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New Latin Grammar

Chapter 83: PREPOSITIONS.
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A concise, school-oriented Latin grammar begins with an introduction to the language's Indo-European origins and then treats sounds, accent, and vowel quantity before explaining noun and adjective declensions, verb conjugations, pronouns, and particles. It covers word formation and compounding, followed by a detailed syntax section on sentence types, clause structures, moods, indirect discourse, and the uses of cases. A prosody unit addresses verse structure and meters, while supplements supply the Roman calendar, naming conventions, rhetorical figures, and indexes to examples and principal verb forms. The text aims to present essential rules clearly for secondary and undergraduate study.

1. Transitive compounds of admit the full Passive inflection; as adeor, adīris, adītur, etc.



DEFECTIVE VERBS.

Defective Verbs lack certain forms. The following are the most important:—

133. USED MAINLY IN THE PERFECT SYSTEM.


Coepī,
I have begun.
Meminī,
I remember.
Ōdī,
I hate.

INDICATIVE MOOD.
Perf. coepī. meminī. ōdī.
Plup. coeperam. memineram. ōderam.
Fut. P. coeperō. meminerō. ōderō.

SUBJUNCTIVE.
Perf. coeperim. meminerim. ōderim.
Pluf. coepissem. meminissem. ōdissem.

IMPERATIVE.
Sing. mementō; Plur. mementōte.

INFINITIVE.
Perf. coepisse. meminisse. ōdisse.
Fut. coeptūrus esse. ōsūrus esse.

PARTICIPLE.
Perf. coeptus, begun. ōsus.
Fut. coeptūrus. ōsūrus.

1. When coepī governs a Passive Infinitive it usually takes the form coeptus est; as, amārī coeptus est, he began to be loved.

2. Note that meminī and ōdī, though Perfect in form, are Present in sense. Similarly the Pluperfect and Future Perfect have the force of the Imperfect and Future; as, memineram, I remembered; ōderō, I shall hate.

134. Inquam, I say (inserted between words of a direct quotation)

INDICATIVE MOOD.
SINGULAR. PLURAL.
Pres. inquam, ——
inquis, ——
inquit; inquiunt.
Fut. —— ——
inquiēs, ——
inquiet. ——
Perf. 3d Sing. inquit.

135. Ajō, I say.

INDICATIVE MOOD.
SINGULAR. PLURAL
Pres. ajō, ——
aīs, ——
ait; ajunt.
Imp. ajēbam, ajēbāmus,
ajēbās, ajēbātis,
ajēbat; ajēbant.
Perf 3d Sing. aït.

SUBJUNCTIVE.

Pres 3d Sing. ajat.

NOTE.—For aīsne, do you mean? aīn is common.

136. Fārī, to speak.

This is inflected regularly in the perfect tenses. In the Present System it has—

INDICATIVE MOOD.
SINGULAR. PLURAL.
Pres. —— ——
—— ——
fātur. ——
Fut. fābor, ——
—— ——
fābitur. ——
Impv. fāre.
Inf. fārī.
Pres. Partic. fantis, fantī, etc.
Gerund, G., fandī; D. and Abl., fandō.
Gerundive, fandus.

NOTE.—Forms of fārī are rare. More frequent are its compounds; as,— affātur, he addresses; praefāmur, we say in advance.

137. OTHER DEFECTIVE FORMS.

1. Queō, quīre, quīvī, to be able, and nequeō, nequīre, nequīvī, to be unable, are inflected like , but occur chiefly in the Present Tense, and there only in special forms.

2. Quaesō, I entreat; quaesumus, we entreat.

3. Cedo (2d sing. Impv.), cette (2d plu.); give me, tell me.

4. Salvē, salvēte, hail. Also Infinitive, salvēre.

5. Havē (avē), havēte, hail. Also Infinitive, havēre.



IMPERSONAL VERBS.

