When you were at school you were taught that nouns are
inflected for number and case. There are two numbers: singular and plural.
There are six cases Nominative, Vocative, Accusative, Genitive, Dative and
Ablative. There three genders: masculine, Feminine and Neuter. There are five
declensions distinguished by the endings.
The First Declension is probably the one many of us will remember
with affection. It was all to do with a table.
Nom. Mens-a (fem) a table
Voc. Mens-a O table
Acc. Mens-am a table
Gen. Mens-ae to or for a table
Abl. Mens-a by, with or from a table
Your child opens a verbal reasoning book.
“In the first exercise one letter can be moved from the first
word to the second word, thereby making two new words.”
“For these questions, fit the same letter into both sets of
brackets to complete the words in front of the brackets and begin the words
after the brackets.”
Latin has been around for a thousand years. The Eleven Plus
has been around for around fifty years. Will the eleven plus still be around in
a thousand years? Will anyone in fifty years’ time remember: “For these
questions, fit the same letter into both sets of brackets to complete the words
in front of the brackets and begin the words after the brackets.”
In fifty years’ time your child will be in the prime of his
or her life. Would he or she be more likely to remember mensa, mensa, mensam,
mensae, mensae, mensam or “For these questions, fit the same letter into both
sets of brackets to complete the words in front of the brackets and begin the words
after the brackets.”
