previous next


233.7.

sub muro, etc.: this sentence is an excellent example, at the same time, both of the natural precedence of the relative in Latin and of the freedom of all real language from grammatical trammels. The student should first translate it literally thus: Under the wall, which side of the hill (i.e. the side which) faced the east all this space the forces of the Gauls had filled, and had carried along a ditch, etc. The meaning of this is obvious, but it is not at all in accordance with our English idiom. Indeed, it is not strictly grammatical in any language. After the student has seen what it means, he should try to put it into some form that is allowable in English idiom, say: Under the wall, the side … , all this space the forces … , and had made there, etc.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

An XML version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.

hide Display Preferences
Greek Display:
Arabic Display:
View by Default:
Browse Bar: