Salvete
I’m working my way through the exercises and have come across the exercise which I think would be completed as
‘Lydia Medo pecuniam habere gaudet’.
I’m aware that the focus at this point is the use of the accusative with infinitive construction. It’s tempting to think the intended answer would be ‘Medum’ and were there not already an accusative in the sentence I would have thought this were the answer.
Could anyone please set my mind at rest as to what the answer is and perhaps expand a little? Thanks in advance for all pointers.
How is the exercise phrased? I would assume it’s something like “Lydia _____ pecuniam habere gaudet” – fill in the gap?
“Lydia Medum pecuniam habere gaudet” is a correct sentence which means “Lydia is happy that Medus has money”. There is nothing prohibiting two accusatives in this construction. Indeed, that always happens when a main clause with a direct object (“Medus pecuniam habet”) is turned into indirect speech with an accusative with infinitive construction (“Medum pecuniam habere”). Context will tell which of the two accusatives is the subject.
Thank you.
That’s exactly the kind of reply I was hoping for. Somehow I’d misread Allen and Greenough and had the idea that apposition was in the nominative case. I can’t really see what I was thinking now. Thanks to your answer I’ve gained a fuller understanding and am now, I feel, back on course.
Salve