pewter; le rouge, red; le bleu, blue; &c. except la platine, platina, which is feminine. 9. The names of trees and shrubs are masculine: as-chêne, oak; hétre, beech-tree; frène, ash-tree; &c. but aubépine, white thorn; épine, thorn; ronce, bramble; yeuse, holm-oak; vigne, vine; are feminine. 10. The infinitives of verbs, adjectives, prepositions, and even sentences taken substantively, are masculine: as-le manger, eating; le boire, drinking; le bon et le mauvais, good and bad; un car, a for; un si, an if; un qu'en dira-t-on, a what will they say. 11. The cardinal numbers, un, deux, trois, quatre, &c. the ordinal, premier, second, troisième, &c.; the names of decimal divisions and quantities, centième, hundredth, gramme, &c. are masculine. But une, première, seconde, are always feminine; and if any of the other numbers be preceded or followed by a Substantive feminine to which it refers, it is then considered as feminine, to agree with it: asla vingtième fois, the twentieth time; la quatrième femme, the fourth woman; règle dixième, rule the tenth. 12. Compound words joined by a hyphen are masculine or feminine according as the principal word is itself masculine or feminine: for instance-avant-coureur, forerunner, is masculine, because the principal word, coureur, signifies a courier, which service is generally performed by a man. : 13. Derivatives are of the same gender as the noun from which they are derived for instance-globule, globule, is masculine, because it comes from the word globe, which is masculine; monticule, small hill, is masculine, it being derived from the masculine mont, hill; pellicule, pelicle, is feminine, as it comes from the feminine peau, skin. 14. Nouns which have two genders are either masculine or feminine according to the point of view under which they are considered. Observe. The above remarks upon the gender of Substantives are not intended to apply to every case, the intention being merely to give a general view of the subject, for the exceptions to any rule which could be offered are so numerous that practice alone can make the pupil a proficient in this part of French Grammar. EXERCISE. In writing the following exercise, the pupil must remember to observe the regular order of the figures which are placed before the French words to indicate the construction of those sentences, which might otherwise be found too difficult. Whenever a figure occurs without any French word after it, it is because the pupil is supposed to know that word, and he is to place it in the order indicated by the figure. In the following exercise, the adjectives will be found spelt either in the masculine or feminine, singular or plural, according to the gender and number of the substantive to which they refer. The French and English have had a dreadful sea-fight.Have Français Anglais terrible combat naval you been to the play this season ?-No; but (I am going) this evening comédie saison mais je vais soir any?) to the opera. We have some very nice brandy (will you take bien bonne eau-de-vie en voulez-vous opéra. -Yes; give me some. donnez m'en (and buy) one. We en acheter -(I want) a new hat. Il me faut all -Well; go neuf chapeau. hé bien allez went into a boat.-Do you sell 2 tous 1allâmes dans bateau 2 vous rendez -I have a beautiful horse coffee?-No; we (only sell tea.)- in that large meadow.- sweet sounds of her superbe cheval -Listen to the echos échos pl. repeating the qui répètent melodious voice. It is a forgetfulness doux sons pl. (I shall never forgive.)Give her an apple and a pear.que je ne pardonnerai jamais Donnez-lui pomme poire Lend me a needle.-Goodness is the basis of his character.-The Prétez-moi aiguille Bonté complaint plainte gone out. sortie base écoutée caractère sœur (you made) has not been listened to.*-My sister is que vous avez faite The French nation is very powerful.-Show him a nut. 2 Française,nation très-puissante Montrez-lui noix (Fleet prison ?)She sang a pretty song.prison de Fleet? chanta jolie chanson -Where is the Ой -- The key is on the table.