Lesson 38 · Review
Only two entries this time — but each is a full declension, and between them they let you build every complex sentence and every question you have been unable to write until now.
Before you can use a relative you need somewhere to put it. That "somewhere" is the subordinate clause — and only one of the three sentence types has one.
| Type | Contains | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | one subject + one predicate | The Romans approached the town. |
| Compound | two or more independent statements | The Romans approached the town, and the enemy fled. |
| Complex | one independent + one or more dependent | When the Romans approached the town, the enemy fled. |
The separate statements in a compound or complex sentence are called clauses. An independent statement can stand alone; a dependent (subordinate) one depends on or qualifies another. In a complex sentence the independent statement is the main clause and the dependent one the subordinate clause.
"the enemy fled" stands alone — main clause. "when the Romans approached the town" cannot — subordinate clause.
A relative does two jobs at once: it stands in place of a noun, and it fastens an adjective clause onto that noun. The noun it stands for is its antecedent.
| M. sg. | F. sg. | N. sg. | M. pl. | F. pl. | N. pl. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. | quī | quae | quod | quī | quae | quae |
| Gen. | cuius | cuius | cuius | quōrum | quārum | quōrum |
| Dat. | cui | cui | cui | quibus | quibus | quibus |
| Acc. | quem | quam | quod | quōs | quās | quae |
| Abl. | quō | quā | quō | quibus | quibus | quibus |
The endings closely resemble those of the demonstrative is. In fact quī, quae, and quibus (highlighted above) are the only forms that show new endings — everything else you already know.
Note the pronunciation: cuius = cooi-yoos (two syllables); cui = cooi (one syllable).
A relative pronoun must agree with its antecedent in gender and number; but its case is determined by the way it is used in its own clause. The antecedent and the relative are therefore often in different cases.
Rōmānī interfēcērunt virōs quī captī sunt. — the Romans killed the men who were taken (virōs acc., quī nom. as subject of captī sunt; masc. pl. from the antecedent).
Rōmānī interfēcērunt fēminam quae capta est. — the Romans killed the woman who was taken (fēminam acc., quae nom.; fem. sg. from the antecedent).
When quī refers to a person it is translated by some form of "who" or by "that"; when it refers to anything else, by "which," "what," or "that." The genitive gives "whose" or "of which," the dative "to or for whom / which," the ablative "from, with, by whom / which."
This table of meanings need not be memorised — it is for reference when translating.
The same q-forms ask questions. The one thing to keep straight is which of them stands instead of a noun and which one modifies a noun.
| Latin | English | Part of speech |
|---|---|---|
| Quis est vir? | who is the man? | interrogative pronoun — stands alone |
| Quī vir eōs dūcit? | what man is leading them? | interrogative adjective — modifies vir |
The interrogative adjective quī, quae, quod is declined exactly like the relative. The interrogative pronoun quis, quid is declined like the relative in the plural; in the singular the masculine and feminine are alike, and every form is the same as the relative's except the nominative quis and the nominative-accusative quid.
| Singular | Masc. & Fem. | Neut. |
|---|---|---|
| Nom. | quis, who? | quid, what? which? |
| Gen. | cuius, whose? | cuius, whose? |
| Dat. | cui, to or for whom? | cui, to or for what? |
| Acc. | quem, whom? | quid, what? which? |
| Abl. | quō, from, etc., whom? | quō, from, etc., what? |
With the ablative of the relative, interrogative, and personal pronouns, cum is added to the end of the pronoun instead of standing before it.
Quibuscum Germānī bellum gerēbant? — with whom were the Germans waging war?
Six out of six before you start the exercises.
Question 1
In Rōmānī interfēcērunt virōs quī captī sunt, why is quī nominative when its antecedent virōs is accusative?
Right. That is Rule 3. Quī is masculine plural because virōs is, but its case belongs to its own clause, where it is the subject of captī sunt. A relative is not always nominative — compare Servus quem amō est aeger — and interfēcērunt governs the accusative virōs, not the relative.
Not quite — split the question in two. Ask first what decides gender and number, then ask separately what job quī does inside "…who were taken."
Question 2
Fill the blank: Rōmānī interfēcērunt fēminam _____ capta est.
Right. The antecedent fēminam is feminine singular, so the relative must be feminine singular too; and inside its own clause it is the subject of capta est, so it is nominative. Feminine + singular + nominative = quae. Quem is masculine accusative and quod neuter.
Not quite — fēminam fixes the gender and number, and capta est needs a subject. Which single form is feminine, singular, and nominative?
Question 3
Which sentence uses an interrogative adjective rather than an interrogative pronoun?
Right. In Quī vir eōs dūcit? the q-word modifies the noun vir — that is an adjective. In the other two, quis and quid stand alone in place of a noun, so they are pronouns. Rule 5: quis, quid is the pronoun, quī, quae, quod the adjective.
Not quite — an adjective needs a noun to lean on. In which sentence does the q-word have a noun standing right beside it?
Question 4
Which statement about cuius and cui is true?
Right. In the singular the relative shows one genitive (cuius) and one dative (cui) for masculine, feminine, and neuter alike, and the interrogative pronoun borrows both unchanged. The genitive and dative plural are quōrum / quārum / quōrum and quibus.
Not quite — look down the Gen. and Dat. rows of the singular table. How many different forms do the three gender columns actually show?
Question 5
The relative's endings closely resemble those of the demonstrative is. Which forms does the lesson name as the only ones showing new endings?
Right. Rule 2: only quī, quae, and quibus show endings you have not already met in is, ea, id. Cuius and cui match is exactly, and quōrum, quārum, quōs, quem carry the ordinary endings you know.
Not quite — run down the declension and ask which endings you could not have predicted from is, ea, id. There are only three.
Question 6
In Servus quem amō est aeger, the antecedent servus is nominative. Why is quem accusative?
Right. The relative takes only gender and number from servus (masculine singular); its case comes from its own clause, and there it is what I love — the direct object of amō, hence accusative. Being masculine explains the form quem rather than quam, but not the case; and there is no rule linking the relative's case to the antecedent's.
Not quite — ignore the main clause entirely and read only "…whom I love." What job does the relative do there?
Answered correctly: 0 / 6