θαυμάζω τὴν σοφίαν τὴν ἐν τῷ σῷ ἀδελφῷ, _I admire the wisdom that
is in your brother_.
δὸς τῷ ἀδελφῷ τὸν κάλαμον τόνδε, _give your brother this pen_.
καὶ τὸ καλαμάριον, _and the inkstand_.
ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὁ σὸς θαυμάζει τὸ λευκὸν ῥόδον τὸ ἐν τῷ κήπῳ,
_your brother admires the white rose in the garden_.
ἀκούεις τῆς τοῦ ποταμοῦ βροντῆς; _do you hear the thunder
of the river?_
ἡ βία τοῦ ἀνέμου ταράττει τὸν κῆπον, _the violence of the
wind disturbs the garden_.
καὶ τόν γε πέτασον ἐπὶ τῇ ἐμῇ κεφαλῇ, _yes, and the hat
on my head_.
κ́ῑνει τὸ πῦρ τῷ σκαλεύθρῳ, _stir the fire with the poker_.
ὁρᾷς τὴν ἕδραν τὴν τοῦ ἐπισκόπου; _do you see the bishop’s seat_?
ἰσχυρός ἐστι· ἐσθίει τὸν τῶν πονούντων ἄρτον, _he is strong;
he eats the bread of labour_.
δός μοι τὸν κάλαμον τὸν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ, _give me your brother’s pen_.
φέρε τὸ καλαμάριον τὸ τῆς ἀδελφῆς, _bring your sister’s inkstand_.
κόπτε τὸν κάλαμον τῇ μαχαίρᾳ, _cut the pen with the knife_.
ENGLISH AFFINITIES
Bishop. Kinetics. Seat. Cathedral. Hydrocephalus.
LESSON III
PLURALS, NUMERALS, DIMINUTIVES
The plural of verbs is in ομεν, ετε, and ουσι for the three persons. In
pure verbs αομεν becomes ῶμεν, ᾶτε, and ῶσι; ε becomes οῦμεν, εῖτε, and
οῦσι.
The plural of nouns in ος is in
οι, nominative.
ων, genitive.
οις, dative.
ους, objective.
Neuters have nominative and objective α.
The plural of feminines is in
αι, nominative.
ῶν, genitive.
αις, dative.
ᾱς, objective.
The relative pronoun, ὅς, ἥ, ὅ, _who_, _which_, is declined all
through, like masculine nouns in ος, and feminines in η, and neuters in
ον.
The numerals are—εἷς, μία, ἕν; δύω, τρεῖς, τέσσαρες, πέντε, ἕξ, ἑπτά,
ὀκτώ, ἐννέα, δέκα, in their order; εἴκοσι, _twenty_; ἑκατόν, _a
hundred_; χίλιοι, _a thousand_; μύριοι, _ten thousand_.
Diminutives are mostly neuter, ending in άριον, ίον, and ύλλιον: as
ἵππος, _a horse_—ἱππάριον, _a pony_; παῖς, _a boy_—παιδίον, _a little
boy_; βρέφος, _a babe_—βρεφύλλιον, _a little babe_. Masculine is ίσκος,
as παιδίσκος, _a young boy_, with feminine παιδίσκη, _a little girl_.
The adjective πολύς, _many_ (German _viel_), is declined in the
nominative—
πολύς πολλή πολύ
and objective—
πολύν πολλήν πολύ
otherwise regularly, as if from πολλός-ή-όν.
It is a peculiarity of Greek syntax that neuter plurals are joined
with a singular verb, as καλῶς ἔχει τὰ πράγματα, _matters are going on
well_.
γράφομεν καλάμῳ, ὁρῶμεν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς, _we write with a pen, and see
with our eyes_.
τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἥν σοι γράφω δὸς τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς, _the letter which I write
for you give to your brothers_.
πόσους ἔχεις ἀδελφούς; _how many brothers have you?_
ἕξ, ἀδελφὰς δὲ ἑπτά, _six, and seven sisters_.
δεινὰ ταῦτα, _that is too bad!_
πόσα ἔχεις ῥόδα ἐν τῷ πετάσῳ; _how many roses have you in your hat?_
δώδεκα, λείρια δὲ ἕξ, _twelve, and six lilies_.
πόσους ἔχει ἵππους ὁ ἀδελφός; _how many horses has your brother?_
τρεῖς, _three_.
ὁρᾷς τοὺς κύκνους καὶ τοὺς γεράνους ἐν τῇ λίμνῃ; _do you see the swans
and the cranes in the loch?_
ὁρῶ, δεινὸν τὸ πλῆθος, _yes, a very great number_.
