PERFECT PASSIVE PARTICIPLE AND ABLATIVE OF AGENT

PASSIVE VOICE

What is "voice" when we talk about verbs?

First, let's distinguish between transitive and intransitive verbs.

A transitive verb may have a direct object, and an intransitive verb does not (and often cannot) have a direct object.

Latin and English transitive verbs (i.e. verbs that may have a direct object) may be active or passive voice.

An active verb is found when the subject ACTS upon the direct object.

Bob (subject) paints (active verb) the wall (direct object).

A passive verb is found when the subject is PASSIVELY receiving the action (i.e. being acted upon).

The wall (subject) is being painted (passive verb) by Bob (personal agent phrase).

Note that in a passive version of the active sentence the old direct object (wall) becomes the subject, the verb form changes to passive (paints TO is being painted), and the original subject becomes the personal agent expressed in a prepositional phrase (Bob TO by Bob).

PERFECT PASSIVE PARTICIPLE

The first passive verb form that you are learning is the perfect passive participle or PPP. Like the present active participle that you have learned it is a VERBAL ADJECTIVE, but it is translated differently ("verbed" or "having been verbed") because it is perfect (i.e. shows earlier time) and passive.

Examples:
Femina nupta virum bene cognoscit.
The married woman knows her husband well.

Lumina sublata alios delectaverunt, alios vexaverunt.
The lights (having been) lifted up* delighted some, (but) annoyed others.
*or "the lights which had been lifted up"

Ablative of Personal Agent

Because Latin and English are very different languages that use different kinds of idioms, we have special names for the individual ways in which Latin cases function so that we can recognize, translate, and understand them.

You have seen ablative of means/intrument which has no preposition in Latin.

He hit me with a sword. Gladio me ferivit.

You have seen ablative of accompaniment for whom you do something with--it has cum in Latin.

They went with Marcus. Cum Marco ierunt.

You have also seen ablative of manner for how you do something--it often has cum, but not always, especially if there is an adjective agreeing with the ablative noun.

I sang loudly (with a great voice). Magna (cum) voce cecini.

Now the ABLATIVE OF AGENT is only found with a passive verb form, including the perfect passive participle. In Latin it has the preposition a or ab + ablative, and it is translated "by ___." It tells by whom something is done.

Examples:
The man having been delighted by me gave me a gift.
Vir a me delectatus* mihi donum dedit.
*Notice the common word order puts the noun and participle on opposite ends of the noun phrase with the ablative of agent ("a me") in the middle.

The soldiers summoned by the king perished.
Miltes a rege arcessiti perierunt.


EXAMPLE VOCAB SENTENCES FOR CH. 30

I delighted the chorus with my gift, a picture of the sun.
Chorum dōnō, pictūrā sōlis, dēlectāvī. (4 vocab words)

The custom of our ancestors was for a younger woman to marry an older man.
Mōs maiorum erat fēminam iuniōrem virō antīquiōrī nūbere. (3 words)