Participle
Participles are verbal adjectives. Participles are like adjectives in that:
- 1. they have both case and number,
- 2. they can modify other nouns and pronouns.
Participles are like verbs in that:
- 1. they are formed from verb stems,
- 2. they have both voice and tense (although tense only signifies aspect),
- 3. they can take both an object and an indirect object,
- 4. they are modified by adverbs.
- Attributive: A participle with an article in the attributive position functions as an adjective. Smyth 2049-2053
“ὁ ἐφεστηκὼς κίνδυνος τῇ πόλει” Dem. 18.176; the danger impending over the State
- Circumstantial: A participle not in the attributive position can describe an accompanying circumstance relating to the action of the sentence. Smyth 2054-2057
“οι ἄνθρωποι λιπόντες τὴν ὁδὸν φεύγοντες ὀλίγοι ἀπέθνῃσκον” Xen. Anab. 4.2.7; by leaving the road and making off only a few were killed
- Circumstantial - Temporal: A circumstantial participle can denote a temporal relationship. Smyth 2061
“ἀκούσασι τοῖς στρατηγοῖς ταῦτα ἔδοξε τὸ στράτευμα συναγαγεῖν” Xen. Anab. 4.4.19; on hearing this it seemed best to the generals to collect the troops
- Circumstantial - Manner: A circumstantial participle can denote the manner of an action. Smyth 2062
“παρήλαυνον τεταγμένοι” Xen. Anab. 1.2.16; they marched past in order
- Circumstantial - Means: A circumstantial participle can denote the means of an action. Smyth 2063
“λῃζόμενοι ξῶσι” Xen. Cyrop. 3.2.25; they live by pillaging
- Circumstantial - Cause: A circumstantial participle can denote the cause of an action. A causal participle accompanied by the particles ἅτε, οἷα or οἷον expresses the authority of the author. A causal participle accompanied by the particle ὡς expresses the authority of the subject of the sentence. Smyth 2064
“οἱ γὰρ Κόλχοι, ἅτε ἐκπεπτωκότες τῶν οἰκιῶν, πολλοὶ ἦσαν ἁθρόοι” Xen. Anab. 5.2.1; for the Colchians, since they had been driven out of their houses, were now gathered together in one great body
“ἐθανατώθη ὑπὸ τῶν ἐν Σπάρτῃ τελῶν ὡς ἀπειθῶν” Xen. Anab. 2.6.4; As a result he was condemned to death by the authorities at Sparta on the ground of disobedience
- Circumstantial - Purpose: The future participle accompanied by ὡς can denote the purpose of an action. Smyth 2065
“προπέμψαντες κήρυκα πόλεμον προεροῦντα” Thuc. 1.29; having sent a herald in advance to proclaim war
- Circumstantial - Concession: A circumstantial participle can have concessive force. Smyth 2066
“πολλοὶ γὰρ ὄντες εὐγενεῖς εἰσιν κακοί” Eur. El. 551; for many, albeit noble by birth, are ignoble
- Circumstantial - Condition: A circumstantial participle can have conditional force. The negative of circumstantial participles is μή. Smyth 2067
“σὺ δὲ κλύων εἴσει τάχα” Aristoph. Birds 1390; but if you listen you shall soon know
- Genitive Absolute: A circumstantial participle in the genitive agreeing with a noun or a pronoun that is not related to the construction of the main sentence is a genitive absolute. A genitive absolute can express the same relationships as other circumstantial participles. Smyth 2070-2075
“τοῦτο δὲ λέγοντος αὐτοῦ πτάρνυταί τις” Xen. Anab. 3.2.9; As he was saying this, someone sneezed
- Accusative Absolute: A circumstantial participle of an impersonal verb in the accusative agreeing with a noun or a pronoun not related to the construction of the main sentence is an accusative absolute. An accusative absolute can express the same relationships as other circumstantial participles. Smyth 2076-2078
“δόξαν δὲ ταῦτα ἐκήρυξαν οὕτω ποιεῖν” Xen. Anab. 4.1.13; Having decided this, they proclaimed that they should do so
- Supplementary Participle: The supplementary participle completes the meaning of verbs that denote beginning and ceasing and the verbs λανψάνω, φψάνω and τυγχάνω. Smyth 2088-2105
“ἄριστα τυγχάνουσι πράξαντες” Isoc. 4.103; they happen to have fared the best
- In Indirect Discourse: The participle can be used to represent a finite verb in indirect discourse after verbs expressing the idea of knowing, learning, remembering, or showing (οἶδα, γιγνώσκω, ἐπίσταμαι, ἐννοῶ, μανθάνω, ῾οὐκ̓ ἀγνοῶ, μέμνημαι, ἐπιλανθάνομαι, δηλῶ, ῾ἐπἰδείκνυμι, φαίνω, ἀποφαίνω, φαίνομαι, ἔοικα, ῾ἐξ̓ἐλέγχω, ὁμολογῶ, ἀγγέλλω, and ποιῶ). Smyth 2106-2115
“μέμνημαι Κριτίᾳ τῷδε ξυνόντα σε” Plat. Charm. 156a; I remember that you were in company with Critias here
