Topic Two (1.2): Core Language
Objectives for this topic
In Topic 1.2 you will be learning more about adjectives, a new tense and Latin word order.
Introduction
Topic 1.2 adds to your bank of vocabulary and introduces some personal pronouns, as well as showing you how to use comparative and superlative adjectives. You will also meet the pluperfect tense which describes actions that happen further back in time than the ordinary perfect tense. In English these verbs are translated with ‘had’, e.g. ‘Before I went out, I had eaten my dinner.‘ In this sentence, the second clause describes an action that happened before the first, so uses the pluperfect.
Working through your coursebook
As with the other core language sections begin with the vocabulary on page 50. Knowing vocabulary is a firm basis for being able to translate so make sure you are learning this vocabulary and using the vocabulary tester in the Support Activity.
The first section of grammar is about pronouns. English needs to use pronouns with verbs as the endings are too similar (e.g., I write, you write, he/she/ it writes, we write, you write, they write). Latin does not, as the personal endings of verbs are distinct. The personal pronouns for I and you (singular) tend to be used only for emphasis as in the examples on page 52. Work through Exercise 8.1 on page 52.
The 3rd person pronoun se is a little more tricky: not only is it the same whether it is singular or plural, it has a specific meaning. se tends to refer back to the subject of the verb, i.e., it is reflexive as you can see in the examples on page 53; for this reason it has no nominative case as it cannot stand alone. Work through the sentences in Exercise 8.2 on page 53, which will help you see how se works.
Page 54 discusses Latin word order. There are general principles in Latin word order: adjectives tend to go next to the noun they describe; adverbs usually come before the verb to which they relate; and clauses tend to place the events they describe in chronological order. However, since Latin nouns have different endings depending on the role they take in the sentence and adjectives agree with those nouns in case, number and gender, it is possible to rearrange the word order to emphasise certain words. This is not possible in English to the same extent and if you wish to do that you must sometimes add in a whole new clause. Look at the sentences at the bottom of page 54. Can you rewrite those English sentences to emphasise the words in bold?
On page 55 you revisit a verb from last year – eo ire ivi, ‘I go’. You have already met compounds of sum, I am (adsum, absum); now you can see how adding a preposition to the beginning of eo can influence the meaning. Note also the present participle of eo – iens, euntis. Work through Exercise 8.3 on page 55. Then read story 8.4, on page 56, ‘Cato the Elder’, which is a good way to practise these new elements of Latin as well as learning about a famous Roman statesman who had a particularly important ‘catch-phrase’.
Now move on to page 58 and thinking again about adjectives. You know how to say something is big or famous or happy but there are different levels of size or fame or happiness and sometimes you might want to compare one thing with another or say something is very big, etc. To begin with, you learn how to say something is very big, or very famous or very happy. This is called the superlative adjective and it acts just like the ordinary adjective in that it must agree in case, number and gender with its noun. Study very carefully the examples you have on page 58 and work your way through the sentences in Exercise 8.5, on page 58, and make sure you have memorised the irregular adjectives. Then use your new knowledge to translate Story 8.6 on page 59, which tells you about Cicero’s finest hour!
On page 60 you learn how to recognise the comparative adjective. This is an adjective that allows you to compare one noun with another. Note the specific endings of -ior for the masculine and feminine and -ius for the neuter. As with the superlative make a note of the irregular versions of the comparative adjective. Page 61 shows you the two ways that you compare nouns – use the comparative adjective plus the ablative of the noun you are comparing something with OR use quam and have both nouns in the same case as they are a direct comparison. Try the sentences in Exercise 8.7 on page 61 and then read story 8.8, on page 62, ‘Cicero and his Daughter’, and complete the following worksheet:
COMPLETE – Comprehension 8.8 Download COMPLETE – Comprehension 8.8
NB: quam can also be used with an adjective as an exclamation – quam laetissima! How very happy I am!
Page 63 introduces comparative and superlative adverbs – can you see how they are formed from their adjectives? Study the table on page 63, then translate the sentences in Exercise 8.9, also on page 63.
Read story 8.10 on pages 64-65, the rather gruesome story of Cicero’s Death. As you read it through look for comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs. What impression do you get of Cicero from his behaviour in this story?
Finally, there are pluperfect verbs. Can you see, from the table on page 66, how they are formed? Perfect stem + the imperfect of sum. Look very carefully at the 3rd person plural in the pluperfect. Now compare it with the 3rd person plural of the perfect tense. The change of one vowel means that you must look very carefully at the endings or you will mistranslate the tense of the verb. Now practise the pluperfect in Exercise 8.11 on page 66.
Support activity for this topic
You should now try Additional Language exercises A8.1-4 and B8.1-6 on pages 68-73.
Take the vocabulary test!
PRACTISE – Chapter 8 Vocabulary (bloomsbury.com) Links to an external site.
Extension activity for this topic
Try the English to Latin sentences C8.1 on page 74 and the following consolidation exercises D8.1 and D8.2:
Insert pdfs:
COMPLETE - Exercise D8.1 Download COMPLETE - Exercise D8.1
COMPLETE - Exercise D8.2 Download COMPLETE - Exercise D8.2
Review
Go back over the vocabulary and new forms of adjectives and adverbs you have learnt.
- Can you remember how to identify and translate them?
- Do you know how to translate se?
- Review the pluperfect. How does it differ in meaning and form from the perfect tense?
If you are confident you can do all this, go to Assignment 1.
Check your answers
For the core language exercises on pages 52-56:
CHECK – Chapter 8 Core Language Answers Download CHECK – Chapter 8 Core Language Answers
For the additional language exercises on pages 68-74:
CHECK – Chapter 8 Additional Language Answers Download CHECK – Chapter 8 Additional Language Answers