LESSON 4.

CONSTRUCTIONS TO EXPRESS PURPOSE. SUMMARY ABOUT EXPRESSING

PURPOSE. SUPINE: DEFINITION. SUPINE IN –um. SUPINE IN –u.

A. CONSTRUCTIONS TO EXPRESS PURPOSE. SUMMARY ABOUT EXPRESSING

PURPOSE.

Final clauses or clauses of purpose express the purpose of the main clause. These clauses
always take the subjunctive. The conjunctions that introduce these clauses are:

- ut (so that, in order that)

Example:
Haec autem scripta sunt ut credatis. These things are written so that you may believe.

- quo (so that); this is used when there is a comparative in the clause

Example:
Adiuva me quo id fiet facílius. Help me so that it will be easier to do this.

- ne (the negative form)

Example:
Et in mánibus tollent te ne forte offendas ad lápidem.
And they will hold you up with their hands so that you will not trip on a stone.

Aside from the final clauses, the other ways of expressing purpose are:

1) the relative clause, the verb is put in the subjunctive mood

Example:
Tunc summiserunt viros qui dicerent se audisse eum dicentem verba blasphémiae.
Then they bribed some men so that they bear testimony that they had heard him say
blasphemous words.

2) the gerund or gerundive in the accusative case with the preposition ad or in the genitive case
with the words causa or grátia

Example:
Proptérea et ego ámplius nos sustinens misi ad cognoscendam fidem vestram.
That was my reason for sending him, when I could bear it no longer, to make sure of your
faith.

Venio legendi causa.

I come in order to read.

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3) a future participle, active

Example:
Vado auditurus te.
I am going in order to listen to you.

4) the infinitive

Example:
Non enim misit me Christus baptizare sed evangelizare.
But Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the Gospel.

5) the supine in –um (in the accusative) which depends on verbs of movement. This will be
discussed later.

B. SUPINE: DEFINITION.

The supine is a verbal noun belonging to the fourth declension. However, it exists only in
two forms, the accusative singular (which is the form given with the rest of the principal parts of
verbs) and the ablative singular.

C. SUPINE IN –um.

The supine in –um (i.e. the accusative singular) is used to express purpose after verbs of
motion or verbs implying motion. The supine in –um may have a word-object (not a clause-
object) and may be modified by adverbs.

Example:
Ángeli venerunt Redemptionem Ísrael nuntiatum.
The angels came to announce the Redemption to Israel.

Gladiatores in harenam pugnatum vocavit.

He called gladiators into the arena to fight.

Legati pacem petitum venerunt.

Envoys came to seek peace.

Eos ad me mane salutatum míseras.

You had sent them to greet me in the morning.

D. SUPINE IN –u.

The supine in –u (i.e. the ablative singular) is only found after certain adjectives (which
are used either as adjectives or as nouns), and the words “fas” (right) and “nefas” (wrong). This
occurs with a few verbs, mostly those that indicate saying or perceiving. The supine in –u may
take only a clause-object (not a word-object) and may not be modified by an adverb.

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 The supines in –u that are commonly used are: dictu (to say); factu (to do); auditu (to
hear), cognitu (to learn), visu (to see), intellectu (to understand).

Sample of adjectives which take a supine in –u are: fácilis, diffícilis, pulcher, credíbilis,
incredíbilis, bonus, malus.

Example:
res auditu crudelis, visu nefaria a thing cruel to hear, evil to see
mirábile dictu wonderful to relate
fas auditu right to hear

Nefas est dictu míseram esse talem senectutem.

It is criminal to call such an old age miserable.

Quaerunt quid óptimum factu sit.

They ask what is the best thing to do.