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1.18: Attributive and Predicate Position

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    Module 15

    © 2021 Philip S. Peek, CC BY 4.0 https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0264.18

    Word Order

    Greek creates meaning through prepositional phrases and through endings. Word order also matters. Attributive position creates meaning by placing the article and the attribute in a specific sequence. As you read, pay attention to the arrangement of words, noticing why word order matters in Greek.

    Attributive Position

    Attributive position tells us that a noun is to be translated with other words. Consider the phrase the woman in the road. Since the woman referred to is the person standing in the road, Greek may place the words in the road into attributive position with the noun woman.

    Consider another phrase, the white stripes. In this example, the noun stripes is described by the adjective white and so Greek can place the adjective, white, into attributive position with the noun, stripes.

    In the examples below the attributes ὑπὸ λίθῳ under a rock and καλός good are in bold; underlined are the articles and nouns, σκορπίος, σκορπίου ὁ scorpion and ὄνειρος, ὀνείρου ὁ dream. The general rule for attributive position is that the article will directly precede the attribute. Three possibilities exist.

    1. article attribute noun:

    1. the scorpion under a rock
    2. the good dream

    2. article noun article attribute:

    1. the scorpion under a rock
    2. the good dream

    3. noun article attribute:

    1. the scorpion under a rock
    2. the good dream

    Note that in all of the above examples, the article directly precedes the attribute.

    Other Possibilities

    Greek uses attributive position to tell you what words are to be translated together to create a phrase. When no article is present, consider these four examples,

    Example 1:

    ὑπ’ ἐλάταις γυναῖκες
     

    option 1:

    women under pine trees
     

    option 2:

    women are under pine trees.
         

    Example 2:

    ἓν μόνον ἀγαθόν
     

    option 1:

    only one good

     

    option 2:

    there is only one good.
         

    Example 3:

    βίος βραχύς
     

    option 1:

    a short life
     

    option 2:

    life is short.
         

    Example 4:

    οὐδὲν κακόν
     

    option 1:

    nothing evil
     

    option 2:

    there is nothing evil.

    Predicate Position

    If the words are not in attributive position and an article is present, consider these two examples,

    Example 1:

    ὁ βίος βραχύς.
     

    option 1:

    life is short.
         

    Example 2:

    ἐν τῷ κινδύνῳ ὁ ἄνθρωπος
     

    option 1:

    the man is in danger.

    This arrangement of words with the article present is called predicate position.

    Practice with Attributive Position. Write out the following in all forms of attributive position. Check your answers with those in the Answer Key.

    1. the harsh road (ἡ ὁδός; χαλεπή)
    2. the wise word (ὁ λόγος; σοφός)
    3. the noble soul (ἡ ψυχή; ἀγαθή)

    Practice with Predicate Position. Write out the following in all forms of predicate position. Check your answers with those in the Answer Key.

    1. the road is harsh (ἡ ὁδός; χαλεπή)
    2. the word is wise (ὁ λόγος; σοφός)
    3. the soul is noble (ἡ ψυχή; ἀγαθή)

    Ancient Greek Thought and Living Well

    During the Archaic Age (799–480 BCE) and after, Greeks in the various city-states of Hellas were becoming increasingly aware of their rationale for doing things. They recognized custom, usage, and tradition as the reasons behind much of what they did and many of the beliefs and values they held. Thus they began to look for a better way to live well and a better authority for their beliefs, conventions, institutions, and values. One place they looked was nature and soon saw that, in nature, birth and wealth were irrelevant. Another place they looked was to logic and reason. Intellectuals, including philosophers and sophists, engaged in these inquiries.

    Philosophical inquiry predates sophism, the discipline of the sophists. Philosophers asked if the universe had a beginning, how it began, and what its elements were. They saw the world as something ordered and rational and sought to explain as much as possible in terms as little as possible, i.e., via theories. These intellectuals were often highly skilled mathematicians.

