§503. Gerund and Gerundive

When the Gerund would have an object in the Accusative, the Gerundive¹ is generally used instead. The gerundive agrees with its noun, which takes the case that the gerund would have had:—

• parātiōrēs ad omnia perīcula subeunda (B. G. 1.5), readier to undergo all dangers. [Here subeunda agrees with perīcula, which is itself governed by ad. The (inadmissible) construction with the gerund would be ad subeundum perīcula; ad governing the gerund, and the gerund governing the accusative perīcula.] For details, see §§ 504-507.

a. The following examples illustrate the parallel constructions of Gerund and Gerundive:—

• GEN. cōnsilium urbem capiendī urbis capiendae a design of taking the city.
• DAT. dat operam agrōs colendō agrīs colendīs he attends to tilling the fields.
• ACC. veniunt ad mihi pārendum pācem petendam they come to obey me. to seek peace.
• ABL. terit tempus scrībendō epistulās scrībendīs epistulīs he spends time in writing letters.

• (1) in forō, in cūriā, in amīcōrum perīculīs prōpulsandīs (Phil. 7.7), in the forum, in the senate-house, in defending my friends in jeopardy.
• (2) ad rēs dīversissimās, pārendum atque imperandum (Liv. 21.4), for the most widely different things, obeying and commanding.

Genitive of the Gerund and Gerundive