Chapter 14

Card Design

Color-code Parts of Speech

Card Front

Dictionary Information

Abbreviate

Macrons (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū)

All

Essential (2nd conjugation infinitives)

Additional Resources:

Quizlet

I. Read the words outloud.
It's true that you will never need to speak to an ancient Roman (unless you learn how to time-travel, in which case please bring me along). However, don't underestimate the importance of pronunciation— it's crucial for understanding components of Latin, especially when you learn new endings to form plural nouns and verb tenses.

There's a reason we spend so much time chanting the words in class. Don't just glaze over the words and make a "blah blah" sound in your head. Remember, the letters in Latin follow consistent rules (unlike in English). Review pronunciation rules here.

II. Write the words down.
You don't necessarily need to make your own hand-written flashcards (it still would be a good idea!) but consider having someone else say the words or press the audio buttons while you write down both the Latin word and its English meaning.

III. Pay attention to parts of speech.
Terms are color-coded by parts of speech:

Verbs
Nouns & Pronouns
Prepositions
Adjectives
Adverbs
Conjunctions
Interjections

You will need to provide dictionary information (the colored info on the back of the cards) starting in Chapter 3 and beyond. Knowing a word's part of speech will help you recognize patterns and translate at a faster rate. Trust me.

IV. Draw nouns.
Who said studying has to be boring? Draw pictures of the nouns, and label them in Latin, of course. I am always happy to see students' creativity at work. Additional drawing activities can be found at the top of the page under "Print-Offs."

V. Act out verbs.
If you need a break from writing, give kinesthetic learning a shot. Say a verb in Latin while acting it out.

VI. Pay extra attention to adverbs and conjunctions !
Students frequently miss these parts of speech on assessments because they are harder to visualize in comparison to nouns, adjectives, and verbs. Honestly, you might just need to chant and write them over and over until they stick.

VII. Beware of hindsight bias.
Often, students make the mistake of thinking that they know the English meanings of words when they really don't.

What happens is that students will flip over a card and recognize the correct answer, but they don't truly know the correct answer. Remember, vocabulary quizzes are NOT multiple choice. They require students to produce the correct answer in writing, not identify the correct answer from a set. So before you hastily flip over a card, make sure that you say or write your answer first. If your answer doesn't match the back of the card, you don't know it well enough.

VIII. Avoid meaningless memorization shortcuts.
Remembering that the Latin word for "to live" (habitō, habitāre) starts with the letter "h" might help you on a quiz in the short term, but what about when you learn habeō, habēre? Making sure you thoroughly know a word will pay off in the long run. This is one reason saying the word outloud is helpful. Account for every syllable and for every letter.

IX. Learn derivatives.
Derivatives are English words that come from Latin words. As it turns out, Latin isn't so dead after all!

Example: An uninhabitable place is where nothing can live. (habitō, habitāre = to live)

The SPA Latin teachers have provided some English derivatives in small gray print on the back side of the cards. You can earn extra points on quizzes by providing these (with correct spelling).

n.b. Sometimes, words change meanings over time, so derivatives might not always be helpful. For example, the English word "trade" comes from the Latin "tradō, tradere" which originally meant "to give," rather than "to exchange." All derivatives provided on this site are "safe."

X. Study English to Latin.
You typically will only have to translate from Latin to English. However, if you study English to Latin, this will help ensure that you know the words really well. This is a more difficult skill that takes longer to achieve, even for Latin teachers.

Chapter 14

accidit

(3rd person singular)

(it) happens

agō, ag‍ere

to do, drive, act

ars, artis f.

skill

derivative: artisanal

aurīga, aurīgae f.

charioteer

cessō, cess‍āre

to quit

cisium, cisiī n.

2004 Honda Cisium C-850

commōtus, commōt‍a, commōtum

upset

culpa, culpae f.

fault

cūnctī, cūnct‍ae, cūncta

all

eō, īre

to go

frūstrā

unsuccessfully, without success

gaudeō, gaud‍ēre

to be glad

haereō, haer‍ēre

to stick or be stuck

derivative: adhesive

incolumis, incolum‍is, incolum‍e

safe, unhurt

moveō, mov‍ēre

to move

derivative: motion

noster, nostr‍a, nostr‍um

our

perīculum, perīculī n.

danger

quattuor

four

quod (n.)

(relative pronoun)

that, which

raeda, raedae f.

carriage

tabellārius, tabellāriī m.

courier, mailman

vertō, vert‍ere

to turn

derivatives: conversion, vertical, invert

via, viae f.

road

Sort:

Alphabetically

By Parts of Speech

accidit

(it) happens

agō, ag‍ere

to do, drive, act

ars, artis f.

skill

derivative: artisanal

aurīga, aurīg‍ae f.

charioteer

cessō, cess‍āre

to quit

cisium, cisi‍ī n.

2004 Honda Cisium C-850

commōtus, commōt‍a, commōt‍um

upset

culpa, culp‍ae f.

fault

cūnctī, cūnct‍ae, cūnct‍a

all

eō, īre

to go

frūstrā

unsuccessfully, without success

gaudeō, gaud‍ēre

to be glad

haereō, haer‍ēre

to stick or be stuck

derivative: adhesive

incolumis, incolum‍is, incolum‍e

safe, unhurt

moveō, mov‍ēre

to move

derivative: motion

noster, nostr‍a, nostr‍um

our

perīculum, perīcul‍ī n.

danger

quattuor

four

quod (n.)

(relative pronoun)

that, which

raeda, raed‍ae f.

carriage

tabellārius, tabellāri‍ī m.

courier, mailman

vertō, vert‍ere

to turn

derivatives: conversion, vertical, invert

via, vi‍ae f.

road

Verbs

agō, ag‍ere

to do, drive, act

cessō, cess‍āre

to quit

eō, īre

to go

gaudeō, gaud‍ēre

to be glad

haereō, haer‍ēre

to stick or be stuck

derivative: adhesive

moveō, mov‍ēre

to move

derivative: motion

vertō, vert‍ere

to turn

derivatives: conversion, vertical, invert

Verbs (Conjugated)

accidit

(it) happens

Nouns

ars, artis f.

skill

derivative: artisanal

aurīga, aurīg‍ae f.

charioteer

cisium, cisi‍ī n.

2004 Honda Cisium C-850

culpa, culp‍ae f.

fault

perīculum, perīcul‍ī n.

danger

raeda, raed‍ae f.

carriage

tabellārius, tabellāri‍ī m.

courier, mailman

via, vi‍ae f.

road

Pronouns

quod (n.)

(relative pronoun)

that, which

Adjectives

commōtus, commōt‍a, commōt‍um

upset

cūnctī, cūnct‍ae, cūnct‍a

all

incolumis, incolum‍is, incolum‍e

safe, unhurt

noster, nostr‍a, nostr‍um

our

quattuor

four

Adverbs

frūstrā

unsuccessfully, without success

Settings

Additional Resources:

Verbs

Verbs (Conjugated)

Nouns

Pronouns

Adjectives

Adverbs