5.23 NON-FINITE DEPENDENT CLAUSES
Subordination of a clause may also be done with a non-finite verb form, such as a participle or infinitive. Non-finite dependent clauses do not have subordinating conjunctions; the non-finite verb form makes these clauses unable to stand alone. Clauses with participles as verb may have a subject in any case; clauses with infinitive verbs have accusative subjects.
Examples:
Invadunt urbem somno vinoque sepultam. They invade the city buried in sleep and wine. (adjectival, participial clause)
Cremata patria Troiani novae urbi locum quaerebant. With their homeland burned, the Trojans were seeking a spot for a new city. (adverbial, ablative absolute)
Illi responderunt se esse Troianos. They responded that they were Trojans. (noun DO, indirect statement)
Caesar iussit milites pontem facere. Caesar ordered the soldiers to build a bridge. (noun DO, objective inf/nf ind command)
5.24 PARTICIPIAL CLAUSE (ItL Ch17)
A participial clause is a non-finite adjectival clause. It can be recognized by the following features:
- a verb with participle morphology
- presence of a noun-head which the participle matches in case, number, and gender (this noun-head may be gapped, i.e., implied or understood)
In a participial clause the noun-head of the participle is the subject and the participle is the verb. The clause marker/subordinator is the participle itself. Because the noun-head/subject of the participial clause has a function in the higher clause, the bracketing for participial clauses does not include the subject (see below).
| Memorandum |
| Because non-finite clauses do not have clause markers and finite verbs to guide the reader to the beginning and end of the clause, word order becomes very important. In participial clause, the reader should assume that words which fall between the participial and the noun it modifies belong to the participial clause. Note the underline in the examples below. |
Examples:
Invadunt urbem somno vinoque sepultam. They invade the city overwhelmed by wine and sleep.
Latinus, nobilitatem gentis admiratus, fidem futurae amicitiae sanxit. Latinus, having admired the nobility of the people, confirmed a pledge of future friendship.
In the examples above, the subject of the participles sepultam and admiratus are, respectively, urbem and Latinus. Because urbem and Latinus are core elements in the main clauses of these sentences, the underline encloses all of the participial clause except its subject.
5.25 ABLATIVE ABSOLUTE (ItL Ch17)
An ablative absolute is a non-finite adverbial clause that can be recognized by the following two features:
- a noun in the ablative without preposition (NIAWOP)
- a present or perfect participle in agreement with the noun in case (abl) and gender
In an ablative absolute the ablative noun-head of the participle is the subject and the ablative participle is the verb. As with participial clauses, the clause marker/subordinator is the participle itself. Because the ablative subject of the ablative absolute does not have another function in the higher clause, the underline includes the entire clause (see below).
| Memorandum |
| In an ablative absolute the ablative noun-head of the participle is the subject and the ablative participle is the verb. The ablative noun more often precedes the participle, but it may also follow. In an ablative absolute with a linking pattern, both the subject and subject complement are in the ablative case; such clauses often consist of only the ablative S and SC, as there is no present participle for sum, esse. Direct objects in an ablative absolute will still be in the accusative case. |
Examples:
His rebus factis,… With these things having been done,…
Fortuna fortes adiuvante, periculum vincitur. With Fortune helping the brave, danger is overcome.
vulneratis tribus Albanis,… with the three Albans wounded,…
Illo duce, nihil timebimus. With that man as leader, we will fear nothing.
L. Cornelio Lentulo, Fulvio Flacco consulibus,… in the consulship of Lentulus and Flaccus or with Lentulus and Flaccus being/as consuls
In general, ablative absolutes provide the attendant circumstances for the higher clause. They are the syntactic and semantic equivalent of finite adverbial dependent clauses and often have the semantic interpretation time, condition, or cause. Thus, e.g., fortuna fortes adjuvante can be interpreted as (with) fortune helping the brave or as when/if/because fortune aids the brave. Urbe sepulta can be interpreted as (with) the city having been buried, or as when/if/because the city has been buried.
5.26 VERBAL NOUN INFINITIVE (ItL Ch6)
The verbal noun use of the infinitive can be recognized by these features:
- an infinitive, usually present
- governing verb or expression which is linking or impersonal
Infinitives may occur as subject or complement of a linking pattern. Verbal noun infinitives are frequently used alone, but they may have a direct object, and their own adverbial modifiers. In rare instances, the verbal noun infinitive has an accusative subject.
Verbs such as those listed below have traditionally been labeled as impersonal verbs when the subject is an infinitive. The use of it preceding the verbs in translations, e.g., it is pleasing to go, reflects this impersonal label. It is needed for a meaningful expression in English, but is neither present nor implied in the Latin.
Common impersonal verbs include:
decet it is fitting, suitable
iuvat it is pleasing, pleases, delights
licet it is allowable, possible
oportet it is necessary
placet it is pleasing, pleases
conceditur it is allowed
| Memorandum |
| Verbal noun infinitive constructions can be translated in one of three ways: as an infinitive phrase in subject position; as an infinitive phrase after an it is… translation; using an English gerund in subject position. E.g., Monere proprium est can be translated as 1) to advise is proper; 2) it is proper to advise; 3) advising is proper. |
Examples:
Difficile est deponere amorem. It is difficult to put aside love. or To put aside love is difficult.
