AP Latin : Grammatical and Syntactic Terminology in Vergil
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Example Questions
Example Question #101 : Ap Latin Language
inter quas Phoenissa recens a vulnere Dido
errabat silva in magna; quam Troius heros
ut primum iuxta stetit agnovitque per umbras
obscuram, qualem primo qui surgere mense
aut videt aut vidisse putat per nubila lunam, 5
demisit lacrimas dulcique adfatus amore est:
'infelix Dido, verus mihi nuntius ergo
venerat exstinctam ferroque extrema secutam?
funeris heu tibi causa fui? per sidera iuro,
per superos et si qua fides tellure sub ima est, 10
inuitus, regina, tuo de litore cessi.
"Vidisse . . . lunam" (line 5) is an example of what sentence construction?
Conditional sentence
Indirect statement
Relative clause
Ablative absolute
Indirect statement
In this phrase, you have a main verb—"putat"—followed by the infinitive "vidisse." The infinitive, however, is governing the rest of the phrase "per nubila lunam," which all function as the object of "vidisse." This is an example of an indirect statement, which is a type of phrase typically introduced by some sort of thinking verb like "putat" and is characterized by the presence of an accusative subject and an infinitive main verb. No subject is present here, however, because that is all being handled by the verb "vidisse." The phrase translates as: She thought that she saw the moon through the clouds.
(Passage adapted from the Aeneid by Vergil, 6.450-460)
Example Question #92 : Vergil
1 Quod genus hoc hominum? Quaeve hunc tam barbara morem
2 permittit patria? Hospitio prohibemur harenae;
3 bella cient, primaque vetant consistere terra.
4 Si genus humanum et mortalia temnitis arma
5 at sperate deos memores fandi atque nefandi.
6 Rex erat Aeneas nobis, quo iustior alter,
7 nec pietate fuit, nec bello maior et armis.
In line 1, what is the grammatical function of "hominum"?
Genitive of quality
Direct object
Partitive genitive
Adjective describing genus
Partitive genitive
The noun "homo, hominis", meaning man, is a third declension noun. It is thus genitive plural, which allows you to eliminate both "direct object" (which would have to be accusative), and "adjective describing genus". Don’t get it confused with second declension nouns! A genitive of quality describes a trait or a quality of something or someone, for example, “A man of great virtue.” This genitive is modifying "genus," or type, race, rendering the translation race of men. Thus, it is denoting part of something, not describing something.
(Passage adapted from The Aeneid of Vergil 1. 539-546)
Example Question #93 : Vergil
1 Quod genus hoc hominum? Quaeve hunc tam barbara morem
2 permittit patria? Hospitio prohibemur harenae;
3 bella cient, primaque vetant consistere terra.
4 Si genus humanum et mortalia temnitis arma
5 at sperate deos memores fandi atque nefandi.
6 Rex erat Aeneas nobis, quo iustior alter,
7 nec pietate fuit, nec bello maior et armis.
In line 6, what case is "nobis"?
Dative of possession
Dative of agent
Ablative of agent
Ablative of comparison
Dative of possession
You have to use context here, because "nobis" could be either ablative or dative. There is no passive verb, so we can eliminate “ablative of agent.” Without a comparative adjective, we can also eliminate “ablative of comparison.” We are left with the two datives. Because the clause has a nominative, a form of "sum," and a dative noun (or in this case, pronoun), "nobis" is a dative of possession.
(Passage adapted from The Aeneid of Vergil 1. 539-546)
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