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So, gerundive moriendi is found for morituri 'about to die'. Conversely, future participles recepturus and scripturus are found for recipiendus and scribendus/scribundus. More regularly, the gerundive came to be used as a future passive participle. Ultimately the gerundive in the nominative case came to substitute for the present participle. [4]
The gerundive has a form similar to that of the gerund, but it is a first and second declension adjective, and functions as a future passive participle (see § Participles above). It means "(which is) to be ...ed". Often, the gerundive is used with part of the verb esse, to show obligation. Puer laudandus est "The boy needs to be praised"
The gerundive after ad can also be used to express purpose (a use which it shares with the gerund, see below): [212] L. Septimium tribūnum militum ad interficiendum Pompeium mīsērunt (Caesar) [213] 'they sent the military tribune Lucius Septimius to kill Pompey' hunc Dātamēs vīnctum ad rēgem dūcendum trādit Mithridātī (Nepos) [214]
The gerundive of the verb (an adjectival form ending in -ndus) can be combined with the verb sum 'I am' to make a passive periphrastic tense. This usually expresses what is needing to be done: ego nec rogandus sum nec hortandus (Pliny) [1] 'I don't need to be asked or encouraged' (i.e. I will do it willingly)
The gerundive also changes according to the number and gender of the subject ... The present subjunctive is also used in purpose clauses with ut such as the following ...
However, this was a rare construction. Writers generally preferred the gerundive construction, in which the gerundive adjective was inflected to agree with the noun acting as its object: e.g., res evertendae reipublicae 'matters concerning the overthrow of the state' (literally 'of the state being overthrown').
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Chomsky describes gerundive nominals as being formed from propositions of subject-predicate form, such as with the suffix “-ing” in English. [14] Gerundive nominals also do not have the internal structure of a noun phrase and so cannot be replaced by another noun. [14] Adjectives cannot be inserted into the gerundive nominal. [14]