138. Impersonal Verbs correspond to the English, it snows, it seems, etc. They have no personal subject, but may take an Infinitive, a Clause, or a Neuter Pronoun; as, mē pudet hōc fēcisse, lit. it shames me to have done this; hōc decet, this is fitting. Here belong—

I. Verbs denoting operations of the weather; as,—

fulget fulsit it lightens
tonat tonuit it thunders
grandinat —— it hails
ningit ninxit it snows
pluit pluit it rains

II. Special Verbs.

paenitet paenitēre paenituit it repents
piget pigēre piguit it grieves
pudet pudēre puduit it causes shame
taedet taedēre taeduit it disgusts
miseret miserēre miseruit it causes pity
libet libēre libuit it pleases
licet licēre licuit it is lawful
oportet oportēre oportuit it is fitting
decet decēre decuit it is becoming
dēdecet dēdecēre dēdecuit it is unbecoming
rēfert rēferre rētulit it concerns

III. Verbs Impersonal only in Special Senses.

cōnstat cōnstāre cōnstitit it is evident
praestat praestāre praestitit it is better
juvat juvāre jūvit it delights
appāret appārēre appāruit it appears
placet placēre placuit
(placitum est)
it pleases
accēdit accēdere accessit it is added
accidit accidere accidit it happens
contingit contingere contigit it happens
ēvenit ēvenīre ēvēnit it turns out
interest interesse interfuit it concerns

IV. The Passive of Intransitive Verbs; as,—

ītur lit. it is gone i.e. some one goes
curritur lit. it is run i.e. some one runs
ventum est lit. it has been come i.e. some one has come
veniendum est lit. it must be come i.e. somebody must come
pugnārī potest lit. it can be fought i.e. somebody can fight


PART III.



PARTICLES.



139. Particles are the four Parts of Speech that do not admit of inflection; viz. Adverbs, Prepositions, Conjunctions, Interjections.

ADVERBS.

140. Adverbs denote manner, place, time, or degree Most adverbs are in origin case-forms which have become stereotyped by usage. The common adverbial terminations have already been given above (§ 76). The following TABLE OF CORRELATIVES is important:—

RELATIVE AND INTERROGATIVE. DEMONSTRATIVE. INDEFINITE.
ubi, where; where? hīc, here.
ibi, illīc, istīc, there.
alicubī, ūsquam, ūspiam, somewhere.
quō, whither; whither? hūc, hither.
, istūc, illūc, thither.
aliquō, to some place.
unde, whence; whence? hinc, hence.
inde, istinc, illinc, thence.
alicunde, from somewhere.
quā, where; where? hāc, by this way.
, istāc, illāc, by that way.
aliquā, by some way.
cum, when.
quandō, when?
nunc, now.
tum, tunc, then.
aliquandō, umquam, sometime, ever.
quotiēns, as often as; how often? totiēns, so often. aliquotiēns, some number of times.
quam, as much as; how much? tam, so much. aliquantum, somewhat.

PREPOSITIONS.

141. Prepositions show relations of words. The following Prepositions govern the Accusative:—

ad, to.
adversus, against.
adversum, toward, against.
ante, before.
apud, with, near.
circā, around.
circiter, about.
circum, around.
cis, this side of.
citrā, this side of.
contrā, against.
ergā, toward.
extrā, outside.
īnfrā, below.
inter, between.
intrā, within.
jūxtā, near.
ob, on account of.
penes, in the hands of.
per, through.
pōne, behind.
post, after.
praeter, past.
prope, near.
propter, on account of.
secundum, after.
subter, beneath.
super, over.
suprā, above.
trāns, across.
ultrā, beyond.
versus, toward.

1. Ūsque is often prefixed to ad, in the sense of even; as,—

ūsque ad urbem, even to the city.

2. Versus always follows its case; as,—

Rōmam versus, toward Rome.

It may be combined with a preceding Preposition; as,—

ad urbem versus, toward the city.

3. Like prope, the Comparatives propior, propius, and the Superlatives proximus, proximē, sometimes govern the Accusative; as,—

Ubiī proximē Rhēnum incolunt, the Ubii dwell next to the Rhine;

propius castra hostium, nearer the camp of the enemy.

142. The following Prepositions govern the Ablative:—

ā, ab, abs, from, by.
absque, without.
cōram, in the presence of.
cum, with.
, from, concerning.
ē, ex, from out of.
prae, before.
prō, in front of, for.
sine, without.
tenus, up to.

