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 ἀνθρώπων 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 ἐπὶ 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.

1. αἱ νῦν
2. οἱ τότε
3. οἱ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ
4. αἱ μάλιστα
5. τὰ νῦν
6. τὰ τότε
7. αἱ ἐκ τῆς γῆς
8. ὁ ἀνὰ τῷ ἵππῳ
9. οἱ κάτω
10. τὰ περὶ τοῦ πολέμου
11. εἰς τοὺς ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ
12. παρὰ τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς
13. διὰ τῆς ἀνάγκης τῶν τοῦ πολέμου
14. κατὰ τοὺς ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ
15. πρὸς τὰ ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ τοῦ χρόνου
16. ὑπὸ τῷ νόμῳ τῶν ἐν ἀρχῇ
17. ὁ μέν . . . ὁ δέ
18. οἱ μέν . . . οἱ δέ

Vocabulary

*ἀνάγκη, ἀνάγκης ἡ force, necessity, fate	κάτω below
*ἀρετή, ἀρετῆς ἡ virtue, excellence	*νόμος, νόμου ὁ law, custom
*ἀρχή, ἀρχῆς ἡ rule, command; beginning; province	ὁδός, ὁδοῦ ἡ road
*γῆ, γῆς ἡ land, earth	*πόλεμος, πολέμου ὁ war
*θάλασσα (θάλαττα), θαλάσσης ἡ sea	*χρόνος, χρόνου ὁ time
*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.

Case	Ending	Function
Nominative	-α, -ας, -η, -ηρ, -ης, -ξ, -ο, -ος, -ς, -ων	subject of the verb
Genitive	-ας, -εως -ης, -ος, -ου, -ους, -ων	dependence; possession; object of preposition or verb; separation
Dative	-ᾳ, -αις, -ῃ, -ι, -οις -ῳ	indirect object of the verb; means or instrument; object of preposition
Accusative	-α, -αν, -ας, -ε, -ην, -ν, -ο, -ον, -ος, -ους	object of the verb or preposition

Ἰφιγένεια: ὁ Ταντάλειος εἰς Πῖσαν ἔρχεται καὶ θοαῖς ἵπποις Οἰνομάου γαμέει κόρην. ἡ δὲ τίκτει Ἀτρέα. Ἀτρέως δὲ παῖς Μενέλαος Ἀγαμέμνων τε. καὶ ἐκ αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς Τυνδαρείας γίγνομαι Ἰφιγένεια. ἐμὲ δὲ σφάζει Ἑλένης ἕνεχʼ ὁ πατὴρ Ἀρτέμιδι κλειναῖς ἐν πτυχαῖς Αὐλίδος. ἐνταῦθα γὰρ δὴ χιλίων νηῶν στόλον Ἑλληνικὸν συνάγει Ἀγαμέμνων ἄναξ καὶ τὸν στέφανον Ἰλίου ἐθέλει λαβεῖν. ὁ Ἀτρείδης τοὺς γάμους Ἑλένης ἐθέλει μετελθεῖν καὶ Μενελάῳ χάριν φέρειν. ὁ τῆς ἄναξ στρατηγίας, Ἀγαμέμνων, καίπερ ἐθέλει νῆας ἀφορμίζεσθαι χθονός, οὐκ ἔχει. δεινῆς δʼ ἀπλοίας τυγχάνει ὥστε εἰς ἔμπυρα ἔρχεται καὶ αὐτῷ λέγει ὁ Κάλχας ταῦτα. Κάλχας λέγει ὅτι τῷ πατρὶ μὲν δεῖ ἐμέ, κόρην τὴν Ἰφιγένειαν, σφάζειν Ἀρτέμιδι καὶ αὐτῇ δὲ λαβεῖν ἄποινα. καὶ Κάλχας λέγει αὐτῷ ὅτι κάλλιστον εὔχεται παῖδα φωσφόρῳ θύειν θεᾷ. τὴν παῖδʼ οὖν Ἰφιγένειαν ἡ Κλυταιμήστρα τίκτει. ὁ Κάλχας τὸ κάλλιστον εἰς ἐμὲ ἀναφέρει ὥστε χρὴ τὸν πατέρα θύειν. ὁ δὲ ἐμὲ Ὀδυσσέως τέχναις μητρὸς παραλαμβάνει ἐπὶ γάμοις Ἀχιλλέως.

