THE COPULA IN LATIN. 45. The forms of the Copula, is, are, was, etc., are supplied in Latin by parts of the verb Esse, to be. The Imperfect tenses of the Indicative Mood are 46. The Adjective is used to express 1st, a Predicate, as, The town is ancient, Oppidum est anti quum. 2d, an Attribute, as, We see an ancient town, Oppidum antiquum videmus. In Latin the attributive adjective always, the predicative adjective generally, agrees with the noun to which it refers, in gender, number, and case. Via est ardua. Alba lilia cadunt. Vir bonus Deum timet. Saxa sunt dura. Populus alta viret. Deus virum bonum amat. The natural position of the attributive adjective is after the noun, but exceptions are frequent. The distinctions of gender being marked by terminations, we often find in Latin adjectives used as nouns; thus Amicus, a friend; amici, friends. Boni, good men; bona, goods; bonum, a blessing. Amicus amicum monet. Multi divitias spernunt. Boni bonos amant. Pueri multa discunt. Hence it is that the predicative adjective sometimes differs in gender and number from the noun to which it refers, as— Liberi sunt bonum, children are a blessing. SECOND CLASS OF NOUNS. DECLENSION OF I-NOUNS AND CONSONANT-NOUNS. 47. Nouns of this declension have various endings in the nominative; their genitive always ends in -is. We may arrange them into two divisions— A. Nouns which have the same number of syllables in the genitive as in the nominative. B. Nouns which have a syllable more in the genitive than in the nominative. DIVISION A (CHIEFLY I-NOUNS). 48. Of nouns which do not increase in the genitive there are four varieties : 1. Some of the nouns ending in es in the nominative, as nubes, cloud. 2. Most of the nouns ending in is in the nominative, as classis, fleet. 3. All neuter nouns ending in e in the nominative, as mare, sea. 4. A few of the nouns ending in er in the nominative, as Pater, father. fames, hunger, makes fame in the ablative. Vātes, seer, and Vepres, bramble, are of common gender; the former makes the genitive plural Vatum. Verres, boar-pig, is masculine. A large number of male names belong to this class, as Socrates, Demosthenes. Senex, Sěnis, old person, is an irregular noun of this class, making the genitive plural Senum. Nouns of this class are about equally divided in respect of gender; the following are Masculine Collis, hill. Crinis, hair. Ensis, sword. Fascis, bundle. Most of the nouns in these lists are declined like classis, but some have the accusative in im as well as em: such are clavis, febris, messis, navis, restis, securis; puppis and turris have usually im; sitis, thirst, has always im. Again, some have in the ablative as well as e: such are febris, navis, puppis, securis, turris, Amnis, Ignis; sitis has always siti. The genitive plural ends as a rule in ium in nouns of this class exceptions are Canis, Iuvenis, and volucris, which make Canum, Iuvenum, and volucrum. : gen. pl. in ium or um. Mensis and apis have the N.B.-The accusative plural of all I-nouns is frequently found in is instead of es, as classis for classes. The forms marě and retě are found in the ablative. The following are found in the plural only :—altāria, altars; ilia, flank; moenia, city-walls. Similarly are declined Accipiter, hawk; Frater, brother; mater, mother: Imber, shower; Linter, wherry; Venter, belly; except that the three last have ium in the genitive plural: also, names of months in er, as September, which is really an adjective, with Mensis understood; the ablative ends in i. NOTE.-Linter and Accipiter are sometimes feminine. |