Disputatio:Inferi

sua v. eius

I regularly confound the reflexive and non-reflexive, especially when the subordinate clauses pile up, but... uxor sua est Proserpina = "Proserpina is her own wife" (since Proserpina is subject); uxor eius est Proserpina = "Proserpina is his wife" ??

On another issue, the familial relations of Pluto can be found under Pluto (deus), and perhaps are beside the point here. Montivagus 15:51, 14 Octobris 2007 (UTC)

No sua is an adjective here. Sua may refer to a previous person such as Pluto, typically in a main clause or previous sentence. Pluto est deus; uxor sua est Proserpina.-->Pluto is a god, Proserpina is his (Pluto's) wife. But Pluto est deus; uxor eius est Prosperpina. -->Pluto is a god; Proserpina is his (not Pluto's but some one else's) wife.--Rafaelgarcia 16:03, 14 Octobris 2007 (UTC)

Consentio, and that's what the textbooks imply, though one might well wonder about copulative sentences like this. I believe I've seen medieval texts in which the distinction between eius & suus has been lost, but it's probably best for modern writer to try to maintain it. In the case of uxor eius/sua est Proserpina, the suggestion at Bradley's Arnold #354(iv) seems to be that here it should be merely uxor est Proserpina, since there's no doubt whose wife she is. IacobusAmor 16:17, 14 Octobris 2007 (UTC)