Part 35

#nōn metuō mihi#, Pl. _B._ 225, _I fear not for myself_. #nōn semper imbrēs nūbibus hīspidōs mānant in agrōs#, H. 2, 9, 1, _not always from the clouds do showers on stubbly fields come dripping dropping down_. #nōn dīcēs hodiē?# H. _S._ 2, 7, 21, _will you not say without delay?_

1444. #nōn# is a modification of #noenum# or #noenu#, compounded of #ne#, _no_, and the accusative #oinom# or #oenum#, the older form of #ūnum#, _one thing_. #noenum# occurs in Plautus twice, in Ennius, Lucilius, Afranius, and Varro, once each, and #noenu# occurs twice in Lucretius (99).

1445. Negation is often expressed by other compounds of #ne#. In such cases the Latin idiom frequently differs from the English, and a transfer of the negative is required in translation.

Such compounds are: (_a._) Verbs, such as #negō#, #nequeō#, #nesciō#, #nōlō#: as, #negat vērum esse#, _Mur._ 74, _he maintains it is not true_. (_b._) Nouns, such as #nēmō#, #neuter#, #nūllus#, #nihil#: as, #nēminī meus adventus labōrī fuit#, _V._ 1, 16, _my visit did not trouble anybody_. (_c._) Adverbs, such as #numquam#, #nusquam#. (_d._) Similarly, the conjunction #neque# is used for _and not_, _but not_, unless a single word is to be emphasized or contrasted: as, #nec frūstrā#, 8, 5, 3, _and not in vain_.

1446. A form #nec# is used rarely in old Latin in the sense of #nōn#: as, #tū dīs nec rēctē dīcis#, Pl. _B._ 119, _thou dost abuse the gods_, i.e. #nōn rēctē# or #male dīcis#. After Plautus’s time, #nec# for #nōn# occurs in a few set combinations, such as #nec opīnāns#, _not expecting_, and, from Livy on, #necdum#, _not yet_, i.e. #nōndum#.

1447. The form #nē# usually introduces an imperative or a subjunctive, as will be explained further on. But #nē# is also used in the combination #nē . . . quidem#, _not even_, _not . . . either_, with the emphatic word between #nē# and #quidem#: as, #nē tum quidem#, 1, 50, 2, _not even then_. #nē Vorēnus quidem sēsē vāllō continet#, 5, 44, 6, _Vorenus did not keep inside the palisade either_.

1448. The adjective #nūllus# is sometimes used, chiefly in colloquial language, for #nōn# or #nē# (1051): as, #Philotīmus nūllus vēnit#, _Att._ 11, 24, 4, _no Philotimus has shown himself_. #nūllus crēduās#, Pl. _Tri._ 606, _you needn’t believe it at all_.

1449. (2.) The negative #haut# or #haud#, _not_, is used principally with adjectives and adverbs, less frequently with verbs: as,

(_a._) #haud mediocris vir#, _RP._ 2, 55, _no ordinary man_. #rem haud sānē difficilem#, _CM._ 4, _a thing not particularly hard_. #haud procul#, _CM._ 15, _not far_. In all periods of the language often combined with #quisquam#, #ūllus#, #umquam#, #usquam#. (_b._) In old Latin #haud# is freely used with all sorts of verbs, especially with #possum#. In Cicero, it occurs here and there with a few verbs, such as #adsentior#, #errō#, #īgnōrō#, #nītor#, #amō#, but is principally confined to #sciō#, in the combination #haud sciō an#, _I don’t know but_ (1782). Caesar uses #haud# once only, and then in this combination.

1450. A shorter form, #hau#, occurs often in old Latin, and a few times in the classical period: as, #heic est sepulcrum hau pulcrum pulcrai fēminae#, CIL. I, 1007, 2, on the burial site of a woman, _here is the site not sightly of a sightly dame_. In Plautus it is juxtaposed with #sciō#, making #hausciō#, i.e. #nesciō#.

1451. (3.) Negation may also be intimated by such words as #vix#, _hardly_, #parum#, _not . . . enough_, _not quite_, #minus#, _less_, _not_, #minimē#, _least of all_, #male#, &c.

