Sentence Structures

Sentence Structures

Most sentences in Meσoγeóiκa are equally statements as they are questions. This is with the exception of sentences with interrogative pronouns. If a sentence does not have an interrogative pronoun; one determines whether a sentence is a question or a statement simply by listening to the tone of the whole sentence.

The ideas of the sentence can be in any order depending on what the speaker is trying to emphasise the most. You begin with the idea you want to emphasise least and end with the idea you want to emphasise the most. There are a few exceptions.

(1) If we take the sentence, "Λo Máρκo θa δiaβaζángo λen Βiβλíen," where "λo Máρκo" is the subject, "θa δiaβaζángo" is the verb with the particle and "λen Βiβλíen" is the object, one can say this in any order he likes. Depending on the tone of the speaker, it could be interpreted as a question or a statement.

1) Λo Máρκo θa δiaβaζángo λen Βiβλíen.-Mark is reading the book. or Is Mark reading the book?
2) Λo Máρκo λen Βiβλíen θa δiaβaζángo.-Mark is reading the book. or Is Mark reading the book?
3) Θa δiaβaζángo λo Máρκo λen Βiβλíen.-Mark is reading the book. or Is Mark reading the book?
4) Θa δiaβaζángo λen Βiβλíen λo Máρκo .-Mark is reading the book. or Is Mark reading the book?
5) Λen Βiβλíen λo Máρκo θa δiaβaζángo.--Mark is reading the book. or Is Mark reading the book?
6) Λen Βiβλíen θa δiaβaζángo λo Máρκo.-Mark is reading the book. or Is Mark reading the book?

When talking Meσoγeóiκa, split your sentences into ideas. In the example above there are three ideas. That's why there are six different ways of saying the sentence. Start your sentence with the least important idea and go to the most emphatic idea. Although the six sentences above translate into English as being the same, really, they have a slightly different meaning. You cam use this to your advantage when you’re thinking of what you want to say when you have already started the sentence!

(2) If you have a sentence with a subject, verb, direct an indirect object, the possible ways of saying the sentence is more than six. In fact, it's twenty four. This is because you can put the ideas of the sentence in any order you like-depending on what the speaker thinks is the most important idea. This flexibility is due to the verbs and noun and adjectives having endings, which give information.

(3) Although the sentences above have a flexible order; the particle of the verb and the weak personal pronouns must always be in a set order. In fact, one must strictly use the following order to make sense.
(E+)F+D+C+B+A(+E)

A-verb
B-direct object (weak pronouns)
C-indirect object (weak pronouns)
D-negative particle (ie "no"-don't, not etc)
E-Rest of the sentence. Strong personal pronouns go here.
F-Particle indicating mood and tense of the verb.

(4) In the case of having an object, which one wants to emphasise, apart from putting it last in the sentence, one can use the following structure.
(C)+B+A(+C)
A-verb
B-objects as weak pronouns (the ones that must go before the verb)
C-objects as strong pronouns (the ones that must be treated as a noun) or nouns.

For example:
1) Θe λan donóne λan Κoκoλáτan.-"it+I gave+the+chocolate"-I gave the chocolate or Did I give the chocolate?
2) Λan Κoκoλáτan θe λan donóne.-"the+chocolate+it+I gave"-I gave the chocolate or Did I give the chocolate?
Here in the examples above, the same rules apply when talking about emphasis. Therefore, in the first example, "the chocolate" is emphasised more. It is very common to use a pronoun referring to a noun, which hasn’t been previously mentioned.

(5) When using nouns, the same rule of emphasis applies. For example, "Λa eμπoρτánτa Eκκλiσía." (The important church) can be said as "Λa Eκκλiσía eμπoρτánτa." (The church important).

To increase the emphasis of the adjective and possibly the noun we can use the following structure:
A+B+C+D or C+D+A+B
A-Article of the adjective
B-Adjective
C-Article of the noun
D-Noun
Therefore we can conclude the following.

1) Λa eμπoρτánτa Eκκλiσía. - Here, the word " Eκκλiσía" is more important than the word " eμπoρτánτa."
2) Λa Eκκλiσía eμπoρτánτa - Here, the word " eμπoρτánτa " is more important than the word " Eκκλiσía."
3) Λa eμπoρτánτa la Eκκλiσía - Here is the same deal with example 1 though there is more emphasis on " Eκκλiσía."
4) Eκκλiσía λa eμπoρτánτa. - Here is the same deal with example 2 though there is more emphasis on " eμπoρτánτa."

All four phrases above translate to "the important church." Although the translation for all four phrases are the same; the meaning of the phrase is not quite the same.

This is also used for a name of a person. For example, John Smith can be said λo John Smith and also λo John λo Smith. Obviously, you can’t say λo Smith λo John because it is a name and as such, it can’t be tampered with.

(6) As with normal sentence structures, adverbs follow the same rule of leaving the most important ideas to the end of the sentence. Here, you must be careful because adverbs describe adjectives, verbs and other adverbs. Within the sentences there are ideas and in those ideas there are possibly adverbs. One idea of a sentence can't split up in to two so one half can be at the start of the sentence and the other half at the end. Some adverbs like "very," "a little" etc can only go before the thing that they are describing because the meaning of the sentence will change.