1.13: Substantive Adjectives and the Article
Module 12
© 2021 Philip S. Peek, CC BY 4.0 https://doi.org/ 10.11647/OBP.0264. 13
Substantive Adjectives
A Substantive Adjective is created by using an adjective as a substitute for a noun or pronoun. Greek often uses the article and other adjectives to create substantive nouns. English uses it also but not as frequently. Some well-known examples are these:
The meek shall inherit the earth.
The Good , The Bad , The Ugly .
Only the good die young.
If feces were gold, the poor would not have any anuses.
The Article may be used in conjunction with an adverb , another noun , or a prepositional phrase to create a substantive adjective .
(1) Article with Adverb : the feminine plural article αἱ joins with the article τότε to create the noun αἱ τότε the women of the past .
(2) Article with Noun : the neuter plural article τά joins the genitive plural noun τῶν ἀνθρώ πων to create the noun τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων the possessions of people .
(3) Article with Prepositional Phrase : the masculine singular article ὁ joins with the prepositional phrase ἐπ ὶ τῷ ἵππῳ to create the noun ὁ ἐπὶ τῷ ἵππῳ the man on the horse .
Practice Translating Substantive Adjectives. Translate the phrases below. After translating each as best as you can, check your answers and be sure to understand why each translates as it does. Once you understand why each phrase translates as it does, read through the exercises at least two more times. Doing so helps your brain process the information as part of your working knowledge of Greek. Check your answers with those in the Answer Key .
- αἱ νῦν
- οἱ τότε
- οἱ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ
- αἱ μάλιστα
- τὰ νῦν
- τὰ τότε
- αἱ ἐκ τ ῆς γῆς
- ὁ ἀνὰ τῷ ἵππῳ
- οἱ κάτω
- τὰ περὶ τοῦ πολέμου
- εἰς τοὺς ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ
- παρὰ τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς
- διὰ τῆς ἀνάγκης τῶν τοῦ πολέμου
- κατὰ τοὺς ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ
- πρὸς τὰ ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ τοῦ χρόνου
- ὑπὸ τῷ νόμῳ τῶν ἐν ἀρχῇ
- ὁ μέν . . . ὁ δέ
- οἱ μέν . . . οἱ δέ
Vocabulary
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* ἀνάγκη , ἀνάγκης ἡ force, necessity, fate |
κάτω below |
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* ἀρετή , ἀρετῆς ἡ virtue, excellence |
* νόμος , νόμου ὁ law, custom |
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* ἀρχή , ἀρχῆς ἡ rule, command; beginning; province |
ὁδός , ὁδοῦ ἡ road |
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* γῆ , γῆς ἡ land, earth |
* πόλεμος , πολέμου ὁ war |
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* θάλασσα ( θάλαττα ), θαλάσσης ἡ sea |
* χρόνος , χρόνου ὁ time |
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* ἵππος , ἵππου ὁ ἡ horse; (fem.) cavalry |
Practice Making Up Your Own Phrases. Using the vocabulary above, create your own substantives. Be creative and don’t worry about making mistakes, which are necessary for you to have success in any activity you pursue. Own the ancient Greek language and your learning of it. Make it yours.
Practice Translating. Translate the sentences below, adapted from Euripides’ Iphigeneia at Tauris ( Ἰφιγένεια ἐν Ταύροις ). Remember the meanings and functions of the cases presented in Module 7 . Nominative case endings are bolded; genitive endings are italicized; dative endings are highlighted; and accusative endings are underlined. Check your understanding with the translations in the Answer Key . Now go back and read each sentence two or three times, noticing with each rereading how much better your understanding of the sentence becomes. Make this a habit and you will improve quickly.
