Sequence of Tenses; Subordinate Clauses of Result & Purpose

Sequence of Tenses

Grammatical subordination in Latin is often shown by use of the subjunctive in secondary clauses. Subordination is marked in part by the fact that primary and secondary clauses cohere in terms of broad temporal reference. After past-tense principal verbs, forms of the subjunctive are used that are marked as referring to past time. The ‘temporal’ marker on the subordinated subjunctive is said to follow the tense of the main verb. The co-ordination of ‘tense’ forms is referred to as the sequence of tenses.

So-called primary tenses are those that refer to present or future time; secondary or historical tenses are those that refer to past time. Of the subjunctives introduced so far, the present subjunctive follows primary tenses, the imperfect comes after secondary tenses in most types of subordinate clauses. For adverbial clauses of purpose this scheme appears thus:

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Further Subordinate Uses of the Subjunctive

Clauses of Result (‘Consecutive Clauses’).

(1) Adverbial Clauses of Result. The result of an action or situation is expressed by a subjunctive clause introduced by ut. The negative is ut nōn, ut nēmō, etc. (Such adverbial clauses are in origin potential subjunctives.) The result clause is anticipated in the main clause by an adverb or adjective meaning ‘so’, ‘such’, ‘thus’, etc. (ita, sic, tam, tantus, adeō etc.).

After secondary-tense verbs, the perfect subjunctive regularly represents actual result, in apparent violation of the sequence of tenses. The present and imperfect subjunctives properly represent potential result or natural tendency, often expressed in English by the infinitive (‘so as to…’).

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(2) Relative Clauses of Result. Result may also be expressed by a subjunctive clause introduced by relative words such as quī, unde, ubi, quō, etc. The negative particle is nōn. The relative word here is equivalent to ut + a demonstrative (quī = ut is, etc.).

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(3) Substantive Clauses of Result. A result clause in ut (negative ut nōn) may stand as an object or subject noun (a ‘substantive clause’) with verbs denoting accomplishing, effecting, etc., or with impersonal expressions denoting ‘it happens’, ‘it is necessary’, etc.

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Relative Clauses of Purpose.

Purpose may also be expressed by a subjunctive clause introduced by relative words such as quī, unde, ubi, quō, etc. The relative word here is equivalent to ut + a demonstrative (quī = ut is, etc.).