SOME USEFUL TERMS
Whoever/whatever performs the action of the verb.
e.g. The boy walks.
SUBJECT OF THE VERB
The dog barks.
always in the
The city is burning.
Nominative
The word that ‘receives’ the action of the verb.
e.g. The boy sees the dog.
DIRECT OBJECT
The man loves the girl.
OF THE VERB
The master beats the slave.
in the Accusative
The Greeks attacked Troy.
COMPLEMENT
always in the
Nominative
NUMBER
(used for nouns,
adjectives, pronouns,
articles and verbs)
SINGULAR / PLURAL
Not every verb has a direct object.
Verbs like to be, to become don’t take an Object.
Instead, they take a word in the Nominative that
refers back to the Subject of the verb.
e.g. I am happy.
He became an actor.
It shows how many people, animals or things your
word is talking about.
e.g. a dog (singular)
dogs (plural)
I run (singular)
we run (plural)
Each verb has 6 persons, 3 for the singular and 3 for
the plural.
PERSON
(for verbs)
S
First
I love
I
Second you love (one of you)
N
Third he/she/it loves
G.
P
L
U
R
A
L
First
we love
Second you love (many of you)
Third
they love
CONJUGATING
(used for verbs)
Supplying all the persons of a verb in the singular
and the plural.
e.g.
I love, you love, he/she/it loves
we love, you love, they love
DECLINING
(used for nouns,
adjectives, pronouns)
Supplying all the endings of a noun, a pronoun or
an adjective in all cases, in the singular and in the
plural.
DECLENSION
(used for nouns and
adjectives)
A group of endings a noun or an adjective follows.
There are five declensions in Latin (that means
three different sets of endings).
Each noun or adjective follows only one.
CASE
(used for nouns,
adjectives, pronouns)
The different endings nouns, adjectives and
pronouns take to denote their different functions
in the sentence.
There are six cases in Latin.
Nominative, Vocative, Accusative, Genitive,
Dative, Ablative (both for Singular and for Plural).
The different sets endings or forms a verb can take
to show when its action takes place.
We have six tenses in Latin.
TENSE
(used for verbs)
MOOD
(used for verbs)
Present
Imperfect
Future
Perfect
Pluperfect
Future Perfect
Sets of endings for verbs, expressing the mood of
the person doing the action.
Indicative Mood: speaks of a fact that is or is not
true (I look, I don’t look)
Imperative Mood: gives an order (look!)
Subjunctive Mood: denotes possibility [and a few
other things] (I should look, I
might look, I may look)