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Case |
Ending |
Function |
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Nominative |
- α , - ας , - η , - ηρ , - ης , - ξ , - ο , - ος , - ς , - ων |
subject of the verb |
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Genitive |
- ας , - εως - ης , - ος , - ου , - ους , - ων |
dependence; possession; object of preposition or verb; separation |
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Dative |
- ᾳ , - αις , - ῃ , - ι , - οις - ῳ |
indirect object of the verb; means or instrument; object of preposition |
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Accusative |
- α , - αν , - ας , - ε , - ην , - ν , - ο , - ον , - ος , - ους |
object of the verb or preposition |
Ἰφιγένεια: ὁ Ταντάλει ος εἰς Πῖσ αν ἔρχεται καὶ θο αῖς ἵππ οις Οἰνομά ου γαμέει κόρ ην . ἡ δὲ τίκτει Ἀτρέ α . Ἀτρ έως δὲ παῖ ς Μενέλα ος Ἀγαμέμν ων τε . καὶ ἐκ αὐτ οῦ καὶ τ ῆς Τυνδαρεί ας γίγνομαι Ἰφιγένει α . ἐμ ὲ δὲ σφάζει Ἑλέν ης ἕνεχʼ ὁ πατ ὴρ Ἀρτέμιδ ι κλειν αῖς ἐν πτυχ αῖς Αὐλίδ ος . ἐνταῦθα γὰρ δὴ χιλί ων νη ῶν στόλ ον Ἑλληνικ ὸν συνάγει Ἀγαμέμν ων ἄνα ξ καὶ τ ὸν στέφαν ον Ἰλί ου ἐθέλει λαβεῖν . ὁ Ἀτρείδ ης τ οὺς γάμ ους Ἑλέν ης ἐθέλει μετελθεῖν καὶ Μενελά ῳ χάρι ν φέρειν . ὁ τ ῆς ἄνα ξ στρατηγί ας , Ἀγαμέμν ων , καίπερ ἐθέλει νῆ ας ἀφορμίζεσθαι χθον ός , οὐκ ἔχει . δειν ῆς δʼ ἀπλοί ας τυγχάνει ὥστε εἰς ἔμπυρ α ἔρχεται καὶ αὐτ ῷ λέγει ὁ Κάλχ ας ταῦτ α . Κάλχ ας λέγει ὅτι τ ῷ πατρ ὶ μὲν δεῖ ἐμ έ , κόρ ην τ ὴν Ἰφιγένει αν , σφάζειν Ἀρτέμιδ ι καὶ αὐτ ῇ δὲ λαβεῖν ἄποιν α . καὶ Κάλχ ας λέγει αὐτ ῷ ὅτι κάλλιστ ον εὔχεται παῖδ α φωσφόρ ῳ θύειν θε ᾷ . τ ὴν παῖδʼ οὖν Ἰφιγένει αν ἡ Κλυταιμήστρ α τίκτει . ὁ Κάλχ ας τ ὸ κάλλιστ ον εἰς ἐμὲ ἀναφέρει ὥστε χρὴ τ ὸν πατέρ α θύειν . ὁ δὲ ἐμὲ Ὀδυσσ έως τέχναις μητρ ὸς παραλαμβάνει ἐπὶ γάμοις Ἀχιλλ έως .
