Cases

1. Cases Notes on the Nominative and Accusative Case

2. Cases Nominative Case

3. Nominative Case • In English, called the “subjective” case • Used for the subject of sentences. • Used for predicate nominatives/nouns (a.k.a., subjective complement)

4. Predicate Nominatives • A predicate nominative is the second part of an “equation,” with a linking verb functioning as the equals sign, e.g., • That man is the lamb of God. • That man = lamb of God

5. Predicate Adjectives • Like predicate nominatives, these adjectives are in the nominative case. • That man is melancholy. • Predicate adjectives are the same gender and number as the subject.

6. Appositives • Nouns in apposition to a subject or predicate nominative are also in the nominative case. • My father, the king of Bulgaria, often enjoys fruit with a mild cheese and wheat crackers. • subject: father • appositive: king

7. Nominative Endings • Feminine, first declension: -a, -ae • via (nominative singular) • viae (nominative plural)

8. Nominative Endings • Masculine, second declension: -us*, -ī amicus (nominative singular) amīcī (nominative plural) * Most second-declension masculine nouns end in –us in the nominative singular. However, the –us isn’t a case ending, and the nominative singular forms must be memorized.

9. Nominative Endings • Neuter, second declension: -um, -ī English derivatives maintaining these endings • curriculum, curricula • bacterium, bacteria • candelabrum, candelabra—not candelabras! • stratum, strata

10. alumna alumnae alumnus alumni antenna antennae cactus cacti candelabrum candelabra focus foci formula formulae fungus fungi larva larvae medium media memorandum memoranda millennium millennia nebula nebulae nucleus nuclei ovum ova radius radii referendum referenda spectrum spectra stimulus stimuli stratum strata syllabus syllabi symposium symposia vertebra vertebrae English Nouns with First and Second Declension Endings

11. Cases Accusative Case

12. Accusative Case • In English, called the “objective” case. • The accusative case has two primary functions: it is the case of direct objects and the objects of some prepositions. • Prepositions are said to govern a particular case.

13. Accusative of Extent of Time • Used without a preposition in Latin, but often translated into English with a preposition, e.g., We waited (for) seven days.

14. On Names of Towns & Cities • masculine plural, e.g., Coriolī • Kor-ree-ŏh-lee • feminine singular, e.g., Rōma • Rō-mah • feminine plural, e.g., Cannae • Kahn-nigh • neuter singular, e.g., Mīsēnum • Mee-say-num

15. Plural Forms, Singular Things • Plural forms of Latin place names should not be too strange for us. • Compare, e.g., scissors, pants, shorts, pliers, jeans, goggles, pajamas • (These are sometimes called “binary nouns,” inasmuch as they are thought to have two parts.)

16. Plural Nouns & Verbs • Names of places having a plural form take a plural verb in Latin, though not in English. • Corioli sunt boni. Corioli is good. • The verb sunt is third person plural, usually translated as “are.”

17. Plural Nouns & Adjectives • Adjectives agree with the noun they modify in number, gender, and case. • Femina bona, “the good woman” • Amīcus bonus, “a good friend” • Amīcī bonī, “good friends” • Amīcī sunt bonī. Friends are good.

18. Vocabulary • amīcus, -ī, m., “friend” • For nouns, the nominative singular form and the genitive singular ending are given. • For now, you should focus on memorizing the nominative singular form, the gender, and a gloss.

19. Vocabulary • via, -ae, f., “way” • oppidum, -ī, n., “town” • īnsula, -ae, f., “island”