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Greek · Grammars

J. N. Madvig, Syntax of the Greek Language: Chapter III, The Cases: Nominative and Accusative

Syntax of The Greek Language, especially of the Attic dialect, for the use of schools, Dr. J. N. Madvig, professor in the university of Copenhagen. Translated from the German by the rev. Henry Browne, M. A and edited by the rev. Thomas Kerchever Arnold, M. A, late rector of Lyndon, and formerly fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. Together with an Appendix on the Greek Particles, by the Translator. 2nd edition. Rivingstons: London, Oxford, and Cambridge, 1873.

Pages 19–31 of the book.

§ 29 (234)

Verbs denoting an extension, motion, or distance, take the name of the measure in the accusative, so γέγονα, am - old, the specification of the age. Κῦρος ἐξελαύνει διὰ τῆς Λυδίας σταθμοὺς τρεῖς, παρασάγγας εἴκοσι καὶ δύο (Xen. An. 1, 2, 5). Βασιλεύς τε καὶ οἱ Ἕλληνες διεῖχον ἀλλήλων ὡς τριάκοντα στάδια (Xen. An. 1, 2, 4). (Πολλῶν ἡμερῶν ὁδὸν ἀπέχειν). Θρασύβουλος ἔθετο τὰ ὅπλα ὅσον τρία στάδια ἀπὸ τῶν φρουρῶν (Xen. Hell. 2, 4, 5; took up a position at a distance of -.) Οὔπω εἴκοσιν ἔτη γεγονώς (Xen. Mem. 3, 6, 1).

Rem. In adjectives denoting an extent (long, &c.) the accusative of the measure is not usual in Greek. It says: μῆκος ἔχων τριῶν ποδῶν (τρεῖς πόδας), τάφρος τριῶν ποδῶν τὸ μῆκος.

§ 30 (235)

In statements of duration and extent of time (how long), the measure of time is put in the accusative: Ἐνταῦθα Κῦρος ἔμεινεν ἡμέρας πέντε (ταύτην τὴν ἡμέραν) (Xen. An. 1, 2, 6). Οἱ τῶν Περσῶν ἔφηβοι δέκα ἔτη, ἀφ' οὗ ἂν ἐκ παίδων ἐξέλθωσι, κοιμῶνται περὶ τὰ ἀρχεῖα (Xen. Cyr. 1, 3, 9). Γένεσθέ μοι μικρὸν χρόνον τὴν διάνοιαν (in imagination, see § 31) ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ (Aesch. 3, 153). Πολλοῖς καὶ μεγάλοις κακοῖς καὶ πράγμασι τὴν ἀποδημίαν πᾶσαν συνειχόμην (Dem. 19, 177. Also παρὰ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀποδ., during the whole journey. Διὰ παντὸς τοῦ χρόνου, Lys. 7, 8; throughout the whole time). Σπουδὴ ὁμοίως καὶ νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν ἔσται τῆς ὁδοῦ (Thuc. 7, 77: through the night and the day: night and day alike. Νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας, by night and by day, § 66) [1]


[1] Οὐκ ἄηδες κατὰ τὸ ὑδάτιον εἶναι ἄλλως τε καὶ τήνδε τὴν ὥραν τοῦ ἐτοῦς τε καὶ τῆς ἡμέρας (Pl. Phaedr. 229). Herodotus uses τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον quite in place of ἐν τούτῳ τῷ χρόνῳ, κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον, and νύκτα (τὰς νύκτας), instead of νυκτός.


Rem. The accusative of a denomination of time with an ordinal number denotes how long ago (properly, what time it is now, since the thing happened): Ἡ θυγατὴρ αὐτῷ ἑβδόμην ἡμέραν ἐτετελευτήκει (Aesch. 3, 77). Τρίτην ἡμέραν Ἀστυόχου ἥκοντος, αἱ Ἀττικαὶ νῆες ἔπλεον ἐς Λέσβον (Thuc. 8, 23, (on) the third day after A. was come). Τὴν μητέρα τρέφων πέπαυμαι τρίτον ἔτος τοῦτο (Lys. 24, 6, now (is it) the third year (that) -). (More rarely: Ἀλκίας τέθνηκε ταῦτα τρία ἔτη, Lys. 7, 10, with the cardinal number.)

