MATSEC AM Latin flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Ablative absolute

A noun/pronoun plus participle or adjective, both in the ablative and detached from the main clause; translated 'with/after/when/since' plus a finite verb, e.g. his rebus gestis, 'after these things had been done'.

Result clause marker

Correlatives tam, tantus, ita, adeo, sic, or tot in the main clause followed by ut/ut non and a subjunctive verb. Distinguish from purpose clauses, which lack these markers and use ne for the negative.

Fear clause construction

Timeo, vereor, metuo plus ne introduces the feared outcome ('that it happens'); ne non or ut introduces what is feared not to happen ('that it does not'). Verbs of preventing take ne or quominus.

Accusative and infinitive

Construction of indirect statement after verbs of saying, thinking, or perceiving: subject in accusative, verb as infinitive. Infinitive tense is relative to the main verb - present same time, perfect earlier, future later.

Cum-clause decision rule

Cum with indicative is temporal ('when'). Cum with subjunctive is causal ('since'), concessive ('although', often with tamen), or circumstantial ('when'). Context and any tamen decide which rendering fits.

Gerundive of obligation

Future passive participle agreeing with its noun, with esse forming the passive periphrastic: Carthago delenda est, 'Carthage must be destroyed'. The person obliged appears in the dative of agent.

Purpose clause forms

Ut/ne plus subjunctive, present after primary sequence and imperfect after historic sequence. Quo replaces ut when a comparative occurs; a relative pronoun plus subjunctive can also express purpose.

Conditional sentence types

Si with present indicative is open/real; si with imperfect subjunctive is present contrary-to-fact; si with pluperfect subjunctive is past contrary-to-fact. Nisi means 'unless'; si non negates the whole clause.

Supine uses

Fourth-declension verbal noun. The accusative in -um follows verbs of motion to express purpose (venit rogatum). The ablative in -u follows adjectives to express respect (mirabile dictu).

Indirect question

A question reported within a sentence, introduced by an interrogative word (quis, quid, cur, ubi, num) and taking a subjunctive verb. Tense follows sequence of tenses, not the original question.

Dative with compound verbs

Many verbs compounded with ad, ante, con, in, inter, ob, prae, pro, sub, super take a dative rather than an accusative object, e.g. praeesse exercitui, 'to be in charge of the army'.

Sequence of tenses

Primary sequence (main verb present, future, future perfect, perfect with 'has') takes present or perfect subjunctive; historic sequence (imperfect, perfect, pluperfect) takes imperfect or pluperfect subjunctive.

Deponent verbs

Verbs passive in form but active in meaning, e.g. loquor, sequor, proficiscor, conor. They can take direct objects and form present and future participles with active sense.

Indirect command

A command or request reported after verbs such as impero, rogo, moneo, oro, hortor: ut/ne plus subjunctive, following sequence of tenses. Not translated with 'that' plus imperative.

Dactylic hexameter

Six-foot epic metre of dactyls (long–short–short) and spondees (long–long). The fifth foot is nearly always dactylic and the sixth a spondee or trochee; caesura usually falls in the third foot.

Elegiac couplet

A dactylic hexameter followed by a pentameter. The pentameter consists of two half-lines, each two feet plus a long syllable, with a fixed caesura in the middle. Used by Catullus, Tibullus, Propertius, Ovid.

Elision in verse

A final vowel or vowel plus -m is dropped before a following vowel or h, e.g. monstrum horrendum scans as monstr' horrendum. Marking elision helps fix the metre and reveals intended sound effects.

Hyperbaton

Separation of words that naturally belong together, especially adjective from noun, common in Latin verse word order. In commentary, explain its effect: emphasis, suspense, or imitation of a disrupted emotional state.

Chiasmus

Arrangement of four elements in ABBA order, reversing the second pair, e.g. noun–adjective–adjective–noun. In commentary, name it and explain the balancing or contrasting effect on sense.

Tricolon crescens

Three parallel clauses or phrases increasing in length or force, a hallmark of Ciceronian rhetoric. In commentary, identify the three members and explain how the climax reinforces the argument.

Hendiadys

Expressing one idea through two coordinated words, usually noun plus noun, e.g. vim et arma for violent force. Translate by turning one noun into an adjective or genitive.

Litotes

Affirmation by denying the opposite, e.g. haud ignarus, 'not unaware'. In commentary, note that it can signal understatement, irony, or a character's calculated restraint.

Aeneid opening theme

Arma virumque cano announces war and the man; the proem sets themes of Juno's anger, fated founding of Rome, and the cost of empire, all revisited across the twelve books.

In medias res

Beginning a narrative in the middle of events rather than at the chronological start, as the Aeneid does with the storm in Book 1; earlier events are supplied later through flashback and narration.

Epic simile

An extended comparison, often drawn from nature, farming, or warfare, that pauses the narrative. In commentary, explain what the simile adds: scale, emotion, or foreshadowing of later action.

Ekphrasis in epic

A detailed description of a work of art within a narrative, such as the shield of Aeneas in Aeneid 8. It often encodes the poem's themes and future history in visual form.

Ciceronian period

A long complex sentence with the main verb held near the end and subordinate clauses nested before it. Strategy: locate the main verb first, then attach each ut, cum, quod, or si clause.

Clausula

The rhythmical pattern at the end of a Ciceronian sentence, such as the double trochee or cretic plus trochee. Commentators cite it as a mark of careful periodic prose style.

Sallustian brevitas

Sallust's terse, abrupt historical style: short clauses, asyndeton, archaisms such as antea and fuere, and moralising judgements on Roman decline. Note it when commenting on his prose.

Tacitean inconcinnitas

Tacitus' deliberate avoidance of smooth balance: shifting constructions, compressed clauses, and pointed epigrams. In commentary, link it to his ironic or pessimistic view of imperial power.

Invented speeches in historians

Livy, Sallust, and Tacitus compose speeches for historical figures. They characterise the speaker, dramatise debate, and reveal the author's analysis rather than recording words verbatim.

Commentary answer structure

Identify the feature, quote the Latin, explain its effect on meaning or characterisation, then link it to the theme or context of the prescribed book. Four moves, each earning credit.