Topic · from the English index · as printed

Ellipse

of augment

§438AUGMENTOmission of the Augment.—a. In Attic tragedy the augment is sometimes omitted in choral passages, rarely in the dialogue parts (messengers' speeches), which are nearer akin to pros…

§495CHANGES IN THE VERB-STEMIterative Imperfects and Aorists in -σκόε-.—Homer and Herodotus have iterative imperfects and aorists in -σκον and -σκομην denoting a customary or repeated past action. Homer has i…

of reduplication

§439 DREDUPLICATIONReduplication is the doubling of the sound standing at the beginning of a word. It is used in the perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect tenses in all the moods, to denote complet…

of ν in verbs

§491CHANGES IN THE VERB-STEMOmission of ν.—Some verbs in -νω drop the ν of the verbal stem in the first perfect, perfect middle, and first passive systems. κρῑ́νω (κριν-), judge, κέκρι-κα, κέκρι-μαι, ἐκρί-θην…

of subject

§§929–935OMISSION OF THE SUBJECTAn unemphatic pronoun of the first or second person is generally omitted: λέγε τὸν νόμον read the law (spoken to the clerk of the court) D. 21.8.

§937OMISSION OF THE SUBJECTOmission of the Subject of the Infinitive.—The subject of the infinitive is usually not expressed when it is the same as the subject or object (direct or indirect) of the principal…

of verb

§§944–948Omission of the VerbEllipsis of the Copula.—The copulative verb εἶναι is often omitted, especially the forms ἐστί and εἰσί. This occurs chiefly a. In general or proverbial statements: κοινὴ ἡ τύχη καὶ…

of substantive

§§1027–1029ADJECTIVES USED SUBSTANTIVELYIn common expressions a definite noun is often implied (such as ἡμέρᾱ day, ὁδός way, χείρ hand). a. Masculine: κόλπος gulf, ὁ Ἰόνιος the Ionian gulf T. 6.34, στρατός force, ὁ πεζός…

§1153SUBSTANTIVE-MAKING POWER OF THE ARTICLEThe article has the power to make substantival any word or words to which it is prefixed. a. Adjectives: ὁ σοφός the wise man, τὸ δίκαιον justice. b. Participles (with indefinite f…

§1301GENITIVE OF POSSESSION OR BELONGINGWith persons the genitive may denote the relation of child to parent, wife to husband, and of inferior to superior: Θουκῡδίδης ὁ Ὀλόρου Thucydides, the son of Olorus T. 4.104 (and …

§1302GENITIVE OF POSSESSION OR BELONGINGThe word on which the possessive genitive depends may be represented by the article: ἀπὸ τῆς ἑαυτῶν from their own country (γῆς) T. 1.15 (cp. 1027 b). A word for dwelling (οἰκίᾱ, δ…

§1572COGNATE ACCUSATIVEThe substantive may be omitted, leaving only the adjectival attribute: παῖσον διπλῆν (scil. πληγήν) strike twice (a double blow) S. El. 1415, τοῦτον ἀνέκραγον ὡς ὀλίγᾱς (scil. πληγ…

of adjective with μᾶλλον

§1066 aCOMPARATIVEThe comparative expresses contrast or comparison. Thus, δεξίτερος is right in contrast to its opposite, ἀριστερός left. Cp. 1082 b. Usually comparison is expressed, as εὖ τε καὶ χε…

of article

§§1126–1152FLUCTUATION IN THE USE OF THE ARTICLE: OMISSION OF THE ARTICLEThe article is often omitted (1) in words and phrases which have survived from the period when ὁ, ἡ, τό was a demonstrative pronoun; (2) when a word is sufficiently definite by its…

§1207THE PRONOUN αὐτόςWith a proper name or a word denoting an individual, the article is omitted: αὐτὸς Μένων Menon himself X. A. 2.1.5, πρὸ αὐτοῦ βασιλέως in front of the Great King himself 1. 7. 11.