§ 31 (237 and 253)

a) Where a quality or state is mentioned, expressed either by a passive or intransitive verb, or by an attributive adjective, or by a predicate-noun, the accusative is often added, to denote to what part of the subject, or to what side of it, or to what general conception (e.g. size, number, name, &c.) any thing predicated of the subject refers (in, in respect of): Τὰ σώματα πρὸς ὥραν καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς πρὸς ἀρετὴν εὖ πεφυκότες (Xen. Mem. 4, 1, 2). Οἱ στρατιῶται εὖ μὲν εἶχον τὰ σώματα πρὸς τὸ δύνασθαι στρατιωτικοὺς πόνους φέρειν, εὖ δὲ τὰς ψυχὰς πρὸς τὸ καταφρονεῖν τῶν πολεμίων (Xen. Cyr. 3, 3, 9). Ἀλγεῖν τὸν δάκτυλον, τὰ ὄμματα, κάμνειν τοὺς πόδας. Γένεσθέ μοι μικρὸν χρόνον τὴν διάνοιαν μὴ ἐν τῷ δικαστηρίῳ, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ (Aesch. 3, 153). Ἡ πενία τοῦ πλούτου βελτίονας ἄνδρας παρέχει καὶ τὴν γνώμην καὶ τὴν ἰδέαν (Arist. Pl. 558). Τὸ νόσημα τοιοῦτον ἦν ἐπὶ πᾶν (in its general nature) τὴν ἰδέαν (Thuc. 2, 51). Πάντας χρὴ καὶ τοὺς εὐφυεστέρους καὶ τοὺς ἀμβλυτέρους τὴν φύσιν, ἐν οἷς ἂν ἀξιόλογοι βούλωνται γενέσθαι, ταῦτα καὶ μανθάνειν καὶ μελετᾷν (Xen. Mem. 3, 9, 8). Δίκαιος τὸν τρόπον (Dem. 56, 2). Δισχίλιοι, ἄπειροι τὸ πλῆθος. Ἑξακόσιοι τὸν ἀριθμόν (Arist. Aves. 1261). Ξένον ἄγομεν, τὸ μὲν γένος ἐξ Ἐλέας, ἑταῖρον δὲ τῶν ἀμφὶ Παρμενίδην καὶ Ζήνωνα (Pl. Soph. 216). Σκύθης τὸ γένος. Διὰ μέσης τῆς πόλεως ῥεῖ ποταμὸς Κύδνος ὄνομα, εὖρος δύο πλέθρων (Xen. An. 1, 2, 23). Λύσανδρος προσέβαλε πόλει τῶν Ἀθηναίων ξυμμάχῳ ὄνομα Κεδρείαις (Xen. Hell. 2, 1, 15). Εὖ ἔχω τὰ κατὰ τὸ σῶμα, as far as the body is concerned.

Rem. 1. Sometimes κατά is used to denote the part of the subject: Καθαρὸς καὶ κατὰ τὸ σῶμα καὶ κατὰ τὴν ψυχήν (Pl. Crat. 405). In certain connexions we have the dative (by), e.g. φύσει, γένει. See § 40.

Rem. 2. The poets add to the object-accusative of a person the accusative of a part of the body (also φρένας), to which the exercise of the action refers: Μέθες με, πρὸς θεῶν, χεῖρα, φίλτατον τέκνον (Soph. Phil. 1301).

b) Adjectives denoting cleverness, skilfulness, or knowledge often take an accusative of the object in which the knowledge or skill is ascribed to a person, but for the most part only a neuter adjective (in the plural) or a pronoun (also τέχνην, ἀρετήν). Ὁ πάντα σοφὸς ποιητής (Pl. Theat. 194). Ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς (δεινὸς) τὰ πολιτικά. Ἐάν τις φῇ ἀγαθὸς αὐλητὴς εἶναι ἢ ἄλλην ἡντινοῦν τέχνην, ἣν μή ἐστιν, καταγελῶσιν (Pl. Prot. 323). Οἱ στρατιῶται ἐπιστήμονες ἦσαν τὰ προςήκοντα τῇ ἑαυτῶν ἕκαστος ὁπλίσει (Xen. Cyr. 3, 3, 9). [1] (Also, Ὅσα μοι χρήσιμοί ἐστε, οἶδα, Xen. An. 2, 5, 28.)


[1] Φροντιστὴς τὰ μετέωρα (Pl. Apol. 18), as adjective.


