44

Comparison of Adjectives.

(1) The comparative is formed by placing plus, more, moins, less, or aussi, as, before the adjective. After a negative si usually takes the place of aussi.

Elle est moins gauche que son amie, she is less awkward than her friend.

Elle est aussi jolie que son frère, mais elle n'est pas si polie, she is as pretty as her brother, but she is not so polite.

Than before a number is expressed by de.

J'ai plus de cinq livres, I have more than five books.

Vous en avez plus de dix, n'est-ce pas ?

You have more than ten, have you not?

(2) The superlative of an adjective is formed by placing the definite article or the possessive adjective before plus or moins of the comparative.

jeune, young; plus jeune, younger; le plus jeune, the youngest.

intéressant, interesting; moins intéressant, less interesting; le moins intéressant, the least interesting.

Charles et Jean sont leurs plus chers amis, Charles and John are their dearest friends.

Three adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms:

bon, good; meilleur, better; le meilleur, the best.

petit, small;

mauvais, bad;

(plus petit, smaller; le plus petit, the smallest.
moindre, less; le moindre, the least.

(plus mauvais, worse, poorer; le plus mauvais, the
worst, the poorest.

pire, worse, more evil, more wicked; le pire, the worst, the most evil, the most wicked.

(3) A superlative following the noun requires the definite article.

La grammaire la plus facile, the easiest grammar.

Mes livres les plus intéressants, my most interesting books.

(4) In after a superlative is expressed by de.

Sa mère est la femme la plus riche de la ville.

His mother is the richest woman in the town.

poli, polite.

fidèle, faithful.

célèbre, celebrated.

magnifique, magnificent.

excellent, excellent.

fort, strong.

habile, clever.

la rue, the street.

le monde, the world.

le souvenir, the remembrance.

1. Tout le monde aime les hommes forts et polis. 2. Le chien est l'ami le plus fidèle de l'homme. 3. Ma mère est la meilleure femme du monde. 4. Voilà de très bon beurre ; il est beaucoup meilleur que celui que vous avez acheté ce matin. 5. Ces aiguilles sont plus mauvaises que les miennes. 6. Les vôtres sont excellentes. 7. Votre petit chat blanc est le plus joli de tous les chats. 8. Louise est la jeune fille la plus aimable de l'école. 9. Vos sœurs sont très habiles; elles sont plus habiles que les miennes. 10. Où vend-on des souvenirs? 11. On n'en vend pas ici. 12. Voilà de belle dentelle. 13. Cette église est la plus célèbre de Paris, et peut-être du monde entier.

1. His friend is the best man in the world. 2. The hotels at which (where) he used to put up were the finest and largest in the city, perhaps in the country. 3. Everybody likes faithful friends. 4. Have you any? 5. Have you more than I? 6. I have more than twenty. 7. She is not so clever as her brother. 8. My best friends live in Chicago. 9. Her father was one of the most celebrated men in the country. 10. Your cousin Mary is the merriest and most polite of all my pupils. 11. Are you stronger than John ? 12. I am taller, but I am not

so strong.

13. John is the strongest boy in the class. 14. These pens are good, mine are better, but my brother's 15. He lives in the highest house in the

are the best.

street.

of those men.

16. I have not the slightest (least) remembrance 17. I have fewer souvenirs than you, but yours are less interesting than mine, I think. 18. His 19. I have accepted her gift,

are the least interesting.

but without the least pleasure.

45

C'est and ce sont.

(1) He is, she is, it is, and they are, are generally expressed by c'est and ce sont before a noun, a pronoun, or a superlative.

C'est Henri, it is Henry.

C'est la femme la plus riche du pays, she is the richest woman in the country.

C'est le mien (la mienne), it is mine.

C'est celui (celle) qu'il a, it is that

one (the one) he has.

C'est votre amie qui est partie, n'estce pas, it is your friend who has gone away, is it not?

Ce sont mes frères, it is (those

are) my brothers.

Ce sont les plus hauts de nos
arbres, those are the highest
of our trees.
Ce sont les miens (les miennes),
they (those) are mine.

