TWO ACCUSATIVES WITH ONE VERB
[*] 1612. A compound expression, consisting of the accusative of an abstract substantive and
ποιεῖσθαι, τίθεσθαι, ἔχειν, etc., is often treated as a simple verb; and, when transitive, governs the accusative:
τὴν χώρα_ν καταδρομαῖς λεία_ν ἐποιεῖτο ( =
ἐλῄζετο)
he ravaged the country by his incursions T. 8.41,
Ἰ_λίου φθορὰ_ς ψήφους ἔθεντο ( =
ἐψηφίσαντο)
they voted for the destruction of Ilium A. Ag. 814,
μομφὴν ἔχω ἓν μὲν πρῶτά σοι ( =
ἓν μέμφομαι)
I blame thee first for one thing E. Or. 1069,
τὰ δ᾽ ἐν μέσῳ λῆστιν ἴσχεις ( =
ἐπιλανθάνει)
what lies between thou hast no memory of S. O. C. 583. See
1598. So with other periphrases in poetry:
τέκνα μηκύ_νω λόγον ( =
μακρότερον προσφωνῶ)
I speak at length to my children S. O. C. 1120,
εἰ δέ μ᾽ ὧδ᾽ ἀεὶ λόγους ἐξῆρχες ( =
ἤρχου λέγειν)
if thou didst always (
begin to)
address me thus S. El. 556.
EXTERNAL OBJECT AND PREDICATE ACCUSATIVE
[*] 1613. Verbs meaning
to appoint, call,
choose,
consider,
make,
name,
show, and the like, may take a second accusative as a predicate to the direct object.
““
στρατηγὸν αὐτὸν ἀπέδειξε”
he appointed him general”
X. A. 1.1.2,
πατέρα ἐμὲ ἐκαλεῖτε you were wont to call me father 7. 6. 38, ““
αἱρεῖσθαι αὐτὸν τὸν Ἰνδῶν βασιλέα_ δικαστήν”
to choose the king of the Indians himself to be arbitrator”
X. C. 2.4.8, ““
οὐ γὰρ δίκαιον οὔτε τοὺς κακοὺς μάτην χρηστοὺς νομίζειν οὔτε τοὺς χρηστοὺς κακούς”
for it is not just to consider bad men good at random, or good men bad”
S. O. T. 609, ““
Τι_μόθεον στρατηγὸν ἐχειροτόνησαν”
they elected Timotheus general”
X. H. 6.2.11, ““
τὴν σι_γήν σου ξυγχώρησιν θήσω”
I shall consider your silence as consent”
P. Crat. 435b, ““
ἑαυτὸν δεσπότην πεποίηκεν”
he has made himself master”
X. C. 1.3.18, ““
ἐὰ_ν ἐμὲ σὸν θεράποντα ποιήσῃ”
if you make me your servant”
X. O. 7.42, ““
εἰς τοὺς Ἕλληνας σαυτὸν σοφιστὴν παρέχων”
showing yourself a sophist before the Greeks”
P. Pr. 312a, ““
εὐμαθῆ πάντα παρέχειν”
to render everything easy to learn”
X. O. 20.14. Cp.
1579.
[*] 1614. The absence of the article generally distinguishes the predicate noun from the object: ““
ἐπηγγέλλετο τοὺς κόλακας τοὺς αὑτοῦ πλουσιωτάτους τῶν πολι_τῶν ποιήσειν”
he promised to make his flatterers the richest of the citizens”
L. 28.4.
[*] 1615. Especially in Plato and Herodotus, after verbs signifying
to name, to call, the predicate noun may be connected with the external object by (a redundant)
εἶναι (
911); ““
σοφιστὴν ὀνομάζουσι τὸν ἄνδρα εἶναι”
they call the man a sophist”
P. Pr. 311e, ““
ἐπωνυμία_ν ἔχει σμι_κρός τε καὶ μέγας εἶναι”
he is called both short and tall”
P. Ph. 102c. This is due to the analogy of verbs signifying
to think or
say (
1041).
[*] 1616. A predicate accusative may stand in apposition to the object:
ἔδωκα δωρειὰ_ν τὰ λύτρα I gave them
the price of their ransom as a free gift D. 19.170.
[*] 1617. This use is the source of many adverbial accusatives (
993,
1606 ff.).
[*] 1618.