καὶ δὴ καὶ τρεῖς μόσχους κομψοὺς ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ; _also three pretty calves
in the field?_
ἔτι δὲ ἱππάριον, κόσμιον, βαλιόν; _also a neat little piebald pony?_
τί γελᾷς; _what are you laughing at?_
ἐκεῖνο τὸ παιδίον ἱππαζόμενον ἐπὶ τοῦ ἱππαρίου, _that boy riding on the
little pony_.
καὶ δὴ καὶ τρέχει ὀπίσω ἡ παιδίσκη ἡ κομψή, _and behind runs the pretty
little girl_.
τερπνὸν τὸ θέαμα, _a pleasant sight_.
ὁ θαυμαστὸς οὑτοσὶ δύο ὁρᾷ ἡλίους ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἕνα μόνον
ὁρῶμεν, _this strange man sees two suns in the sky; we see only one_.
μῑσοῦμεν τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ μωροῦ, _we hate a fool’s voice_.
τοῦ δὲ σοφοῦ φωνὴν φιλοῦμεν, _but we love the voice of the wise man_.
οἱ ἀστρονόμοι πολλὰ ὁρῶσι τοῖς τηλεσκοπείοις ἃ ἡμεῖς οὐχ ὁρῶμεν, _the
astronomers see many things with their telescopes which we do not see_.
πολλὰ μὲν ἔχει δένδρα ἡ ὕλη, λόγους δὲ πολλοὺς ἡ τῶν μωρῶν γλῶσσα,
_there are many trees in the forest, and many words in a fool’s
tongue_.
πολλὰς κόπτομεν ἀκάνθας ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς, _we are cutting down many
thistles in the fields_.
καὶ οὐκ ὀλίγας, ὡς ἐλπίζω, ἀκαλήφας, _and not a few nettles also, I
hope_.
ἃς σὺ μῑσεῖς, ἀκαλήφας, _the nettles which you hate_.
δικαίως ἔγωγε, πάντες γὰρ μῑσοῦσιν τὰς ἀκαλήφας τὰς κακάς, _with good
reason too. All hate the evil nettles_.
τί πράττετε; _what are you about?_
γράφομεν ἐπιστολάς, _we are writing letters_.
ἐπιστολὰς λέγεις; _do you say letters?_
καὶ μάλα γε, πρὸς τὴν βασίλισσαν, _yes, to the queen_.
θαυμαστὰ λέγεις, _wonderful!_
ἀγαθὴ ἡ βασίλισσα, καὶ πρὸς τὰς εὐχὰς οὐ κωφὴ τὰς τῶν πιστῶν πολιτῶν,
_good is the queen, and not deaf to the prayers of loyal citizens_.
δίκαια λέγεις, _you say what is just_.
ENGLISH AFFINITIES
Epistle. Graphic. Hippodrome. Euphony. Astronomy. Telescope. Polyglot.
Agriculture. Basilica. Basil. Police. Two. Triad. Pentarchy. Hexagon.
Heptarchy. October. Decade. Myriad.
LESSON IV
THIRD DECLENSION, SINGULAR
The third declension of nouns in Greek is more rich and varied than the
other two, and, besides, is distinguished by a peculiarity from which
the others are free, viz. while in the first and second declensions
all that requires to be done in forming the cases is to change the
last syllable of the nominative commencing with a vowel, leaving
the main body of the word unchanged, as ἡμέρα,-ας, ἄργυρ-ος,-ου, in
the third we observe that the final consonant of the root seems in
many cases to have been assimilated or absorbed by the termination
of the nominative, and reappears in the other cases, as in ἐλπίς,
genitive ἐλπίδος. Sometimes also the vowel of the last syllable of
the nominative is shortened before the addition of the genitival
termination, as in ποιμήν, ποιμένος. In some classes of nouns no change
is made, and the analogy of the two other declensions is followed
throughout. We shall take our examples from the more simple classes,
leaving the more complex and exceptional to be learned in the course of
reading.
The general type is—
-ος, genitive.
-ι, dative.
-α, objective.
as—
σωτήρ, _a saviour_.
σωτῆρος, _of or from a saviour_.
σωτῆρι, _to a saviour_.
σωτῆρα, _a saviour_.
κώδων, _a bell_.
κώδωνος, _of a bell_, etc.
λυμεών, -ῶνος, _a blackguard_, etc.
and a number of words signifying a dwelling-place, as—
ἵππος, _a horse_;
ἱππών, -ῶνος, _a stable_.
ἐλαιών, -ῶνος, _an oliveyard_.
