Mascara, armpit farts, and French films

We're making progress in our conversation about Latin, nouns, and irresponsible sample sentences.  Let me recap what we know so far:  the idea of case explains how nouns have different possible roles in a sentence and those roles are called by the (so far) specific names nominative (subject) and accusative (direct object).  We've been reading a lot, writing some, and are willing to talk about it in polite company.
As we've read we noticed that nouns seem to hang about together like friends at a dance, whispering to each other and giving knowing looks.  Via, mensa, villam, and Metella are huddled up talking about shoes and eyeliner.  Every so often they giggle and look across the dance floor.  They see servus, hortus, venalicius, the the shifty Caecilius engaged in armpit farts and lots of sports talk.   Atrium, cubiculum, and triclinium are close by the boys, though the girls can't quite figure out why.  And walking into the cafeteria come canis, mercator, pictor, their jolly leader Grumio talking loudly about art and cuisine, literature and French films.
So what is going on here?  Our readings reveal that nouns group together and their groups fall in line with how they express their cases.  Nouns like via--let's call them the sisters--all share -am when made direct objects.  And those like servus--the brothers--likewise share -um as direct objects (as do those oddballs like cubiculum, but they definitely aren't quite the same).  Finally, Grumio and his crew--we'll call them something clever later--use -em.
Now Latin calls these three groups something much more boring--the first, second, and third declensions respectively.  Yet we are wise to note what is going on here.  The change is not random, and if you know ahead of time the group--the declension--a noun belongs with, you will not struggle to catch what the Latin is telling you.  This is because every noun in its group uses the same endings to get across its roles.
So as we read, pay attention to the nouns.  Mark who they hang with.  You will begin to see the cliques.  If you're lucky, you may even be asked to slow-dance.

We can use the logical side of our brains too

Ok, those sample sentences were over the top.  But I bet you will not soon confuse your subjects and possessives.  However I want to go a bit further in our discussion about case.  When we say case is the role a noun has in the sentence, and when we note that Latin tips her hand to these roles with specific forms for each noun, we are left to ask a not-so-obvious question:  how do we deal with these forms?  You see, we are not used to this many-forms-for-one-noun idea in English.  What are we to do?  Let me suggest two possibilities as we move along.
First, we must commit to a lot of practice using nouns in all sorts of uses.  We meet this practice in reading sentences and stories where we have the basics of the vocabulary down pat.  Reading over and over again.  Reading to friends, former friends, neighbors, pets, you name it.  Just read.  And writing, too--writing sentences, stories, cartoons--you name it.  But above all, read and write!  And as we do these activities, we must be open to correction and think about why we are corrected.  With time and practice
But second, we can use the logical side of our brains and note that these forms fall into groups.  Words like ancilla, cibus, and canis are used when we make subjects whereas ancillam, cibum, and canem are used when we make direct objects.   We can name the groups--which language does--with the specific case names nominative (for when a noun is a subject) and accusative (for when a noun is a direct object).  Knowing these names is not a substitute for knowing what the words are doing--in fact they are often a hinderance--yet being able to talk about what the words are doing can help us focus on what is going on.
So let's do both.  Read much.  Write often.  And talk about how we do it by describing the words we use.

Bob's dog did what?

What is a case?  We meet this word early on in our Latin studies and need to grasp at least the idea behind it.  As Judah aptly said in class today, a case sets out a role a noun plays in a sentence.  I like that word--role--and I hope you take some time to think about what it means.

Nouns get to do one thing (and one thing only) each time they are used.  They are subjects, direct objects, possessives, and a host of other possible roles.  But they do each one at a time.  No word gets to be two at once.  And case is how we talk about this property nouns have.

But case, when observed in Latin, takes on one more role which we don't see often in English:  specific forms (found in the endings on a noun).  Most nouns in English have only two forms which change their role--the basic form of the noun, which we use for just about everything, and the possessive form we use for, well, possessing things.  As an example, remember our sample sentences from class today:  BOB is dead.  BOB'S dog ate the body.  Both sentences involve Bob, but we can't switch the forms and keep any sense of meaning:  BOB'S is dead.  BOB dog ate the body.  See?  No sense.

We rarely think about this aspect of nouns when we speak or write in English.  We say (or write) a word and are unconcerned if we just spoke a subject or object, possessive or instrumental.  We just say words and move on to the next.  Latin necessarily slows us down and makes us consider the role.  

So as you read your Latin (and say it aloud, right?), slow down.  Think about what you are reading and what the endings are telling you.  The more you do this, the less you will have to think about it.  

Oh, and watch out for Bob's dog.