Passive: both the object and the predicate accusative of the active construction become nominative (
1743) in the passive construction:
αὐτὸς στρα- ““
τηγὸς ᾑρέθη”
he himself was chosen general”
L. 12.65, ““
αὐτοὶ νομοθέται κληθήσονται”
they shall themselves be called lawgivers”
P. L. 681d.
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL OBJECT WITH ONE VERB
[*] 1619. Many verbs take both an internal and an external object.
[*] 1620. The external object refers to a person, the internal object (cognate accusative, 1563 ff.) refers to a thing. Here the internal object stands in closer relation to the verb.
““
ὁ πόλεμος ἀείμνηστον παιδεία_ν αὐτοὺς ἐπαίδευσε”
the war taught them a lesson they will hold in everlasting remembrance”
Aes. 3.148, ““
τοσοῦτον ἔχθος ἐχθαίρω σε”
I hate thee with such an hate”
S. El. 1034, ““
Μέλητός με ἐγράψατο τὴν γραφὴν ταύτην”
Meletus brought this accusation against me”
P. A. 19b,
ἕλκος, τό μιν βάλε the wound that he dealt him E 795 (
1578), ““
Μιλτιάδης ὁ τὴν ἐν Μαραθῶνι μάχην τοὺς βαρβάρους νι_κήσα_ς”
Miltiades who won the battle at Marathon over the barbarians”
Aes. 3.181,
τὸν ἄνδρα τύπτειν τὰ_ς πληγά_ς to strike the man the blows Ant. 4.
γ. 1, ““
καλοῦσί με τοῦτο τὸ ὄνομα”
they give me this appellation”
X. O. 7.3.
[*] 1621.
Passive (
1747): ““
πᾶσαν θεραπεία_ν θεραπευόμενος”
receiving every manner of service”
P. Phae. 255a, ““
τύπτεσθαι πεντήκοντα πληγά_ς”
to be struck fifty blows”
Aes. 1.139,
ἡ κρίσις, ἣν ἐκρίθη the sentence that was pronounced upon him
L. 13.50, ““
τὰ_ς μάχα_ς, ὅσα_ς Πέρσαι ἡττήθησαν ἐῶ”
I omit the battles in which the Persians were defeated”
I. 4.145, ““
ὄνομα ἓν κεκλημένοι Σικελιῶται”
called by the one name of Sicilians”
T. 4.64.
[*] 1622. So with verbs signifying
to do anything to or
say anything of a person (
1591): ““
πολλὰ ἀγαθὰ ὑ_μᾶς ἐποίησεν”
he did you much good”
L. 5.3, ““
ταυτί_ με ποιοῦσι”
that's what they are doing to me”
Ar. Vesp. 696, ““
τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐπαινῶ Ἀ_γησίλα_ον”
I praise Agesilaus for such merits”
X. Ages. 10.1,
τοὺς Κορινθίους πολλά τε και<*> κακὰ ἔλεγε he said many bad things about the Corinthians Hdt. 8.61. For the accusative of the thing,
εὖ (
καλῶς),
κακῶς may be substituted; and
εἰς and
πρός with the accusative occur.
[*] 1623. The accusative of the person may depend on the idea expressed by the combination of verb and accusative of the thing (
1612); as in ““
τοὺς πολεμίους εἰργάσθαι κακά”
to have done harm to the enemy”
L. 21.8 (here
εἰργάσθαι of itself does not mean
to do anything to a person).
[*] 1624. When the dative of the person is used, something is done
for (
1474), not
to him: ““
πάντα ἐποίησαν τοῖς ἀποθανοῦσιν”
they rendered all honours to the dead”
X. A. 4.2.23.
εἰς or
πρός with the accusative is also employed.
[*] 1625.
Passive of 1622: ““
ὅσα ἄλλα ἡ πόλις ἠδικεῖτο”
all the other wrongs that the State has suffered”
D. 18.70.
[*] 1626.
Verbs of dividing (
νέμειν, κατανέμειν, διαιρεῖν, τέμνειν) may take two accusatives, one of the thing divided, the other of its parts (cognate accus.). Thus, ““
Κῦρος τὸ στράτευμα κατένειμε δώδεκα μέρη”
Cyrus divided the army into twelve divisions”
X. C. 7.5.13.
εἰς or
κατά may be used with the accusative of the parts.
[*] 1627.
Passive: ““
διῄρηται ἡ ἀγορὰ_ τέτταρα μέρη”
the Agora is divided into four parts”
X. C. 1.2.4.
εἰς and
κατά may be used with the accusative of the parts.