1452. Two negatives in the same sentence are usually equivalent to an affirmative.

Thus, with #nōn# first, an indefinite affirmative: as, #nōn nēmō#, _somebody_, _a certain gentleman_, _one or another_. #nōn nūllus#, _some_. #nōn nihil#, _something_, _somewhat_. #nōn numquam#, _sometimes_. With #nōn# second, a universal affirmative: as, #nēmō nōn#, _everybody_, _every human being_. #nūllus nōn#, _every_. #nihil nōn#, _every thing_. #numquam nōn#, _always_. #nōn possum nōn cōnfitērī#, _Fam._ 9, 14, 1, _I must confess_. #nēmō īgnōrat#, _V._ 2, 111, _everybody knows_.

1453. Sometimes, however, in old Latin, a second negation is used merely to emphasize the negative idea: as, #lapideō sunt corde multī, quōs nōn miseret nēminis#, E. in Fest. p. 162, _there’s many a man with heart of stone, that feels for nobody_. For doubled negatives in compound sentences, see 1660.

[Erratum: 1445 ... (_d._) (_d_)]

USE OF DEGREES OF COMPARISON.

THE POSITIVE.

1454. The positive sometimes expresses an idea of disproportion: as,

#prō multitūdine hominum angustōs sē fīnīs habēre arbitrābantur#, 1, 2, 5, _in view of their large numbers they thought they had a cramped place to live in_. Generally, however, disproportion is expressed as in 1460 or 1461.

THE COMPARATIVE.

1455. When two things only are compared, the comparative is used: as,

#uter igitur melior?# _Div._ 2, 133, _which of the two then is the better?_ #uter est īnsānior hōrum?# H. _S._ 2, 3, 102, _which of these two is crazier?_ #uter erātis, tūn an ille, maior?# Pl. _Men._ 1119, _you were--which of the two the bigger, thou or he?_

1456. The superlative is sometimes loosely used when only two things are meant: as, #Numitōrī, quī stirpis maximus erat, rēgnum lēgat#, L. 1, 3, 10, _to Numitor, who was the eldest of the family, he bequeaths the crown_, of two brothers, Numitor and Amulius. #id me͡ā minumē rēfert, quī sum nātū maxumus#, T. _Ad._ 881, _that is of small concern to me, who am the eldest son_, says Demea, who has only one brother.

1457. From Cicero on, an adjective or adverb is sometimes compared with another adjective or adverb. In such comparisons #quam# is always used.

In this case: (_a._) Both members may have the positive form, the first with #magis#: as, #Celer disertus magis est quam sapiēns#, _Att._ 10, 1, 4, _Celer is more eloquent than wise_. #magis audācter quam parātē#, _Br._ 241, _with more assurance than preparation_. Or (_b._) Both members may have the comparative suffix: as, #lubentius quam vērius#, _Mil._ 78, _with greater satisfaction than truth_. #pestilentia minācior quam perniciōsior#, L. 4, 52, 3, _a plague more alarming than destructive_.

1458. But sometimes the second member is put in the positive, even when the first has the comparative suffix: as, #ācrius quam cōnsīderātē#, Ta. _H._ 1, 83, _with more spirit than deliberation_. And sometimes both members: as, #clārīs maiōribus quam vetustīs#, Ta. 4, 61, _of a house famous rather than ancient_.

1459. The comparative may be modified by ablatives of difference, such as #multō#, _far_, #aliquantō#, _considerably_, #paullō# or #paulō#, _a little_, #nimiō#, _too much_, _ever so much_ (1393). Also by #etiam#, _even_, _still_, and in Catullus, Sallust, Vergil, and later Latin by #longē#, _far_, #adhūc#, _still_.

1460. The comparative of an adjective or adverb often denotes that which is more than usual or more than is right: as,

#solēre aiunt rēgēs Persārum plūrēs uxōrēs habēre#, _V._ 3, 76, _they say the Persian kings generally have several wives_. #senectūs est nātūrā loquācior#, _CM._ 55, _age is naturally rather garrulous_. #stomachābātur senex, sī quid asperius dīxeram#, _DN._ 1, 93, _the old gentleman always got provoked if I said anything a bit rough_.

1461. The comparative of disproportion is often defined by some added expression: as,

#prīvātīs maiōra focīs#, J. 4, 66, _something too great for private hearths_ (1321). #flāgrantior aequō nōn dēbet dolor esse virī#, J. 13, 11, _the indignation of a man must not be over hot_ (1330). In Livy and Tacitus by #quam prō# with the ablative: see the dictionary. Sometimes a new sentence is added: as, #sum avidior, quam satis est, glōriae#, _Fam._ 9, 14, 2, _I am over greedy of glory_. For #quam ut# or #quam quī#, see 1896.