of personal pronoun

§1190THE PERSONAL PRONOUNSThe nominative of the personal pronoun is usually omitted except when emphatic, e.g. in contrasts, whether expressed or implied: ἐπεὶ ῡ̔μεῖς ἐμοὶ οὐ θέλετε πείθεσθαι, ἐγω σὺν ῡ̔μῖν…

of possessive or reflexive pronoun

§1199, 2 N.THE POSSESSIVE PRONOUNSFIRST AND SECOND PERSONS SINGULAR 1. Not reflexive (adjective my, thy (your); pronoun mine, thine (yours)). ἐμός, σός: ὁρᾷ τὸν ἐμὸν φίλον he sees my friend, ὁρᾷ τὸν σὸν πατέρα she …

ἐν, εἰς with genitive

in phrases with ὡς

§1495 aDATIVE OF RELATIONThe dative may be used of a person to whose case the statement of the predicate is limited. φευγειν αὐτοῖς ἀσφαλέστερόν ἐστιν ἢ ἡμῖν it is safer for them to flee than for us X. A. …

§1497DATIVE OF RELATIONThe dative participle, without a noun or pronoun, is frequently used in the singular or plural to denote indefinitely the person judging or observing. This construction is most com…

§2993Relative ὡς as an Adverbὡς restrictive for (cp. ut), involving the judgment of the observer, occurs often in elliptical phrases; as (Βρᾱσίδᾱς) ἦν οὐδὲ ἀδύνατος, ὡς Λακεδαιμόνιος, εἰπεῖν Brasidas was, for …

of name of deity, in oaths

§1596 cEXTERNAL OBJECT (OBJECT AFFECTED)(III) Verbs of swearing. ὀμνύναι swear by (τοὺς θεούς, pass. Ζεὺς ὀμώμοται) and swear to (τὸν ὅρκον, pass. ὁ ὅρκος ὀμώμοται). So ἐπιορκεῖν swear falsely by. a. ὀμνύναι τοὺς θεούς m…

of verb, leaving elliptical accusative

§1599EXTERNAL OBJECT (OBJECT AFFECTED)Elliptical Accusative.—The accusative is sometimes used elliptically. οὗτος, ὦ σέ τοι (scil. καλῶ) ho! you there, I am calling you! Ar. Av. 274, μή, πρός σε θεῶν τλῇς με προδοῦναι …

of prepositions

§§1667–1673REPETITION AND OMISSION OF PREPOSITIONS, ETC.a. For the sake of emphasis or to mark opposition and difference, a preposition is repeated with each noun dependent on the preposition: κατά τε πόλεμον καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἄλλην δίαιταν …

§2466CLAUSES OF COMPARISONComparative clauses of quality are often fused with the leading clause by the omission of the preposition in the correlated member of the comparison, but only when ὡς precedes. Cp.…

§2519THE ANTECEDENT OF RELATIVE CLAUSESPreposition not repeated.—A preposition governing a relative pronoun is usually omitted if it stands in the same case as the preceding noun or pronoun before which the preposition …

of verb, leaving ἄν, ὡς ἄν, ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ

§1766THE PARTICLE ἄνἄν without a Verb.—ἄν sometimes stands without a verb, which is to be supplied from the context. So in the second member of a sentence with coördinate clauses: οἶδα ὅτι πολλοὺς μὲν…

§2087 aADVERBIAL ADJUNCTS OF THE PRINCIPAL VERBὥσπερ as, just as, as it were, an adverb of comparison, denotes that the action of the main verb is compared with an assumed case. Thus, κατακείμεθ᾽ ὥσπερ ἐξὸν ἡσυχίᾱν ἄγειν we lie…

§§2478–2479EXAMPLES OF COMPARATIVE CLAUSESὥσπερ εἰ (ὡσπερεί), ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ (ὡσπερανεί) just as if ( = just as would be the case, if) form a combination of a comparison and a condition, and are used with the indicative imper…

of ἄν

§1767THE PARTICLE ἄνOmission of ἄν.—ἄν is sometimes omitted when it may be supplied from the preceding sentence or clause. So often with the second of two verbs that are connected or opposed: τί ἐποίη…

of verb like δός, εὔχομαι, leaving infinitive with subject accusative

§2013 cF. Infinitive in Commands, Wishes, and ExclamationsInfinitive in Commands.—The infinitive may be used for the second person of the imperative. The person addressed is regarded as the subject. This infinitive is commoner in poetry t…

