C.W.

Shelmerdine
Introduction to Greek
2nd edition
(Newburyport, MA: Focus, 2008)
Chapter 9

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

3rd declension nouns: stems in -, -, -

, intensive use
as personal pronoun
, attributive use
Elision

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

3rd declension nouns: stems in -, -, -

, intensive use
as personal pronoun
, attributive use
Elision

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
1. 3rd declension nouns: stems in -, -, -

Recall that a dental (, , ) followed by a

yields just a .
Consequently, when the stem of a third
declension noun ends in a dental (, , ), the
nominative singular and dative plural show .

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
1. 3rd declension nouns: stems in -, -, -
Thus the forms of , torch
singular
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
Voc. = nom.

plural
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
Voc. = nom.

nom. sg.:
dat. pl.:

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
1. 3rd declension nouns: stems in -, -, -
A small number of dental stem nouns (those in -, -,
or - which accent the first syllable of their stems) show
in their accusative singular ending, rather than -.
Thus the forms of , grace
singular
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
Voc. = nom.

plural
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
Voc. = nom.

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
1. 3rd declension nouns: stems in -, -, -

A noun with a monosyllabic nominative accents

the nominative/accusative/vocative forms on the
penult and the genitive/dative forms on the
ultima.

See example of , night in Chapter

10.1.

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
1. 3rd declension nouns: stems in -, -, -
The noun , / child, however, has
irregular accents in the nominative singular and
genitive plural.

Otherwise this noun behaves like ,

torch.

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
1. 3rd declension nouns: stems in -, -, -
Thus the forms of , / child
singular
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
Voc.

plural
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Acc.
Voc. = nom.

voc. sg.:

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
1. 3rd declension nouns: stems in -, -, -

Most neuter nouns in the third declension which

have stems ending in a dental are of the
type (which you learned in Chapter 8).
singular
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Acc. = nom.
Voc. = nom.

plural
Nom.
Gen.
Dat.
Acc. = nom.
Voc. = nom.

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

3rd declension nouns: stems in -, -, -

, intensive use
as personal pronoun
, attributive use
Elision

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
2. , intensive use

The very common pronoun and adjective

- - declines like a regular adjective
( - -), except

the neuter nom/acc singular is (rather than

).
it has no vocative forms.

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
2. , intensive use

As an adjective, - - intensifies the

noun it modifies when it appears in the
predicate position:

The general himself leads the soldiers.

I send the messenger into the village itself.

He was pursuing the child himself.

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

3rd declension nouns: stems in -, -, -

, intensive use
as personal pronoun
, attributive use
Elision

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
3. as personal pronoun

As a pronoun alone, not modifying a noun,

- - in the accusative or dative cases
means him/her/it/them:

We send him into the village.

I was writing a letter to her.

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
3. as personal pronoun

As a pronoun alone, not modifying a noun,

- - in the genitive case means
his/hers/its/their:

Her words persuade the citizens.

The possessor cannot be the subject of the sentence.

means The woman persuades the citizens with her

(someone elses) *NEVER her own+ words.

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
3. as personal pronoun

As a pronoun, - - can refer to another

noun in the sentence or passage:

I write a letter and send it.

We will honor the goddess and trust her.

but not to the subject of the sentence.

means The woman was writing a letter to her

(someone else). *NEVER to herself+.

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

3rd declension nouns: stems in -, -, -

, intensive use
as personal pronoun
, attributive use
Elision

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
4. , attributive use

As an adjective, - - in the attributive

position means same:

The same general leads the soldiers.

I send the messenger into the same village.

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

3rd declension nouns: stems in -, -, -

, intensive use
as personal pronoun
, attributive use
Elision

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
5. Elision
Elision refers to sliding sounds together, a
phenomenon common in many languages but not
normally recorded in written form.
Remember, however, that Greek records the sounds
of the language, so written Greek records even
small changes in pronunciation made by speakers.

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
5. Elision
In English, for example, people often say gonna
for going to but rarely write the word gonna.
In Greek, elision refers to dropping the short vowel
at the end of one word when the next word
begins with a vowel. When Greek speakers
made this elision, the written language shows
the elision.

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
5. Elision
Conjunctions and two-syllable prepositions (except
, which never elides) lose their accent when
elided:

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
5. Elision
Other words eliding in a final accented syllable
move their accent back:

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
5. Elision
If the second word is a two-syllable enclitic, the
enclitic picks up its accent on the ultima:

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
5. Elision
If the second word begins with a rough breathing, a
newly adjacent consonant will become aspirated
( , , ):


(vowel contraction)

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

3rd declension nouns: stems in -, -, -

, intensive use
as personal pronoun
, attributive use
Elision

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
6.

A certain idiomatic construction in Greek has

three parts:

, , : an adjective meaning of such a

kind
usually elided to : enclitic conjunction meaning
and, but in this construction omitted in translation.
be, conjugated normally

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
6.

Taken together, these three words mean be

able or can:

, , : stays nominative, but agrees with the

subject in gender and number
usually elided to : omitted in translation.
be, conjugated according to the person and
number required

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
6.

Taken together, these three words mean be

able or can:

they (masc.) are able, they can

she is able, she can
you (masc. sing.) are able, you can

Lydia
Persia

Gerard van Honthorst, Croesus and Solon

(Kunsthalle museum, Hamburg)

Kleobis
and
Biton

Tomb of Cyrus the Great

ruled Persia c. 557 530 B.C.

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
,
,
.
, ,
.
( )
,
.
(This battle was indecisive.)

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
,
,
.
,
,
.
( )
,
.
(This battle was indecisive.)

Lydia
Halys River

Persia

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
,
.
(Before the allies can arrive, Cyrus appears before Sardis with a
large army.)

Shelmerdine Chapter 9
,
.
(Before the allies can arrive, Cyrus appears before Sardis with a
large army.)

Lydia
Sardis

Halys River

Persia

Shelmerdine Chapter 9

.



,
,


.

.

.

Shelmerdine Chapter 9

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,
,


.

.

.

Shelmerdine Chapter 9

Croesus (Lydia)

Cyrus (Persia)

Cyrus the Great (?)

relief near Persepolis

Croesus on the pyre

(Athenian red-figure, c.490 B.C.)