I saw a game of football at Chicago last November (normal order)
    Last November\ I saw a game of football at Chicago_
    _At Chicago, last November, I saw a game of /football\_

1.  In a Latin sentence the most emphatic place is the first; next in importance is the last; the weakest point is the middle.  Generally the subject is the most important word, and is placed first; usually the verb is the next in importance, and is placed last.  The other words of the sentence stand between these two in the order of their importance.  Hence the normal order of words—­that is, where no unusual emphasis is expressed—­is as follows: 

    subject—­modifiers of the subject—­indirect object—­
    direct object—­adverb—­verb

Changes from the normal order are frequent, and are due to the desire for throwing emphasis upon some word or phrase. Notice the order of the Latin words when you are translating, and imitate it when you are turning English into Latin.

  2.  Possessive pronouns and modifying genitives normally stand after
  their nouns.  When placed before their nouns they are emphatic, as

    filia mea, my daughter;
      mea filia, my\ daughter_;
    casa Galbae, _Galba’s cottage_;
      Galbae casa, _/Galba’s\ cottage_.

  Notice the variety of emphasis produced by writing the following
  sentence in different ways: 

    Filia mea agricolis cenam parat (normal order)
    Mea filia agricolis parat cenam (mea\ and cenam\ emphatic)
    Agricolis filia mea cenam parat (agricolis\ emphatic)

  3.  An adjective placed before its noun is more emphatic than when it
  follows.  When great emphasis is desired, the adjective is separated
  from its noun by other words.

    Filia mea casam parvam non amat (parvam\ not emphatic)
    Filia mea parvam casam non amat (parvam\ more emphatic)
    Parvam filia mea casam non amat (parvam\ very emphatic)

  4.  Interrogative words usually stand first, the same as in English.

  5.  The copula (as est\, sunt\) is of so little importance that it
  frequently does not stand last, but may be placed wherever it sounds
  well.

69. EXERCISE

First learn the special vocabulary, p. 284.

Note the order of the words in these sentences and pick out those that are emphatic.

1.  Longae non sunt tuae viae. 2.  Suntne tubae novae in mea casa?  Non sunt. 3.  Quis lata in silva habitat?  Diana, lunae clarae pulchra dea, lata in silva habitat. 4.  Nautae altas et latas amant aquas. 5.  Quid ancilla tua portat?  Ancilla mea tubam novam portat. 6.  Ubi sunt Lesbia et Iulia?  In tua casa est Lesbia et Iulia est in mea. 7.  Estne Italia lata terra?  Longa est Italia, non lata. 8.  Cui Galba agricola fabulam novam narrat?  Filiabus dominae clarae fabulam novam narrat. 9.  Clara est insula Sicilia. 10.  Quem laudat Latona?  Latona laudat filiam.