Herbert Weir Smyth, A Greek Grammar for Colleges

APPOSITION

[*] 977. An appositive to a possessive pronoun stands in the genitive, in agreement with the personal pronoun implied in the possessive: τὸν ἐμὸν ( = ἐμοῦ) ““τοῦ ταλαιπώρου βίον” the life of me, wretched one” Ar. Plut. 33, τὰ ὑ_μέτερ᾽ ( = ὑ_μῶν) ““αὐτῶν κομιεῖσθε” you will regain your own” D. 4.7. Cp. 1200. 2. b, 1202. 2. b.

[*] 978. An appositive in the genitive may follow an adjective equivalent to a genitive: Ἀθηναῖος ( = Ἀθηνῶν) ὤν, πόλεως τῆς μεγίστης being an Athenian, a citizen of the greatest city P. A. 29d.

[*] 979. Agreement in number between the appositive and its noun is unnecessary and often impossible: Θῆβαι, πόλις ἀστυγείτων Thebes, a neighbouring city Aes. 3.133. So with δῶρα in poetry: γάμος, χρυ_σῆς Ἀφροδί_της δῶρα, marriage, gift of golden Aphrodite Theognis 1293.

[*] 980. An appositive to two substantives is dual or plural: ““θάρρος καὶ φόβος, ἄφρονε ξυμβούλω” daring and fear, two unintelligent counsellors” P. Tim. 69d, ““ὕπνος πόνος τε, κύ_ριοι συνωμόται” sleep and toil, supreme conspirators” A. Eum. 127.

[*] 981. Partitive Apposition (σχῆμα καθ᾽ ὅλον καὶ μέρος, construction of the whole and part). The parts are represented by the appositives, which stand in the same case as the whole, which is placed first to show the subject or object of the sentence: τὼ ὁδώ, ἡ μὲν εἰς μακάρων νήσους, ἡ δ᾽ εἰς τάρταρον two roads, the one to the Islands of the Blest, the other to Tartarus P. G. 524a (distributive apposition). The appositives are generally in the nominative (ὁ μέν, ἡ δέ; οἱ μέν, οἱ δέ), rarely in the accusative.

a. The whole may stand in the singular: λέγεται ψυ_χὴ ἡ μὲν νοῦν ἔχειν, ἡ δὲ ἄνοιαν; with regard to the soul, is one said to have intelligence, the other folly? P. Ph. 93b.

[*] 982. To the word denoting the whole the appositive may be a collective singular (adjunctive apposition): ““οὗτοι μὲν ἄλλος ἄλλα λέγει” these say, some one thing, some another” X. A. 2.1.15 (cp. ἠρώτων δὲ ἄλλος ἄλλο P. Charm. 153c), ““οἱ στρατηγοὶ βραχέως ἕκαστος ἀπελογήσατο” each of the generals defended himself briefly” X. H. 1.7.5. Cp. 952.

[*] 983. The apposition may be limited to one or more parts: ““Πελοποννήσιοι καὶ οἱ ξύμμαχοι τὰ δύο μέρη” two-thirds of the Peloponnesians and the allies” T. 2.47. Often with participles: (οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι) ἀνεμνήσθησαν καὶ τοῦδε τοῦ ἔπους, φάσκοντες οἱ πρεσβύτεροι πάλαι ᾁδεσθαι the Athenians bethought themselves of this verse too, the old men saying that it had been uttered long before T. 2.54.

[*] 984. In partitive apposition emphasis is laid on the whole, which is stated at once as the subject or object of the sentence. In the genitive of the divided whole (1306) emphasis is laid on the parts; thus, τῶν πόλεων αἱ μὲν τυραννοῦνται, αἱ δὲ δημοκρατοῦνται, αἱ δὲ ἀριστοκρατοῦνται of states some are despotic, others democratic, others aristocratic P. R. 338d.

