04 Chapter Ecce Romani Grammar Notes - Monday October 15

Big ideas:
Core elements of a Latin sentence.

Differences between Latin and English sentence structure

Subject – Object – Verb are the basic elements of a sentence in Latin and English. These elements are expressed by the order of words in an English sentence; but by the endings of words in a Latin sentence.

Key vocabulary

transitive verb (IV); VERBS THAT TAKE DIRECT OBJECTS

intransitive verb (TV): VERBS THAT DO NOT TAKE DIRECT OBJECTS; but they may take a complement if they are linking verbs like sum, es, est, sumus, estis, sunt.

linking verbs (LV) these verbs link the subject to a description and the description is in the subject case (nominative). They “agree” in number and gender with the subject.

Cornelia puella Romana est. (puella Romana is the complement)

Sextus pestis est. (pestis is the complement)

Laeta sum.  (Laeta is the complement)

intransitive verbs with prepositional phrases:

    S      prepositional phrase            IV

Sextus       ex arbore                    cadit.

direct object: nouns that name the person or thing that receives the action of a transitive verb

• Sextus Corneliam vexat = Corneliam Sextus vexat. 
• Vocem Cornelia audit. = Cornelia vocem audit.

In Latin, it is the ENDINGS of the words that show their function in sentences, while in English it is largely the order in which words come in sentences that shows their function.  A typical English sentence will have this order subject­-verb-direct object.

        S       V          DO

The boy hits the ball.

pila, pilae f. = ball

puer, pueri m = boy

icio, icere, ici, ictus = hit; icit= he hits

In Latin sentences the word order does not convey the sense of a sentence. The ENDINGS do.

DO       S       TV      S        DO    TV       TV    DO      S

Pilam puer icit   = Puer pilam icit  = Icit pilam puer

In Latin you have to retrain your brain NOT to pay attention to the order of words in a sentence but to the endings of the words in a sentence. Usually you cannot decipher the meaning of a sentence until the VERY LAST WORD.  It is important to learn this early because as you go on in Latin sentences just get longer and longer.

Retraining your brain through Latin supports your ability to think “outside the box” AND to learn other languages.

Learn these abbreviations so you can identify the parts of a Latin sentence”

S= subject

V= Verb

IV=intransitive verb

TV = transitive verb

C = complement

PP = Prepositional phrase

DO = direct object

Write in your notebooks some English sentences with direct objects, transitive verbs, intransitive verbs and complements.

Now let's identify the core elements of the sentences in the Story "Mischief Maker."  Take out your copy of Story 4.