παρθενών, -ῶνος, _room of the virgin_;
and nicknames of men:
γάστρων, -ωνος }
} _paunchy_.
φύσκων }
And to this class which follows the analogy of the other declensions
our first colloquy is confined.
(1) ὁρᾷς τὸν ἀροτῆρα τῷ ἀρότρῳ κόπτοντα τὴν γῆν; _do you see the
ploughman cutting up the ground with his plough?_
χρήσιμον τὸ ἔργον τοῦτο καὶ ἀναγκαῖον, _this is a useful and necessary
work_.
ἰσχυρὸν ἔχει ἵππον ὁ ἀροτήρ, _the ploughman has a strong horse_.
τίνος ἐστὶν ἡ εἰκὼν ἐκείνη; _what likeness is that?_
τοῦ Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, _the likeness of Jesus Christ our
Saviour_.
θεῖον πάνυ τὸ πρόσωπον, _an altogether divine countenance_.
τίς ἐστιν ἡ βίβλος ἐκείνη ἡ λαμπρά; _what is that grand book?_
ἡ γεωγραφία τοῦ Στράβωνος, _the geography of Strabo_.
τί πίνεις ἐκ τοῦ κρατῆρος ἐκείνου; _what are you drinking out of that
bowl?_
πίνομεν τὸν οἶνον, _we are drinking wine_.
δός μοι τὸν τρίβωνα τὸν παλαιόν, _give me my old cloak_.
ἐκ μικροῦ σπινθῆρος δεινὴ πολλάκις ἀνάπτεται φλόξ, _from a small spark
often a fearful flame arises_.
ὡς γράφει ὁ Ἀπόστολος Ἰάκωβος, _as James the Apostle writes_.
καίτοι τί ταῦτα λέγεις; _but why do you say this?_
φοβεῖ μὲ ὁ πολὺς ἐκεῖνος καπνὸς ὁ ἐκ τῆς καπνοδόχης, _I fear that
quantity of smoke from the chimney_.
ἀκούω τοῦ κώδωνος καὶ τῆς τοῦ κλητῆρος φωνῆς ὃς ἐγείρει τοὺς πολίτας,
_I hear the bell, and the voice of the crier who wakes the people_.
οὐ σμικρὸς ὁ κίνδῡνος, _there is great danger_.
ἀκούω τοῦ ἀλεκτρυόνος, _I hear the cock_.
(2) Nouns in ωρ and ην shorten the long ultimate vowel of the
nominative, as ῥήτωρ, ῥήτορος; ποιμήν, ποιμένος; ὕδωρ, ὕδατος, _water_.
ὁρᾷς τὸν ποιμένα ἐκεῖνον μετὰ τῶν προβάτων ἐν τῷ λειμῶνι; _do you see
that shepherd with the sheep in the meadow?_
ὁρῶ, καὶ τὸν κύνα, _I see them and the dog_.
ἆρα οὖν ἀκούετε τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ δεινοῦ ἐκείνου ῥήτορος; _do you hear the
voice of that great orator?_
ἀκούομεν· μᾶλλον δὲ ἀρέσκει ὁ τῶν χελῑδόνων τρισμὸς καὶ τῆς ἀηδόνος τὸ
ἆσμα, _we hear; but like better the twitter of the swallows and the
song of the nightingale_.
δίκαίως· αὗται γὰρ κινοῦσι τὸ βαθὺ τῆς ψυχῆς, _with good reason; for
these stir the depths of the soul_.
(3) Feminines in ́ῐς and ́ᾰς, with the radical δ before the case
terminations, as λαμπ́ᾰς,-άδος; ἐλπ́ῐς,-ίδος. Neuters in α have the
genitive in τος. Words ending in ψ = πς or βς, as λαῖλαψ, λαίλαπος, _a
storm_; φλέψ, φλεβός, _a vein_; Κύκλωψ,-ωπος, _a Cyclops, Giant Round
Eye_, lose the σ of the nominative and present π or β before the case
termination. In the same way nouns in ξ = κς or γς, by losing the
final σ of the compound consonant, cause the single κ or γ to reappear
in the oblique cases, as ἱέραξ, _a hawk_, ἱέρᾱκος; ἀλώπηξ, _a fox_,
gen. ἀλώπεκος; κόραξ, κόρακος, _a crow_,
ἔρχεται ὁ ὑετός, _the rain is coming_.
οὐδαμῶς, _not at all_.
τὴν ψιλὴν ψεκάδα οὐκ ἔγωγε ὑετὸν λέγω, _a thin drizzle I do not call
rain_.
