Proclitics

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).

A proclitic sometimes takes an accent, thus:

a. οὐ at the end of a sentence: φῄς, ἢ οὔ; do you say so or not? πῶς γὰρ οὔ; for why not? Also οὔ no standing alone.

b. ἐξ, ἐν, and εἰς receive an acute in poetry when they follow the word to which they belong and stand at the end of the verse: κακῶν ἔξ out of evils Ξ 472.

c. ὡς as becomes ὥς in poetry when it follows its noun: θεὸς ὥς as a god. ὡς standing for οὕτως is written ὥς even in prose (οὐδ᾽ ὥς not even thus).

d. When the proclitic precedes an enclitic (183 e): ἔν τισι.

N.—ὁ used as a relative (for ὅς, 1105) is written ὅ. On ὅ demonstrative see 1114.

The word preceding an enclitic is treated as follows:

a. An oxytone keeps its accent, and does not change an acute to a grave (154 a): δός μοι, καλόν ἐστι.

b. A perispomenon keeps its accent: φιλῶ σε, τῑμῶν τινων.

c. A proparoxytone or properispomenon receives, as an additional accent, the acute on the ultima: ἄνθρωπός τις, ἄνθρωποί τινες, ἤκουσά τινων; σῶσόν με, παῖδές τινες.

d. A paroxytone receives no additional accent: a monosyllabic enclitic loses its accent (χώρᾱ τις, φίλος μου), a dissyllabic enclitic retains its accent (χώρᾱς τινός, φίλοι τινές) except when its final vowel is elided (174 a).

N.—Like paroxytones are treated properispomena ending in ξ or ψ when followed by a dissyllabic enclitic: κῆρυξ ἐστί; and so probably κῆρυξ τις.

e. A proclitic (179) takes an acute: ἔν τινι, εἴ τινες.