Chap 5 Flashcards
(6 cards)
The Adjective: First and Second Declensions
Adjectives in Latin look like nouns and use most of the same endings. Unlike nouns, which have only one gender, adjectives have masculine, feminine and neuter forms.
Adjectives fall into two groups; one uses the endings of the first and second declensions, and the other uses endings of the third declension. There are no fourth or fifth declension adjectives.
Some adjectives follow the pattern of puer.
Some follow the pattern of ager.
Note that the stem of these adjectives can be determined by dropping the nominative feminine or neuter singular ending.
Adjectives agree with the nouns they modify in case , number and gender . This does not mean that they belong to the same declension or that their endings always look the same.
When one adjective modifies two or more nouns of different genders , it often agrees with the nearest noun . Often an adjective will precede the word it modifies (but not necessarily) and help to resolve the form of that word if it is otherwise ambiguous .
More Uses of the Genitive
The genitive can also indicate other relationships between two nouns, such as:
Explanatory - the genitive explains more about the noun
deus pontī = god of the sea
Objective - the genitive would be the object if the other noun were a verb imperium ponti command of the sea ( he commands the sea )
Subjective - the genitive would be the subject if the other noun were a verb
consilium turbae = the advice of the crowd ( the crowd advises )
Adjectival Modification (Summary)
Adjectival modifiers modify nouns . The adjective and the uses of the Genitive case that you have learned so far function as adjectival modifiers . Like adverbial modifiers , they are not part of the sentence core and , thus , are not required elements in a sentence . Adjectival modifiers provide extra information about a noun in the sentence .
Sentence Pattern: Linking
A third common pattern is called linking . In this pattern the verb functions like an equal sign , linking the subject to an adjective or noun that describes the subject :
The man is ( = ) good .
The adjective or noun that completes the picture of the subject is commonly called the subject complement . Since the subject of a finite verb is always nominative , the subject complement is also nominative : vir est bonus . = The man is good . Here are the elements of this sentence pattern :
3 ) Linking
* subject
* linking verb
* subject complement ( = predicate nominative )
Sum is one of the most common linking verbs. Note that sum may occur in both a linking and an intransitive pattern.
More Uses of the Ablative
With the preposition cum the ablative can indicate two different things , depending whether the noun is animate ( a person ) or inanimate ( not a person ) :
- Accompaniment the person / people with whom something is done
Cum amīcīs labōrat = She works with her friends .
- Manner the way in which something is done
Cum cūrā labōrat = She works with care .
When the noun is modified by an adjective in an ablative of manner , the adjective regularly comes first and the preposition may be omitted . If it is included , it often appears between the two words :
Magnā cum cūrā labōrat . She works with great care .
hese uses of the ablative , like the earlier ones , function as Adverbial Modifiers
Substantive noun use
In Latin , as in English , an adjective can be used without an accompanying noun.
In this use , the adjective functions as a noun , and the meaning is understood from the context ( the land of the free people … ) . In Latin , the gender and number of the adjective give you extra help at filling in the missing noun . If the adjective has a masculine ending , it usually indicates men ( or people in general ) ; if it is feminine , women ; if neuter , things
