CHAP. III.

Of Articles in General.

Q. WHAT is an Article?

A. The Article is a small Word prefixed to Substantives, to shew their relations to preceding or following words; these circumstances being not expressed, in modern languages, by Cafes or different terminations, as they are in the Greek and Latin Languages.

Q. What is there to be observed with regard to French and

English Articles ?

A. That the French Articles have Genders and Numbers; whereas the English Articles are not fufceptible of any grammatical variation.

Q. How many Genders and Numbers are there in French? A. Two Genders only; viz. the Mafculine and Feminine;

and two Numbers; viz, the Singular and Plural. Q. How many forts of Articles are there in French ? A. Moft Grammarians reckon three; viz.

The Definite-(the) le m. la f. les pl. -Le Défini. The Indefinite-a or an) un m. une f. -L'Indéfini. The Partitive-(fome) du m. de la f. des pl. - Le Partitif, But strictly speaking, there are but two in French; viz. The Definite and the Indefinite; the Partitive being, to all external appearance, though of not the fame import, like the variations of the second State of the Definite Article: fee the Examples of the different Declenfions, from p. 104 to p. 107 inclusive,

Q. Are these Articles to be placed before all French Subftantives, according to their respective Genders and Numbers? A. No; for before Substantives, in the Singular Number, beginning with a Vowel or h mute, the final vowel of le and la is cut off, as I have observed before, p. 99. Q. What Parts of Speech, besides the Articles, have Genders and Numbers in French ?

A. The Substantives, Adjectives, and Pronouns.

F3

CHAP.

Of Substantives in General.

Q. WHAT is a Substantive?

A. A Substantive is a Word that expreffes the name of every thing real or imaginary, without the help of any other word to make us understand it; as un Homme, a Man; un Ange, an Angel; une Maison, a House; une Eglife, a Church; &c.

Q. How many forts of Substantives are there?

A. Three; viz. Common, Abstract, and Proper.

Q. What are common Substantives?

A. Such as are applicable and common to all real Objects of the fame species or kind; as homme man, cheval horse, maison house, arbre tree, &c.

Q. And what are the Abstract Substantives?

A. Those which signify objects that have no other mark of existence but in our minds; as Ange Angel, chagrin grief, espérance hope, &c.

Q. Which are those that are called Substantives Proper? A. Such as are appropriated to diftinguish Men, Women, Places, or particular things; as Jean John, Marie Mary, Londres London, la Tamise the Thames, &c. for John is not the name of every man, nor London of every city ; and fo forth.

Is there any grammatical difference between the French and English Substantives?

A. French Substantives are either of the Masculine or Feminine Gender; whereas the greatest part of English Substantives are neuter, that is, of neither Gender; such are those that express the name of inanimate things; for we fay, le livre, the Book; la Table, the Table; &c. But Substantives which relate to the Male fex, as un Homme, a Man; &c. are of the Masculine Gender, and those which relate to the female sex, as une Femme, a Woman; &c. are of the Feminine, in both Languages.

By

Q. By what means is the Gender of French Substantives, expreffing inanimate things, to be known?

A. By practice in general; but for a greater certainty, by looking into a French Dictionary for it.

Q. How can practice enable a Learner to find out their respective Genders?

A. By remembering those Substantives that admit of le and la, or un and une before them; for instance, Livre is of the mafculine Gender, because we can say le livre, or un Livre; and Table is of the feminine Gender, because we may say either la Table, or une Table.

Q. But how can the Gender of those Substantives which begin with a vowel, or hmute, be acquired by Practice? A. By prefixing to them an Adjective beginning with a confonant; as un grand efprit, a great wit; une grande ame, a great foul; un grand honneur, a great honor; &c. Q. What difference is there betwixt a Substantive and an • Adjective?

A. A Substantive has no need of being joined to another word, in order to be well understood; for, we understand very well what is meant by Book, Table, Houfe, &c. but an Adjective has, or is supposed to have, a Substantive to which it relates, and without which it cannot be understood; thus great, Small, lofty, are not clearly understood, but when they are joined to Substantives; as a great book, a small table, a lofty house, &c.

Q. What else is there to be observed, with respect to the French Substantives?

A. The manner of forming their Plural number, which is commonly done by the addition of ans, to the termination of their Singular*; and the way of declining them, that is, of using the different variations of the Articles before them, as in the following Examples;

* There are however, feveral French Substantives, that deviate from this Rule; as may be seen in The Practicat French Grammar, p. 54, &c.

1

EXAMPLES

Of Substantives declined with the Definite Article.

A Substantive Masculine, beginning with a Confonant.

A Substantive Masculine, beginning with an h mute.

The French particle à, signifying to or at, to be accented thus à; and the Articles du, de la, may as well be rendered, here, by from the, as by

is always and des, of the.

EXAMPLES

Of Substantives declined with the Indefinite Article.

A Substantive Masculine, beginning with a Confonant.

A Substantive Feminine, beginning with an h mute.

The French monofyllables de and à, which are pre

fixed to the indefinite Articles un and une in the Singular,

and to des in the Plural number, are Prepositive particles.