9. All kinds of animals in which the male is not distinguished from the female, and which do not end with e mute; except fourmi, perdrix, souris, chauve-souris. SIGNIFICATION.-FEMININE. 1. Goddesses, nymphs, and furies. 2. Women, female animals. 1 3. Virtues, qualities, vices; except mérite and courage. 4. The four parts of the world. 5. Empires, kingdoms, and countries, ending with e mute; except le Bengale, le Mexique, and le Péloponèse. 6. Rivers, ending with e mute; except le Rhône, le Danube, le Cocyte. 7. All kinds of animals, in which the male is not distinguished from the female, and which end with e mute; except aigle, bièvre, buffle, capricorne, cloporte, cygne, dromadaire, lièvre, merle, rougegorge, and crabe. IMPORTANT OBSERVATION.-When you wish to ascertain the gender of a French noun, see first whether its signification makes it masculine; if it does not, consult the tables of terminations. But bear in mind, to observe its signification first. Suppose, for instance, you wish to know the gender of platine, (platina:) by consulting the table of NOUNS MASCULINE FROM THEIR SIGNIFICATION, you will know it to be masculine, because it is the name of a METAL. But if you had first consulted the table of NOUNS FEMININE FROM THEIR TERMINA TIONS, you would have seen ine given as a feminine termination; and not finding platine among the exceptions, you naturally, but erroneously, would have thought it feminine. *There are 67 feminine nouns ending with eur; but as they all are names of qualities, virtues, and vices, they are not ex ceptions to this rule.-See Signification.-Feminine, No. 3. {crème, brême, trirême, fenêtre, guêtre. merci, fourmi, après-midi, souris (mouse,) brebis, vis, chauve-souris, fleur-de-lis, fin, nuit. tige, cire, mire, hégire, satire. I bisque, brisque, épitre, mitre,vitre,livre (pound.) ride, bride, guide (rein,) égide, pyramide,cantharide, hémoroïde, piste, liste, baliste, batiste. 189 O, OL, OR, ORD, ORT, OS, OT. 222 dot, mort (death.) AISON. ON, except OISON. 449 TION. OM, OME, OND, ONT. 27 OI, OID, OIN, OIR, OIS, CIT. 220 ou, oup, our, OURS, ONT, OUT, OUX. 117 OGUE, OMBRE, OME, OMPTE. U, UB, US, UT, UGE. Nouns differing too much in their terminations to be brought under any rule, but all ending with a conso nant. Nouns of which the last vowel that sounds is a Y. Nouns ending with e mute, and about the gender of which there can be no doubt, as they designate men. 69 boisson, chanson, façon, contrefaçon, garnison, guérison, leçon, moisson, prison, rançon, trahison. loi, foi, paroi, fois. cour (and compounds,) tour (castle or tower,) toux. drogue, éclogue, syna gogue, vogue, pirogue, ombre. 123 vertu, glu, tribu. TÉ, TIÉ, 142 silence. 515 ÉE. 271 aparté, arrêté, bénédicité, comité, comté,côté, pâté, précipité, traité. (apogée, athénée,caducée, camée, colisée, coryphée, empirée, gynécée, hymenée, mausolée,musée, périgée, périnée, spondée, trochée, trophée; all taken from the Greek and hardly ever used. foie, génie, incendie, périhélie, parapluie, quine, cimetière, derrière. 1208 bastion, oison, poison. 287 codicille, codille, intervalle, libelle, quadrille, vaudeville, vermicelle, violoncelle. IE, IÈRE, INE, IVE. 1291 TION, AISON, OISON. LLE. NNE. 32 dièse, diocèse, gymnase, NUMBER OF NOUNS. 1. The plural of substantives is formed by adding an s to their singular. 2. Substantives ending with s, x, or z, have their singular and plural alike. 3. Substantives ending with ail or al, change these terminations into aux for the plural. (Bal, carnaval, and régal follow the rule 1st.-The plural of ail, garlic, is aulx.) ' 4. Those ending with au, eu, eau, ieu form their plural by the addition of an x. 5. When a compound substantive is formed of a substantive and an adjective, both take the mark of the plural; thus, un cerf-volant, a kite, des cerfs-volans. 6. When a compound substantive is formed of two substantives, the first only takes the mark of the plural; thus, un chef-d'œuvre, a masterpiece, des chefs-d'œuvre. 7. A few substantives form their plural in a particular manner; as, ciel, heaven, cieux; œil, eye, yeux; ayeul, grandfather, ayeux; monsieur, sir, messieurs; monseigneur, my lord, messeigneurs; madame, madam, mesdames; mademoiselle, miss, mesdemoiselles. |