Result Clauses
Result clauses say "so X that Y": a degree-trigger in the main clause sets up a consequence, and ut + subjunctive in the tail delivers it.
Look for one of these triggers — tantus, tālis, sīc, ita, adeō, tot, tam, ūsque eō — and you usually have a result clause coming.
Tantus erat clāmor ut populus concurreret, "the shouting was so loud that the people came running."
The sharpest test against purpose is the negative. Negative result is ut nōn (or ut nēmō, ut nihil); negative purpose is nē. AP graders lean on this one swap.
After comparatives, quam ut / quam quī + subjunctive is Latin's way of saying English "too X to Y" — māiōrēs quam ut ferre posset, "too large to carry."
Result and characteristic share the same subjunctive root — when the main clause has no degree-trigger and the antecedent is general, default to characteristic.
Learnings0 core · 1 AP claim
AP framework claims (1)— verbatim from AP CED
"so X that Y" — a degree set up in the main clause produces the consequence in the tail.
Negative is ut nōn (or ut nēmō, ut nihil) — never nē. Nē is for negative purpose. This single swap is the AP-grader test.
See It In Action
— Cic. Lael. 29
Textbook result clause. tanta in the main clause is the trigger; ut + dīligāmus (subjunctive) is the tail. Cicero pairs tantus / tālis / sīc / ita with ut + subj. hundreds of times — once you hear the degree-trigger, you can predict the rest.
— Liv. xxxiii. 5
The Latin "too to " idiom. After a comparative (māiōrēs), quam quī / quam ut + subjunctive expresses what English does with "too…to…" — the result is so disproportionate it doesn't happen.
Both take ut + subjunctive. In the affirmative they look identical. The negative is the only sure tell — and the AP grader's favorite hook.
negative is ut nōn (or ut nēmō, ut nihil); main clause usually has a degree-trigger (tantus, sīc, adeō)
tantus terror ortus est ut eōrum nēmō cōnsisteret
such a panic arose that not one of them stood firm
negative is nē (or nē quis, nē quid); main clause has a verb of striving / sending / preparing
hortātur eōs nē animō dēficiant
he urges them not to lose heart
Tip: Always check the negative first: ut nōn → result, nē → purpose. In the affirmative, look at the main clause: a degree-trigger (tantus, tālis, sīc, ita, adeō, tot, tam) means result; a verb of striving means purpose.
In tantus terror ortus est ut eōrum nēmō cōnsisteret, why is cōnsisteret subjunctive, and which clause-type is this?
Study Tips
- •Negative result is ut nōn (or ut nēmō, ut nihil); negative purpose is nē. Memorize this one swap — AP graders lean on it.
- •Scan the main clause for a degree-trigger first: tantus / tālis / sīc / ita / adeō / tot / tam. If one's there, the ut + subj. tail is almost always result.
- •After comparatives, quam ut / quam quī + subjunctive is Latin for English 'too X to Y' — māiōrēs quam ut ferre posset, 'too large to carry.'
- •When the main clause has no degree-trigger and the antecedent is general (sunt quī, nēmō est quī), it's a characteristic clause, not result — see relative-clause-of-characteristic.