Grammar
What are the main functions of the Nominative Case?
Subject or Predicate Nominative
Who is Catullus addressing in the first line? What is he telling them to do?
He is telling all Venuses, cupids, and most charming of men to weep.
Who was Homer? When and where did he live?
A writer from Ancient Greece. He lived between 700 and 600 bce.
passer mortuus est meae puellae,
The sparrow of my girl is dead
What is the main function of the Genitive Case?
Object of the Preposition
Who has died?
The sparrow of his girlfriend
Who was Catullus? When and where did he live?
A writer from Ancient Rome. He lived from 84 to 54 bce.
passer, deliciae meae puellae,
quem plus illa oculis suis amabat
The sparrow, delight of my girl, whom she loved more than her own eyes.
What is the main function of the Dative Case?
Indirect Object
Catullus uses three things to describe ‘Passer’ and his devotion to ‘mea puella’. One is an adjective, and two are actions. What are those three things?
He says that:
the sparrow is sweet
he hops around on her lap, here and there
and that he chirps only for her
What did Homer write? What Meter did he write in?
He wrote Homeric Epics, like the Iliad and the Odyssey, in dactylic hexameter.
ad solam dominam usque pipiabat.
he chirps for his lady alone
What are the main functions of the Accusative Case?
Direct Object or Object of the Preposition
In line 11 Catullus claims that the ‘Passer’ goes on a journey. On what journey is ‘Passer’ going? Will he return?
He is going on a dark shadowy journey, one from which he won't return
What did Catullus write? List two of the meters that he used.
He wrote neoteric poetry, he used hendecasyllabic meter and elegiac couplets.
qui nunc it per iter tenebricosum illuc
who is now going on a dark journey
What is the main function of the Ablative Case?
Object of the Preposition
In line 13 Catullus curses an ancient god and his ‘malae tenebrae’. What is the name of this ancient god? What does this god devour?
The god is Orcus, and he devours all beautiful things
Cheese-itz
How many (visible) frogs are in Ms. Riedlinger's classroom?
Three