Page:Latin for beginners (1911).djvu/388

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8
LATIN FOR BEGINNERS

to class. The Latin Composition Tablet, published by Ginn and Company, will be found serviceable for this purpose, and the system suggested there of marking the errors will save you much time.

11. Sight Reading. A distinguishing feature of the textbook is the large amount of simple Latin it contains in the form of dialogues and stories. This material will be found well adapted for sight translation, since the selections contain, as a rule, but few words not previously learned. Nothing develops reading power more quickly than work of this kind and it should be practiced as frequently as possible.

12. General Vocabulary and Index. Pupils need some instruction in the use of the general Latin-English vocabulary and the index. This instruction should be given as early as §136, where the general vocabulary must be used for the first time.

13. Reviews and Formulas. The lesson of the preceding day should always be reviewed before the work of the day is taken up (see above, §6). In addition the reviews provided for by the textbook at frequent intervals should be made thorough. You will find it profitable to make each the subject of a written test. The last three Lessons in the book provide for a review of all the constructions that have been discussed. An unusually careful Study of these Lessons is advisable just before taking up Caesar. It would be a good plan, therefore, to go over them a second time at the beginning of the second year.

To insure completeness and uniformity in the answers to certain constantly recurring questions, the following formulas are suggested, 1. For describing nouns: dominam, accusative singular from domina, dominae, feminine. Follow this with the rule for the case. 2. For describing adjectives: bonārum, genitive plural feminine from the adjective bonus, -a, -um to agree with the noun ————. Follow with the rule for the agreement of adjectives. 3. For describing relative pronouns: quōs, accusative plural masculine from the relative quī, quae, quod. It is masculine plural to agree with its antecedent ———— (give the rule for the agreement of the relative); it is in the accusative case