    Sophism can be traced at least back to the early 6th century when philosophers—from the Greek adjective φιλόσοφος lover of wisdom—were intent on explaining the universe and all its contents by means of science rather than religion. The loan word sophism comes from the Greek adjective, σοφός, σοφή, σοφόν, clever, skilled, wise. Sophists were mainly itinerant teachers, travelling from city to city, teaching for a fee various subjects, including physics, astronomy, mathematics, and the art of rhetoric. They promised their pupils material success through bettering themselves by education. Sophists were viewed by some as having a corrupting influence on the young by teaching them atheism, scientific inquiry, rhetoric (making the lesser argument the stronger), and a new relativistic morality.

    In the below there is a list of some prominent Greek intellectuals. In the Practice Translating that follows, you will read fragments written by Thales, Herakleitos, Aiskhylos, Euripides, Antiphon, Sokrates, and Aristoteles.

    Thales of Miletos, Θαλῆς ὁ Μιλήσιος, c. 624 BCE. Thales was a pre-Socratic philosopher who predicted an eclipse of the sun in 585 BCE and argued that the universe’s prime element was water. Two of Thales’ writings are found below in the Practice Translating.

    Anaximandros of Miletos, Ἀναξίμανδρος ὁ Μιλήσιος, c. 610–546 BCE. Anaximandros was a pre-Socratic philosopher who put forth the theory that the infinite was the universe’s origin.

    Anaximenes of Miletos, Ἀναξιμένης ὁ Μιλήσιος, c. 586–526 BCE. Anaximenes was a pre-Socratic philosopher who proposed air as the universe’s prime substance.

    Pythagoras of Samos, Πῡθαγόρᾱς ὁ Σάμιος, c. 570–495 BCE. Pythagoras was a pre-Socratic philosopher who argued that the soul was immortal and after its death was reborn into another body, either man, animal, or plant, through a process called metempsychosis, μετεμψύχωσις. The only end to this cycle was to attain purity of intellect and soul.

    Xenophanes of Kolophon, Ξενοφάνης ὁ Κολοφώνιος, c. 570–478 BCΕ. Xenophanes was a pre-Socratic philosopher who criticized Hesiod and Homer, arguing that their explanation of divine and human affairs was incorrect. He also criticized the adulation of athletes because wise men were much more important to society than some champion boxer. Finally, he asserted that the gods were not anthropomorphic but that there was one god who was moral and motionless, all-knowing and all-powerful.

    Herakleitos (Heraclitus) of Ephesos, Ἡράκλειτος ὁ Ἐφέσιος, c. 535–475 BCE. Herakleitos was a pre-Socratic philosopher who argued that the universe’s prime substance was fire, which all things contained within them, that the universe had always existed, and that all is in flux for one can never step into the same river twice. Three quotes by him are found below in the Practice Translating.

    Aiskhylos (Aeschylus) of Athens, Αἰσχύλος ὁ Ἀθηναῖος, c. 525–456 BCE. Aiskhylos wrote satyr plays and tragedies. He composed about ninety plays, of which seven survive. Many fragments from his other plays are found quoted by other later authors or on Egyptian papyrus scraps. Aristoteles writes that Aiskhylos expanded the number of characters in the theatre and allowed them to interact with each other instead of only with the chorus. One of his plays, Prometheus Bound, may have been written by his son, Euphorion. Another of his plays, The Persians, is the only extant tragedy concerning contemporary events that survives. One quote by him is found below in the Practice Translating.

    Parmenides of Elea, Παρμενίδης ὁ Ἐλεάτης, c. 500 BCE. Parmenides was a pre-Socratic philosopher who reasoned that the earth was a sphere and that sense perception was illusory. Thus the only way to truth was through logic.

    Anaxagoras of Klazomenai, Ἀναξαγόρας, Κλαζομεναί, c. 500–428 BCE. Anaxagoras was a pre-Socratic philosopher and a good friend of the Athenian statesman Perikles. Anaxagoras spent much of his time in the cultural center of his day, Athens. He declared that the sun was a stone and not a god. The Athenians may have brought him to court and had him exiled on charges of impiety and pro-Persian sympathies. It is uncertain if the charges were real, political, or fabricated by later biographers.

    Sophokles (Sophocles) of Athens, Σοφοκλῆς ὁ Ἀθηναῖος, c. 497–406 BCE. Sophokles wrote satyr plays and tragedies. He composed over 120 plays and seven have survived, the most famous being Oidipous Tyrannos (Oidipous Rex) and Antigone. He is said to have won twenty-four of the thirty competitions he entered. Of him it is said that he portrayed people as better than they are in reality.

