Bartholomew the Englishman

On Snow


Latin Grammar: Correlatives

Beda affert et confirmat, cuius ratio est, quia maris fumositates continuae vel exhalantur, vel a ventis ibidem flantibus disperguntur, vel antequam possint condensari in nivem, in pluviam vel nebulam resolvuntur.

Conjunctions and adverbs which are used in pairs to connect thoughts and form balanced clauses are called correlatives.  For example, as in the passage above, one use of vel would be translated as "or," but when we see a series (four in this passage), we translate the first vel as "either" and each of the following repetitions as "or."  "...either the sea's continual smokings are evaporated, or that they are scattered...etc."

Match the following commonly-used correlatives with a correct translation.

  correlatives     translation
1. cum...tamen a. so many...as
2. non modo...sed  etiam b. not only...but also
3. tam...quam c. whether...or
4. tot...quot d. although...nevertheless
5. nec(que)...nec(que) e. so...as
6. aut...aut f. both...and
7. sive...sive g. either...or
8. et...et   neither...nor

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