Heavy Construction
The Allen and Greenough is still under construction;
so some links may not work quite the way you would expect.
385.
Other constructions are sometimes found where
the dative might be expected: -
a. Adjectives of fitness or
use take oftener the Accusative with ad to denote the purpose or end; but regularly
the Dative of persons: -
- aptus ad rem
mílitárem, fit for a soldier's duty.
- locus ad ínsidiás
aptior (Mil. 53), a place fitter for lying in wait.
- nóbís útile est ad hanc rem
(cf. Ter. And. 287), it is of use to us for this thing.
b. Adjectives and nouns of
inclination and the like may take the Accusative with in or ergá: -
- cómis in
uxórem (Hor. Ep. ii. 2. 133), kind to his wife.
- dívína bonitás
ergá hominés (N. D. ii. 60), the divine
goodness towards men.
- dé benevolentiá quam quisque habeat ergá
nós (Off. i. 47), in regard to each man's good will
which he has towards us.
- grátiórem mé esse
in té (Fam. xi. 10), that I am more grateful to
you.
c. Some adjectives of likeness,
nearness, belonging, and a few others, ordinarily requiring the
Dative, often take the Possessive Genitive: - [1][Such are aequális, affínis, aliénus,
amícus, cógnátus, commúnis,
cónsanguineus, contrárius, dispár, familiáris,
fínitimus, inimícus, necessárius, pár,
pecúliáris, propinquus, proprius (regularly genitive), sacer, similis, superstes,
vícínus.]
- quod ut illí proprium ac
perpetuum sit ... optáredébétis (Manil. 48),
which you ought to pray may be secure (his own) and lasting to
him. [Dative.]
- fuit hóc quondam proprium
populí Rómání (id. 32), this
was once the peculiar characteristic fo the Roman people. [Genitive.]
- cum utríque sís
maximé necessárius (Quinct. 86), since you are
especially bound to both. [Dative.]
- prócurátor aequé
utríusque necessárius (Qunict. 86), an
agent alike closely connected with both. [Genitive.]
1. The genitive is especially used with these adjectives when they
are used wholly or approximately as nouns: -
- amícus
Ciceróní, friendly to Cicero. But,
Cicerónis amícius, a friend of Cicero; and
even, Cicerónis amicissimus, a very great friend of Cicero.
- créticus et êius
aequális paean (Or. 215), the cretic and its equivalent
the paean.
- hí erant affínés
istíus (Verr. ii. 36), these were this man's
fellows.
2. After similis, like,
the genitive is more common in early writers. Cicero regularly uses the
genitive of persons, and either the genitive or the dative of
things. With personal pronouns the genitive is regular (meí, tuí, etc.), and also in
vérí similis,
probable: -
- dominí similis es (Ter. Eun. 496), you're like your
master (your master's like).
- ut essémus similés
deórum (N. D. i. 91), that we might be like the
gods.
- est similis mâiórum
suom (Ter. Ad. 411), he's like his ancestors.
- partis similis esse (Off. i. 121), to be like his
father.
- símia quam similis turpissima
béstia nóbís (N. D. i. 97, quoted from Enn.), how like us is that wretched beast the ape!
- sí enim hóc illí
simile sit, est illud huic (id. i. 90), for if this is
like that, that is like this.
NOTE: The genitive in this construction is not objective like
those in § 349, but possessive
(cf. § 343).
For the dative of Accusative with proprior,
proximus, proprius, proximé, see § 432. a.