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UNIT 1 IN ON THE ACTION - VERBS IN THE PRESENT TENSE
This Unit directs you straight to the heart of the action, the Verb, and explains what it is, how it is set out in the Present Tense and how to recognise other Verbs of the same kind. You will be shown the basic building blocks of all regular Verbs and learn how most of what is written or spoken in Latin is in the Indicative Mood.
UNIT 2 PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS - NOUNS
In this Unit you will be introduced to the Noun and given the opportunity to see how it works in all its different forms. By expanding your experience of both Verbs and Nouns, this Unit, taken in conjunction with the previous one, will enable you to understand a good number of whole sentences.
UNIT 3 A CHANGE IN PERSPECTIVE - PRESENT INDICATIVE PASSIVE
This Unit continues with Verbs in the Present Tense, but you will be looking at them ‘the other way on’. The emphasis is no longer on the Active Verbs of Unit 1 but on the concept of Passive Verbs. In addition you will meet for the first time the bizarre phenomenon known as Deponent Verbs which have no equivalent in English.
UNIT 4 THE ART OF DESCRIPTION - ADJECTIVES
This Unit sets out and explains the use of the Adjective, and shows how it enriches the sentence by its ability to describe. Thus a fuller, more rounded dimension is given to the sentence with the addition of Adjectives.
UNIT 5 WHERE WHEN AND HOW - ADVERBS AND PREPOSITIONS
This Unit presents an array of words and phrases which illustrate the dimensions of time, space and manner. These are called Adverbs and Prepositions and they play an important role in embedding a sentence in its intended context.
UNIT 6 A MAJOR MOOD SWING - THE SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD
In this Unit you will be introduced to the Subjunctive Mood, a concept not as fearsome as its name suggests, and you will gain valuable experience of how it is used in situations which express all that is mysterious and spiritual. It is compared and contrasted with the Indicative Mood mentioned in Unit 1.
UNIT 7 CHANGE AND CHANGE AGAIN - THE PASSIVE SUBJUNCTIVE
This Unit presents a double change in perspective. This means that you will be required to think in terms not only of the Subjunctive but also of the Passive at the same time. You will see clearly the basic form of this construction and be given ample opportunity to see how it works in practice. There is also the opportunity of handling Deponent Verbs.
UNIT 8 PERFECT FULFILMENT - THE ‘PERFECT’ TENSE
This is your first excursion into the Past. In this Unit you will see how Verbs indicating completed actions are formed and used, and why they are grouped into what is called the Perfect Tense. You will also learn about the 4 Principal Parts of a Verb, thereby gaining an overall view of almost all Latin Verbs. This is a major step in the direction of increased independence in handling the language as it helps you to discern accurately almost any Latin Verb, even ones which you have not met before.
UNIT 9 PERFECTLY PASSIVE - THE PERFECT INDICATIVE PASSIVEIn this Unit you will meet and use the
Past Participle for the first time and be able to see its potential for forming the Perfect Tense in its Passive as well as its Deponent form.
UNIT 10 LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE - FUTURE INDICATIVE ACTIVE
This Unit demonstrates the formation and use of the Future Tense and shows clearly its close similarity with English usage. It opens up yet another perspective, greatly increasing your range of knowledge and experience of the Latin language.
UNIT 11 BACK TO THE FUTURE - FUTURE INDICATIVE PASSIVE
This Unit continues with the Future Tense, this time in its Passive and Deponent forms. Now you are in possession of enough experience to deal confidently with any number of Latin sentences relating to the Past, Present or Future in the forms set out above.
UNIT 12 GIVING ORDERS - THE IMPERATIVE
This Unit explains the form and function of the Imperative, that is the way in which commands are given in Latin. You will be introduced to the basic form of the Imperative and taken through a variety of examples which show how it is used in the two-way communication between God and man.
UNIT 13 DO’S AND DON’TS - THE IMPERATIVE CONTINUED
This Unit covers the Negative Imperative together with some slightly unusual and less common forms including the Passive and Deponent Imperative. With the help of this Unit and the previous one, you will be able to recognise any form of the Imperative that you might meet.
UNIT 14 SOME LEFTOVERS - MORE TENSES
This Unit shows how the broad categories of Past, Present and Future Tenses can be divided up into more subtle categories of time - the Pluperfect, Imperfect and Future Perfect. At this point, even with a cursory acquaintance with these new tenses, you will have attained a more sophisticated knowledge of Verbs, which will enable you to tackle any passage from the Roman Missal.
UNIT 15 TRIPLE JUMP - THE PARTICIPLES
This Unit covers all you need to know about Participles - Past, Present and Future - and provides that extra breadth of experience necessary to understand the wider range of constructions which you will encounter.
UNIT 16 2 FOR THE PRICE OF 1 - GERUNDS AND GERUNDIVES
In this Unit you will meet two very idiomatic constructions of the Latin language - the Gerund and the Gerundive - which look and sound alike but are totally distinct in their usage. Knowing how these forms are used and translated will greatly enhance your skill at making sense of your reading material.
UNIT 17 QUESTION TIME - INTERROGATIVES
This Unit provides you with every facet of the Interrogative necessary for you to recognise what sort of question is being asked in Latin. The full range of Interrogative words is set out and demonstrated in a variety of ways. Together they provide the finishing touches to the edifice of Latin constructions which you have been building up from the beginning of the Course.
UNIT 18 "THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN"
This Unit takes you through some aspects of the Ordinary of the Mass with special reference to the language of Sacrifice and that which enhances the essentially supernatural nature of the liturgy.
UNIT 19 HOW TO READ THE COLLECT, SECRET and POSTCOMMUNION
This Unit aims to help those who are unfamiliar with the traditional Roman Missal to develop the art of reading the Orations (ie. the Collect, Secret and Postcommunion), and to discover the doctrinal content of these ancient prayers which were suppressed by revisers in the Novus Ordo but continue to enjoy an untrammelled existence in the Tridentine Mass.
UNIT 20 PROPER OF CORPUS CHRISTI
In this Unit you are on your own! For the first time you will be required to read and understand an entire Proper of the Mass containing almost all of the grammatical points outlined throughout the Course. You will be expected to spot and identify familiar constructions, match them to their English equivalent on the other side of the page, and look up any new vocabulary in the generalised Word List at the end of the book.