Meanwhile Marcellus… - A Grammatical Commentary /  by Anthony Gibbins

Today’s page has two sentences. The bare bones of the first are Marcellus ambulat Marcellus is walking. The Adverb interea meanwhile links this sentence with what has come before. The Prepositional Phrase ad zoopolium to the pet store tells us to where Marcellus is walking. Marcellus is described by the Present Active Participle tenens holding. The Object of tenens is epistolam letter. The Prepositional Phrase in manu in [his] hand tells us where Marcellus is holding it. quam in suo limine modo invenit is a Relative Clause. A Relative Clause tells us a little more about the word to which it relates, which in grammatical terms is called the Antecedent. A Relative Clause begins with a Relative Pronoun - here quam which - that has the same Gender and Number as its Antecedent. The Antecedent of quam is epistolam. The Verb in the Relative Clause is invenit he found. The Adverb modo just tells us when Marcellus found the letter. The Prepositional Phrase in limine on the threshold tells us where he found it. limine is described by the Reflexive Possessive Adjective suo his. (Reflexive simply means that it refers back to the Subject of the sentence, in this case Marcellus.)

Marcellus meanwhile is walking to the pet store holding in his hand the letter which he just found on his threshold.

The bare bones of the second sentence are anxior solito videtur he seems more anxious than usual. The Verb video videre to see has two potential meanings in the Passive Voice, to be seen or to seem. anxior more anxious is the Comparative Form of the Adjective anxius anxious. solito than usual is an Ablative of Comparison. While the Subject of videtur is not written, it can be understood as Marcellus from the Third Person Singular ending of the Verb. This Understood Subject is described by the Present Active Participle circumspectans looking around and the Perfect Passive Participle sollicitatus having been disturbed. omnibus by all the things is an Ablative of Cause (who makes these names up?) working with sollicitatus to tell us what Marcellus has been disturbed by. It may be worth mentioning that omnibus is an Adjective being used Substantively, which means it is playing the role of a Noun. quae modo legit is another Relative Clause. The Relative Pronoun is quae which and its Antecedent is omnibus. The Verb in the Relative Clause is legit read. The Adverb modo just tells us when Marcellus read these things.

He seems more anxious than usual, looking around, disturbed by all the things which he just read.

Miranda Finds a Clue - A Grammatical Commentary /  by Anthony Gibbins

Today’s page has two sentences. The bare bones of the first are Miranda aliquid invenit Miranda finds something. aliquid something is described with the Superlative Adjective ultissimum very useful. The Adverb mox soon tells us that this is occurring not long after the events of the previous sentence. duas pennas two feathers is in Apposition to aliquid. The duas pennas are described as unam rubram et unam viridem one red and one green. They are also described by the Present Active Participle iacentes which means lying. The Prepositional Phrase in cloaca in the drain tells us where they are lying.

Soon Miranda finds something very useful; two feathers, one red and one green, lying in the drain.

The second sentence has two parts, the Main Clause Miranda sibi dicit Miranda says to herself and a Direct Statement. The bare bones of the Direct Statement are tempus est zoopolium visitare It is time to visit the pet store. tempus est it is time is often followed by an Infinitive Verb, as with visitare to visit here. The Dative mihi for me tells us for whom it is time to visit the pet store. Miranda qualifies her statement with nisi fallor unless I am mistaken. fallor is the First Person Singular Passive Form of the Verb fallo fallere to deceive.

Unless I am mistaken, it is time for me to visit the pet store.

Now I Understand - A Grammatical Commentary /  by Anthony Gibbins

Today’s page has three sentences. The first contains two parts, the main clause Miranda sibi dicit Miranda says to herself and the Direct Statement nunc intellego now I understand.

‘Now I understand,’ Miranda says to herself.

The second and third sentences are also Direct Statements that Miranda says to herself. The bare bones of the second are femina me effugit the woman escaped me. Miranda describes femina with the Demonstrative Adjective illa that. femina is also described by the Present Active Participle ascendens climbing. Here the Present Active Participle, however, has a meaning more akin to by climbing. ascendens has an Object canalem pipe, which Miranda describes with the Demonstrative Adjective hunc this.

