Caesar Gallic Wars, Book 1, chapter 2.

BE SURE YOU KNOW THE SYNTAX OF THE BOLDFACED LATIN WORDS: THEY JUST MIGHT BE ON THE NEXT MIDTERM

[2] Apud Helvetios longe nobilissimus fuit et ditissimus Orgetorix.
What is the main verb?
What is the subject of that verb?
What else does that verb take?


Is M. Messala [et P.] M. Pisone consulibus regni cupiditate inductus coniurationem nobilitatis fecit et civitati persuasit ut de finibus suis cum omnibus copiis exirent:
There are three clauses in the above sentence: for each one, answer the following:
What is the main verb?
What is the subject of that verb?
What else does that verb take?


perfacile esse, cum virtute omnibus praestarent, totius Galliae imperio potiri.
WHAT IS GOING ON? WHERE'S THE VERB?
Ask yourself, why is esse infinitive?
Why is potiri infinitive?
Why is praestarent subjunctive? What kind of clause is it in? Can that clause explain the infinitives (hint: NO WAY).
SO WHAT IS GOING ON? WHY INFINITIVES?
Calm down: now ask yourself, "What kind of constructions do infinitives occur in?" and find one that fits the bill here.
Hint: look around in the stuff before this for something that might conceivably be the sort of thing that an infinitive would be appropriate with.

NOTE: The following sentences will NOT be covered in class in detail. They will, however, be fair game for the next midterm. You will have an opportunity to ask questions about them, however. The syntax of almost every word in them is found here.

Id hoc facilius iis persuasit, quod undique loci natura Helvetii continentur: una ex parte flumine Rheno latissimo atque altissimo, qui agrum Helvetium a Germanis dividit; altera ex parte monte Iura altissimo, qui est inter Sequanos et Helvetios; tertia lacu Lemanno et flumine Rhodano, qui provinciam nostram ab Helvetiis dividit.
OOH BOY: what are all those ablatives doing?

His rebus fiebat ut et minus late vagarentur et minus facile finitimis bellum inferre possent; qua ex parte homines bellandi cupidi magno dolore adficiebantur.

Pro multitudine autem hominum et pro gloria belli atque fortitudinis angustos se fines habere arbitrabantur, qui in longitudinem milia passuum CCXL, in latitudinem CLXXX patebant.
If you have not yet figured out why esse and potiri are infinitive, I'll tell you now that they are infinitive in the same sort of construction as habere is here.