holmes: composition ok verbs with prepositions. 127 



elements affect the composition of verbs with prepositions, so far 

 as indicated by the language of Thucydides; and what light they 

 throw on the questions of range, affinity, favoritism, loss of color, 

 &c., announced at the beginning of our discussion. 



Perhaps the most practical way of getting at a result is to collect 

 all the verbs having the greatest combinable range of prepositions 

 together, and place side by side with them those verbs having the 

 next highest range, and so on to a point where a clear observation 

 can be made of the change which takes place in the kind, direction 

 or character of the motion expressed b}' them, as their prepositional 

 ranges become narrower. See page 16 of the accompanying sta- 

 tistical tables for a list arranged for this purpose. 



As I have already shown, relatively pure motion is best seen in 

 eifjiL, epxofiaL (iXOtlv) and ^aivw. This motion is stamped with a certain 

 character in the verbs /3aAAw, ayw, e^o), cfiipw, &c., is given manner 

 in TrXe'w, TTLTTTw, LaTTjfXL, 6i(x>, &c., direction in i^'kw, AetVa), cTro/xai, Shokw, 

 &c. , while in verbs like /xaxo/Aat, dvayKalo), &c. . the color of the ac- 

 tion is more prominent than the notion of motion, which continues 

 to grow less in ap^o), Sew, yeXdw, and is scarcely felt at all in dSiKcw. 



€VOU), OvrjCTKO). 



The same variation in color is also seen in verbs expressing 

 potential motion. Thus, in verbs of existence, dp,l and yiyvop-ai 

 may be taken as being most nearly colorless. The metaphysical 

 idea of motion in such verbs often becomes physical when given 

 direction. But the idea of motion fades out as the idea of exist- 

 ence gives place to condition. Cf. ^aw, evSixifxovew . 



In like manner, in the case of verbs of speech, (iyoptvw, tmov 

 and Xiyoi {<j>y]pl not occurring in composition ) may be said to be 

 most nearly colorless. But the idea of speech assumes character 

 in KoXioy and ypd(f>w,* still more so in f3odw, SeUvvfjiL, still more so in 

 ij/rjdi^w-oixaL. ofxi'vjxi, fxapTvpi(x}-op.'xu and becomes faint in StSao-Kw, 

 bfJioXoyiis). 



Again in verbs of thought and perception. This variety of 

 potential motion finds its purest expression in the verbs voioi-op.at, 

 ytyviixTKO} (oio/Aai not being used in composition), becoming colored 

 in KpLVix>-op.'xt on the one hand, and in etSov, opaw and aKovw on the oth- 

 er; while in fjufivrjo-Kw, (fio^eay and eATrt^w the mobility of the thought 

 is replaced by color, and in aio-^avo/xat and p.av6dvoi the notions of 

 thought and perception are mixed. 



It appears therefore from this general survey of the combinable 

 verbs, with the aid of the statistical tables given below, that the 



*The constructions of ypd(f><D justify this classifleation. 



