In this section of the text, Comenius shows a number of examples of the gerund:
Either by climbing over the walls with scaling-ladders | Vel mūrōs per scālās trānscendendō,
or by breaking them down with battering-engines | aut diruendō arietibus,
or by demolishing them with great guns | aut dēmōliendō tormentīs,
or by breaking through the gates with a petard | vel dirumpendō portās exōstrā,
or by hurling cannon balls | vel ēiaculandō globōs tormentāriōs,
out of mortar-pieces | ē mortāriīs balistīs,
into the city, by engineers | in urbem per ballistāriōs,
who lie behind leaguer-baskets | quī latitant post gerrās,
or by overthrowing it with mines by pioneers | vel subvertendō cūniculīs per fossōrēs.
Some brief review notes:
[i] The gerund is a verbal noun referring to the act or process of doing something.
[ii] The ‘marker’ for the gerund is -nd-
visitō, -āre [1] > visitandum
moneō, monēre [2] > monendum
discō, discere [3] > discendum
capiō, capere [3-iō] > capiendum
audiō, audīre [4] > audiendum
[iii] There is no nominative case:
Nominative: -
Genitive: visitandī
Dative: visitandō
Accusative: visitandum
Ablative: visitandō
[iv] In the text, the gerund appears in the ablative case with the ending -ndō to express means or method by which the action is carried out, and it is usually translated in English as “by …-ing.”
ēiaculor, -ārī, -ātus sum [1 dep.]: hurl, discharge
- ēiaculandō globōs tormentāriōs │ by hurling cannon balls
dīrumpō, -ere, dirūpī, diruptus [3]: break down; burst; (here) break through
- dirumpendō portās │ by breaking through the gates
diruō, diruere, diruī, dirūtus [3]: tear down
- diruendō │ by breaking down (the walls)
trānscendō, trānscendere, trānscendī, trānscēnsus [3]: climb over
- mūrōs … trānscendendō │ by climbing over the walls
subvertō, subvertere, subvertī, subversus [3]: overthrow
- vel subvertendō │ by overthrowing (the city)
dēmōlior, -īri, dēmōlitus sum [4 dep.]: demolish; tear down
- dēmōliendō │ by demolishing (the walls)
