The Everything Essential Latin Book: All You Need to Learn Latin in No Time

by Richard E Prior

Overview

The basics of Latin made fun—and fast!

Learning the basics of Latin can vastly improve your vocabulary and even provide keys to understanding legal, medical, and scientific terminology. The Everything Essential Latin Book is your perfect introduction to this fascinating language. With easy-to-follow instructions and simple explanations, this portable guide covers the most important basics of Latin, including:

• The Roman alphabet and translation
• The all-important syntax of Latin
• Getting someone's attention and giving commands
• Common questions and answers
• Describing people and places
• Verb tenses
• Grammatical voice

With The Everything Essential Latin Book, you'll be speaking like an ancient Roman in no time!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440574214
Publisher:	Adams Media
Publication date:	01/08/2014
Series:	Everything® Series
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

An Adams Media author.

Table of Contents

Introduction 13

1 The Key to Understanding Latin 15

The Significance of Syntax 15

How Latin Syntax Works 16

Learning Endings 17

Learning Vocabulary 19

Parts of Speech 20

2 Helps and Hindrances 21

Derivatives 21

The Roman Alphabet 22

Vowels 24

Consonants 24

Accent 25

3 The Importance of Verbs 27

Studying Latin Verbs 27

The Anatomy of a Latin Verb 28

What Is Verbal Aspect? 30

The Continuous Aspect (AKA the Present System) 31

The Completed Aspect (AKA the Perfect System) 32

The Aorist Aspect 32

Parts and Labor 33

4 The Imperfect and Perfect Tenses 37

Dissecting a Latin Verb 37

The Imperfect Tense 41

The Perfect Tense 43

The Irregular Verb Sum 46

5 Knowing Nouns 49

The Anatomy of a Latin Noun 49

Latin's Case System 51

The Declensions 52

Principal Parts for Nouns 56

Subjects and Objects 59

The Nominative Case 60

The Accusative Case 62

6 Using Adjectives 65

Adjective/Noun Agreement 65

The "Parts" of an Adjective 68

First/Second Declension Adjectives 68

Third Declension Adjectives 70

Substantives 75

7 Making Comparisons 77

Forming Comparisons with Adjectives 77

The Superlative Degree 79

Irregular Comparison 81

Forming Adverbs 82

Comparison of Adverbs 84

8 Prepositions and the Ablative Case 89

Prepositional Phrases 89

The Ablative Case 92

The Instrumental Ablative 95

Talking about Time 99

Talking about Places 100

Special Places 101

9 Genitive Case and Dative Case 105

What Is the Genitive? 105

Genitive Case Forms 106

Third Declension i-Stem Nouns 106

The Uses of the Genitive Case 108

The Dative Case 111

The Uses of the Dative Case 112

The Word "And" 114

10 Grammatical Mood 117

What Is Grammatical Mood? 117

The Imperfect Subjunctive 119

The Pluperfect Subjunctive 119

Showing Purpose 121

Showing a Result 122

Cum Clauses 123

11 Time and Tense 129

The Present Indicative 129

Using the Present Indicative 131

Forming the Future Indicative 132

Using the Future Indicative 133

The Pluperfect and Future Perfect Indicative 134

Using These Two Tenses 136

12 Vocabulary Building 141

The Essential Verb "to Be" 141

The Small but Useful Verb "Go" 144

The Verb "to Bring" 145

Willing or Not 146

Infinitives 147

Vocabulary Building 148

13 Pronouns 153

Personal Pronouns 153

Demonstrative Adjectives 154

Demonstratives as Pronouns 158

Reflexive Pronouns 160

Intensive Adjectives and Pronouns 161

Relative Pronouns 163

Special Declension Adjectives 167

Numbers 168

14 Grammatical Voice 171

What Is Grammatical Voice? 171

Understanding Passive Voice 172

Ablative of Agent 180

The Middle Voice 181

15 Participles 187

Introducing Participles 187

Using Participial Phrases 192

Gerunds 196

Gerundives 197

The Supine Form 199

16 Asking Questions 203

True or False? 203

What Are They Asking? 204

Indefinite Adjectives and Pronouns 208

The Present and Perfect Subjunctive 208

Conditions 211

17 Infinitives 215

The Form of Infinitives 215

The Subjective Infinitive 217

The Objective Infinitive 219

Indirect Discourse 220

18 Getting Attention and Giving Commands 227

Interjections 227

The Vocative Case 228

Giving Commands 228

The Hortatory and Jussive Subjunctives 233

Clauses after Verbs of Fearing 234

Wishing in the Subjunctive 235

The Potential Subjunctive 235

The Deliberative Subjunctive 236

Appendix A Latin-English Vocabulary 239

Appendix B Answer Key to Exercises 263

Index 281