tum nostrī ex nāvibus dēsiliunt. Barbarīs vada nōta sunt, nostrīs ignōta. Aliī equōs incitant et cum nostrīs proelium committunt. Aliī in ūniversōs tēla mittunt. Multī Rōmānī summō in perīculō sunt. Caesar id animadvertit. Itaque scaphās armātīs complet et nostrīs auxilium submittit. Mox nostrī in āridō stant. Cum barbarīs proelium committunt et eōs in fugam dant.

Vocabulary and notes

aliī … aliī …: some … others …

animadvertō, -ere [3]: observe; pay attention (to)

aquilifer, -ī [2/m]: standard-bearer (specifically referring to the officer who held the eagle standard of the legion; aquila, -ae [1/f]: eagle); also: signifer, -ī [2/m]: standard-bearer

āridus, -a, -um: dry; in āridō: on dry (land)

committō, -ere [3]: (with proelium) begin a battle

in fugam dō, -āre [1]: literally: to give (somebody) into flight = to make (somebody) flee

prōdō, -ere [3]: (here) betray

scapha, -ae [1/f]: (light) boat

stupeō, -ēre [2]: be astonished

submittō, -ere [3] or summittō, -ere [3]: (here: with auxilium) supply; provide; despatch (can also suggest secrecy)

Note:

[i] scaphās armātīs [ablative] complet │ he fills the boats with armed (men)

[ii] nostrīs [dative] auxilium submittit │ he despatches help to our (men)

Questions

quibus: to whom (plural)?

1. Timentne omnēs?
2. Quis nōn timet?
3. Quid facit aquilifer?
4. Cūr stupent nostrī?
5. Quid in barbarōs portat?
6. Quid exclāmat aquilifer?
7. Prōduntne nostrī aquilam barbarīs?
8. Quibus vada nōta sunt? Quibus ignōta?
9. Quid aliī faciunt? Quid aliī?
10. Quis id animadvertit? Quid facit?
11. Quibus Mārs victōriam dat?

06.11.24: Level 2; Practice in reading the perfect tense; a First Latin Reader (Vincent) [28]

A Sudden Attack

Dum Rōmānī frūmentum comparant atque nāvēs reparant, pars legiōnis in agrīs manēbat, pars in castrīs. Inde mīlitēs, quī erant in statiōne prō portīs castrōrum, quod impetum hostium timēbant, nūntiōs ad Caesarem mīsērunt. Cōpiae Britannōrum in silvīs sē occultāverant, atque subitō fēcērunt impetum contrā Rōmānōs incautōs, quī frūmentum comparābant; paucōs necāvērunt aut vulnerāvērunt; equitēs Britannōrum et esseda multōs perturbāvērunt.

Vocabulary

• incautus, -a, -um: unsuspecting i.e. the idea that the Romans were caught off guard
• pars … pars …: some … others …
• pars, partis [3/f]: part
• perturbō, -āre, -āvī [1]: alarm; confuse
• stātiō, statiōnis [3/f]: (often in a military sense) watch; station; position

Questions

1. What were the Romans doing at the beginning of the passage? [2]
2. Where were the soldiers stationed? [2]
3. Why did the soldiers send messengers to Caesar? [2]
4. Where were the Britons hiding? [1]
5. How is the attack described? [1]
6. How many were killed or wounded? [1]
7. What caused many Romans great alarm? [2]

Grammar review: identifying case and usage

This is an exercise that is given in the UK GCSE and A Level examination: [i] identify the case [nothing else; no need to provide gender or number] and [ii] explain why that case is being used. [iii] The A Level also suggests that a translation of the phrase can be provided to help clarify the meaning.

Which explanation goes with which phrase?