Adverbs and Verbs

ἀναφέρω bring up, bring back, refer	*λαμβάνω take, receive, capture
ἀφορμίζομαι loose, set loose	*λέγω say, tell, speak
γαμέω marry	μετελθεῖν to send for, chase after, go after
*γίγνομαι be, be born	παραλαμβάνω take, take ‘x’ in acc. from ‘y’ in gen.
*δεῖ it is necessary + ‘x’ in gen. or dat. or acc. + inf., δεῖ ἐλθεῖν it is necessary to come	συνάγω gather, collect; convene
*ἐθέλω (θέλω) wish, be willing	σφάζω slay, slaughter
ἐνταῦθα here, there, then	τίκτω bear, give birth
*ἔρχομαι come, go	*τυγχάνω obtain, meet + gen.
εὔχομαι pray, vow, promise + inf.	*φέρω bring, bear, carry; endure bring, bear, carry; endure
*ἔχω have, hold; be able + inf.; καλῶς ἔχειν to be well	*χρή it is necessary + inf.
θύω sacrifice

Adjectives, Nouns, Pronouns

Νοminative	Genitive	Dative	Accusative	English Equivalent
Ἀγαμέμνων	Ἀγαμέμνονος	Ἀγαμέμνονι	Ἀγαμέμνονα	Agamemnon
ἄναξ	ἄνακτος	ἄνακτι	ἄνακτα	prince, lord, king
ἀπλοία	ἀπλοίας	ἀπλοίᾳ	ἀπλοίαν	failure to sail
ἄποινα	ἀποίνων	ἀποίνοις	ἄποινα	ransom, payment
Ἄρτεμις	Ἀρτέμιδος	Ἀρτέμιδι	Ἀρτέμιδα	Artemis
Ἀτρεύς	Ἀτρέως	Ἀτρεῖ	Ἀτρέα	Atreus
Ἀτρείδης	Ἀτρείδου	Ἀτρείδῃ	Ἀτρείδην	son of Atreus
Αὐλίς	Αὐλίδος	Αὐλίδος	Αὐλίδα	Aulis
*αὐτή	αὐτῆς	αὐτῇ	αὐτήν	she, her, hers
*αὐτός	αὐτοῦ	αὐτῷ	αὐτόν	he, him, his
Ἀχιλλεύς	Ἀχιλλέως	Ἀχιλλεῖ	Ἀχιλλέα	Akhilleus
γάμοι	γάμων	γάμοις	γάμους	wedding, marriage
*δεινή	δεινῆς	δεινῇ	δεινήν	awesome; terrible
*ἐγώ	ἐμοῦ	ἐμοί	ἐμέ	I, me, mine
Ἑλένη	Ἑλένης	Ἑλένῃ	Ἑλένην	Helen
Ἑλληνικός	Ἑλληνικοῦ	Ἑλληνικῷ	Ἑλληνικόν	Greek
ἔμπυρα	ἐμπύρων	ἐμπύροις	ἔμπυρα	burnt sacrifice
*θεά	θεᾶς	θεᾷ	θεάν	goddess
θοαί	θοῶν	θοαῖς	θοάς	swift
Ἴλιον	Ἰλίου	Ἰλίῳ	Ἴλιον	Troy
*ἵπποι	ἵππων	ἵπποις	ἵππους	horses
Ἰφιγένεια	Ἰφιγενείας	Ἰφιγενείᾳ	Ἰφιγένειαν	Iphigeneia
κάλλιστος	καλλίστου	καλλίστῳ	κάλλιστον	most beautiful
Κάλχας	Κάλχαντος	Κάλχαντι	Κάλχαντα	Kalkhas
κλειναί	κλεινῶν	κλειναῖς	κλεινάς	famous
κόρη	κόρης	κόρῃ	κόρην	maiden, girl
Μενέλαος	Μενελάου	Μενελάῳ	Μενέλαον	Menelaos
*μήτηρ	μητρός	μητρί	μητέρα	mother
*νῆες	νεῶν	ναυσί (ν)	ναῦς or νῆας	ships
Ὀδυσσεύς	Ὀδυσσέως	Ὀδυσσεῖ	Ὀδυσσέα	Odysseus
Οἰνόμαος	Οἰνομάου	Οἰνομάῳ	Οἰνόμαον	Oinomaos
*παῖς	παιδός	παιδί	παῖδα	child
*πατήρ	πατρός	πατρί	πατέρα	father
Πῖσα	Πίσης	Πίσῃ	Πῖσαν	Pisa
πτυχαί	πτυχῶν	πτυχαῖς	πτυχάς	folds, glens
στέφανος	στεφάνου	στεφάνῳ	στέφανον	crown, wreath, prize
στόλος	στόλου	στόλῳ	στόλον	expedition
στρατηγία	στρατηγίας	στρατηγίᾳ	στρατηγίαν	office; campaign
Ταντάλειος	Τανταλείου	Τανταλείῳ	Ταντάλειον	Tantalean, here Pelops
*ταῦτα	τούτων	τούτοις	ταῦτα	these things
τέχναι	τεχνῶν	τέχναις	τέχνᾱς	skill, craft
Τυνδαρεία	Τυνδαρείας	Τυνδαρείᾳ	Τυνδαρείαν	Tyndarean, here Klytaimnestra
φωσφόρος	φωσφόρου	φωσφόρῳ	φωσφόρον	light-bringing
χάρις	χάριτος	χάριτι	χάριν	grace, favor, thanks
χθών	χθονός	χθονί	χθόνα	earth, ground
χίλιαι	χιλίων	χιλίαις	χιλίᾱς	thousand

