(A.) OF THE VERB.
1062. A verb agrees with its subject in number and person: as,
#praedia mea tū possidēs, ego aliēnā misericordiā vīvō#, _RA._ 145,
_you, sir, hold my estates, it is by the compassion of other people that
I am supported_. #Rhodanus fluit#, 1, 6, 2, _the Rhone flows_. #nōs,
nōs, dīcō apertē, cōnsulēs dēsumus#, _C._ 1, 3, _it is ourselves, yes,
ourselves, I will speak without reserve, the consuls, who fail in our
duty_. #vōs vōbīs cōnsulite#, 7, 50, 4, _do you look out for
yourselves_. #diffūgēre nivēs#, H. 4, 7, 1, _scattered and gone are
snows_.
1063. With a compound subject, two constructions are admissible, as
follows.
1064. (1.) With two or more singular subjects, the verb is often in the
plural: as,
(_a._) Without connectives: persons: #iīsdem ferē temporibus fuērunt C.
Cotta, P. Sulpicius, Q. Varius, Cn. Pompōnius#, _Br._ 182, _in about the
same times lived Cotta, Sulpicius, Varius, and Pomponius_. Things:
#fidēs Rōmāna, iūstitia imperātōris in forō et cūriā celebrantur#, L. 5,
27, 11, _the chivalrous principle of Rome and the square dealing of her
captain are trumpeted in market place and council hall_. (_b._) With
#atque#, #et#, or #-que#: persons: #ex hīs Cotta et Sulpicius facile
prīmās tulērunt#, _Br._ 182, _of these Cotta and Sulpicius indisputably
bore the palm_. Things: #nox et amor vīnumque nihil moderābile suādent#,
O. _Am._ 1, 6, 59, _darkness and love and wine to nothing governable
tempt_. #cum senātus populusque Rōmānus pācem comprobāverint#, L. 37,
45, 14, _when the senate and the people of Rome sanction peace_. (_c._)
With #et . . . et#: persons: #et Q. Maximus et L. Paullus iīs temporibus
fuērunt#, _Fam._ 4, 6, 1, _both Maximus and Paullus lived in such
times_. Things: #utrōsque et laudis cupiditās et timor īgnōminiae
excitābant#, 7, 80, 5, _both of these eagerness for glory in the first
place and secondly fear of disgrace spurred on_.
1065. The plural is sometimes demanded by the meaning of the verb: as,
#iūs et iniūria nātūrā dīiūdicantur#, _Leg._ 1, 44, _right and wrong are
naturally distinguished from each other_.
1066. (2.) Often, however, with two or more singular subjects, the verb
is put in the singular: as,
(_a._) Without connectives: persons: #tum Gorgiās, Thrasymachus,
Prodicus, Hippiās in magnō honōre fuit#, _Br._ 30, _at that time
Gorgias, Thrasymachus, Prodicus, and Hippias were in high renown_.
Things: #persuāsit nox, amor, vīnum, adulēscentia#, T. _Ad._ 470, _the
witchery was night, flirtation, wine, and youth_. (_b._) With #atque#,
#et#, or #-que#: persons: #cūr Lȳsiās et Hyperīdēs amātur?# _Br._ 68,
_why is a Lysias and a Hyperides idolized?_ Things: #Gallōs ā Belgīs
Matrona et Sēquana dīvidit#, 1, 2, 1, _the Matrona and Sequana cut off
the Gauls from the Belgians_. #senātus populusque Rōmānus voluit#, L.
21, 40, 3, _senate and people of Rome ordained_. (_c._) With #et . . .
et#: persons: #illam ratiōnem et Pompēius et Flaccus secūtus est#,
_Flacc._ 32, _that rule both Pompey and Flaccus followed_. Things:
#tālis senātōrum et dignitās et multitūdō fuit#, _Ph._ 13, 13, _both the
position and number of the senators was such_.
1067. With two or more singular subjects denoting things, and making a
compound idea, a singular verb is very common, agreeing either with the
subjects taken as a unit, or with the nearest: as,
(_a._) #cum tempus necessitāsque postulat, dēcertandum manū est#, _Off._
1, 81, _when the emergency requires, we must fight it out by hand_.
#tanta laetitia ac grātulātiō fuit#, L. 10, 26, 4, _so great was the
demonstration of joy_. (_b._) #Cingetorīgī prīncipātus atque imperium
est trāditum#, 6, 8, 9, _the headship and command was assigned to
Cingetorix_.
