THE GENITIVE

This case by reason of linguistic growth seems to be a merger of various various widely differing cases of the Indo-European mother language.

Basic functions: 1) that which is related to another thing (which is normally expressed by a substantive); 2) that from which a separation is effected.

Functions in everyday practice:

I. Attracted (i.e. the occurrence of certain words creates an expectation that a Genitive will accompany them – this expectation is not necessarily fulfilled. The lexicon usually mentions this G as accompaniment of the word):

a) Prepositions (underlined are those accompanied by no other case than the G): ἀμφὶ/ἀμφ΄,ἀνὰ/ἀν΄,ἄνεὺ, ἀντὶ/ἀντ’/ἀνθ΄, ἀπὸ/ἀπ’/ἀφ΄, διὰ/δι΄, ἐκ/ἐξ, ἕνεκα (the accompanying G usually precedes the preposition!), ἐπὶ/ἐπ΄/ἐφ΄, κατὰ/κατ’/καθ΄, μετὰ/μετ’/μεθ΄, παρὰ/παρ΄, περὶ, προ, πρὸς, ὑπὲρ, ὑπὸ/ὑπ’/ὑφ΄; also there are some other words that may take on a prepositional function. Examples: ἀμφοτέρωθεν, ἀτὲρ, ἀχρὶ, βίᾳ, δίκην, δίχα, ἐγγὺς, εἴσω, ἕκας, ἑκατέρωθεν, ἐκτὸς, ἔμπροσθεν, ἐναντί(ον), ἐνδὸν, ἕως, λάθρᾳ, μεταξὺ, μέχρι(ς), νόσφι, ὄπισθεν, παρὸς, πέρα(ν), πλὴν, πλήσιον, πόρρω, πρόσω, χάριν, χώρις

b) Verbs of certain meanings sometimes or always summon a G where we would expect an Ac, as object (the verbs enumerated below are but examples: other verbs of similar meaning also command the G):

            i) to remind, to remember, to forget  (ἀναμιμνήσκω,                                               ἐπιλανθάνομαι, μιμνήσκω, μνημονεύω),                     

                ii)  to care for, to neglect (ἀμελέω, ἐπιμελέομαι, κήδομαι, κομίζω,                      μέλει, μεταμέλει, προνοέω, φροντίζω),

            iii) to rule (ἄρχω, -ομαι, βασιλεύω, κρατέω),

            iv) to win, to lose (ἡττάομαι, κρατέω, περιγίγνομαι),

            v) judicial verbs such as: to sentence, to acquit, to accuse

                (the crime and/or the perpetrator cοmes in   the G) (αἰτιάομαι,                        διακρίνω, ἐπικαλέω, καταγιγνώσκω, κατηγορέω, κρίνω),

            vi) to admire for, to despise (for) (ἄγαμαι, θαυμάζω, καταγελάω,                          καταφρονέω,  μακαρίζω, ὀλιγωρέω); either the person                    admired  (etc.) or the cause of the emotion (even both)
                   are in the G

            vii) verbs for commercial activities such as: to buy, to sell, to hire

                   (the price is in the G) (ἀγοράζω, ἀξιόω, ἀποδίδομαι, ἐπριάμην,                            ὠνέομαι),

            viii) to be/give/take part (κοινωνέω, λαγχάνω, μεταδίδωμι, μετέχω,                            πλεονεκτέω),

            ix) to profit by, to enjoy (ἀπολαύω, λαύω, ὀνίνημι, ψαύω),

            x) to cease, to begin, to stop (ἄρχομαι, λήγω, παύω),

            xi) to remove from (ἀπαλλάττω, ἀπέχω, ἀπολύω, γυμνόω, διαφέρω,                         εἴργω, ἐλευθερόω, καθαίρω,  κενόω, κωλύω, λύω, ὁρίζω, στερέω,                         χωρίζω),

            xii) to miss, to need, (δεῖ, δέομαι, διψήω, ἔραμαι, ἐράω, ἱμείρομαι,                           ὀρέγομαι, πεινήω),            

            xiii) to ask for, to desire (δέομαι, ἐπιθυμέω, ἐφίεμαι),
            xiv) to notice, to perceive (αἰσθάνομαι, ἀκούω),
            xv) to take hold of (ἅπτομαι, λαμβάνομαι),            
            xvi) to learn from/of (μανθάνω),

            xvii) to attempt (πειράομαι),

            xviii) to hit, to miss, to aim at (ἁμαρτάνω, στοχάζομαι, τιτύσκω),

            xix) to fill with, to lack, to abound (ἀπορέω, γέμω, εὐπορέω, κενόω,

                           κορέννυμι, πίμπλημι, πλεονεκτέω, πληρόω),

            xx) to partake of (γεύομαι, ἐσθίω, πίνω),

            xxi) to touch, to attain (ἅπτομαι, ἔχομαι, θιγγάνω, κιχάνω, κύρω,                             λαγχάνω, τυγχάνω)

c) i) Most adjectives that are incomplete without some complement, such as ‘desirous of’, ‘averse to’ etc. are complemented by a G. A far from exhaustive list: αἴτιος, ἀκρατής, (ἀν)αξιος, ἀμελής, (ἀ)μνήμων, ἄπειρος, διάφορος, ἐγκρατής, ἐλεύθερος, ἔμπειρος, ἐνδεής, ἐπίθυμος, ἐπιμελής, ἔρημος, ἴδιος, ἱερός, κένος, κοινός, κύριος, μεστός, μέτοχος, (ἔμ)πλεως, πλήρης, πλήσιος, ὑπεύθυνος, ὑπήκοος, ὑποτελής.

All the above Genitives are treated lexically; when consulting the lexicon, due attention must be paid to these aspects.

ii) Comparatives may be accompanied by a G, signifying that to which       the comparison is made: Μείζων τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ εἰμί. I am bigger than my brother.

[The same may be expressed with ἢ: Μείζων εἰμὶ ἢ ὁ ἀδελφός.]

II. Not attracted:

a) adjuncted to substantives (mostly placed attributively):

            i) possessive G (the possessor): ὁ τοῦ πατρὸς ἵππος (my father’s horse)

            ii) objective G: ἡ τῶν παιδῶν κόλασις (the punishment of the children)

            iii) subjective G: ὁ τῶν παιδῶν θόρυβος (the childrens’ noise)

            iv) partitive G: πλῆθος οἴνου (an amount of wine)

            v) G of origin: Περικλῆς ὁ Ξανθίππου (Pericles, son of Xanthippos)

            vi) G of material: ξίφος χάλκου  (a sword of bronze)

            vii) explicative G: ἡ τῆς ῥητορικῆς τέχνη (the art of rhetoric)

            viii) G of numerical indications: παῖς τριῶν ἐτῶν (a child of
                          three years  old)

b) adverbial:

            i) G of time (recurring times): τῆς μὲν νυκτός καθεύδομεν, αὔριον                      δ΄ἀνιστάμεθα. At night we sleep, and in the morning we rise.

            ii) G of cause: ὦ τῆς ὕβρεως (oh, what an insult).

                       [Generally this constitutes the whole phrase]

         iii) the G of an inf. with article sometimes occurs (in prose) as
                  an adjunct of purpose: τοῦ μὴ τὰ δίκαια ποιεῖν (in order not to
                       do justice)           

            iv) absolute Genitive: see participle.

III. Agreeing Genitives, θαυμάζω σου τῆς δεινῆς ῥητορικῆς.  I   admire             your terrific eloquence