‘That woman escaped me by climbing this pipe.

The bare bones of the third sentence are me oportet cloacam scrutari it behoves me to examine the drain. oportet it behoves is often followed by an Infinitive Verb, as with scutari to examine, here. scrutor scrutari is a Deponent Verb, meaning that even though it looks Passive it is Active. The Prepositional Phrase sub canale under the pipe tells us where the drain is located. The Adverb ergo therefore joins the sentence with what has come before.

It behoves me therefore to examine the drain under the pipe.’

The Investigation - A Grammatical Commentary /  by Anthony Gibbins

Today’s page has two sentences. The bare bones of the first are Miranda vestigia sequitur Miranda follows the footprints. sequitur she follows is a Deponent Verb, meaning that while it looks Passive it is in fact Active. The Adverb diligenter carefully describes the manner in which she is following them. A second Adverb, postridie the next day, links this sentence to what has come before. The Genitive Case Jessicae of Jessica tells us whose footprints Miranda is following. The vestigia are described by the Perfect Passive Participle inventa having been found. The Adverb modo just now - positioned immediately before inventa - tells us when the footprints were found.

The next day, Miranda is carefully following the footprints of Jessica [which had] just been found.

The bare bones of the second sentence are vestigia custodem publicam ducunt the footprints lead the public guard (police officer). vestigia is described by the Demonstrative Adjective haec these. A Prepositional Phrase ad canalem to the pipe tells us to where the footprints are leading her. canalem is described - perhaps unnecessarily - by the Adjective aquosam having to do with water.

These footprints are leading the police officer to the water pipe.

Nevertheless, She Persists - A Grammatical Commentary /  by Anthony Gibbins

Today’s page contains two sentences. The bare bones of the first sentence - Miranda is thinking this to herself - are me oportebit revenire it will behove me to return. Notice the Future Tense oportebit it will behove. Two Adverbs tell us when it will behove, and they are cras tomorrow and mane in the morning. Telling us where it will behove Miranda to return, we have the Prepositional Phrase ad illum locum to that place. And ad illum locum is expanded upon with unde femina fugit from which the woman fled.

‘Tomorrow morning it will behove me to return to that place from which the woman fled.

The second sentence has two parts; the second being the Main Clause secum fessa putat she, tired, is thinking with herself. The Verb putat means she is thinking. secum is actually a Prepositional Phrase meaning with herself. If se was any other word it would be written, for example, cum amicis with friends. But when cum appears with certain Pronouns, the Pronoun begins the phrase and the two words meld together. The subject of putat does not need to be stated, as the -at ending confirms that it is Third Person Singular. Therefore, we can assume it is Miranda from the sentences that came before. This assumed Subject is described by the Adjective fessa tired.

Tired, she is thinking to herself…

The first part of the second sentence outlines what Miranda is thinking, in a direct quotation. It contains some interesting grammar. Let’s begin with fortasse perhaps potero I will be able cognoscere to find out. This is followed by an Indirect Question quomodo me effugerit how she escaped me. effugerit is Perfect Subjunctive. The Verb in an Indirect Question is always Subjunctive. The Tense, however, will change.  loco inspiciendo means by inspecting the area. inspiciendo is a Gerundive, but it is not a Gerundive of Obligation. A Gerund or Gerundive in the Ablative Case tells us how something is achieved. This is not, by any means, a full explanation, but this is not the place to go into this further.

‘Perhaps by inspecting the area I will be able to find out how she escaped me.’

Miranda’s Sleepless Night - A Grammatical Commentary /  by Anthony Gibbins

Today’s page has three sentences. The bare bones of the first are Miranda dormire non potest Miranda is not able to sleep. It is quite common - as here - for any form of possum posse to be able to be used with an Infinitive Verb such as dormire to sleep. Miranda is described by the Possessive Adjective nostra our, an affectionate term. Miranda is also described by the Present Active Participle cubitans lying. The Prepositional Phrase in lecto in bed tells us where Miranda is lying. custos publica public guard is in Apposition to Miranda. Words in Apposition are in the same Case and tend to tell us something more about a particular Noun. custos publica reminds us that Miranda is a police officer. The Adverb interea meanwhile links (or perhaps separates) this sentence with what has come before.

