SYNTAX OF THE COMPLEX SENTENCE
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2173
A complex sentence consists of a principal sentence and one or more subordinate, or dependent, sentences. The principal sentence, as each subordinate sentence, has its own subject and predicate. The principal sentence of a complex sentence is called the principal clause, the subordinate sentence is called the subordinate clause. The principal clause may precede or follow the subordinate clause.
2174
The principal clause may have any form of the simple sentence.
a. Parentheses belonging to the thought of the entire sentence, but standing in no close grammatical relation to it, count as principal clauses. So οἶμαι, δοκῶ, φημί, ὁρᾷς; οἶδα, οἶδ᾽ ὅτι certainly (2585), εὖ ἴσθι know well, αἰτοῦμαί σε I beseech thee; πῶς (πόσον) δοκεῖς; and πῶς οἴει; in the comic poets and Euripides, etc. Some of these expressions are almost adverbial.
2175
The subordinate clause is always introduced by a subordinating conjunction, as εἰ if, ἐπεί since or when, ὅτι that, ἕως until, etc.
2176
A finite mood in a subordinate clause may be influenced by the tense of the principal clause. If the verb of the principal clause stands in a secondary tense, the verb of the subordinate clause is often optative instead of indicative or subjunctive, as it would have been after a primary tense. Dependence of mood after a secondary tense is never indicated by the subjunctive.
2177
Each tense in a subordinate clause denotes stage of action; the time is only relative to that of the leading verb. A subordinate clause may be marked by change of person in verb and pronoun.
2178
A subordinate clause in English may be expressed in Greek by a predicate adjective or substantive. Cp. 1169, 2647.
2179
A subordinate clause may be coördinate in structure.
but when Darius was ill and suspected that his end was near, he wished his two sons to be by himἐπεὶ δ᾽ ἠσθένει Δᾱρεῖος καὶ ὑπώπτευε τελευτὴν τοῦ βίου, ἐβούλετό οἱ τὼ παῖδε παρεῖναι
a. So a relative clause, though properly subordinate, may be equivalent to a coördinating clause: εἰ δ᾽ ὑ̄μεῖς ἄλλο τι γνώσεσθε, ὃ μὴ γένοιτο, τίν᾽ οἴεσθ᾽ αὐτὴν ψῡχὴν ἕξειν; but if you decide otherwise, —and may this never come to pass!— what do you think will be her feelings? D. 28.21. In such cases ὅς is equivalent to καὶ οὗτος, οὗτος δέ, οὗτος γάρ.
2180
A clause dependent upon the principal clause may itself be followed by a clause dependent upon itself (a sub-dependent clause).
οἱ δ᾽ ἔλεγον (principal clause) ὅτι περὶ σπονδῶν ἥκοιεν ἄνδρες (dependent clause) οἵτινες ἱκανοὶ ἔσονται . . . ἀπαγγεῖλαι (sub-dependent clause) and they said that they had come with regard to a truce and were men who were competent to . . . report X. A. 2.3.4.
2181
A verb common to two clauses is generally placed in one clause and omitted from the other (so especially in comparative and relative clauses).
ἥπερ (τύχη) ἀεὶ βέλτῑον (scil. ἐπιμελεῖται) ἢ ἡμεῖς ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιμελούμεθα fortune, which always cares better for us than we for ourselves D. 4.12. Also as in English: ὅ τι δὲ μέλλετε (πρά̄σσειν), . . . εὐθὺς . . . πρά̄σσετε but whatever you intend, do it at once T. 7.15. In comparative clauses with οὐχ ὥσπερ (or ὡς) the main and the subordinate clause are sometimes compressed, the predicate of the clause with οὐχ being supplied from the ὥσπερ clause, which is made independent; as οὐχ (οὐδὲν ἂν ἐγίγνετο)
it would not be as now, when none of these things is done for himὥσπερ νῦν τούτων οὐδὲν γίγνεται περὶ αὐτόν
ANTICIPATION (OR PROLEPSIS)
2182
The subject of the dependent clause is often anticipated and made the object of the verb of the principal clause. This transference, which gives a more prominent place to the subject of the subordinate clause, is called anticipation or prolepsis (πρόληψις taking before).