    Empedokles of Akragas, Ἐμπεδοκλῆς, Ἀκράγας, Σικελία, c. 494–434 BCE. Empedokles was a pre-Socratic philosopher, who contended that the senses were routes to knowledge and that the universe was made up of the following four substances: earth, air, fire, and water.

    Protagoras of Abdera, Thrace, Πρωταγόρας, Ἄβδηρα, Θρᾴκη, c. 490–420 BCE. Protagoras was a pre-Socratic philosopher. In his dialogue Protagoras, Plato writes that Protagoras invented the professional sophist. Protagoras argued that it did not matter whether the gods existed—he was an agnostic—that there were two sides to every question, each opposed to the other; that the soul was nothing apart from the senses; that everything is true; that all values were relative; and that man is the “measure of all things, of things that are that they are, and of things that are not that they are not.” For these views it is said that the Athenians expelled him from their city and burnt his works in the marketplace (Diogenes Laertius 9. 51–52).

    Gorgias of Leontini, Γοργίας, Λεοντῖνοι, c. 483–376 BCE. Gorgias was a sophist, who specialized in teaching the art of rhetoric.

    Antiphon of Rhamnos, Ἀντιφῶν ὁ Ῥαμνούσιος, c. 480–411 BCE. Antiphon was an orator, engaged in 5th-century Athenian political and intellectual life. One quote by him is found below in the Practice Translating.

    Euripides of Athens, Εὐριπίδης ὁ Ἀθηναῖος, c. 480–406 BCE. An innovator who did not gain wide acceptance until after his death, Euripides wrote satyr plays and tragedies. He introduced comedy into tragedy and presented the heroes and heroines of his plays as everyday people. He was a proponent of the new music, which broke with tradition and is a feature of his work that shocked some of his contemporaries. In several plays (Helen, Ion, Iphigeneia in Tauris), he created tragicomic plots that foreshadowed the so-called New Comedy. Four quotes by him are found below in the Practice Translating.

    Sokrates (Socrates) of Athens, Σωκρᾰ ́της ὁ Ἀθηναῖος, c. 469–399 BCE. Sokrates was an Athenian stonemason and carver and very poor. He was accused of being a sophist and was loved by some and hated by many of the Athenian people. Early in life Sokrates was intrigued by scientific speculation. He soon grew skeptical of it and turned his attention to inquiring into the right conduct of life. Two quotes by him are found below in the Practice Translating.

    Demokritos (Democritus) of Abdera, Thrace, Δημόκριτος, Ἄβδηρα, Θρᾴκη, c. 460–370 BCE. Demokritos was a pre-Socratic philosopher, who proposed that all things were composed of atoms and void. Atoms were the smallest building blocks of the universe and void allowed motion to occur. His theory was later popularized by Epikouros and then expounded by the Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius. Six quotes by him are found below in the Practice Translating.

    Hippokrates (Hippocrates) of Kos, Ἱπποκράτης ὁ Κῷος, c. 460–370 BC. Hippokrates was a physician, who made outstanding contributions to the field of medicine. Founder of the Hippocratic School of Medicine, he established medicine as a discipline and profession. He is credited with writing the Hippocratic Oath, a code of ethics still in use today.

    Thrasymakhos of Khalkedon, Θρασύμαχος, Χαλκηδών, c. 459–400 BCE. Thrasymakhos was a sophist, who taught that justice is the interest of the stronger, i.e., that “might makes right.” He is best known as a character in Plato’s Republic.

    Aristophanes of Athens, Ἀριστοφάνης ὁ Ἀθηναῖος, c. 446–c. 386 BCE. Aristophanes wrote comic plays. Of forty or so plays, eleven have survived and represent a genre of comic drama referred to as Old Comedy.

    Platon (Plato) of Athens, Πλάτων ὁ Ἀθηναῖος, c. 428–424 BCE. Plato was a student of Sokrates and a philosopher. Best known for his theory of forms and highly influential in his own day, Plato’s works continue to be read and studied.

