Lesson 23Review

Adjectives Posing as Nouns / Idiom

Sometimes adjectives like to pose as nouns. This happens in English as well as Latin.
Lets take a look at some English examples.
As subjects:
The meek shall inherit the earth.
The disabled and elderly were evacuated first.
The wise are quick to listen.
The intellectual elite are arrogant.

rather than: Meek persons shall . . . .

rather than: Disabled & elderly people . . .
rather than: Wise men are quick . . .
rather than: Intellectual elite politicians . .

As objects:
He is a lover of the intelligent.
She has an eye for the rich.
He is a veteran amongst the young.

instead of: lover of the intelligent being.

instead of: an eye for the rich men.
instead of: amongst the young students.

Latin takes this usage even further. It uses adjectives of quantity, general descriptive
adjectives, as well as possessive adjectives to stand for nouns. Keep in mind the
Masculine, Plural is used for People; and Neuter, Plural (Nom/Acc) is used for Things.
Some examples:
Nostri fortiter pugnabant.

______________________________________________________________

Milites omnia paraverunt.

______________________________________________________________

Multi in proelium occidebantur. ____________________________________________________________

Hostes gravia sustinuerunt.

______________________________________________________________

Reliqui se dediderunt. *

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Caesar ejus confirmavit.

______________________________________________________________

You can see how shifty these posers are and how you really have to be on your toes
around them. Dont let them fool you!!

*dedo, dedere with a reflexive pronoun such as se = surrender

Recall the preposition inter means between or among. It governs the Accusative
Case.
When inter is used with the do, dare verb and a reflexive pronoun it means
exchange. The tense depends on the do, dare verb.
1

Obsides inter nos damus.

Obsides inter nos dabant.
Obsides inter nos dedimus.

Present Tense

___________________________________________________

Imperfect Tense ___________________________________________________

Perfect Tense

___________________________________________________

Must include all 3 elements to make the idiom exchange.

Reminder:
the being verb in the subjunctive:
4 principal parts:

sum, esse, fui, futurus

I am, to be, I have been (was), about to be

Present Subjunctive
s. that I may be pl.

Imperfect Subjunctive
s. that I might be pl.

sim
sis
sit

essem
esses
esset

simus
sitis
sint

essemus
essetis
essent

Keep in mind what the Perfect Tense of this verb looks like since it is such a very
common verb:
sing.

fui
fuisti
fuit

plural

fuimus
fuistis
fuerunt

Meanings

I have been
we have been
you have been yall have been
he/she/it has been they have been
We sometimes use was

Very Common
Forms

Practice with the Imperfect Subjunctive in Secondary Tense;

Adjectives acting like Posers; and the idiom exchange.

Nomen: ______________________________

Translate into the other language. Watch the main clause verb carefully if the sentence contains a
purpose clause, and translate that verb accordingly. Watch for Ablative of Agent & Means phrases,
and Adjectives posing as Nouns. Use Adjectives for Nouns when you translate into Latin.
1.

Will God always be praised by the holy? _______________________________________________

2.

Hostes obsides inter se saepe dederunt ut pacem confirmarent. ___________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

3.

Fortes propter metum non cedunt. ___________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

4.

Caesar, a brave man, did everything bravely. ___________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

5.

Galli ab obsidibus pacem confirmaverunt. _____________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

6.

Adjuvabitne Deus fortes? __________________________________________________________

7.

Fortes fortuna adjuvat. (Roman proverb) ______________________________________________

8.

Omnia virtute egit ut bonus servus Christi esset. ________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

9.

Our men always fought bravely and bitterly in order that they might preserve our free
country/state. ___________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

10. Boni labores graves propter Christum sustinent. ________________________________________

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11. Hostes equites in aciem statim miserunt ut ordines nostrorum perturbarent. _________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
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12. Caesar waged many wars in order that he might be general and leading man. _________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
13. Duces gentium inter se in concilio egerunt ut numerum auxiliorum ponerent et pararent. _______
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
14. They exchanged hostages in order to preserve friendship with the Romans. __________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

15. Galli Romanos timebant et cum eis bella saepe gesserunt ne obsides eis darent._______________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
16. The Romans were holding hostages in camps and winter quarters in order to preserve peace with
the Gauls and on account of the safety of the hostages. __________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
17. God gives aid to the holy. __________________________________________________________
18. Nostri hiberna hostium ab equitibus expugnaverunt ne hostes eos primum* oppugnarent. ______
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
19. Legio in locum contendit ut proelium pararet. __________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
20. The Romans never surrendered. _____________________________________________________
21. Deus orationes ejus audit. __________________________________________________________
22. Caesar mortem ejus vidit. __________________________________________________________
23. Equites trans flumen ab imperatore missi sunt ut loca hostium explorarent. __________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
24. Caesar vir nobilis fuit sicut milites ejus fuerunt. _________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
25. The centurions marched* between narrow et difficult mountains and across wide and deep rivers.
They exchanged hostages with the chiefs of the tribes of Gaul. Afterwards, they led the hostages
on a long journey into the Roman province. ____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
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*primum, adv.: first. *marched: iter fecerunt (literally: they made a journey).