1068. (3.) With mixed subjects, singular and plural, the verb may
likewise be either plural or singular: as,
(_a._) #vīta mors, dīvitiae paupertās omnīs hominēs permovent#, _Off._
2, 37, _life and death, riches and poverty, tell much on everybody_.
(_b._) #quantō in perīculō et castra et legiōnēs et imperātor
versārētur#, 2, 26, 5, _in what imminent peril camp and legions and
commander were involved_. #hōc mihī̆ et Peripatēticī et Acadēmīa
concēdit#, _Ac._ 2, 113, _this point both Peripatetics and Academy grant
me_.
1069. The plural is sometimes used with a singular subject limited by an
ablative with #cum#, _with_: as, #Syrus cum illō vostrō cōnsusurrant#,
T. _Hau._ 473, _Syrus and yon man of yours are whispering together_.
#Bocchus cum peditibus postrēmam Rōmānōrum aciem invādunt#, S. _I._ 101,
5, _Bocchus with the infantry falls on the rereward line of the Romans_.
Cicero commonly uses a singular verb in this combination, Caesar has the
plural once only.
1070. (4.) When the subjects are connected by #nec . . . nec#, #aut#, or
#aut . . . aut#, the verb is likewise either plural or singular: as,
(_a._) #neque multitūdō hostium neque tēlōrum vīs arcēre impetum eius
virī potuērunt#, L. 26, 5, 17, _neither the numbers of the enemy nor the
shower of missiles could arrest the onslaught of that intrepid soul_.
#sī quid Sōcratēs aut Aristippus fēcerint#, _Off._ 1, 148, _if a
Socrates or an Aristippus had done anything_. (_b._) #neque pēs neque
mēns satis suom officium facit#, T. _Eu._ 729, _nor foot nor mind its
duty doth aright_. #sī Sōcratēs aut Antisthenēs dīceret#, _TD._ 5, 26,
_if a Socrates or an Antisthenes should say it_.
1071. Collectives have usually a singular verb. But the plural is
sometimes used, especially when the subject is separated from its verb,
or is to be supplied from a preceding clause: as,
#cum tanta multitūdō lapidēs conicerent#, 2, 6, 3, _when such a throng
were throwing stones_. #is cīvitātī persuāsit, ut dē fīnibus suīs
exīrent#, 1, 2, 1, _this person succeeded in inducing the community to
leave their territory_.
1072. The verb sometimes agrees with an appositive explaining the
subject, or with a substantive in the predicate: as,
(_a._) #flammae lātē fūsae, certiōris clādis indicium, prōgredī longius
prohibuit#, L. 10, 43, 11, _wide-spread flames, sign of a surer
disaster, prevented a further advance_. When #urbs#, #oppidum#,
#cīvitās#, or the like, is added to plural names of places, the
predicate usually agrees with the appellative: as, #Coriolī oppidum
captum#, L. 2, 33, 9, _Corioli town was taken_. (_b._) #amantium īrae
amōris integrātiōst#, T. _Andr._ 555, _lovers’ tiffs are love’s
renewal_. #summa omnium fuērunt ad mīlia CCCLXVIII#, 1, 29, 3, _the
grand total was about three hundred and sixty-eight thousand_. The verb
regularly agrees with the predicate substantive when the subject is an
infinitive: as, #contentum suīs rēbus esse maximae sunt dīvitiae#,
_Par._ 51, _for a man to be content with his own estate is the greatest
possible riches_.
1073. The verb sometimes agrees with a substantive introduced by such
words as #quam#, #quantum#, #nisi#, or #praeterquam#: as, #quis illum
cōnsulem nisi latrōnēs putant?# _Ph._ 4, 9, _who but brigands think that
man a consul?_ So also a predicate adjective or participle: as, #mihī̆
nōn tam cōpia quam modus quaerendus est#, _IP._ 3, _I must aim not so
much at comprehensiveness as at moderation_.
1074. A speaker in referring to himself sometimes uses the first person
plural, as a more modest form of expression: as, #Molōnī dedimus
operam#, _Br._ 307, _we attended Molo’s instruction_, i.e. I. Similarly
#nōs# in all its cases for #ego#, &c., and #noster#, &c., for #meus#,
&c.
1075. The singular imperative #age# is sometimes used in addressing more
than one, particularly in old Latin: as, #age licēminī#, Pl. _St._ 221,
_come, people, give a bid_. #age igitur intrō abīte#, Pl. _MG._ 928,
_come then go in_. Similarly, #cave dīrumpātis#, Pl. _Poen._ 117, _mind
you don’t break it off_. Similarly #ain#.