[1] pars legiōnis

[2] Cōpiae Britannōrum

[3] subitō fēcērunt impetum

[4] prō portīs castrōrum

[5] contrā Rōmānōs

[6] Dum Rōmānī frūmentum comparant

• ablative case with preposition [name the preposition; give its meaning]
• accusative case with preposition [name the preposition; give its meaning]
• accusative case; direct object i.e. the person / thing experiencing the action
• genitive case; genitive of possession e.g. something that belongs to somebody else = often translates as ‘of’ someone or something
• genitive case; partitive genitive e.g. a smaller part of something larger; think of “a bottle of wine”
• nominative case; subject of the sentence i.e. the person / thing performing the action

____________________

While the Romans were procuring grain and repairing the ships, some of the legion remained in the fields, and others in the camp. Then the soldiers, who were on watch (were stationed) before the gates of the camp, because they feared an enemy attack, sent messengers to Caesar. The troops of the Britons had hidden themselves in the woods, and suddenly made an attack against the unsuspecting Romans, who were gathering corn; they killed or wounded a few; the cavalry and chariots of the Britons and alarmed many (of them).

05.11.24: Level 1; review; practice in the verbs [11]; reading

Sed barbarī cōnsilium Rōmānōrum cognōscunt. Essedariōs et reliquās cōpiās praemittunt. Ex āridō tēla mittunt. Nōnnūllī equōs incitant et in aquam prōcēdunt. Arma nostrōs opprimunt; membra barbarōrum expedīta sunt. Nostrī nāvēs onerāriās, nisi in altō, cōnstituere nōn possunt. Itaque Caesar nāvēs longās contrā barbarōs mittit. Fundīs, sagittīs, tormentīs barbarōs prōpellunt. Sed mīlitēs nostrī ex nāvibus nōn dēsiliunt. Novum proelium eōs terret.

• altum, -ī [2/n]: the sea; the deep
• dēsiliō, -īre [4]: jump down
• expedītus, -a, -um: (here) unhindered; unencumbered; not restricted
• opprimō, -ere [3]: press down; (here) weigh down
• praemittō, -ere [3]: send ahead
• prōcēdō, -ere [3]: advance
• prōpellō, -ere [3]: drive away

[A]

1. Why are the Britons able to send ahead charioteers and troops? [2]
2. From where can the Britons fire offensive weapons? [1]
3. What do some Britons do with the horses? [2]
4. Why are the Britons physically at an advantage compared to the Romans? [2]
5. In what way are the ships restricted? [2]
6. How does Caesar deal with this problem? [2]
7. What weapons do the Romans use against the Britons? [3]
8. What do the Romans not do and why? [4]

[B]

1. Cognōscuntne barbarī cōnsilium nostrum?
2. Quid faciunt?
3. Unde tēla mittunt?
4. Quid faciunt nōnnūllī?
5. Armane nostrōs opprimunt?
6. Opprimuntne barbarōs?
7. Cūr Caesar nāvēs longās contrā barbarōs mittit?
8. Cūr nāvēs onerāriās nōn mittit?
9. Quōmodo nostrī barbarōs prōpellunt?
10. Dēsiliuntne nostrī ex nāvibus?
11. Quid eōs terret?

04.11.24: level 2; degrees of comparison [2]; comparative in -ior, -ius (1); 1st / 2nd declension adjectives

Positive

longus, -a, -um │ long

Comparative

long¦ior (masculine / feminine),  longIUS (neuter) │ longer

Adjectives ending in -er e.g. pulcher, pulchra, pulchrum remove the -a from the feminine i.e. pulchr- before adding the ending > pulchr¦ior

Therefore, some grammar books will simply say remove the -a of the feminine of all 1^st / 2^nd declension adjectives.

04.11.24: level 2; degrees of comparison [1]; introduction

The images from the little schoolbook Principia show the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives.

Adjectives are compared in Latin in the same manner as in English.

There are three degrees of comparison:

[1] Positive: long │ longus, -a, -um

[2] Comparative: longer │ longior [masculine / feminine], longius [neuter]

[3] Superlative: longest │ longissimus, -a, -um

[i] In English we sometimes use ‘more’ and ‘most’ + adjective e.g. more beautiful / most beautiful, and there are a few adjectives in Latin which need to do this but almost all adjectives form their comparative and superlative in the way shown above.