-Go into the yard, and* you will see them. not a park and a river in the forest.-He assured me upon his parc rivière 2 assura 1m' sur faith (that he would not do it.)—The law is abolished. foi qu'il ne le ferait pas him her hand.- -Stop, sir, my mamma (is coming.)-The harvest is not (pities nobody.)- (There is) his portion.Mort n'a pitié de personne voilà Thirst is worse than hunger.-Virtue is amiable.-A great misfortune Soif pire que faim Vertu aimable grand malheur leur bonheur à envier befel them in America. Her happiness is not (to be envied.) 2 arriva en Amérique -We had a sickness at the (stomach) all the way. She has -Call the waiter.-The horizon is red. made a good choice.- garçon rouge It is an hommes pl. C'est Upon my honor (there was) nearly a million of men. Sur honneur il y avait près d' enormous price.-Do not drink that, it is poison.-A delightful 2énorme prix ne buvez pas c'est landscape. A great age.-An insurmountable obstacle.--Her salary paysage âge 2 insurmontable 1. charmant salaire is not very high.-England is a kingdom.-Have you not the (London très-grand Angleterre royaume direcdirectory?)—A pretty cage.-Where is the cream ?-Bring me toire de Londres jolie créme Apportez-moi the inkstand. He told me a long story.--She has not a good encrier 2 dit me longue histoire memory.-A page or two.-He is an atheist-The church-yard is not C'est athée memoire ои a cimetière far from here.-She keeps a (handsome carriage.) (There was) loin d'ici carrosse de toute beauté Il y a eu a fire last night. An interval of two days.—What merit incendie dernière 1nuit jours pl (is there in that?)-Have you taken mercury?—If we go y a-t-il à cela spectacle irons me an umbrella?-(There was) a great silence, when the thunder parapluie Il régna profond 1 me quand tonnerre (was heard.)-The county of Essex is not so populous as that of se fit entendre comté si peuplé que Middlesex.-I have (a pain in my) side.-A committee (was held,) a 2 comité 1on tint (the City of London tavern.)-We have had a fine summer. -I la taverne de la Cité de Londres will take some of that pie.-The treaty is made. prendrai un peu usurper.- -Napoleon was a great conqueror. -She was a good usurpateur Napoléon conquérant bon judge.-Prudence and justice are very commendable.-English and louables pl. Anglais ARTICLE II. OF NUMBER IN SUBSTANTIVES. FROM the definition already given of Substantives, we may infer that they admit of two Numbers, the singular and the plural; the singular when they refer to one person or thing, and the plural when they refer to more than one. As the singular presents no difficulty whatever, we shall proceed to examine how the plural is formed. PLURAL OF SUBSTANTIVES. GENERAL RULE.-The plural of Substantives, either masculine or feminine, is generally formed by adding s to the singular: as-le prince, the prince; les princes, the princes; le roi, the king; les rois, the kings; la loi, the law; les lois, the laws. EXCEPTIONS. 1. Nouns ending in s, x, or z, in the singular, are the same in both numbers: as-le lis, the lily; les lis, the lilies; la croix, the cross; les croix, the crosses; le nez, the nose; les nez, the noses. 2. Nouns which terminate in ant or ent in the singular change the t into s for the plural, in polysyllables, but preserve it in monosyllables, and adds to it: as-appartement, apartment; appartemens, apartments; dent, tooth; dents, teeth. There are, however, some highly esteemed authors who equally preserve the t in polysyllables. 3. Nouns which end in au, eu, or ou, in the singular, take an x in the plural: as-chapeau, hat; chapeaux, hats; jeu, game; jeux, games; chou, cabbage; choux, cabbages. But clou, nail; cou, neck; filou, pickpocket; fou, fool; hibou, owl; licou, halter; loup-garou, lycanthropist; matou, ramcat; verrou, bolt; trou, hole; bleu, blue; follow the general rule, taking an s for the plural. 