Page:Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar (1910 Kautzsch-Cowley edition).djvu/330

 (in the not yet) earlier, before, for which  is also used. On the combination of two particles to express complex ideas (e.g. added to this, that=much more), see the Syntax,.

(c) Prepositions, which with the addition of the conjunction or  together form one single conjunction, e.g., prop. on account of the fact that;, and more frequently , after that; (with );  and. Sometimes, however, the conjunction in such cases is omitted, and the preposition itself used as a conjunction, e.g. (for ) although,.

So, at any rate, according to our linguistic principles. It would, however, be more correct to say, that instead of the intermediary the whole of the succeeding sentence is regarded as one substantival idea, under the immediate government of the preposition. In the same way, all prepositions governing the gerund in English may be paraphrased by conjunctions with the finite verb, see §§ 114 and 115, passim.

2. Besides those already mentioned, there are certain other small words now used as conjunctions, of which the derivation or original meaning is altogether obscure, thus, (also or before the second member of a double question), , , and others.

Rem. The pointing of the (originally, as still before  and—with a following —in  of the imperfect; cf. ) is in many respects analogous to that of the prefixes , ,  (–i), but as being a weak consonant, the  has some further peculiarities:

(a) Usually it takes simple.

(b) Before words which begin with a guttural having a, it takes the vowel with which the is compounded (according to ), e.g. , , , ,. On, &c., see ; on , &c., see ; on such cases as  , cf. .

(c) Before words with simple under the first consonant (except in the cases under f), the  becomes the vowel û (cf. ), e.g., so also (except in the case under g) before the cognate labials , , , hence. On the cases in which has become a  after  (e.g.  ), cf. .

(d) With a following the  coalesces to form  according to, as. On the peculiar punctuation of the before forms with initial  from  and  (e.g. ,  ), cf. .

(e) Immediately before the tone-syllable it frequently takes, like , , (see ), but in most cases only at the end of a sentence or clause (but cf. also  ), e.g.   (on the other hand, in verse 20