Chapter 1 Chapter 1
A clause, as you know,
is a group of words having a subject and a conjugated verb. A main clause
can stand by itself and make sense; it expresses a complete thought. A subordinate
clause does not; it is incomplete unless accompanied by a main clause. A
relative clause is a subordinate clause which relates or refers back to
a word in the clause before it. A relative clause is introduced by a relative
pronoun. In English, the relative pronouns are who, which, that, whom, and
whose. Although they can sometimes be omitted in English, they must always
be expressed in Latin.
A relative pronoun enables you to combine two short, simple sentences into one complex sentence, as in the following example:
Sentence A: That is the hero.
Sentence B: He won the war.
You can combine Sentence A and Sentence B by replacing the subject pronoun "he" with the relative pronoun "who":
Sentence A/B: That is the hero who won the war.
"Who won the war" is the relative clause. It does not express a complete thought, and it is introduced by a relative pronoun. "Who" stands for the noun "hero." "Hero" is called the antecedent of "who." Notice that the antecedent comes immediately before the relative pronoun, to prevent confusion.
The relative pronoun serves
two purposes:
Study the following examples
in English and Latin.
The woman who caused the war was Helen.
Femina quae causam belli dedit erat Helena.
The relative clause is "quae causam belli dedit." The relative pronoun is "quae" and its antecedent is "femina." Like its antecedent, "quae" is feminine singular. Within the relative clause, "quae" is the subject of "dedit," and so it is in the nominative case.
Is this the kingdom (that) the Greeks destroyed?
Hocne est regnum quod Graeci vastaverunt?
The relative clause is "quod Graeci vastaverunt." The relative pronoun is "quod" and its antecedent is "regnum." Like its antecedent, "quod" is neuter singular. Within the relative clause, "quod" is the direct object of "vastaverunt," and so it is in the accusative case.
Circe, whose power was very great, kept Hector in her palace.
Circe, cuius potentia erat maxima, Ulixem in regia retinebat.
The relative clause is "cuius potentia erat maxima." The relative pronoun is "cuius" and its antecedent is "Circe." Like its antecedent, "cuius" is feminine singular. Within the relative clause, "cuius" is a possessive modifier connecting Circe with her power, and so it is in the genitive case.
Where is the woman you ran away with (with whom you ran away)?
Ubi est femina cum qua confugisti?
The relative clause is "cum qua confugisti." The relative pronoun is "qua" and its antecedent is "femina." Like its antecedent, "qua" is feminine singular. Within the relative clause, "qua" is the object of the preposition "cum," and so it is in the ablative case. With its preposition, it could also be written "quacum."
The temples (which) we are visiting are very beautiful.
Templa quae visitamus sunt pulcherrima.
The relative clause is "quae visitamus." The relative pronoun is "quae" and its antecedent is "templa." Like its antecedent, "quae" is neuter plural. Within the relative clause, "quae" is the direct object of "visitamus," and so it is in the accusative case.
