Latin Upper Intermediate I – Term Time Class

Roma Aeterna Chapters 36–40

Throughout Roma Aeterna, students progress through a carefully structured sequence of readings, including Hans Henning Ørberg’s prose adaptation of Vergil’s Aeneid, beginning with adapted narratives designed to ease their transition into classical literature. Early sections provide accessible retellings, allowing students to reinforce their syntactical and lexical understanding before encountering increasingly authentic texts. As they progress, adaptations and modifications gradually decrease, ultimately leading to fully unadapted texts. Students will refine their syntactical knowledge by studying the historic present tense, ablatives of origin and cause, relative clauses with the subjunctive (including purpose and causal clauses), and interrogative ut-clauses. The course also includes a thorough review of previously introduced grammatical structures, focusing on gerunds, the accusative and infinitive construction, the dative with compound verbs, the ablative of comparison, and wishes. Students will also engage with more sophisticated Ovidian tales such as the stories of Polyphemus and Galatea, and Ganymedes, preparing them for unadapted texts and advanced rhetorical analysis.