    Diogenes the Cynic of Sinope, Διογένης ὁ Κυνικός, Σινώπη, c. 412–323 BCE. Diogenes was a philosopher and founder of the Cynic school of philosophy. He believed in moral action rather than in theory. He lived simply and frugally, looking to nature as a guide to living well and authentically, declaring himself a citizen of the world.

    Aristoteles (Aristotle) of Stageira, Ἀριστοτέλης, Στάγειρα, c. 384–322 BCE. Aristoteles was a student of Plato and a philosopher. He founded the peripatetic school of philosophy and wrote on many subjects, including aesthetics, biology, economics, ethics, government, linguistics, logic, metaphysics, music, physics, poetry, politics, psychology, rhetoric, theater, and zoology. Aristotle’s works continue to be read and studied. One of his quotes is found below in the Practice Translating.

    Menandros (Menander) of Athens, Μένανδρος ὁ Ἀθηναῖος, c. 342–290 BCE. Menandros was a comic playwright who wrote 108 comedies. Popular in his own day, Menandros took first prize at the dramatic games of the Lenaia festival eight times. Many fragments and one play, almost complete, the Dyskolos, have survived the ravages of time. One quote by him is found below in the Practice Translating.

    Aristarkhos of Samos, Ἀρίσταρχος ὁ Σάμιος, c. 310–c. 230 BCE. Aristarkhos was an astronomer and a mathematician who placed the sun at the center of the universe in the first known heliocentric view of the universe.

    Eukleides (Euclid) of Alexandria, Εὐκλείδης c. 300 BCE. Born in Alexandria, Eukleides developed a conceptual system of geometry from a small set of axioms. His book, Elements, has been used to teach geometry up until 150 or so years ago.

    Practice Translating. Translate the sentences below, taken from proverbs and a variety of ancient Greek authors. 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. Note that the third declension increases the number of possible endings for the nominative singular. 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, -εις, -εν, -ες, -η, -ις, -ο, -οι, -ον, -ος, -υ, -υς

    predicate adjective; predicate nominative; subject of the verb

    Genitive

    -ος, -ου

    dependence; object of adjective; object of a preposition; partitive; possession

    Dative

    -ῃ, -οις, -ῳ

    indirect object; means or instrument

    Accusative

    -α, -ο, -ος

    object of a preposition or verb
    1. ὁ κόσμος ἀλλοίωσις· ὁ βίος ὑπόληψις (Demokritos, philosopher).
    2. ἓν μόνον ἀγαθόν ἐστι· ἡ ἐπιστήμη. καὶ ἓν μόνον κακόν· ἡ ἀμαθία (Sokrates, philosopher).
    3. οὐδὲν κακὸν ἀμιγὲς καλοῦ (Proverb).
    4. μέγιστον τόπος· πάντα γὰρ χωρέει (Demokritos, philosopher).
    5. ἀγαθὸν καὶ κακὸν τὸ αὐτό (Herakleitos, philosopher).
    6. ὁ βίος βραχύς· ἡ δὲ τέχνη μακρά· ὁ δὲ καιρὸς ὀξύς· ἡ δὲ πεῖρα σφαλερή· ἡ δὲ κρίσις χαλεπή (Hippokrates, physician).
    7. ὁ δὲ ἀνεξέταστος βίος οὐ βιωτὸς ἀνθρώπῳ (Sokrates, philosopher).
    8. ἐτεῇ δὲ οὐδὲν ἴδμεν. ἐν βυθῷ γὰρ ἡ ἀλήθεια (Demokritos, philosopher)
    9. τὰ πάντα ῥέει καὶ οὐδὲν μένει (Herakleitos, philosopher).
    10. θνητῶν ὄλβιος εἰς τὸ τέλος οὐδείς (Euripides, tragic playwright).
    11. πάντων τῶν ἀναγκαίων κακὼν ἰατρὸς χρόνος ἐστίν (Menandros, comic playwright).
    12. σοφώτατον χρόνος· ἀνευρίσκει γὰρ πάντα (Thales, philosopher).
    13. νόημα ἢ μέτρον ὁ χρόνος, οὐκ ὑπόστασις (Antiphon of Rhamnus, Attic orator).
    14. τὸ μέλλον ἄδηλον ἀνθρώποις καὶ μικροὶ καιροὶ μεγάλων πραγμάτων αἴτιοι γίγνονται (Demosthenes, Attic orator).
    15. τάχιστον νόος· διὰ παντὸς γὰρ τρέχει (Thales, philosopher).
    16. τὸ τοῦ ποδὸς μὲν βραδύ· τὸ τοῦ δὲ νοῦ ταχύ (Euripides, tragic playwright).