1076. If the subjects are of different persons, the first person is
preferred to the second or the third, and the second to the third: as,
#sī tū et Tullia, lūx nostra, valētis, ego et suāvissimus Cicerō
valēmus#, _Fam._ 14, 5, 1, _if you and Tullia, our sunbeam, are well,
darling Cicero and I are well_. But sometimes in contrasts the verb
agrees with the nearest person: as, #quid indicat aut ipse Cornēlius aut
vōs?# _Sull._ 54, _what information does Cornelius himself give, or you
people?_
[Errata:
1066a ... _senate and people of Rome ordained_.
line-end hyphen in or-/dained invisible
1071 ... But the plural is sometimes used,
used.
1072a ... plural names of places,
places.
1074 ... form of expression: as, #Molōnī dedimus operam#
as.]
(B.) OF THE NOUN.
(1.) THE SUBSTANTIVE.
1077. A substantive which explains another substantive referring to the
same thing is put in the same case.
This applies to the substantive used as attribute, appositive, or
predicate. The two substantives often differ in gender or number, or
both. (_a._) Attribute: #tīrōne exercitū#, _Fam._ 7, 3, 2, _with a raw
army_. #ā mīmā uxōre#, _Ph._ 2, 20, _from an actress-wife_. #mendīcōs
hominēs#, Pl. _St._ 135, _beggar-men_. #oculī hominis histriōnis#, _DO._
2, 193, _the eyes of an actor man_. #nēminī hominī#, Pl. _As._ 466, _to
no human being_. #servom hominem#, T. _Ph._ 292, _a servant man_.
#hominēs sīcāriōs#, _RA._ 8, _professional bravoes_. (_b._) Appositive:
#quid dīcam dē thēsaurō rērum omnium, memoriā?# _DO._ 1, 18, _what shall
I say of that universal storehouse, the memory?_ #duo fulmina nostrī
imperī, Cn. et P. Scīpiōnēs#, _Balb._ 34, _the two thunderbolts of our
realm, the Scipios, Gnaeus and Publius_. (_c._) Predicate: #īra furor
brevis est#, H. _E._ 1, 2, 62, _wrath is a madness brief_. #Dolābellā
hoste dēcrētō#, _Ph._ 11, 16, _Dolabella having been voted a public
enemy_. Some apparent exceptions will be noticed from time to time
hereafter.
1078. Mobile substantives take also the gender and number of the
masculines or feminines they explain: as,
#stilus optimus dīcendī magister#, _DO._ 1, 150, _pen is the best
professor of rhetoric_. #vīta rūstica parsimōniae magistra est#, _RA._
75, _country life is a teacher of thrift_. #fluviōrum rēx Ēridanus#, V.
_G._ 1, 482, _Eridanus, of rivers king_. #et genus et fōrmam rēgīna
pecūnia dōnat#, H. _E._ 1, 6, 37, _both birth and shape the almighty
dollar gives_. #ut omittam illās omnium doctrīnārum inventrīcēs
Athēnās#, _DO._ 1, 13, _to say nothing of the great originator of all
intellectual pursuits, Athens_.
1079. A substantive explaining two or more substantives, is put in the
plural: as,
#foedus inter Rōmam Lāvīniumque urbēs renovātum est#, L. 1, 14, 3, _the
treaty between the cities of Rome and Lavinium was renewed_. #Cn. et P.
Scīpiōnēs#, _Balb._ 34, _the Scipios, Gnaeus and Publius_.
1080. A plural subject, expressed or implied, is sometimes defined by a
singular word, which is generally a collective or distributive: as,
#ut ambō exercitūs suās quisque abīrent domōs#, L. 2, 7, 1, _so that
both armies went back to their respective homes_. #uterque eōrum ex
castrīs exercitum ēdūcunt#, Caes. _C._ 3, 30, 3, _they bring their army
out of camp, each of them_. #heus forās exīte hūc aliquis#, Pl. _E._
398, _hallo, you boys, come out of doors here, somebody_. #alius alium
percontāmur#, Pl. _St._ 370, _we ask of one another_. #cum accidisset ut
alter alterum vidērēmus#, _Fin._ 3, 8, _when it came to pass that we
each saw the other_. The verb sometimes agrees with the defining
singular: as, #quandō duo cōnsulēs, alter morbō, alter ferrō periisset#,
L. 41, 18, 16, _since the two consuls had died, one a natural death, the
other by the sword_.
