Grammatical and Syntactic Terminology in Caesar - AP Latin

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Question

After being warned of an imminent attack by the Gauls, Caesar’s men debate whether to stay in their camp or attempt to join another unit.

1 Lucius Aurunculeius compluresque tribuni militum et primorum ordinum

2 centuriones nihil temere agendum neque ex hibernis iniussu Caesaris

3 discedendum existimabant: quantasvis \[magnas\] copias etiam Germanorum

4 sustineri posse munitis hibernis docebant: rem esse testimonio, quod

5 primum hostium impetum multis ultro vulneribus illatis fortissime

6 sustinuerint: re frumentaria non premi; interea et ex proximis hibernis et a

7 Caesare conventura subsidia: postremo quid esse levius aut turpius, quam

8 auctore hoste de summis rebus capere consilium?

What is the grammatical function of the phrase "multis…vulneribus illatis" in line 5?

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Answer

Since all of these words would have to be in the ablative or dative, we can eliminate “indirect statement” (which requires a head verb, accusative, and infinitive). We can eliminate “dative of disadvantage” because the rest of the sentence provides no reason for words in the dative case. We are left with the two ablatives. Because the phrase includes a participle and refers to a circumstance accompanying the sentence, “ablative absolute” is correct. An ablative of means is usually a simple noun or a noun adjective pair. In addition, the phrase does not express means, but an accompanying circumstance.

(Passage adapted from Gallic Wars, 5:28)

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