Schaum's Outline of Latin Grammar - Alan Fishbone [34]
perditus, -a, -um
ruined, desperate
comparoÅ, comparaÅre
prepare, get ready
at
but
villa, -ae, f.
villa
turpis, -e
foul
perbacchor (1st conjug.)
revel, have wild parties
foeditaÅs, -taÅtis, f.
repulsiveness, baseness
¯aÅgitioÅsus, -a, -um
disgraceful
impudentia, -ae, f.
shamelessness
neÅquitia, -ae, f.
worthlessness
Ablative Case
The ablative does many of the jobs of the English prepositions from, with, in, and by. They are many.
ABLATIVE OF PLACE FROM WHICH (FROM)
Prepositions denoting ideas of separation take the ablative case: ex urbe
out of the city
deÅ montibus
down from the mountains
ab aquaÅ
away from the water
Names of cities, towns, and islands and the nouns domus and ruÅs do not take prepositions to express this meaning.
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CHAPTER 6 Syntax of the Noun
RoÅmaÅ veÅneÅrunt.
They came from Rome.
RuÅre veÅneÅrunt.
They came from the country.
ABLATIVE OF PLACE WHERE (IN)
This ablative takes the preposition in.
in AsiaÅ
in Asia
in terrõÅs
in the lands
Names of cities, towns, and islands and the nouns domus and ruÅs do not take the preposition in to express this meaning. They take the locative case (see p. 97).
ABLATIVE OF TIME WHEN OR WITHIN WHICH (IN)
These ablatives situate an event in time.
illoÅ dieÅ
on that day
eoÅ tempore
at that time
QuõÅnque dieÅbus urbs capta est.
The city was captured within ®ve days.
ABLATIVE OF MEANS OR INSTRUMENT (BY)
This ablative, without a preposition, expresses the means or instrument by which an action is performed.
Urbem gladiõÅs vincunt.
They conquer the city with swords.
ABLATIVE OF CAUSE (FROM)
This ablative, without a preposition, expresses the cause of an action.
DoloÅre clamat.
He shouts because of pain.
ABLATIVE OF PERSONAL AGENT (BY)
This ablative, with the preposition aÅ=ab, expresses the agent through whom an action in the passive voice has been performed.
Urbs aÅ mõÅlitibus vincta est.
The city was conquered by the soldiers.
Liber aÅ poeÅtaÅ scrõÅbeÅtur.
The book will be written by the poet.
Note: The soldiers and the poet are personal agents, that is, people. For nonpersonal agents, Latin uses the ablative of means: Urbs avaÅritiaÅ deÅleÅta est.
The city was destroyed by avarice.
CHAPTER 6 Syntax of the Noun
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ABLATIVE OF MANNER (WITH)
This ablative, with the preposition cum, expresses the manner in which an action is performed.
Cum gaudioÅ caneÅbat.
He was singing with joy.
However, if the ablative noun is modi®ed by an adjective, the preposition cum becomes optional:
MagnoÅ gaudioÅ
Cum magnoÅ gaudioÅ caneÅbat.
He sang with great joy.
MagnoÅ cum gaudioÅ1
ABLATIVE OF SEPARATION (FROM)
This ablative, like the ablative of place from which, expresses separation.
TeÅ lõÅberaÅboÅ metuÅ.
I will free you from fear.
VacuõÅ culpaÅ noÅn sunt mortuõÅ.
The dead are not free from blame.
ABLATIVE OF COMPARISON (FROM)
This ablative is used with a comparative adjective (see p. 24) and without a preposition to express that to which something is being compared.
Amor duÅrior est amõÅcitiaÅ.
Love is harder than friendship.
ABLATIVE OF DEGREE OF DIFFERENCE (BY)
This ablative is used with a comparative adjective to express, as the name suggests, the degree of difference in the comparison.
Amor multoÅ duÅrior est amõÅcitiaÅ.
Love is harder than friendship by much.
Hic altior tribus pedibus est quam ille. This man is taller than that man by three feet.
ABLATIVE OF DESCRIPTION (WITH)
A noun and adjective in the ablative case can describe another noun.
vir grandibus pedibus
a man with large feet
feÅmina magnaÅ sapientiaÅ
a woman of great wisdom
This usage is similar to the genitive of description (see p. 81).
1 Sometimes an adjective will move in front of a one-syllable preposition like this to give the expression a more pleasing and symmetrical form.
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CHAPTER 6 Syntax of the Noun
ABLATIVE OF RESPECT
This ablative is used to specify or limit a statement.
IlloÅs virtuÅte praeceÅdimus.
We surpass those men in respect to
excellence.
ABLATIVE ABSOLUTE
An ablative noun and participle