Chapter 20
CLASSIFICATION OF SENTENCES.
161. Sentences may be classified as follows:--
1. DECLARATIVE, which state something; as,--
puer scrībit, _the boy is writing_.
2. INTERROGATIVE, Which ask a question; as,--
quid puer scrībit, _what is the boy writing?_
3. EXCLAMATORY, which are in the form of an exclamation; as,--
quot librōs scrībit, _how many books he writes!_
4. IMPERATIVE, which express a command or an admonition; as,--
scrībe, _write!_
FORM OF INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES.
162. Questions may be either Word-Questions or Sentence-Questions.
1. Word-Questions. These are introduced by the various interrogative pronouns and adverbs, such as--quis, quī, quālis, quantus, quot, quotiēns, quō, quā, etc. Thus:--
quis venit, _who comes?_ quam dīū manēbit, _how long will he stay?_
2. Sentence-Questions. These are introduced--
a) By nōnne implying the answer 'yes'; as,--
nōnne vidētis, _do you not see?_
b) By num implying the answer 'no'; as,--
num exspectās, _do you expect?_ (i.e. _you don't expect, do you?_)
c) by the enclitic -ne, appended to the emphatic word (which usually stands first), and simply asking for information; as,--
vidēsne, _do you see?_
A question introduced by -ne may receive a special implication from the context; as,--
sēnsistīne, _did you not perceive?_
d) Sometimes by no special word, particularly in expressions of _surprise_ or _indignation_; as,--
tū in jūdicum cōnspectum venīre audēs, _do you dare to come into the presence of the judges?_
3. Rhetorical Questions. These are questions merely in form, being employed to express an emphatic assertion; as, quis dubitat, _who doubts?_ (_= no one doubts_).
4. Double Questions. Double Questions are introduced by the following particles:--
utrum ... an;
-ne ... an;
---- ... an.
If the second member is negative, annōn (less often necne) is used. Examples:--
utrum honestum est an turpe, } honestumne est an turpe, } _is it honorable or base?_ honestum est an turpe, } suntne dī annōn, _are there gods or not?_
a. An was not originally confined to double questions, but introduced single questions, having the force of -ne, nōnne, or num. Traces of this use survive in classical Latin; as,--
Ā rēbus gerendīs abstrahit senectūs. Quibus? An eīs quae juventūte geruntur et vīrībus? _Old age (it is alleged) withdraws men from active pursuits. From what pursuits? Is it not merely from those which are carried on by the strength of youth?_
5. Answers.
a. The answer YES is expressed by ita, etiam, vērō, sānē, or by repetition of the verb; as,--
'vīsne locum mūtēmus?' 'sānē'. _'Shall we change the place?'_ _'Certainly.'_
'estīsne vōs lēgatī?' 'sumus.' _'Are you envoys?'_ _'Yes.'_
b. The answer NO is expressed by nōn, minimē, minimē vērō, or by repeating the verb with a negative; as,--
'jam ea praeteriit?' 'nōn.' _'Has it passed?'_ _'No.'_
'estne frāter intus?' 'nōn est.' _'Is your brother within?'_ _'No.'_
SUBJECT AND PREDICATE.
163. The two essential parts of a sentence are the SUBJECT and PREDICATE.
The SUBJECT is that _concerning which something is said, asked, etc._ The PREDICATE is that _which is said, asked, etc., concerning_ the SUBJECT.
SIMPLE AND COMPOUND SENTENCES.
164. Sentences containing but one Subject and one Predicate are called SIMPLE SENTENCES, those containing more are called COMPOUND SENTENCES. Thus puer librōs legit, _the boy reads books_, is a Simple Sentence; but puer librōs legit et epistulās scrībit, _the boy reads books and writes letters_, is a Compound Sentence. The different members of a Compound Sentence are called Clauses.
165. COÖRDINATE AND SUBORDINATE CLAUSES. Clauses which stand upon an equality are called COÖRDINATE; a Clause dependent on another is called SUBORDINATE. Thus in puer librōs legit et epistulās scrībit the two clauses are Coördinate; but in puer librōs legit quōs pater scrībit, _the boy reads the books which his father writes_, the second clause is Subordinate to the first.
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