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Chapter 36
What Wheelock calls "jussive noun clauses," I prefer to call "indirect command." This type of subordinate clause resembles other clauses we've seen:
There is another important aspect of indirect command. Verbs introducing indirect command use particular case constructions—in the same way that we say, "I ordered him (accusative) to go" but "I sought from him (preposition) that he leave"—these must be memorized individually. Wheelock includes a list of these verbs and the constructions they use on page 173, note 1. This is arguably the most egregious omission in Wheelock's otherwise excellent text. To read classical Latin, one must know clauses of fearing and, because this form of subordination is vaguely related to the "indirect" constructions, I include it in this chapter. Wheelock includes examples of fearing clauses on page 378. You will be expected to know this construction on tests. With one exception, fearing clauses present no real surprises. They are introduced by verbs of fearing, use ut or ne and call for subjunctive verbs following sequence of tenses. The exception is that, contrary to expectation, ut means "that . . . not" and ne means "that." The reason for this is that fearing clauses originated as independent prohibitions: "I am afraid. May it not (ne) happen!" which developed into "I am afraid that (ne) it may happen"; and the converse, "I am afraid. Let (ut) it happen!" which became "I am afraid that (ut) it may not happen."
Another example of composite conjugation, fio supplies the passive of facio which produces only active forms in the present-tense system. This is true, however, only of facio when it is uncompounded (i.e. without a prefix); in compound, it has a full range of passive forms, e.g. conficitur. Conversely in the perfect system, simple facio exhibits its own passive forms (factus sum). Note the following:
cogo: = co- + ago (literally, "drive together"). Although the present base contracts to cog-, the perfect forms coegi and coactum lack contraction. Cogo can be followed by either (1) an accusative noun + an infinitive ("force him to act") or (2) an accusative noun + ut + subjunctive ("force him that he act"). curo: Does not mean "cure"; see Chapter 4, s.v. cura. It can be followed by indirect command, in the sense "Take care that . . .!" fateor: This verb is better known to English-speakers in its compound forms which exhibit vowel gradation: confiteor (confessus) and profiteor (professus). Fateor takes both indirect statement and indirect question. The fa- base, meaning "speak" and coming from an Indo-European base bha-, is also seen in fabula, fatum and fama.
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