1. Ā, ab, abs. Before vowels or h, ab must be used; before consonants we find sometimes ā, sometimes ab (the latter usually not before the labials b, p, f, v, m; nor before c, g, q, or t); abs occurs only before , and ā is admissible even there.

2. Ē, ex. Before vowels or h, ex must be used; before consonants we find sometimes ē, sometimes ex.

3. Tenus regularly follows its case, as, pectoribus tenus, up to the breast. It sometimes governs the Genitive, as, labrōrum tenus, as far as the lips.

4. Cum is appended to the Pronouns of the First and Second Persons, and to the Reflexive Pronoun; usually also to the Relative and Interrogative. Thus:—

mēcum
tēcum
sēcum
nōbīscum
vōbīscum
quōcum or cum quō
quācum or cum quā
quibuscum or cum quibus
On quīcum, see § 89, Footnote 27.

143. Two Prepositions, in, in, into, and sub, under, govern both the Accusative and the Ablative. With the Accusative they denote motion; with the Ablative, rest; as,—

in urbem, into the city;

in urbe, in the city.

1. Subter and super are also occasionally construed with the Ablative.

144. RELATION OF ADVERBS AND PREPOSITIONS.

1. Prepositions were originally Adverbs, and many of them still retain their adverbial meaning; as, post, afterwards; ante, previously; contrā, on the other hand, etc.

2. Conversely several words, usually adverbs, are occasionally employed as prepositions; as,—

clam, prīdiē, with the Accusative.

procul, simul, palam, with the Ablative.

3. Anástrophe. A Preposition sometimes follows its case. This is called Anástrophe; as,—

eī, quōs inter erat, those among whom he was.

Anastrophe occurs chiefly with dissyllabic prepositions.

CONJUNCTIONS AND INTERJECTIONS.

145. 1. Conjunctions are used to connect ideas. For Coördinate Conjunctions, see §§ 341 ff. Subordinate Conjunctions are treated in connection with Subordinate Clauses.

2. Interjections express emotion. Thus:—

1. Surprise; as, ēn, ecce, ō.

2. Joy; as, , euoe.

3. Sorrow and Pain; as, heu, ēheu, vae, prō.

4. Calling; as, heus, eho.



PART IV.



WORD-FORMATION.



I. DERIVATIVES.

146. Derivatives are formed by appending certain terminations called Suffixes to stems of verbs, nouns, or adjectives.

A. NOUNS.

1. Nouns derived from Verbs.

147. 1. The suffix -tor (-sor), Fem. -trīx, denotes the agent; as,—

victor, victrīx, victor; dēfēnsor, defender.

NOTE.—The suffix -tor is occasionally appended to noun stems; as,—

gladiātor, gladiator (from gladius).

2. The suffix -or (originally -ōs) denotes an activity or a condition; as,—

amor, love; timor, fear; dolor, pain.

3. The suffixes -tiō (-siō), Gen. -ōnis, and -tus (-sus), Gen. -ūs, denote an action as in process; as,—

vēnātiō, hunting; obsessiō, blockade; gemitus, sighing; cursus, running.

NOTE.—Rarer endings with the same force are:—

a) -tūra, -sūra; as,—

sepultūra, burial; mēnsūra, measuring.

b) -ium; as,—

gaudium, rejoicing.

c) -īdō; as,—

cupīdō, desire.

4. The suffixes -men, -mentum, -crum, -trum, -bulum, -culum, denote the means or place of an action; as,—

lūmen (lūc-s-men), light; vocābulum, word;
ōrnāmentum, ornament; documentum, proof;
sepulcrum, grave; arātrum, plough;
vehiculum, carriage.

2. Nouns derived from Nouns.

148. 1. Diminutives end in—

-ulus, (-ula, -ulum)
-olus, (-ola, -olum), after a vowel
-culus, (-cula, -culum)
-ellus, (-ella, -ellum)
-illus, (-illa, -illum)

as,—

nīdulus, little nest (nīdus);
virgula, wand (virga);
oppidulum, little town (oppidum);
fīliolus, little son (fīlius);
opusculum, little work (opus);
tabella, tablet (tabula);
lapillus, pebble (lapis).

NOTE 1.—It will be observed that in gender the Diminutives follow the gender of the words from which they are derived.

