All Questions
Tagged with syntax classical-latin
42
questions
5
votes
1
answer
411
views
What's the role of the word "scribam" in this Cicero's sentence?
This sentence comes from a letter by Cicero to Atticus written when the former is in exile. It can be found in Epistulae ad Atticum 3, 5:
Ad te quid scribam nescio.
I understand that "nescio&...
- 2,122
7
votes
1
answer
883
views
Use of 'suus' in 'ignoranti quem portum petat nullus suus ventus est'
Seneca, Epistolae LXXI: ignoranti quem portum petat nullus suus ventus est
commonly translated as 'he who does not know which port he is heading to has no favourable wind'.
Could anyone explain what ...
- 481
5
votes
1
answer
312
views
On the analysis of "mihi" in "Praesidium mihi in perpetuum comparatum est" (Cic. Cat. 3.12.27)
I was wondering about the correct analysis of the dative mihi in the sentence Magnum enim est in bonis praesidium quod mihi in perpetuum comparatum est, which is included in the text below from Cic. ...
- 9,036
11
votes
2
answers
408
views
Hearing vs hearing that
The English sentence 'I heard you play the flute' can have three distinct meanings:
At some point in the past, you played the flute while I was within earshot.
Someone told me that you are able to ...
- 335
6
votes
1
answer
169
views
More detailed translation of a passage
In the book «Elementos de Retórica» by the 18th-century Spanish priest and latinist Calixto Hornero, there is the following sentence (link to 1815 edition):
Cernere est plurimos, qui sibi parum ...
2
votes
0
answers
112
views
On the syntactic distribution of ablative gerund and nominative present participle
I've always taken it for granted that in Classical Latin nominative present participles cannot be replaced by ablative gerunds without a meaning change. For example, in the following case the ...
- 9,036
8
votes
1
answer
320
views
Constituendi autem sunt qui sint in amicitia fines et quasi termini diligendi (Cic. Amic. 56)
I was wondering to what extent the agreement pattern exemplified with the following sentences drawn from Cicero's De Amicitia can be regarded as the most natural one. I'm asking this question since, ...
- 9,036
10
votes
0
answers
612
views
On the syntax of some datives in a beautiful Ciceronian structure
I was wondering if you would like to share your thoughts on the grammar of the datives in the following texts from Cicero. The second example is a very interesting one provided by Kingshorsey in an ...
- 9,036
4
votes
0
answers
120
views
ad obsidionem urbis vs. ad obsidendam urbem
I was wondering to what extent the two Prepositional Phrases (PPs) in the title of the present question can be taken as functionally equivalent. Consider the following text about Caesar's siege of ...
- 9,036
3
votes
1
answer
236
views
Agreement and possessive genitive
What we do in the following example?
I need to combine two words in a phrase: 'professional' and 'holiday'.
There is no adjective 'professional' in Latin or my searching is bad. So I can use the ...
- 349
2
votes
0
answers
117
views
Is an Ablative Absolute construction like "portā clausā" ambiguous in Early Latin?
As a follow-up question of two previous posts (cf. here and here), I was wondering if an Ablative Absolute construction like portā clausā is ambiguous in Early Latin as it is in Classical Latin. For ...
- 9,036
6
votes
1
answer
117
views
Analysis of Dative in >>Confessions<<
In Caput VI Liber II Augustine wrote:"Quamvis mihi nondum fideli......" (Although I was not a Christian...)
Here he used the dative case (mihi fideli). What's the dative case for? Why is it dative?
...
- 251
3
votes
2
answers
200
views
Indirect questions and the passive subjunctive
How would you translate: "He asked if the the city had been captured?"
Quaerit num civitatem captum esse?
Here I am using an accusative (captum) plus infinitive (esse).
Am I right?
Thank you!
4
votes
0
answers
77
views
Any material on so-called "inverse analysis" and "minimal pairs" to practice Latin grammar?
I was wondering if anyone could provide me with references on any online material (pdf, links, etc.) of Latin Grammar which can contain exercises based on so-called "inverse analysis" and "minimal ...
- 9,036
4
votes
1
answer
572
views
Subject-verb agreement when the subject is a dominant participle construction
My question is whether constructions similar to the following English one, which is drawn from Jespersen (1909-1949, vol. V: 138), can exist in Latin, i.e., constructions where (i) the subject is ...
- 9,036