[ii] English and Latin also have irregular comparatives that don’t conform to the endings listed above:

good │ bonus, -a, -um

better │ melior, -ius

best │ optimus, -a, -um

However, the irregular comparatives and superlatives in Latin are more familiar to us than they might at first appear; more on that in a later post.

03.11.24: Level 2: 2013 ACL/NJCL National Latin Exam; Latin 1; I Qs 1-18

 

02.11.24: Level 1; review; practice in the verbs [10]; reading

[A] Complete the Latin text by referring to the translation and using the verbs listed.

Rōmānī nāvēs __________. Tertiā circiter vigiliā Caesar nāvēs __________. Prīmae nāvēs hōrā circiter quārtā Britanniam __________. Ibi in altīs locīs sunt armātae cōpiae Britannōrum. Britannōs __________ Rōmānī. Barbarī ex altīs locīs tēla __________. Itaque ibi mīlitēs ex nāvibus Caesar nōn __________. Reliquās nāvēs ad hōram nōnam __________. Caesar interim lēgātōs __________. Eīs cōnsilia __________. Ventum secundum __________. Tum lēgātōs __________. Signum __________. Rōmānī ventō secundō ancorās __________. Mox in apertō locō nāvēs __________.

The Romans board the ships. Around the third watch Caesar unties the ships. The first ships reach Britain around the fourth hour. There in high positions are the armed troops of the Britons. The Romans see the Britons. The barbarians hurl missiles from the high positions. Therefore, Caesar does not put the soldiers ashore there. They wait for the remaining ships until the ninth hour. Meanwhile, Caesar summons his envoys. He explains his plans to them. He waits for a favourable wind. Then he dismisses his envoys. He gives the signal. The Romans raise the anchors [= weigh anchor] with the favourable wind. They soon line up the ships in an exposed position.

attingunt; cōnscendunt; cōnstituunt; convocat; dat; dīmittit; expōnit; exspectant; exspectat; mittunt; ostendit; solvit; tollunt; vident

[B] Answer the questions in Latin

quotus, -a, -um: which when asking about the numerical order of things / people i.e. an ordinal number (1^st, 2^nd etc) is expected in the answer, for example:

The answer is: sextā hōrā │ at the sixth hour

The question was: Quotā hōrā? │ at which hour (the first, second, third etc.?)

The answer is:  Augustus prīmus imperātor fuit. │ Augustus was the first emperor.

The question was: Quotus imperātor fuit Augustus? │ Which emperor (in sequence) was Augustus?

Therefore:

Quotā vigiliā?

The night watch was divided into four, and so at which one (in order) does the event happen – the first, second etc?

1. Quid faciunt Rōmānī?
2. Quotā vigiliā Caesar nāvēs solvit?
3. Quotā hōrā prīmae nāvēs Britanniam attingunt?
4. Ubi sunt armātae cōpiae Britannōrum?
5. Cūr Caesar mīlitēs ibi nōn expōnit? Quamdiū reliquās nāvēs exspectant?
6. Quid interim facit Caesar?
7. Quibus cōnsilia ostendit?
8. Quid exspectat?
9. Estne ventus secundus?
10. Quid faciunt Rōmānī?
11. Ubi Rōmānī nāvēs cōnstituunt?

____________________

Rōmānī nāvēs cōnscendunt. Tertiā circiter vigiliā Caesar nāvēs solvit. Prīmae nāvēs hōrā circiter quārtā Britanniam attingunt. Ibi in altīs locīs sunt armātae cōpiae Britannōrum. Britannōs vident Rōmānī. Barbarī ex altīs locīs tēla mittunt. Itaque ibi mīlitēs ex nāvibus Caesar nōn expōnit. Reliquās nāvēs ad hōram nōnam exspectant. Caesar interim lēgātōs convocat. Eīs cōnsilia ostendit. Ventum secundum exspectat. Tum lēgātōs dīmittit. Signum dat. Rōmānī ventō secundō ancorās tollunt. Mox in apertō locō nāvēs cōnstituunt.