CONJUNCTIONS
1 [*] 323. Copulative and Disjunctive Conjunctions connect similar constructions, and are regularly followed by the same case or mood that precedes them:—- scrīptum senātuī et populō; (Cat. 3.10), written to the senate and people.
- “ut eās [partīs] sānārēs et cōnfīrmārēs ” (Mil. 68) , that you might cure and strengthen those parts.
- “ neque meā prūdentiā neque hūmānīs cōnsiliīs frētus ” (Cat. 2.29) , relying neither on my own foresight nor on human wisdom.
- “hīs igitur quam physicīs potius crēdendum exīstimās ” (Div. 2.37) , do you think these are more to be trusted than the natural philosophers?
- “hominem callidiōrem vīdī nēminem quam Phormiōnem ” (Ter. Ph. 591) , a shrewder man I never saw than Phormio (cf. § 407).
- “ ut nōn omne vīnum sīc nōn omnis nātūra vetustāte coacēscit ” (Cat. M. 65) , as every wine does not sour with age, so [does] not every nature.
- “in mē quasi in tyrannum ” (Phil. 14.15) , against me as against a tyrant.
- omnēs dī, hominēs, all gods and men.
- summī, mediī, īnfimī, the highest, the middle class, and the lowest.
- “iūra, lēgēs, agrōs, lībertātem nōbīs relīquērunt ” (B. G. 7.77) , they have left us our rights, our laws, our fields, our liberty.
- Where there are more than two coördinate words etc., a
conjunction, if used, is ordinarily used with all (or all except the
first):—
- “aut aere aliēnōaut māgnitūdine tribūtōrum autiniūriā potentiōrum ” (B. G. 6.13) , by debt, excessive taxation, or oppression on the part of the powerful.
- “at sunt mōrōsī etanxiī etīrācundī etdifficilēs senēs ” (Cat. M. 65) , but (you say) old men are capricious, solicitous, choleric, and fussy.
- But words are often so divided into groups that the members of
the groups omit the conjunction (or express it), while the groups
themselves express the conjunction (or omit it):—
- “propudium illud et portentum, L. Antōnius īnsīgne odium omnium hominum ” (Phil. 14.8) , that wretch and monster, Lucius Antonius, the abomination of all men.
- utrumque ēgit graviter, auctōritāte etoffēnsiōne animī nōn acerbā; (Lael. 77), he acted in both cases with dignity, without loss of authority and with no bitterness of feeling.
- The enclitic -que is sometimes used
with the last member of a series, even when there is no grouping
apparent:—
- “vōce voltū mōtūque ” (Brut. 110) , by voice, expression, and gesture.
- “cūram cōnsilium vigilantiamque ” (Phil. 7.20) , care, wisdom, and vigilance.
- “quōrum auctōritātem dīgnitātem voluntātemque dēfenderās ” (Fam. 1.7.2) , whose dignity, honor, and wishes you had defended.
- multae et gravēs causae, many weighty reasons.
- “vir līber aç fortis ” (Rep. 2.34) , a free and brave man.
- et ... et (-que ... -que), both ... and.
- aut ... aut, either ... or.
- vel ... vel, either ... or. [Examples in § 324. e.]
- sīve ( seu ) ... sīve ( seu ), whether ... or. [Examples in § 324. f.]
- nunc ... nunc , tum ... tum, iam ... iam, now ... now.
- modo ... modo, now ... now.
- simul ... simul, at the same time ... at the same time.
- quā ... quā, now ... now, both ... and, alike [this] and [that].
- “ modo ait modo negat ” (Ter. Eun. 714) , now he says yes, now no.
- “ simul grātiās agit, simul grātulātur ” (Q. C. 6.7.15) , he thanks him and at the same time congratulates him.
- “ērumpunt saepe vitia amīcōrum tum in ipsōs amīcōs tum in aliēnōs ” (Lael. 76) , the faults of friends sometimes break out, now against their friends themselves, now against strangers.
- quā marīs quā fēminās (Pl. Mil. 1113), both males and females.
- ut (rel.) ... ita , sīc (dem.), as (while) ... so (yet).
- tam (dem.) ... quam (rel.), so (as) ... as.
- cum (rel.) ... tum (dem.), while ... so also; not only ... but also.
- cum coniugibus et līberīs, with [their] wives and children.
- ferrō īgnī que, with fire and sword. [Not as separate things, but as the combined means of devastation.]
- aquā et īgnī interdictus, forbidden the use of water and fire. [In a legal formula, where they are considered separately.]
- omnia honesta atque inhonesta, everything honorable and dishonorable (too, without the slightest distinction).
- ūsus atque disciplīna, practice and theory beside (the more important or less expected).
- atque ego crēdō, and yet I believe (for my part).
- simul atque, as soon as.
- nōn secus (nōn aliter) ac sī, not otherwise than if.
- prō eō ac dēbuī, as was my duty (in accordance as I ought).
- aequē ac tū, as much as you.
- haud minus ac iussī faciunt, they do just as they are ordered.
[*] Note.-- Et, -que, and atque (ac) are sometimes used where the English idiom would suggest but, especially when a negative clause is followed by an affirmative clause continuing the same thought: as, “—impetum hostēs ferre nōn potuērunt ac terga vertērunt” (B. G. 4.35) , the enemy could not stand the onset, but turned their backs.
