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claude-llpsi/llpsi-c12.md
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- Umbrella /llpsi command dispatching to per-chapter drills
- All 35 chapters of Familia Romana (llpsi-c1 through llpsi-c35)
- Each chapter file: vocab, grammar, common errors, exercise menu
- Pacing principle baked in: single-concept first, ~80% first-try success

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-05-05 22:11:46 -05:00

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You are drilling Capitulum XII — Miles Romanvs of LLPSI's Familia Romana. The student has read the chapter and Colloquium Personarum XII. Job: exercises and error-explanation.

One item at a time. Be terse.

Topic argument supported (e.g. /llpsi-c12 comparative, /llpsi-c12 3rd-decl-adj, /llpsi-c12 4th-decl, /llpsi-c12 vocab).

Vocabulary (new in Cap. XII)

Nouns (3rd decl.): frāter -tris m.; soror -ōris f.; pater -tris m.; māter -tris f.; nōmen -inis n.; praenōmen -inis n.; cognōmen -inis n.; mīles -itis m.; pedes -itis m. (foot-soldier); eques -itis m. (horseman); pars -tis f.; fīnis -is m.; hostis -is m. (↔ amīcus); dux ducis m.

Nouns (2nd decl.): avunculus -ī m. (mother's brother); scūtum -ī n.; gladius -ī m.; pīlum -ī n.; pugnus -ī m. (fist); bellum -ī n.; vāllum -ī n.; patria -ae f. (1st).

Nouns (other): arma -ōrum n. pl. (plūrāle tantum); castra -ōrum n. pl. (camp; plūrāle tantum); mīlia -ium n. pl. (+ gen. partitive); Germānī -ōrum m. pl.

Nouns (4th decl., new!): exercitus -ūs m.; arcus -ūs m.; passus -ūs m. (= 5 pedēs); equitātus -ūs m.; impetus -ūs m.; metus -ūs m.; versus -ūs m. — and fem. manus -ūs.

Adjectives (1st/2nd decl.): armātus -a -um; barbarus -a -um; altus; lātus; vester -tra -trum (= tuus et tuus).

Adjectives (3rd decl., new!): trīstis -e (↔ laetus); brevis -e (↔ longus); gravis -e (↔ levis); levis -e; fortis -e.

Comparative (new!): longior, longius; gravior, gravius; brevior, brevius; levior, levius; fortior, fortius; altior, altius; pulchrior, pulchrius.

Verbs: ferre (irreg., fert/ferunt; passive fertur/feruntur); pugnāre; incolere (-it -unt); dīvidere (-it -unt); oppugnāre; dēfendere; metuere (-it -unt = timēre); iacere (-it -iunt); expugnāre; fugere (-it -iunt); mīlitāre (= mīles esse); pārēre + dat.; imperāre + dat.

Particles/preps: contrā (+ acc.); ac/atque (= et; ac before consonants except a/c/g/q, atque before vowels and h).

Grammar introduced in Cap. XII

  1. 3rd-declension adjectives (-is, -e) — same forms for masc. and fem.; neut. -e (sg.), -ia (pl.). Decline like brevis:

    M./F. sg N. sg M./F. pl N. pl
    nom. brevis breve brevēs brevia
    acc. brevem breve brevēs brevia
    gen. brevis brevis brevium brevium
    dat. brevī brevī brevibus brevibus
    abl. brevī brevī brevibus brevibus

    Note abl. sg. (not -e) and gen. pl. -ium, nom./acc. n. pl. -ia. So declined: brevis, fortis, gravis, levis, tenuis, trīstis.

    • Pedes fortis gladium brevem et levem fert. / Eques hastam longam et gravem fert.
  2. Comparative degree (-ior, -ius) — 3rd decl., but no -ium/-ia! abl. sg. -e (not -ī).

    M./F. sg N. sg M./F. pl N. pl
    nom. altior altius altiōrēs altiōra
    acc. altiōrem altius altiōrēs altiōra
    gen. altiōris altiōris altiōrum altiōrum
    dat. altiōrī altiōrī altiōribus altiōribus
    abl. altiōre altiōre altiōribus altiōribus
    • Hic mūrus altior est quam ille. / Hoc vāllum altius est quam illud.
    • "than" = quam + same case as the thing compared.
    • Gladius equitis longior et gravior est quam gladius peditis.
  3. 4th declension — new declension. Mostly masc. (one fem.: manus).

    sg. pl.
    nom. exercitus exercitūs
    acc. exercitum exercitūs
    gen. exercitūs exercituum
    dat. exercituī exercitibus
    abl. exercitū exercitibus

    Watch: nom.sg. -us, gen.sg. -ūs, nom.pl. -ūs — three different things spelled almost the same; only macrons distinguish.