    Adverbs and Verbs

    ἀνευρίσκω find out, make out, discover

    μένω remain, stay

    *γίγνομαι be, be born

    *μόνον only

    *εἰμί be, be possible

    ῥέω flow

    *ζάω live

    τρέχω run

    *ἴδμεν = ἴσμεν we know

    χωρέω make room for; retire; advance

    Adjectives, Nouns, Pronouns

    Νοminative

    Genitive

    Dative

    Accusative

    English Equivalent

    *ἀγαθόν

    ἀγαθοῦ

    ἀγαθῷ

    ἀγαθόν

    good, noble

    ἄδηλον

    ἀδήλου

    ἀδήλῳ

    ἄδηλον

    unclear, unseen

    αἴτιοι

    αἰτίων

    αἰτίοις

    αἰτίους

    responsible, guilty

    ἀλήθεια

    ἀληθείας

    ἀληθείᾳ

    ἀλήθειαν

    truth

    ἀλλοίωσις

    ἀλλοιώσεως

    ἀλλοιώσει

    ἀλλοίωσιν

    change, difference

    ἀμαθία

    ἀμαθίας

    ἀμαθίᾳ

    ἀμαθίαν

    ignorance

    ἀμιγές

    ἀμιγέος (-ους)

    ἀμιγεῖ

    ἀμιγές

    unmixed + gen.

    ἀναγκαῖα

    ἀναγκαίων

    ἀναγκαίοις

    ἀναγκαῖα

    necessary, inevitable

    ἀνεξέταστος

    ἀνεξετάστου

    ἀνεξετάστῳ

    ἀνεξέταστον

    unexamined

    *ἄνθρωπος

    ἀνθρώπου

    ἀνθρώπῳ

    ἄνθρωπον

    human, person

    *αὐτόν see τὸ αὐτόν the same

    *βίος

    βίου

    βίῳ

    βίον

    life

    βιωτός

    βιωτοῦ

    βιωτῷ

    βιωτόν

    livable, worth living

    βραδύ

    βραδέος

    βραδεῖ

    βραδύ

    slow, dull

    βραχύς

    βραχέος

    βραχεῖ

    βραχύν

    short, small; brief

    βυθός

    βυθοῦ

    βυθῷ

    βυθόν

    depth, abyss

    *ἕν

    ἑνός

    ἑνί

    ἕν

    one

    ἐπιστήμη

    ἐπιστήμης

    ἐπιστήμῃ

    ἐπιστήμην

    knowledge; skill

    ἐτεή

    ἐτεῆς

    ἐτεῇ

    ἐτεήν

    reality

    θνητοί

    θνητῶν

    θνητοῖς

    θνητούς

    mortals

    ἰατρός

    ἰατροῦ

    ἰατρῷ

    ἰατρόν

    doctor

    *καιρός

    καιροῦ

    καιρῷ

    καιρόν

    right moment,

    *κακόν

    κακοῦ

    κακῷ

    κακόν

    bad, evil, cowardly

    *κακά

    κακῶν

    κακοῖς

    κακά

    bad, evil, cowardly

    *καλόν

    καλοῦ

    καλῷ

    καλόν

    beautiful, good

    κόσμος

    κόσμου

    κόσμῳ

    κόσμον

    ornament, dress

    κρίσις

    κρίσεως

    κρίσει

    κρίσιν

    judgment; decision

    μακρά

    μακρῶν

    μακροῖς

    μακρά

    long, tall

    *μέγαλα

    μεγάλων

    μεγάλοις

    μέγαλα

    big, great, large

    μέγιστον

    μεγίστου

    μεγίστῷ

    μέγιστον

    greatest

    *μέλλον see τό μέλλον the future

    μέτρον

    μέτρου

    μέτρῳ

    μέτρον

    measure, size

    *μικροί

    μικρῶν

    μικροῖς

    μικρούς

    small, little, short

    νόημα

    νοήματος

    νοήματι

    νόημα

    perception, thought

    νόος (νοῦς)

