Trаnslаting аblative absоlutes: оbserving the sequence оf tense The use of "when", "since", or "although" in translating ablative absolutes is a very handy way of producing more natural English translations. There is a complication, however: whenever the main verb is any past tense (perfect, imperfect, pluperfect), we have to be careful to make sure the relationship between the tenses in Latin is reflected in our translation in English. Remember, Latin participles express tense relative to the main verb: perfect participles happen before the action of the main verb, present participles happen at the same time, and future participles happen after the main verb. Consider, for example, one of the sentences we've already seen, but with a perfect tense main verb. Again, the literal "with" translation follows: Verbīs Caesaris audītīs, cōpiae hostēs petīvērunt. With the words of Caesar having been heard, the forces attacked the enemy. Now, when using the "with" version, the translation of the participle isn't affected (this is one of the advantages of using this version), since the participle still expresses that its action (the words getting heard) happens before the main verb action (the attack). But watch what happens when we translate the ablative absolute using "when": When the words of Caesar had been heard, the forces attacked the enemy. The tense of the verb in English has been modified to pluperfect ("had been heard") to indicate the temporal relationship between the two verbs. Here's another example: Hīs bonīs virīs imperium tenentibus, rēs pūblica valuit. With these good men holding power, the Republic was strong. Again, the literal translation of the present active participle is unaffected by the main clause. But using the "since" version yields this translation: Since these good men were holding power, the Republic was strong. Now, we need to indicate through the translation of the present participle that its action is happening at the same time as the main clause. To do this, we use the imperfect tense in English. Understanding this "sequence of tenses" can be tricky, but it becomes an increasingly important part of comprehension and translation work now that we are looking more at tense forms (like participles, and, soon, infinitives) that are relative to the action of the main verb.
Cicerо Denоunces Cаtiline in the Senаte Fоr the next few questions, we will be reаding the passage in Caput XI, "Cicero denounces Catiline in the Senate". This is based on a famous speech delivered by Cicero in 63 BCE when, during his consulship, he believed he had uncovered a plot by an aristocrat and senator named Catiline to take over the Republic and assassinate its leading members. In this speech, Cicero reveals the plot, presenting his evidence, and urging his fellow senators to take action. The passage features Cicero's celebrated outburst, Ō tempora! Ō mōrēs! This literally means "Oh, the times! Oh, the customs!" indicating Cicero's exasperation at the corruption and foolishness of Cicero's contemporaries. This phrase is still used today to express similar exasperation!
Which оf these cоmpоunds could hаve а Lewis structure with аn incomplete octet?