1. alone, it simply marks the question, the nature of which is determined by the context: e.g. in D.35.44 a negative answer is implied in the question ἆρ᾽ ἂν οἴεσθε . . ; but an affirmative in X.Cyr.4.6.4 ἆ. βέβληκα δὶς ἐφεξῆς; cf. ἆρ᾽ εὐτυχεῖς . . ἢ δυστυχεῖς; E.Ph.424.—To make it plainly neg., we have ἆ. μή . . ; A.Th.208, Pl.Phd.64c; and to make it plainly affirmative, ἆρ᾽ οὐ; ἆρ᾽ οὐχί; S. OC791, OT540; ἆρ᾽ οὐχ οὕτως; Pl.Phlb.11d.
2. ἆ. οὖν; is used to draw an affirmative inference, Id.Grg.477a, La.190b; also when a neg. answer is expected, Id.Chrm.159b; with a neg., ἆρ᾽ οὖν οὐ . . ; Id.Phdr.263a, etc.
3. in ἆρά γε, each Particle retains its force, γε serving to make the question more definite, Ar.Pl.546, X.Mem.1.5.4, etc.
4. less freq. with τίς interrog., “τίνος ποτ᾽ ἆρ᾽ ἔπραξε χειρί” S.Aj.905; τίδ᾽ ἆρ᾽ ἐγὼ σέ; E.IA1228; “τίς ἆρ᾽ ὁ φεύγων;” Ar.V.893; with ἤν, E.Rh.118.
II. in Poets sts. like ἄρα, Archil.86,89, Pi.P.4.78, Ar.V.3; “τοιοῖσδε χρησμοῖς ἆ. χρὴ πεποιθέναι;” A.Ch.297, cf.435; “τῷ δὲ ξιφήρης ἆρ᾽ ὑφειστήκει λόχος” E. Andr.1114: in exclamations, “βραδεῖαν ἡμᾶς ἆρ᾽ ὁ τήνδε τὴν ὁδὸν πέμπων ἔπεμψεν” S.Aj.738; “ὀδυνηρὸς ἆρ᾽ ὁ πλοῦτος” E.Ph.566, cf.El.1229, Hipp.1086; “ἦ δεινὸν ἆρ᾽ ἦν” Id.Fr.931; “ἔμελλόν σ᾽ ἆ. κινήσειν” Ar.Nu. 1301, cf. Ach.347.
B. In Prose, ἆ. almost always stands first in the sentence, but cf. Pl.Grg.467e; καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτων ἆ. . . Jul.Or.2.61c: in Poetry greater licence is taken, v. supr. 1.4,11.