ἐκείνη ἡ νεφέλη σημαίνει λαίλαπα, _that cloud foretells a storm_.
λαμπρὰν ἔχω ἐλπίδα καλῆς ἡμέρας, _I have bright hope of a beautiful
day_.
ὁρᾷς ἐκεῖνο τὸ γυναικάριον ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ; _do you see that little woman in
the field?_
λέγουσι μαινάδα εἶναι, _they say that she is mad_.
καὶ πιστεύω ἔγωγε, _I for one believe it_.
δός μοι τὴν κρηπῖδα, καὶ τὸν πέτασον καὶ τὴν χλαῖναν, _give me my boot,
my hat, and my plaid_.
ποῦστι τὸ ὑπόδημά μου τὸ ἕτερον; _where is my other shoe?_
τί ἔχεις ἐν τῷ στόματι; _what have you in your mouth?_
ἄρτον· χάριν ἔχω τῷ Θεῷ, _bread, thank God!_
τί γράφεις; _what are you writing?_
ποίημα, _a poem_.
πότερον νοῦς ἔστιν ἐν τῷ ποιήματι; _is there any sense in the poem?_
πῶς οὔ; οὐ φυσῶ φυσήματα ἐκ σαπῶνος, _of course; I don’t blow
soap-bubbles_.
ὁρᾷς ἐκεῖνον τὸν κόρακα; _do you see that crow?_
ὁρῶ, περιπατεῖ ὡς κληρικὸς σεμνῷ τῷ βήματι, _I do; he walks like a
clergyman, with a grave step_.
τί ἐστι τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ ἐνδόξου ἐκείνου ῥήτορος; _what is the name of that
famous orator_?
Γλάδστων, _Gladstone_.
ὄνομα Σκωτικόν, _a Scotch name_.
καὶ μάλα γε· ἔχει γὰρ ἑρμηνείαν τὸ ὄνομα, λίθος ὁ τοῦ ἱέρᾱκος,
_certainly, for the interpretation of the name is_ the stone of the
hawk.
ἔστι Γλάδστων ὄνομα δήμου τινὸς ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ τοῦ Μεσολωθιᾶνος, _Gladstone
is the name of a parish in Midlothian_.
τί πράττει ὁ παῖς ἐκεῖνος; _what is that boy doing?_
μαστιγοῖ τὴν βέμβῑκα, _he is whipping his top_.
αὐτὸς μᾶλλον ἄξιος τῆς μάστῑγος, κακοῦργον γὰρ τὸ θρέμμα, _himself is
more worthy of the whip, for he is a wicked creature_.
ἔτι δὲ ἀργός· οὐκ ἄξιος τοῦ ἄρτου, _also idle; not worthy of his bread_.
νομίζω ἔγωγε τὸ νῶτον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν μάστῑγα ἐγγὺς προσήκειν γένει, _I
think the whip and his back are nearly related_.
κακός ἐστιν· ἀλώπεκος καὶ ἄρκτου μῖγμα παράδοξον, _he is bad; a strange
mixture of a fox and a bear_.
(4) Nouns in ῑς and ῡς have ν in the objective, as σῦς, _a pig_;
ἰχθ́ῡς, _a fish_, κ́ῑς, _a woodworm_. Also those in ῐς and ῠς, as
πόλις, _a city_, πόλιν; ὄφις, _a snake_, ὄφιν; πῆχυς, _a forearm_,
πῆχυν. These have the genitive in εως, and the dative in ει, as πόλεως,
πόλει.
πατήρ, _a father_, and μήτηρ, _a mother_, have πατρός and μητρός in
genitive, and πατρί and μητρί in dative; but the objective is in the
regular form with the short penult πατέρα. θυγάτηρ, _a daughter_,
follows the same rule, ἀνήρ has ἀνδρός, ἀνδρί, ἄνδρα.
βασιλεύς, _a king_, and ἱερεύς, _a priest_, have the genitive in έως,
and the dative in εῖ, like πόλις, but the objective is έα. βοῦς, _an
ox_, has βοός, βοί, and βοῦν.
γυνή, _a woman_, has genitive and dative -αικός, -αικί, and objective
-αῖκα.
ὁρᾷς τὸν καλὸν ἰχθ́ῡν ἐν τῷ ὕδατι; _do you see that beautiful fish in
the water_?
ὁρῶ, στίλβει τὸ θρέμμα, ὥσπερ μαργαρίτης, _yes, the creature glances
like a pearl_.
ἕτερον πάνυ ὁ σῦς ὁ ῥυπαρὸς ἐν τῷ συφεῷ, _very different is the filthy
pig in the sty_.
