Partes Orationis et Usus Eorum
PARTES ORATIONIS:
USUS GRAMMATICI:
Partes Orationis:
NOMINA: (nomen; name; noun) the name of a person, place, thing,
or idea; e.g. Canis improbus est. The dog is morally improper.
- Nouns have case, number, and gender in five declensions.
ADIECTIVA: (ad+iacere, to throw to) An adjectives is a word which
modifies (describes) a noun; e.g. Iulius malum magnum habet. Iulius
has a large apple. (Answers the question: "What kind of X is it?"
e.g. it's a big, slow, green X)
- Adjectives always match the noun that they modify in Case, Number,
and Gender.
- Adjectives can function substantively (substitute for a noun). e.g.
[Stulti] verba ducis non intellegunt. [The stupid (guys)] do not understand
the words of the general.
- Adjectives belong either to the 1st+2nd or the 3rd declensions.
PRONOMINA: (pro+nomen) a word that stands in for (pro) a noun:
- Demonstrative Pronouns: (de+monstrare, to point out)
stands in the place of a noun without an antecedent or asking a question.
Marcus id emit. Marcus buys it. (Ea bona discipula est. She is a good student.)
- Interrogative Pronoun: (interrogare, to ask) asks a question
and does not have an antecedent; e.g. Quis est Marcus? Who is Marcus?
- Relative Pronouns: (re+ferre, to carry back) are related to
a noun (their antecedent) to which they are referring. They do not ask
a question; e.g. Aemilia, quae liberos habet, mater est. Aemilia, who has
children, is a mother. ("Aemilia" is the antecedent of the relative
pronoun "quae.")
- Personal Pronouns: (persona, a person) take the place of persons
specifically, especially in relation to verbs. i.e. [I, you, he, she, we,
you (pl), they.]
- Possessive Pronouns: (possidere, to have) indicate to
whom the noun which they modify belongs. i.e. his, theirs.
- Indefinite Pronouns: (in+de-finire, not defined, not
limited) refer to no particular noun. i.e. someone.
ADVERBIA: (ad+verbum, to the verb) an adverb is a word that modifies
a verb, a verbal form, or another adverb, describing how that action
is done; e.g. Discipula legit bene. The female student reads well. (Answers
the question: "How is it done?" e.g. it is done poorly, quickly,
carefully, correctly, or not (non).)
- Adverbs are formed from adjectives. e.g. (1st+2nd) stultus-->stulte,
(3rd) brevis-->breviter.
- Adverbs do not decline, but they have three degrees: regular (quickly),
comparative (more quickly, rather quickly), and superlative (most quickly,
very quickly).
VERBA: (verbum, word) as Schoolhouse Rock (tm) so aptly proclaims:
"Verb, that's what's happinin!" e.g. Marcus Quintum pulsat. Marcus
hits Quintus.
- Verbs have terminations indicating person, number, tense, voice, and
mood in four conjugations.
PARTICIPIA: (pars + capere, to take a part) Participles are formed
from verbs and take the capabilities of adjectives while also indicating
the time (tense) and whether the noun modified is doing the action (active
voice) or receiving it (passive voice). Marcus ridens Iuliam pulsat. Laughing,
Marcus hits Iulia.
- Nota Bene: [NOT: Marcus is laughing...(= the verb ridet)]
PRAEPOSITIONES: (Prae+ponere, to place in front) initiates a prepositional
phrase, which is a preposition and its object [object of the preposition];
e.g. Ambulat in hortum. He walks into the garden. ("In"
is the preposition, "hortum" is the object of the preposition,
and "in hortum" is the prepositional phrase.)
- Prepositions take objects only in specific cases. e.g. "ad"
takes an object in the accusative case.
CONIUNCTIONES: (com+iungere, to join together) joins words, phrases,
clauses, or sentences; Marcus et Quintus improbi sunt. Marcus and
Quintus are morally improper. [Conjunctions do not decline]
Grammatical
Functions:
- Subject of the verb X: Iulius pecuniam habet. Iulius has money. ("Iulius"
is the subject of the verb "habet.")
- Direct object of the verb X: Ursus saccum portat. Ursus carries the
sack. ("Saccum" is the direct object of the verb "portat.")
- Indirect object of the verb X: Aemilia Iulio osculum magnum dat. Aemilia
gives a big kiss to Iulius . ("Iulio" is the indirect object
of the verb "dat.")
- Adjective modifying the noun X: Sol in caelo caeruleo est. The sun
is in the blue sky. ("Caeruleo" is an adjective modifying the
noun "caelo.")
- Adverb modifying the verb X: Iulia bene canit. Iulia sings well. ("Bene"
is an adverb modifying the verb "canit.")
- Object of the preposition X: In atrio impluvium est. An impluvium is
in the atrium. ("Atrio" is the object of the preposition "in.")