Ce sont ceux (celles) qu'il vend,
it is those that he sells.
Ce ne sont pas nos amies qui

sont parties, it is not our
friends who have gone away.

(2) The forms of the personal pronouns used with prepositions (Lesson 26) are also used alone or after c'est

or ce sont.

C'est moi, it is I.

C'est toi, it is thou (you).
C'est lui, it is he.

C'est nous, it is we.
C'est vous, it is you.

Ce sont eux, it is they (m.).

C'est elle, it is she.

Ce sont elles, it is they (f.).

Observe that c'est is used before all of these forms, except the third person plural affirmative: ce sont eux (elles), but est-ce eux (elles) }

(3) C'est may be used before any masculine adjective referring to something already mentioned.

C'est bon! that is good! All right!
C'est juste, it is right.

C'est possible, it's possible.
C'est vrai, it is true.

Que c'est beau! how beautiful that is!

Notice also the following expressions:

C'est dommage, that's a pity, a shame, too bad.
C'est à vous, it's your turn.

C'est pour lui, it is for him.

C'est pourquoi je l'admire, that is why I admire him.

le monsieur, the gentleman.

les messieurs, the gentlemen.

la dame, the lady.

le roman, the novel.

un écrivain, a writer.

un auteur, an author.

la demoiselle, the young lady. illustre, illustrious.

le courage, courage.

l'ambition (f.), ambition.

le talent, talent.

la conduite, conduct.

les manières (f.), manners.
l'expérience (f.), experience.
l'ouvrage (m.), the work.

possible, possible.

impossible, impossible.

inutile, useless.

ordinaire, ordinary, common.

juste, just, right.

vrai, true.

admirer, to admire.

frapper, to strike, to knock.

1. Qui est là ? 2. Est-ce vous, Paul?

3. Oui, c'est

moi. 4. Qui frappait? 5. Moi. 6. Qui sont ces mes

sieurs ? 7. Ce sont nos amis. 8. C'est notre voisin et

ses deux fils. 9. Qui est l'avocat le plus célèbre de la 10. C'est Monsieur Gaillard. 11. C'est le plus

ville?

12. Qui sont ces dames? 14. Qui sont ces enfants? et sa fille. 16. New York

illustre de tous nos avocats. 13. Ce sont leurs sœurs. 15. Ce sont les siens, son fils est une grande ville; c'est la plus grande de ce pays. 17. Londres est la plus grande du monde. 18. C'est à

toi que je parle, mon enfant. 19. Il y a beaucoup de mots ordinaires dans cette grammaire. 20. A-t-il du courage? 21. Il en a beaucoup. 22. Ces arbres sont presque aussi beaux que ceux de votre jardin. 23. C'est sans le moindre plaisir que je réponds à leurs lettres. 24. C'est dommage. 25. C'est vrai.

(A) 1. I am fond of horses. are more useful than dogs.

2. That's good! 3. They

4. They are the most useful

nor dogs are useless.

of animals. 5. Neither cats 6. There is Mary; she is the youngest of my friends. 7. Is it she who lives in that large square house near your uncle's? 8. He had courage, talent, and experi ence, but he never had any manners. 9. He had too much ambition. 10. That is too bad. ure that they seek.

11. It is pleas

12. That is why they are never at

home. 13. Is it possible? 14. Who has a penknife? 15. I. 16. Who is the author of that novel? 17. It is a writer that I admire greatly (much). 18. Is it he? 19. It is not he, it is she. 20. It's impossible. 21. Is it they? 22. Yes, it is they. 23. Who are those boys? 24. They are John, Charles, and Gustave. 25. I do not admire their conduct. 26. It's money they want (desire). 27. It is with pleasure that I accept this gift.

(B) 1. Who is that gentleman? 2. Is it your friend ? 3. Is it Henry? 4. Isn't it he? 5. Who is that young lady? 6. It is Mary, isn't it? 7. Who is it? 8. Who are those gentlemen? 9. Is it to him or to me