NCEA Level 2 Latin key terms

A Latin participial phrase made up of a noun and a participle in the ablative case, standing apart from the main clause and expressing time, cause, or circumstance, as in urbe capta ('the city having been captured').

The case marking the direct object of a verb and the object of most prepositions. It also appears as the subject of an infinitive in indirect statement and in expressions of extent or duration.

The verb form in which the subject performs the action, as in amat ('he loves'). Contrasted with passive voice, where the subject receives the action.

The rule that a Latin adjective matches its noun in gender, number and case, but not necessarily in declension, as with puella bona and bellum magnum.

Virgil's twelve-book epic poem, composed in dactylic hexameter, tracing Aeneas's journey from Troy to Italy and grounding Rome's founding in myth. A set text commonly studied at this level.

The way Latin nouns, pronouns and adjectives change ending to show grammatical function: nominative for subject, genitive for possession, dative for indirect object, accusative for object, ablative for circumstance and vocative for address.

A word in one language that shares an origin with a word in another, such as Latin mater and English 'mother'. Cognates help learners predict English meanings from Latin roots.

The degrees of an adjective or adverb expressing 'more' and 'most'. Latin forms them with endings such as -ior and -issimus, as in fortior ('braver') and fortissimus ('bravest').

The six-foot metre of Greek and Latin epic, built from dactyls (long-short-short) and spondees (long-long), with a fixed pattern in the final foot. It shapes the rhythm of the Aeneid.

The case of the indirect object, marking the person to or for whom something is done, as in puellae librum dedit ('he gave a book to the girl'). It also appears with certain verbs and adjectives.

A verb with passive endings but active meaning, such as loquor ('I speak') or sequor ('I follow'). Only the form is passive; the sense is active, which trips up many readers.

An English word descended or borrowed from a Latin word, such as 'agriculture' from ager, agri ('field'). Recognising derivatives is a core skill in the influence-of-Latin domain.

The recurring features of classical epic: invocation of the Muse, in medias res opening, heroic catalogs, divine intervention, extended similes and formal speeches. These help readers place a passage within its genre.

The study of a word's origin and historical development. Latin etymology explains many English spellings, such as the silent letters preserved in words borrowed from Latin.

The case expressing possession or close relationship, usually translated with 'of', as in liber puellae ('the girl's book'). It also marks the whole in expressions of quantity and value.

A verbal adjective ending in -ndus, -nda, -ndum expressing obligation or necessity, as in Carthago delenda est ('Carthage must be destroyed'). It agrees with its noun in gender, number and case.

The writing of history as a literary craft. Roman authors such as Livy and Tacitus shaped narrative, speeches and moral judgement, and their techniques still influence modern historical writing.

Reported speech using an accusative subject with an infinitive, as in dicit puellam venire ('he says that the girl is coming'). Tense of the infinitive shows time relative to the main verb.

The non-finite verb form naming an action without a subject, such as amare ('to love'). Latin infinitives carry tense (present, perfect, future) and voice, and are central to indirect statement.

The body of writing in Latin from the Roman world, spanning comedy, lyric, epic, history, satire and oratory. Its genres, themes and forms provide the set texts studied for this exam.

The core element of a Latin word from which related forms and English derivatives grow, such as port- in portare ('carry'), giving 'transport' and 'portable'. Roots are the building blocks of vocabulary study.

The patterned arrangement of long and short syllables that gives Latin verse its rhythm. Identifying metre helps a reader hear emphasis and appreciate how sound supports meaning.

The case of the grammatical subject and of the complement after verbs like sum ('I am'). It is the form usually listed first in a dictionary entry for a noun.

A group of nouns sharing the same set of case endings, conventionally numbered first to fifth. Knowing a noun's declension and gender lets a reader predict every case form.

A verbal adjective that shares features of both verb and adjective, such as the perfect passive participle amatus ('having been loved'). Participles agree with a noun and can carry tense and voice.

The verb form in which the subject receives the action, as in amatur ('he is loved'). Latin builds it with special endings and, in some tenses, with a form of esse.

A construction combining a gerundive with a form of esse to express obligation or necessity, as in liber legendus est ('the book must be read'). The person obliged appears in the dative.

Meaningful elements attached to a root to change or extend its sense, such as re- ('again') and -tion ('act of'). Recognising them unlocks the meaning of many English words from Latin.

A word such as in, ad or cum that governs a noun's case, usually accusative or ablative. The case chosen often signals whether motion or position is meant.

The four forms of a Latin verb listed in dictionaries (present, infinitive, perfect, supine), from which all tenses and verbal nouns can be built, for example amo, amare, amavi, amatum.

The art of persuasive speech and writing, central to Roman education and public life. Devices such as tricolon, antithesis and rhetorical question appear in speeches, history and epic alike.

The process of marking long and short syllables to identify a poem's metre. It trains readers to read Latin verse aloud with correct quantities and to notice effects of rhythm.

The rule linking the tense of a subjunctive verb in a subordinate clause to the tense of the main verb: primary sequence for present or future main verbs, historic sequence for past ones.

The verb mood expressing possibility, wish, purpose, result or reported command, as in ut veniat ('so that he may come'). Its forms and uses are a major grammar focus at this level.

A group of verbs sharing the same set of endings, conventionally numbered first to fourth. A verb's conjugation determines its infinitive ending and its future and perfect forms.

The Roman poet Publius Vergilius Maro (70–19 BCE), author of the Aeneid, the Georgics and the Eclogues. His work became a model of Latin style and epic technique.