Neuter Noun Grammar

Neuter Nouns

Most neuter nouns decline like word or hof, by simply adding the endings as necessary. This is true of about 91% of neuter nouns, including those with suffixes –en, -incel, -ett, and –lác.

Case / Number	the/that	this	singular	the/those	these	plural
nominative	þæt	þis	hof	þá	þás	hofu
genitive	þæs	þisses	hofes	þára	þissa	hofa
dative	þǽm	þissum	hofe	þǽm	þissum	hofum
instrumental	þý/þon	þýs/þís	hofe	þǽm	þissum	hofum
Accusative	þæt	þis	hof	þá	þás	hofu

NOTE: Nouns like fæt, with æ and one consonant at the end, change æ to a in the plural [fatu, fata, fatum].

NOTE: Nouns like word, with two consonants at the end, do not add -u in the plural [word, worda, wordum]. This covers about 68% of all neuter nouns

NOTE: Nouns like ár, which have a long vowel and one consonant, decline like word [ár, ára, árum]

NOTE: Nouns like gebed and clif, with an e or i in the stem, and a single consonant after, originally had a/o/u-umlaut in the plural [gebed:gebeodu, gebeoda, gebeodum]

NOTE: Nouns like holh drop the -h ending in inflected forms, and lengthen the vowel [hóles, holh].

NOTE: The words pleoh danger, þéoh thigh, and fláh fraud don’t add ending vowels in inflected cases. So, in order, pleoh is [pléos, pléo; pl pléo, pléona, pléoum, pléo], þéoh is [þéos, þéo; pl þéo, þéona, þéoum, þéo], and fláh is [flás, flá; pl flá, flána, flám, flá].

NOTE: The word geat is irregular; singular [geat, geates, geate, geat]; plural [gatu, gata, gatum]

Grammar: Use the instrumental to tell by what something is done: he áswefede synnum his ealdorscipe he destroyed his eldership by sins. Hé ríxað tornum he rules by grief.

VOCAB:

Pronouns

hit – it (nominative); pl híe – they

his – its (genitive); pl hira – their; (hiera, heora)

him – it (dative); pl him - them

hit – it (accusative); pl híe - them

Neuter Nouns that are also masculine

hord – treasure, hoard

Further Types of Neuter Nouns: Two-Syllable Nouns

Case / Number	the/that	this	singular	the/those	these	plural
nominative	þæt	þis	tungol	þá	þás	tungol
genitive	þæs	þisses	tungles	þára	þissa	tungla
dative	þǽm	þissum	tungle	þǽm	þissum	tunglum
instrumental	þý/þon	þýs/þís	tungle	þǽm	þissum	tunglum
Accusative	þæt	þis	tungol	þá	þás	tungol

NOTE: Nouns like tungol, ending in -ol, -en, -or with a long first syllable (short vowel + two consonants; long vowel + one consonant) syncopate (get rid of) the middle vowel in inflected cases (tungoles->tungles), and never add -u in the plural.

NOTE: Nouns like wæter, which have a short first syllable, do not syncopate and do not add -u in the plural.

NOTE: Nouns like héafod, having a long vowel and one consonant and a short second syllable add -u in the plural. Such nouns include héafod, clíewen, mægden.

Further Study

-ing, -ling: Forms nouns denoting people from adjectives

-dóm: forms nouns denoting state, condition

-oð/-að: forms a gerund (-ing form) from a verb stem

Further Nouns to Study

NOTE: Nouns like wésten, ending in -en duplicate the n in the inflected cases. Also those ending in -et duplicate the t in the plural.

NOTE: Nouns like wæter, which have a short first syllable, do not syncopate and do not add -u in the plural.

NOTE: Nouns like wíte, which end in e, always add -u in the plural, and simply add -s in the genitive singular: [singular: wíte, wítes, wíte, wíte; plural: wítu, wíta, wítum, wítu]

NOTE: Nouns like cynn, with a doubled final consonant, are like word in the plural. They do not add -u in the plural.

Further Types of Neuter Nouns: Ending in U/W

Case / Number	the/that	this	singular	the/those	these	plural
nominative	þæt	þis	bealu	þá	þás	bealu
genitive	þæs	þisses	bealwes	þára	þissa	bealwa
dative	þǽm	þissum	bealwe	þǽm	þissum	bealwum
instrumental	þý/þon	þýs/þís	bealwe	þǽm	þissum	bealwum
Accusative	þæt	þis	bealu	þá	þás	bealu

NOTE: Nouns like bealu, ending in -u change it to w, then add the endings of word. Note that the plural is uninflected like word.

NOTE: Nouns like cnéow, which end in w, act just like word.

Vocab:

Nature

béow – barley

melu – meal, flour

meolu – meal, flour

séaw – juice (originally masculine)

stréaw – straw

teoru – tar

tréow - tree

Other

bealu – evil

gehlów – lowing, bellowing

gehréow – lamentation

hléow – protection, covering

searu – device

Body Parts

ancléow – ankle (originally masculine)

cnéow – knee

smeoru – fat

Food

cudu – cud

cwudu cud

Further Types of Neuter Nouns: Ending in E

Case / Number	the/that	this	singular	the/those	these	plural
nominative	þæt	þis	spere	þá	þás	speru
genitive	þæs	þisses	speres	þára	þissa	spera
dative	þǽm	þissum	spere	þǽm	þissum	sperum
instrumental	þý/þon	þýs/þís	spere	þǽm	þissum	sperum
Accusative	þæt	þis	spere	þá	þás	speru

Nouns like spere, which already end in e, do not add the e of the singular endings; in plural, the e is dropped, and the plural endings are added.

Nouns like flǽsc, which don't have a -u ending, are still declined like spere.

Vocab

Further Types of Neuter Nouns: Weak nouns

Case / Number	the/that	this	singular	the/those	these	plural
nominative	þæt	þis	éage	þá	þás	éagan
genitive	þæs	þisses	éagan	þára	þissa	éagena
dative	þǽm	þissum	éagan	þǽm	þissum	éagum
instrumental	þý/þon	þýs/þís	éagan	þǽm	þissum	éagum
Accusative	þæt	þis	éage	þá	þás	éagan

There are only 3 nouns like éage eye, including wange cheek, and éare ear.