1462. The comparative with a sentence of negative import is often preferred to the superlative with a positive sentence: as,

#elephantō bēluārum nūlla prūdentior#, _DN._ 1, 97, _of the larger beasts not one is more sagacious than the elephant_, or _the elephant is the most sagacious of beasts_. #sequāmur Polybium, quō nēmō fuit dīligentior#, _RP._ 2, 27, _let us follow Polybius, the most scrupulous of men_. For #nēmō# or #quis#, the more emphatic #nihil# or #quid# is often used: as, #Phaedrō nihil ēlegantius, nihil hūmānius#, _DN._ 1, 93, _Phaedrus was the most refined and sympathetic of men_.

1463. In colloquial language, a comparative suffix is sometimes emphasized by the addition of #magis#: as, #mollior magis#, Pl. _Aul._ 422, _more tenderer_. And sometimes by a mixture of construction, the comparative is modified by #aequē#, like the positive: as, #homo mē miserior nūllus est aequē#, Pl. _Mer._ 335, _there’s not a man so woebegone as I_, for #miserior# alone, or #aequē miser#.

1464. The comparative with the ablative is particularly common, when a thing is illustrated by some striking typical object, usually an object of nature. In such illustrations, the positive with _as_ is commonly used in English: as, #lūce clārius#, _V._ 2, 186, _plain as day_. #ō fōns Bandusiae, splendidior vitrō#, H. 3, 13, 1, _ye waters of Bandusia, as glittering as glass_. #melle dulcior ōrātiō#, E. in _CM._ 31, _words sweet as honey_. #ventīs ōcior#, V. 5, 319, _quick as the winds_. #vacca candidior nivibus#, O. _Am._ 3, 5, 10, _a cow as white as driven snow_. #caelum pice nigrius#, O. _H._ 17, 7, _a sky as black as pitch_. #dūrior ferrō et saxō#, O. 14, 712, _as hard as steel and stone_.

THE SUPERLATIVE.

1465. When more than two things are compared, the superlative is used to represent a quality as belonging in the highest degree to an individual or to a number of a class: as,

#proximī sunt Germānīs#, 1, 1, 3, _they live the nearest to the Germans_. #hōrum omnium fortissimī#, 1, 1, 3, _the bravest of these all_.

1466. The superlative may be strengthened by the addition of such words as #ūnus#, _preeminently_, usually with a genitive, #maximē#, #quam#, with or without a form of #possum#, _as possible_, &c., &c. (1892). In old Latin by #multō#; from Cicero on, by #longē#, _far_, and #vel#, _perhaps_, _even_: as,

#cōnfirmāverim rem ūnam esse omnium difficillimam#, _Br._ 25, _I am not afraid to avouch it is the one hardest thing in the world_. #longē nōbilissimus#, 1, 2, 1, _the man of highest birth by far_. #quam maximīs potest itineribus in Galliam contendit#, 1, 7, 1, _he pushes into Gaul by the quickest marches he can_. #quam mātūrrimē#, 1, 33, 4, _as early as possible_.

1467. The superlative is also used to denote a very high degree of the quality.

This superlative, called the _Absolute Superlative_, or the _Superlative of Eminence_, may be translated by the positive with some such word as _most_, _very_: as, #homo turpissimus#, _V._ 4, 16, _an utterly unprincipled man_. Often best by the positive alone: as, #vir fortissimus, Pīsō Aquītānus#, 4, 12, 4, _the heroic Piso of Aquitain_ (1044).

1468. In exaggerated style, the superlative of eminence may be capped by a comparative: as, #stultior stultissumō#, Pl. _Am._ 907, _a greater than the greatest fool_. #ego miserior sum quam tū, quae es miserrima#, _Fam._ 14, 3, 1, _I am myself more unhappy than you, who are a most unhappy woman_.

(B.) USE OF THE VERB.

VOICE.

THE ACTIVE VOICE.

1469. In the active voice, the subject is represented as performing the action of the verb.

1470. By action is meant the operation of any verb, whether active or passive, and whether used intransitively or transitively.

1471. The active of one verb sometimes serves as the passive of another: thus, #pereō#, _go to destruction_, _die_, serves as the passive of #perdō#, _destroy_, and #vēneō#, _go to sale_, _am sold_, as the passive of #vēndō#, _put for sale_, _sell_. Similarly #fīō#, _become_, _get to be_, _am made_, is used in the present system as the passive of #faciō#, _make_ (788).

