Now I Understand - A Grammatical Commentary /  by Anthony Gibbins

Today’s page has three sentences. The first contains two parts, the main clause Miranda sibi dicit Miranda says to herself and the Direct Statement nunc intellego now I understand.

‘Now I understand,’ Miranda says to herself.

The second and third sentences are also Direct Statements that Miranda says to herself. The bare bones of the second are femina me effugit the woman escaped me. Miranda describes femina with the Demonstrative Adjective illa that. femina is also described by the Present Active Participle ascendens climbing. Here the Present Active Participle, however, has a meaning more akin to by climbing. ascendens has an Object canalem pipe, which Miranda describes with the Demonstrative Adjective hunc this.

‘That woman escaped me by climbing this pipe.

The bare bones of the third sentence are me oportet cloacam scrutari it behoves me to examine the drain. oportet it behoves is often followed by an Infinitive Verb, as with scutari to examine, here. scrutor scrutari is a Deponent Verb, meaning that even though it looks Passive it is Active. The Prepositional Phrase sub canale under the pipe tells us where the drain is located. The Adverb ergo therefore joins the sentence with what has come before.

It behoves me therefore to examine the drain under the pipe.’

The Investigation - A Grammatical Commentary /  by Anthony Gibbins

Today’s page has two sentences. The bare bones of the first are Miranda vestigia sequitur Miranda follows the footprints. sequitur she follows is a Deponent Verb, meaning that while it looks Passive it is in fact Active. The Adverb diligenter carefully describes the manner in which she is following them. A second Adverb, postridie the next day, links this sentence to what has come before. The Genitive Case Jessicae of Jessica tells us whose footprints Miranda is following. The vestigia are described by the Perfect Passive Participle inventa having been found. The Adverb modo just now - positioned immediately before inventa - tells us when the footprints were found.

The next day, Miranda is carefully following the footprints of Jessica [which had] just been found.

The bare bones of the second sentence are vestigia custodem publicam ducunt the footprints lead the public guard (police officer). vestigia is described by the Demonstrative Adjective haec these. A Prepositional Phrase ad canalem to the pipe tells us to where the footprints are leading her. canalem is described - perhaps unnecessarily - by the Adjective aquosam having to do with water.

These footprints are leading the police officer to the water pipe.

Nevertheless, She Persists - A Grammatical Commentary /  by Anthony Gibbins

Today’s page contains two sentences. The bare bones of the first sentence - Miranda is thinking this to herself - are me oportebit revenire it will behove me to return. Notice the Future Tense oportebit it will behove. Two Adverbs tell us when it will behove, and they are cras tomorrow and mane in the morning. Telling us where it will behove Miranda to return, we have the Prepositional Phrase ad illum locum to that place. And ad illum locum is expanded upon with unde femina fugit from which the woman fled.

‘Tomorrow morning it will behove me to return to that place from which the woman fled.

The second sentence has two parts; the second being the Main Clause secum fessa putat she, tired, is thinking with herself. The Verb putat means she is thinking. secum is actually a Prepositional Phrase meaning with herself. If se was any other word it would be written, for example, cum amicis with friends. But when cum appears with certain Pronouns, the Pronoun begins the phrase and the two words meld together. The subject of putat does not need to be stated, as the -at ending confirms that it is Third Person Singular. Therefore, we can assume it is Miranda from the sentences that came before. This assumed Subject is described by the Adjective fessa tired.

Tired, she is thinking to herself…

The first part of the second sentence outlines what Miranda is thinking, in a direct quotation. It contains some interesting grammar. Let’s begin with fortasse perhaps potero I will be able cognoscere to find out. This is followed by an Indirect Question quomodo me effugerit how she escaped me. effugerit is Perfect Subjunctive. The Verb in an Indirect Question is always Subjunctive. The Tense, however, will change.  loco inspiciendo means by inspecting the area. inspiciendo is a Gerundive, but it is not a Gerundive of Obligation. A Gerund or Gerundive in the Ablative Case tells us how something is achieved. This is not, by any means, a full explanation, but this is not the place to go into this further.