Adverbs and Verbs
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ἀναφέρω bring up, bring back, refer |
* λαμβάνω take, receive, capture |
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ἀφορμίζομαι loose, set loose |
* λέγω say, tell, speak |
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γαμέω marry |
μετελθεῖν to send for, chase after, go after |
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* γίγνομαι be, be born |
παραλαμβάνω take, take ‘x’ in acc. from ‘y’ in gen. |
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* δεῖ it is necessary + ‘x’ in gen. or dat. or acc. + inf., δεῖ ἐλθεῖν it is necessary to come |
συνάγω gather, collect; convene |
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* ἐθέλω ( θέλω ) wish, be willing |
σφάζω slay, slaughter |
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ἐνταῦθα here, there, then |
τίκτω bear, give birth |
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* ἔρχομαι come, go |
* τυγχάνω obtain, meet + gen. |
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εὔχομαι pray, vow, promise + inf. |
* φέρω bring, bear, carry; endure bring, bear, carry; endure |
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* ἔχω have, hold; be able + inf.; καλῶς ἔ χειν to be well |
* χρή it is necessary + inf. |
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θύω sacrifice |
Adjectives, Nouns, Pronouns
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Νοminative |
Genitive |
Dative |
Accusative |
English Equivalent |
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Ἀγαμέμνων |
Ἀγαμέμνονος |
Ἀγαμέμνονι |
Ἀγαμέμνονα |
Agamemnon |
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ἄναξ |
ἄνακτος |
ἄνακτι |
ἄνακτα |
prince, lord, king |
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ἀπλοία |
ἀπλοίας |
ἀπλοίᾳ |
ἀπλοίαν |
failure to sail |
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ἄποινα |
ἀποίνων |
ἀποίνοις |
ἄποινα |
ransom, payment |
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Ἄρτεμις |
Ἀρτέμιδος |
Ἀρτέμιδι |
Ἀρτέμιδα |
Artemis |
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Ἀτρεύς |
Ἀτρέως |
Ἀτρεῖ |
Ἀτρέα |
Atreus |
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Ἀτρεί δης |
Ἀτρείδου |
Ἀτρείδῃ |
Ἀτρείδην |
son of Atreus |
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Αὐλίς |
Αὐλίδος |
Αὐλίδος |
Αὐλίδα |
Aulis |
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* αὐτή |
αὐτῆς |
αὐτῇ |
αὐτήν |
she, her, hers |
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* αὐτός |
αὐτοῦ |
αὐτῷ |
αὐτόν |
he, him, his |
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Ἀχιλλεύς |
Ἀχιλλέως |
Ἀχιλλεῖ |
Ἀχιλλέ α |
Akhilleus |
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γάμοι |
γάμων |
γάμοις |
γάμους |
wedding, marriage |
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* δεινή |
δεινῆς |
δεινῇ |
δεινήν |
awesome; terrible |
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* ἐγώ |
ἐμοῦ |
ἐμοί |
ἐμέ |
I, me, mine |
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Ἑλένη |
Ἑλένης |
Ἑλένῃ |
Ἑλένην |
Helen |
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Ἑλληνικός |
Ἑλληνικοῦ |
Ἑλληνικῷ |
Ἑλληνικόν |
Greek |
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ἔμπυρα |
ἐμπύ ρων |
ἐμπύροις |
ἔμπυρα |
burnt sacrifice |
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* θεά |
θεᾶς |
θεᾷ |
θεάν |
goddess |
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θοαί |
θοῶν |
θοαῖς |
θοάς |
swift |
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Ἴλιον |
Ἰλίου |
Ἰλίῳ |
Ἴλιον |
Troy |
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* ἵπποι |
ἵππων |
ἵπποις |
ἵππους |
horses |
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Ἰφιγένεια |
Ἰφιγενείας |
Ἰφιγενείᾳ |
Ἰφιγένειαν |
Iphigeneia |
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κ άλλιστος |
καλλίστου |
καλλίστῳ |
κάλλιστον |
most beautiful |
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Κάλχας |
Κάλχαντος |
Κάλχαντι |
Κάλχαντα |
Kalkhas |
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κλειναί |
κλεινῶν |
κλειναῖς |
κλεινάς |
famous |
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κόρη |
κόρης |
κόρῃ |
κόρην |
maiden, girl |
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Μενέλαος |
Μενελάου |
Μενελάῳ |
Μενέλαον |
Menelaos |
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* μήτηρ |
μητρό ς |
μητρί |
