Lesson 3 | The Second Noun Pattern, Prepositions, and Connectors
Grammar Point 3: Second Pattern Nouns
In Lesson 2, we learned about Greek nouns. Remember:
- Greek nouns have four parts: stem, case, gender, and number.
- A noun’s case–not word order–tells us its role in the sentence.
- There are five Greek cases that communicate particular roles:
- Nominative: The verb’s subject
- Genitive: A noun’s possessor (key word: “of”)
- Dative: The verb’s indirect object (key words: “to” or “for”)
- Accusative: The verb’s direct object
- Vocative: Direct address (when the author is speaking directly to someone or something)
- The First Noun Pattern
During this step, we will learn the Second Noun Pattern. Second pattern nouns:
- Are usually masculine or neuter
- Have ο-stems
Below is a chart of masculine nouns following the Second Noun Pattern. You do not need to memorize this chart.
Do you see how the endings match? These words follow the Second Noun Pattern for masculine nouns. Again, you do not need to memorize this chart.
Now, there is one more thing for second pattern nouns. Most second pattern nouns are either masculine or neuter, and neuter nouns follow a slightly different pattern. Compare λόγος (masculine) to ἔργον (neuter). You do not need to memorize this chart.
Notice second pattern nouns that are neuter:
- Follow the same pattern as masculine nouns in the genitive and dative cases
- Have the same form in the nominative, accusative, and vocative cases
So, the First and Second Noun Patterns look like this (pay attention to the endings). This is the chart you should memorize.
If you memorize this chart, you ought to be able to identify most first and second pattern nouns.
Let’s practice together. Use the following quizlet to practice parsing second pattern nouns.