Now try this exercise.
Ex
2
Mark the SUBJECT, VERB and OBJECT using the letters S,
V, O.
1
Mothers love their children
2
Bees make honey
3
We are studying Latin
4
The boy is eating some sweets
5
Cats chase birds
LATIN SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Now let’s take a look at sentence a1 in Latin.
puellam videt puer
videt puer puellam
videt puellam puer
puer videt puellam
puer puellam videt
All 6 versions regardless of the WORD ORDER always mean
The boy sees the girl.
What does this tell us about Latin?
A change in the W O in Latin does NOT change the meaning of the sentence.
How then do we show the SUBJECT and OBJECT in Latin?
Look
at the sentences below:
1 Davus puellam videt We have changed puella
to PUELLAM
Davus sees the girl (SVO)
2 Davus puerum videt We have changed puer to PUERUM
Davus sees the boy (SVO)
3 Puer arborem ascendit We have changed arbor to ARBOREM
The boy climbs the tree (SVO)
These
changes show how Latin makes a word into the OBJECT
of the sentence.
So we can make a rule for Latin.
RULE
1 The endings AM UM EM mark the OBJECT in Latin
2 The OBJECT is usually translated AFTER the VERB.
3. A change in word order does not change the meaning.
Now try this exercise.
Ex 3
Underline the OBJECT in each sentence
then translate into English.
1 Sextus Davum conspicit
2 puerum Davus non amat
3 vocem puella non audit
4 servi magnum fragorem audiunt
5 terret Sextus puellam
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SUBJECT AND VERB
Look at these sentences in English
The boy PLAYS in the garden
The boys ARE PLAYING in the garden.
You can see that we have made a change to the VERBS.
The same change occurs in Latin.
puer in horto ludit
pueri in horto ludunt
We can make a rule to cover this situation.
RULE (both Latin and English)
1 When the SUBJECT is SINGULAR, the VERB is also SINGULAR
2 When the SUBJECT is PLURAL, the VERB is also PLURAL
Now apply this rule to the sentences below.
Ex
4
Choose the correct VERB to complete the sentence, then translate
1 puer arborem (ascendit/ascendunt)
2 puellae Sextum non (amat/amant)
3 puella in Italia (habitat/habitant)
4 Marcus et Sextus (est/sunt) pueri Romani
5 servi sub arbore (sedet/sedent)