    νόου (νοῦ)

    νόῳ (νῷ)

    νόον (νοῦν)

    mind, intellect

    ὄλβιος

    ὀλβίου

    ὀλβίῳ

    ὄλβιον

    happy, blessed

    ὀξύς

    ὀξέος

    ὀξεῖ

    ὀξύν

    sharp, keen, swift

    *οὐδείς

    οὐδένος

    οὐδένι

    οὐδένα

    noone

    *οὐδέν

    οὐδένος

    οὐδένι

    οὐδέν

    nothing

    *πάντα

    πάντων

    πᾶσι (ν)

    πάντα

    all, each, whole

    πεῖρα

    πείρας

    πείρᾳ

    πεῖραν

    experience

    πούς

    ποδός

    ποδί

    πόδα

    foot

    *πράγματα

    πραγμάτων

    πράγμασι (ν)

    πράγματα

    matter; affair

    σοφώτατον

    σοφωτάτου

    σοφωτάτῳ

    σοφώτατον

    wisest

    σφαλερή

    σφαλερῆς

    σφαλερῇ

    σφαλερήν

    slippery, perilous

    τάχιστον

    ταχίστου

    ταχίστῳ

    τάχιστον

    swiftest

    *ταχύ

    ταχέος

    ταχεῖ

    ταχύ

    swift

    *τέλος

    τέλεος (-ους)

    τέλει

    τέλος

    end, power, office

    τέχνη

    τέχνης

    τέχνῃ

    τέχνην

    skill, art

    *τὸ αὐτό

    τοῦ αὐτοῦ

    τῷ αὐτῷ

    τὸ αὐτό

    the same

    *τὸ μέλλον

    τοῦ μέλλοντος

    τῷ μέλλοντι

    τὸ μέλλον

    the future

    *τόπος

    τόπου

    τόπῳ

    τόπον

    place, spot

    ὑπόληψις

    ὑπολήψεως

    ὑπολήψει

    ὑπόληψιν

    taking-up, continuation; reply; suspicion

    ὑπόστασις

    ὑποστάσεως

    ὑποστάσει

    ὑπόστασιν

    support; sediment; duration; substance

    χαλεπή

    χαλεπῆς

    χαλεπῇ

    χαλεπήν

    difficult, harsh

    *χρόνος

    χρόνου

    χρόνῳ

    χρόνον

    time
    1. The asterisk indicates the top 250 most frequently occurring vocabulary, which you are to memorize.

      Case

      Ending

      Function

      Nominative

      -α, αι, -ες, -εις, -η, -ις, -ν, -ο, -οι, -ον, -ος, -ς, -ων

      predicate adjective; predicate nominative; subject of the verb

      Genitive

      -εος -ης, -ου, -ων

      dependence; possession object of preposition

      Dative

      -ι, -ῳ

      indirect object; means or instrument; object of the preposition or verb

      Accusative

      -ι, -ο, -ον, -ρ

      object of the verb
    1. κάτοπτρον εἴδεος χαλκός ἐστί, οἶνος δὲ νοῦ (Aiskhylos, tragic playwright).
    2. ἀνθρώπῳ σοφῷ πᾶσα γῆ βατή· ψυχῆς γὰρ ἀγαθῆς πατρὶς ὁ ξύμπας κόσμος (Demokritos, philosopher).
    3. κακῆς ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς γίγνεται τέλος κακόν (Euripides, tragic playwright).
    4. διάφοροι δὲ φύσεις βροτῶν, διάφοροι δὲ τρόποι (Euripides, tragic playwright).
    5. ὁ κόσμος σκηνή, ὁ βίος πάροδος. ἔρχῃ, ὁράεις, ἀπέρχῃ (Demokritos, philosopher).
    6. τὸ πεπρωμένον φυγεῖν ἀδύνατον (Proverb).
    7. χαλεπὰ τὰ καλά (Proverb).
    8. μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιέει· μία μέλισσα μέλι οὐ ποιέει (Proverb).
    9. τῷ ξένῳ δεῖ ἀκολουθέειν τοῖς ἐπιχωρίοις νόμοις (Proverb).
    10. ὁ φίλος τὸν φίλον ἐν κινδύνοις γιγνώσκει (Proverb).
    11. μακραὶ τυράννων χεῖρες (Proverb).
    12. εἰ πεινάεις, πᾶν ἐστι χρῆμα ἐδώδιμον (Proverb).
    13. πολυμαθίη νόον οὐ διδάσκει (Herakleitos, philosopher).
    14. ὁ ἄνθρωπος φύσει πολιτικόν ζῶον (Aristoteles, philosopher).
    15. βίος ἀνεόρταστος μακρὰ ὁδὸς ἀπανδόκευτος (Demokritos, philosopher).
    16. κρεῖσσον ἄρχεσθαι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις ἢ ἄρχειν (Proverb).

