Lesson Seventeen Grammar (Third Declension)

Question 1

What does a Greek case determine?

Answer 1

The noun’s grammatical function in a sentence.

Nominative: subject
Genitive: possession (“of”)
Dative: indirect object (“to/for”)
Accusative: direct object

Question 2

What are the Greek grammatical genders?

Answer 2

Masculine, Feminine, Neuter

Question 3

What is a declension?

Answer 3

a pattern of how nouns change on the basis of their case and number

Question 4

What are the Greek declensions?

Answer 4

1st, 2nd, 3rd

Question 5

Features of Greek second declension nouns

Answer 5

Nouns that end in –ος in the nominative singular (e.g. λόγος) are usually masculine

Nouns that end in –ον in the nominative singular are usually neuter

Question 6

Features of Greek first declension nouns

Answer 6

Nouns that end in -α and -η in the nominative singular are feminine

Nouns that end in –ης and -ας in the nominative singular are masculine

Question 7

Features of Greek third declension nouns

Answer 7

Nouns that end in -ος in the genitive singular

Third declension nouns are represented by all three genders (masculine, feminine, neuter)

Question 8

Why are third declension nouns listed with both their nominative and genitive forms in vocabulary lists and in dictionaries?

Answer 8

Because the nominative form is more irregular than the genitive form.

By removing the ος ending of the genitive form you know what the root of the noun is.

Question 9

What is the mnemonic for the 2nd declension?

Answer 9

“Suine Ionisus” (συινε ιωνισυς)

Question 10

What is the mnemonic for the 1st declension?

Answer 10

“Asina Ionisas” (ασινα ιωνισας)

Question 11

What is the mnemonic for the third declension?

Answer 11

“Sosia Esonsias” (σοσια εσωνσιας)

Question 12

The second declension is most commonly associated with what gender of nouns?

Answer 12

Masculine and neuter, though there are also second declension feminine nouns

Question 13

The first declension is most commonly associated with what gender of nouns?

Answer 13

The feminine, though there are also first declension masculine nouns

Question 14

The third declension is most commonly associated with what gender of nouns?

Answer 14

All three genders. It does not have a particular association the way that the first and second declension do.

Question 15

Nominative, masculine or feminine, singular ending of the third declension

Answer 15

-ς or none

Question 16

Nominative, neuter, singular ending of the third declension

Answer 16

none

Question 17

Genitive, masculine or feminine or neuter, singular ending of the third declension

Answer 17

-ος

Question 18

Dative, masculine or feminine or neuter, singular ending of the third declension

Answer 18

-ι

Question 19

Accusative, masculine or feminine, singular ending of the third declension

Answer 19

-α or -ν

Question 20

Accusative, neuter, singular ending of the third declension

Answer 20

none

Question 21

Nominative, masculine or feminine, plural ending of the third declension

Answer 21

-ες

Question 22

Nominative, neuter, plural ending of the third declension

Answer 22

-α

Question 23

Genitive, masculine or feminine or neuter, plural ending of the third declension

Answer 23

-ων

Question 24

Dative, masculine or feminine or neuter, plural ending of the third declension

Answer 24

-σι

Question 25

Accusative, masculine or feminine, plural ending of the third declension

Answer 25

-ας

Question 26

Accusative, neuter, plural ending of the third declension

Answer 26

-α

Question 27

In which cases and numbers do the third declension neuter endings look different than the masculine and feminine?

Answer 27

The nominative and accusative in both the singular and the plural. (Though the neuter nominative and accusative look identical to one another.)