Ørberg has this example of ACI (Fam. Rom. XI, 179):
(a) Puerum dormīre necesse est.
When I blanked out the endings (Puer-- dorm-- necesse est) I wanted to answer with dative case:
(b) Puerō dormīre necesse est.
I think that would also be correct (though of course not ACI), but with a slightly different meaning.
He gives a similar construction in XX, 4:
nam longus somnus īnfantī tam necessārius est quam cibus.
I understand (b) as "It is necessary for (i.e., for the benefit of) the boy to sleep."
I understand (a) as "It is necessary that the boy sleep", which could also be said as "It is necessary for the boy to sleep", but although using the word "for," does not necessarily mean that it is "for the boy's benefit": it might be, e.g., that a gang of criminals need to put the boy to sleep so that he doesn't witness their nefarious deeds.
Comments?
(a) Puerum dormīre necesse est.
When I blanked out the endings (Puer-- dorm-- necesse est) I wanted to answer with dative case:
(b) Puerō dormīre necesse est.
I think that would also be correct (though of course not ACI), but with a slightly different meaning.
He gives a similar construction in XX, 4:
nam longus somnus īnfantī tam necessārius est quam cibus.
I understand (b) as "It is necessary for (i.e., for the benefit of) the boy to sleep."
I understand (a) as "It is necessary that the boy sleep", which could also be said as "It is necessary for the boy to sleep", but although using the word "for," does not necessarily mean that it is "for the boy's benefit": it might be, e.g., that a gang of criminals need to put the boy to sleep so that he doesn't witness their nefarious deeds.
Comments?