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502. Plural of neuter pronouns for the singular.

Neuter pronouns are often used in the plural where we might expect the singular.1

ἐφιέντων” (sc. “ἡμῶν”) “δυοῖν θάτερα, πείθειν ἡμᾶς ποιεῖν, τούτων οὐδέτερα ποιεῖ”, PLATO , Crito, 52 A; Although we leave it to him to do one of two things, either to persuade us or to do (our bidding), he does neither.

DEM.19.72:ἐστὶ δὲ ταῦτα2 γέλως, μᾶλλον δ᾽ ἀναισχυντία δεινή”.

ISAE. 1.22: “καὶ δυοῖν τοῖν ἐναντιωτάτοιν θάτερα μέλλοντες, τὴν οὐσίαν ἕξειν βεβαιοτέραν ἐκείνῳ μὴ ποιήσαντες ἀπεχθήσεσθαι, τὴν ἀπέχθειαν εἵλοντο μᾶλλον ταύτης τῆς δωρεᾶς. 3.58: οὐκοῦν δυοῖν τὰ ἕτερα προσῆκε τῇ γυναικί, ζῶντι τῷ Ἐνδίῳ ἀμφις βητῆσαι τῶν πατρῴων, ἐπειδὴ τετελευτηκὼς ἦν εἰσποίητος, τῶν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τὴν ἐπιδικασίαν ἀξιοῦν ποιεῖσθαι”.

LYS. 4.7:νῦν δὲ ὁμολογούμεθα πρὸς παῖδας καὶ αὐλητρίδας καὶ μετ᾽ οἴνου ἐλθόντες. ὥστε πῶς ταῦτ᾽ ἐστὶ πρόνοια;

PLATO , Crito, 52 A (see above). Phaedo 62 D:ἀλλ᾽ ἀνόητος μὲν ἄνθρωπος τάχ᾽ ἂν οἰηθείη ταῦτα, φευκτέον εἶναι ἀπὸ τοῦ δεσπότου”. Phileb. 43 D-E: “ΣΩ. τίθει ... τὸ μὲν χρυσόν, τὸ δ᾽ ἄργυρον, τρίτον δὲ μηδέτερα τούτων. ΠΡΩ. κεῖται. ΣΩ. τὸ δὲ μηδέτερα τούτων ἔσθ̓ ἡμῖν ὅπως θάτερα γένοιτ᾽ ἄν, χρυσὸς ἄργυρος”;

XEN. An. 1.9.24: “τὸ μὲν τὰ μεγάλα νικᾶν τοὺς φίλους εὖ ποιοῦντα οὐδὲν θαυμαστόν ... τὸ δὲ τῇ ἐπιμελείᾳ περιεῖναι τῶν φίλων καὶ τῷ προθυμεῖσθαι χαρίζεσθαι, ταῦτα ἔμοιγε μᾶλλον δοκεῖ ἀγαστὰ εἶναι” (“οὐδὲν θαυμαστόν” singular and “ταῦτα” plural), Conv. 2.19: “ἐλθὼν οἴκαδε ὠρχούμην μὲν οὔ, οὐ γὰρ πώποτε τοῦτ᾽ ἔμαθον, ἐχειρονόμουν δέ: ταῦτα γὰρ ἠπιστάμην” (“ταῦτα” side by side with “τοῦτο”).

THUC.2.41.2:καὶ ὡς οὐ λόγων ... κόμπος τάδε” (the statements just made) “μᾶλλον ἔργων ἐστὶν ἀλήθεια, αὐτὴ δύναμις τῆς πόλεως ... σημαίνει”. Cf. 6.77.1:δεῖξαι αὐτοῖς ὅτι οὐκ Ἴωνες τάδε εἰσὶν οὐδ᾽ Ἑλλησπόντιοι καὶ νησιῶται ... ἀλλὰ Δωριῆς ἐλεύθεροι” .

HDT.7.14:ἤν περ μὴ αὐτίκα στρατηλατέῃς, τάδε τοι ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀνασχήσει: “ὡς καὶ μέγας καὶ πολλὸς ἐγένεο ἐν ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ, οὕτω καὶ ταπεινὸς ὀπίσω κατὰ τάχος ἔσεαι”.”

COM. Eriph.3.559:τάδ᾽ οὐ Κόρινθος οὔτε Λαΐς, Σύρε”.

AR. Nub. 1299:ταῦτ᾽ οὐχ ὕβρις δῆτ᾽ ἐστίν;

ὄμνυμ᾽ ἐπὶ τούτοις πᾶσι νικᾶν τοῖς κριταῖς
καὶ τοῖς θεαταῖς πᾶσιν

. Ran. 21: “εἶτ᾽ οὐχ ὕβρις ταῦτ᾽ ἐστὶ καὶ πολλὴ τρυφή”;

EUR. Andr. 168-9: “οὐ γάρ ἐσθ᾽ Ἕκ:τωρ τάδε”, | “οὐ Πρίαμος οὐδὲ χρυσός, ἀλλ᾽ Ἑλλὰς πόλις”. Cycl. 63: “οὐ τάδε Βρόμιος, οὐ τάδε χοροί”. Hipp. 474-5: “οὐ γὰρ ἄλλο πλὴν ὕβρις” | “τάδ᾽ ἐστί, κρείσσω δαιμόνων εἶναι θέλειν”. Tro. 99100: “οὐκέτι Τροία” | “τάδε”.

SOPH. O. C. 883:ἆρ᾽ οὐχ ὕβρις τάδε” ; 1729:θέμις δὲ πῶς τάδ᾽ ἐστί;

HOM. Od. 1.226: “οὐκ ἔρανος τάδε γ᾽ ἐστίν”.

Il. 8.362-3: “οὐδέ τι τῶν μέμνηται, οἱ μάλα πολλάκις υἱὸν” | “τειρόμενον σώεσκον ὑπ᾽ Εὐρυσθῆος ἀέθλων”.

For “καὶ ταῦτα”, see under “οὗτος”.

For Attraction of the Demonstrative by the Predicate, see 127.

For Attraction of the Article, see 574.635.

1 For Neuter Plural of Adjectives instead of Singular, see 37.

2 For the absence of attraction by the predicate in the above and similar examples, see 129.

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