THE PASSIVE VOICE.

1472. In the passive voice, the subject is represented as acted upon.

1473. The object accusative of the active voice becomes the subject of the passive voice (1125); and the predicate accusative of the active voice becomes a predicate nominative with the passive voice (1167).

Thus (_a._) in the active construction: #illum laudābunt bonī, hunc etiam ipsī culpābunt malī#, Pl. _B._ 397, _the one the good will praise, the other e’en the bad themselves will blame_. In the passive: #laudātur ab hīs, culpātur ab illīs#, H. _S._ 1, 2, 11, _he’s praised by some, by others blamed_. Active: #cīvēs Rōmānōs interficiunt#, 7, 3, 1, _they slay some citizens of Rome_. Passive: #Indutiomarus interficitur#, 5, 58, 6, _Indutiomarus is slain_. (_b._) Active: #mīlitēs certiōrēs facit#, 3, 5, 3, _he informs the soldiers_. Passive: #certior factus est#, 2, 34, _he was informed_.

1474. Verbs which have two accusatives, one of the person and one of the thing in the active voice, generally have the person as subject in the passive, less frequently the thing: see 1171.

1475. An emphasizing or defining accusative, or an accusative of extent or duration, is occasionally made the subject of a passive: as,

#haec illīc est pugnāta pugna#, Pl. _Am._ 253, _this fight was fought off there_ (1140). #tōta mihī dormītur hiems#, Mart. 13, 59, 1, _all winter long by me is slept_, i.e. #tōtam dormiō hiemem# (1151).

1476. The person by whom the action is done is put in the ablative with #ab# or #ā# (1318); the thing by which it is done is put in the instrumental ablative (1377); as,

(_a._) #nōn numquam latrō ā viātōre occīditur#, _Mil._ 55, _once in a while the robber gets killed by the wayfarer_. #respondit, ā cīve sē spoliārī mālle quam ab hoste vēnīre#, Quintil. 12, 1, 43, _he said in reply that he would rather be plundered by a Roman than sold by an enemy_ (1471). (_b._) #ūnīus virī prūdentiā Graecia līberāta est#, N. 2, 5, 3, _Greece was saved from slavery by the sagacity of a single man_, i.e. Themistocles. Very often, however, the person or thing is not expressed, particularly with impersonals.

1477. When the person is represented as a mere instrument, the ablative is used without #ab# (1378); and when collectives, animals, or things without life are personified, the ablative takes #ab# (1318): as,

(_a._) #neque vērō minus Platō dēlectātus est Diōne#, N. 10, 2, 3, _and Plato on his part was just as much bewitched with Dion_. (_b._) #eius ōrātiō ā multitūdine et ā forō dēvorābātur#, _Br._ 283, _his oratory was swallowed whole by the untutored many and by the bar_.

1478. Sometimes the person by whom the action is done is indicated by the dative of the possessor: see 1216. And regularly with the gerund and gerundive construction (2243).

1479. Only verbs of transitive use have ordinarily a complete passive. Verbs of intransitive use have only the impersonal forms of the passive (1034): as,

#diū atque ācriter pugnātum est#, 1, 26, 1, _there was long and sharp fighting_. #tōtīs trepidātur castrīs#, 6, 37, 6, _all through the camp there was tumult and affright_. #mihī̆ quidem persuādērī numquam potuit, animōs ēmorī#, _CM._ 80, _for my part, I never could be convinced that the soul becomes extinct at death_ (1181). Similarly verbs which have a transitive use may also be used impersonally: as, #di͡ēs noctīsque ēstur, bibitur#, Pl. _Most._ 235, _there is eating and drinking all day and all night_ (1133).

1480. The complementary dative of a verb in the active voice is in poetry very rarely made the subject of a passive verb: as, #invideor#, H. _AP._ 56, _I am envied_. #imperor#, H. _E._ 1, 5, 21, _I charge myself_.

1481. The passive had originally a reflexive meaning, which is still to be seen in the passive of many verbs: as,

#exercēbātur plūrimum currendō et lūctandō#, N. 15, 2, 4, _he took a great deal of exercise in running and wrestling_. #dēnsōs fertur in hostīs#, V. 2, 511, _he tries to charge upon the serried foes_. #quod semper movētur, aeternum est#, _TD._ 1, 53, _anything that is always moving, is eternal_.

