Manipulation Nouns & Adjectives
by Prof. Becky Harrison, Truman State University, MO
Declension Indicators
- -a stem/1st declension: hole/knob near top
- -o stem/2nd declension: hole/knob near bottom
- 1st/2nd decl. adjective: double holes/knobs to take either set of endings
- 3rd declension: hole/knob in middle
- i-stem: additional small notch near top for (ablative) singular
- and/or additional small notch near bottom for plural (genitive; neuter nom/acc)
- -u stem/4th declension: hole/knob between top and middle
- -e stem/5th declension: hole/knob between middle and bottom
Color-coding of CASES
This may be done by using colored 3x5 cards or by using colored markers or a color printer (on address labels) to print the endings. I prefer the color on the actual endings to focus the eye on the ending rather than the background. Here is my color coding and the rationale:
| Nominative |
Blue (primary color for core part of sentence; I also use blue for nouns as parts of speech) |
| Accusative |
Red (primary color for direct object as primary part of sentence; STOP and think before translating this word; it is not the subject even if it is first) |
| Genitive |
Orange (starts with "o" like "of"; color I also use for adjectives) |
| Dative |
Purple (starts with "p" for person ("to" or "for") or "p" for "passion." My nickname for the dative is the "darling dative" that you give things to or do things for) |
| Ablative |
Green (green "with" envy; color I use for prepositions, and ablatives are usually translated as prepositional phrases) |
| Vocative |
Yellow ("yell" for direct address) |
Singular is unmarked. Plural is marked by 2 punches (a hole punch works well) near the top right of the ending card.
GENDER
The corners may be marked to indicate gender, enabling students to see agreement of this aspect as well. Students can alternatively use the gender sym
bols with null for neuter; I found that the symbols could not be seen as well as the cut markings for demonstrating at the front of the class.
Masculine: unmarked square corner
Feminine: rounded corner
Neuter: notched corner.
Combinations (e.g. masc./fem.): may be indicated by partial rounding and/or notching.
Refinements
3rd declension nominative vs. base: For words like "tempus" and "corpus," I made an extra piece with the "or" that I taped at the top. This piece stays behind for the nominative/accusative singular, then flips over and covers up the "us" for the other cases. Putting the tape across with it flipped to the front instead of to the back works better.
3rd declension -i stem endings (ablative singular -i; genitive plural -ium, etc.) have the extra notch to match the i-stem bases that they go with.
