READING MATTER
INTRODUCTORY SUGGESTIONS
How to Translate. You have already had considerable practice in translating simple Latin, and have learned that the guide to the meaning lies in the endings of the words. If these are neglected, no skill can make sense of the Latin. If they are carefully noted and accurately translated, not many difficulties remain. Observe the following suggestions:
- 1 Read the Latin sentence through to the end, noting endings of nouns, adjectives, verbs, etc.
- 2 Read it again and see if any of the words you know are nominatives or accusatives. This will often give you what may be called the backbone of the sentence; that is, subject, verb, and object.
- 3 Look up the words you do not know, and determine their use in the sentence from their endings.
- 4 If you cannot yet translate the sentence, put down the English meanings of all the words in the same order as the Latin words. You will then generally see through the meaning of the sentence.
- 5 Be careful to
- a. Translate adjectives with the nouns to which they belong.
- b. Translate together prepositions and the nouns which they govern.
- c. Translate adverbs with the words that they modify.
- d. Make sense. If you do not make sense, you have made a mistake. One mistake will spoil a whole sentence.
- 6 When the sentence is correctly translated, read the Latin over again, and try to understand it as Latin, without thinking of the English translation.