but I fear lest she may devise something untowardδέδοικα δ᾽ αὐτὴν μή τι βουλεύσῃ νέον
he knew that he held the centre of the Persian armyᾔδει αὐτὸν ὅτι μέσον ἔχοι τοῦ Περσικοῦ στρατεύματος
he took care that they should always continue to be slavesἐπεμέλετο αὐτῶν ὅπως ἀεὶ ἀνδράποδα διατελοῖεν
a. Anticipation is especially common after verbs of saying, seeing, hearing, knowing, fearing, effecting.
b. When a subordinate clause defines a verbal idea consisting of a verb and a substantive, its subject may pass into the principal clause as a genitive depending on the substantive of that clause:
and there came straightway to the Athenians also the report that the cities had revoltedἦλθε δὲ καὶ τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις εὐθὺς ἡ ἀγγελίᾱ τῶ πόλεων ὅτι ἀφεστᾶσι
c. The subject of the dependent clause may be put first in its own clause:
let us try to say what courage isἐπιχειρήσωμεν εἰπεῖν, ἀνδρείᾱ τί ποτ᾽ ἐστίν
d. The object of the subordinate clause may be anticipated and made the object of the principal clause. Thus,
Darius asked if he understood the artεἰρώτᾱ ὁ Δᾱρεῖος τὴν τέχνην εἰ ἐπίσταιτο
e. A still freer use is seen in ἐθαύμαζεν αὐτὸν ὁ Λύ̄σανδρος ὡς καλὰ τὰ δένδρα εἴη Lysander marvelled at the beauty of his trees (for τὰ δένδρα αὐτοῦ ὡς κτλ.) X. O. 4. <*>.
ASSIMILATION OF MOODS
2183
The mood of a subordinate clause which is intimately connected with the thought of the clause on which it depends, is often assimilated to the mood of that clause. Such subordinate clauses may be simply dependent or sub-dependent (2180).
a. This idiom is most marked in Unreal and Less Vivid Future conditions where the mood of the protasis is the same as that of the principal clause. It is also very common when a past indicative or an optative attracts the mood of a subordinate clause introduced by a relative word referring to indefinite persons or things or to an indefinite time or place. But subordinate clauses standing in a less close relation to the main clause, because they do not continue the same mental attitude but present a new shade of thought, retain their mood unassimilated; e.g. a relative clause, or a temporal clause expressing purpose, after an unreal condition may stand in the optative (Is. 4.11, P. R. 600e). On the other hand, there are many cases where the writer may, or may not, adopt modal assimilation without any great difference of meaning. The following sections give the chief occurrences of mood-assimilation apart from that found in Unreal and Less Vivid Future conditions (2302, 2329):
2184
An indicative referring simply to the present or past remains unassimilated.
may this result as we desireξυνενέγκοι μὲν ταῦτα ὡς βουλόμεθα
but may that prevail which is likely to be for the common wealνῑκῴη δ᾽ ὅ τι πᾶσιν μέλλει συνοίσειν
2185
Assimilation to the Indicative.—The subordinate clause takes a past tense of the indicative in dependence on a past tense of the indicative (or its equivalent) denoting unreality.
