52                    THE  WRITING  OF  NARRATIVE  LATIN

LESSON  X

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

52.   Questions in Latin, as in English, may be word-questions
or sentence-questions; that is, they may or may not contain
an interrogative word. Why are you going? contains the inter¬
rogative word why? On the other hand, are you going? is an
interrogative sentence but contains no interrogative word.

a.   Word-questions are perfectly simple and require no com¬
ment.

b.   Sentence-questions are asked in English by placing the
subject after the verb. In Latin they must be asked by using
the interrogative particles. These are -ne, enclitic, and usually
appended to the emphatic word which itself stands first in the
sentence; nonne; num. These words may be called question
marks in the form of words. The enclitic -ne is employed to
ask a question without indicating whether the answer ^ yes' or
^ no' is expected: nonne indicates that the questioner expects
the answer ' yes ': num indicates that the questioner expects
the answer 'no.' Do you ask? rogasne? do you not ask this?
nonne hoc rogas? do you ask this? (implying that you do not)
num hoc rogas ? This last idea can be indicated in English
only by the tone of the voice or by a roundabout form of ex¬
pression, such as you donH ask this, do you?

53.   Double questions in English employ no particle to in¬
troduce the first member, and introduce the second member
by the particle or. Double questions in Latin introduce both
members by particles, the first of which is untranslatable, the
second means or. These particles are utrum ... an, or
-ne . . . an.

Does honor or fear weigh most with you ? utrum apud vos pudor
an timer valet? is it better to charge the enemy or to defend the camp?
copiasne adversus hostem ducere an castra defendere praestat ?