1. Stage 2 Required Grammar Notes Nominative and Accusative

2. Vocabulary • All the words on your vocabulary lists are one of five parts of speech: • Verbs (end in –t) • Preposition (in) • Adverb (quoque) • Adjective (laetus) • Everything else is a noun

3. Nouns’ Uses • A noun doing the action in a verb is the subject. The subject is before the verb. • A noun receiving the action in a verb is the direct object (they come after the verb). • Exception: Nouns that follow “est” rename the subject, and are called predicate nouns. • The subject and direct object will never follow the preposition “in.”

4. Cases and Uses • Nouns that look the way they do on the vocabulary lists are in the nominative case. They are either the subject, or something renaming the subject. • Amicus (Think, “The friend ‘verbs’…) • Metella • Canis • Nouns that end in –m instead of they way they look on the vocabulary list are in the accusative case. They are direct objects, and should go after the verb. • Amicum (Think, “ ‘someone verbs’ the friend.”) • Metellam • Canem • When translating a proper name in the accusative case, write its nominative for the English meaning. (English doesn’t generally have different endings for nouns.) • Nouns on your vocabulary list that end in –m (e.g., atrium, cubiculum, peristylium, tablinum, triclinium) have the same form for the nominative and accusative. You’ll use logic and context to figure out which case they are in a sentence.

5. When Translating… It always works!  • Find the verb first. (It ends in –t.) • Amicus in hortocanemlaudat. (….praises….) • Find the nominative subject next. (It looks like the noun on the vocabulary list.) Put it before the verb. • Amicus in hortocanemlaudat. (The friend praises…) • Then put the accusative direct object after the verb. (It ends in –m.) • Amicus in hortocanemlaudat. (The friend praises the dog…) • Then put whatever’s left. • Amicus in hortocanemlaudat. (The friend praises the dog in the garden.)

6. Nominative and Accusative Forms