Conjunctions

Elision.—In elision, oxytone prepositions and conjunctions lose their accent: παρ᾽ (for παρὰ) ἐμοῦ, ἀλλ᾽ (for ἀλλὰ) ἐγώ. In other oxytones the accent is thrown back to the penult: πόλλ᾽ (for πολλὰ) ἔπαθον.

a. Observe that in πόλλ᾽ ἔπαθον the acute is not changed to the grave (154 a, 3). A circumflex does not result from the recession of the accent. Thus, φήμ᾽ (not φῆμ᾽) ἐγώ for φημὶ ἐγώ. τινά and ποτέ, after a word which cannot receive their accent (183 d), drop their accent: οὕτω ποτ᾽ ἦν.

Ten monosyllabic words have no accent and are closely connected with the following word. They are called proclitics (from προκλῑ́νω lean forward). They are:

The forms of the article beginning with a vowel (ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ); the prepositions ἐν, εἰς (ἐς), ἐξ (ἐκ); the conjunction εἰ if; ὡς as, that (also a preposition to); the negative adverb οὐ (οὐκ, οὐχ, 137).

Greek has, among others, the following coördinating conjunctions, the uses of which in connecting sentences, clauses, phrases, and single words are described under Particles.

A. Copulative conjunctions: τέ (enclitic), καί and, τὲ. τέ, τὲ . . καί, καὶ . . . καί both . . . and, οὐδέ (μηδέ) and not, nor, οὔτε . . . οὔτε (μήτε . . . μήτε) neither . . . nor.

B. Adversative conjunctions: ἀλλά but, δέ (postpositive, often with μέν in the preceding clause) but, and, ἀτάρ but, yet, however, μέντοι (postpositive) however, yet, καίτοι and yet.

C. Disjunctive conjunctions: ἤ or, ἢ . . . ἤ either . . . or, εἴτε . . . εἴτε (without a verb) either . . . or.

D. Inferential conjunctions: ἄρα then, accordingly, οὖν therefore, then, νῦν (in the poetic and enclitic forms νυν and νῡν) then, therefore, τοίνυν now, then, τοιγάρ (poetic), τοιγάρτοι, τοιγαροῦν so then, therefore.

E. Causal conjunction: γάρ for.

Conjunctions are either coördinating or subordinating. The coördinating conjunctions with their several varieties are given in 2163. The subordinating conjunctions are

Causal: ὅτι, διότι, διόπερ, ἐπεί, ἐπειδή, ὅτε, ὁπότε, ὡς (2240).

Comparative: ὡς, ὥσπερ, καθάπερ, ὅπως, ᾗ, ὅπῃ, ᾗπερ (2463; cp. 2481).

Concessive: καὶ εἰ (κεἰ), καὶ ἐο̄́ν (κᾱ̓́ν), εἰ καί, ἐᾱ̀ν καί (2369).

Conditional: εἰ, ἐᾱ́ν, ἤν, ᾱ̓́ν (2283).

Consecutive: ὥστε, ὡς (2250).

Declarative: ὅτι, διότι, οὕνεκα, ὁθούνεκα, ὡς (2578).

Final: ἵνα, ὅπως, ὡς, μή, etc. (2193; cp. 2209, 2221).

Local: οὗ, ὅπου, οἷ, ὅποι, ἔνθα, ὅθεν, ὁπόθεν, ᾗ, ὅπῃ, etc (2498).

Temporal: ὅτε, ὁπότε, ἡνίκα, ἐπεί, ἐπειδή, ὡς, μέχρι, ἔστε, ἕως, πρίν, etc (2383).

Some conjunctions belong to more than one class.