Exemplifications. S Les soldats défilèrent deux à deux. Les échevins étaient placés avant The aldermen were placed before Il descend d'une famille illustre. The combined army was defeated Ne passez plus par ma chambre. CONVERSATION XII. OF THE ADVERB. Scholar. What is an adverb ? Master. It is a word which modifies nouns, adjectives, verbs, or participles. It frequently modifies another adverb. The following phrases shew its various modifications. Alors roi, then a king; assez bon, good enough; où irons-nous? where shall we go? Ainsi fait, thus made or done; très-bien, very well; parfaitement bien, perfectly well. be It will be proper to observe, that a preposition and the noun which it governs have the force of an adverb, and that resolved into a preposition and its noun. every adverb may S. In the English, we form the greatest part of our adverbs by adding to our adjectives the termination ly. What termination answers to this in the French? M. The termination ment. In subjoining that termination to an adjective, to make it an adverb, the three following rules are to be observed: 1. When the adjective ends with a vowel, you have only to add ment: thus, honnéte, aisé, poli, ingénu, will give the adverbs, honnêtement, aisément, poliment, ingénument. The adjectives, aveugle, commode, conforme, énorme, incommode, opiniâtre, when transformed into adverbs, agreeably to the above rule, will require an accent on the e mute, thus: aveuglément, commodément, &c. Note. The adjective, impuni, giving the adverb impunément instead of impuniment, is the only exception to this rule. 2. Adjectives, ending in nt, change that termination into mment: thus, méchant, ardent, will give méchamment, ardemment Note.-Lent and présent are to be excepted: for they produce the adverbs lentement, présentement. 3. Adjectives, ending in consonants, require the adverbial termination ement, to be added to their feminine gender: thus, grand, égal, &c. will give grandement, également, &c. |