μῑσῶ τὸν σῦν, _I hate the pig_.
ὅμως χοῖρος σιτευτὸς λαμπρὸν ἄγαλμα τοῦ δείπνου, _nevertheless a fatted
pig—bacon—is the great glory of a dinner_.
ὁρᾷς τὸν ὄφιν ἐν τῇ πόᾳ; _do you see the snake in the grass?_
μῑσῶ τὸ θρέμμα, _I hate the creature_.
διὰ τί; _why?_
ἔχει κίνδῡνον, _it is dangerous_.
φρίττω τὸ ζῷον, πρόσωπόν γε τοῦ διαβόλου, _I shudder at the creature, a
mask of the devil_.
ἔχει πατέρα ὁ ὄφις τὸν Σατανᾶν, _the snake has Satan for his father_.
πολλὰ ἔχει πρόσωπα ὁ διάβολος, _the devil has many masks_.
αἱρετώτερον δὲ καλῆς γυναικὸς τὸ πρόσωπον, _specially that of a fair
woman_.
καὶ δὴ καὶ ἱερέως ὑπερηφάνου, _and that of a proud priest_.
ἔτι δὲ βασιλέως ἀνόμου καὶ τυράννου ὠμοῦ, _also of a lawless king, and
a cruel tyrant_.
καὶ ἀνδρὸς ἑκάστου τῶν ἐν πόλει ὅσοι πονηροί, _and of any bad man in
the town_.
(5) Adjectives of this declension occur most commonly in one of these
three forms—
(α) ων, -ονος, masculine and feminine; ον, neuter—as
σώφρων, _sound-minded_; πρόφρων, _forward_,
_ready_—like nouns in ων _supra_. (β) ής, as
ἀληθής, masculine and feminine; ἀληθές, neuter;
genitive in οῦς and dative in εῖ—ὑγιής, _healthy_;
σαφής, -ές, _distinct_, _clear_.
(γ) ύς, masculine; εῖα, feminine; ύ, neuter; as γλυκύς,
_sweet_; βαρύς, _heavy_.
μέλας, _black_, has μέλαινα, μέλαν, and τάλας,
_wretched_, the same.
ἀληθὲς τὸ δόγμα τοῦτο τὸ περὶ τοῦ διαβόλου, _this doctrine about the
devil is true_.
καὶ μάλα γε καὶ βαρύ, _yes, and weighty_.
γλυκὺ τὸ μέλι μετὰ τὸ πικρόν, _sweet is honey after sour_.
δημιουργοὶ αἱ μέλισσαι τοῦ μέλιτος τοῦ γλυκέος, _the bees are the
makers of sweet honey_.
βασιλέως γλύκυσμα τὸ μέλι, _it is a king’s dainty, honey_.
στέργομεν σύμπαντες τὰ νώγαλα καὶ τὰ τρωγάλια ἀκόλουθα τοῦ δείπνου, _we
all like dainties and a dessert to follow the dinner_.
ENGLISH AFFINITIES
Gastric juice. Work. Bible. Geography. Crater. Wine. Palæography. Phlox
(the name of a flame-coloured flower). Apostle. Police. Rhetorician.
Pound. Abyss. Phrenzy. Wet. Phlebotomy. Cyclops. Hydropathy. Mænad.
Heterodoxy. Poem. Crow. Genesis. Generation. Mixture. Paradox.
Ichthyology. Paternal. Andrew. Alexander. Bovine. Gynæcology. Sow.
Devil. Hierarchy. Tyrant. Glycerine. Barometer. Mellifluous.
LESSON V
THIRD DECLENSION, PLURAL
The plural terminations of the third declension are—
ες, nominative, α, neuter.
ων, genitive.
σι, dative.
ᾰς, objective, α, neuter;
as ποιμήν, ποιμένες, λαῖλαψ, λαίλαπες, following always the type of
the genitive singular, as πατέρες, not πατρές; but ἀνήρ has ἄνδρες,
not ἀνέρες. Only in the dative plural the final consonant ν, δ, or τ
is dropped before the σι of the dative, as ποιμέσι, _to shepherds_;
στόμασι, _to mouths_; λαμπάσι, _to torches_.
The adjective πᾶς, πᾶσα, πᾶν follows this rule, having παντός in the
genitive, but πᾶσι in dative plural; so γίγας, _a giant_; γίγαντος, _of
a giant_; but γιγᾶσι, _to giants_.
