recessive principle. Verbs are accented as close to the beginning of the word as possible. The length of the last syllable (the “ultima”) determines how far forward an accent can be placed on a word. If the last syllable of a verb is long (i.e., if it contains a long vowel or a digraph, with the exception of αι or οι), the accent falls on the second-to-last syllable (the “penult”). If the last syllable of a verb is short (i.e., if it contains a short vowel1), the accent falls on the third-to-last