1081. A substantive in the accusative or nominative is sometimes in
apposition to a thought or clause: as,
#manūs intentantēs, causam discordiae#, Ta. 1, 27, _shaking their fists,
a provocation to quarrel_. #pars ingentī subiēre feretrō, trīste
ministerium#, V. 6, 222, _a part put shoulder to the mighty bier,
a service sad_. #nec Homērum audiō, quī Ganymēdēn ab dīs raptum ait
propter fōrmam; nōn iūsta causa cūr Lāomedontī tanta fieret iniūria#,
_TD._ 1, 65, _nor will I lend an ear to Homer, who asserts that Ganymede
was carried off by the gods for his beauty; no just reason for doing
Laomedon such injustice_.
[Errata:
1077 ... (_a._) ... _DO._ 1, 18
_DO_ 1
... (_b._)
_Balb._ 34
_Balb_ 34]
(2.) THE ADJECTIVE.
1082. An adjective, adjective pronoun, or participle, agrees with its
substantive in number, gender, and case: as,
#vir bonus#, H. _Ep._ 1, 16, 40, _a good man_, #bona uxor#, Pl. _MG._
684, _a good wife_, #oleum bonum#, Cato, _RR._ 3, _good oil_. #Gallia
est omnis dīvīsa in partēs trēs#, 1, 1, 1, _Gaul, including everything
under the name, is divided into three parts_. #et variae volucrēs nemora
āvia pervolitantēs āera per tenerum liquidīs loca vōcibus opplent#,
Lucr. 2, 145, _and motley birds, in pathless woods that flit through
lither sky, fill space with carols clear_.
1083. An adjective or participle, either attributive or predicate,
sometimes takes the number and gender of the persons or things implied
in the substantive: as,
(_a._) #concursus populī mīrantium quid rē̆ī esset#, L. 1, 41, 1,
_a gathering of the public, wondering what was the matter_. (_b._) #pars
subeuntium obrutī, pars cōnfīxī#, Ta. _H._ 2, 22, _a part of those who
came up were crushed, a part were run through_. #Samnītium caesī tria
mīlia ducentī#, L. 10, 34, 3, _of the Samnites were slain three thousand
two hundred_.
1084. (1.) An attributive adjective referring to several substantives is
commonly expressed with one only, generally with the first or the last:
as,
#rēs erat multae operae et labōris#, 5, 11, 5, _it was a job that
required much work and trouble_. #semper amāvī ingenium, studia, mōrēs
tuōs#, _O._ 33, _I have always admired your ability, your scholarly
tastes, and your character_. In lively style, the adjective is often
used with every substantive.
1085. Two or more attributive adjectives in the singular connected by a
conjunction may belong to a plural substantive: as,
#circā portās Collīnam Ēsquilīnamque#, L. 26, 10, 2, _about the gates,
the Colline and the Esquiline_. But the substantive may also be in the
singular: as, #inter Ēsquilīnam Collīnamque portam#, L. 26, 10, 1,
_between the Esquiline and the Colline gate_.
1086. The combined idea of a substantive with an attributive adjective
may be qualified by one or more adjectives: as,
#nāvīs longās trīgintā veterēs#, L. 27, 22, 12, _thirty old men-of-war_.
#prīvāta nāvis onerāria māxima#, _V._ 5, 136, _a very large private
freighting vessel_. #āter aliēnus canis#, T. _Ph._ 706, _a strange black
dog_.
1087. (2.) A predicate adjective or participle referring to two or more
substantives is usually in the plural; its gender is determined as
follows:
1088. (_a._) If the substantives denote persons of the same gender, that
gender is used; if they denote persons of different gender, the
masculine is used: as,
#venēnō absūmptī Hannibal et Philopoemēn#, L. 39, 52, 8, _it was by
poison that Hannibal and Philopoemen were taken off_. #quam prīdem pater
mihī̆ et māter mortuī essent#, T. _Eu._ 517, _how long my father and my
mother had been dead_.
1089. (_b._) If the substantives denote things, and are of different
genders, the neuter plural is used; also commonly when they are
feminines denoting things: as,
#mūrus et porta dē caelō tācta erant#, L. 32, 29, 1, _the wall and
town-gate had been struck by lightning_. #īra et avāritia imperiō
potentiōra erant#, L. 37, 32, 13, _hot blood and greed proved stronger
than authority_.
1090. (_c._) If the substantives denote both persons and things, either
the gender of the substantives denoting persons is used, or the neuter.
