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Peurifoy 1&2 Adj

1. Adjectives agree with the noun they modify in case, number, and gender. They follow the same declension patterns as nouns. 2. Adjectives can be used adjectivally, immediately preceding the noun with the article, or predicatively, following the noun. 3. Adjectives can also be used substantivally as a noun when there is no modifying noun, in which case the article and case ending indicate its meaning.

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84 views2 pages

Peurifoy 1&2 Adj

1. Adjectives agree with the noun they modify in case, number, and gender. They follow the same declension patterns as nouns. 2. Adjectives can be used adjectivally, immediately preceding the noun with the article, or predicatively, following the noun. 3. Adjectives can also be used substantivally as a noun when there is no modifying noun, in which case the article and case ending indicate its meaning.

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Angelina Kovalchuk
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General Characteristics of the Adjective

1. An adjective has case , num ber, and gender, and w ill always have the same case, number, and gender as the noun it modifies. The case endings for adjectives are the same as the case endings for nouns. The feminine follows the first declension and the masculine and neuter follow the second declension. 2. Just like nouns, adjective s in the fem inine can hav e an alph a or an eta as the ste m vow el. Exam ples: ajgaqov", =hv, -ovn and a@gio", -iva, -ion (note that the lexical forms show the endings for the nom inative form). If the next to the last letter in the stem of an adjective is a rho or a vowel, the feminine stem ends in alpha ( nekrov", -av, -ovn nekrav) . All other first and se cond declen sion fem inine ad jectives end in eta ( ajgaqov",

3.

=hv, -ovn ajgaqhv) . a" could be genitive nekrav" could be F,G ,Sg or F,Acc,Pl but ajgaqav" can only be F,Acc,Pl since the F,G,Pl Adjectival Use of the Adjective

This is an im portant rule sin ce it he lps d eterm ine w heth er an ad jective end ing in or not. E xam ple: is

ajgaqh'".

1.

An adjective in the attributive position is imm ediately preceded by the article. The noun ca n also be modified by the article. T he a ttributive a djective can a ppear in tw o different po sitions; both are translated in exa ctly the sam e w ay.

oJ ajgaqoV" a! nqrwpo" = oJ a!nqrwpo" oJ ajgaqov" = The good man


2. An adjective in the predica te position is not imm ediately preceded by the article. The noun is modified by the article. In this case you must use the verb is to show the predicating nature of the adjective.

oJ a!nqrwpo" ajgaqov" = ajgaqoV" oJ a! nqrwpo" = The man is good


3. W hen there is no article before the noun or adjective, check the context to determine your translation. Be su re not to su pply the article in your translation u nless En glish dema nds it.

ajgaqoV" a!n qrwpo" = A good man OR A ma n is go od. a!nqrwpo" ajgaqov" = A good man OR A ma n is go od. Substantival Use of the Adjective
1. If the re is no noun fo r the adje ctive to modify, the adjective must be functioning substantivally. Adjectives used substantivally are regularly (but not always) preceded by the article. In this case you must use your common sense to translate properly. Ask these question s of the text in order to translate the adjective. Wh at case is it? Case is determined by its function in the sentence. If, for ex am ple, th e ad jective is in the nominative case, it must be either the subject or the predicate nominative. What gender and num ber is it? Gender and number are determined by the noun it is replacing. Often you can follow natural gender in deciding how to translate. Notice how y ou can a dd an extra wo rd (man, woman, thing, person, one) to make sense of the construction in English.

ajgaqov" = a good man, ajgaqaiv = good women, ajgaqovn = a good thing


The ma sculine gend er also is used generica lly; oiJ peo ple.

ajgaqoiv could be the good ones or the good

A Quick Overview of Adjectives


1. 2. Adjectives can function adjectivally (like an adjective) or substantivally (like a noun). When an adjective functions adjectivally, it can either be in the attributive position (immediately preceded by the article) or in the predicate position (not immediately preceded by the article), in which case you may need to supply the verb is. Article Before the Adjective A noun is next to it Attributive oJ ajgaqoV" a! nqrwpo" oJ a!nqrwpo" oJ ajgaqov" (a!nqrwpo" oJ ajgaqov") The good man The good man/person The good woman The good thing The man is good A good man/A man is good No noun next to it Substantive1 (Independent) oJ ajgaqov" hJ ajgaqhv tov ajgaqon No Article before the Adjective Noun with an article next to it Predicate oJ a!nqrwpo" ajgaqov" ajgaqov" oJ a! nqrwpo" Noun without an article next to it Check the Context ajgaqoV" a!n qrwpo" a!nqrwpo" aJgaqov"

Note how the case ending changes the meaning when an adjective is used substantively

3.

If the next to last letter in the stem of an adjective is a rho or a vowel, the feminine stem ends in alpha (nekrav hJ nekraV gunhv, aiJ nekraiV gunaiv.). All other first and second declension feminine adjectives end in eta (ajgaqhv hj ajgaqhv, aiJ ajgaqaiv). Attributive adjectives agree with the noun they modify in case, number, and gender. Substantival adjectives have their case determined by their function, while their gender and number are determined by what they stand for (I gave a book to the good men, good women: toi'" ajgaqoiv"; tai'" ajgaqai'").

4. 5.

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