Re: Grammar question

Thanks, Rett & Yong Peng, I appreciate the help.
I'm still a bit confused, though. Please bear with me.

From what you wrote, Rett, I got the impression that the ablative
adverbally modifies the sentence's subject, rather than its object.
Hence in this case
(The uncle, with his friends, sees recluses from the mountains =
Maatulo mittehi saha pabbatehi sama.ne passati.)
it would be the uncle who is from the mountain, not the recluses.

On the other hand, in de Silva's primer, the lesson introducing the
ablative suggests that the *object* is modified. Here's an example
sentence:
- Yaacako naramhaa bhatta.m yaacati.
- The beggar asks for rice from the man.
Clearly here it is the rice (object) that is from-the-man, not the
beggar (subject).

So, which is it - does the ablative modify subject or object?
Your guidance deeply appreciated.
Kind Regards,
-Brian J

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, "Ong Yong Peng" <ypong001@...> wrote:
> Dear Rett, Brian and friends,
>
> yes, I agree with Rett. Grammatically it sounds right, but it
becomes
> confusing if allowed both ways. There's where syntax applies.
>
>
> metta,
> Yong Peng
>
> --- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, rett wrote:
> >> English: The uncle, with his friends, sees recluses from the
> mountains.
> >> Pali: Maatulo mittehi saha pabbatehi sama.ne passati.
> >> When I did the exercise I had the last two nouns (ablative and
> accusative) reversed in order: (Maatulo mittehi saha sama.ne
> pabbatehi passati.)
> >> Can anyone tell me how in this instance that the
> ablative 'pabbatehi'means that the recluses are from the mountains,
> rather than the uncle and his friends? I guessed that word order
> would indicate this, butfrom the answer key it looks like I guessed
> wrong.
>
>
> >I'm pretty sure that the meaning is the same either way. The
> ablative should function adverbially, not as an adjectival
attribute
> of the monks. If you wanted it to mean the monks were from the
> mountains you'd need something like "pabbatehi aagate sama.ne", or
> you could try something like "pabbatavasanto sama.ne".