invariable, requiring no addition in the plural; and the following

:

nouns are used only in the plural :

NOTE.--I have placed the nouns in their singular form; the pupil must put them in the plural where requisite. Let him also remember what I said in the First Lesson concerning the repetition of the article before each noun.

The tables and chairs. The cities, houses, and carriages of mesa, f. y silla, f.

the continent.

continente, m.

casa, f. y coche, m. and books on the table. y libro, m.

ciudad, f.

The pens,

ink,

pluma, f.

tinta, f.

applauses of the people. The kings and princes of the aplauso, m.

gente, f.

rey

principe

earth. The uncles, aunts, and cousins of the youth. With tierra, f.

tio tia

primo

joven. the sons and daughters of the inhabitants of the village.

Con
The

The poets, prophets, and patriarchs of

poeta profeta

patriarca

parks and gardens of the nobility. parque, m. jardin, m.

nobleza, f.

on the

posada, f.

On the fruits and flowers of the country. The inns

fruta, f. road. With the friends and critics of the author. For the

camino, m. booksellers of the province. The men with their wives and

oxen. The horses, sheep, and lambs in the fields.

cordero

buey.
friends of the brothers and sisters.

sus esposa

The

campo, m.

With the grammars

gramatica, f.

and dictionaries in the school. For the beggars in the street.

With the songs of the birds and the voices of the

cancion, f.

ave, f.

voz, f.

children. The games of the people in the squares and parks.

niño. On the roofs of the houses and churches.

CHAPTER III.

ON GENDER, AS APPLIED TO NOUNS.

THE Spanish grammar admits but the masculine and feminine gender; that convenient third division which is made use of in English to classify inanimate objects, and which is called the neuter gender, is unknown to the Spanish language. Not only animals of the male and female kind, therefore, belong to these two genders, but all things, without exception, must be classified in the same way. As the form of the article, the termination of the adjective, and the variation of the pronoun and participle, in some cases, depend upon the gender of the noun, you may imagine of what importance it is to get this gender correct, for, should you make a mistake in this particular, your whole phrase must be wrong.

In impressing on you, nevertheless, the importance of determining the gender of the noun, I must admit the difficulty of giving you rules, whereby at first sight this gender may be known. So many exceptions hang about every rule of the kind, that, far from facilitating, they only embarrass the learner. Reading, attention, and, above all, the use of your dictionary, will be your instructors; and so imperceptibly does the memory seize upon little peculiarities of this kind, that, from my own experience, I can assert, that it is no difficult matter to bear in mind the genders of the nouns of half-a-dozen languages at once, though each tongue reckons some thousands of substantives.

A remark or two may, in spite of this, be useful; and, therefore, endeavour to bear in mind that all names of trades, employments, and professions proper to men are masculine, as well as all titles and dignities, though they may have a feminine termination, viz. an a,-for words ending in a are generally feminine, as those which terminate in o are masculine.

Again, all employments, &c., proper to women are feminine, as well as the names of arts and sciences; with few exceptions, nouns terminating in d and ion are likewise feminine; whilst words which end in 7, n, are for the most part masculine. Remember that I do not give you these rules as infallible guides; very far from it; I would rather you used your

dictionary than trusted to them. But I would not pass the matter over, all-important as it is, without endeavouring to smooth your path; but the long array of exceptions following every rule attempted to be set down in many grammars as general, ought to make you doubtful, not merely of their infallibility, but their usefulness.

fruit on the tree. The pictures on the wall. The cap

arbol.

pintura

fruta
of the child. The noise of the crowd.

niño.

clamor

populacho. the students. The equity of the judge.

the prisoners. The courage of the enemy.

prisionero the lessons.

corage

enemigo.

intrepidez

The utility of

utilidad

The doctrine of the schools. The tenderness of

leccion. the mother. The obedience of the son.

ternura

The prudence of prudencia

the servants. The fear of death. The hope

criado.

temor

muerte.

of life. The

esperanza vida.

mouse in the cupboard. The lion in the desert. The ink

The dog with the boy. The birds in the

perro

paxaro

The love of prudence. The temperance of the youth. The

amor prudencia.

sobriedad

joven.

generosity of the friend. The pleasure of friendship. The

generosidad

amigo.

placer

amistad.

goodness of the old man. The sense of good and evil. The

bondad

anciano.

sentido

bien

actions of the priest. The walls of the garden.

accion

sacerdote.

muro

jardin.

malo.

The belfry campanario of the church. The study of the artist. The hand of the

estudio

artista.

iglesia. mano, f. lady. The instruments of the dentist. The law and authority

señora.

instrumento

dentista.

ley

autoridad

of the monarch. The genius of the poet and painter. The

pintor. wisdom of the lawyer and moralist. The urbanity of the

sabiduria

abogado

moralista.

urbanidad

duke. The knowledge of the prophets and patriarchs.

clima, m.
of the geometrician. The programme of the concert.

systems of the philosophers. The idioms of the language.

THE Spanish language, like the English, does not mark the cases of its nouns by means of a change of termination, but by the addition of the prepositions de, of; á, to; por, by; thus, the proper noun Madrid is declined in this manner :

Madrid,
De Madrid,
A Madrid,
De Madrid,

Madrid.
Of Madrid.

To Madrid.

From Madrid.