Word Order II

Longer but still simple Latin sentences often have this order:

1. Subject and its modifiers (adjectives) -- Nominative Case
2. Indirect Object -- Dative Case
3. Direct Object (s) -- Accusative Case
4. Adverbial Words/Phrases --  often Ablative or Accusative
5. Verb.

Wheelock's Latin says that the Romans were fond of the periodic style which seeks to keep the reader in suspense till the end of the sentence.   This periodic style was commonly used by classically educated English writers and speakers up until the second part of the 19th century at least.

English Example (from the poet Milton)

... the moon, whose orbThrough optic glass the Tuscan artist views,

from Welsh poet Dylan Thomas

"Years and years ago, when I was a boy, when there were wolves in Wales, and birds the color of red-flannel petticoats whisked past the harp-shaped hills, when we sang and wallowed all night and day in caves that smelt like Sunday afternoons in damp front farmhouse parlors, and we chased, with the jawbones of deacons, the English and the bears, before the motor car, before the wheel, before the duchess-faced horse, when we rode the daft and happy hills bareback, it snowed and it snowed."

You can see that in our native language, the verb-at-end sentence is not completely confusing.   We can usually wait till the end to get to the sentence's action.

The idea with Latin is to:

1. Read straight through (aloud or under your breath, preferably)
2. Try to wait for the end to see the verb.

However, this is just something to keep in mind for the long-term -- for example, when you're at TAC reading Aquinas, perhaps.  Many people just beginning to read Latin jump to the verb at the end.   I often do it, but I still think this is good advice to keep in mind.