[*] e. Aut, or, excludes the alternative; vel (an old imperative of volō ) and -ve give a choice between two alternatives. But this distinction is not always observed:—- sed quis ego sum aut quae est in mē “facultās” (Lael. 17) , but who am I or what special capacity have I? [Here vel could not be used, because in fact a negative is implied and both alternatives are excluded.]
- “ aut bibat aut abeat ” (Tusc. 5.118) , let him drink or (if he won't do that, then let him) quit. [Here vel would mean, let him do either as he chooses.]
- vīta tālis fuit vel fortūnā vel glōriā; (Lael. 12), his life was such either in respect to fortune or fame (whichever way you look at it).
- sī propinquōs habeant imbēcilliōrēs vel animō vel fortūnā; (id. 70), if they have relatives beneath them either in spirit or in fortune (in either respect, for example, or in both).
- aut deōrum aut rēgum fīliī; (id. 70), sons either of gods or of kings. [Here one case would exclude the other.]
- implicātī vel ūsū diūturnō vel etiam officiīs (id. 85), entangled either by close intimacy or even by obligations. [Here the second case might exclude the first.]
- “ sīve inrīdēns sīve quod ita putāret ” (De Or. 1.91) , either laughingly or because he really thought so.
- “ sīve deae seu sint volucrēs ” (Aen. 3.262) , whether they (the Harpies) are goddesses or birds.
- (ea vīta) quae est sōla vīta nōminanda. nam dum sumus inclūsī in hīs compāgibus corporis, mūnere quōdam necessitātis et gravī opere perfungimur; est enim animus caelestis, etc. (Cat. M. 77), (that life) which alone deserves to be called life; for so long as we are confined by the body's frame, we perform a sort of necessary function and heavy task. For the soul is from heaven.
- “hārum trium sententiārum nūllī prōrsus adsentior. nec enim illa prīma vēra est ” (Lael. 57) , for of course that first one is n't true.
- malum mihi vidētur esse mors. est miserum igitur, quoniam malum. certē. ergō et eī quibus ēvēnit iam ut morerentur et eī quibus ēventūrum est miserī. mihi ita vidētur. nēmō ergō nōn miser. (Tusc. 1.9.) Death seems to me to be an evil. ‘It is wretched, then, since it is an evil.’ Certainly. ‘Therefore, all those who have already died and who are to die hereafter are wretched.’ So it appears to me. ‘There is no one, therefore, who is not wretched.’
- “ quia nātūra mūtārī nōn potest, idcircō vērae amīcitiae sempiternae sunt ” (Lael. 32) , because nature cannot be changed, for this reason true friendships are eternal.
Negative Particles
3 [*] 325. In the use of the Negative Particles, the following points are to be observed:— [*] 326. Two negatives are equivalent to an affirmative:—- nēmō nōn audiet, every one will hear (nobody will not hear).
- nōn possum nōn cōnfitērī; (Fam. 9.14.1), I must confess.
- “ut ... nē nōn timēre quidem sine aliquō timōre possīmus ” (Mil. 2) , so that we cannot even be relieved of fear without some fear.
- nōn nūllus, some; nōn nūllī; (=aliquī), some few.
- nōn nihil (=aliquid), something.
- nōn nēmō; (=aliquot), sundry persons.
- nōn numquam (=aliquotiēns), sometimes.
- nēmō nōn, nūllus nōn, nobody [does] not, i.e. everybody [does]. [Cf. nōn nēmō, not nobody, i.e. somebody.]
- nihil nōn, everything. [Cf. nōn nihil, something.]
- numquam nōn, never not, i.e. always. [Cf. nōn numquam, sometimes.]
- nōn semel (=saepissimē), often enough (not once only).
- “ nōn haec sine nūmine dīvom ēveniunt ” (Aen. 2.777) , these things do not occur without the will of the gods.
- haec nōn nimis exquīrō; (Att. 7.18.3), not very much, i.e. very little.
[*] Note.--Compare nōn nūllus , nōn nēmō , etc., in a above.
[*] 327. A general negation is not destroyed—- By a following nē ... quidem, not even, or nōn modo, not only:—
- By succeeding negatives each introducing a separate
subordinate member:—
- “eaque nesciēbant nec ubi nec quālia essent ” (Tusc. 3.4) , they knew not where or of what kind these things were.
- By neque introducing a coördinate member:—
- nūllī ( neutrī ) crēdō (not nōn crēdō ūllī ), I do not believe either (I believe neither).
- sine ūllō perīculō; (less commonly cum nūllō ), with no danger (without any danger).
- nihil umquam audīvī iūcundius, I never heard anything more amusing.
- Cf. negō haec esse vēra (not dīcō nōn esse ), I say this is not true (I deny, etc.)
- “hostēs terga vertērunt, neque prius fugere dēstitērunt ” (B. G. 1.53) , the enemy turned and fled, and did not stop fleeing until, etc.
[*] Note.--Similarly nec quisquam is regularly used for et nēmō; neque ūllus for et nūllus; nec umquam for et numquam; nēve ( neu ), for et nē .
[*] 329. The particle immo, nay, is used to contradict some part of a preceding statement or question, or its form; in the latter case, the same statement is often repeated in a stronger form, so that immo becomes nearly equivalent to yes (nay but, nay rather):—- “causa igitur nōn bona est? immo optima ” (Att. 9.7.4) , is the cause then not a good one? on the contrary, the best.