Summer Latin Institute – DAY 10, 6:38 a.m.

Already started my work day, answering a question from a student who called while I was sipping my morning coffee and making breakfast for Jason (an omelet that I will hide from the kittie cats in the microwave and he will eat when he gets out of bed in an hour).

How I answered my student’s question illustrates well the Institute method. His confusion was about the apodosis of a present contrary-to-fact conditional sentence, “nunc omnēs eam populum bene regentem canerent.” He did not know what to do with “eam.” “What part of speech is ‘eam’?” I asked. He correctly identified it as a demonstrative pronoun referring back to the queen (rēgīna) in the protasis, but he was still stumped about the syntax. “What part of speech is ‘omnēs‘?” I asked. Adjective, he said. Modifying what? Nothing. So what use of an adjective is this? Substantive. So what’s it’s syntax? Nominative subject. Of what verb? Canerent. Yes! Now, what’s the syntax of “eam”? Accusative direct object. Of what verb? Canerent. Yes! Now what part of speech is “regentem“? It’s a participle, a verbal adjective. Yes! Modifying what? “Eam.” Yes! Good! Now translate. “Now all men would be singing of that woman ruling the people well.”

You did it! Now go drink your coffee and call me back when you have another question.

And then I too went back to my own coffee and finished making breakfast for Jason. And wrote this blog entry. So now I need to jump in the shower.

More soon… 

Note: The opinions expressed in this blog entry are those of the blogger, and do not represent the opinions of the CUNY Latin/Greek Institute, its students, faculty, or administration.