Athenaze Exercise 5θ

Composition exercises from textbooks. Post answers here for correction.
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Prisca7of9
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Athenaze Exercise 5θ

Post by Prisca7of9 »

I hope this is the right place to post this. It seems to match the description but no one else seems to be using it ...
I'm hoping someone will have a moment to quickly check my translation English to Greek. I'm getting a bit flustered by all the enclitics/proclitics, accents, post-positives etc. I've a done a lot of reading Greek, but am finding writing it very challenging. Anyway, thanks in advance.

1. We no longer see many wolves in the hills, and they rarely come down into the fields.

οὐκέτι ὁρῶμεν πολλούς λύκους ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσιν, οἱ δὲ σπανίως καταβαίνουσιν εἰς τοὺς ἀγρούς.
2. So we are amazed that Philip has killed a wolf.

θαυμάζομεν οὖν ὅτι ὁ Φίλιππος λύκον ἀπέκτονεν.
3. The same boy guards the flocks well, but he does not always speak the truth.

ὁ αὐτὸς παῖς εὖ φυλάττει τὰ πρόβατα, δὲ οὐκ ἀεὶ λέγει τὰ ἀληθῆ.
4. So we ourselves intend to hurry to the hill and look for the body.

αὐτοὶ οὖν ἐν νῷ ἐχόμεν σπεύδειν πρὸς τὸ ὅρος καὶ ζητεῖν τὸν νεκρὸν.

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bedwere
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Re: Athenaze Exercise 5θ

Post by bedwere »

In 3, I'd use οὐδέ instead of δὲ οὐκ, since δέ cannot stand fist. Also I'd add a μέν in the first part. Also a μέν in the first part of 1.

Prisca7of9
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Re: Athenaze Exercise 5θ

Post by Prisca7of9 »

bedwere wrote: Sun Apr 18, 2021 7:06 pm In 3, I'd use οὐδέ instead of δὲ οὐκ, since δέ cannot stand fist. Also I'd add a μέν in the first part.
Many thanks, bedwere. I knew there was a reason I wasn't happy with that δὲ οὐκ in 3, but couldn't think why. I see that οὐδέ is exactly what I should have done, along with the μέν.
Just realised I also left a grave hanging on νεκρὸν in 4.
Also a μέν in the first part of 1.
I had to think about this. I thought μέν indicates a contrast, but I see it can also indicate an addition or elucidation, and can now see your point.
Gosh, so much to learn. Thanks again.

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bedwere
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Re: Athenaze Exercise 5θ

Post by bedwere »

Welcome! You more Greek you read, the easier it will be for you to imitate the style. Keep up the good work!

mwh
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Re: Athenaze Exercise 5θ

Post by mwh »

Hello again Prisca. With all respect to bedwere, I would not add a μέν in #3, and certainly not in #1.
If you want to add it in #3, the best word order would probably be ὁ αὐτὸς παῖς τὰ πρόβατα μὲν εὖ φυλάττει, τἀληθῆ δ’ οὐκ ἀεὶ λέγει. I wouldn’t use οὐδέ (which more often means "and not," not "but not"). Better would be to use μέντοι in the second half and no particle in the first half, but perhaps μέντοι is not yet in your repertoire.
If he’ll forgive me for saying so, I think overuse of μὲν … δέ has come to be a bad habit of bedwere’s. It can result in stilted and unnatural Greek. Manipulation of word order is often all that’s needed.

Prisca7of9
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Re: Athenaze Exercise 5θ

Post by Prisca7of9 »

Many thanks for your help, mwh. You're correct that I haven't come across μέντοι yet (I don't think it's even introduced until book II), but it does look like it would do the job.
I must admit I've lost a bit of heart about trying to translate to Greek. I can generally get the sense of the Greek in the exercises and the stories (and thence translate to English well enough), but I find the subtleties of conjunctions and word order are defeating me when it comes to trying to sculpt a legitimate Greek sentence from the English. I suppose I need to pay more attention to the word order as I'm reading and try to mimic it in my writing.
It's frustrating not having access to the instructor's manual for the 3rd edition, as then I could check my answers against what they think I should know by this point. But ... it is what it is.
Thanks again. All much appreciated.

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Re: Athenaze Exercise 5θ

Post by mwh »

Prisca, you really have no reason to lose heart. Composition is difficult, and you are doing excellently with the exercises. I honestly mean that. Mistakes are inevitable, but you make remarkably few, far fewer than most students, and your level of performance is genuinely impressive. It takes a long long time and lots of experience to get properly comfortable with conjunctions and word order. Most people never do, even after many years of reading and studying. And particles are the most difficult things in Greek. Very few people acquire real competence in them, and you with your limited acquaintance with them (so far!) can’t hope to use them any better than you have been doing.

You’re going about things in just the right way. I’m sorry I no longer have Athenaze (maybe it’s stashed away in a box somewhere), but I am well familiar with it. I used to teach with it.

Prisca7of9
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Re: Athenaze Exercise 5θ

Post by Prisca7of9 »

Thank you so much for those kind words. That was just the encouragement I needed.

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