1482. The present participle of reflexives is sometimes used in a reflexive sense: as, #exercēns#, _exercising oneself_, _exercising_, #ferēns#, _tearing along_, #vehēns#, _riding_, and #invehēns#, _mounted on_, #pāscēns#, _browsing_, #versāns#, _playing_, _being_, #volvēns#, _rolling_. Also the gerund: as, #iūs vehendī#, _the privilege of riding_.

1483. Passive forms of #coepī# and #dēsinō# are commonly used in the perfect system, when a dependent infinitive is passive: as,

#litterīs ōrātiō est coepta mandārī#, _Br._ 26, _oratory began to be put in black and white_. #veterēs ōrātiōnēs legī sunt dēsitae#, _Br._ 123, _the old speeches ceased to be read_. But the active forms are sometimes used by Cornificius, Sallust, and Livy, and regularly by Tacitus. The active forms are used with #fierī# also, which is not passive (789); but even with #fierī#, Livy uses the passive forms.

1484. Similar attractions with a passive infinitive occur in #potestur#, &c., #quītur# and #quitus sum#, #nequītur#, &c., rarely, and mostly in old Latin: as, #fōrma in tenebrīs nōscī nōn quitast#, T. _Hec._ 572, _her shape could hardly be distinguished in the dark_.

1485. Some perfect participles have an active meaning: as, #adultus#, _grown up_. See 907, and also in the dictionary #cautus#, #cōnsultus#, #concrētus#, #dēflāgrātus#, #incōnsīderātus#, #occāsus#, #nūpta#.

[Erratum: 1482 ... as, #exercēns# as.]

DEPONENTS.

1486. Many verbs have only passive inflections, but with the meaning of active inflections. Such verbs are called _Deponents_.

1487. In many deponents, a reflexive, passive, or reciprocal action is still clearly to be seen: as,

#nāscor#, _am born_; #moror#, _delay myself_, _get delayed_; #ūtor#, _avail myself_; #amplectimur#, _hug each other_; #fābulāmur#, _talk together_; #partīmur#, _share with one another_.

1488. Some verbs have both active and deponent inflections: as, #adsentiō#, _agree_, more commonly #adsentior#. #mereō#, _earn_, and #mereor#, _deserve_. See also in the dictionary #altercor#, #auguror#, #comitor#, #cōnflīctor#, #fabricor#, #faeneror#, #mūneror#, #ōscitor#, #palpor#, #populor#, #revertor#. The following have active inflections in the present system and deponent inflections in the perfect system: #audeō#, #cōnfīdō# and #diffīdō#, #gaudeō#, #soleō#: see also 801.

1489. In old Latin especially, many verbs which afterwards became fixed as deponents occur with active inflections also: as, #adūlō#, #arbitrō#, #aucupō#, #auspicō#, #lūctō#, #lūdificō#, #morō#, #partiō#, #venerō#, &c., &c.

1490. Verbs which are usually deponent are rarely found with a passive meaning: as, #Sūllānās rēs dēfendere crīminor#, _LAgr._ 3, 13, _I am charged with defending Sulla’s policy_.

1491. When it is desirable to express the passive of a deponent, a synonyme is sometimes used: thus, the passive of #mīror#, _admire_, may sometimes be represented by #laudor#, _am praised_. Or some circumlocution: as, #habet venerātiōnem quidquid excellit#, _DN._ 1, 45, _anything best in its kind is looked on with respect_, as passive of #veneror#. #familia in suspīciōnem est vocāta#, _V._ 5, 10, _the household was suspected_, as passive of #suspicor#.

1492. The perfect participle of deponents is sometimes used with a passive meaning. Some of the commonest of these participles are: #adeptus#, #commentus#, #complexus#, #cōnfessus#, #ēmentītus#, #expertus#, #meditātus#, #opīnātus#, #pactus#, #partītus#, #testātus#, &c., &c.

MOOD.

THE INDICATIVE MOOD.

DECLARATIONS.

1493. The indicative mood is used in simple, absolute declarations: as,

#arma virumque canō#, V. 1, 1, _arms and the man I sing_. #leve fit quod bene fertur onus#, O. _A._ 4, 2, 10, _light gets the load that’s bravely borne_.

1494. The negative used with the indicative is commonly #nōn#, _not_ (1443). For other negative expressions, see 1445-1451.

