difficulties with -exontes

[chiron2b]

[face=SPIonic][size=18=12]I am having trouble with a few words which I believe are related. I do not understand grammatically what they mean, nor how they are formed. (Are they nouns, participles, verb endings??) I have preceded these words with **2stars. All and any help will be appreciated.[/face][/size]<br /><br /> ...[face=SPIonic]kai\ tou\j me\n o(pli/taj au)tou= e)ke/leuse me/nein, ta\j a)spi/daj pro\j ta\ go/nota **e)/xontaj[/face][face=SPIonic][size=18=12]<br /> ...and the hoplites he commanded to remain there, their shields against their knees (held "-as" matching aspidas??)[/face][/size]<br /><br /> ...[face=SPIonic]tw=n de\ Me/nwnos straiwtw=n cu/la sxi/zwn **tij Kle/arxon **dielau/nonta peira=tai ba/llein th=| a)ci/nh|[/face][face=SPIonic][size=18=12]<br /> ...of the soldiers of Menon wood splitting, (some) at Clearchus (riding through) attempt to hit by [Dat] means of the axe[/face][/size]<br /><br /> ...[face=SPIonic]e)k tau/thj oi) stratiw=tai h)go/razon ta\ e)pith/deia, to\n potamo\n **diabai/nontej sxedi/aij w(=de.[/face][face=SPIonic][size=18=12] <br /> …from this [city, Charmande] the soldiers were buying the supplies, the river (crossing-pl.nom.?) by [Dat] means of rafts thusly.<br /><br /> --Thanks everybody<br />[/face][/size]

[Skylax]

...kai\ tou\j me\n o(pli/taj au)tou= e)ke/leuse me/nein, ta\j a)spi/daj pro\j ta\ go/nota **e)/xontaj<br /> ...and the hoplites he commanded to remain there, their shields against their knees (held "-as" matching aspidas??)<br /><br />e)/xontaj active present participle from e)/xw Acc. masc. pl. matching o(pli/taj "holding their shields", here equivalent to a predicative adjective.<br /><br /> ...tw=n de\ Me/nwnos straiwtw=n cu/la sxi/zwn **tij Kle/arxon **dielau/nonta peira=tai ba/llein th=| a)ci/nh|<br /> ...of the soldiers of Menon wood splitting, (some) at Clearchus (riding through) attempt to hit by [Dat] means of the axe<br /><br />tij "someone" indefinite pronoun, Nominative masc. sg. Subject of peira=tai "someone of the soldiers..attempted"<br /> <br /> ...e)k tau/thj oi) stratiw=tai h)go/razon ta\ e)pith/deia, to\n potamo\n **diabai/nontej sxedi/aij w(=de.<br /> …from this [city, Charmande] the soldiers were buying the supplies, the river (crossing-pl.nom.?) by [Dat] means of rafts thusly.<br /><br />diabai/nontej "crossing", nominative matching oi( stratiw=tai : the soldiers need to cross the river to reach the market on the opposite bank.<br /><br />Regards<br />Fernand

[annis]

All of these [face=SPIonic]-wn, -onta, -ontej[/face] endings are participles of verbs.<br /><br />Participles, especially the present ([face=SPIonic]-wn, -ousa, -on[/face]), are the most occuring forms of verbs it turns out.<br /><br />Look up the participle declensions in any Greek grammar, and commit these to memory. Greek without participles is hardly Greek at all.<br /><br />--<br />wm