Meanwhile our Miranda, a police officer, lying in bed, is unable to sleep.

The bare bones of the second sentence are fugam volvit she is turning over the escape. As we have seen, volvo volvere to turn over often means to think about. in animo in [her] mind makes that meaning clear here. Which fugam escape she is thinking about is made clear with the Genitive Case feminae of the woman. This is, of course, a reference to Jessica’s escape, although Miranda does not know her identity. The Adverb adhuc means still.

Miranda is still turning over the woman’s escape in her mind.

The third sentence has two parts; the main clause Miranda se rogat Miranda asks herself and the Direct Question quomodo me illa effugere potuit how was she able to escape me? quomodo? literally means by what mode? and is the closest equivalent of the English how? illa she in the Nominative Case is the Subject of potuit she was able. me me in the Accusative Case is the Object of effugere to escape.

‘How was she able to escape me?’ Miranda asks herself.

Leave a Note - A Grammatical Commentary /  by Anthony Gibbins

Today’s page has two sentences. The bare bones of the first sentence are Jessica epistolam ponit Jessica places a letter. The Adverb itaque and so joins this sentence with what has come before. epistolam a letter is described by the Perfect Active Participle scriptam which means having been written. scriptam is a form of the Verb scribo scribere to write. scriptam is expanded upon with the Adverb celeriter quickly. Further detail is added to ponit places by the Prepositional Phrase in limine on the threshold, telling us where Jessica is placing the letter. limine is further defined by the Genitive Marcelli of Marcellus.

Jessica therefore places a quickly written letter on the threshold of Marcellus.

The bare bones of the second sentence are utinam Marcellus epistolam inveniat which is not able to be translated word for word into English. The Adverb utinam is not usually translated at all, as it simply signposts that what follows is expressing a wish. The Verb following utinam will be in the Subjunctive Mood, as inveniat might he find is here. Basically, the narrator is expressing a wish that Marcellus find the letter. The second half of this sentence antequam Marcellus ipse inveniatur means before Marcellus himself is found, inveniatur being a Passive Verb. antequam before is a Conjunction. ipse, which describes Marcellus, means himself.

Hopefully Marcellus finds the letter before Marcellus himself is found.

Jessica Sees All - A Grammatical Commentary /  by Anthony Gibbins

Today’s page has only two sentences. The bare bones of the first sentence are Jessica certa fit Marcellum in periculo esse Jessica becomes certain Marcellus to be in danger or, in more natural English, Jessica becomes certain that Marcellus is in danger. Marcellum in periculo esse is an Indirect Statement. We saw yesterday that in an Indirect Statement the Subject of the Verb is in the Accusative Case - Marcellum - and the Verb itself is in its Infinitive form - esse to be. esse is expanded upon by the Adverb nunc now. periculo danger is described by the Adjective magno great. The entire sentence has the Adverb interea meanwhile joining it with what has gone before. Jessica is described by the Present Active Participle despectans looking down upon. despectans has two Objects which are linked together by the Conjunction et and; these are Monadem Monas and omnia – an Adjective playing the role of a Noun – everything. despectans is also expanded upon by the Prepositional Phrase e tecto out of or from the roof.

Jessica meanwhile, looking down upon Monas and everything from the roof, becomes certain that Marcellus is now in great danger.

The second sentence is scit eum monedum esse. scit she knows sets us up for another Indirect Statement. The Accusative Subject of the Indirect Statement is eum him. The Infinitive Verb is esse to be. eum is described by the Gerundive monendum, a most interesting word. There is no English equivalent of the Latin Gerundive. The Gerundive monendum is a form of the Verb moneo monere to warn. When a Noun and Gerundive are linked with a form of esse - as they are here - the Gerundive is called a Gerundive of Obligation and means something like needing to be warned. Thus a literal meaning would be something like She knows him to be needing to be warned. We will need to smooth that out, however, for our translation.

She knows that he must be warned.