PECULIARITIES IN THE USE OF NUMBER

996

Collective Singular.—A noun in the singular may denote a number of persons or things:

, τὸ Ἑλληνικόν the Greeks 1. 1, τὸ βαρβαρικόν the barbarians 7. 29, ἡ πλίνθος the bricks 3. 20, , . On the plural verb with collectives, see 950. Cp. 1024, 1044.

a. So with the neuter participle: τὸ μαχόμενον almost =

.

b. The name of a nation with the article may denote one person as the representative (King, etc.) of a class: ὁ Μακεδών the Macedonian (Philip) D. 7.6.

997

The inhabitants of a place may be implied in the name of the place:

.

998

Distributive Singular.—The singular of abstract nouns may be used distributively (rarely with concrete substantives):

, . The distributive plural (1004) is more common than the distributive singular: cp. with .

999

Dual.—The dual is chiefly employed of two persons or things which, by nature or association, form a pair: ὀφθαλμώ the eyes (both eyes), χεῖρε the hands, ἵππω a span of horses. The addition of ἄμφω both indicates that the two things belong together: δύο emphasizes the number. Both ἄμφω and δύο were early used with the plural. The dual died out in the living speech of Attica by 300 B.C. Aeolic has no dual, and Ionic lost it very early. In Hom. the dual is used freely, and often in conjunction with the plural.

1000

Plural.—The plural of proper names, of materials, and of abstracts is used to denote a class. (1) of proper names:

. (2) of materials: here the plural denotes the parts, the different kinds of a thing, a mass, etc.: , πῡροί, κρῑθαί wheat, barley X. A. 4.5.26, οἶνοι wines 4. 4. 9, (κρέας piece of meat), , . (3) of abstracts: here the plural refers to the single kinds, cases, occasions, manifestations of the idea expressed by the abstract substantive; or is referred to several persons: , . Used in the plural, abstract nouns may become concrete, as (ταφή sepulture), (εὐφροσύνη mirth), , .

a. Many concrete substantives are commonly used only in the plural: πύλαι gate, θύραι door, τὰ Ὀλύμπια the Olympic festival; and in poetry δώματα house, κλί̄μακες ladder, λέκτρα bed; cp. 1006.

b. The plural, especially in poetry, may correspond to the English indefinite singular: ἐπὶ ναυσί by ship.

1001

In Homer the plural denotes the various forms in which a quality is manifested:

. In poetry, often of feelings, emotions, etc.: μανίαι (attacks of) madness A. Pr. 879.

1002

οὐδένες (μηδένες) denotes classes of men, states, nations (D. 5.15).

1003

The neuter plural is often used even in reference to a single idea or thought in order to represent it in its entirety or in its details, as τὰ ἀληθῆ the truth. This is very common with neuter pronouns: ἐχειρονόμουν δέ· ταῦτα γὰρ ἠπιστάμην but I waved my arms, for I knew how to do this X. S. 2. 19,

.

a. Thucydides is fond of the neuter plural of verbal adjectives used impersonally:

, ἀδύνατα ἦν it was impossible 4. 1. Cp. 1052.

1004

Distributive Plural.—Abstract substantives are often used distributively in the plural:

.

1005

Names of towns and parts of the body are sometimes plural: Ἀθῆναι Athens, Θῆβαι Thebes, στήθη and στέρνα breast (chiefly poetic). The name of the inhabitants is often used for the name of a city: Δελφοί D. 5.25.

1006

Plural of Majesty (poetic).—The plural may be used to lend dignity:

, , ; παιδικά favourite in prose (only in the plural form).

1007

Here belongs the allusive plural by which one person is alluded to in the plural number: δεσποτῶν θανάτοισι by the death of our lord A. Ch. 52, παθοῦσα πρὸς τῶν φιλτάτων I (Clytaemnestra) having suffered at the hands of my dearest ones (Orestes) A. Eum. 100.

1008

Plural of Modesty.—A speaker in referring to himself may use the first person plural as a modest form of statement. In prose, of an author:

. In tragedy, often with interchange of plural and singular: εἰ κωλῡόμεσθα μὴ μαθεῖν ἃ βούλομαι if I (Creusa) am prevented from learning what I wish E. Ion 391, . See 1009.

1009

In tragedy, if a woman, speaking of herself, uses the plural verb (1008), an adjective or participle, in agreement with the subject, is feminine singular or masculine plural:

, ἀρκοῦμεν ἡμεῖς οἱ προθνῄσκοντες σέθεν it is enough that I (Alcestis) die in thy stead E. Alc. 383.

1010

εἰπέ, φέρε, ἄγε may be used as stereotyped formulas, without regard to the number of persons addressed: εἰπέ μοι, ὦ Σώκρατές τε καὶ ὑ̄μεῖς οἱ ἄλλοι tell me, Socrates and the rest of you P. Eu. 283b.

1011

One person may be addressed as the representative of two or more who are present, or of his family: Ἀντίνο᾽, οὔ πως ἔστιν . . . μεθ᾽ ὑ̄μῖν δαίνυσθαι Antinous, it is in no wise possible to feast with you β 310,

. So in dramatic poetry, the coryphaeus may be regarded as the representative of the whole chorus, as .

1012

Greek writers often shift from a particular to a general statement and vice versa, thus permitting a free transition from singular to plural, and from plural to singular:

.