I hate the Gerundive! I like the Gerund, it is my friend.
I. 1. Caesar cum in Galliá bellum gereret militibus decimae legionis maxime favit quia rei militaris peritissimi erant.
-When Caesar was waging war in Gaul he favoured the soldiers of the tenth legion most, because they were very skilled in the art of war.
2. Sociis negotium dedit rei frumentariae curandae.
-He gave his allies the business of looking after the grain supply.
(i.e employed his allies to look after...)
3. Legati non solum audiendi causá sed etiam dicendi causá venerunt.
-The ambassadors came not only for the sake of hearing but also for the sake of speaking.
4. Imperator iussit exploratores locum idoneum muniendo reperire.
-The general order the scouts to find a place suitable for fortifying.
5. Nuper hae gentes novis rebus studebant; mox iís persuadebo ut Caesari se suaque omnia dedant.
-Recently these tribes were eager for a revolution; soon I shall persuade them to give themselves and all their possessions up to Caesar.
6. Iubere est reginae et parere est multitudinis.
-Ordering is the Queen's and obeying is the multitude's (occupation).
7. Hóc proelio facto quidam ex hostibus ad pacem petendam venerunt.
-This battle having been taken place, certain ones of the enemy came to make peace.
8. Erant qui arma tradere nollent.
-There were some who were unwilling to give over their arms.
9. Hostes tam celeriter progressi sunt ut spatium pila in hostes iaciendi non daretur.
-The enemy advanced so quickly that space of throwing spears at the enemy was not given. (space to throw...? - is there a rule why this is genitive gerund?)
(does the second "hostes" refer to the first "hostes" or the enemy of the first "hostes"?)
10. Spatium neque arma capiendi neque auxili petendi datum est.
-Space was not given to take arms or seek for help. (again the genitive gerund and then genitive gerundive is translated by to... :space of throwing = space to throw. What is this?)
II. 2. Men very skillful in the art of war were sent to capture the town.
-Viri rei militaris peritissimi missi sunt ad oppidum capiendum.
3. The scouts found a hill suitable for fortifying very near to the river.
-Exploratores repererunt collem muniendo idoneum flumini proximum.
(I like that!)
4. Soon the cavalry will come to seek supplies.
-Mox veniet equitatus causá commeatús petendi.
5. The mind of the Guls is eager for revolution and for undertaking wars.
-Gallorum mens novis rebus bellaque suscipiendo studet.
6. To lead the line of battle belongs to the general.
-Ducere aciem est imperatoris.
7. Whom shall we employ to look after the grain supply?
Quibus negotium dabimus rei frumentariae curandae?
One question: can gerundives be plural? I.e. Parva puella pedem retulit causá episcopórum morandorum? The little girl retreated for the sake of delaying the bishops?
§ 411 - Gerund and gerundive Exercises I and II Page 176.
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Ack, you must be enjoying all this frumentum.
3. The scouts found a hill suitable for fortifying very near to the river.
-Exploratores repererunt collem muniendo idoneum flumini proximum.
(I like that!)
You may like it, but the perfect stem of reperire is repperi
5. The mind of the Guls is eager for revolution and for undertaking wars.
-Gallorum mens novis rebus bellaque suscipiendo studet.
bellisque suscipiendis
One question: can gerundives be plural? I.e. Parva puella pedem retulit causá episcopórum morandorum? The little girl retreated for the sake of delaying the bishops?
Certainly.
3. The scouts found a hill suitable for fortifying very near to the river.
-Exploratores repererunt collem muniendo idoneum flumini proximum.
(I like that!)
You may like it, but the perfect stem of reperire is repperi
5. The mind of the Guls is eager for revolution and for undertaking wars.
-Gallorum mens novis rebus bellaque suscipiendo studet.
bellisque suscipiendis
One question: can gerundives be plural? I.e. Parva puella pedem retulit causá episcopórum morandorum? The little girl retreated for the sake of delaying the bishops?
Certainly.
Last edited by benissimus on Wed Dec 17, 2003 6:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
flebile nescio quid queritur lyra, flebile lingua murmurat exanimis, respondent flebile ripae
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I'm with you on gerunds over those dirty, dirty gerundives.
Two random points:
-Gerunds don't enjoy taking direct objects, unless the object is a neuter pronoun or adjective (e.g. cupiditas plura habendi); the gerundive is used instead, typically.
-In Classical prose, especially orations, euphony was key and it happened to be the case that writers such as Cicero found repetitive endings as clichéd and tacky. So, in a sentence like the one you wrote at the very end, the correctly formed gerundive 'episcoporum morandorum', would be replaced by a genitive of the genitive with (gasp!) a direct object, i.e. episcopos morandi causa. Mad, I know.
-n.b. (and how many times did it take me to get this wrong in order to notice!) the perfect active of refero is reTTuli. Killer. Oh and causa likes to succeed its dependent gerund.
~dave
Two random points:
-Gerunds don't enjoy taking direct objects, unless the object is a neuter pronoun or adjective (e.g. cupiditas plura habendi); the gerundive is used instead, typically.
-In Classical prose, especially orations, euphony was key and it happened to be the case that writers such as Cicero found repetitive endings as clichéd and tacky. So, in a sentence like the one you wrote at the very end, the correctly formed gerundive 'episcoporum morandorum', would be replaced by a genitive of the genitive with (gasp!) a direct object, i.e. episcopos morandi causa. Mad, I know.
-n.b. (and how many times did it take me to get this wrong in order to notice!) the perfect active of refero is reTTuli. Killer. Oh and causa likes to succeed its dependent gerund.
~dave
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