Exercise 30: Result clauses (aka consecutive clauses)
a) I ran so fast that I won the race.
b) I ran so slowly that Bill caught me.
c) I ran so fast that no-one will ever beat my record.
The clauses in italics express the result of the action described in the main clause.
Latin constructs result clauses with: ut/ut non + subjunctive
Difference from purpose clauses: There is usually a ‘marker’ in the main part of the sentence, ita, adeo, tam or the like (just as there is in English: so, to such an extent, so much etc). Translate the subjunctive as an English indicative of the same tense.
Note also: when emphasis is placed on a result in the future a made up ‘future subjunctive’ is used:
Future participle + present (after primary main verb) subjunctive of sum.
Future participle + imperfect (after historic main verb) subjunctive of sum.
This can be translated into English quite literally, as ‘is/was about to . . . ’, i.e. treating the subjunctive of sum in the same way as subjunctives in Result clauses more generally.
NEGATIVES IN RESULT AND PURPOSE CLAUSES
| negative | purpose | result |
| … that not … | ne | ut non |
| … that no-one … | ne quis | ut nemo |
| … that nothing … | ne quid | ut nihil |
| … that never … | ne umquam | ut numquam |
METHOD FOR DEALING WITH SENTENCES IN WHICH UT OCCURS
i) Is the verb of the ut-clause indicative or subjunctive?
ii) If indicative. ut = when/as; translate the indicative directly as normal.
iii) If subjunctive. Is there a signpost word (ita, adeo, tam etc)?
Signpost word indicates Result clause (Exercise 30)
No signpost word indicates Purpose clause (Exercise 29) UNLESS the main verb expresses command ( = indirect
command; see Exercise 32)
