Summary Table for Beginners

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yeeks
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Summary Table for Beginners

Post by yeeks »

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I created this summary table for myself as I have not seen a table like that anywhere that would be useful for beginners (if there is one, please point me in that direction).

Would you say this table is accurate? What else is missing from this table?
Yee Kiat, Tan
M. Div Candidate - Singapore Bible College
Jonathan Robie
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Re: Summary Table for Beginners

Post by Jonathan Robie »

yeeks wrote: July 14th, 2023, 4:31 am Would you say this table is accurate? What else is missing from this table?
I don't think the part about infinitives is accurate. I think you are conflating the "substantiver" with the infinitive. The infinitive is not neuter and singular, the substantiver is.
51.38 The neuter singular article, functioning as a ‘substantivizer’ (→28.23–5), may be added to an infinitive, turning it, together with its complements/modifiers, into (the head of) a noun phrase. This is called the articular infinitive. The articular infinitive can appear in any case, but only the article changes form: e.g. τὸ παιδεύειν, τοῦ παιδεύειν, τῷ παιδεύειν, τὸ παιδεύειν.

van Emde Boas, Evert; Rijksbaron, Albert; Huitink, Luuk; de Bakker, Mathieu. The Cambridge Grammar of Classical Greek (p. 601). Cambridge University Press. Kindle Edition.
ἐξίσταντο δὲ πάντες καὶ διηποροῦντο, ἄλλος πρὸς ἄλλον λέγοντες, τί θέλει τοῦτο εἶναι;
http://jonathanrobie.biblicalhumanities.org/
yeeks
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Joined: March 27th, 2023, 9:13 pm

Re: Summary Table for Beginners

Post by yeeks »

Thanks Jonathan.
Mine was a summary of Mathewson (I should have cited my source) which seems to be saying a similar thing but in different ways.
(Infinitives) As nouns they are singular in number (even with a plural "subject," e.g., ἐν τῳ λέγειν αὐτούς), neuter in gender (which is obvious only when they are preceded by the nominative or accusative article), can take an article, and though indeclinable themselves, may be considered to have case when they are articular (e.g., ἐν τῳ λέγειν).

David L. Mathewson and Elodie Ballantine Emig, Intermediate Greek Grammar: Syntax for Students of the New Testament, Paperback edition. (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 2019), 192
Yee Kiat, Tan
M. Div Candidate - Singapore Bible College
Jonathan Robie
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Joined: May 5th, 2011, 5:34 pm
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Re: Summary Table for Beginners

Post by Jonathan Robie »

yeeks wrote: July 20th, 2023, 11:42 am Thanks Jonathan.
Mine was a summary of Mathewson (I should have cited my source) which seems to be saying a similar thing but in different ways.
(Infinitives) As nouns they are singular in number (even with a plural "subject," e.g., ἐν τῳ λέγειν αὐτούς), neuter in gender (which is obvious only when they are preceded by the nominative or accusative article), can take an article, and though indeclinable themselves, may be considered to have case when they are articular (e.g., ἐν τῳ λέγειν).

David L. Mathewson and Elodie Ballantine Emig, Intermediate Greek Grammar: Syntax for Students of the New Testament, Paperback edition. (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 2019), 192
Hmmm. I find the Cambridge description a lot more precise. An infinitive is not a noun, not by itself. I think this description is more accurate:
The neuter singular article, functioning as a ‘substantivizer’ (→28.23–5), may be added to an infinitive, turning it, together with its complements/modifiers, into (the head of) a noun phrase.
I can see that your table reflects what Mathewson says, I just think it would be better to follow Cambridge here.
ἐξίσταντο δὲ πάντες καὶ διηποροῦντο, ἄλλος πρὸς ἄλλον λέγοντες, τί θέλει τοῦτο εἶναι;
http://jonathanrobie.biblicalhumanities.org/
yeeks
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Joined: March 27th, 2023, 9:13 pm

Re: Summary Table for Beginners

Post by yeeks »

Thanks for the feedback.

Yes, the table was meant to be simple so it is hard to differentiate when an infinitive is verbal in nature or takes an article and becomes a noun phrase. Nevertheless, its usefulness is just to enable beginners to see at a glance what are the elements associated with verbs, participles, infinitives, adjectives, etc.
Yee Kiat, Tan
M. Div Candidate - Singapore Bible College
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