Latin for beginners (1911)/Part II/Lesson XLVI

by Benjamin Leonard D'Ooge

Layout 2

LESSON XLVI

THE FOURTH OR Ū-DECLENSI0N

259. Nouns of the fourth declension are either masculine or neuter.

260. Masculine nouns end in -us, neuters in -ū. The genitive ends in -ūs.

a. Feminine by exception are domus, house; manus, hand; and a few others.

PARADIGMS

	adventus, m., arrival	cornū, n., horn
Stems	adventu-	cornu-
Bases	advent-	corn-
	Singular		terminations
			masc.	neut.
Nom.	adventus	cornū	-us	-ū
Gen.	adventūs	cornūs	-ūs	-ūs
Dat.	adventuī (ū)	cornū	-uī (ū)	-ū
Acc.	adventum	cornū	-um	-ū
Abl.	adventū	cornū	-ū	-ū
	Plural
Nom.	adventūs	cornua	-ūs	-ua
Gen.	adventuum	cornuum	-uum	-uum
Dat.	adventibus	cornibus	-ibus	-ibus
Acc.	adventūs	cornua	-ūs	-ua
Abl.	adventibus	cornibus	-ibus	-ibus

1. Observe that the base is found, as in other declensions, by dropping the ending of the genitive singular.
2. lacus, lake, has the ending -ubus in the dative and ablative plural; portus, harbor, has either -ubus or -ibus.
3. cornū is the only neuter that is in common use.

261.

EXERCISES

First learn the special vocabulary, p. 293.

I.

1. Ante adventum Caesaris vēlōcēs hostium equitēs ācrem impetum in castra fēcērunt.
2. Continēre exercitum ā proeliō nōn facile erat.
3. Post adventum suum Caesar iussit legiōnēs ex castrīs dūcī.
4. Prō castrīs cum hostium equitātū pugnātum est.
5. Post tempus breve equitātus trāns flūmen fūgit ubi castra hostium posita erant.
6. Tum victor imperātor agrōs vāstāvit et vīcōs hostium cremāvit.
7. Castra autem nōn oppugnāvit quia mīlitēs erant dēfessī et locus difficilis.
8. Hostēs nōn cessāvērunt iacere tēla, quae paucīs nocuērunt.
9. Post adversum proelium principēs Gallōrum lēgātōs ad Caesarem mittere studēbant, sed populō persuādēre nōn poterant.

II.

1. Did you see the man-of-war on the lake?
2. I did not see it (fem.) on the lake, but I saw it in the harbor.
3. Because of the strong wind the sailor forbade his brother to sail.
4. Cæsar didn´t make an attack on the cavalry on the right wing, did he?
5. No, he made an attack on the left wing.
6. Who taught your swift horse to obey?
7. I trained my horse with my (own) hands, nor was the task difficult.
8. He is a beautiful animal and has great strength.

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References