Adjective – -ος, -η, -ον

ObjectivesLearning objectives

• The morphology of adjectives ending with -ος, -η, -ον and the syntax and semantics of adjectives more generally

VocabularyVocabulary

Adjectives (abbreviated adj) are listed in the vocabulary table in the masculine nominative form followed by the endings in the feminine and neuter.

GrammarGrammar Topic: Adjective -ος, -η, -ον

The defining characteristic of an adjective is its ability to modify, or describe, a noun. A word like blind is an adjective, since it can be used to describe a noun like man. In the phrase the blind man, the word blind is modifying the word man. In other words, we are talking about a particular kind of man, a man with the property of blindness.

MorphologyMorphology: Adjective – -ος, -η, -ον

• This adjective pattern perfectly reflects the masc, fem, and neut nouns you have already learned (e.g. ἄνθρωπ-ος, ἀδελφ-ή, τέκν-ον); masc and neut adjectives take the 2nd declension endings, and fem adjectives take the 1st declension endings.

SyntaxSyntax: Adjectives as modifiers

An adjective’s case, gender, and number are dependent upon the noun it is modifying. If the noun is nominative masculine singular, then the adjective that goes with it will also be nominative masculine singular. For example, if we wanted to speak of a single blind man as the subject of the sentence, we would say ἄνθρωπος τυφλὸς with the adjective having the nominative masculine singular ending just like the word ἄνθρωπος. In the same way, we would have ἀδελφῇ τυφλῇ for ‘blind sister’ in the dative singular. And finally, we would have τέκνα τυφλὰ for ‘blind children’ in the accusative plural.

Adjectives may either precede or follow the noun they modify and may appear with or without the article, but they are restricted to the following four patterns:

The only two options that are excluded, namely τυφλὸν τὸ τέκνον and τὸ τέκνον τυφλόν would mean ‘the child is blind’ rather than ‘the blind child.’ In terms of the most common patterns, you can expect the adjective to precede the noun when the article is present and follow the noun without the article (i.e. the patterns indicated with ^).

SemanticsSemantics: Adjectives as states

Adjectives are typically states, whether temporary or permanent. The description a blind man usually holds for a person’s entire life (though some people Jesus met are exceptions to this), but other states are temporary, such as ὁ ἔσχατος ἄνθρωπος ‘the last person’, which might describe someone who is last in line. While they might currently be in the state of being last, they won’t always be. Thus, adjectives may refer to states that describe an inherent property of an individual or to states that describe a temporary property of an individual.