# Ille autem ebrius uxoris suae umeris imposuerat manus...



## Buonaparte

Dear Forum,
 
In the phrase:
 
_Ille autem ebrius uxoris suae umeris imposuerat manus, _
 
is '_ebrius_' in apposition to '_Ille_'?
 
Buonaparte


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## J.F. de TROYES

Buonaparte said:


> Dear Forum,
> 
> In the phrase:
> 
> _Ille autem ebrius uxoris suae umeris imposuerat manus, _
> 
> is '_ebrius_' in apposition to '_Ille_'?
> 
> Buonaparte


 
I think so and I don't see anything else as possible.


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## Buonaparte

Yes, I think so too, but I am not sure why 'ebrius' can't be treated as an adjective and modify 'ille', ie 'that drunk man'. Can anyone explain that? Buonaparte


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## brian

By "apposition" you must have meant that you wanted to take _ebrius_ as a noun (in apposition to _ille_), i.e. something like _That man, a drunkard, ..._ But I think J.F. thought you meant "apposition" in the more general sense of, does _ebrius_ modify _ille_ (are they in _agreement_)? ... to which the answer of course is yes. But as you guessed, I don't think _ebrius_ is a noun here, but rather an adjective.

It's from Petronius's _Satyricon_. More context:



> Recreatus hoc sermone reposui cubitum, Habinnamque intrantem cum admiratione ingenti spectabam. Ille autem iam ebrius uxoris suae umeris imposuerat manus, ...


So I would take _ille_ as a demonstrative pronoun, referring to Habinnas, and _ebrius_ as an adjective:

_He/That man (Habinnas), however, now drunk, ..._


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## J.F. de TROYES

brian8733 said:


> So I would take _ille_ as a demonstrative pronoun, referring to Habinnas, and _ebrius_ as an adjective:
> 
> _He/That man (Habinnas), however, now drunk, ..._


 
That's also my opinion.


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## Stoicorum_simia

brian8733 said:


> So I would take _ille_ as a demonstrative pronoun, referring to Habinnas, and _ebrius_ as an adjective:
> 
> _He/That man (Habinnas), however, now drunk, ..._


 
_Iam_ in the original makes that absolutely clear.


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## falconskid007

Yes, it is an appositive


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## brian

By the strict definition of appositive, no it's not, because it's an adjective. See here.


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## Buonaparte

Brian

That's a really useful link for me. I hadn't come across that page before. Many thanks, Buonaparte


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