§2014F. Infinitive in Commands, Wishes, and ExclamationsInfinitive in Wishes.—The infinitive with a subject accusative may be used in the sense of the optative of wish, usually with the same ellipsis as in 2013 c. θεοὶ πολῖται, μή με δο…

of ὤν

§§2116–2119OMISSION OF ὤνThe participle ὤν is often omitted.

of participle

§2147 kREMARKS ON SOME USES OF PARTICIPLESThe abundance of its participles is one of the characteristic features of Greek. Their use gives brevity to the sentence (cp. 2050), enabling the writer to set forth in a word modi…

of principal clause

§2204PURPOSE CLAUSES (FINAL CLAUSES)The principal clause is sometimes omitted. ἵν᾽ ἐκ τούτων ἄρξωμαι to begin with this D. 21.43. ἵνα τί, originally to what end (cp. 946), and ὡς τί are also used colloquially: ἵνα τί…

§2213OBJECT CLAUSES AFTER VERBS OF EFFORTὅπως and ὅπως μή with the future indicative may be used without any principal clause, to denote an urgent exhortation or a warning. Originally the ὅπως clause depended on σκόπει (σ…

of verb of protasis

§2345MODIFICATIONS OF THE PROTASISVerb of the Protasis Omitted.—The verb of the protasis is usually omitted when the apodosis has the same verb. The protasis is often introduced by εἴ τις, εἴ ποτε, εἴπερ (ποτέ). εἴ…

§2346MODIFICATIONS OF THE PROTASISSo with certain special phrases: a. εἰ μή (if not) except: οὐ γὰρ . . . ὁρῶμεν εἰ μὴ ὀλίγους τούτους ἀνθρώπους for we do not see any except a few men yonder X. A. 4.7.5, οὐ γὰρ ἄν …

of protasis

§2349MODIFICATIONS OF THE PROTASISOmission of the Protasis.—The potential optative, and the indicative, with ἄν stand in independent sentences; in many cases a protasis may be supplied either from the context or ge…

of verb of apodosis

§2351MODIFICATIONS OF THE APODOSISVerb of the Apodosis Omitted.—The verb of the apodosis is often omitted, and especially when the protasis has the same verb (cp. 2345). Here a potential optative with ἄν is represe…

of apodosis

§2352MODIFICATIONS OF THE APODOSISOmission of the Apodosis.—a. When the conclusion is it is well (καλῶς ἔχει) or the like, it is often omitted. So often when the second of alternative opposing suppositions is expre…

in comparative clauses

§2464CLAUSES OF COMPARISONThe verb of the comparative clause is commonly omitted if it is the same as the verb of the leading clause. Thus, ἐᾱ̀ν σοὶ ξυνδοκῇ ὥσπερ ἐμοί if it seems good also to you as (it se…

§2465CLAUSES OF COMPARISONThe subject of a comparative clause with ὡς or ὥσπερ, the verb of which is omitted, is often attracted into the case (usually the accusative) of the other member of the comparison.…

§§2478–2487EXAMPLES OF COMPARATIVE CLAUSESὥσπερ εἰ (ὡσπερεί), ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ (ὡσπερανεί) just as if ( = just as would be the case, if) form a combination of a comparison and a condition, and are used with the indicative imper…

of demonstrative antecedent to ὅσῳ

§2470CLAUSES OF COMPARISONThe demonstrative antecedent may be omitted, especially when its clause precedes: καὶ χαλεπώτεροι ἔσονται ὅσῳ νεώτεροί εἰσιν and they will be the more severe the younger they are P…

of antecedent of relative

§2494 aADJECTIVE CLAUSES (RELATIVE CLAUSES: 2488-2573)ὅ (sometimes ἅ) at the beginning of a sentence may have the force of as to what (cp. quod), suggesting the matter to which it pertains. δ̀ δ᾽ ἐζήλωσας ἡμᾶς, ὡς τοὺς μὲν φίλους . . …

