Adjectives, part two: the predicate use

The attributive use of adjectives is much the same as their use in English, with the exception that the word order is more flexible.

The predicate use is different, however. It is best explained with an example:

καλός ο λόγος

These are the same three words as we started with last time, but the meaning is different. In this order, these words can be a full sentence:

The word is good.

What's different? We added 'is' in English; that is, the verb was understood in the Greek, but not explicitly expressed.

How can we tell if an adjective is being used attributively or as a predicate? As I mentioned last time, if the adjective is immediately preceded by the definite article, it is the attributive use:

ο άνθρωπος ο καλός . . . . . . . . . the good man

If the adjective is not preceded by the definite article, it is in the predicate position:

ο άνθρωπος καλός . . . . . . . . . . . the man is good

καλός ο άνθρωπος . . . . . . . . . . the man is good

Next time we will continue with a third use of adjectives: as substantives.

Χαίρετε!