NOTE 2.—The endings -ellus, -illus contain the primitive form of the diminutive suffix, viz., -lo-. Thus:—

agellus, field, for ager-lus;
lapillus, pebble, for lapid-lus.

2. The suffix -ium appended to nouns denoting persons designates either a collection of such persons or their function; as,—

collēgium, a corporation, body of colleagues (collēga);

sacerdōtium, priestly function (sacerdōs).

3. The suffixes -ārium, -ētum, -īle designate a place where objects are kept or are found in abundance; as,—

columbārium, dove-cote (columba);
olīvētum, olive-orchard (olīva);
ovīle, sheep-fold (ovis).

4. The suffix -ātus denotes official position or honor; as,—

cōnsulātus, consulship (cōnsul).

5. The suffix -īna appended to nouns denoting persons designates a vocation or the place where it is carried on; as,—

doctrīna, teaching (doctor, teacher);

medicīna, the art of healing (medicus, physician);

sūtrīna, cobbler's shop (sūtor, cobbler).

6. Patronymics are Greek proper names denoting son of ..., daughter of .... They have the following suffixes:—

a) Masculines: -idēs, -adēs, -īdēs; as, Priamidēs, son of Priam; Aeneadēs, son of Aeneas; Pēlīdēs, son of Peleus.

b) Feminines: -ēis, -is, -ias; as, Nērēis, daughter of Nereus; Atlantis, daughter of Atlas; Thaumantias, daughter of Thaumas.

3. Nouns derived from Adjectives.

149. The suffixes -tās (-itās), -tūdō (-itūdō), -ia, -itia are used for the formation of abstract nouns denoting qualities; as,—

bonitās, goodness; celeritās, swiftness; magnitūdō, greatness; audācia, boldness; amīcitia, friendship.



B. ADJECTIVES.

1. Adjectives derived from Verbs.

150. 1. The suffixes -bundus and -cundus give nearly the force of a present participle; as,—

tremebundus, trembling; jūcundus (juvō), pleasing.

2. The suffixes -āx and -ulus denote an inclination or tendency, mostly a faulty one; as,—

loquāx, loquacious; crēdulus, credulous.

3. The suffix -idus denotes a state; as,—

calidus, hot; timidus, timid; cupidus, eager.

4. The suffixes -ilis and -bilis denote capacity or ability, usually in a passive sense; as,—

fragilis, fragile (i.e. capable of being broken);

docilis, docile.

2. Adjectives derived from Nouns.

a) From Common Nouns.

151. 1. The suffixes -eus and -inus are appended to names of substances or materials; as,—

aureus, of gold; ferreus, of iron; fāginus, of beech.

2. The suffixes -ius, -icus, -īlis, -ālis, -āris, -ārius, -nus, -ānus, -īnus, -īvus, -ēnsis signify belonging to, connected with; as,—

ōrātōrius, oratorical; legiōnārius, legionary;
bellicus, pertaining to war; paternus, paternal;
cīvīlis, civil; urbānus, of the city;
rēgālis, regal; marīnus, marine;
cōnsulāris, consular; aestīvus, pertaining to summer;
circēnsis, belonging to the circus.

3. The suffixes -ōsus and -lentus denote fullness; as,—

perīculōsus, full of danger, dangerous; glōriōsus, glorious;
opulentus, wealthy.

4. The suffix -tus has the force of provided with; as,—

barbātus, bearded; stellātus, set with stars.

b) From Proper Names.

152. 1. Names of persons take the suffixes: -ānus, -iānus, -īnus; as,—

Catōniānus, belonging to Cato; Plautīnus, belonging to Plautus.

2. Names of nations take the suffixes -icus, -ius; as,—

Germānicus, German; Thrācius, Thracian.

3. Names of places take the suffixes -ānus, -īnus, -ēnsis, -aeus, -ius; as,—

Rōmānus, Roman; Athēniēnsis, Athenian;
Amerīnus, of Ameria; Smyrnaeus, of Smyrna;
Corinthius, Corinthian.

NOTE.— -ānus and -ēnsis, appended to names of countries, designate something stationed in the country or connected with it, but not indigenous; as,—