Chapter VII: (b) #Neuter a-Stems.#

31. The neuter nouns of the a-Declension differ from the masculines only in the N.A. plural.

32. Paradigms of #ðæt hof#, _court, dwelling_; #ðaet bearn#, _child_; #ðæt bân#, _bone_; #ðæt rîce#, _kingdom_; #ðæt spere#, _spear_; #ðæt werod#, _band of men_; #ðæt tungol#, _star_:

_Sing. N.A._ hof bearn bân rîc-e
_G._ hof-es bearn-es bân-es rîc-es
_D.I._ hof-e bearn-e bân-e rîc-e

_Plur. N.A._ hof-u bearn bân rîc-u
_G._ hof-a bearn-a bân-a rîc-a
_D.I._ hof-um bearn-um bân-um rîc-um

_Sing. N.A._ sper-e werod tungol
_G._ sper-es werod-es tungl-es
_D.I._ sper-e werod-e tungl-e

_Plur. N.A._ sper-u werod tungl-u
_G._ sper-a werod-a tungl-a
_D.I._ sper-um werod-um tungl-um

33. The paradigms show (1) that monosyllables with short stems (#hof#) take -u in the N.A. plural; (2) that monosyllables with long stems (#bearn#, #bân#) do not distinguish the N.A. plural from the N.A. singular;[1] (3) that dissyllables in -e, whether the stem be long or short (#rîce#, #spere#), have -u in the N.A. plural; (4) that dissyllables ending in a consonant and having the first syllable short[2] (#werod#) do not usually distinguish the N.A. plural from the N.A. singular; (5) that dissyllables ending in a consonant and having the first syllable long (#tungol#) more frequently take -u in the N.A. plural.

NOTE.--Syncopation occurs as in the masculine a-stems. See
§ 27, (4).

[Footnote 1: Note the many nouns in Mn.E. that are unchanged in
the plural. These are either survivals of O.E. long stems,
_swine_, _sheep_, _deer_, _folk_, or analogical forms, _fish_,
_trout_, _mackerel_, _salmon_, etc.]

[Footnote 2: Dissyllables whose first syllable is a prefix are,
of course, excluded. They follow the declension of their last
member: #gebed#, _prayer_, #gebedu#, _prayers_; #gefeoht#,
_battle_, #gefeoht#, _battles_.]

34. Present and Preterit Indicative of #habban#, _to have_:

PRESENT.

_Sing._ 1. Ic hæbbe, _I have_, or _shall have_.[3]
2. ðû hæfst (hafast), _thou hast_, or _wilt have_.
3. hê, hêo, hit hæfð (hafað),
_he, she, it has_, or _will have_.

_Plur._ 1. wê habbað, _we have_, or _shall have_.
2. gê habbað, _ye have_, or _will have_.
3. hîe habbað, _they have_, or _will have_.

PRETERIT.

_Sing._ 1. Ic hæfde _I had_.
2. ðû hæfdest, _thou hadst_.
3. hê, hêo, hit hæfde, _he, she, it had_.

_Plur._ 1. wê hæfdon, _we had_.
2. gê hæfdon, _ye had_.
3. hîe hæfdon, _they had_.

NOTE.--The negative #ne#, _not_, which always precedes its verb,
contracts with all the forms of #habban#. The negative loses its
e, #habban# its h. #Ne# + #habban# = #nabban#; #Ic ne hæbbe = Ic
næbbe#; #Ic ne hæfde = Ic næfde#, etc. The negative forms may be
got, therefore, by simply substituting in each case n for h.

[Footnote 3: See § 17, Note 1. Note that (as in #hwæl#, § 27,
(2)) æ changes to a when the following syllable contains a:
#hæbbe#, but #hafast#.]

35. VOCABULARY.

ðæt dæl, _dale_.
ðæt dêor, _animal_ [deer[4]].
ðæt dor, _door_.
ðæt fæt, _vessel_ [vat].
ðæt fy:r, _fire_.
ðæt gêar, _year_.
ðæt geoc, _yoke_.
ðæt geset, _habitation_ [settlement].
ðæt hêafod, _head_.
ðæt hûs, _house_.
ðæt lîc, _body_ [lich-gate].
ðæt lim, _limb_.
on (with dat.) _in_.
ðæt spor, _track_.
ðæt wæ:pen, _weapon_.
ðæt wîf, _wife, woman_.
ðæt wîte, _punishment_.
ðæt word, _word_.

[Footnote 4: The old meaning survives in Shakespeare's "Rats and
mice and such small deer," _King Lear_, III, iv, 144.]

36. EXERCISES.

I. 1. Hê hafað ðæs cyninges bearn. 2. Ðâ Wêalas habbað ðâ speru. 3. Ðâ wîf habbað ðâra secga wæ:pnu. 4. Ðû hæfst ðone fugol ond ðæt hûs ðæs hierdes. 5. Hæfð[5] hêo ðâ fatu[6]? 6. Hæfde hê ðæs wîfes lîc on ðæ:m hofe? 7. Hê næfde ðæs wîfes lîc; hê hæfde ðæs dêores hêafod. 8. Hæfð sê cyning gesetu on ðæ:m dæle? 9. Sê bôcere hæfð ðâ sêolas on ðæ:m hûse. 10. Gê habbað frêodôm.

II. 1. They have yokes and spears. 2. We have not the vessels in the house. 3. He had fire in the vessel. 4. Did the woman have (= Had the woman) the children? 5. The animal has the body of the woman's child. 6. I shall have the heads of the wolves. 7. He and she have the king's houses. 8. Have not (= #Nabbað#) the children the warrior's weapons?

[Footnote 5: See § 20, (2), (b).]

[Footnote 6: See § 27, (2).]