‘Perhaps by inspecting the area I will be able to find out how she escaped me.’

Miranda’s Sleepless Night - A Grammatical Commentary /  by Anthony Gibbins

Today’s page has three sentences. The bare bones of the first are Miranda dormire non potest Miranda is not able to sleep. It is quite common - as here - for any form of possum posse to be able to be used with an Infinitive Verb such as dormire to sleep. Miranda is described by the Possessive Adjective nostra our, an affectionate term. Miranda is also described by the Present Active Participle cubitans lying. The Prepositional Phrase in lecto in bed tells us where Miranda is lying. custos publica public guard is in Apposition to Miranda. Words in Apposition are in the same Case and tend to tell us something more about a particular Noun. custos publica reminds us that Miranda is a police officer. The Adverb interea meanwhile links (or perhaps separates) this sentence with what has come before.

Meanwhile our Miranda, a police officer, lying in bed, is unable to sleep.

The bare bones of the second sentence are fugam volvit she is turning over the escape. As we have seen, volvo volvere to turn over often means to think about. in animo in [her] mind makes that meaning clear here. Which fugam escape she is thinking about is made clear with the Genitive Case feminae of the woman. This is, of course, a reference to Jessica’s escape, although Miranda does not know her identity. The Adverb adhuc means still.

Miranda is still turning over the woman’s escape in her mind.

The third sentence has two parts; the main clause Miranda se rogat Miranda asks herself and the Direct Question quomodo me illa effugere potuit how was she able to escape me? quomodo? literally means by what mode? and is the closest equivalent of the English how? illa she in the Nominative Case is the Subject of potuit she was able. me me in the Accusative Case is the Object of effugere to escape.

‘How was she able to escape me?’ Miranda asks herself.

Leave a Note - A Grammatical Commentary /  by Anthony Gibbins

Today’s page has two sentences. The bare bones of the first sentence are Jessica epistolam ponit Jessica places a letter. The Adverb itaque and so joins this sentence with what has come before. epistolam a letter is described by the Perfect Active Participle scriptam which means having been written. scriptam is a form of the Verb scribo scribere to write. scriptam is expanded upon with the Adverb celeriter quickly. Further detail is added to ponit places by the Prepositional Phrase in limine on the threshold, telling us where Jessica is placing the letter. limine is further defined by the Genitive Marcelli of Marcellus.

Jessica therefore places a quickly written letter on the threshold of Marcellus.

The bare bones of the second sentence are utinam Marcellus epistolam inveniat which is not able to be translated word for word into English. The Adverb utinam is not usually translated at all, as it simply signposts that what follows is expressing a wish. The Verb following utinam will be in the Subjunctive Mood, as inveniat might he find is here. Basically, the narrator is expressing a wish that Marcellus find the letter. The second half of this sentence antequam Marcellus ipse inveniatur means before Marcellus himself is found, inveniatur being a Passive Verb. antequam before is a Conjunction. ipse, which describes Marcellus, means himself.

Hopefully Marcellus finds the letter before Marcellus himself is found.

Jessica Sees All - A Grammatical Commentary /  by Anthony Gibbins

Today’s page has only two sentences. The bare bones of the first sentence are Jessica certa fit Marcellum in periculo esse Jessica becomes certain Marcellus to be in danger or, in more natural English, Jessica becomes certain that Marcellus is in danger. Marcellum in periculo esse is an Indirect Statement. We saw yesterday that in an Indirect Statement the Subject of the Verb is in the Accusative Case - Marcellum - and the Verb itself is in its Infinitive form - esse to be. esse is expanded upon by the Adverb nunc now. periculo danger is described by the Adjective magno great. The entire sentence has the Adverb interea meanwhile joining it with what has gone before. Jessica is described by the Present Active Participle despectans looking down upon. despectans has two Objects which are linked together by the Conjunction et and; these are Monadem Monas and omnia – an Adjective playing the role of a Noun – everything. despectans is also expanded upon by the Prepositional Phrase e tecto out of or from the roof.

