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Review: Units Nine to Eleven 9 11

Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 4:03 pm
by hlawson38
Review of syntax

4. Multi viri sua sententia sunt felices; illi autem multorum saepe domini sunt; sed plurimum servi.

I need a literal translation; I can't pick out the objective genitive indicated in the hint.

Here is my effort. Please correct.

Many men with his opinion are happy; of them however many often are lords; but most are servants.

sua sententia: is this ablative of description?

Re: Review: Units Nine to Eleven 9 11

Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 5:29 pm
by hlawson38
Here is my second question from the Review of Syntax

I need a literal translation that points to the Latin grammar of the sentence.

6. Oppido capto, oratorem, virum clarissimo patre maioribusque, superantes interficere ausi sunt.

The town having been captured, the orator, a man of distinquished father and ancestors, [???], they dared to kill.

I am guessing on the "virum clarissimo patre maioribusque".

"superantes" seems plural. Assuming it's a present active participle, what does it modify.

Re: Review: Units Nine to Eleven 9 11

Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 5:22 am
by phil96
hlawson38 wrote:Review of syntax

4. Multi viri sua sententia sunt felices; illi autem multorum saepe domini sunt; sed plurimum servi.

I need a literal translation; I can't pick out the objective genitive indicated in the hint.

Here is my effort. Please correct.

Many men with his opinion are happy; of them however many often are lords; but most are servants.

sua sententia: is this ablative of description?
Salvē hlawson38!

I thought sua sententia was an ablative of respect, rather than an abl. of description, but I don't find the categories at all clear-cut.

How about multorum domini and plurimum servi as the objective genitives? That could give:
Many men are fortunate/happy by/in their own reckoning; however, they are often masters of many things but slaves of even more.

Phil

Re: Review: Units Nine to Eleven 9 11

Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2010 5:37 pm
by modus.irrealis
I agree with Phil's translation, but should it be plurium instead of plurimum?

Re: Review: Units Nine to Eleven 9 11

Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 6:49 am
by phil96
modus.irrealis wrote:should it be plurium instead of plurimum?
Yes, you're right. A bit of the blind leading the blind here! Thanks.