a living being, an
animal
bird (2 words)
cattle, sheep
dog
field
flower, bloom
flying
forest, grove
fruit, crops;
enjoyment, delight
grain
grove, forest
grow, increase
horn
horse
inhabit, cultivate
ox; gen. pl. boum
ploughed land,
field
tree
vine, wine
wild animal
wild, fierce
yoke; ridge, chain of hills
Label the images;
more than one word can be used with most pictures.
Schola Rōmāna I
Exercise [1]
Notes: Notes: Schola Rōmāna I
In the sentence Schola
Rōmāna iānuam nōn habet, what is the subject? Are the words schola
and iānuam in this sentence used in the same way? How is iānuam used?
In the English
sentence, He strikes the ball, ball is said to receive the action
of the verb strikes. In the same way in the sentence He has the ball
or He admires the ball, we say that ball receives the action of
the verbs has and admires. In all of these sentences he is
the subject of the verb and ball is the direct object,
often simply called the object of the verb.
When we see an
expression like he strikes or he praises, we think at once what
does he strike? or whom does he praise? Such verbs, which
need a direct object to make the sentence complete are called transitive verbs.
But not all verbs are transitive. Sentences like he smiles or I agree
are complete without a direct object. Such verbs are called intransitive
verbs.
In the Latin
sentence quoted above Schola Rōmāna iānuam nōn habet, the word iānuam
is the direct object of habet. Find other direct objects in the story.
What endings does each of these words have? Does each represent one thing or
more than one?
The word that
receives the action of a transitive verb is called the direct object of the
verb and is in the Accusative Case. Notice that the ending of the Accusative
singular is -am
Schola Rōmāna II
Exercise [2]
Notes: Schola
Rōmāna II
In the sentence Scholae
magistram et puellās dēlectant, how is the word magistram being
used? In what case and number is it? How is the word puellās being used?
If both magistram and puellās are used as direct objects, in what
case are they? Why are the endings different? Find other words being used as
plural direct objects. What ending do they have? The ending of the Accusative
Plural is -ās
Accusative Singular:
puellam
Accusative Plural:
puellās
Unit 02; Grammar
Exercise
Supply the proper
case endings:
[First Declension, Accusative Case]
Schola est schola Rōmāna. Parva est schola Rōmāna sed magna
est schola Americāna. Schola Romana iānuam nōn habet quod schola est aperta.
Antīqua schola fenestram nōn habet quod schola nōn est tēcta. Antīqua schola
mēnsam nōn habet. Schola Americāna mēnsam magnam habet. Schola antīqua magistram
Americānam dēlectat. Schola Rōmāna Iūliam et Corneliam dēlectat. Cūr schola
antīqua magistram Americānam dēlectat? Schola antīqua magistram Americānam
dēlectat quod schola est aperta.
Scholae magistram et puellās dēlectant. Antīqua schola
Rōmāna est. Nova schola Americāna est. Schola antīqua longās sellās habet.
Schola nova parvās sellās habet. Schola Rōmāna neque iānuam neque fenestram
habet. Schola Americāna et iānuās et fenestrās habet. Antīquae scholae sunt
apertae; sed novae scholae sunt tēctae. Schola Rōmāna puellās Americānās
dēlectat quod puellae Americānae scholās apertās amant.
amat: he/she/it loves; likes
amant: they love; like
antīqua: old; ancient
cūr: why
dēlectat: he/she/it delights; pleases
dēlectant: they delight; please
et...et: both...and
habet: he/she/it has
habent: they have
longa: long
neque: and … not; nor; neither
neque...neque: neither...nor
nova: new; fresh; recent; modern
quod: because
Rōmāna: Roman
tēcta: enclosed; covered
So far, we have looked at the ablative absolute with the perfect passive participle expressing ‘after / when / since something was / has been / had been done’. However, the ablative absolute can also be used with the present active participle which conveys two actions happening at the same time. The literal translation is with X ¦ Y-ing but, as before, there are more fluent alternatives.
[i] Begin with the nominative singular:
[1] boy [2] sleeping
> [1] puer [2] dormiēns i.e. the present active
participle from the verb dormiō, -īre: sleep
[ii] Transfer both words into the ablative case:
> [1] puerō [2] dormiente = ablative
absolute = literally: with X ¦ Y-ing = with the boy sleeping = while (since)
the boy is / was sleeping
[i] Puerō dormiente, ¦ [ii] servus pecūniam
abstulit. │ [i] With the boy sleeping / while (since) the boy was sleeping ¦ [ii]
the slave stole the money.
The participle ends in -e rather than -ī in the ablative singular.
[i] Begin with the nominative singular:
[1] boys [2] sleeping
> [1] puerī [2] dormientēs i.e. the present active
participle from the verb dormiō, -īre: sleep
[ii] Transfer both words into the ablative case:
> [1] puerīs [2] dormientibus = ablative
absolute = literally: with X ¦ Y-ing = with the boy sleeping = while (since)
the boy is / was sleeping
[ii] Puerīs dormientibus ¦ [ii] servus
pecūniam abstulit. │ [i] With the boys sleeping / while (since) the boys were sleeping
¦ [ii] the slave stole the money.
