Re: Exercise 9 No 1 -> 2

Hi Jim (and All):

Thank you for your quick reply, and sorry for my slow response.

I always thought that an 'agent' in general is the 'subject' of verbs,
adjective, etc of a sentence. At least that is what I had in mind when
I used the word 'agent' in my last mails, but I am looking forward for
the details.

More quiestions on Excercise 9:

1. Sujaataa naama bhante upaasikaa kaalakataa ->

A lay-follower named Sujaataa, sir, has died.

I am aware that the word order is not fixed in Paali, and can this
sentence be written in the following way?

Bhante Sujaataa naama upaasikaa kaalakataa

2. evam pi kho Sunakkhatto    mayaa vuccamaano apakkami ->

    this also indeed Sunakkatto  by me   said   go off ->

Hearing this from Sunakkatta, I go off.

2a. Sunakkatto is in the nominative case, so it is supposed to be 'the
agent' of the main sentence.

2b. vuccamaano (used as an adjective) agrees with Sunakkatto, so does
it mean that Sunakkatto is qualtified by vuccamaano? -> Sunakkatto is
saying.

2c. The main verb of the sentence is apakkami, so the agent that goes
off is I. -> I go off?

It is quite confusing here, could anyone clarify this for me? Thank
you in advance.

I feel hopeless. :-(

A more useful question, perhaps, regarding Paali study: am I spending
to much time on grammar and not enough on the actual message? I feel
that if I don't know enough of structure of sentence, it is impossible
for me to understand the passage.

Thanks for your help,
jaran