EXAMPLES

• Of Substantives declined with the Partitive Article.

A Substantive Masculine, beginning with a Confonant.

SINGULAR.

PLURAL.

De papier, Some paper: Des papiers, some papers. de papier, of or fromfomepaper; de papiers, of some papers. à du papier, to some paper. à des papiers, to some papers.

A Substantive Masculine, beginning with an h mute.

SINGULAR.

De l'honneur, Some honor; d'honneur, of fome honor; à de l'honneur, to fome honor.

PLURAL.

Des honneurs, Some honors. d'honneurs, of some honors: à des honneurs, to some honors.

After the manner of these various Examples, and with their respective Articles, may be declined both Common and Abstract Substantives, when used in the same sense.

EXAMPLES.

Of Substantives proper, declined with Particles.

Names of Men and Women beginning with a Confonant.

Names of Men and Women, beginning with a Vowel,

Names of Men and Women with an h aspirated or mute.

Names of Cities, Towns, Villages, and other places.

This is the manner of declining most proper Names of Men, Women, Cities, Towns, &c. as alfo the names of Months; as Janvier, January; Février, February; &c.

Q. WHAT is

CHAP. IV.

Of Adjectives in General.

an Adjective?

A. It is a word that expresses the quality or condition of a Subftantive, but has of itself no precise or determinate meaning, as bon, good; mauvais, bad; grand, great; petit, small; &c.

Q. How can Adjectives be diftinguished from Substantives? A. By adding the word chofe (thing) to them; for those that will admit of that word, and make sense with it, are Adjectives; and those that will not, are Substantives; for, we may lay une bonne chofe, a good thing; une mauvaise chofe, a bad thing, &c. But we cannot say un Livre chofe, a Book thing; une Table chose, a Table thing, &c. Q. What Grammatical difference is there between the French and English Adjectives?

A. French adjectives are, generally speaking, liable to vary their termination, in order to agree in Gender and Number with their Substantives; I say generally speaking, because those ending with an e not accented, as jeune, young; facile, easy; &c. have their Masculine and Feminine terminations alike.

Q. How do French Adjectives vary their Termination with respect to Gender and Number?

A. The general Rules are to annex an e to them, for the feminine Gender; and ans for the Plural Number; as grand makes grande, for the feminine Gender fingular; and grands mafculine, grandes feminine, for the plural; as to their irregularities, fee the Grammar, p. 6.4. What is meant by degrees of Comparison ?

A. As Adjectives are made use of to express the qualities or conditions of Substantives, there are expreffions called Degrees of Comparison, which serve to increase or diminish those qualities, &c, in order to ascertain the real or apparent differences of the objects of our difcourse,

Q. How many degrees of Comparison are there?
A. Three, which are diftinguished by the denominations of
POSITIVE, COMPARATIVE, and SUPERLATIVE.

Q. What is the Positive?

A. The Positive is the adjective in its natural fignification, without any regard to the increasing or diminishing of it; as grand, great; petit, small; fort, strong; &c,

Q. What is the Comparative?

A. The Comparative increases or diminishes the signification of the Positive; and is formed, in French, by putting either plus (more) or moins (less) before the Adjective; as plus grand or moins grand, greater or less great; plus petit, or moins petit, smaller or less small,

Q. What is the Superlative?

A. The Superlative expresses the signification of the Adjective in the highest or lowest degree of all; and is formed, in French, by putting le plus, la plus, les plus (the most) or le moins, la moins, les moins, (the least) before the Adjective, according to the Gender and Number of the Substantive it relates to; as in these Examples: il est le plus grand, mais le moins fort de tous, he is the tallest, but the weakest of all; votre Tante est la plus riche, mais la moins libérale de vos Parens, your Aunt is the richest, but the least liberal of your relations; &c.

Q. Do all French Adjectives form their Degrees of Comparison in the same manner?

A. No; for the three following Adjectives have a Comparative and Superlative of their own; viz.

Yet, the two last may also be compared with plus and le plus, prefixed to their Positive; for we frequently say plus mauvais, plus petit, &c. But never plus bon.

CHAP. CHAP. V.

Of Pronouns in general.

Q. WHAT are Pronouns?

A. They are Words of a peculiar ufe in Speech; some serving as substitutes for Substantives, and others performing the office of Adjectives.

Q. How many forts of Pronouns are there?

A. There are fix forts, which are diftinguished by the fol

lowing names; viz.

The Personal,

The Conjunctive,

The Poffeffive,

The Abfolute,

The Demonftrative,

The Relative,

Les Relatifs.

4

i

Q. What are the Perfonal Pronouns?

A. They are those which directly denote Persons, and are ufed instead of their names; as Je I, tu thou, il he, elle she, for the Singular; Nous we, vous you or ye, ils or elles they, for the Plural. See the Conjugations of Verbs, which are annexed to CHAP. vi. p. 116.

Q. What are the Conjunctive Pronouns?

A. The Conjunctive Pronouns are also used instead of the names of Perfons and Things, but differ from the Perfonal Pronouns in this refpect, that they are either governed by Verbs, or fet after Prepositive particles; as moi or me me; toi or te thee; le, la, elle, or lui, fe, foi, which may be rendered by him, her, or it, in the Singular; Nous us; vous you or ye; eux, elles, les, leur or fe, for the Plural; according to the sense they imply.

Q. What are the Poffeffive Pronouns?

A. They are Pronouns which indicate the Poffeffion of the Object before which they are placed; as mon livre, my book; ta plume, thy pen; son chapeau, his hat; &c.