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Ablative Absolutes are a form of participial clause that do not modify any noun from the main structure of the sentence as do true adjectival clauses (that modify, for example, the subject or direct object of a clause). The noun that the participle in the ablative absolute modifies is independent of the structure of the clause. The ablative absolute is instead adverbial and gives the circumstances or the causes of the action of the verb. Because of its "absolute" or independent nature, this type of participial phrase is put into the ablative. Here is an example: Brutus, his dictis, milites dimisit, "Brutus, with these things have been said, dismissed the soldiers." The participle "dictis" modifies "his". "His" is not part of the noun structure of the clause and so is put into the ablative along with the participle. The ablative absolute modifies dimisit because it gives the circumstances of or the causes for Brutus' dismissal of the soldiers. Ablative absolutes normally have a passive skeleton (i.e. include a perfect passive participle): Quintus laboribus confectis, cum amicis colloquebatur, "Quintus, with his work having been completed, was talking with his friends." Ablative absolutes can also be active and can even have direct objects of their own after transitive verbs: Quinto cum amicis colloquente, centurio accessit, "with Quintus talking with his friends, the centurion approached, intransitive with a prepositional phrase modifier. Quinto haec locuto, Marcus gaudebat, "with Quintus saying these things, Marcus was rejoicing.", transitive with a direct object, "haec" and deponent verb. Ablative absolutes can also be linking, but because there is no present active participle of sum, esse, only the subject and subject complement will appear (still in the ablative): Caesare duce, periculum vincitur, "with Caesar as general, the danger was overcome.", the subject of the ablative absolute is "Caesare", the subject complement is "duce". |
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Last Updated March 18, 2003 Questions, comments and corrections should be sent to Brian K. Harvey, Kent State University |
