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TSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > Revision Notes > Classics > Latin Ablative Absolute

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The Ablative Absolute is a way of showing when something happened with regards to something else.

It is made up of a noun and a participle, both in the Ablative case. At GCSE level, they normally apear at the beginning of a sentence and are always separated from the rest of the sentence with a comma.

It is vital to know how to translate the Ablative Absolute to gain top grades.

nave deligata, cives domum redierunt

is translated as:

After the ship had been tied up, the citizens returned home.

• If a present participle is used, the clause begins with the word while...

• If a perfect participle is used, the clause begins with the word after...