DOUBLE OBJECT WITH VERBS SIGNIFYING TO ASK, DEMAND, ETC.
[*] 1628. Verbs signifying
to ask, clothe or
unclothe,
conceal,
demand,
deprive,
persuade,
remind,
teach, take two objects in the accusative, one of a person, the other of a thing.
““
οὐ τοῦτ᾽ ἐρωτῶ σε”
that's not the question I'm asking you”
Ar. Nub. 641; ““
χιτῶνα τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἐκεῖνον ἠμφίεσε”
he put his own tunic on him”
X. C. 1.3.17, ““
ἰδοὺ δ᾽ Ἀπόλλων αὐτὸς ἐκδύ_ων ἐμὲ χρηστηρία_ν ἐσθῆτα”
lo Apollo himself divests me of my oracular garb”
A. Ag. 1269; ““
τὴν θυγατέρα ἔκρυπτε τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἀνδρός”
he concealed from his daughter her husband's death”
L. 32.7; ““
Κῦρον αἰτεῖν πλοῖα”
to ask Cyrus for boats”
X. A. 1.3.14, ““
ὡς ἐγώ ποτέ τινα ἢ ἐπρα_ξάμην μισθὸν ἢ ᾔτησα”
that I ever exacted or asked pay of any one”
P. A. 31c; ““
τούτων τὴν τι_μὴν ἀποστερεῖ με”
he deprives me of the value of these things”
D. 28.13; ““
ὑ_μᾶς τοῦτο οὐ πείθω”
I cannot persuade you of this”
P. A. 37a; ““
ἀναμνήσω ὑ_μᾶς καὶ τοὺς κινδύ_νους”
I will remind you of the dangers also”
X. A. 3.2.11; ““
οὐδεὶς ἐδίδαξέ με ταύτην τὴν τέχνην”
nobody taught me this art”
X. O. 19.16.
[*] 1629. Both person and thing are equally governed by the verb. The accusative of the person is the external object; the accusative of the thing is sometimes a cognate accusative (internal accusative).
[*] 1630. Some of these verbs also take the genitive or dative, or employ prepositions. Thus
ἐρωτᾶν τινα περί τινος, αἰτεῖν (
αἰτεῖσθαί)
τι παρά τινος, ἀποστερεῖν or
ἀφαιρεῖσθαί τινά τινος (
τινός τι) (
1394), or
τινί τι (
1483);
ἀναμιμνῄσκειν τινά τινος (
1356);
παιδεύειν τινά τινι or
τινὰ εἰς (or
πρός) with the accusative.
[*] 1631. The poets employ this construction with verbs of cleansing (a form of
depriving): ““
χρόα νίζετο ἅλμην”
he was washing the brine from his skin”
ζ 224,
αἷμα κάθηρον Σαρπηδόνα cleanse the blood from Sarpedon II 667. And with other verbs (in tragedy), e.g.
τι_μωρεῖσθαι avenge on,
μετελθεῖν seek to avenge on,
μετιέναι execute judgment on,
ἐπισκήπτειν charge.
[*] 1632.
Passive (
1747): ““
ὑπὸ βασιλέως πεπρα_γμένος τοὺς φόρους”
having had the tribute demanded of him by the king”
T. 8.5, ““
ὅσοι ἵππους ἀπεστέρηνται”
all who have been deprived of their horses”
X. C. 6.1.12, ““
οὐκ ἐπείθοντο τὰ ἐσαγγελθέντα”
they would not credit the news”
Hdt. 8.81, ““
μουσικὴν παιδευθείς”
having been instructed in music”
P. Menex. 236a (here
μουσικῇ is possible), ““
οὐδὲν ἄλλο διδάσκεται ἄνθρωπος ἢ ἐπιστήμην”
man is taught nothing else except knowledge”
P. Men. 87c.
[*] 1633. The accusative of extent (
1580) is freely used in the same sentence with other accusatives, as ““
ὑπερενεγκόντες τὸν Λευκαδίων ἰσθμὸν τὰ_ς ναῦς”
having hauled the ships across the isthmus of Leucas”
T. 3.81.
On the accusative of the whole and part, see
985; on the accusative subject of the infinitive, see
1972 ff.; on the accusative absolute, see
2076. See also under
Anacoluthon.
Part I: Letters, Sounds, Syllables, Accent
Part IV: Syntax
