Lesson 3

Question 1

All accents must be on one of three syllables. Which three?

Answer 1

the last (ultima)
next-to-last (penult)
third-back (antepenult)

Question 2

What is the first rule for determining which syllable gets an accent?

Answer 2

1. Noun accents are persistent.

They want to stay on the syllable they were on in the nominative singular.

Question 3

What is an apparent exception to the first rule of determining which syllable gets the accent?

Answer 3

2. Apparent exception: the genitive plural of A-group nouns is always -ῶν.

(This is because the ending was originally -ὰσων.)

Question 4

The first rule of Greek accenting is that noun accents are persistent. What about verbs?

Answer 4

3. Verb accents are recessive.

In a personal verb form (with endings for I, we, you, he/she/it, they), the accent will go back as far as it can.

Question 5

When can an accent be on the third-back (antepenult) syllable?

Answer 5

4. Only when the last syllable is short can the accent be on the third-back syllable.

When the last syllable is long, the accent cannot go further back than the next-to-last syllable.

This rule explains why it is ὁ ἄνθρωπος but τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. Although the accent “wants” to stay on the syllable ἀν because noun accents are persistent, it cannot because the final syllable is long.

Question 6

Are final -οι and -αι long or short?

Answer 6

5. For the purpose of accent, final -οι and -αι count as short.

Question 7

Which syllable will get the accent? Remember that noun accents are persistent. You’re just watching for a long last syllable (which would mean the third-back could not be accented) or a genitive plural of A-group nouns.

τῶν μαχων (nom. ἡ μὰχη)

Answer 7

τῶν μαχῶν

Question 8

Which syllable will get the accent? Remember that noun accents are persistent. You’re just watching for a long last syllable (which would mean the third-back could not be accented) or a genitive plural of A-group nouns.

τὸν σιτον (nom. σῖτος)

Answer 8

τὸν σῖτον

Question 9

Which syllable will get the accent? Remember that noun accents are persistent. You’re just watching for a long last syllable (which would mean the third-back could not be accented) or a genitive plural of A-group nouns.

τοῦ φαρμακου (nom. φὰρμακον)

Answer 9

τοῦ φαρμάκου

Question 10

Which syllable will get the accent? Remember that noun accents are persistent. You’re just watching for a long last syllable (which would mean the third-back could not be accented) or a genitive plural of A-group nouns.

τὴν θαλατταν (nom. ἡ θὰλαττα)

Answer 10

τὴν θάλατταν

Question 11

Which syllable will get the accent? Remember that noun accents are persistent. You’re just watching for a long last syllable (which would mean the third-back could not be accented) or a genitive plural of A-group nouns.

τοῖς μωροις (nom. ὁ μῶρος)

Answer 11

τοῖς μώροις

Question 12

Which syllable will get the accent? Remember that noun accents are persistent. You’re just watching for a long last syllable (which would mean the third-back could not be accented) or a genitive plural of A-group nouns.

τῇ χελωνῃ (nom. ἡ χελώνη)

Answer 12

τῇ χελώνῃ

Question 13

Which syllable will get the accent? Remember that noun accents are persistent. You’re just watching for a long last syllable (which would mean the third-back could not be accented) or a genitive plural of A-group nouns.

αἱ χελωναι (nom. ἡ χελώνη)

Answer 13

αἱ χελῶναι

Question 14

Which syllable will get the accent? (Remember that verb accents are recessive so the accent wants to go back as far as it can.)

χαιρε

Answer 14

χαῖρε

Question 15

Which syllable will get the accent? (Remember that verb accents are recessive so the accent wants to go back as far as it can.)

σθμβουλευουσι

Answer 15

συμβουλεύουσι

Question 16

Which syllable will get the accent? (Remember that verb accents are recessive so the accent wants to go back as far as it can.)

ἐθελεις

Answer 16

ἐθέλεις

Question 17

Which syllable will get the accent? (Remember that verb accents are recessive so the accent wants to go back as far as it can.)

παρελιπες

Answer 17

παρέλιπες

Question 18

Which syllable will get the accent? (Remember that verb accents are recessive so the accent wants to go back as far as it can.)

ἐπαιδευσατε

Answer 18

ἐπαιδεύσατε

Question 19

Which syllable will get the accent? (Remember that verb accents are recessive so the accent wants to go back as far as it can.)

παιδευομαι

Answer 19

παιδεύομαι

Question 20

Which syllable will get the accent? (Remember that verb accents are recessive so the accent wants to go back as far as it can.)

παιδευσῃ

Answer 20

παιδεύσῃ

Question 21

Which syllable will get the accent? (Remember that verb accents are recessive so the accent wants to go back as far as it can.)

ἐλθετω

Answer 21

ἐλθέτω

Question 22

Which syllable will get the accent? (Remember that verb accents are recessive so the accent wants to go back as far as it can.)

ἐξελθοιεν

Answer 22

ἐξέλθοιεν

Question 23

Which syllable will get the accent? (Remember that verb accents are recessive so the accent wants to go back as far as it can.)

ἐλθοιμην

Answer 23

ἐλθοίμην

Question 24

Which syllable will get the accent? (Remember that verb accents are recessive so the accent wants to go back as far as it can.)

ἐμανθανον

Answer 24

ἐμάνθανον

Question 25

Which syllable will get the accent? (Remember that verb accents are recessive so the accent wants to go back as far as it can.)

μανθανωμεν

Answer 25

μανθάνωμεν

Question 26

Which syllable will get the accent? (Remember that verb accents are recessive so the accent wants to go back as far as it can.)

μαθωμεν

Answer 26

μάθωμεν

Question 27

Which syllable will get the accent? (Remember that verb accents are recessive so the accent wants to go back as far as it can.)

χαιρετε

Answer 27

χαίρετε

Question 28

An accent on the third-back syllable is _______ ______.

Answer 28

always acute.

Question 29

An accent on the next-to-last syllable is ________ in a long-short combination and ________ in all other situations.

Answer 29

circumflex
αἱ χελῶναι, ὁ μῶρος, τὰ δῶρα

acute
ταῖς χελώναις, τῷ φίλῳ (short ι) τῶν φαρμάκων

Question 30

If the accent is on the last syllable, the pattern depends on the paradigm. For every A- or O-Group noun or adjective accented on the last syllable, the pattern down the paradigm is….

Answer 30

straight, straight, circumflex, circumflex

Question 31

A straight accent on the last syllable is ______ before another accented word.

Answer 31

grave

Question 32

________ are found only on final syllables

Answer 32

Graves

On these syllables graves are far more common than acutes

Question 33

A straight accent on the last syllable is ____ before punctuation or before an enclitic.

Answer 33

acute

Question 34

An ________ is an accentless word, such as μου or ἐστι, which attaches itself (“leans in”) closely to the word that comes before it.

Answer 34

enclitic

The rules for enclitics are complicated and will be given later

Question 35

Translate the following into Greek (use dative of possession):

The people have a custom.

Answer 35

τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐστί νόμος.

Question 36

Translate the following into Greek(Use dative of possession):

My sister has a custom.

Answer 36

τῇ ἀδελφῇ ἐστι νόμος.

Question 37

Translate the following into Greek:

Turtles eat with (their tongues)

Answer 37

αἱ χελῶναι ταῖς γλώτταις ἐσθίουσιν.

Question 38

Translate the following into Greek:

The wise man does not eat with (his) fingers.

Answer 38

ὁ Σόφος οὐκ ἐσθίει τοῖς δακτύλοις.