Impersonal Verbs are those which are used only in the third person singular, and do not admit of a personal subject or nominative. These verbs, when translated literally into English, have before them the neuter pronoun it; as: delectat, "it delights;" decet, "it becomes;" contingit, “it happens." The ten following are in most common use: decet, libet, licet, misĕret, oportet, piget, pœnitet, pudet, tædet, and liquet. REM. Most Latin verbs in the passive voice may be used impersonally; as pugnātur, "it is fought," etc. EXERCISE. LATIN TO BE TURNED INTO ENGLISH. Cùm literas ad senatum deferri placeret. ENGLISH TO BE TURNED INTO LATIN. A woman was accustomed to arouse her maids. I would not dare to take anything from the flock. And hereafter it will delight (us) to remember these things. They began to be in a worse condition. When it might please that the letters should be carried to the senate. QUESTIONS. From what Latin words are the following derived? -senate?-defer ?-please?—excite ?-conditior? PART II-SYNTAX. LESSON LXIII. (Review Lesson LXII.) SYNTAX is that part of Grammar which treats of the proper arrangement and connection of words in a sentence. GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF SYNTAX. (1. In every sentence there must be a verb in the indicative, subjunctive, mperative, or infinitive mood, and a subject expressed or understood.) (2. Every adjective, adjective pronoun, or participle must have a substantive expressed or understood, with which it agrees.) ( 3. Every relative must have an antecedent or word to which it refers, and with which it agrees.) (4. Every nominative has its own verb expressed or understood, of which it is the subject, or is placed after the verb, or in apposition.) ( 5. Every verb in the indicative, subjunctive, or imperative mood, has its own nominative expressed or understood.) (6. Every oblique case is governed by some word expressed or understood, in the sentence of which it forms a part, or is placed under the "construction of circumstances.") PARTS OF SYNTAX. The parts of Syntax are commonly reckoned two, Concord or agreement, and Government. Concord is the agreement of one word with another, in gender, number, case or person. Government is that power which one word has over another in determining its mood, tense, or case. RULES OF SYNTAX. RULE I. Substantives denoting the same person or thing agree in case; as: Cicero orător, Cicero the orator. (REM. 1. Substantives thus used are said to be in apposition.) (REM. 2. Nouns in apposition are often connected in English by such particles as as, being, for, etc.; as: Pater misit me comitem.) RULE II. An adjective agrees with its substantive in gender, number, and case; as: Bonus vir, a good man. Bona puella, a good girl. (REM. This rule applies to all adjectives, adjective pronouns, and participles. " Substantive," in this rule, includes personal and relative pronouns.) OBS 1. The substantive is often omitted, and the adjective, assuming its gender, number, and case, is used as a substantive. OBS. 2. These adjectives, primus, medius, imus, summus, etc. usually signify the first part, middle part, lowest part, etc., of any thing; as: media nox, the middle of the night. OBS. 3. Adjectives are sometimes used as adverbs; as: prior venit, “he came first" of the two. RULE III. The relative qui, quæ, quod, agrees with its antecedent, in gender, number and person; as: Ego qui, or quæ scribo, I who write. OBS. 1. The relative is sometimes attracted into the case of the antecedent: quibus quisque poterat elatis, for (iis) quæ quisque, etc. OBS. 2. The antecedent is sometimes attracted into the case of the relative; as: Urbem quam statuo vestra est, for URBS quam statuo, etc. RULE IV. A verb agrees with its nominative, in number and person; as: Ego lego, I read. Vos scribitis, Ye write. (REM. 1. The nominative to a verb may be either a noun, a pronoun, an adjective used as a noun, the infinitive, a gerund, or a part of a sentence. Ego, tu, nos, and vos, are generally omitted.) REM. 2. The nominative often is found with the infinitive, in which case the verb is called the historical infinitive.) OBS. 1. Two or more substantives singular taken together, have a verb in the plural; taken separately, the verb is singular. OBS. 2. A collective noun expressing many as one whole, has a verb in the singular; expressing many as individuals, it has a verb in the plural; as: 1. Senatus venit, the Senate came. 2. Turba ruunt, the crowd rush. EXERCISE. LATIN TO BE TURNED INTO ENGLISH. Consul ex mediâ morte, reservātus est. sæ sunt. Omnes boni semper beāti sunt. Multitudo sunt sine ducibus. Literas expecto, quas scripsisti. Urbem quam statuo vestra est. ENGLISH TO BE TURNED INTO LATIN. Carthage and Corinth, very opulent cities, were destroyed. I expect the letters which you wrote. The Consul was preserved from the midst of death. The multitude are without leaders. The city which I build is yours. All good (men) are always happy. QUESTIONS. From what Latin are the following English words derived?—multitude?—reserve?—opulent ?—expect ?—letter? LESSON LXIV. (Review Lesson LXIII.) RULE V. Any verb may have the same case after it as before it, when both words refer to the same thing; as: Ego sum discipulus, I am a scholar. OBS. The accusative or dative before the infinitive under this rule, requires the same case after it in the predicate; as: Novimus te esse virum, Mihi negligenti non esse licet. We know that you are a man. I am not allowed to be negligent. RULE VI. One substantive governs another in the genitive, where the latter substantive limits the signification of the former; as: Lux naturæ, The light of nature. (REM. This rule applies to substantives, personal pronouns, and adjective pronouns. OBS. The dative is often used instead of genitives, as; Fratri ædes, The house of my brother, RULE VII. A substantive added to another to express a property or quality belonging to it, is put in the genitive or ablative; as: Vir prudentia, or prudentiæ, A man of prudence RULE VIII. An adjective in the neuter gender without a substantive governs the genitive; as: Multum pecuniæ, much money. |