1. The Ablative of Means (Grammar 3C, p. 172)
Latin Grammar
The Ablative of Means
(Grammar 3C, p. 172)

2. The Ablative The ablative has many uses.
We first saw it with prepositions.
Many prepositions require it.

3. The Ablative with Prepositions
The ablative is required by all prepositions that mean from:
ā/ab dē
ē/ex
cum
sine
in, sub

4. The Independent Ablative
Then we started learning the independent ablative.
The independent ablative is the term used for the ablative on its own, without a preposition.
PREPOSITIONS

5. The Ablative of Description
The first independent ablative we learned was the ablative of description:
mīles magnā uirtūte

6. Ablative of Time
Ablative of time
hōc tempore
eā nocte

7. Ablative of Means stilus, -ī, m. = stylus haec fēmina stilō scrībit.
The independent ablative is used to tell what tool is used to do an action.
We call this the ablative of means.
It is translated with.
stilus, -ī, m. = stylus
haec fēmina stilō scrībit.

8. haec fēmina stilō scrībit.
Ablative of Means
Latin distinguishes between doing something with a thing as a tool and doing something with a person as a companion.
Doing something with a thing is ablative of means, and no cum (with) is used.
haec fēmina stilō scrībit.

9. Ablative of Accompaniment
Doing somethng with a person as a companion requires a cum.
This use is called ablative of accompaniment.
in urbem cum Marcō abeo.

10. Ablative of Accompaniment
mīlitēs cum Marcō
portam effregunt.
mīlitēs
Marcus

11. Ablative of Means
uirī
uirī Marcō
portam effregunt.
Marcus
porta

12. A Note on Cum Cum is a preposition and usually goes before nouns:
cum Marcō
cum uirō
cum seruā

13. A Note on Cum
But with pronouns, cum often must be attached after the pronoun:
mēcum
tēcum
nōbīscum
uōbīscum
sēcum
quōcum
quibuscum

14. Summary
We have now met three uses of the ablative without prepositions, that is, of the independent ablative:
ablative of description.
ablative of time.
ablative of means.

15. Summary The ablative of means does NOT use cum. fēmina stilō scribit.
The ablative of accompaniment uses cum.
in urbem cum Marcō abeō