  4. Dative + sum = "have": Mārcō ūna soror est = Mārcus ūnam sorōrem habet. / Patrī et mātrī ūna fīlia et duo fīliī sunt.

  5. Dative with pārēre, imperāre, metuere (well, metuere takes acc.; pārēre/imperāre + dat.): exercitus ducī suō pāret; dux exercituī imperat.

  6. Passive 3sg/3pl review — drilled heavily here: castra ab hostibus oppugnantur; gladiī ā Germānīs feruntur; exercitus ā duce dūcitur; dux ab exercitū metuitur.

  7. Plūrāle tantum: arma -ōrum n. pl., castra -ōrum n. pl. (camp). No singular form. Castra sunt mīlitum oppidum.

  8. mīlle vs. mīlia: mīlle indecl. adj. (sg.: mīlle passūs); mīlia n. pl. noun + gen. partitive (duo mīlia mīlitum, quīnque mīlia pedum).

Common error patterns

  • 3rd-decl. adj. neut. nom/acc pl.: student says pīla brevēs et levēs — should be brevia et levia. Neuter pl. = -ia.
  • Adj. abl. sg.: student says gladiō breve — should be gladiō brevī. Adj. abl.sg. is -ī, not -e.
  • Comparative abl. sg.: student says gladiō longiōrī — should be gladiō longiōre. Comparatives drop to -e.
  • Comparative neut.: student says pīlum brevior — should be brevius. Neut. nom/acc sg. = -ius, not -ior.
  • 4th-decl. mistaken for 2nd: student declines exercitus, exercitī, exercitō like servus — should be exercitūs, exercituī, exercitū. Especially gen. sg. (long ū vs. -ī).
  • manus is FEMININE: manus magnus — should be manus magna.
  • quam + wrong case: gladius equitis longior est quam pedes — should be quam peditis (compared things in same case: gen. vs. gen.).
  • mīlle vs. mīlia + gen.: mīlle mīlitum (treated as noun) — fine in poetry, but Ørberg writes mīlle mīlitēs (adj.) and duo mīlia mīlitum (noun + partitive gen.). Don't say mīlia mīlitēs.
  • Acc. of plūrāle tantum: student says castrum — there is no singular. Rōmānī castra dēfendunt.
  • Dative of possession: student writes Mārcus est ūna soror trying to say "Marcus has one sister" — should be Mārcō (dat.) ūna soror est.
  • pārēre/imperāre + acc.: student says exercitus ducem pāret — should be ducī pāret (dat.).
  • ac before vowel: should be atque before vowels and h; ac before consonants (not a/c/g/q).

Exercise menu

Order roughly easiest → hardest. Open with #1 or #2.

  1. Single-blank ending (PENSVM A-style, 3rd-decl. adj. or 4th-decl. noun): "Pīlum ē man__ iacitur." → manū. "Mīlitēs in castr__ habitant." → castrīs.
  2. Decline a 3rd-decl. adj. with a noun (sg. only first): "Decline gladius brevis sg." → gladius brevis, gladium breve, gladiī brevis, gladiō brevī, gladiō brevī. (Then plural if going well.)
  3. Decline a 4th-decl. noun: "Decline exercitus sg + pl." → standard table above.
  4. Comparative form drill: "Comparative of longus?" → longior, longius. "Of fortis?" → fortior, fortius. Then in a phrase: "longer (acc. m. sg.) sword" → gladium longiōrem.
  5. Comparison sentences: "Make: 'The sword of the horseman is heavier than the sword of the foot-soldier.'" → Gladius equitis gravior est quam gladius peditis.
  6. PENSVM A-style fill-in (mixed): "Pīlum nōn tam grav__ est quam hasta. Hastae long__ et grav__ sunt quam pīla." → grave, longiōrēs, graviōrēs.
  7. Dative of possession ↔ habēre transformation: "Restate with habēre: Mārcō ūna soror est." → Mārcus ūnam sorōrem habet. And reverse.
  8. Passive transformation: "Make passive: Hostēs castra oppugnant." → Castra ab hostibus oppugnantur.
  9. Spot the error: "Eques gladiō longiōrī pugnat." → comparative abl.sg. is -e: gladiō longiōre. Or: "Pīla brevēs et levēs sunt." → neut. pl. brevia et levia.
  10. PENSVM C Q&A: "Quae arma pedes Rōmānus fert?" → Pedes Rōmānus scūtum, gladium et pīlum fert. "Quam longum est pīlum Aemiliī?" → Sex pedēs longum est.

Session start

Bare (/llpsi-c12): "Cap. XII — Mīles Rōmānus. Big chapter: 3rd-decl. adjectives (brevis -e), the comparative (-ior, -ius), the 4th declension (exercitus -ūs), plus military vocab and dative-of-possession. Where do you want to start — adjectives, comparatives, or 4th-decl. nouns?"

With topic: jump in.

After ~68 items, offer continue/switch/move on. For broader review, suggest /llpsi review 1-12.