The Story of CONOR Once upon a time

The Story of CONOR Once upon a time in the land of Grammar there was a school. In this school all the little verbs would go to learn their endings. Imagine this school. It is the first day of the new school year. Imagine a pupil, the hero of our story. His name is Conor. He stands before the school gates. It's his first day at school. He is terrified but has sworn to himself that he will try very hard.

Conor entered his new form-room. There in the corner stood Porto. There was Miss Laboro, always working hard. There was spotty Specto, watching the others as always. He was the first to cry out when Conor entered the room. "Look at him! He's a freak!" Porto looked at Conor. ‘Oh, you've got an "R" on your end. You freak!’ So began the bullying. All the other verbs surrounded Conor and insulted him, drawing attention to his "R". Conor hid in the corner and cried.

Soon it was time for the first lesson, Perfect Passive Participles. ‘Right!’ cried Mr Doceo to Master Porto, ‘give me a PPP. ’ ‘Easy sir’ he responded as he changed his ending. ‘Portat. US having been carried. ’ ‘Good! Miss Laboro? ’ ‘Laborat. A - having been worked. ’ she said, looking smug. ‘Excellent! Now you… Conor. ’ Conor blushed. The other students began to giggle. He nervously changed his ending. He looked at himself. He looked right. ‘Conat. US - having tried, ’he answered.

The other students roared with laughter. ‘You stupid boy!’ bellowed Mr Doceo, ‘You have lost your "been"! This class is perfect PASSIVE participles, not perfect ACTIVE participles. ’ Conor once again burst into tears. The next lesson presented a similar problem. It was Imperfect Passives. ‘portabatur - he was being carried, ’ said Master Porto, ‘spectabatur- he was being watched, ’ hissed Master Specto. ‘conabatur - he was trying, ’ whispered Conor. The teacher Mrs Verbero glared at him. ‘You stupid boy!’ she screeched, ‘You have lost your BEING. This class is imperfect PASSIVEs.

So it continued. Whenever Conor was asked to form a passive ending he would do it, but translate as active. The teachers hated him. The students said spiteful things and would not be friends. In the end it became too much. Conor ran away. He wandered the streets of Verb Town, alone and unhappy. Verbs in the streets would stop and stare. Even they thought he was a freak. Then one day things changed and Conor never looked back. As he sat in his lonely doorway crying, a scrap of newspaper blew into his face. He grabbed it and saw an advert.

‘Are you fed up with being different? Do you look PASSIVE but translate as ACTIVE? Then come to the DEPONENT CLUB. You can belong! You don't have to be different. ’

And so Conor went along. As he entered he saw young Mr Progredior, advancing to meet him. There were chatty Miss Loquor and the very supporting Mrs Hortor. Conor had found a home. Here in the deponent verbs club he could look passive but translate as active and be normal. And so he lived happily ever after.

Deponent verbs … … look like passives, but translate as active! Think of Conor and try to remember his friends in the deponent verbs club – they are all in CLC IV P. 110 It is quite a small club – only 17 members on the list.

Sentences 1 - 6 contain an infinitive of a deponent verb. Find and underline these first. Then translate as usual. 1. linguam latinam loqui conor. 2. tribunus iussit milites imperatorem sequi. 3. aegroti deam precari volebant. 4. mercator tandem proficisci constituit. 5. pueri tam perterriti erant ut loqui non possent. 6. hostes e castris egredi nolebant. Sentences 7 - 10 contain the perfect tense of a deponent verb. Find and underline these first. Then translate as usual. 7. servus fidelis nihil locutus est. 8. milites, ut hostes ignaros caperent, ad urbem nocte progressi sunt. 9. nos semper deos immortales precati sumus. 10. pueri in via canem ferocem conspicati sunt.