a. Conditional relative clauses: εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἦν μοι χρήματα, ἐτῑμησάμην ἂν χρημάτων ὅσα ἔμελλον ἐκτείσειν for if I had money, I should have assessed my penalty at the full sum that I was likely to pay P. A. 38b,
if I brought in as evidence against him matters which I did not know certainly but had learned by hearsay, he would have said that he was suffering a grave injustice at my handsεἰ . . . κατεμαρτύρουν ἃ μὴ σαφῶς ᾔδη ἀκοῇ δὲ ἠπιστάμην, δεινὰ ἂν ἔφη πάσχειν ὑπ᾽ ἐμοῦ
b. Temporal clauses:
I would not have ceased until I had made trial of this wisdomοὐκ ἂν ἐπαυόμην . . ., ἕως ἀπεπειρά̄θην τῆς σοφίᾱς ταυτησί̄
they ought not to have given advice concerning the matters of common agreement before they instructed us on the matters in disputeἐχρῆν . . . μὴ πρότερον περὶ τῶν ὁμολογουμένων συμβουλεύειν, πρὶν πρὶν περὶ τῶν ἀμφισβητουμένων ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξαν
c. Final clauses: here the principal clause is an unfulfilled wish, an unfulfilled apodosis, or a question with οὐ; and the indicative in the final clause denotes that the purpose was not or cannot be attained, and cannot be reached by the will of the speaker. Thus, εἰ γὰρ ὤφελον οἷοί τε εἶναι οἱ πολλοὶ τὰ μέγιστα κακὰ ἐργάζεσθαι, ἵνα οἷοί τε ἦσαν καὶ ἀγαθὰ τὰ μέγιστα would that the many were able to work the greatest evil in order that they might be able (as they are not) to work also the greatest good P. Cr. 44d,
I should have liked Simon to be of the same opinion as myself in order that you might easily have rendered a just verdictἐβουλόμην ἂν Σίμωνα τὴν αὐτὴν γνώμην ἐμοὶ ἔχειν ἵνα . . . ῥᾳδίως ἔγνωτε τὰ δίκαια
I ought to have taken security at the time in order that he could not have deceived us even if he wishedἔδει τὰ ἐνέχυρα τότε λαβεῖν, ὡς μηδ᾽ ει᾽ ἐβούλετο ἐδύνατο ἐξαπατᾶν
N. 1.—In this (post-Homeric) construction, ἵνα is the regular conjunction in prose; ὡς and ὅπως are rare. ἄν is very rarely added and is suspected (Is. 11.6, P. L. 959e).
N. 2.—Assimilation does not take place when the final clause is the essential thing and sets forth a real future purpose of the agent of the leading verb, or does not show whether or not the purpose was realized. This occurs especially after ἵνα = eo consilio ut, rarely after ὅπως (X. A. 7.6.16); after ὡς only in poetry and Xenophon. The subjunctive or optative is used when the purpose of the agent, and not the non-fulfilment of the action, is emphasized. Thus,
you ought either not to have proposed this law or to have repealed the other; not to have thrown everything into confusion to accomplish your desireκαίτοι χρῆν σε . . . ἢ τοῦτον μὴ γράφειν ἢ ἐκεῖνον λύ̄ειν, οὐχ, ἵν᾽ ὃ βούλει σὺ γένηται, πάντα τὰ πρά̄γματα συνταράξαι
d. Causal clauses (rarely, as D. 50.67). Modal assimilation never takes place in indirect questions or in clauses dependent on a verb of fearing.
2186
Assimilation to the Optative.—When an optative of the principal clause refers to future time (potential optative and optative of wish), the subordinate clause takes the optative by assimilation in the following cases.
a. Conditional relative clauses (regularly): πῶς γὰρ ἄν (1832) τις, ἅ γε μὴ ἐπίσταιτο, ταῦτα σοφὸς εἴη; for how could any one be wise in that which he does not know? X. M. 4.6.7, τίς μῑσεῖν δύναιτ᾽ ἄν ὑφ᾽ οὗ εἰδείη καλός τε καὶ ἀγαθὸς νομιζόμενος; who could hate one by whom he knew that he was regarded as both beautiful and good? X. S. 8. 17,
would that every man would practise the craft that he understoodἔρδοι τις ἣν ἕκαστος εἰδείη τέχνην
would that some one would come to report within my tale of woeὅστις διαγγείλειε τἀ̄μ᾽ εἴσω κακά
N. 1.—If the relative has a definite antecedent, assimilation does not take place; but not all relative clauses with an indefinite antecedent are assimilated. Cp.