1. 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 δʼ ἀπλοίας τυγχάνει ὥστε εἰς ἔμπυρʼ ἔρχεται καὶ 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:

Aquila Theatre.1

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.

Etymology Corner XII by Dr. E. Del Chrol

Technical Terms 8, Parts of Speech

Coordinating Conjunctions, Module 5. Think about map coordinates—you go over on the x axis for a bit, then go up on the y axis. Both halves of the coordinates are equally valuable. If your clothing coordinates, your attire comes together in complementary colors or styles and no particular piece sticks out. This is because they are ordered with the other pieces of clothing, from Latin co- with, together and ordo row, order, rank (ordo is the word from which the English word order derives). This is why a coordinating conjunction has both words or clauses on an equal footing: one isn’t dependent on another. Creating dependence is what a subordinating conjunction does. More on that next.

What to Study and Do 12. Before moving on to the next module, make sure that you have learned what a substantive adjective is and how Greek uses the article to create one. After you have completed Modules 14 and 15, come back to this module and complete for a second time the practice exercises for the substantive adjective. Notice how much your understanding of this fundamental concept has improved.

Learning Tip 12: Consonance and Dissonance. The right side of our brain processes new information. As we process it, the left half of our brain brings analysis, logic, and reason to what we have learned. In the end both hemispheres come to a shared understanding of the new information. When we engage in further defining information we use our left hemisphere. The left half of our brain rationalizes information and rejects anomalies. It sees things through a flashlight’s beam. If a gorilla walks through a volleyball game, the left side of our brain tends to miss the strangeness completely. When we consider ambiguities and contradictions, we engage the right side of our brain. We look out, holding a lantern’s light. Dissonance in the right side of our brain opens us to novelty, to new ways of thinking, to creativity. When using your long-term memory to assist your short-term memory, you are accelerating your brain’s ability to store new information. Remember the formula LTM + STM = MTM and remember that by using your imagination to create memorable images that you can SEE, you improve your brain’s ability to process and store new information.

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1 https://www.aquilatheatre.com/.

2 https://theaterofwar.com/about.