(7.) Compound nouns of which the second word indicates plurality, take s in the singular and plural. Singular. cure-dents, a tooth-pick; casse-noisettes, nut-crackers; Plural. cure-dents, tooth-picks. (8.) Words composed of two verbs, or of a verb joined to an adverb, or a preposition, are invariable. Singular. passe-partout, master-key; Plural. passe-partout, master-keys. § 10.-NOUNS WHICH HAVE NO PLURAL. (1.) The names of metals considered in themselves: as, or, gold; argent, silver; plomb, lead; étain, pewter; fer, iron; cuivre, copper; vif-argent, quicksilver. (2.) Aromas: such as baume, balsam; encens, incense, etc. (3.) The names of virtues and vices, and some names relating to physical and moral man: as, la jeunesse, youth; la beauté, beauty; la bonté, goodness; le courage, courage. (4.) Adjectives used substantively: as, le beau, the beautiful; l'utile, the useful, etc. § 11.-NOUNS WHICH HAVE NO SINGULAR IN THE SENSE (1.) Proper names, when not used figuratively, are invariable, even when preceded by the plural article, les.1 L'Espagne s'honore d'avoir pro duit les deux Sénèque. RAYNOUARD. Spain prides itself on having given birth to the two Senecas. 1 Often used by the French before the names of celebrated individuals. See second example. Les Locke, les Montesquieu, les J. J. Rousseau, en se levant en Europe, appelèrent les peuples modernes à la liberté. CHATEAUBRIAND. Locke, Montesquieu, J. J. Rousseau, as they arose in Europe, called upon modern nations to claim their liberty. (2.) When proper names are used figuratively, they take the form of the plural. La France a eu ses Césars et ses France has had its Caesars and Pompées. NOËL ET CHAPSAL Pompeys. That is, generals like Pompey and Cæsar. Un coup d'oeil de Louis enfan- A glance from Louis produced tait des Corneilles. DELILLE. That is, poets like Corneille. Corneilles. § 13.-THE ARTICLE. (1.) The article is a word prefixed to a noun, or to a word used substantively, to determine the extent of its signification. (2.) Modern French grammarians recognize only one article, (3.) This article, contracted with the preposition de, is often used before a word in a partitive sense. [$78.] (4.) The words un, masc., une, fem., answering to the indefinite article a or an in English, are now, very properly,' classed with the numeral adjectives. We shall, however, for the sake of convenience, devote a few lines to them under this head. (5.) The article le, the, is la for the feminine, and les for the plural. (6.) The article is subject to two kinds of changes: elision [§ 146] and contraction. (7.) Elision is the suppression of the letters e, a, i,' which are replaced by an apostrophe ['] before a vowel, or an h mute [see Lesson 3, (10)]: thus, (8.) Contraction is the union of the article le, les, with one of the prepositions, à, de. Thus we say by contraction: The 1 No difference can be made in rendering English into French, between a and one, so that in French, un homme, means a man, or one man. other numeral adjectives might, with as much propriety, have been called articles as this word un. 2 See § 146. (9.) The contractions au, du, are not used before masculine words commencing with a vowel, or an h mute, nor before feminine words. (10.) The article used before words taken in a partitive sense [§ 78, (1)], comes in connection or contraction with the preposition de. It is rendered in English by some or any, expressed or understood. (11.) The English indefinite article, a or an, is rendered in French by un for the masculine, and une for the feminine. When those words are connected with the preposition de, the e of the preposition is elided. le, before a masculine word, les, for the plural, in all cases. des, for the plural, in all cases. aux, for the plural, in all cases. commencing with commencing with commencing with Le père et la mère sont au désespoir. B. DE ST. PIERRE. the. of the, some, at or to the a, an, one. of or from a, an, onc. at or to a, an, one. The father and mother are ir despair. (1.) The adjective serves to denote the quality or manner of being of the noun. (2.) Adjectives are of two sorts: qualifying adjectives, and deter、 mining adjectives. (3.) We call qualifying adjectives those which add to the idea of the object that of a quality proper to it; as, bon, good; noble, noble ; courageux, courageous. (4.) Determining adjectives are those which add to the idea of the object that of a particular limitation or determination; as, quelque, some; tout, all; autre, other; mon, my; nul, no; un, one; deux, two. § 14-2.-QUALIFYING ADJECTIVES. (1.) These adjectives may express qualities: 1. Simply; 2. With comparison; 3. Carried to a very high degree. Thence the three degrees of qualification: the positive, the comparative, and the superlative. (2.) The positive is nothing but the adjective in its simplest signi fication: Moi, je suis à Paris triste, pauvre, At Paris, I am sad, poor, and sereclus. BOILEAU. cluded. (3.) The comparative is the adjective expressing a comparison between two or several objects. There is, then, between the objects compared, a relation of equality, superiority, or inferiority. (4.) The comparison of equality expresses a quality in the same degree in the objects compared. It is formed' by placing aussi, as, or In French, adjectives cannot be compared, as in English, by means of changes in the termination. With the exception of meilleur, better; moindre, less; and pire, worse, all comparisons must be formed by means of adverbs. autant, as much, before the adjcctive, and the conjunction que, as, 5. The relation or comparison of superiority expresses a quality in a higher degree in one object than in another. This comparison is formed by placing plus, more, before the adjective, and que, than, after it: Les actions sont plus sincères que les paroles. MLLE. DE SCUDÉRY. Le pied du cerf est mieux fait que celui du boeuf Actions are more sincere than words. The foot of the stag is better formed than that of the ox. (6.) The comparison of inferiority expresses a quality in a lower degree in one object than in another. It is formed by placing moins, less, before the adjective, and que, than, after it: Le naufrage et la mort sont moins funestes que les plaisirs qui attaquent la vertu. FÉNELON. Shipwreck and death are less fatal than those pleasures which attack virtue. (7.) We have only three adjectives which are comparatives of themselves: meilleur, better;1 moindre, less; pire, worse. Meilleur, instead of plus bon, which is never used in the sense of better: Il n'est meilleur ami ni parent que soi-même. LA FONTAINE. We have no better friend, no better relation than ourselves. 1 Mieux, better; pis, worse; moins, less. The English words better, worse, less, are sometimes adverbs, and when they are so, should be ren dered by the several words placed at the commencement of this note. practical way of determining the nature of those words in English is: A 1. To change the word better into the expression "in a better manner." If this change may be made without changing the sense, the word better is an adverb, and must be rendered by mieux: He reads better (in a better man ner) than his brother. Il lit mieux que son frère. 2. If you change worse into "in a worse manner," it should be translated pis, or more elegantly, plus mal: He reads worse (in a worse man ner) than his brother. Il lit pis (plus mal) que son frère. 3. When you may substitute "a smaller amount or quantity" for the word less, it should be rendered moins: He reads less (a smaller amount) than his brother. Il lit moins que son frère. |