4. The greater part of nouns ending in al or ail in the singular become plural by changing al or ail into aux: as-cheval, horse; chevaux, horses; travail, work; travaux, works. Bal, ball; carnaval, carnival; détail, retail; éventail, fan; régal, regale; sérail, seraglio; gouvernail, rudder; poitrail, the breast of a horse; follow the general rule and take an 8 for the plural. Ciel, heaven; œil, eye; make in the plural cicur, heavens; yeux, eyes; but ciel used to denote the shade of a picture, or the top of a bed, makes ciels in the plural: as-Les ciels de ce tableau sont admirables, the shades of that picture are beautiful; Les ciels de ces lits sont de toute beauté, the tops of those beds are magnificent, We VOL. I. D also use the plural ciels in speaking of the sky under which a country lies: asL'Italie est sous un des plus beaux ciels de l'Europe, Italy is under one of the finest skies in Europe. Eil makes cils in the plural in speaking of the fat of soup or of cheese, when it forms small round globules on the surface: as-Voyez les œils de cette soupe, de ce fromage, see the fat of that soup or cheese.-We likewise say: Des oils de boeuf, oval windows. Aïeul, grandfather, makes aïeuls in the plural, when we speak of our paternal and maternal grandfathers: as-Mes deux aïeuls ont rempli les premières charges, my two grandfathers have filled the highest situations; but if we wish to denote those from whom our grandfathers descend, and all those who have preceded them, aïeul makes then aïeux in the plural: as-Nos aïeux, our ancestors. OBSERVE. As there are a great many words which have no plural, and others which have no singular, we think proper to quote some of the most necessary. 1. The names of metals when unwrought have no plural: as—l'or, gold; l'argent, silver; le fer, iron; le plomb, lead, &c. 2. The names of aromatics have no plural; le baume, balm; l'encens, incense; la myrrhe, myrrh, &c. 3. The names of virtues and vices have no plural: as-la chasteté, chastity; la charité, charity; le courage, courage; le désespoir, despair; l'espérance, hope; la foi, faith; la haine, hatred; l'innocence, innocence; la pudeur, modesty, &c. &c. The following also have no plural: artillerie, artillery; adolescence, adolescence; bonheur, happiness; bile, bile; courroux, wrath; douceur, mildness; disette, scarcity; enfance, infancy; estime, esteem; faim, hunger; fin, end; gloire, glory; honte, shame; impuissance, impotency; jeunesse, youth; lait, milk; morale, moral; mépris, contempt; molesse, softness, effeminacy; noblesse, nobility; obéissance, obedience; odorat, smell; ouie, hearing; pauvreté, poverty; paresse, laziness; pourpre, spotted fever; prochain, neighbour; renommée, fame; repos, rest; santé, health; silence, silence; salut, salvation; sang, blood; soif, thirst; sommeil, sleep; vieillesse, old age; virilité, manhood; and some others. 4. Adjectives and infinitives of verbs substantively used have no plural: as-Le bon et le mauvais, good and bad; le lever, rising; le manger, eating, &c. 5. All foreign words which are not naturalized, all adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions; the letters of the alphabet; ciphers, the notes of music, are never used in the plural, thus we say : Des si, des pour quoi, des oui, des non, des A, des B, des que, des te deum, des postcriptum, &c. On n'écoute ni les si ni les mais, 6. But these have no singular, atours, elegant dress; ancêtres, ancestors; annales, annals; armoiries, coat of arms; arrérages, arrears; accordailles, espousals; broussailles, briars; besicles, spectacles; catacombes, catacombs; ciseaux, scissars; calendes, calends; confins, borders; décombres, rubbish; dépens, cost; doléances, grievances; entraves, shackles; écrouelles, the king's evil; entrailles, bowels; épousailles, espousals; fiançailles, betrothing; fonts, fonts; frais, expenses; funérailles, funeral; hardes, clothes; immondices, filth; mánes, manes; matériaur, materials; matines, matins; meurs, morals; mouchettes, snuffers; munitions, ammunition; nippes, clothes; obsèques, obsequies; pleurs, tears; prémices, first fruits; proches, relations; |