Placuit egredi in litus et ex proximo adspicere. It was pleasing to walk out to the shore and to look from close up. (Pliny VI.16.31)
Stultum est queri de adversis ubi culpa est tua. Complaining about adversity when the fault is yours is stupid.
5.27 NON-FINITE INDIRECT COMMAND (OBJECTIVE INFINITIVE) (ItL Ch20)
An indirect command is often expressed with an accusative with infinitive (AcI) construction called objective infinitive. This non-finite noun clause can be recognized by three features:
- a noun or noun-equivalent as the accusative subject
- an infinitive verb, usually present
- a governing verb with the semantic notions ordering, wishing
Common verbs of ordering or wishing include:
cogo force (order)
iubeo order (order)
moneo advise, warn (order)
prohibeo prevent (order)
veto forbid (order)
nolo not wish (wish)
volo wish (wish)
postulo demand (wish)
sino allow (wish)
Examples:
Caesar milites pontem facere iubet (iussit). Caesar orders (ordered) the soldiers to build a bridge.
Helvetii Orgetorigem ex vinculis causam dicere coegerunt. The Helvetians forced Orgetorix to plead his case from chains.
5.28 INDIRECT STATEMENT (ItL Ch19)
The indirect statement in Latin is one of several infinitive constructions designated as an Accusativus cum Infinitivo accusative with infinitive clause, abbreviated AcI. An indirect statement can be recognized by three features:
- a noun or noun-equivalent as the accusative subject
- an infinitive verb, usually present
- a governing verb with the semantic notions saying, thinking, perceiving
Common verbs of saying, thinking, and perceiving include:
arbitror to think
audio to hear
cognosco to learn, recognize
credo to think, believe
dico to say
gaudeo to rejoice
intellego to understand, comprehend
loquor to speak
narro to talk, narrate
nego to deny, say…not, refuse
nuntio to announce
percipio to feel, perceive
polliceor to promise (usually with fut inf)
puto to think
reor to think, believe
respondeo to answer, reply
scio to know
scribo to write
sentio to feel, perceive
video to see
Most indirect statements function as the direct object of an active governing verb. Occasionally they are the subject of a governing verb in the passive voice.
| Memorandum |
| Both indirect statement and objective infinitive are AcI constructions. With a present infinitive, the only distinguishing feature is the governing verb, because objective infinitives pattern with a “bossy” verb; indirect statements do not. An indirect statement is much more likely when the infinitive is perfect, and definitely the case with a future infinitive. While an objective infinitive clause is usually translated with an English infinitive, the indirect statement is never expressed with an English infinitive, but always with a finite verb. E.g., Caesar dicit milites pontem facere should be translated Caesar says that the soldiers are building a bridge, not Caesar says the soldiers to build a bridge. Use that as a clause marker in English to help with smooth translation; when you become more confident, you may wish to leave out the that, e.g., Caesar says the soldiers are building a bridge. |
Examples:
Caesar dicit milites pontem facere. Caesar says that the soldiers are building a bridge.
Illi responderunt se esse Troianos. They responded that they were Trojans.
The different tenses of the infinitive (present, perfect, future) are used to show the time of the action of the indirect statement relative to the time of the governing verb. The present infinitive means that the action of the two clauses takes place at the same time; the perfect infinitive shows that the action of the indirect statement took place before the governing verb; the future infinitive means that the action of the indirect statement will take place after the governing verb. See the examples below, and study the English translations.
Examples:
Dico eum venisse. I say that he came. (present main verb)
Dico eum venire. I say that he is coming. (present main verb)
Dico eum venturum esse. I say that he will come. (present main verb)
Dixi eum venisse. I said that he had come. (past main verb)
Dixi eum venire. I said that he was coming. (past main verb)
Dixi eum venturum esse. I said that he would come. (past main verb)
Legatus senatui nuntiavit Galliam a Caesar superatam esse. The envoy announced to the senate that Gaul had been conquered by Caesar.
Aeneas pollicetur se novam urbem conditurum esse. Aeneas promises that he will establish a new city.
Romani credebant regem in caelum raptum esse. The Romans believed that the king had been taken into the sky.
When a perfect passive, future active or future passive participle in the accusative is in the vicinity of a verbum dicendi verb of saying, you must suspect a gapped esse (see gapping in §3.0). In such cases, the participle represents the infinitive verb of the indirect statement. It is in the accusative, because it agrees with the accusative subject of the indirect statement. With the future active infinitive, gapping of esse is so common as the be the general rule.
Example:
Imperium patris confectum dixerunt. They said that the order of their father had been accomplished.
In this sentence the verb dixerunt, which patterns with indirect statement, is the cue for the reader that confectum must be read as confectum esse.