Purpose clauses
by Will Madden
Pure Purpose Clauses
Purpose clauses are most often signified by an ut or, negatively, ne plus
the subjunctive in Latin. As the name suggests, they express the purpose
of the action of the main verb.
NOTES:
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1. Sometimes ut or ne have a correlative in the main clause meaning, 'for
this reason' which the purpose clause explains. Such correlatives include
ideo, idcirco, propterea, and eo consilio.
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legum idcirco servi sumus, ut liberi sumus.
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For this reason we are subject to laws, that we may be free.
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2. Ut ne can be used for ne without change of meaning.
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3. Ut non can be used for ut ne where non negates a particular word (as
opposed to the clause); that is, ut non represents 'so that ... not...'
as opposed to 'lest...'.
Relative Purpose Clauses
Relative clauses of purpose are introduced by the relative pronoun qui
or a relative pronoun. Qui can be understood as ut is, and ubi as
ut ibi.
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scribebat orationes quae alii dicerent.
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He wrote speeches for other men to deliver.
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huic ne ubi consisteret quidem contra te locum reliquisti
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you have left him no ground even to make a stand against you.
NOTE:
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When quo is used to express purpose, it usually appears with a comparative:
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comprimere eorum audaciam, quo facillius ceterorum animi frangerentur
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to repress their audacity, that the spirit of others might be broken
more easily.
Other expressions of purpose
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Latin rarely uses the infinitive construction for purpose which is so common
to English, e.g. "I come to bury Caesar." This form is further limited
to early writings and poetry.
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Ad plus the gerund and sometimes the gerundive are used to express purpose
with intransitive verbs.
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The genitive of the gerund can be used followed by the ablative of causa
or gratia.
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The accusative supine can be used with verbs of motion.
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The future participle is also can be expression of purpose in later writers.