1. Inter may appear after its corresponding object.
2. Except (perhaps?) for metrical purposes, intra will always proceed it’s corresponding object.
The Essential AG: 435
In my last post, I introduced intra, to which I will now compare and contrast intra, a considerably more common and complex preposition, individuated from intra through the following uses.
1. The et double-accusative.
2. The inter sē construction.
3. The ‘amid’ construction.
4. The temporal ‘while’ construction (with a gerund)
The Essential AG: 221.15
You would think, given the vast tribe of verbal compounds with inter- as a prefix, that a few species of intrā-compounds would also inhabit that wood of the Latin dictionary. In fact, they are highly endangered, perhaps even extinct. Here are a few compound adjectives and nouns that I discovered; the verbs were nowhere to be found.
The preposition intrā takes an accusative. It is likely derived from the adjectival feminine adjective singular of inter, intra, intrum (intrā) — an archaic adjective which also produced the corresponding preposition inter.
Intra + accusative is primarily used with a single class of nouns, and denotes a space ‘within which.’
Intra + accusative of time is one ways of denoting the time within something occurred.
It can also mean less than a given duration or quantity.
It can also appear without a direct object.
The Essential AG: 130
Pardon the vacation, everyone. I’ve spent the last week cramming for and completing the GRE.
Direct Objects are “immediately affected by the action of a verb” within a standard sentence.
Indirect Objects are less than immediately affected by the action of the verb
The accusative is the case proper to direct objects, yet an English sentence containing a direct object, where translated to Latin, may feature the other cases as well.
Direct and Indirect in Latin
The following sentences, in English, all feature ‘girl’ as direct object, yet in Latin receive either direct or indirect variations, dependent on the particular syntax of the Latin verb:
Note that the dative usage holds the regular ‘recipient of gift’ formula that we’d imagine in English, yet the genitive and ablative examples feature non-active verbs, which couldn’t take any object in English without a preposition.
Indeed, the conservative structure of Latin syntax allows Latin to omit many English prepositions when constructing subject-verb-direct object units:
Where the direct object/subject transition, in English, requires a preposition, Latin merely requires a shift in case:
The Essential AG: 274-5
Summary of Relations of Place
The basic relations of place are: (a) place from which, (b) place to which and (c) place where
Originally, these were implied by the cases themselves. “The accusative…denoted the end of motion. The ablative… denoted the place from which, and… the place where” (AG, 426). Prepositions exist to add precision.
Forthcoming posts will explore exceptions, variations and precise rules associated with particular nouns. For now, let’s get the basics settled:
Place From Which (ab, dē, ex +abl.)
They came from the north: ā septentriōne vēnērunt.
The sheep descend from the mountain: pecus dē prōvinciā dēscendit.
The send hostages from Britain: ex Britanniā obsidēs mittunt.
Place To Which (ad, in + acc.)
They came by night to the river: nocte ad flūmen vēnērunt.
He sails to Africa today: hodiē in Āfricam nāvigat.
She will send her brother to Italy: fratrem in Ītaliam mittet.
Place At Which (in + abl.)
She passed her entire life in this city: in hāc urbe tōtam vītam dēgit.
They had remained in Gual: in Galliā remanerant.
The Essential AG: 426
Famous Phrase: creātiō ex nihiliō [creation from nothing]
Three word summary of the First Cause position in the philosophy of religion, which places this or that divine creator at the head of all creation. For those of you disinterested in the precise tenets of the argument, here’s a brief ‘history‘ of its traces in the ancient world.
Summary of Comparison
The gerundive, or perfect passive participle, is a verbal adjective, which conveys a sense of necessity, obligation or propriety
The gerund is a type of gerundive, appearing only the oblique (non-nominative) cases, used substantial as a verbal noun
For a more basic discussion of gerunds and gerundives, see the articles on ‘Gerunds’ and ‘Gerundives’ elsewhere in this blog
Gerunds and Gerundives with the Ablative
The ablative of gerunds and gerundives has three purposes: (1) as an ablative of manner, means, or cause, (2) after comparatives, (3) after certain prepositions
In each use, the gerund and gerundive have similar frequencies
These ablatives may take a direct object, but they do so rarely
Ablative of Manner, Means and Cause
With Comparatives
After Prepositions
The Essential AG: §507
Famous Phrase: castigat rigendō mōrēs. (one corrects custom through laughter)
[neo-Latin phrase coined by the French poet Jean de Santeul]
Positive-Defective Comparative Adjectives
Summary of Defection
Ordinary adjectives have a positive, comparative and superlative form
The following comparative and superlative forms either (a) have no positive form, (b) have a preposition as their positive form, (c) have an adverb as their positive form or (d) have only very rare positive adjectives
Comparatives With No Positives
Comparatives with Adverbial Positives
Comparatives with Prepositional Positives
Comparatives with Rare Positives
Essential AG: 130, 130a-b
Famous Phrase: videō meliōra probōque / dēteriōra sequor
(I see and approve the better, but follow the worse) [Ovid, Metamorphoses, 7.20-1]
Latin for Addicts 