1495. Certain verbs and verbal expressions denoting ability, duty, propriety, necessity, and the like, mostly with an infinitive, are regularly put in the indicative, even when the action of the infinitive is not performed.

This applies to declarations, questions, or exclamations: as, (_a._) #possum dē ichneumonum ūtilitāte dīcere, sed nōlō esse longus#, _DN._ 1, 101, _I might expatiate on the usefulness of the ichneumon, but I do not care to be long-winded_. #inter ferās satius est aetātem dēgere quam in hāc tantā immānitāte versārī#, _RA._ 150, _it would be better to pass your days in the midst of howling beasts than to live and move among such brutish men_. (_b._) #stultī erat sperāre#, _Ph._ 2. 23, _it would have been folly to hope_. #quid enim facere poterāmus?# _Pis._ 13, _for what else could we have done?_ (_c._) #licuit uxōrem genere summō dūcere#, Pl. _MG._ 680, _I might have married a wife of high degree_. #nōn potuit pīctor rēctius dēscrībere eius fōrmam#, Pl. _As._ 402, _no painter could have hit his likeness more exactly_. (_d._) #quantō melius fuerat prōmissum patris nōn esse servātum#, _Off._ 3, 94, _how much better it would have been, for the father’s word not to have been kept_.

1496. The principal verbs and verbal expressions thus used are: (_a._) #possum#, #licet#, #dēbeō#, #oportet#, #convenit#, #decet#. (_b._) #aequum#, #aequius#, #iūstum#, #fās#, #necesse est#; #cōnsentāneum#, #satis#, #satius#, #optābile#, #optābilius est#; #ūtilius#, #melius#, #optimum#, #pār#, #rēctum est#; #facile#, #difficile#, #grave#, #īnfīnītum#, #longum#, #magnum est#; #est# with the predicative genitive, or a possessive pronoun (1237). (_c._) Similarly, but without an infinitive, forms of #sum# with a gerund, a gerundive, or a future participle.

1497. The imperfect of most of the above verbs and verbal expressions often relates to action not performed at the present time: as,

#hīs aliās poteram subnectere causās; sed eundum est#, J. 3, 315, _to these I might add other grounds; but I must go_. The context must determine whether the imperfect relates (_a._) to action not performed either in the present as here, or in the past as in 1495, or (_b._) to action performed in the past: as, #sollicitāre poterat, audēbat#, _C._ 3, 16, _he had at once the assurance and the ability to play the tempter’s part_.

1498. Forms of #possum# are sometimes put in the subjunctive (1554). Thus, #possim#, &c., often (1556), also #possem#, &c., usually of present time (1560), less frequently of past time (1559), #potuissem#, &c., particularly in sentences of negative import (1561), rarely #potuerim#, &c. (1558). Sometimes also #dēbērem#, &c., of present time (1560), #dēbuissem#, &c., chiefly in apodosis.

QUESTIONS.

1499. The indicative is the mood ordinarily used in enquiries and in exclamations: as,

(_a._) #huic ego ‘studēs?’ inquam. respondit ‘etiam.’ ‘ubī̆?’ ‘Mediōlānī.’ ‘cūr nōn hīc?’ ‘quia nūllōs hīc praeceptōrēs habēmus,’# Plin. _Ep._ 4, 13, 3, _said I to the boy, ‘do you go to school?’ ‘yes, sir,’ said he; ‘where?’ ‘at Mediolanum;’ ‘why not here?’ ‘oh because we haven’t any teachers here.’_ (_b._) #ut ego tuum amōrem et dolōrem dēsīderō#, _Att._ 3, 11, 12, _how I always feel the absence of your affectionate sympathy_.

1500. Questions and exclamations are used much more freely in Latin than in English. Particularly common are two questions, of which the first is short and general, leading up to the real question: as,

#sed quid ais? ubi nunc adulēscēns habet?# Pl. _Tri._ 156, _but tell me, where is the youngster living now?_ #estne? vīcī? et tibī̆ saepe litterās dō?# Cael. in _Fam._ 8, 3, 1, _is it true? have I beaten? and do I write to you often?_ The real question is often preceded by #quid est#, #quid dīcis#, or by #quid#, #quid vērō#, #quid tum#, #quid posteā#, #quid igitur#, #quid ergō#, &c., &c.: as, #quid? canis nōnne similis lupō?# _DN._ 1, 97, _why, is not the dog like the wolf?_