The principles of Latin grammar; comprising the ... - Essan.org

—————-220 SYNTAX.—PREDICATE NOMINATIVE. § 108the verb in the plural. This construction may be explained on the principle mentioned 281, where see examples; or 257.319.§ 103. THE PREDICATE NOMINATIVE.Rule V. The predicate substantive oradjective, after a verb, is put in the same case asthe subject before it; as,Ego sum discipulus,I am a scholar.Ta voca7'is Joannes, Thou art called John.Ilia incedit reglna, She walks (as) a queen.320.—EXPLANATION.—Under this rule, the nominative before theverb is the subject^ thing spoken of; the nominative after it, is the predicate,or the thing asserted of the subject. The verb is the copula connecting theone with the other, and is usually a substantive verb (187), an intransitiveverb, or a passive verb of naming, judging, appointing, &c, which, from itsuse, is called a copulative verb.This rule applies to the accusative and dative before, and after, the infinitiveof copulative verbs. See Obs. 5, 6, 7, 8, below.OBSERVATIONS.321.— Obs. 1. Any copulative verb between two nominatives of differentnumbers, commonly agrees innumber with the former, or subject;sls,Dos est decern talenta, " Her dowry is ten talents." Ter. Omniapontus erant, " All was sea." Ovid. But sometimes with the latter oipredicate; as, Ama?itium tree, amoris int eg ratio est, "The quarrelsof lovers is a renewal of love."a. So also, w T hen the nouns are of different genders, an adjective, adjectivepronoun, or a participle, in the predicate, commonly agrees with thesubject of the verb ; as, Oppidum app ell at u m est Possidonia:;—but sometimes with the predicate; as, Non ro?nnis error stnltitiadie en da est. Cic.6. The verb esse sometimes takes an adverb in the predicate, where, inEnglish, an adjective is commonly used ; as, omnia mala abunde er ant,'were abundant ;" Romanos laxius fu turos, " that the Romanscould be more negligent ;" ca res frustra fuit, "that was of nowaih"322. Obs. 2. When the predicate is an adjective, adjective pronoun,or participle without a substantive, it agvees with the subject before theverb according to Rule II (263) ; except as noticed in the same section.Obs. 6 (270).323.— Obs. 3. When the subject is of the second person, and the vocativestands before the verb, the adjective or participle will usually be in