Heavy Construction

Possessive Genitive.

343.

• Alexandrí canis, Alexander's dog.

  

• potentia Pompeí (Sall. Cat. 19), Pompey's power.

  

• Ariovistí mors (B. G. v. 29), the death of Ariovistus.

  

• perditorum temeritas (Mil. 22), the recklessness of desperate men.

NOTE 1: The Possessive Genitive may denote (1) the actual owner (as in Alexander's dog) or author (as in Cicero's orations), or (2) the person or thing that possesses some feeling or quality or does some act (as in Cicero's eloquence, the strength of the bridge, Catiline's evil deeds). In the latter use it is sometimes called the Subjective Genitive; but this term properly includes the possessive genitive and several other genitive constructions (nearly all, in fact, except the Objective Genitive, §347).

NOTE 2: The noun limited is understood in a few expressions: -

• ad Castoris [aedes] (Quinct. 17), at the [temple] of Castor. [Cf. St. Paul's.]

  

• Flaccus Claudi, Flaccus [slave] of Claudius.

  

• Hectoris Andromache (Aen. iii. 319), Hector's [wife] Andromache.

a. For the genitive of possession a possessive or derivative adjective is often used, - regularly for the possessive genitive of the personal pronouns (§ 302. a): liber meus, my book. [Not liber mei.] aliena perícula, other men's dangers. [But also aliorum.] Sullina tempora, the times of Sulla. [Oftener Sullae.]

b. The possessive genitive often stands in the predicate, connected with its noun by a verb (Predicate Genitive): -

• haec domus est patris mei, this house is my father's.

  

• iam mé Pompeí tótum esse scis (Fam. ii. 13), you know I am now all for Pompey (all Pompey's)

  

• summa laus et tua et Brutí est (Fam. xii. 4. 2), the highest praise is due both to you and to Brutus (is both yours and Brutus's).

  

• comperdi facere, to save (make of saving).

  

• lucrí facere, to get the benefit of (make of profit).

NOTE: These genitives bear the same relation to the examples in § 343 that a predicate noun bears to an appositive (§§ 282, 283).

c. An infinitive or a clause, when used as a noun, is often limited by a genitive in the predicate: -

• neque suí iúdici [erat] discernere (B. C. i. 35), nor was it for his judgment to decide (nor did it belong to his judgment).

  

• cûiusvis hominis est erráre (Phil. xii. 5), it is any man's [liability] to err.

  

• negávit moris esse Graecórum, ut in connvió virórum accumberent mulierés (Verr. ii. 1. 66), he said it was not the custom of the Greeks for women to appear as guests (recline) at the banquets of men..

  

• sed timidí est optare necem (Ov. M. iv. 115), but 'tis the coward's part to wish for death.

  

• stulti erat spérare, suádére impudentis (Phil. ii. 23), it was folly (the part of a fool) to hope, effrontery to urge.

  

• sapientis est pauca loqui, it is wise (the part of a wise man) to say little [Not sapiens (neuter) est., etc.]

NOTE 1: This construction is regular with adjectives of the third declension, instead of the neuter nominative (see the last two examples).

NOTE 2: A derivative or possessive adjective may be nsed for the genitive in thie construction, and must be used for the genitive of a personal pronoun: -

• mentírí non est meum [not mei], it is not for me to lie.

  

• humanum [for hominis] est errare, it is man's nature to err (to err is human).

d. A limiting genitive is sometimes used instead of a noun in apposition (Appositional Genitive) (§ 282): -

• nomen ínsaniae (for nomen insania), the word madness.

  

• oppidum Antiochíae (for oppidum Antiochía, the regular form), the city of Antioch.