Weak Nouns (n-Stems)
Core drill · 200×
0 / 200 correct repetitions
The Weak or n-Declension
Historical Grammar
CHAPTER XI.
THE CONSONANT DECLENSIONS OF NOUNS.
The Weak or n-Declension.
The n-Declension contains almost all of the O.E. nouns belonging to the Consonant Declensions. The stem characteristic n has been preserved in the oblique cases, so that there is no difficulty in distinguishing n-stems from the preceding vowel stems.
The n-Declension includes (a) masculines, (b) feminines, and (c) neuters. The masculines far outnumber the feminines, and the neuters contain only ēage, eye and ēare, ear. The masculines end in –a, the feminines and neuters in –e.
Paradigms of (a) sē hunta, hunter; (b) sēo tunge, tongue; (c) ðæt ēage, eye:
| Case | sē hunta hunter |
sēo tunge tongue |
ðæt ēage eye |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sing. | |||
| N. | hunt-a | tung-e | ēag-e |
| G.D.I. | hunt-an | tung-an | ēag-an |
| A. | hunt-an | tung-an | ēag-e |
| Plur. | |||
| N.A. | hunt-an | tung-an | ēag-an |
| G. | hunt-ena | tung-ena | ēag-ena |
| D.I. | hunt-um | tung-um | ēag-um |
Historical Exercises & Reading
66. EXERCISES.
I. 1. Sē scēowyrthta brȳcð his ǣmettan.
2. Dā guman biddað ðǣm cnapan ðæs adesan.
3. Hwā is sē cuma?
4. Hielpst ðū ðǣm bǫnan?
5. Ic him ne helpe.
6. Dā bearn scęððað ðæs bǫnan ēagum and ēarum.
7. Sē cuma cwielð on ðǣre cirican.
8. Sē hunta wiðstęnt ðǣm wulfum.
9. Dā oxan berað ðæs cnapan gefēran.
10. Sē mona ǫnd ðā tunglu sind on ðǣm heofonum.
11. Ðā huntan healdað ðǣre nǣdran tungan.
12. Hē hiere giefð ðā giefa.
13. Ðā werod scęððað ðæs cyninges feldum.
II. 1. Who will bind the mouths of the oxen?
2. Who gives him the gifts?
3. Thou art helping him, and I am injuring him.
4. The boy’s companion is dying.
5. His nephew does not enjoy his leisure.
6. The adder’s tongue injures the king’s companion.
7. The sun is the day’s eye.
8. She asks the strangers for the spears.
9. The men’s bodies are not here.
10. Is he not (Nis hē) the child’s murderer?
11. Who creates the bodies and souls of men?
12. Thou withstandest her.
13. He is not writing.
Loquentes Practice Reference
Our drill practices nama, tunge and ēage. Smith §64 is cross-referenced twice in the Summary of Declensions ("declined like hunta (§ 64)").