3. An adjective is often put absolutely in the neuter, χρημα being understood ; as, Ορθον (χρημα) ή αληθεια Truth is always a right thing. αει. Ἡ πατρις φίλτατον (χρη- Το men their country is most μα) βροτοις. dear. 4. An adjective is sometimes put in a different gender from the substantive with which it stands, as agreeing with some other substantive understood; as, "(see obs. 3.) Αθήνη Διος τεκος ατρυτώνη. Φιλε τεκνον. Ω ψυχη ὁς μηδ' ήσθης. Minerva, invincible daughter of Dear child (son). O soul ! who hast not been gra tified. 5. Participles and adjectives are often put, by attraction, in the same case with the noun or pronoun to which they refer; as, (see obs. 4-6.) Οιομένων είναι σοφωτατων ανθρώπων, for αυτούς Thinking themselves to be the wisest of men. είναι σοφωτατους. VERB AND NOMINATIVE. 6. A verb agrees with its nominative, in number and person; as, Ζεύξις έγραψε. Οφθαλμω λαμπετον. Καταδουσιν ορνιθες. Zeuxis painted. His eyes shine. Birds sing. • Thus τω γυναικε, the women; τω χείρε, the hands; according to the nature of the Attic dialect, which makes the masculine and feminine of many adjectives in ος the same. Αθανατων μετα φυλ' στην, προλιποντ' Modesty and justice, having left ανθρωπους Αιδως και Νεμεσις. men, departed to the heavenly gods. This form of construction is used to generalise the expression. *7. Neuters in the plural have commonly verbs singular; as, (see obs. 3. note.) Τα βελη εκπιπτει. Τῳ αργυρεῳ ὑποτάσσεται παντα. The darts fall out. All things are subject to money. 8. Substantive verbs, verbs passive of naming, and verbs of gesture, have a nominative both before and after them, belonging to the same thing; as, 9. The infinitives of substantive verbs, such as ειναι, γινεσθαι, &c. have the same case after them that them; as,a Τους μεν ειδότας ταυτα ήγειτο καλους και αγαθους ειναι, τους δε αγνοούντας ανδραποδώδεις αν δικαίως κεκλησθαι. goes before He thought that those who knew these things were good and honourable; but that those who were ignorant of them should be justly called slavish. 10. The infinitive mood has an accusative before it, when its agent or subject is different from that of the preceding verb; (see obs. 5.) * but a nominative when they are the same; as,b a Sometimes when a dative precedes the infinitive, an accusative follows it, agreeing with an accusative, understood, before it; as, Ήρμοζε σοι βασιλεα ειναι ορνεων. You ought to be king of birds. * The accusative, very rarely, precedes the infinitive, when it refers to the agent or subject of the preceding verb; as, Ουχ & κρείσσων ηδει ων, αλλ' άπερ He commenced not those things, εν ᾔδει ἑαυτον ἧττονα οντα, ταύτα in which he knew himself to be εξήρχε. superior; but those in which he well knew that he was inferior. Τι βροτους φρονειν λεγουσι; Why do they say that mortal men are wise? Εδειξε πολεμιος ειναι βα- He showed that he himself was an enemy to the king. σιλει. RELATIVE AND ANTECEDENT. 11. The relative agrees with its antecedent in gender and number. If there comes no nominative between the relative and the verb, the relative is the nominative to the verb; but if there does, the relative is governed by some word in the sentence; as, Ανδρας οἱ εισονται. Men who will know. The word which he spoke. * 12. The Attics often put the relative, by attraction, in the same case with the antecedent; and, sometimes, the antecedent in the same case with the relative; as, (see obs. 7, 8.) Προς τούτοις οἷς λεγει Ξε- Added to what Xenophon says. νοφων. Ούτος εστιν όν λεγεις αν θρωπον. This is the man that you say. * GENERAL RULES. 13. A noun of the dual number may have a verb, adjective, or relative plural; but a plural noun can have a verb, adjective, or relative dual, only when it signifies two; as, Αμφω έλεγον. Ως ανεμοι (δυο) ορινετον. They both said. As two winds excite. Let us put our dear hands around. 14. Two or more substantives singular have a verb, adjective, or relative plural; if they be of different persons or genders, the verb or adjective will agree with the most worthy; if they signify things without life, the adjective is commonly in the neuter;a as, Εαν αδελφος η αδελφη γυμ- If a brother or sister be naked. νοι ὑπαρχωσι. Αἱ δυναστειαι και ὁ πλου- Power and riches are desirable for the sake of honour. You and I will do the things which are just. 15. When an infinitive or a sentence is in place of the nominative to a verb, or substantive to an adjective, the vero is in the third person singular, and the adjective in the neuter gender; as, Το πασιν αρεσαι δυσαρεσ- It is very hard to please all. τατον (χρημα) εστι. SUBSTANTIVE AND SUBSTANTIVE. 16. One substantive agrees with another, signifying the same thing, in case; as, Κυαξάρης ὁ παις του Ασ- Cyaxares the son of Astyages. τυάγου. Αυτόλυκου θυγατης μεγα- Anticlea, the daughter of the λήτορος Αντικλεια. magnanimous Autolycus. a To this rule may be added nouns of multitude, which often require verbs and adjectives plural; as, Ερωτησαν αυτον άπαν το πληθος. All the multitude asked him. The same occurs, when an indefinite pronoun refers to several objects, taken individually; as, Ωτινι εντυγχανοιεν, η δουλφ, η ελευ- Whatever slave, or freeman, θερῳ, παντας εκτεινον. they met, they slew them all. Indeed there is considerable variety in the application of the rule to which this note is attached. For, when two synonymous nouns are used, the verb is frequently in the singular; as, Μαχη πολεμος τε δεδηε. The fight and battle raged. And, sometimes, the verb agrees with that nominative which is nearest to it; as, Ανεμος τε και κυμα πελασσε. The wind and wave impelled. GOVERNMENT. SUBSTANTIVES. 17. One substantive governs another, signifying a different thing, in the genitive; as,b Του Θεου μακροθυμία. The long suffering of God. 18. An adjective in the neuter gender, without a substantive, governs the genitive; as, Το λοιπον (μερος) της ήμε gas. Το κρατιστον (μερος) της φιλοσοφίας. The rest of the day. The best part of philosophy. 19. The primitive pronoun is used in the genitive, instead of the possessive pronoun; as, Πατηρ μου for πατης εμος. My father. (see obs. 57, 58.) a Although the rules, with respect to the construction of cases, appear very numerous, yet they may all be reduced to the following principles: 1. Every nominative agrees with some verb, expressed or understood. 2. Every genitive expresses that from which something proceeds, or by which it is possessed; and, in general, depends upon a noun, or preposition, expressed or understood. 3. Every dative expresses that to which something is acquired. But, as the dative, in Greek, corresponds also to the ablative, in Latin, it expresses that from which any thing is taken, or by means of which it is done. 4. Every accusative is governed by an active verb, or a preposition, expressed, or understood; or it agrees with an infinitive. When other words are said to govern certain cases, as verbs, the genitive, &c. or when cases are said to be put absolutely, these principles should be referred to, and they will shew the force and nature of the expression. In order to assist the learner in doing so, the elliptical words are inserted, in the examples to the rules on government. The dative is, sometimes, used instead of the genitive; as, Πατρι τιμωρων φονου. The avenger of your father's murder. And the poets, sometimes, change the substantive, that should be in the genitive, into a corresponding adjective; as, Δουλεια κεφαλη. The head of a slave. (see obs. 49.) |