Rem. Κακὸς πᾶσαν κακίαν (Pl. Rep. 6, 490), with a substantive of the same origin; as in verbs, § 26.

c) In certain cases an accusative is used to denote something external to the subject (a certain extent, range, sphere) to which the predicate refers (as regards). In this manner are used the substantive μέρος (τὸ ἐμὸν μέρος; τὸ σὸν μ., etc.); some adjectives with the article in the neuter, which then for the most part have quite the signification of adverbs of extent and time; and the neuter article with a preposition or an adverb (in like manner forming adverbial expressions). Οἱ παῖδες, τὸ σὸν μέρος, ὅ τι ἂν τύχωσι, τοῦτο πράξουσι (Pl. Criton. 45). Τὸ Αἰτωλικὸν πάθος διὰ τὴν ὕλην μέρος τι ἐγένετο (Thuc. 4, 30; the defeat in Ait.). Οὐ μόνον τὰ μεγάλα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μικρὰ πειρῶμαι ἀεὶ ἀπὸ θεῶν ἄρχεσθαι (Xen. Cyr. 1, 5, 14). Τὰ μὲν παρελθόντα (hitherto) ὑμεῖς μὲν Κῦρον ηὐξήσατε, Κῦρος δ' εὐκλεεῖς ὑμᾶς ἐποίησεν (Xen. Cyr. 8, 5, 23). Τὸ λοιπόν, τὸ ξύμπαν, etc. (see The Article, § 14 a. Rem. 2). Τὸ κατ' ἐμὲ οὐδὲν ἐλλείψει (on my part). Τὸ πρίν, εἰς, (see ch. 2. § 14 b. Rem. 2). Ἡ πόλις εἰρήνην ἄγει τὰ περὶ τὴν χώραν (Isocr. Areop. 1). Οἱ στρατηγοὶ σπονδὰς ἐποιήσαντο τὰ περὶ Πύλον (Thuc. 4, 15; on account of P., as regarded matters at P.).

d) The accusative τρόπον is put adverbially, and so likewise ὁδόν, in certain expressions (as "manner," "way," in English). Τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον πράξας ὅλου τοῦ πράγματος ἀπαλλάξομαι (Dem. 30, 22). (Πάντα τρόπον, ἕτερον τρόπον; ὃν τρόπον; etc. Also τίνι τρόπῳ, τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ. See Dative, § 41). Κῦρος τὴν Κίλισσαν εἰς Κιλικίαν ἀποπέμπει τὴν ταχίστην ὁδόν (Xen. An. 1, 2, 20).

Rem. In this manner several adverbial expressions are formed elliptically by omission of ὁδόν, e.g. τὴν ταχίστην, τὴν πρώτην. The accusative of some particular substantives is used adverbially without an adjective or pronoun annexed: ἀρχήν, τὴν ἀρχήν, at all, τέλος, τὸ τέλος, πέρας, at last, πρόφασιν, in pretence, προῖκα, gratis; δίκην, after the manner of, and χάριν, for the sake of, have the force of a preposition with the genitive, thus: ἀγγείου δίκην πεπληρῶσθαι (Pl. Phaed. 235), Τίνος χάριν; τοῦ λόγου χάριν (Pl.), the latter also accompanied by a possessive pronoun: ἐμὴν χάριν, σὴν χάριν. In the same way ὅσον, ὅσα (ὅσον γε, ὅσα γε) are used as adverbs.

§ 32

e) Of the accusative absolute of a participle (ἐξόν) to denote a circumstance, see under Participles, § 182.

The accusative is put elliptically in the phrase μή μοι - , come not to me with -, don't talk to me of -: μή μοι πρόφασιν (Arist. Ach. 345; no shuffling), and in calling a person: Οὗτος, ὦ σέ τοι (Arist. Aves 274; hark ye, there! you there!).

Rem. 1. In later writers, we sometimes find the article followed by an accusative in the sense, he with, he that has, e.g. Ὁ τὴν πορφυρίδα (Lucian). In Herodotus sometimes the name of a part of the object is put with a participle as apposition to the object: Τοὺς βοῦς κατορύσσουσι ἐν τοῖς προαστείοις, τὸ κέρας τὸ ἕτερον ἢ καὶ ἀμφότερα ὑπερέχοντα, 2, 41, the one horn projecting, i.e. so that -, or, with -.

Rem. 2. On the particular use of the accusative with the gerundive, see § 85: on the accusative of a relative changed into the dative or genitive, see Relative, § 103: on the subject of a dependent proposition drawn into the primary proposition as accusative, § 191.

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