Ch 9 · Lesson 20Latin · Chapter 9 · Lesson 20 · Grammar primer
Result clauses: tam ... ut
: so great was the shout that nobody heard a voice. A signpost warns you, and the negative is , not .
The short version
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Why?Hide
Purpose is plus the subjunctive with as its negative: , he/she comes to see the king. Result is also plus the subjunctive, but its negative is and it is usually announced in advance by a signpost word in the main clause: , , sic, , , , . Spot the signpost and you know a result clause is coming before you even reach the .
A result can take the perfect subjunctive
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Why?Hide
After a past main verb, a result clause sometimes uses the perfect subjunctive instead of the imperfect, to stress that the result really happened: , so great was the fear that they all fled. A purpose clause never does this, so a perfect subjunctive after a signpost and points to a result.
Result: ut and its signposts
A result clause reports what actually followed. It is plus the subjunctive with the negative ( , , ), and a signpost in the main clause usually announces it.
| Signpost | Goes with | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| adjective, adverb | so |
| verb | in such a way, so |
| verb | so, thus |
| anything | to such a degree |
| noun | so great |
| noun | such, of such a kind |
| plural noun | so many |
| Signpost | Latin | English |
|---|---|---|
. | There were so many enemies that nobody could flee. | |
. | He/she wrote in such a way that everyone understood. | |
. | The road was so long that many did not arrive. |
is the imperfect subjunctive of , built on the infinitive . You spot the signpost several words before the , and you know what is coming. The most quoted result clause in Latin uses :
dilexit,unigenitum.For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son. (John 3:16, Vulgate)
Purpose or result? Three tests
| Test | Purpose | Result |
|---|---|---|
| negative | | , , |
| signpost | usually none | |
| sense | aimed at | happened |
.- He/she came to see the king (aimed at; perhaps never managed)..- He/she came so quickly that he/she saw the king (it happened).
Apply the tests in that order. The negative and the signpost are matters of form; the sense is a judgement, and can be argued about.
Result clauses can break the sequence
After a past main verb, a result clause sometimes takes the perfect subjunctive instead of the imperfect, to stress that the result really happened, once:
.- So great was the fear that they all fled.
That is deliberate and idiomatic, not a slip. A purpose clause never does it.
Going further: ut is not one word and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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