    Adverbs and Verbs

    ἀκολουθέω follow, accompany + dat.

    *εἰμί be

    ἀπέρχομαι depart

    *ἔρχομαι come, go

    *ἄρχω rule, command; begin + gen.

    *ὁράω see

    *γίγνομαι be, be born

    πεινάω be hungry

    *γιγνώσκω know

    *ποιέω do, make, cause; (mid.) consider

    *δεῖ it is necessary + ‘x’ in gen. or dat. or acc. + inf., δεῖ ἐλθεῖν it is necessary to come

    *φυγεῖν to flee

    διδάσκω teach, instruct

    		  

    Adjectives, Nouns, Pronouns

    Νοminative

    Genitive

    Dative

    Accusative

    English Equivalent

    ἀπανδόκευτος

    -δοκεύτου

    -δοκεύτῳ

    -δόκευτον

    without an inn

    *ἀγαθή

    ἀγαθῆς

    ἀγαθῇ

    ἀγαθήν

    good, noble

    ἀδύνατον

    ἀδυνάτου

    ἀδυνάτῳ

    ἀδύνατον

    impossible

    ἀνεόρταστος

    ἀνεορτάστου

    ἀνεορτάστῳ

    ἀνεόρταστον

    no feasting

    *ἄνθρωπος

    ἀνθρώπου

    ἀνθρώπῳ

    ἄνθρωπον

    human, person

    ἀνόητοι

    ἀνοήτων

    ἀνοήτοις

    ἀνοήτους

    foolish, stupid

    *ἀρχή

    ἀρχῆς

    ἀρχῇ

    ἀρχήν

    rule; beginning

    βατή

    βατῆς

    βατῇ

    βατήν

    accessible, passable

    *βίος

    βίου

    βίῳ

    βίον

    life

    βροτοί

    βροτῶν

    βροτοῖς

    βροτούς

    mortals

    *γῆ

    γῆς

    γῇ

    γῆν

    land, earth

    διάφοροι

    διαφόρων

    διαφόροις

    διαφόρους

    unlike; differing

    ἔαρ

    ἔαρος

    ἔαρι

    ἔαρ

    spring

    ἐδώδιμον

    ἐδωδίμου

    ἐδωδίμῳ

    ἐδώδιμον

    edible

    εἶδος

    εἴδεος (-ους)

    εἴδει

    εἶδος

    form, shape; beauty

    ἐπιχώριοι

    ἐπιχωρίων

    ἐπιχωρίοις

    ἐπιχωρίους

    of the country, local

    ζῶον

    ζώου

    ζώῳ

    ζῶον

    animal

    *κακή

    κακῆς

    κακῇ

    κακήν

    bad, evil, cowardly

    *κακόν

    κακοῦ

    κακῷ

    κακόν

    bad, evil, cowardly

    *καλά

    καλῶν

    καλοῖς

    καλά

    beautiful, good

    κάτοπτρον

    κατόπτρου

    κατόπτρῳ

    κάτοπτρον

    mirror

    κίνδυνοι

    κινδύνων

    κινδύνοις

    κινδύνους

    dangers

    κόσμος

    κόσμου

    κόσμῳ

    κόσμον

    ornament, dress

    κρεῖσσον

    κρείσσονος

    κρείσσονι

    κρεῖσσον

    better

    μακρά (-αί)

