Gerund and Supine

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159. The Gerund and Supine are used as follows.

a. The Gerund is a verbal noun, corresponding in meaning to the English verbal noun in -ing (§ 502).

loquendī causā for the sake of speaking

Note— The Gerund is found only in the oblique cases. A corresponding nominative is supplied by the Infinitive.

Scrībere est ūtile.  Writing (to write) is useful.   

BUT
ars scrībendī  the art of writing

b. The Supine is a noun of the 4th declension (§ 94.b) in form, found only in the accusative ending in -tum, -sum, and the dative or ablative ending in -tū, -sū. The Supine in -um is used after verbs and the Supine in after adjectives (§§  509 - 510).

Vēnit spectātum. He came to see.
mīrābile dictū  wonderful to tell

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Suggested Citation

Meagan Ayer, Allen and Greenough’s New Latin Grammar for Schools and Colleges. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2014. ISBN: 978-1-947822-04-7. https://dcc.dickinson.edu/grammar/latin/gerund-and-supine