[*] 985. Construction of the Whole and Part in Poetry.—In Homer and later poets a verb may take two objects, one denoting the person, the other the part especially affected by the action: ““τὸν δ᾽ ἄορι πλῆξ᾽ αὐχένα” him he smote in the neck with his sword” Λ 240, ““ἥ σε πόδας νίψει” she will wash thy feet” τ 356. But the accusative of the part, often explained as an appositive, was an external object (1554 b) that became an accusative of respect (1601 a). In ““Ἀχαιοῖσιν δὲ μέγα σθένος ἔμβαλ᾽ ἑκάστῳ καρδίῃ” and she set mighty strength in the heart of each of the Achaeans” Λ 11, ἑκάστῳ is a partitive appositive, καρδίῃ is local dative and grammatically independent of Ἀχαιοῖσιν. The construction is very rare in prose: ““τοῖς ϝἱέσιν αὐτῶν ἀρετὴ παραγενομένη ταῖς ψυ_χαῖς” if virtue is imparted in the souls of their sons” P. Lach. 190b.

[*] 986. Attributive Apposition.—A substantive may be used as an attributive to another substantive. This is common with substantives denoting occupation, condition , or age (usually with ἀνήρ, ἄνθρωπος, γυνή): ἀνὴρ ῥήτωρ a public speaker, ἀνὴρ τύραννος a despot, πρεσβῦται ἄνθρωποι old men, γραῦς γυνή an old woman. So also ““πελτασταὶ Θρᾷκες” Thracian targeteers” X. A. 1.2.9, ““ὄλεθρος Μακεδών” a scoundrel of a Macedonian” D. 9.31, Ἕλλην (for Ἑλληνικός), as ““οἱ Ἕλληνες πελτασταί” the Greek targeteers” X. A. 6.5.26.

a. In standard prose Ἕλλην is used as an adjective only of persons (in poetry also of things).

b. The addition of ἀνήρ often implies respect: ““ἄνδρες στρατιῶται” fellow soldiers” X. A. 1.3.3, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί jurymen, gentlemen of the jury D. 27.1. (Cp. foemen.) The addition of ἄνθρωπος often implies contempt: ““ἄνθρωπος γόης” a juggling fellow” Aes. 2.153.

c. Many of the substantives thus qualified by an attributive substantive were originally participles, as ““γέρων ἀνήρ” an old man” P. Lys. 223b.

[*] 987. Descriptive Apposition.—Here the appositive describes something definite that has just been mentioned: ““ἡ ἡμετέρα_ πόλις, ἡ κοινὴ καταφυγὴ τῶν Ἑλλήνων” our city, the common refuge of the Greeks” Aes. 3.134.

[*] 988. Explanatory Apposition.—Here the appositive explains a general or vague statement: ““τούτου τι_μῶμαι, ἐν πρυτανείῳ σι_τήσεως” I propose this as the penalty, maintenance in the Prytaneum” P. A. 37a, μεγίστου κακοῦ ἀπαλλαγή, πονηρία_ς deliverance from the greatest of evils, vice P. G. 478d. So in geographical statements: Κύπρον ἵκα_νε . . . ἐς Πάφον she came to Cyprus, to Paphos Θ 362; cp. ““ἐς Δωριᾶς, Βοιόν” to the territory of the Dorians in which Boeum lies” T. 1.107.

[*] 989. In Homer the substantival article at the beginning of a sentence may be followed by an appositive noun at or near the end: ἡ δ᾽ ἀέκουσ᾽ ἅμα τοῖσι γυνὴ κίεν but she, the woman, went unwillingly with them A 348.

[*] 990. τοῦτο, αὐτὸ τοῦτο, αὐτό, ἐκεῖνο often introduce emphatically a following substantive (or an equivalent, 908): ἐκεῖνο κερδαίνειν ἡγεῖται, τὴν ἡδονήν this (namely) pleasure it regards as gain P. R. 606b. Cp. 1248.

