§ 12. When two consonants come together the first is made homogeneous with the second, as follows:--§ 13. Mutes of a different class must have the same degree of hardness according to the following classification:--

§ 14. A smooth final mute is roughened before a vowel with the rough breathing. A rough mute is not doubled, nor can successive syllables begin with an aspirate. A tau-mute is sometimes dropped before σ, and always before κ; before a different tau-mute it is changed into σ.§ 15. Before μ a kappa-mute is changed into γ, a pi-mute into μ, and a tau-mute into σ.§ 16. ν before a kappa-mute becomes γ, before a pi-mute μ, before a liquid (λ, μ, ν, or ρ) it is changed into the same liquid, before σ or ζ it is dropped.§ 17. ν is appended to certain endings in σι or ε before a pause or a vowel.§ 18. There are several other less important rules, and some exceptions to most of the above.§ 19. A long vowel or diphthong is used as an equivalent for two (usually short) vowels in immediate succession, or as a compensation for the omission of a consonant, sometimes for both.§ 20. The changes in the union of two vowels are various, depending upon their comparative strength, position, and relation to the long vowels, or diphthongs respectively. They are readily learned by practice.§ 21. Compensation is not always thus made for the omission of a consonant. Sometimes the omission occurs too far back in the derivation to be easily traced.§ 22. A final vowel is sometimes elided before another vowel, and its place indicated by the apostrophe, (').§ 23. There are several dialects, which chiefly affect the vowels, (like provincial pronunciation;) but in later Greek (to which the New Testament belongs) they were merged in "the common dialect," the Attic pre-dominating.

NOUNS.

Nouns are of three declensions, three genders, three numbers, and five cases, all indicated by changes of termination.§ 24. The declensions (numbered 1, 2, and 3) are only different modes of inflection.§ 25. Names and designations of males, nations, the months, rivers, and winds, are almost invariably masculine; those of females, countries, islands, cities, trees, and plants, are usually feminine; of the neuter gender are most names of fruits and diminutives, and always the names of the letters, infinitives, clauses, indeclinable words, and words used as the symbol of a sound. In the third declension especially the (grammatical) gender in many instances is arbitrary.§ 26. The singular and plural are used as in English. The dual denotes two or a pair; it is comparatively rare, and never occurs in the New Testament.§ 27. The cases express the relations of words to each other in a sentence, as follows:--

§ 28. The following are the terminations of the First Declension:--

§ 29. The α in the terminations of the singular is mostly used when ρ, ε,or ι precedes it; and in the Nom., Acc., and Voc. when λ or σ, and frequently when ν, precedes it. A few nouns have α in the Gen. sing.