une certaine nouvelle une nouvelle certaine un cher frère un habit cher d'une commune voix une voix commune la dernière année l'année dernière différentes, diverses choses des choses diverses, différentes une fausse clef une clef fausse de fortes eaux un malheureux écrivain un chapeau nouveau some sort of news an undoubted piece of news a dear brother an expensive coat a vulgar, usual voice several, sundry things a wrong key a strong volume of water aquafortis a telescope long sight a scanty, wretched dinner a dinner where no meat is eaten a wretched author an unfortunate author a poor epigram a wicked epigram during long, tedious, sad years a mortal wound another hat a new-style hat an indifferent poet a poor poet an absurd tale an amusing tale his own uniform his clean uniform a private a simple-minded soldier a poem unequalled etc., etc. § 515. Position of Adverbs. 1. Such interrogative adverbs as comment, combien, pourquoi, quand, où, etc., are placed before the verb, as in English: Comment vous portez-vous ? Combien d'argent a cet homme ? 2. Ordinary adverbs are usually placed (a) After the verb in simple tenses: Il vient souvent Il travaille très bien (b) Between the auxiliary and the past participle in compound tenses: Il est souvent venu Il a très bien travaillé Hier, aujourd'hui, demain, etc., and adverbial expressions, usually follow the verb: Il est venu hier Il a travaillé avec beaucoup de courage 4. The above rules are not strictly followed; a change in the position of the adverb is often made to produce emphasis: Souvent il vient Souvent il est venu Hier il est venu 5. The only position that the adverb may not occupy is between the subject and the verb, its favourite place in English : He rarely comes He often comes Il vient rarement Il vient souvent 6. The adverbs of negation consist usually of two parts, of which one is always "ne" when a verb is present.* (§ 484.) (a) Ne always precedes the verb: Il ne travaille pas Il n'a pas travaillé (b) Both parts usually precede in the infinitive mood: Ne pas travailler Ne jamais travailler * In La Fontaine, etc., ne is sometimes left out; this must not be imitated. NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. § 516. Position of Adjectives. The Position of Adjectives is better learnt by practice than by rules; still the following fragmentary remarks may be of service. A. It has been shown that in French, when two words occur together, only the second receives the force accent; the first is unaccented (§ 53). By its accented position, the second word gains some small amount of emphasis. Therefore a qualificative adjective is as a rule placed after the noun, because usually it is the adjective which requires to be emphasized, and therefore to be placed in an accented position. When the adjective is placed first, it loses much of its individuality; the substantive bears the accent and the emphasis.* In a large number of phrases usage has established a certain order, and has given a certain meaning to that order. Although in such phrases the writer may not have the option of putting the adjective before or after the noun, the special meaning claimed by the position of the adjective is usually an illustration of the general principle given above. The study of some special cases may render clearer the general law that governs position . 1. An adjective before its substantive often forms with it a kind of compound substantive. The adjective loses more or less of its separate existence according as the connection is more or less close un franc-maçon, un bonhomme, un gentilhomme, une longue-vue, un malheur, etc. (§§ 41, 152.) 2. An adjective is placed (a) after the substantive to express an accidental quality; it is necessary by accentuation to give prominence to the adjective: (b) before the substantive to express an inherent quality; it is then less necessary to accent the adjective, as the noun itself includes the idea contained in that adjective: un mendiant riche; une riche héritière. 3. An adjective is placed (a) after the substantive when employed with its literal meaning; (b) before the substantive when employed with a figurative meaning. The reason is akin to that given in (2): les cygnes noirs; les noirs chagrins. B. An adjective of one syllable is usually placed before a noun of several syllables. Euphony gains by such an arrangement of the words, and other considerations are waived. C. In some cases no special meaning is intended by the order employed it may depend upon the will of the writer, and his individual ideas of euphony; upon the necessities of verse, etc. * Still more emphasis can be given to the adjective by putting it into an adjectival sentence. Compare: d'excellentes poires, des poires excellentes, des poires qui sont excellentes. § 517. Position of Pronouns in Optative Sentences, etc. Combien un avocat bien payé par avance trouve-t-il plus juste la cause dont il est chargé ! (PASCAL.) Que ne puis-je aussi presser sur mon sein mon vertueux et bon père ! (FLORIAN.) Dussé-je me condamner moi-même, je ne puis m'empêcher de dire la vérité. (ROLLIN.) Pourquoi un chien de basse-cour hurle-t-il la nuit à la simple odeur d'un loup qui lui ressemble ? (BERNARDIN DE ST. PIERRE.) L'évangile ne prèche que la tolérance et la paix, aussi les Chrétiens supportèrent-ils pendant 764 ans tous les maux que le fanatisme des Sarrasins leur voulut faire souffrir. (CHÂTEAUBRIAND.) § 518. Pronouns not immediately before their own Verb. Pronouns are usually placed immediately before the verb which governs them. When this verb is infinitive, the following arrangement is common: L'un voulait le garder, l'autre le voulait prendre. (LA FONTAINE.) Soleil, je te viens voir pour la dernière fois. (RACINE.) Trajan, dans sa réponse au gouverneur, dit qu'on ne doit pas chercher les Chrétiens; mais que s'ils sont dénoncés et vaincus, il les faut punir. (CHÂTEAUBRIAND.) Ah! s'il vous faut tout expliquer. (DROZ.) § 519. Pronouns in Imperative Affirmative Sentences. Vous, attendez le roi, parlez et lui montrez Peignez-les-moi, dit l'aigle, ou bien me les montrez. (LA FONTAINE.) Conservez bien votre courage et m'en envoyez un peu dans vos lettres. (SÉVIGNÉ.) Allez, La Fleur, trouvez-le et lui portez trois cents louis que je crois bien comptés. (VOLTAIRE.) § 520. Position of y and en. 1. Ya dative, en a genitive (p. 166, note): therefore y goes before en (§ 513 B.) L'on me dit tant de mal de ces hommes et j'y en vois si peu. (LA BRUYÈRE.) 2. If y and lui or leur occur together, lui, leur, take the precedence : Ne lui y en envoyez pas. But the hiatus is too great: such phrases had better be avoided. 3. The necessity of having a sonant syllable upon which to place the tonic accent has given rise to the use of moi instead of me and te in donnez-moi, lève-toi, etc. When en is also present, the me or te and en combine, and form a syllable of sufficient strength ($299). Donnez-m'en. Va-t'en. With the less sonant y it is difficult to lay down any rule. Examples can be given in which y is treated like en, and is made to bear the tonic accent: Mène-m'y. Confie-t'y. Ne te compare pas aux autres, mais à moi (Dieu); si tu m'y trouves (dans les autres) compare -ťy. (PASCAL.) But generally a return is made to the moi, toi; and y bears no accent.* Mènes-y-moi. Tiens-y-toi. Te voilà bien, cadet, tiens-y-toi. (CORNEILLE.) *This is preferable. No one disputes donnez-moi, lève-toi. Menes-ymoi, tiens-y-toi, have the same origin, and can be defended on the same ground. Moreover, such euphony as is found in these combinations is on their side. M. Littré says that mènes-moi-y, confie-toi-y, are the regular forms, but that the hiatus prevents their use. He has overlooked apparently the origin of the use of moi and toi in imperative sentences. It is not a question of hiatus, but of tonic accent. When moi and toi cease to have the accent, their raison d'être ceases too. The 'regular' forms are mènes-m'y, confie-t'y. |