§§2509–2516THE ANTECEDENT OF RELATIVE CLAUSESOmission of the Antecedent to a Relative.—The demonstrative pronoun antecedent to a relative is often omitted: either when it is in the same case as the relative, or in a different…

in ὅσαι ἡμέραι

§2497 bADJECTIVE CLAUSES (RELATIVE CLAUSES: 2488-2573)οἷος of such sort as to, proper for, and ὅσος of such amount as to, enough for, denote result and commonly take the infinitive (negative μή). καλόν τε (δοκεῖ) εἶναι ἡ ἐπιστήμη καὶ …

of relative, or demonstrative standing for relative

§2517THE ANTECEDENT OF RELATIVE CLAUSESRelative not repeated.—If two or more relative clauses referring to the same antecedent are connected by a copulative conjunction and the second relative would have to stand in a d…

§2518THE ANTECEDENT OF RELATIVE CLAUSESIf the demonstrative would have to stand in the nominative, it is commonly omitted unless the demands of emphasis require its presence: (τέχναις) ᾱς ἐπιστήμᾱς μὲν πολλάκις προσείπο…

of verb of relative clause

§2520THE ANTECEDENT OF RELATIVE CLAUSESVerb omitted.—The verb of a relative clause is often omitted when it belongs also to the main clause. φίλους νομίζουσ᾽ οὕσπερ ἂν πόσις σέθεν (νομίζῃ φίλους) regarding as friends th…

of main verb before relative clause

case of relative with omitted antecedent

§§2529–2532THE ANTECEDENT OF RELATIVE CLAUSESCase of the Relative with Omitted Antecedent.—When the antecedent is omitted the relative either retains its own case or is attracted.

in οὐδεὶς ὅστις οὐ

§2534THE ANTECEDENT OF RELATIVE CLAUSESοὐδεὶς ὅστις οὐ every one (lit. nobody who not) for οὐδείς ἐστιν ὅστις οὐ, commonly shows inverse attraction, is treated like a single pronoun, and inflected οὐδενὸς ὅτου οὐ, οὐδεν…

δῆλον ὅτι, etc.

§2585DEPENDENT STATEMENTS INTRODUCED BY ὅτι OR ὡςδῆλον ὅτι (δηλονότι) evidently, οἶδ᾽ ὅτι (εὖ οἶδ᾽ ὅτι) surely, εὖ ἴσθι ὅτι be assured are so often used parenthetically and elliptically as to become mere formal expressions requir…

ἵνα τί, ὡς τί, ὅτι τί

§2644 aDIRECT (INDEPENDENT) QUESTIONSA subordinate clause introduced by a conjunction or a relative pronoun may suddenly change into a direct pronoun-question, though the construction of the clause remains unaltered. …

interrogative as predicate adjective

§2647DIRECT (INDEPENDENT) QUESTIONSWith a substantive and the article or with a demonstrative pronoun an interrogative pronoun may be used as a predicate adjective. Here the interrogative sentence is equivalent to a…

in ἄλλο τι ἤ and ἄλλο τι

§2652QUESTIONS INTRODUCED BY INTERROGATIVE PARTICLESἄλλο τι ἤ; is it anything else than? and ἄλλο τι; is it not? are used as direct interrogatives. Thus, ἄλλο τι ἢ οὐδὲν κωλῡ́ει παρεῖναι; there's nothing to hinder our passing, is th…

in μὴ (οὐχ) ὅτι, οὐχ (μή) ὅπως, μή τί γε

§2763SOME NEGATIVE PHRASESμὴ ὅτι, οὐχ ὅπως, rarely οὐχ ὅτι and μὴ ὅπως, not to speak of, to say nothing of, not only, not only not, so far from (Lat. tantum aberat ut) are idiomatic phrases probably due to …