    μακρᾶς (-ῶν)

    μακρᾷ (-αῖς)

    μακράν (-άς)

    long, tall

    μέλι

    μέλιτος

    μέλιτι

    μέλι

    honey

    μέλισσα

    μελίσσης

    μελίσσῃ

    μέλισσαν

    bee

    *μία

    μιᾶς

    μιᾷ

    μίαν

    one

    νόμοι

    νόμων

    νόμοις

    νόμους

    laws, customs

    νόος (νοῦς)

    νόου (νοῦ)

    νόῳ (νῷ)

    νόον (νοῦν)

    mind, intellect

    ξένος (ξεῖνος)

    ξένου

    ξένῳ

    ξένον

    stranger, guest-friend

    ξύμπας

    ξύμπαντος

    ξύμπαντι

    ξύμπαντα

    all, every, entire

    ὁδός

    ὁδοῦ

    ὁδῷ

    ὁδόν

    road, path; journey

    οἶνος

    οἴνου

    οἴνῳ

    οἶνον

    wine

    πᾶν

    παντός

    παντί

    πᾶν

    all, every, entire

    πᾶσα

    πάσης

    πάσῃ

    πᾶσαν

    all, every, entire

    πάροδος

    παρόδου

    παρόδῳ

    πάροδον

    entranceway

    πατρίς

    πατρίδος

    πατρίδι

    πατρίδα

    fatherland, country

    πεπρωμένον see τὸ πεπρωμένον fate

    πολιτικόν

    πολιτικοῦ

    πολιτικῷ

    πολιτικόν

    of a city-state

    πολυμαθίη

    πολυμαθίης

    πολυμαθίῃ

    πολυμαθίην

    great knowledge

    σκηνή

    σκηνῆς

    σκηνῇ

    σκηνήν

    tent; booth; stage

    σοφός

    σοφοῦ

    σοφῷ

    σοφόν

    wise

    *τέλος

    τέλεος (-ους)

    τέλει

    τέλος

    end, power, office

    τὸ πεπρωμένον

    τοῦ -μένου

    τῷ -μένῳ

    τὸ -μένον

    fate

    *τρόποι

    τρόπων

    τρόποις

    τρόπους

    ways; characters

    τύραννοι

    τυράννων

    τυράννοις

    τυράννους

    tyrants

    *φίλος

    φίλου

    φίλῳ

    φίλον

    friend

    *φύσις (-εις)

    φύσεως (-εων)

    φύσει (-εσι)

    φύσιν (-εις)

    nature

    χαλεπά

    χαλεπῶν

    χαλεποῖς

    χαλεπά

    difficult, harsh

    χαλκός

    χαλκοῦ

    χαλκῷ

    χαλκόν

    copper, bronze

    *χεῖρες

    χειρῶν

    χερσί (ν)

    χεῖρας

    hand; force, army

    χελιδών

    χελιδόνος

    χελιδόνι

    χελιδόνα

    swallow

    *χρῆμα

    χρήματος

    χρήματι

    χρῆμα

    thing; (pl.) money

    *ψυχή

    ψυχῆς

    ψυχῇ

    ψυχήν

    soul
    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 sentences 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.

    τῷ ξένῷ δεῖ ἀκολουθέειν τοῖς ἐπιχωρίοις νόμοις.

    τὸ τοῦ ποδὸς μὲν βραδύ· τὸ τοῦ δὲ νοῦ ταχύ.

    Check your answers with those in the Answer Key.

    Module 15 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 words, the greater mastery of the language you will have.

    Pronoun and Nouns

    ------, ἀλλήλων one another, each other

    ἀρχή, ἀρχῆς ἡ rule, command; beginning; province

    γῆ, γῆς ἡ land, earth

    γένος, γένεος (γένους) τό race, kind, sort; birth, origin

    μήν, μηνός ὁ month; (adv.) truly, surely

    σῶμα, σώματος τό body

    χώρᾱ, χώρᾱς ἡ land, country

    Verb

    ἡγέομαι lead; believe; lead, command + dat.

    This page titled 1.18: Attributive and Predicate Position is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Philip S. Peek.