A complete Conditional Sentence consists of two clauses the
Protasis
and the
Apodosis
.
The clause containing the
condition
is called the PROTASIS the clause containing the
conclusion
is called the APODOSIS:—
-
sī quī exīre volunt [PROTASIS], cōnīvēre possum [APODOSIS]
(Cat. 2.27)
,
if any wish to depart
,
I can keep my eyes shut.
-
sī est in exsiliō [PROTASIS], quid amplius postulātis [APODOSIS]
(Lig. 13)
,
if he is in exile, what more do you ask?
It should be carefully noted that the
Apodosis
is the
main
clause and the
Protasis
the
dependent
clause.
The
Protasis
is regularly introduced by the conditional particle
sī
,
if
, or one of its compounds.
These compounds are
sīn
,
nisi
,
etiam sī
,
etsī
,
tametsī
,
tamenetsī
(see Conditional and Concessive Particles, p. 138). An Indefinite Relative, or any relative or concessive word, may also serve to introduce a conditional clause: see Conditional Relative Clauses (§§
519
, 542); Concessive Clauses (§
527
).
The
Apodosis
is often introduced by some correlative word or phrase: as,
ita
,
tum
(rarely
sīc
), or
eā condiciōne
etc.:—
-
ita
enim senectūs honesta est, sī sē ipsa dēfendit
(Cat. M. 38)
,
on this condition is old age honorable, if it defends itself.
-
sī quidem mē amāret,
tum
istuc prōdesset
(Ter. Eun. 446)
,
if he loved me, then this would be profitable.
-
sīc
scrībēs aliquid, sī vacābis
(Att. 12.38.2)
,
if you are
(shall be)
at leisure
,
then you will write something.
The
Apodosis
is the principal clause of the conditional sentence, but may at the same time be subordinate to some other clause, and so appear in the form of a Participle, an Infinitive, or a Phrase:—
-
sepultūrā quoque
prohibitūrī
, nī rēx humārī iussisset
(Q. C. 8.2.12)
,
intending also to deprive him of burial, unless the king had ordered him to be interred.
-
quod sī praetereā nēmō sequātur, tamen sē cum sōlā decimā legiōne
itūrum
[
esse
]
(B. G. 1.40.14)
,
but if no one else should follow, he would go with the tenth legion alone.
-
sī quōs adversum proelium commovēret,
hōs
reperīre
posse
(
id
. 40.8),
if the loss of a battle alarmed any, they might find
, etc.
When the
Apodosis
itself is in Indirect Discourse, or in any other dependent construction, the verb of the
Protasis
is regularly in the Subjunctive (as in the above examples, see §
589
).
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