in ὅ τι μή, ὅσον μή

§2765SOME NEGATIVE PHRASESὅ τι μή, ὅσον μή except, unless. ὅ τι (sometimes written ὅτι) μή, and ὅσον μή, ὅσα μή are used, without any verb, to limit a preceding assertion (cp. εἰ μή 2346 a). οὐ γὰρ ἦν κρήνη…

in μόνον οὐ, ὅσον οὐ

§2766SOME NEGATIVE PHRASESμόνον οὐ (lit. only not), ὅσον οὐ (of time) almost, all but (Lat. tantum non). Thus, μόνον οὐ διεσπάσθην I was almost torn in pieces D. 5.5, ἐνόμιζε . . . ὅσον οὐκ ἤδη ἔχειν τὴν πό…

in οὐ μὴν ἀλλά (γάρ, μέντοι)

§2767SOME NEGATIVE PHRASESοὐ μὴν ἀλλά, οὐ μέντοι ἀλλά nevertheless, notwithstanding, cp. Lat. uerum tamen; the colloquial οὐ γὰρ ἀλλά has about the force of nay, for indeed, cp. Lat. non enim . . . sed. The…

οὐδὲν ἀλλ’ ἤ

§2778ἀλλάοὐδὲν ἀλλ᾽ ἤ nothing but is also used elliptically, apparently by a<*> original suppression of a form of ποιῶ or γίγνομαι; in effect, however, the phras<*> has acquired a purely ad…

οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἤ

§2778 aἀλλάοὐδὲν ἀλλ᾽ ἤ nothing but is also used elliptically, apparently by a<*> original suppression of a form of ποιῶ or γίγνομαι; in effect, however, the phras<*> has acquired a purely ad…

with ἀλλ’ οὐδέ

§2786ἀλλάἀλλά with other Particles.—For example: ἀλλὰ γάρ 2816; on οὐ γὰρ ἀλλά, see 2767. ἀλλὰ . . . γε but at any rate. ἀλλά γέ τοι (τοί γε) yet at least, yet be sure. ἀλλὰ δή well then. ἀ…

explains some uses of γάρ

§2804γάρAdverbial γάρ appears in questions, answers, and wishes; and in many other cases where recourse is had to conscious or unconscious ellipse by those scholars who hold that γάρ is al…

marked by γέ

§2827γέγέ sometimes marks an ellipse (S. Ph. 1409). When the verb of the apodosis is omitted, the protasis often has γέ (so usually in Aristophanes, e.g. Nub. 267).

of accusative with μά

§2894μάμά asseverative (cp. μήν, μέν asseverative) with the accusative of the divinity or thing by which one swears. In negative sentences we have οὐ μά or μά alone with the accusative; i…

of μέν

§2905μένWhen several verbs referring to the same person or thing are contrasted, or when several attributes are contrasted, the first has μέν, the others δέ. Cp. Lyc. 5, X. A. 3.1.19. But …

§2906μένμέν . . . δέ is used in successive clauses which contain either the same word (anaphora) or a synonymous word; as ἐγὼ δὲ σύνειμι μὲν θεοῖς, σύνειμι δὲ ἀνθρώποις τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς quoted…

of δέ

§2911μένA shift in the construction may cause δέ to be omitted (S. Ant. 1199).

of οὔτε

§2943οὔτε (μήτε)Sometimes the first οὔτε is omitted in poetry: νόσοι δ᾽ οὔτε γῆρας disease nor old age Pindar, Pyth. 10. 41, ἑκόντα μήτ᾽ ᾱ̓́κοντα willingly nor unwillingly S. Ph. 771. Cp. “my five…

)( brachylogy

§3017 aSOME GRAMMATICAL AND RHETORICAL FIGURESBrachylogy (βραχυλογίᾱ brevity of diction, abbreviated expres. sion or construction) is a concise form of expression by which an element is not repeated or is omitted when its repe…

defined

§3022SOME GRAMMATICAL AND RHETORICAL FIGURESEllipse (ἔλλειψις leaving out, defect) is the suppression of a word or of several words of minor importance to the logical expres sion of the thought, but necessary to the construc…