Rhodus insula clara est.

to be

Breakdown of Rhodus insula clara est.

• insula: the island
• clarus: famous
• Rhodus: Rhodes

Questions & Answers about Rhodus insula clara est.

What is the grammatical role of each word in Rhodus insula clara est?

• Rhodus = the subject
• insula clara = the predicate noun + predicate adjective, describing what Rhodus is
• est = is, the linking verb

So the sentence has the pattern:

subject + predicate noun/adjective + linking verb

This is a very common Latin sentence type.

Why are Rhodus and insula both in the nominative?

Because after a linking verb like est, Latin normally uses the nominative for both:

• the subject
• the predicate noun

So:

• Rhodus is nominative because it is the subject.
• insula is nominative because it tells us what Rhodus is.

This is similar to English Rhodes is an island, where both sides refer to the same thing.

Why is clara feminine singular?

Clara agrees with insula in:

• gender: feminine
• number: singular
• case: nominative

Since insula is feminine singular nominative, the adjective must match it: