Latin for Beginners · Lesson XXX · Part 5: Verbs: the passive voice

30. Synopses; the ablative meaning "from"

Goal: Your child gives a synopsis of a verb, and uses the ablative of place from which, of separation and of the personal agent.

⏱ About 40 minutes · 6 steps

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You'll need

  • The book, open to this lesson
  • The special vocabulary page for this lesson (near the back of the book; the lesson tells you the page)
  • A notebook for Latin, and a pencil
  • Index cards for new words (optional)

What's in the book

How to give a synopsis (one form of a verb in every tense, active and passive). Then three uses of the ablative meaning "from": place from which, separation, and the person by whom something is done. Nine Latin and six English sentences.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Review

    Give the present infinitive active and passive of amō, regō and audiō.

  2. Synopses

    A synopsis runs one person of a verb through all its tenses. Section 177 gives the first person of each conjugation, for example:

    amō, amābam, amābō

    amor, amābar, amābor

    The book says to practice other persons too, especially the third singular and plural.

  3. Place from which

    Section 179: use ā or ab, dē, ē or ex with the ablative.

    Agricolae ex agrīs veniunt

    "the farmers come from the fields". ab means from near a place, ex out of it, dē down from it.

  4. Separation and the agent

    Section 180: words meaning "free from", "lack" or "keep from" take an ablative (with a preposition only if something actually moves). Section 181: the person by whom a thing is done goes in the ablative with ā or ab:

    Fera ā Diānā necātur

    "the wild beast is killed by Diana". A thing (means) has no preposition; a person (agent) has ā or ab.

  5. Vocabulary

    From the special vocabulary for Lesson XXX:

    absum, abesse, be away, be absent

    discēdō, -ere, depart, go away

    egeō, -ēre, lack, need

    prōvincia, -ae, province

    vīnum, -ī, wine

    longē, far, by far

  6. Exercises

    Section 182, Exercise I. Two of the sentences:

    Multa Gallōrum oppida ab Rōmānīs capientur.

    Id oppidum ab prōvinciā Rōmānā longē aberat.

    Then Exercise II.

Afterwards

Two days: synopses on day one, the ablative "from" and the exercises on day two.

Answers to the book's problems

Exercise I: 1. The men, weary from lack of food, will depart from that place. 2. The Germans were approaching the Roman camp; nevertheless the lieutenant kept his forces from battle. 3. Many towns of the Gauls will be taken by the Romans. 4. Then the Romans will kill the whole people of those towns with swords and spears. 5. The townspeople resist the Romans, but, worn out by the long battle, they will flee. 6. Many were fleeing from Gaul and living in the villages of the Germans. 7. The wretched sailors are wounded by the fierce enemy and lack food. 8. Go away, and give the men grain and a supply of wine. 9. Our forces were kept from battle by Sextus, the lieutenant. 10. That town was far away from the Roman province.

Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.

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