Glosses for Latin Part 2

Now that you have finished the Introduction to Latin course, you do not need such detailed review notes as I prepared for Lessons 1-10. We will cover all grammatical points in class discussion. This page is designed for major grammatical issues in Lessons 11-20 (we skip Lesson 13).

Here we go!

Lesson XI:

This lesson is a milestone in your journey because you are introduced to the Accusative with Infinitive construction or ACI. In this construction, you will find a noun in the accusative case acting as the subject of an infinitive. (ACI stands for "Accusativus Cum Infinitivo.")

What is an infinitive? It is a verb form that is not limited to a particular person and number such as 3rd person singular or 1st person plural. "Infinitive" thus means "not limited." Our normal verb forms are in fact limited to a particular person and number as their subjects; hence, the normal verb forms we encounter are called "finite" (limited) verbs.

In your dictionaries, you will find the infinitive listed as the second principal part after the first person singular form. Thus: "voco, vocare," where "vocare" is the infinitive.

What does an ACI do in a sentence? It acts like one big noun. Usually the ACI will be a direct object to a verb of ordering or speaking or thinking or sensing.

For example (exempli gratia/for the purpose of an example),

Syra says that Quintus is sleeping.

Syra dicit {Quintum dormire}.

The ACI is in brackets with the subject of the ACI being "Quintum" in the required accusative case and with the predicate verb of the ACI being the infinitive "dormire."

This use of the ACI is also called "Indirect Statement" because you indirectly state what someone says, instead of directly quoting the person's actual words.

Direct Statement: Quintus sleeps. Quintus dormit.

Indirect Statement: Syra says that Quintus sleeps. Syra dicit Quintum dormire.

Lesson XVI:

The major grammatical leap here is the Ablative Absolute. This construction is extremely common in the Latin authors--Caesar, Cicero, etc. I will abbreviate this construction as "A2."

What is it? Well, as the name tells us, it involves the Ablative Case--all the main words in an A2 are in the Ablative Case. It is called "absolute" because, as you would expect in anything ablative, there is an element of separation. The A2 is separated grammatically from the rest of the sentence to give the backdrop, context, background, and circumstances of the sentence.

Think of the Ablative Absolute as the scenery in a dramatic production, while the rest of the sentence is the main action occurring on the stage itself.

Often you will find a noun in the ablative case paired with a perfect passive participle*** also in the ablative case.

For example, we see: "Quinto pulsato," with the noun "Quintus" in the Ablative Case followed by the verbal adjective (participle) "pulsato" formed from the verb "pulso." The participle as a verbal adjective has the form "pulsatus, a, um," indicating that as an adjective it has masculine, feminine, and neuter endings so it can describe all varieties of nouns or pronouns.

How do we translate the A2?

Try it literally first; and, as you get more comfortable with it, use your own judgment to add different shades of meaning as the sense and meaning of the sentence lead you to do so. Translation is an art, not a mechanical exercise.

Hence,

"Quinto pulsato" can be:

Quintus having been hit

After Quintus was hit

Because Quintus was hit

Although Quintus was hit

Since Quintus was hit

With Quintus hit.

You get the drift: try to make the Ablative Absolute express the appropriate backdrop to the action of the sentence.

***Note: A participle is an adjective formed from a verb. A perfect participle has a "perfect" sense: the action happened in the past but has effects in the present. "Passive" means that the noun receives or endures the verbal action of the participle. So, you see that the participle as an adjective describes a noun but as a verbal form also performs an action on the noun.