a. By the general rule (§351) they sometimes precede :

Une éclatante victoire.

A signal victory.

b. Past participial forms which have become real adjectives, e.g., prétendu, absolu, parfait, dissolu, feint, rusé, etc., very often precede (prétendu nearly always):

Une feinte modestie.

Le prétendu comte.

Feigned modesty.
The would-be count.

2. Adjectives sometimes follow the noun on account of their adjuncts or their function; thus:

:

(1) When modified by an adverb, other than aussi, si, très, bien, fort, plus, moins, assez :

Un discours extrêmement long.
But: Un très long discours.

An extremely long speech.
A very long speech.

(2) When modified by an adverbial phrase, or in comparisons :

3. Two or more adjectives, with one noun. follow, in general, the rules stated, but, if joined by a conjunction, they all follow, in case one is such as must follow:

Une jolie petite fille.

Une belle maison blanche.
Un objet blanc et étincelant.
Une dame belle et savante.

a. The more specific of two or last, contrary to English usage: Des écrivains français habiles.

A pretty little girl.

A beautiful white house.
A white and dazzling object.
A beautiful and learned lady.
more adjectives which follow comes

Clever French writers.

4. A considerable number of adjectives differ more or less widely in meaning, according as they precede or follow:

Mon cher enfant; une robe chère. Une franche coquette; une femme franche.

My dear child; a costly dress.

A

thorough coquette; a plainspoken woman.

NOTE.-Distinctions of this kind depend, in the main, upon the general principles laid down above, but they are too numerous and too subtle to be given in detail here Observation, and the use of a good dictionary will, in time, make the learner familiar with the most important of them.

353. Determinatives. Such adjectives, including numerals, possessives, demonstratives, indefinites, precede⚫

Trois plumes; mes plumes.

Ces plumes-ci; d'autres plumes.

Three pens; my pens.

These pens; other pens.

PREPOSITIONAL COMPLEMENT OF ADJECTIVES.

354. An adjective is often followed by a complement connected with it by a preposition, such as à, de, en, envers, The preposition to be used is determined by the meaning of the adjective, as explained in the following sections.

etc.

=

355. Adjective+à. The preposition à 'to,' 'at,' 'for,' etc., is required after most adjectives denoting tendency, fitness, and their opposites, comparison, etc.

Cet homme est adonné à la boisson.
Il est favorable à mes projets.
Il est bien habile aux affaires.
Un homme supérieur à tous.
Ce n'est bon à rien.

Such adjectives are:
accoutumé, accustomed (to).
adroit, clever (at).
agréable, pleasant (to).
antérieur, anterior (to).
ardent, ardent (in).
bon, good, fit (for).

That man is addicted to drink.
He is favorable to my projects.
He is very clever in business.
A man superior to all.
That is good for nothing.

cher, dear (to).
convenable, suitable (to).
égal, equal (to).
exact, exact (in).
fidèle, faithful (in).
fort, clever (at).

hardi, bold (in).
impropre, unfit (for).
inférieur, inferior (to).
infidèle, unfaithful (to).
inutile, useless (to).
lent, slow (in).

a. Bon pour='good for,' 'beneficial to,' 'kind to.'

=

356. Adjective+de. The preposition de 'of,' 'from,' 'with,' etc., is required after most adjectives denoting source or origin (hence also, feeling, sentiment, abundance), separation (hence also, absence, distance, want, etc.), and after most past participles to denote the agent (cf. §240): Êtes-vous natif de Paris?

Ils sont contents de mon succès.
Elle est pleine de vanité.
Je suis libre de douleur.
Il est inconnu de tous.

Such adjectives are:

absent, absent (from). affligé, grieved (at).

aise, glad (of).

alarmé, alarmed (at).

ambitieux ambitious (of).
avide, greedy (of).

béni, blessed (by).
capable, capable (of).
charmé, delighted (with).
chéri, beloved (by).
confus, confused (at).
contrarié, vexed (with).

dénué, destitute (of).
dépourvu, devoid (of).
désireux, desirous (of).

différent, different (from).

digne, worthy (of).

Are you a native of Paris?
They are pleased at my success.
She is full of vanity.
I am free from pain.
He is unknown to all.

