New Latin Grammar | Page 9

(denoting place where), occur in
names of towns and in a few other words.
2. OBLIQUE CASES. The Genitive, Dative, Accusative, and Ablative are called Oblique
Cases.
3. STEM AND CASE-ENDINGS. The different cases are formed by appending certain
case-endings to a fundamental part called the Stem.[12] Thus, portam (Accusative
Singular) is formed by adding the case-ending -m to the stem porta-. But in most cases
the final vowel of the stem has coalesced so closely with the actual case-ending that the
latter has become more or less obscured. The _apparent case-ending_ thus resulting is
called a termination.
THE FIVE DECLENSIONS.
18. There are five Declensions in Latin, distinguished from each other by the final letter
of the Stem, and also by the Termination of the Genitive Singular, as follows:--
DECLENSION. FINAL LETTER OF STEM. GEN. TERMINATION. First Ä -ae
Second Å -Ä« Third Ä- / Some consonant -Ä«s Fourth Å- -Å«s Fifth Ä“ -Ä“Ä« / -Ä•Ä«
Cases alike in Form.
19. 1. The Vocative is regularly like the Nominative, except in the singular of nouns in
-us of the Second Declension.
2. The Dative and Ablative Plural are always alike.
3. In Neuters the Accusative and Nominative are always alike, and in the Plural end in
-ă.
4. In the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Declensions, the Accusative Plural is regularly like the
Nominative.

* * * * *
FIRST DECLENSION.
Ä-Stems.
20. Pure Latin nouns of the First Declension regularly end, in the Nominative Singular, in
-ă, weakened from -Ä, and are of the Feminine Gender. They are declined as follows:--
Porta, _gate_; stem, portÄ-.
SINGULAR. CASES. MEANINGS. TERMINATIONS. _Nom._ porta a gate (as subject)
-ă _Gen._ portae of a gate -ae _Dat._ portae to or for a gate -ae _Acc._ portam a gate
(as object) -am _Voc._ porta _O gate!_ -ă _Abl._ portÄ _with, by, from, in a gate_ -Ä
PLURAL. _Nom._ portae gates (as subject) -ae _Gen._ portÄrum of gates -Ärum _Dat._
portÄ«s to or for gates -Ä«s _Acc._ portÄs gates (as object) -Äs _Voc._ portae _O
gates!_ -ae _Abl._ portīs _with, by, from, in gates_ -īs
1. The Latin has no article, and porta may mean either a gate or _the gate_; and in the
Plural, gates or the gates.
Peculiarities of Nouns of the First Declension.
21. 1. EXCEPTIONS IN GENDER. Nouns denoting males are Masculine; as, nauta,
_sailor_; agricola, _farmer_; also, Hadria, Adriatic Sea.
2. Rare Case-Endings,--
a) An old form of the Genitive Singular in -Äs is preserved in the combination pater
familiÄs, _father of a family_; also in mÄter familiÄs, fÄ«lius familiÄs, fÄ«lia familiÄs.
But the regular form of the Genitive in -ae is also admissible in these expressions; as,
pater familiae.
b) In poetry a Genitive in -ÄÄ« also occurs; as, aulÄÄ«.
c) The Locative Singular ends in -ae; as, RÅmae, at Rome.
d) A Genitive Plural in -um instead of -Ärum sometimes occurs; as, Dardanidum instead
of DardanidÄrum. This termination -um is not a contraction of -Ärum, but represents an
entirely different case-ending.
e) Instead of the regular ending -Ä«s, we usually find -Äbus in the Dative and Ablative
Plural of dea, goddess, and fīlia, daughter, especially when it is important to
distinguish these nouns from the corresponding forms of deus, god, and fīlius, son. A
few other words sometimes have the same peculiarity; as, lÄ«bertÄbus (from lÄ«berta,
_freedwoman_), equÄbus (_mares_), to avoid confusion with lÄ«bertÄ«s (from
lībertus, _freedman_) and equīs (from equus, _horse_).
Greek Nouns.
22. These end in -Ä“ (Feminine); -Äs and -Ä“s (Masculine). In the Plural they are
declined like regular Latin nouns of the First Declension. In the Singular they are
declined as follows:--
ArchiÄs, EpitomÄ“, ComÄ“tÄ“s, comet. Archias. epitome. _Nom._ ArchiÄs
epitomē comētēs _Gen._ Archiae epitomēs comētae _Dat._ Archiae epitomae
comÄ“tae _Acc._ Archiam (or -Än) epitomÄ“n comÄ“tÄ“n _Voc._ ArchiÄ
epitomÄ“ comÄ“tÄ“ (or -ă) _Abl._ ArchiÄ epitomÄ“ comÄ“tÄ“ (or -Ä)
1. But most Greek nouns in -Ä“ become regular Latin nouns in -a, and are declined like
porta; as, grammatica, _grammar_; mūsica, _music_; rhētorica, rhetoric.
2. Some other peculiarities occur, especially in poetry.
* * * * *
SECOND DECLENSION.

Å-Stems.
23. Pure Latin nouns of the Second Declension end in -us, -er, -ir, Masculine; -um,
Neuter. Originally -us in the Nominative of the Masculine was -os; and -um of the
Neuters -om. So also in the Accusative.
Nouns in -us and -um are declined as follows:--
Hortus, _garden_; Bellum, _war_; stem, hortÅ-. stem, bellÅ-. SINGULAR.
TERMINATION. TERMINATION. _Nom._ hortus -us bellum -um _Gen._ hortī -ī
bellī -ī _Dat._ hortŠ-ŠbellŠ-Š_Acc._ hortum -um bellum -um _Voc._ horte -e
bellum -um _Abl._ hortÅ -Å bellÅ -Å
PLURAL. _Nom._ hortÄ« -Ä« bella -a _Gen._ hortÅrum -Årum bellÅrum -Årum _Dat._
hortÄ«s -Ä«s bellÄ«s -Ä«s _Acc._ hortÅs -Ås bella -a _Voc._ hortÄ« -Ä« bella -a
_Abl._ hortīs -īs bellīs