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Imperative with other Complements

Page history last edited by Laura Gibbs 15 years, 1 month ago

 

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Imperative with other Complements

 

One of the simplest kind of two-word proverbs is one that uses an imperative. With an imperative, the subject is already implied in the verb itself, so you can combine the imperative with a complement - such as an ablative, dative or complementary infinitive - and end up with a nice two-word saying:

 

Here are some imperatives with dative complements:

 

Crede Deo.

Vive Deo.

Obsta principiis.

Parce prostratis.

Parce subiectis.

Benedicite persequentibus.

Subvenite oppresso.

Maiori concede.

Minori parce.

Experto credite.

 

Here are some imperatives with ablative complements:

 

Utere loris.

Utere virtute.

Spiritu ambulate.

Vino tempera.

 

Here are some imperatives with complementary infinitives:

 

Disce gaudere.

Disce pati.

Sapere aude.

 

The use of Noli / Nolite with a complementary infinitive is a typical way to express a negative imperative:

 

Noli flere.

Noli timere.

Nolite expavescere.

 

Notice that it doesn't make any difference whether you use the singular or plural imperative forms; you can make your choice based on which alternative, singular or plural, sounds best to you.

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