Clause connectors: time, reason, contrast and purpose
Learn this complete reference set, recall meanings and construction clues, then apply the grammar in original short practice.
Exam scope and assessment notes
Original teaching foundations for the 2026–2028 syllabus. Six prescribed texts have passage-specific sequences; all 693 printed vocabulary rows have been reconciled into 692 distinct records, with additional number, comparison and compound-verb practice. Linked teaching and lexical self-checks do not certify mastery. Complete line-by-line annotation, further translation and scansion practice, qualified Latin-teacher review, full timed papers and human marking remain outstanding. Open the assigned edition alongside these lessons: public ancient texts can differ in spelling, punctuation or editorial readings from the prescribed prose anthology. Practice explanations are formative, not Cambridge questions, marks or predicted grades. Cambridge has announced withdrawal; the last assessment is June 2028, in administrative zones 3, 4, 5 and 6 only. Confirm entry with your centre.
Before you begin
- Identify noun, verb and clause roles
- Recall the whole dictionary record rather than only its first spelling
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
What does a dictionary meaning fail to establish on its own?
What you will learn
- Use mood and governing expressions with connector vocabulary
- Distinguish a desired purpose from an achieved result
Read the form, recall the meaning, then check the construction
Use the reference list to learn, then hide the meanings in recall practice. The usage note explains a grammatical clue or limit. Self-check labels do not award a grade or certify mastery.
32 of 32 entries shown · 0 marked for another review in this practice
ac, atqueClause connector
and
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
an (utrum ... an)Clause connector
or (whether ... or)
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
aut (aut … aut)Clause connector
or (either … or)
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
autemClause connector
but, however
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
cum + ind.Clause connector
when
Its construction decides its job: ablative noun phrases use with; indicative/subjunctive clauses need a temporal, causal or concessive reading.
cum + subj.Clause connector
when, since, although
Its construction decides its job: ablative noun phrases use with; indicative/subjunctive clauses need a temporal, causal or concessive reading.
dum + ind.Clause connector
while
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
enimClause connector
for
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
et (et … et)Clause connector
and (both … and)
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
igiturClause connector
therefore
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
itaqueClause connector
and so, therefore
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
licet + subj.Clause connector
although
Distinguish the impersonal verb, it is permitted, from the connector licet with a subjunctive, although.
nam (namque)Clause connector
for
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
neClause connector
lest, in case, in order that ... not
Can mark a negative purpose or feared outcome in the relevant construction. Identify the governing verb and clause before choosing English wording.
nec (neque) (nec … nec/neque ... neque)Clause connector
and not; nor; paired neither ... nor
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
nisiClause connector
unless, except (if ... not)
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
numClause connector
whether
Here it introduces an indirect whether-question; do not impose the expected-no force of every direct num question.
postquamClause connector
after, when
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
priusquamClause connector
before
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
quamClause connector
than, as
The construction can compare or indicate degree; with a superlative it can express as ... as possible. Do not give every quam one fixed translation.
quamquamClause connector
although
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
quamvis + subj.Clause connector
although
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
-queClause connector
and
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
quiaClause connector
because
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
quodClause connector
because
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
quoniamClause connector
since, because
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
sedClause connector
but
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
siClause connector
if
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
sicut, sicutiClause connector
just as, like
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
simulac, simulatqueClause connector
as soon as
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
ubiClause connector
when
Identify the clauses being connected and any mood cue. Time, reason, contrast and purpose are different relations; a familiar English word is not the whole analysis.
utClause connector
in order that, so that
Purpose and result are distinct uses. Read the governing expression and wider clause; the word alone does not decide which.
Identify the relation
Quia, quod and quoniam can introduce reasons; quamquam, quamvis and licet can introduce concessions under their relevant constructions. Postquam, priusquam, ubi and simulac relate events in time. Cum with a noun phrase differs from cum introducing a clause.
The listed cum records distinguish indicative and subjunctive environments, but a subjunctive clause still needs context to select temporal, causal or concessive force. Dum with a present indicative can describe an action in a past narrative. Do not move the entire narrative to the present solely from that one form.
Use clause purpose and result
Ut may introduce purpose, indirect command or result in the relevant structure. A degree expression such as tam often supports result; a verb requesting or ordering can introduce an indirect command. Ne supplies negative purposes or commands in appropriate contexts. Do not translate every ut as one fixed English word.
Purpose tells what is intended, not proof that it succeeds. Result claims an outcome under its construction. Si and nisi condition what follows; et, ac/atque, -que, aut and paired structures link clauses or terms without collapsing distinct relations into and.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
Does an ut purpose clause by itself prove the purpose was achieved?
Worked example
Compare original ‘Venit ut amicum videat’ and ‘Tam fessus est ut dormiat’.
Show the worked solution
- The first gives a purpose for coming.
- Tam in the second sets up a degree and result.
- Keep intended seeing separate from resulting sleeping.
Answer He comes to see a friend versus he is so tired that he sleeps. The governing expressions distinguish purpose and result even though both use ut and a subjunctive.
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Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Guided: Identify the function of ut after tam in the example.
Give me a hint
Degree and consequence work together.
Compare my reasoning
- Locate tam fessus.
- Read the ensuing consequence.
- Use a result relation.
The degree expression and ensuing clause support a result reading: so tired that he sleeps. The same conjunction in a different structure can serve another function.
Look for these in your work
- Uses marker
- Uses consequence
- Classifies result
Independent: Explain why cum plus ablative and cum plus a finite verb are not one identical record.
Give me a hint
A noun phrase differs from a clause.
Compare my reasoning
- The ablative phrase expresses accompaniment.
- A finite-verb clause expresses a clause relation.
- Mood and context guide that relation.
The prepositional construction means with in a noun phrase; the clause construction needs temporal, causal or concessive analysis as appropriate. Shared spelling does not make the two structures interchangeable.
Look for these in your work
- Separates structures
- Uses mood/context
- Preserves meaning
Application: A summary says someone succeeded because a purpose clause says they went to try. Correct it.
Give me a hint
Intent does not establish success.
Compare my reasoning
- Identify the desired aim.
- Find any separate outcome evidence.
- Qualify if no outcome is supplied.
The purpose clause establishes the aim, not its fulfilment. Without a separate result or narrated outcome, the summary must not convert intention into success.
Look for these in your work
- Uses aim
- Requires evidence
- Qualifies conclusion
Common mistakes
- Giving every ut one function
- Treating purpose as guaranteed success
- Ignoring the verb after a connector
What can you explain now?
Does an ut purpose clause by itself prove the purpose was achieved?
Compare with the explanation
No
Intended purpose and actual outcome require different evidence.
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Make it stick
Does an ut purpose clause by itself prove the purpose was achieved?
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.