Chapter 2: Nouns & Cases
Explanation of Cases
nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, ablative
Nominative - Subject
In the sentence “The man walks to the store”, ‘the man’ is the subject, meaning it would be in the nominative case in latin
Genitive - Possession
In the sentence “The man’s pen is green”, the pen is possessed by the man, so in latin, ‘pen’ would be placed in the genitive case. This can be thought of as “The pen of the man is green”, where ‘of the’, or the possession of the pen, is characterized by the genitive case.
Dative - Indirect Object
In the sentence “The man gives the ball to the child”, ‘the child’ would be in the dative case in latin, since ‘the ball’ is the direct object, and ‘the child’ is the indirect object.
Accusative - Direct object
In the sentence ‘The cat climbs the tree’, ‘the tree’ would be in the accusative case, since it is the direct object of the sentence.
Ablative - Prepositional phrases
In the sentence “The woman goes towards the store”, ‘the store’ would be in the ablative case, as it is being used in a prepositional phrase.
Word Order Mobility
This allows, in latin, for word order mobility. Because each word is put in a specific case, the words in a sentence can be jumbled and provide the same meaning. In english, if you were to say, “The man builds the house”, or “The house builds the man”, they would carry separate meanings. However, when cases are attached to the words, they would mean the same thing, as you would still know which word is the object and subject of the sentence.
Lesson Review Instructions
Before checking the answers, write your responses on paper or in a digital document. Carefully review your work, ensuring each answer is complete. Once finished, compare your responses to the correct answers, noting any mistakes. If you find errors, identify patterns, revisit the lesson material, and review relevant vocabulary or grammar rules. Strengthen your understanding by practicing corrections and applying what you’ve learned in new examples.
Identify which case ‘the ball’ would be used in if the following sentences were in latin:
The ball rolls up the hill.
The man gives the ball to the kid.
The cat loves the ball.
The ball is large.
The dog’s ball is yellow.
A leaf flies towards the ball.
The boy runs away from the ball.
The man threw the dog the ball.
The lion eats the ball.
The woman gives the boy the ball.
Lesson Answers Instructions
Compare your answers to the correct ones, paying attention to differences and patterns in mistakes. If you spot errors, review the related lesson material and take notes on tricky concepts. For further practice, rewrite corrected answers or create new sentences using the same rules. If anything remains unclear, revisit previous lessons or seek clarification. Regular review and application will reinforce your learning and improve retention.
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Nominative
Accusative
Accusative
Nominative
Genitive
Accusative
Ablative
Accusative
Accusative
Accusative