as each one of you would be ashamed to leave the post to which he may be appointed in warὥσπερ ἂν ὑ̄μῶν ἕκαστος αἰσχυνθείη τὴν τάξιν λιπεῖν ἣν ἂν ταχθῇ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ
N. 2.—A relative clause depending on an infinitive rarely takes the optative:
one should abstain from saying oneself what one does not know for certainἀλλὰ τοῦ μὲν αὐτὸν λέγειν ἃ μὴ σαφῶς εἰδείη εἵργεσθαι δεῖ
b. Temporal clauses (regularly): τεθναίην, ὅτε μοι μηκέτι ταῦτα μέλοι may I die when these things no longer delight me Mimnermus 1. 2,
he who starves of his own free will can eat whenever he wishesὁ μὲν ἑκὼν πεινῶν φάγοι ἂν ὁπότε βούλοιτο
perish not yet . . . until I learnὄλοιο μήπω, πρὶν μάθοιμι
I shall not be leaving until the gathering in the market-place is quite dispersedοὐκ ἂν ἀπέλθοιμι πρὶν ἂν παντάπᾱσιν ἡ ἀγορὰ̄ λυθῇ
c. Final and object clauses (rarely in prose, but occasionally after an optative of wish in poetry): πειρῴμην (ἂν) μὴ πρόσω ὑ̄μῶν εἶναι, ἵνα, εἴ που καιρὸς εἴη, ἐπιφανείην I will try to keep not far away from you, in order that, if there should be any occasion, I may show myself X. C. 2.4.17 (and five other cases in Xen.);
may she come to prove my liberator from this afflictionἔλθοι ὅπως γένοιτο τῶνδ᾽ ἐμοὶ λυτήριος
I should hesitate to embark on the vessels which Cyrus might give us lest he sink usὀκνοίην ἂν εἰς τὰ πλοῖα ἐμβαίνειν ἃ Κῦρος ἡμῖν δοίη μὴ ἡμᾶς . . . καταδύ̄σῃ
let me die, when I have punished him who has done me wrong, that I may not remain here a laughing-stockτεθναίην, δίκην ἐπιθεὶς τῷ ἀδικοῦντι, ἵνα μὴ ἐνθάδε μένω καταγέλαστος
d. Indirect questions, when the direct question was a deliberative subjunctive:
if you should escape, you would not know what to do with yourselfοὐκ ἂν ἔχοις ἐξελθὼν ὅ τι χρῷο σαυτῷ
if it should be settled who must lead the squareεἰ ἀποδειχθείη τίνας χρὴ ἡγεῖσθαι τοῦ πλαισίου
e. Very rarely in relative clauses of purpose (P. R. 578e possibly); after ὥστε (X. C. 5.5.30), and in dependent statements with ὅτι or ὡς (X. C. 3.1.28).
f. Assimilation and non-assimilation may occur in the same sentence (E. Bacch. 1384 ff.)
2187
An optative referring to general past time in a general supposition usually assimilates the mood of a conditional relative or temporal clause depending on that optative.
ἔχαιρεν ὁπότε τάχιστα τυχόντας ὧν δέοιντο ἀποπέμποι but he was wont to rejoice whenever he dismissed without delay his petitioners with their requests granted (lit. obtaining what they wanted) X. Ag. 9. 2. But the indicative may remain unassimilated, as
and he was wont to honour with an invitation any whom he saw practising anything that he himself wished them to doἐκάλει δὲ καὶ ἐτί̄μᾱ ὁπότε τινὰς ἴδοι τοιοῦτόν τι ποιήσαντας ὃ αὐτὸς ἐβούλετο ποιεῖν
So when the optative refers to past time through dependence on a verb of past time, as
summoning his friends he used to carry on a serious conversation with them in order to show whom he honouredπροσκαλῶν τοὺς φίλους ἐσπουδαιολογεῖτο ὡς δηλοίη οὓς τῑμᾷ
2188
Assimilation to the Subjunctive.—Conditional relative clauses and temporal clauses referring to future or general present time, if dependent on a subjunctive, take the subjunctive.
a. In reference to future time: τῶν πρᾱγμάτων τοὺς βουλευομένους (ἡγεῖσθαι δεῖ),
men of counsel must guide events in order that what they resolve shall be accomplishedἵν᾽ ἃ̄ν ἐκείνοις δοκῇ, ταῦτα πρά̄ττηται
b. In reference to general present time:
nor when he has become master of what he purchases, does he any longer employ the traitor to advise him concerning his plans for the futureοὐδ᾽, ἐπειδὰν ὧν ἂν πρίηται κύ̄ριος γένηται, τῷ προδότῃ συμβούλῳ περὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἔτι χρῆται
Herbert Weir Smyth.
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