An elementary grammar of the Greek language

382 Pages·1857·27.043 MB·English

by  Kühner R.

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AN
ELEMENTARY GRAMMAR
THE GREEK LANGUAGE
CONTAININGA SEEIES OF
GREEK AND ENGLISH EXERCISES
FORTRANSLATION,
WITH THE REQUISITE VOCABULARIES,
ANDAN
APPENDIX
ON THE HOMERIC VERSE AND DIALECT.
DR. RAPHAEL KUHNER,
CORRECTOROFTHELYCEUM,HANOVER.
FROMTHEGERMANBT
SAMUEL H. TAYLOR,
PRINCIPALOFPHILLIPSACADEMY,ANDOVER,MASS
THIRTEENTH EDITIOW.
NEW YORK
IVISON & PHINNEY, 321 BROADWAY
CHICAGO : S. C. GRIGGS & CO., Ill LAKE ST.
BUFFALO: PHINNEY &CO. CINCINNATI: MOORE,WrLSTACH,KEYS&CO.
PHILADSECLHPEHNIEAC:TSAODWYE:RG&-.BYA.RVNEASN.DENBEOWGBEtRJTR,OW:.T.FS..QBOULALCEK9E.NBUSH.
AUBURN: SEYMOUR & ALWARD.
1857.
•Iff
18-5"?
Enteredaccording to Act of Congress,in the year 1846,bj
ALLEN, MORRILL AND WARDWELL,
inthe Clerk's Officeof theDistrict Court of Massachusetts.
PREFACE
Raphael Kuhner, the author of the following Grammar, was
born at Gotha, in 1802. Among his early classical teachers were
Doring, Rost, and Wustemann. At the University of Gottingen,
he enjoyed the instructions of Mitscherlich, Dissen, and Ottfried
Miiller, men of great distinction in classical philology. For more
than twenty years, he has been a teacher in the Lyceum at Hano-
ver, one of the principal German gymnasia, and has consequently
had the most favorable opportunities, as a practical teacher, to un-
derstand the wants ofstudents and to be able to meet them.
In addition to several other important works, Dr. Kuhner has
published three Greek Grammars:
1. A Copious Greek Grammar, containing 1150 .octavo pages,
which has been translated by W. E. Jelf, ., of the
University of Oxford.
2. A School Greek Grammar, which has been translated and
published in this country.
3. An Elementary Greek Grammar, the original of the present
work, from the second editionofwhichaveryfaithful trans-
lation was made by John H. Millard, St. John's College,
Cambridge, the GreekandEnglishexercisesandthe accom-
panying Vocabularies, however, having been omitted.
The grammatical principles of the present work, so far as they
extend, are the same as those contained in the Larger Grammar
already published in this country,the latterbeing designed to carry
forward the student in the same coursewhichhehad commenced in
the former. The work enjoys the highest reputation among classi-
cal scholars both in Europe and America. It is based on a thor-
IV PREFACE,
oughacquaintance with the laws and usages ofthe language. The
author has evidently studied the genius ofthe Greek, and has thus
prepared himselfto exhibit its forms and changes, and general phe-
nomena, in an easy and natural manner. Hisrulesand statements
are comprehensive, embracingunderonegeneral principleavariety
ofdetails. The analysis ofthe formscanhardlybeimproved. The
prefixes and suffixes, the strengthening and euphonic letters, are
readily distinguished from the root of the word. The explanation
ofthe Verb in particular, is so clear and satisfactory, that, after a
little practice, the student can take the root ofany verb, and put it
into any given form, or take any given form and resolve it into its
elements. The rules of Syntax, too,are illustrated bysofull a col-
lection of examples, that the attentive student cannot fail to under-
stand their application.
The work is designed to be sufficiently simple for beginners, and
also to embrace all the more general principles of the language.
The plan is admirably adapted to carry the student forward under-
standingly, step by step, in the acquisition of grammatical knowl-
edge. As soon as the letters and a few introductory principles, to*
gether with one or two forms of the verb, have been learned (the
sections marked with a [f] being omitted), the student begins to
translate the simple Greek sentences into English, and the English
into Greek. As he advances to new forms or grammatical princi-
ples, he finds exercises appropriate to them, so that whatever he
commits, whether forms or rules, is put inimmediate practice. The
advantage ofthis mode of study is evident. The practical applica-
tion of what is learned is at once understood; the knowledge ac-
quired is made definite; the forms and rules are permanently fixed
in the mind, and there is a facility in the use of them whenever
they may.be needed. The student, who attempts to commit any
considerable portion of the Grammar without illustrative examples,
finds it difficulttoretaininhismemorywhathehaslearned. There
is a confusion and indistinctness about it. Oneformoftenrunsinto
another, and one rule is confoundedwith another. But ifeach suc-
cessive principle is carefully studied, and then immediately put in