Latin language competence: grammar, morphology, syntax, vocabulary
What the exam tests
This domain checks whether you can parse Latin forms and explain their function in a sentence, not just supply a dictionary meaning. Morphology covers the five declensions, pronouns, adjectives, and the full verb system; syntax covers case uses, clause types, and reported speech; vocabulary is tested in context.
Core rules
- Find the genitive singular first: it identifies the declension and stem (porta, -ae; civis, -is; corpus, -oris).
- Learn cases by function: nominative subject/complement; genitive possession, partitive, objective; dative indirect object, possessor, agent with gerundive; accusative object, extent, motion towards; ablative separation, instrument, manner, comparison, absolute; vocative address.
- Four conjugations plus esse, posse, ferre, ire, velle, nolle, malle, fieri. Use principal parts to distinguish present stem from perfect and supine stems.
- Subjunctive appears in purpose (ut/ne), result (ut/ut non), indirect question, cum clauses, conditions, and reported commands. Learn the sequence of tenses.
Worked example
His rebus cognitis, milites pontem rescindere iussi sunt.
- his rebus: ablative plural, cognitis: perfect passive participle, so ablative absolute: when these things had been learned.
- milites is nominative plural subject; pontem accusative object; rescindere present infinitive depends on iussi sunt (perfect passive of iubeo).
- iubeo takes accusative + infinitive, not ut: 'the soldiers were ordered to cut down the bridge'.
Traps
- Reading deponents as passive: hortatus est means 'he urged', not 'he was urged'.
- Confusing gerund (verbal noun) with gerundive (obligation/passive).
- Translating cum as 'with' when it is a conjunction.
- Ignoring se/suus: they refer to the subject, not automatically the speaker.