The gender of the substantives denoting things is very rarely used: as,
#et rēx rēgiaque classis ūnā profectī#, L. 21, 50, 11, _the king too and
the king’s fleet set sail in his company_. #inimīca inter sē līberam
cīvitātem et rēgem#, L. 44, 24, 2, _that a free state and a monarch were
irreconcilable things_. #Dolopas et Athamāniam ēreptās sibī̆ querēns#,
L. 38, 10, 3, _complaining that the Dolopians and Athamania were wrested
from him_.
1091. When the verb is attached to the nearest only of two or more
subjects, a predicate participle or adjective naturally takes the gender
of that substantive: as, #ibī̆ Orgetorīgis fīlia atque ūnus ē fīliīs
captus est#, 1, 26, 5, _there the daughter of Orgetorix and one of the
sons too was made prisoner_. #ut brāchia atque umerī līberī esse
possent#, 7, 56, 4, _so that their arms and shoulders might be
unhampered_.
1092. The ablative singular #absente# is used once each by Terence and
Afranius with a plural substantive: #absente nōbīs#, T. _Eu._ 649,
_while we were out_.
1093. A neuter adjective or pronoun is sometimes used as a substantive
in the predicate (1101): as,
#trīste lupus stabulīs#, V. _E._ 3, 80, _a baleful thing the wolf for
folds_. #quod ego fuī ad Trāsumennum, id tū hodiē#, L. 30, 30, 12, _what
I was myself at Trasumene, that you are today_.
1094. A demonstrative, determinative, or relative pronoun used
substantively takes the number and gender of the substantive it
represents; the case depends on the construction of the clause in which
it stands: as,
#erant peditēs, quōs dēlēgerant; cum hīs in proeliīs versābantur; ad eōs
sē recipiēbant; hī concurrēbant#, 1, 48, 5, _there were foot-soldiers
whom they had picked out; with these men they kept company in action;
upon them they would fall back; these people would always rally_.
#Hippiās glōriātus est ānulum quem habēret, pallium quō amictus, soccōs
quibus indūtus esset, sē suā manū cōnfēcisse#, _DO._ 3, 127, _Hippias
bragged he had made with his own hand the ring which he wore, the cloak
in which he was wrapped; and the slippers which he had on_.
1095. Sometimes, however, the number and gender of these pronouns are
determined by the sense, and not by the form of the substantive
represented: as,
#equitātum omnem praemittit, quī videant#, 1, 15, 1, _he sends all the
horse ahead, for them to see_. #hīc sunt quīnque minae. hoc tībī̆ erus
mē iussit ferre#, Pl. _Ps._ 1149, _here are five minae; this my master
bade me bring for thee_. #Domitius Massiliam pervenit atque ab iīs
receptus urbī praeficitur#, Caes. _C._ 1, 36, 1, _Domitius arrived at
Massilia, and was received by the people and put in charge of the town_.
#ad hirundinīnum nīdum vīsast sīmia adscēnsiōnem ut faceret admōlīrier;
neque eās ēripere quībat inde#, Pl. _R._ 598, _up to a swallow-nest
methought an ape did strive to climb; nor could she snatch the nestlings
thence_; the #eās# refers to #hirundinēs#, implied in #hirundinīnum#.
1096. A pronoun representing two or more substantives sometimes takes
the number and gender of the nearest. But usually it is plural, and its
gender is determined like that of an adjective (1087).
1097. A demonstrative, determinative, or relative pronoun used
substantively is generally attracted to the number and gender of a
predicate substantive in its own clause: as,
#haec est nōbilis ad Trāsumennum pūgna#, L. 22, 7, 1, _such is the
far-famed fight at Trasumene_, 217 B.C. #ista quidem vīs est#, Suet.
_Iul._ 82, _now that I call an outrage_, Caesar’s dying words, 44 B.C.
But with a negative, sometimes the neuter: as, #nec sopor illud erat#,
V. 3, 173, _nor was that sleep_.
1098. A demonstrative, determinative, or relative pronoun in agreement
with a substantive is often equivalent to a genitive limiting the
substantive: as,
#hōc metū vagārī prohibēbat#, 5, 19, 2, _by fear of this he stopped the
prowling round_. #is pavor perculit Rōmānōs#, L. 21, 46, 7, _the panic
occasioned by this demoralized the Romans_. #quā spē adductī#, 4, 6, 4,
_impelled by the hope of this_.
[Erratum:
1097 ... #haec est nōbilis ad Trāsumennum pūgna#
text unchanged: word generally spelled “pugna” (see endnote on
first edition)]