Jessica meanwhile, looking down upon Monas and everything from the roof, becomes certain that Marcellus is now in great danger.

The second sentence is scit eum monedum esse. scit she knows sets us up for another Indirect Statement. The Accusative Subject of the Indirect Statement is eum him. The Infinitive Verb is esse to be. eum is described by the Gerundive monendum, a most interesting word. There is no English equivalent of the Latin Gerundive. The Gerundive monendum is a form of the Verb moneo monere to warn. When a Noun and Gerundive are linked with a form of esse - as they are here - the Gerundive is called a Gerundive of Obligation and means something like needing to be warned. Thus a literal meaning would be something like She knows him to be needing to be warned. We will need to smooth that out, however, for our translation.

She knows that he must be warned.

Eureka - A Grammatical Commentary /  by Anthony Gibbins

Today’s page has only two sentences. The bare bones of the first sentence are Monas certus fit Monas becomes certain. Monas is described by a Present Active Participle volvens turning over. This Verb volvo volvere is often used to conjure up the idea of turning something over in the mind, especially when accompanied by the Prepositional Phrase in mente in [his] mind, as it is here. Monas is turning two things over in his mind, joined by the Conjugation et and; vestimenta et audoraedam the clothing and the car. vestimenta is described by the Adjective nova new, and autoraedam by magnificam magnificent. Now, back to the bare bones – Monas becomes certain of what? This requires an Indirect Statement, which in Latin has a Subject in the Accusative Case – Subjects are usually in the Nominative – and an Infinitive Verb. The Accusative Subject is Marcellum Marcellus. The Infinitive Verb is habere to have. Another Noun in the Accusative Case – the Object of habere – tells us what Monas becomes certain Marcellus to have – sarcinam the suitcase.

Monas, turning over the new clothes and magnificent car in his mind, becomes certain that Marcellus has the suitcase.

The bare bones of the second sentence are me oportet Ravenam certiorem facere it behoves me to make Ravena more certain. me oportet means it behoves me, which is no longer a common expression in English. It behoves me basically means I should, it behoves you means you should an so on. By the way, behoves is written with one o in the UK and Australia, and with two - behooves - in the United States of America. I think it’s ready for a comeback! oportet is often followed by an Infinitive Verb, here facere to make. facere has an Object Ravenam Ravena, which itself is described by a Comparative Adjective certiorem more certain. The Latin idiom to make someone more certain means to inform someone of something. Here that something is expressed with a Prepositional Phrase de hoc about this. facere is expanded upon with the Adverb statim immediately.

‘It behoves me to inform Ravena of this immediately.’

Diocles – A Grammatical Commentary /  by Anthony Gibbins

Today’s page has three sentences. The bare bones of the first sentence are agitator Marcellus salutat the driver greets Marcellus. agitator is expanded upon with the Genitive Case Noun autoraedae of the car. multa veneratione with much respect is known as an Ablative of Manner because it is in the Ablative Case and describes the manner in which the driver greets Marcellus. The driver says salve be well, an Imperative Verb – a Verb used to give an order – that is a common Latin greeting. Because he is addressing Marcellus he uses the Vocative Case, domine sir.

‘Be well, sir,’ the driver of the car greets Marcellus with much respect.

The bare bones of the second sentence are Marcellus respondet Marcellus responds. Marcellus says salve be well (see above) Diocles, which is Diocles’ name in the Vocative Case. Diocles, by the way, is the name of Achilles’ chariot driver in the Iliad.

‘Be well, Diocles,’ Marcellus responds.

The bare bones of the third sentence are museum visitare velim I should like to visit the museum. velim is in the Subjunctive Mood, and known as a Potential Subjunctive. It is a little softer - and perhaps a little politer - to say velim I should like than the Indicative Mood volo I want. hoc vespere is an Ablative of Time When that means this evening.

I should like to visit the museum this evening.