Wallace_Adjectives

Question 1

What are the three main uses of the adjective? And describe what each is dependent on.

Answer 1

1 substantival: independent

2. adjectival: dependent on a noun
3. adverbial: dependent on adjective or verb

Question 2

What is the most common form that of adjectives that are being used adverbially?

Answer 2

1. accusative, neuter, adjectives that are often articular

αληθες “truly”; το λοιπον “finaly”; also: βραχυ, μικρον, πολύ, πρωτον, ὓστερον, κτλ.

Question 3

What is the elative use of the adjective? And how is it translated?

Answer 3

1. describes an intensification of the positive notion of the adjective
2. “very ….”

Question 4

How is the elative used

Answer 4

1. used with the comparative or superlative forms of the adjective
2. But it is a positive not comparative notion

Question 5

Though not frequent, when can the positive use of the adjective be translated as a superlative?

Answer 5

1. when it is in an attributive position

2. and when it is being used with the par excellence article (ἃγια ἁγιων “the holiest of all holy places”

Question 6

What are the two common ways and the two less frequent ways the comparative is constructed?

Answer 6

1. with a genitive of comparison or with the particle ἣ
2. παρα, ὑπερ (though sometimes the comparative adjective is used substantively and leaves the comparison implicit του ἱερου μειζον ἐστιν ὧδε “[something] greater than the temple is here”)

Question 7

What are the three uses of the superlative, and what are there relative frequency?

Answer 7

1. superlative: just barely most common (mostly because of πρωτος and εσχατος)
2. elative: less (though it would be close to superlative without first and last)
3. comparative: not infrequent

Question 8

When is the comparative use of the superlative most commonly seen?

Answer 8

1. most commonly with πρωτος
2. rare with εσχατος
3. non-existent with other superlative forms

Question 9

What is the first attributive position? And what does it imply?

Answer 9

1. art-adj-noun

2. the adjective receives greater emphasis than the substantive (ὁ ἀγαθος βασιλευς literally “the good king)

Question 10

What is the second attributive position? And what does it imply?

Answer 10

1. art-noun-art-adj
2. both substantive and adjective receive emphasis and the adjective is added as a sort of climax in apposition (ὁ βασιλευς ὁ ἀγαθος literally “the king, the good one”

Question 11

What is the third attributive position? And what does it imply?

Answer 11

1. noun-art-adj
2. the substantive is often indefinite and general while the attribute makes a particular application ( βασιλευς ὁ ἀγαθος literally “a king, the good one; this is the least occurring position only occurring a few times)

Question 12

What is the first predicate position? And what does it imply?

Answer 12

1. adj-art-noun

2. the adjective has slightly more emphasis than the noun (ἀγαθος ὁ βασιλευς literally “good is the king”; common)

Question 13

What is the second predicate position? And what does it imply?

Answer 13

1. art-noun-adj

2. The emphasis is either equal are slightly towards the noun (ὁ βασιλευς ἀγαθος literally “the king is good”; common)

Question 14

What does an anarthrous noun-adjective construction imply?

Answer 14

1. either attributive or predicate (very common construction; 2400 examples; 1/4 of all adj-noun constructions)

Question 15

What two semantic categories can the anarthrous adj-noun construction have? And how to tell the difference.

Answer 15

1. either a first anarthrous attributive position or a anarthrous first predicate position
2. Only context will decide if it is attributive or predicate

Question 16

What is the fourth attributive position? And how is it determine?

Answer 16

1. anarthrous noun-adj

2. only through context (this is common)

Question 17

What is the anarthrous second predicate position? And how is it determined?

Answer 17

1. noun-adj

2. determined through contect (common)