éloigné, distant (from).
enchanté, delighted (with).
ennuyé, weary (of).
étonné, astonished (at).
exempt, free (from).
fâché, sorry (for).
fier, proud (of).
glorieux, proud (of).
hérissé, bristling (with).
heureux, glad (of).
honteux, ashamed (of).
ignorant, ignorant (of).
indigne, unworthy (of).
inquiet, uneasy (about).
ivre, intoxicated (with).
jaloux, jealous (of).
libre, free (from).

lourd, heavy (with).
malheureux, unhappy (at).
offensé, offended (at).
pauvre, poor (in).
plein, full (of).
ravi, delighted (with).
satisfait, satisfied (with).
soucieux, anxious (about).
souillé, soiled (with).
sûr, sure (of).

surpris, surprised (at).
triste, sad (at).
vain, vain (of).

vexé, vexed (at).

victorieux, victorious (over). vide, empty (of).

etc.

a. Fâché contre = 'angry at or with (a person).'

357. Adjective+en. En is required after a few adjec tives denoting abundance, skill, etc. :

Le Canada est fertile en blé.
Il est expert en chirurgie.

Such adjectives are: abondant, abounding (in). fécond, fruitful (in).

Canada is fertile in wheat.
He is expert in surgery.

fort, strong (in), learned (in).
ignorant, ignorant (in).

riche, rich (in). savant, learned (in).

a. fort and ignorant sometimes have sur :

Il est fort sur l'histoire.

Ignorant sur ces matières-là.

358. Adjective + envers.

He is well versed (good) in history.
Ignorant about those matters.

Envers is used after most

adjectives denoting disposition or feeling towards:

a. Bon, dur, very frequently take pour; indulgent may take pour

or à; civil, sévère, may take à l'égard de :

Il est bon (dur) pour moi.

Indulgent pour (à) ses enfants.

Civil (sévère) à l'égard de ses domestiques.

He is kind (harsh) to me.

Indulgent to his children.
Civil (harsh) to his servants.

2. Disjunctive forms:

1ST PER.

2ND PER.

3RD PER. (m.).

3RD PER. (f.).

3RD REF. (m.f.).

moi, I, me.

toi, thou, thee. lui, he, him.

elle, she, her. soi, one's self, etc.

nous, we, us. vous, you. eux, they, them. elles, they, them.

[N. = nominative; D. =dative; A. =accusative; P. =object of a preposition.] NOTE.-A more scientific terminology would be 'unstressed' and 'stressed' instead of 'conjunctive' and 'disjunctive,' as indicating the real distinction between the two sets of forms, e.g., 'Je (unstressed) parle'; 'Qui parle ?-Moi' (stressed). As a matter of fact, the unstressed forms usually stand in immediate connection with the verb (as subject or object), hence the term 'conjunctive,' while the stressed forms are usually employed otherwise, hence the term 'disjunctive.' The distinction of unstressed. and 'stressed' is common to most other kinds of pronouns as well.

360.

Pronominal Adverbs.

y=to (at, on, in, into, etc.) it or them; there, thither.

=

en of (from, etc.) it or them; some, any, some of it, some of them; thence, from there.

NOTE.-Y and en were originally adverbs (y from L. ibi= 'there,' and en from L. inde = 'thence'), but they are now usually pronominal in function, and are used precisely like the conjunctive forms.

361. Agreement. The personal pronoun regularly agrees with its antecedent in gender, number, and person:

Nous les avons frappé(e)s.

Elle lit la lettre; elle la lit.

We have struck them.

She reads the letter; she reads it.

a. The first person plural for the first person singular is used by

sovereigns and authorities, and by

Nous (le roi) avons ordonné et
ordonnons ce qui suit.
Comme nous avons dit déjà.

writers, as in English :

We (the king) have ordained and ordain as follows.

As we have said already.

b. Vous 'you' (singular or plural) has a plural verb; its other agreements, as also those of nous above, are according to the sense:

Nous (la reine) sommes contente.

Madame, vous êtes bien bonne.

We (the queen) are satisfied.

Madam, you are very kind.

c. For imperative first plural instead of first singular, see §267, a.