Ch 2 · Lesson 20Latin · Chapter 2 · Lesson 20 · Grammar primer
Where adjectives sit, and adjectives with no noun
An adjective usually follows its noun and can stray far from it, held on by agreement. On its own it becomes a noun: , good men; , all things.
The short version
An adjective with no noun becomes one
,
Why?Hide
Latin does not need a word for men or things to hang an adjective on. means good men, means goods or good things, means all things, means many people. The gender does the work: masculine plural for people, neuter plural for things. English has to supply the missing noun, which is why takes more words to translate than it does to say.
Where adjectives sit
An adjective normally follows its noun; in front, it is emphasised. Quantity and size words normally lead:
.- I see a great city.
In the last one, agreement holds and together across the verb. Poets stretch that gap to half a line. More in Latin word order.
Adjectives with no noun
Latin happily drops the noun and lets the adjective stand in for it: , good men; , all things. That has its own page.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| | |
| | |
| | the adjective takes the noun's case |
| | adjectives in this family take -i |
| | |
Going further: The two families on one screen and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
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Lesson 20 of 39 in this chapter