Again, tense
sequence will come into play in translation:
[i] Dominō
dormiente ¦ [ii] servī effugiunt │ [i] With the master sleeping /
while (since) the master is sleeping, [ii] the slaves escape.
[i] Dominō
dormiente ¦ [ii] servī effūgērunt│ [i] With the master sleeping / while (since) the master was
sleeping, [ii] the slaves escaped.
Examples giving different possible translations; note the
tense sequences in the translations in the last three examples.
The absolute construction + perfect passive participle refers to an action which took place before the action of the main verb . Regardless of the tense of the main verb in Latin, the absolute construction will always be the same. This, however, is not the case when translating the phrase into English since English sequences the tenses. This is not obvious if the basic “with X having been Y-ed” construction is maintained, but it will be obvious if a relative clause is used.
> With the city having been captured, the enemy destroyed
the temples.
> After the city had been captured, the enemy destroyed
the temples.
> With the words of the poet having been heard, the boys were
happy.
> After the words of the poet had been heard, the
boys were happy.
But the translation of the ablative absolute may not be the
equivalent of an English past perfect tense i.e. had:
> With the book having been written for the people, the
nobles praise the author.
> Since the book was / has been written for the
people, the nobles praise the author.
With that farmer’s loot having been found, you will
have the fields.
> Because that farmer’s loot was / has been found,
you will have the fields.
> Somebody will lead us to the altar with help
from the gods having been asked for.
> Somebody will lead us to the altar of the
temple, because help from the gods was / has been asked for.
> With the task having been done, we are now at
home.
> Since the task was / has been done, we are now at home.
[1] (After) having read the letter [2] she was very
touched.
[1] can only refer to [2] i.e. the subject of the
sentence.
Now look at a similar sentence in Latin:
[1] Litterīs acceptīs ¦ [2] imperātor valdē
īrātus est.
= [1] with the letter having been received, [2] the general
got really angry
= [1] after / when / since the letter had been received,
[2] the general got really angry
There is no grammatical connection between [1] and
[2]; there is no implication that it was the general who received it. Context,
however, may allow such a translation. In the first two examples below (both
quoted in Dickinson), the ablative absolute is obviously referring to Caesar
even though that is not directly stated:
Caesar, acceptīs litterīs, nūntium mittit (Caesar) │ Having
received the letter [literally: with the letter having been received],
Cæsar sends a messenger.
Quibus rēbus cōgnitīs Caesar apud mīlitēs cōntiōnātur
(Caesar) │ Having learned this [literally: with these thing having been
learned], Cæsar makes a speech to the soldiers.
Look, however, at the following examples:
Urbe dēlētā, cīvēs fūgērunt.
**Having destroyed the city** the citizens fled.” It is
highly unlikely that the citizens destroyed their own city! Therefore, the
original translation of the ablative absolute – with no connection to the
subject – would be the appropriate one:
Equō vēnditō agricola domum
rediit.
This is a good example where it is down to context:
[1] Either: After / when / since the horse had been sold,
the farmer returned home. / The horse had been sold and the farmer returned
home.
[2] Or: Having sold the horse, the farmer returned home.
In general, when translating the ablative absolute –
especially when you are still getting to grips with it – it is better to stick
with [1] because [1] is always correct whereas [2] could be a misinterpretation
of the Latin.
[IV] SLAYING THE LERNEAN HYDRA
Deinde Herculēs ab
Eurystheō iussus est Hydram occīdere. Itaque cum amicō Iōlāō contendit ad palūdem Lernaeam ubi
Hydra incolēbat. Hoc autem mōnstrum erat serpēns ingēns quae novem capita
habēbat. Mox is mōnstrum repperit et summō cum perīculō collum eius
sinistrā manū rapuit et tenuit. Tum dextrā manū capita novem abscidere incēpit,
sed frustra labōrābat, quod quotiēns hoc fēcerat totiēns alia
nova capita vidēbat. Quod ubi vidit, statuit capita ignī cremāre.
Hōc modō octō capita delēvit, sed extrēmum caput vulnerārī nōn potuit,
quod erat immortāle. Itaque illud sub ingentī saxō Herculēs posuit et ita
victōriam reportāvit.
[1] Iōlaō, abl. of
Iolaus, the hero's best friend.
[2] palūs, palūdis
[3/f]: marsh; swamp
[3] reperiō, -īre,
repperī, repertus [4]: find (out); discover
[4] … quotiēns hoc fēcerat totiēns alia nova capita vidēbat.
… however often
/ however many times
(whenever) he did that, just as often he would see other new heads.
[5] … quotiēns hoc
fēcerat totiēns alia nova capita vidēbat. Quod ubi vidit, … │ …
however many times he did that, just as often he would see other new heads. And
when he saw that, ….
Refer to the
previous post on connecting relatives; quod is not related to a specific
person or thing in the previous sentence but to the action described
i.e. the continual regrowth of the heads.
[6] extrēmum caput
vulnerārī nōn potuit │ the furthest head could not be injured
vulnerarī: passive infinitive
