Constantine the African

On Leprosy

Latin Grammar: Ablative of Separation

Morbus ergo nascens ex sanguine alopicia vocatur. Qui vero ex colera rubea procreatur leonina nuncupatur, ex colera nigra elephantia apellatur, de flemate tyria [satyria?] dicitur. Qui morbi cum in corpore eminuerint, maximum periculum necesse est faciant. Quidam tamen eorum maxime in cerebro dominantur, quidam vero in corpore solo et quidam in utroque. Sunt et alii in quibus membris sicut in manibus, pedibus quoque et similibus.

In Latin, the ablative case has numerous functions, one of which is to denote separation. When conveying separation, certain prepositions in Latin take the ablative, meaning that the noun following the preposition must be declined in the ablative. "Ex" is an example of a preposition that takes the ablative when denoting separation. For example, from the passage, ex sanguine is translated "from the blood," or "out of the blood."

Nota Bene: Preceding the letter "h" or vowels, the preposition "Ex" must be used. Otherwise, the preposition "E" is sometimes found in place of "Ex."

Supply the Latin for each of the following prepositional phrases, using the ablative.

1. Out of the garden
2. Out of the fields
3. From the room
4. From the city
5. Out of the pool

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