Table of Contents
The Ablative of Means
Recognizing An Ablative of Means
- The ablative of means will be an ablative without a preposition.
- The ablative of means is used to express the “means by which” the action of the verb is accomplished (ex: “He killed it with a weapon.”)
- It is used with objects (i.e. a knife) or abstract nouns (i.e. fear: “He acted with fear.”)
Translating An Ablative of Means
- Translate the ablative of means with the English prepositions “by” or “with”.
Examples of the Ablative of Means
- Civiles, clavis armati, ambulant
- Translation: The citizens, armed with clubs, walk.