οὗτος ὁ πατὴρ πάντα τὰ χρήματα δίδωσι ταῖς θυγατράσι, τῷ δὲ υἱῷ οὐδέν,
_this father gives all the money to his daughters, to his son nothing_.
οἱ μὲν τῆς ἐκκλησίας πατέρες πολλοί, ἕκαστος δὲ παῖς ἕνα μόνον ἔχει
πατέρα, _the fathers of the church are many, but each boy has only one
father_.
δὸς τοῖς μὲν παισὶ βακτηρίαν, ταῖς δὲ παρθένοις σκιάδειον, _give a
stick to the boys, a parasol to the young ladies_.
γίγᾱς πάνυ ὁ παῖς οὑτοσί, καὶ τέρας γε πρός· δακτύλους γὰρ δὴ ἑπτὰ ἔχει
ἐπὶ τοῖς ποσίν, _this boy is a giant, and a monster to boot; he has
seven toes on his feet_.
τούτων τῶν παιδῶν πάντων ἄτοπόν τι ἔχει ἡ ἐσθής, παρέχουσά γε τὴν μὲν
χλαμύδα μέλαιναν, τὸ δὲ πῑλίδιον ξανθόν, _the dress of all these boys
is ridiculous, a black plaid with a yellow cap_.
ἀληθῆ λέγεις, _true_.
ENGLISH AFFINITIES
Father. Panorama. Daughter. Ecclesiastical. Polytheism. Monologue.
Giant. Dactyl. Seven. Foot. Melancholy. Lecture. Parthenon.
LESSON VI
THE DEGREES OF COMPARISON IN ADJECTIVES
The general form is τερος for the comparative and τατος for the
superlative, the genders following the type of the substantives of
the first and second declensions, as δίκαιος, _just_, δικαιότερος,
δικαιότατος; also, to avoid the concurrence of four short syllables
unfavourable to the dactylic rhythm of the early poetry, the ότερος in
certain cases becomes ώτερος, and the ότατος, ώτατος, as—
σοφός, _wise_, σοφώτερος, σοφώτατος.
So—
φοβερός, _terrible_.
χαλεπός, _difficult_.
φανερός, _plain_.
Adjectives in ας, αινα, αν, and in ης, ες, add the τερος and τατος to
the neuter, as—
μέλας, _black_, μελάντερος, -τατος.
ἀληθής, _true_, ἀληθέστερος, -τατος.
ἀκριβής, _accurate_, ἀκριβέστερος, -τατος;
a termination which is assumed also by adjectives in ων, as εὐδαίμων,
_happy_, εὐδαιμονέστερος,-τατος.
Some adjectives are compared by ιων,-ον, and ιστος,-η,-ον, as—
καλός, _beautiful_;
καλλίων, _more beautiful_;
κάλλιστος, _very beautiful_.
ἡδύς, _sweet_, ἡδίων, ἥδιστος.
ταχύς, _swift_;
θάσσων for ταχίων, _swifter_; and
τάχιστος, _very swift_.
This form belongs also to some common irregular comparisons as—
ἀγαθός, βελτίων, βέλτιστος, _good, better, best_.
μέγας, _great_, μείζων, μέγιστος.
κακός, _bad_, χείρων, κάκιστος.
πολύς, _many_, πλείων, πλεῖστος;
which follow in declension the law of the substantives of the same
type, as μείζων, μείζονος; πλείων,-ονος, plural πλείονες, contracted
πλείους.
Comparatives are either accompanied with a genitive or followed by ἤ—as
ὁ υἱὸς μείζων ἐστὶ τοῦ πατρός, _the son is taller than the father_—or ἢ
ὁ πατήρ.
οὗτος ὁ νεανίσκος πολὺ μικρότερός ἐστι τῆς ἀδελφῆς· νᾶνός ἐστι, _this
young man is much less than his sister; he is a dwarf_.
λέγει ἡ ἁγία γραφὴ ὅτι ὁ Σαοὺλ πολὺ μέγιστος ἦν πάντων τῶν συμπολιτῶν,
_the holy scripture says that Saul was by far the tallest of all his
fellow citizens_.
οὐ σοφώτατος δέ, _but not the wisest_.
ἄμεινον τοῦ μεγέθους ἡ σοφία, _wisdom is better than stature_.
πόσα ἄτακτα ῥήματά ἐστιν ἐν τῇ Ἑλληνικῇ γλώσσῃ; _how many irregular
verbs are there in the Greek tongue?_
οὐκ οἶδα, _I do not know_.
περὶ τούτου γε χρὴ ἐρωτᾳν τὸν μάντιν, τὸν Οὐείτχιον, _on this point you
must consult the oracle, Veitch_.