μητέρα |
mother |
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* νῆες |
νεῶν |
ναυσί ( ν ) |
ναῦς or νῆας |
ships |
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Ὀδυσσεύς |
Ὀδυσσέως |
Ὀδυσσεῖ |
Ὀδυσσέα |
Odysseus |
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Οἰνόμαος |
Οἰνομάου |
Οἰνομάῳ |
Οἰνόμαον |
Oinomaos |
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* πα ῖς |
παιδός |
παιδί |
παῖδα |
child |
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* πατήρ |
πατρός |
πατρί |
πατέρα |
father |
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Πῖσα |
Πίσης |
Πίσῃ |
Πῖσαν |
Pisa |
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πτυχαί |
πτυχῶν |
πτυχαῖς |
πτυχά ς |
folds, glens |
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στέφανος |
στεφάνου |
στεφάνῳ |
στέ φανον |
crown, wreath, prize |
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στόλος |
στόλου |
στόλῳ |
στόλον |
expedition |
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στρατηγία |
στρατηγίας |
στρατηγίᾳ |
στρατηγίαν |
office; campaign |
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Ταντάλειος |
Τανταλείου |
Τανταλείῳ |
Ταντάλειον |
Tantalean, here Pelops |
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* ταῦτα |
τούτων |
τούτοις |
ταῦτα |
these things |
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τέχναι |
τεχνῶν |
τέχναις |
τέχνᾱς |
skill, craft |
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Τυνδαρεία |
Τυνδαρείας |
Τυνδαρείᾳ |
Τυνδαρείαν |
Tyndarean, here Klytaimnestra |
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φωσφόρος |
φωσφόρου |
φωσφόρῳ |
φωσφόρον |
light-bringing |
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χάρις |
χάριτος |
χάριτι |
χάριν |
grace, favor, thanks |
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χθών |
χθονός |
χθονί |
χθόνα |
earth, ground |
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χίλιαι |
χιλίων |
χιλίαις |
χιλίᾱς |
thousand |
- The asterisk indicates the top 250 most frequently occurring vocabulary, which you are to memorize.
Practice Parsing Greek Sentences. Parse each word of the sentence found below. For nouns and pronouns, give case and function. For verbs give person, number, tense, mood, and voice. For adverbs and conjunctions, identify them. For prepositional phrases, give the preposition and the preposition’s object. For adjectives, tell what noun they agree with in gender, number, and case.
δεινῆς δ ʼ ἀπλοίας τυγχάνει ὥστε εἰς ἔμπυρʼ ἔρχεται κα ὶ αὐτῷ λέγει ὁ Κάλχας ταῦτα .
Check your answers with those in the Answer Key .
Classics and Our Modern World: the Aquila Theatre and Theater of War Productions
Presenting classics from throughout time, the Aquila Theatre puts flesh and blood on the great works of the past. Past performances from the ancient world include, Herakles , the Iliad and Odyssey , and Philoktetes . Aquila seeks to reinterpret the Classics for contemporary audiences and to bring diversity to them. Aquila expands the canon and attempts to change our perceptions. It also provides extensive educational offerings and is an award-winning leader in the field of public humanities programming. For more information, follow this link:
Theater of War Productions presents dramatic readings of classical Greek tragedies and modern and contemporary works. After the performance, it holds town-hall-style discussions designed to confront social issues by discussing the themes highlighted in the plays. The open discussions invite audience members to share their perspectives and experiences and seek to break down stigmas, foster empathy, compassion, and a deeper understanding of complex issues. In an effort to reach communities directly, Theater of War Productions partners with a range of organizations and government agencies. For more information, follow this link:
Theater of War Productions . 2
Module 12 Top 250 Vocabulary to be Memorized. Like learning the alphabet and endings, memorizing vocabulary is essential to acquiring language. The better you memorize the top 250 most frequently occurring vocabulary words, the greater mastery of the language you will have.
Verbs
ἐθέλω ( θέλω ) wish, be willing
πείθω persuade + inf.; (mid. or pass.) listen to, obey + dat. or gen.
τυγχάνω happen ; meet + gen.; obtain + gen.; hit the mark, strike + gen.
φαίνω show, reveal ; (pass.) appear
χράομαι use, employ, experience + dat.