Masculine/Feminine Neuter N/V. ---------- ---------- Gen. -is -is Dat. -i -i Acc. -em (same as nom.) Abl. -e -e N\V. -es -a Gen. -um -um Dat. -ibus -ibus Acc. -es -a Abl. -ibus -ibusNow let's go over some of the "hot spots" on this list. The nominative singular is left blank because there are so many different possible nominative forms for third declension nouns that it would take half a page to list them all. You needn't fret over this though, because the dictionary's first entry for a noun is the nominative singular. You'll have to do a little more memorization with third declension nouns because you simply can't assume that it'll have a certain form in the nominative just because it's third declension -- as you could with first declension nouns, where they all end in "-a" in the nominative.
The same is true for neuter nouns in the nominative singular -- although the possible forms for neuter nominative singulars is much more limited. It's just not worth the effort to memorize them. And remember, the accusative form of neuter nouns will be exactly the form of the nominative, so there's a blank in the accusative slot for neuter nouns. It'll be whatever the nominative is.
N/V. ager N/V. agri Gen. agri Gen. agrorum Dat. agro Dat. agris Acc. agrum Acc. agros Abl. agro Abl. agrisNow look at an example entry for a third declension noun: "rex, regis (m)". Use your experience with second declension "-er" type masculine nouns to draw out all the important information you need about this noun. What's its stem? Now decline it.
N/V. rex + -- = rex Gen. __________ __________ ____________________ Dat. __________ __________ ____________________ Acc. __________ __________ ____________________ Abl. __________ __________ ____________________ N/V. __________ __________ ____________________ Gen. __________ __________ ____________________ Dat. __________ __________ ____________________ Acc. __________ __________ ____________________ Abl. __________ __________ ____________________How did you do? Check your answers against page 31 in Wheelock. The nominative form is just what's listed in the dictionary -- there is no ending in the nominative singular to add. Next, the stem of "rex" is "reg-", which you get by dropping off the "-is" genitive ending of the third declension from the form "regis" which the dictionary gives. Now decline this noun:
"corpus, corporis (n)".
N/V. __________ + __________ = ____________________ Gen. __________ __________ ____________________ Dat. __________ __________ ____________________ Acc. __________ __________ ____________________ Abl. __________ __________ ____________________ N/V. __________ __________ ____________________ Gen. __________ __________ ____________________ Dat. __________ __________ ____________________ Acc. __________ __________ ____________________ Abl. __________ __________ ____________________Did you remember the two rules of neuter nouns? Check your answers on page 31. How are you doing? Try to decline a couple more for some more practice.
pax, pacis (f) virtus, virtutis (f) labor, laboris (m) N/V. __________ _______________ _______________ Gen. __________ _______________ _______________ Dat. __________ _______________ _______________ Acc. __________ _______________ _______________ Abl. __________ _______________ _______________ N/V. __________ _______________ _______________ Gen. __________ _______________ _______________ Dat. __________ _______________ _______________ Acc. __________ _______________ _______________ Abl. __________ _______________ _______________One of the difficulties beginning students have with third declension nouns is that dictionaries only abbreviate the second entry, where you're given the stem of the noun, and it's often puzzling to see just what the stem is. Look over this list of typical abbreviations. After a very short time, they'll cause you no problem.
ENTRY STEM ENTRY STEM veritas, -tatis (f) veritat- oratio, -onis (f) oration- homo, -inis (m) homin- finis, -is (f) fin- labor, -oris (m) labor- libertas, -tatis (f) libertat- tempus, -oris (n) tempor- senectus, -tutis (f) senectut- virgo, -inis (m) virgin- amor, -oris (m) amor- ENTRY STEM corpus, -oris (n) ____________________ honor, -oris (m) ____________________ humanitas, -tatis (f)____________________ frater, -tris (m) ____________________ mutatio, -onis (f) ____________________ pater, -tris (m) ____________________ pestis, -is (f) ____________________ scriptor, -oris (m) ____________________ valetudo, -inis (f) ____________________ cupiditas, -tatis (f)____________________
Let's go through this step by step. Suppose you want to modify the noun "virtus, -tutis (f)" with the adjective "verus, -a, -um". You want to say "true virtue". You know that "virtus" is nominative, feminine and singular, so for the adjective "verus, -a, -um" to agree with it, it must also be feminine, nominative and singular. So look at the adjective's listing closely: how does "verus, -a, -um" become feminine? From the second entry, you see that it uses endings from the first declension to modify a feminine noun. Since "virtus" is feminine, verus" will use first declension endings. You now select the nominative singular ending from the first declension -- "-a" -- and add it to the stem of the adjective. The result: "vera virtus". Try some more. Decline the following expressions.
evil time small city N/V. ______________ _____________ ____________________________ Gen. ______________ _____________ ____________________________ Dat. ______________ _____________ ____________________________ Acc. ______________ _____________ ____________________________ Abl. ______________ _____________ ____________________________ N/V. ______________ _____________ ____________________________ Gen. ______________ _____________ ____________________________ Dat. ______________ _____________ ____________________________ Acc. ______________ _____________ ____________________________ Abl. ______________ _____________ ____________________________