[B-Greek] a prep always takes an object

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Fri Nov 2 19:39:55 EDT 2007


On Nov 2, 2007, at 6:23 PM, JMonte2000 at aol.com wrote:

> Hi Can I ask a question concerning preps. I could never get what it  
> means
> when they say a prep like EN always takes an object in the dative.  
> What  does it
> mean to take an object?
> I just could never understand this, and had no one to ask, or  
> explain  it.
> Please explain in laymen terms.

Prepositions don't function alone; many of them were perhaps  
originally adverbs, and as such have been used as prefixes with verbs  
to qualify the meaning of a verb in a manner similar to the way an  
adverb qualifies the meaning of a verb -- as, for example, whereas  
ERCOMAI means "come" or "go", EXERCOMAI means to "come out" or "go out."

But prepositions ordinarily are one element in prepositional phrase  
and the phrase is not complete without a second element which we  
usually call the "object" of the preposition. The Greek preposition  
EK/EX can only have a substantive in the genitive case as its object,  
as in EK THS OIKIAS ('out of the house'); the Greek preposition PARA  
may have as its object a substantive in the genitive case, a  
substantive in the dative case, or a substantive in the accusative  
case; the meaning of the preposition will vary depending on the case  
of its substantive object, as in PARA TOU PATROS ('from his/her  
father'), PARA TWi PATRI ('next to his/her father'), PARA TON PATERA  
('near to/toward his/her father').

I don't know how to make it any clearer than that. Those who can  
should take a stab at it.

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Ret)




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