[*] 991. Apposition to a Sentence.—A noun in the nominative or accusative may stand in apposition to the action expressed by a whole sentence or by some part of it.

a. The appositive is nominative when a nominative precedes: ἐμέθυον: ἱκανὴ πρόφασις I was tipsy, a sufficient excuse Philemon (Com. frag. 2. 531).

b. The appositive is accusative, and states a reason, result, intention, effect, or the like: ῥί_ψει ἀπὸ πύργου, λυγρὸν ὄλεθρον will hurl thee from the battlement, a grievous death Ω 735, Ἑλένην κτάνωμεν, Μενέλεῳ λύ_πην πικρά_ν let us slay Helen and thus cause a sore grief to Menelaus E. Or. 1105, ““εὐδαιμονοίης, μισθὸν ἡδίστων λόγων” blest be thou—a return for thy most welcome tidings” E. El. 231.

N.—The appositive accusative is often cognate (1563 f.): ὁρᾷς Εὐρυσθέα_, ἄελπτον ὄψιν thou beholdest Eurystheus, an unexpected sight E. Heracl. 930.

[*] 992. An effect or result may be denoted by an appositive in other cases: ““ἐπῳδῶν προσδεῖσθαί μοι δοκεῖ μύ_θων ἔτι τινῶν” we need, it seems, some further words to act as a spell” P. L. 903b.

[*] 993. From the construction in 991 b arose many adverbial accusatives (1606 ff.) such as χάριν on account of, πρόφασιν in pretence, δωρεά_ν gratis; as ὅς τις δὲ Τρώων ἐπὶ νηυσὶ φέροιτο . . . χάριν Ἕκτορος whoever of the Trojans rushed at the ships as a favour to Hector (for Hector's sake) O 744.

[*] 994. Many neuter words are used in apposition to a sentence or clause, which they usually precede. Such are ἀμφότερον, ἀμφότερα both, τὸ δεινότατον the most dreadful thing, δυοῖν θά_τερον or θά_τερα one or the other, τὸ ἐναντίον the contrary, τὸ κεφάλαιον the chief point, τὸ λεγόμενον as the saying is, οὐδέτερον neither thing, σημεῖον δέ sign, τεκμήριον δέ evidence, τὸ τελευταῖον the last thing, τὸ τῆς παροιμία_ς as the proverb runs, αὐτὸ τοῦτο this very thing, ταὐτὸ τοῦτο this same thing. Thus, ““τους ἀμφότερα ταῦτα, καὶ εὔνους τῇ πόλει καὶ πλουσίους” those who are both loyal to the State and rich” D. 18.171, εἶπεν ὅτι δεῖ δυοῖν θά_τερον, ἢ κείνους ἐν Ολύνθῳ μὴ οἰκεῖν ἢ αὑτὸν ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ he said that one of two things was necessary—either that they should not live at Olynthus or he himself in Macedon 9. 11, ““τὸ δὲ μέγιστον, πόλεμον ἀντ᾽ εἰρήνης ἔχοντες” and what is worst of all, having war instead of peace” T. 2.65, ἀλλ᾽ ἦ, τὸ λεγόμενον, κατόπιν ἑορτῆς ἥκομεν; but have we come ‘after a feast’ as the maying is? P. G. 447a, ““τοῦτο αὐτὸ τὸ τοῦ Ὁμήρον” in these very words of Homer” P. A. 34d.

[*] 995. Very common are introductory relative clauses forming a nominative predicate of the sentence that follows: ““ὃ δὲ πάντων δεινότατον” but what is most terrible of all” L. 30.29. ἐστί is regularly omitted (944). Such relative clauses are followed by an independent sentence, a clause with ὅτι, by ὅτε γάρ, ὅταν, ὅταν γάρ, <*>. Similarly ““τὸ δ᾽ ἔσχατον πάντων, ὅτι” but what is worst of all” P. Ph. 66d, etc.