φοβερὸν τὸ πλῆθος, _a terrible multitude_.
πλείω ἢ οἱ κόρακες ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ, _more than the crows in the field_.
ἀληθέστατα λέγεις, _you say what is very true_.
λέγω τὸ ἔμοιγε πονηρότατον καὶ χαλεπώτατον, _I say what for me at least
is a very painful and a very difficult business_.
μὴ ἀθύμει· πολλὰ ἔχει κακὰ ὁ βίος, παγκάκιστον δὲ τὸν ἀπελπισμόν,
_don’t despair; there are many bad things in life, but the worst is
despair_.
τῶν δὲ ἀγαθῶν ἐν τῷ βίῳ τί βέλτιστον; _and of the good things in life
which is best?_
ἡ πίστις, _faith_.
ὡς λέγει ὁ προφήτης Ἀμβακούμ· ὁ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται, _as the
prophet Habakkuk says, the just man shall live by faith_.
οὗ οὐκ ἔχει λόγον ἀληθέστερον ἡ ἁγία γραφή, _a word than which nothing
more true is found in holy scripture_.
πατὴρ τῆς ἀνδρείας ἡ πίστις, ἀνδρεία δὲ τῶν ἀνδρικῶν ἔργων πατήρ,
_faith is the father of courage, and courage is the father of manly
deeds_.
κάλλιστα λέγεις, _admirable_.
καλὸς ὁ λόγος, κάλλιον δὲ τὸ ἔργον, _a beautiful saying, but more
beautiful is the deed_.
ἄνευ ἔργου πάντων κενώτατον πραγμάτων ὁ λόγος, _without the deed speech
is the most empty of all things_.
ἐλαφρότερον τῶν ἀχύρων, _more light than chaff_.
καὶ οὐδὲν ἥττον στεῖρον, _and not less barren_.
ἔρρωσο, _farewell_.
ENGLISH AFFINITIES
New. Polygon. Hagiography. Tactics. Crow. Biology. Prophet. Energetic.
Plethora.
LESSON VII
THE FUTURE ACTIVE
The characteristic letter of the future tense is σ, inserted before
the terminations that mark the persons, thus: λύω, _I loosen_; λύσω,
_I will_; λύσεις, _thou wilt_; λύσει, _he will_; λύσομεν, _we will_;
λύσετε, _ye will_; λύσουσι, _they will loosen_. Of course by inserting
this σ, a preceding consonant, where the root is labial, uniting with
it forms a ψ, as above in nouns (Lesson IV, 3); and in the same way,
when the final vowel of the root is a palatal the κ or γ appears
as ξ—so, from βλέπω, _I see_, βλέψω; from λέγω, _I say_, λέξω. But
there are several variations, which will be learned by practice; the
following are dominant:—
(α) Verbs with two consonants before the ω of the
present eject the latter before inserting the σ,
so that the π or φ of the root united with the σ
becomes a ψ, as in τύπτω, τύψω; κόπτω, _I cut_,
κόψω; σκάπτω, _I dig_, σκάψω; γράφω, _I write_,
γράψω.
(β) The same rule holds with many verbs in σσω, Attic
ττω, the root ending in κ or γ, as πράσσω, _I do_,
root πραγ, future πράξω; τάσσω, _I arrange_, τάξω.
(γ) Verbs in άζω have either σω or ξω, or both, as
θαυμάζω, _I admire_, θαυμάσω; νυστάζω, _I nod_, άσω
or άξω; ἁρπάζω, _to carry off_, ξω, ἁρπάσομαι in
Attic; βαστάζω, _to carry_, βαστάσω.
(δ) Pure verbs generally lengthen the vowel of the
present, α being changed into η, except where a
vowel or λ precedes the άω, as—
τιμάω, _I honour_, τιμήσω.
φιλέω, _I love_, φιλήσω.
δηλόω, _I show_, δηλώσω.
But—
κλάω, _I break_, κλάσω.
κοπιάω, _I labour at_, κοπιάσω.
But some in έω prefer έσω, as τελέω, _I finish_,
τελέσω; τρέω, _to tremble_, τρέσω; ζέω, _to boil_,
ζέσω.
(ε) Liquid verbs shorten the long vowel of the root, or
throw out the last of two consonants in the root,
and lay a circumflex accent on the termination ω,
as—
μένω, _I remain_, μενῶ.
σπείρω, _I sow_, σπερῶ.
φαίνω, _I show_, φανῶ.
βάλλω, _I throw_, βαλῶ.
τέμνω, _I cut_, τεμῶ.
