venēnō absūmptī Hannibal et Philopoemēn, L. 39, 52, 8, it was by poison that Hannibal and Philopoemen were taken off. quam prīdem pater mihī̆ et māter mortuī essent, T. Eu. 517, how long my father and my mother had been dead.
[1089.] (b.) If the substantives denote things, and are of different genders, the neuter plural is used; also commonly when they are feminines denoting things: as,
mūrus et porta dē caelō tācta erant, L. 32, 29, 1, the wall and town-gate had been struck by lightning. īra et avāritia imperiō potentiōra erant, L. 37, 32, 13, hot blood and greed proved stronger than authority.
[1090.] (c.) If the substantives denote both persons and things, either the gender of the substantives denoting persons is used, or the neuter. The gender of the substantives denoting things is very rarely used: as,
et rēx rēgiaque classis ūnā profectī, L. 21, 50, 11, the king too and the king’s fleet set sail in his company. inimīca inter sē līberam cīvitātem et rēgem, L. 44, 24, 2, that a free state and a monarch were irreconcilable things. Dolopas et Athamāniam ēreptās sibī̆ querēns, L. 38, 10, 3, complaining that the Dolopians and Athamania were wrested from him.
[1091.] When the verb is attached to the nearest only of two or more subjects, a predicate participle or adjective naturally takes the gender of that substantive: as, ibī̆ Orgetorīgis fīlia atque ūnus ē fīliīs captus est, 1, 26, 5, there the daughter of Orgetorix and one of the sons too was made prisoner. ut brāchia atque umerī līberī esse possent, 7, 56, 4, so that their arms and shoulders might be unhampered.
[1092.] The ablative singular absente is used once each by Terence and Afranius with a plural substantive: absente nōbīs, T. Eu. 649, while we were out.
[1093.] A neuter adjective or pronoun is sometimes used as a substantive in the predicate ([1101]): as,
trīste lupus stabulīs, V. E. 3, 80, a baleful thing the wolf for folds. quod ego fuī ad Trāsumennum, id tū hodiē, L. 30, 30, 12, what I was myself at Trasumene, that you are today.