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UNIT 1 IN ON THE ACTION - VERBS IN THE PRESENT TENSE
This Unit directs you straight to the
heart of the action, the Verb, and explains what it is, how it
is set out in the Present Tense and how to recognise other
Verbs of the same kind. You will be shown the basic building blocks
of all regular Verbs and learn how most of what is written or spoken
in Latin is in the Indicative Mood.
UNIT 2 PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS - NOUNS
In this Unit you will be introduced to
the Noun and given the opportunity to see how it works in all
its different forms. By expanding your experience of both Verbs
and Nouns, this Unit, taken in conjunction with the previous one,
will enable you to understand a good number of whole
sentences.
UNIT 3 A CHANGE IN PERSPECTIVE - PRESENT INDICATIVE PASSIVE
This Unit continues with Verbs in the
Present Tense, but you will be looking at them ‘the other way
on’. The emphasis is no longer on the Active Verbs of Unit 1
but on the concept of Passive Verbs. In addition you will
meet for the first time the bizarre phenomenon known as Deponent
Verbs which have no equivalent in English.
UNIT 4 THE ART OF DESCRIPTION - ADJECTIVES
This Unit sets out and explains the use
of the Adjective, and shows how it enriches the
sentence by its ability to describe. Thus a fuller, more rounded
dimension is given to the sentence with the addition of Adjectives.
UNIT 5 WHERE WHEN AND HOW - ADVERBS AND PREPOSITIONS
This Unit presents an array of words
and phrases which illustrate the dimensions of time, space
and manner. These are called Adverbs and Prepositions
and they play an important role in embedding a sentence in its
intended context.
UNIT 6 A MAJOR MOOD SWING - THE SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD
In this Unit you will be introduced to
the Subjunctive Mood, a concept not as fearsome as its name
suggests, and you will gain valuable experience of how it is used in
situations which express all that is mysterious and spiritual. It is
compared and contrasted with the Indicative Mood mentioned in Unit 1.
UNIT 7 CHANGE AND CHANGE AGAIN - THE PASSIVE SUBJUNCTIVE
This Unit presents a double change in perspective. This means that you will be required to think in terms not only of the Subjunctive but also of the Passive at the same time. You will see clearly the basic form of this construction and be given ample opportunity to see how it works in practice. There is also the opportunity of handling Deponent Verbs.
UNIT 8 PERFECT FULFILMENT - THE ‘PERFECT’ TENSE
This is your first excursion into the
Past. In this Unit you will see how Verbs indicating completed
actions are formed and used, and why they are grouped into what is
called the Perfect Tense. You will also learn about the 4
Principal Parts of a Verb, thereby gaining an overall view of
almost all Latin Verbs. This is a major step in the direction of
increased independence in handling the language as it helps you to
discern accurately almost any Latin Verb, even ones which you have
not met before.
UNIT 9 PERFECTLY PASSIVE - THE PERFECT INDICATIVE PASSIVEIn this Unit you will meet and use the
Past Participle for the first time and be able to see its
potential for forming the Perfect Tense in its Passive
as well as its Deponent form.
UNIT 10 LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE - FUTURE INDICATIVE ACTIVE
This Unit demonstrates the formation
and use of the Future Tense and shows clearly its close
similarity with English usage. It opens up yet another perspective,
greatly increasing your range of knowledge and experience of the
Latin language.
UNIT 11 BACK TO THE FUTURE - FUTURE INDICATIVE PASSIVE
This Unit continues with the Future
Tense, this time in its Passive and Deponent forms.
Now you are in possession of enough experience to deal confidently
with any number of Latin sentences relating to the Past, Present or
Future in the forms set out above.
UNIT 12 GIVING ORDERS - THE IMPERATIVE
This Unit explains the form and
function of the Imperative, that is the way in which commands
are given in Latin. You will be introduced to the basic form of the
Imperative and taken through a variety of examples which show how it
is used in the two-way communication between God and man.
UNIT 13 DO’S AND DON’TS - THE IMPERATIVE CONTINUED
This Unit covers the Negative
Imperative together with some slightly unusual and less common
forms including the Passive and Deponent Imperative.
With the help of this Unit and the previous one, you will be able to
recognise any form of the Imperative that you might meet.
UNIT 14 SOME LEFTOVERS - MORE TENSES
This Unit shows how the broad
categories of Past, Present and Future Tenses can be divided up into
more subtle categories of time - the Pluperfect, Imperfect
and Future Perfect. At this point, even with a cursory
acquaintance with these new tenses, you will have attained a more
sophisticated knowledge of Verbs, which will enable you to tackle any
passage from the Roman Missal.
UNIT 15 TRIPLE JUMP - THE PARTICIPLES
This Unit covers all you need to know
about Participles - Past, Present and Future
- and provides that extra breadth of experience necessary to
understand the wider range of constructions which you will encounter.
UNIT 16 2 FOR THE PRICE OF 1 - GERUNDS AND GERUNDIVES
In this Unit you will meet two very
idiomatic constructions of the Latin language - the Gerund and
the Gerundive - which look and sound alike but are totally
distinct in their usage. Knowing how these forms are used and
translated will greatly enhance your skill at making sense of your
reading material.
UNIT 17 QUESTION TIME - INTERROGATIVES
This Unit provides you with every facet
of the Interrogative necessary for you to recognise what sort
of question is being asked in Latin. The full range of Interrogative
words is set out and demonstrated in a variety of ways. Together
they provide the finishing touches to the edifice of Latin
constructions which you have been building up from the beginning of
the Course.
UNIT 18 "THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN"
This Unit takes you through some
aspects of the Ordinary of the Mass with special reference to
the language of Sacrifice and that which enhances the essentially
supernatural nature of the liturgy.
UNIT 19 HOW TO READ THE COLLECT, SECRET and POSTCOMMUNION
This Unit aims to help those who are
unfamiliar with the traditional Roman Missal to develop the art of
reading the Orations (ie. the Collect, Secret and Postcommunion), and
to discover the doctrinal content of these ancient prayers which were
suppressed by revisers in the Novus Ordo but continue to enjoy
an untrammelled existence in the Tridentine Mass.
UNIT 20 PROPER OF CORPUS CHRISTI
In this Unit you are on your own! For
the first time you will be required to read and understand an entire
Proper of the Mass containing almost all of the grammatical
points outlined throughout the Course. You will be expected to spot
and identify familiar constructions, match them to their English
equivalent on the other side of the page, and look up any new
vocabulary in the generalised Word List at the end of the book.