νῦν δὴ φοβεῖς με· δεινὸς ὡς ἀληθῶς ὁ χρόνος οὗτος ὁ τοῦ μέλλοντος, _now
indeed you frighten me; this future tense is terrible_.
γέλοια λέγεις· οὐκ ἐάσω σε τὰ τοιαῦτα λέγειν· λέγε μᾶλλον τὸ τῆς
παροιμίας, χαλεπὰ τὰ καλά, _ridiculous; I will not permit you to speak
thus; say rather, as the proverb has it, all excellent things are
difficult_.
λέξω, _I will say so_.
ἔχε πίστιν, _have faith_.
πιστεύσω καὶ νῑκήσω, _I will believe and conquer_.
αἰνέσει σε ὁ πατήρ, _your father will praise you_.
οὐδὲν διστάζω, _I do not doubt it_.
ἀνδρικὸν δηλώσεις θυμόν, _you will show a manly spirit_.
βλέψω ἀνδρικῶς πρὸς τὸν διάβολον καὶ οὐ τρέσω, _I will look manfully in
the face of the devil and not tremble_.
τί σκάπτει ὁ φύσκων ἐκεῖνος ἐν τῷ λειμῶνι; _what is that paunchy fellow
digging at in the meadow?_
σκάπτει τάφρον, _he is digging a trench_.
σκάπτει τοὺς θεμελίους λαμπροῦ οἰκήματος, _he is digging the
foundations of a grand house_.
οὐδαμῶς· τὸν τοιοῦτον οὐ θαυμάσομεν, _not at all; such a fellow we will
not admire_.
ἰδιώτης ἐστί· πόνον μὲν ἔχει, τέχνην δὲ οὔ· κόψει ποτὲ τὸν ἴδιον
δάκτυλον τῇ μαχαίρᾳ, καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸν ἴδιον αὐτὸς ἑαυτοῦ σκάψει τάφον·
τοιοῦτο γὰρ δὴ φιλεῖ γίνεσθαι τὸ τῶν ἀπαιδεύτων τέλος, _he is a
bungler. He has labour, but no skill. He will cut his finger with his
knife some day, and dig his own grave. Such is wont to be the end of
the unlearned_.
ENGLISH AFFINITIES
Hydrophobia. Chronology. Chronic. Andrew. Idiot. Penury. Technical.
Polytechnic. Idiosyncrasy. Paedeutics.
LESSON VIII
THE PAST TENSE
The first aorist or indefinite past tense follows the type of the
future, with a σ before the personal terminations, and an augment ε
prefixed to the whole word, as a sign of the past tense, thus—
πράξω, _I will do_.
ἔπραξα, -ας, -ε, _I, thou, he_ } _did_
ἐπράξαμεν, -ατε, -αν, _we, you, they_ }
In liquid verbs, where the future has no σ, the aorist lengthens the
vowel of the penult, as—
μένω μενῶ ἔμεινα
στέλλω στελῶ ἔστειλα
τείνω τενῶ ἔτεινα
There is another form of the past in
-ον -ες -ε
-ομεν -ετε -ον
as ἔτυπον for ἔτυψα, which some verbs prefer, as in ἔβαλον, _I threw_,
from βάλλω, βαλῶ; ἔκραγον from κράζω, and some have both, as ἤνεγκα,
ἤνεγκον, _I brought_, irregular from φέρω, _I bring_, future οἴσω, _I
will bring_.
οἶδα, _I know_, has
οἶδα, οἶσθα, οἶδε, _I, thou, he_ } _know_.
ἴσμεν, ἴστε, ἴσασι, _we, you, they_ }
and with the past participle, εἰδώς, -ότος.
ᾔδειν, ᾔδεις, ᾔδει, _I, thou, he_ } _knew_.
ᾔδειμεν, ᾔδειτε, ᾔδεσαν, _we, you, they_ }
ἅπερ ἐγὼ ἔπραξα χθές, σὺ πράξεις αὔριον, ἀεὶ γὰρ ὑστερεῖς, _what I did
yesterday you will do to-morrow; you are always behind_.
τίς τὰ φύλλα ἔκοψε τῆς καλῆς ἐκείνης βίβλου; _who cut the leaves of
that beautiful book?_
ἐγώ, _I did_.
ἔκοψας, νὴ Δία, ἀμβλείᾳ τῇ μαχαίρᾳ· πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ῥυπαροί εἰσι σοὶ οἱ
δάκτυλοι, _verily you cut it with a blunt knife; besides, your fingers
are filthy_.
νίψω τῶ χεῖρε,[5] _I will wash my hands_.