TWO ACCUSATIVES
An intransitive verb often takes the Accusative of a noun of kindred meaning, usually modified by an adjective or in some other manner.
This construction is called the
Cognate Accusative
or
Accusative of Kindred Signification:
—
-
tūtiōrem
vītam
vīvere
(Verr. 2.118)
,
to live a safer life.
-
tertiam iam
aetātem
hominum vīvēbat
(Cat. M. 31)
,
he was now living the third generation of men.
-
servitūtem
servīre
,
to be in slavery.
-
coīre societātem
,
to
[go together and]
form an alliance.
Verbs of taste
,
smell
, and the like take a cognate accusative of the quality:—
-
vīnum
redolēns
(Phil. 2.63)
,
smelling
[of]
wine.
-
herbam
mella sapiunt
(Plin. H. N. 11.18)
,
the honey tastes
[of]
grass.
-
olēre
malitiam
(Rosc. Com. 20)
,
to have the odor of malice.
-
Cordubae nātīs poētīs, pingue
quiddam
sonantibus atque
peregrīnum
(Arch. 26)
,
to poets born at Cordova
,
whose speech had a somewhat thick and foreign accent.
The cognate accusative is often loosely used by the poets:—
-
huic errōrī similem [
errōrem
] īnsānīre
(Hor. S. 2.3.62)
,
to suffer a delusion like this.
-
saltāre
Cyclōpa
(
id
. 1.5.63),
to dance the Cyclops
(represent in dancing).
-
Bacchānālia
vīvere
(Iuv. 2.3)
,
to live in revellings.
-
Amaryllida
resonāre
(Ecl. 1.5)
,
to reëcho
[the name of]
Amaryllis.
-
intonuit
laevum
(Aen. 2.693)
,
it thundered on the left.
-
dulce
rīdentem, dulce loquentem
(Hor. Od. 1.22.23)
,
sweetly smiling, sweetly prattling.
-
acerba
tuēns
(Aen. 9.794)
,
looking fiercely.
[Cf. Eng. “to look daggers.”]
-
torvum
clāmat
(
id
. 7.399),
he cries harshly.
A neuter pronoun or an adjective of indefinite meaning is very common as cognate accusative (cf. §§
214
.
d
, 397.
a
):—
-
Empedoclēs
multa alia
peccat
(N. D. 1.29)
,
Empedocles commits many other errors.
-
ego
illud
adsentior Theophrastō
;
(
De Or. 3.184
),
in this I agree with Theophrastus.
-
multum
tē ista fefellit opīniō
;
(
Verr. 2.1.88
),
you were much deceived in this expectation
(this expectation deceived you much).
-
plūs
valeō
,
I have more strength.
-
plūrimum
potest
,
he is strongest.
-
quid
mē ista laedunt
(Leg. Agr. 2.32)
,
what harm do those things do me?
-
hōc
tē moneō
,
I give you this warning
(cf.
d.
N.1).
-
id
laetor
,
I rejoice at this
(cf.
d.
N.1).
-
quid
moror
,
why do I delay?
-
quae
hominēs arant, nāvigant, aedificant
(Sall.
Cat. 2.7
),
what men do in ploughing
,
sailing
,
and building.
So in many common phrases:—
-
sī
quid
ille sē velit
(B. G. 1.34)
,
if he should want anything of him
(if he should want him in anything).
-
numquid
, Geta, aliud mē vīs
(Ter. Ph. 151)
,
can I do anything more for you
,
Geta
(there is nothing you want of me, is there)? [A common form of leave-taking.]
-
quid
est quod, etc.,
why is it that
, etc.? [Cf.
hōc erat quod
(
Aen. 2.664
),
was it for this that
, etc.?]
In these cases substantives
with a definite meaning
would be in some other construction:—
-
in
hōc
eōdem
peccat
,
he errs in this same point.
-
bonīs
rēbus
laetārī
,
to rejoice at prosperity.
[Also:
in
,
dē
, or
ex
.]
-
dē testāmentō
monēre
,
to remind one of the will.
[Later: genitive, §
351
.]
-
officī
admonēre
,
to remind one of his duty.
[Also:
dē officiō
.]
In some of these cases the connection of the accusative with the verb has so faded out that the words have become real adverbs: as,
multum
,
plūs
,
plūrimum
; plērumque
,
for the most part, generally;
cēterum
,
cētera
,
for the rest, otherwise
,
but;
prīmum
,
first;
nihil
,
by no means, not at all;
aliquid
,
somewhat;
quid
,
why;
facile
,
easily.
So in the comparative of adverbs (§
218
). But the line cannot be sharply drawn, and some of the examples under
b
may be classed as adverbial.
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