A French grammar

neither navigation nor agriculture without the industry of men.-I industrie

neither love nor hate her. She neither pleases nor displeases me.-I plaire déplaire

am sure

qu'

she will neither laugh nor talk. They do not

rire

(for it,) nor I neither.-Why do you say

1 en

care

se 2 soucier

I (cannot) speak French ?-She is so passionate that I dare not

2 lui le Il y a des personnes qui

of fortune, although they

are loaded with its favours.-I could not sub.pr. comblé de

answer his questions.-Time past never returns, and a word once répondre à

passé

revenir

uttered cannot be recalled.-Never speak ill of any body.-I by no

prononcer

rappeler

means approve of his conduct.-Love your children; never blame

approuver

blamer

them without cause, and never reprove them with passion.-It réprimander

raison

is noble never to deceive any body.-Will you go to France with me?

Cases in which ne is used before a Verb in French without pas or point after, though there is no Negative in English.

GENERAL RULE.-1. Ne is used in French after the Comparatives plus, moins, mieux, and the words autre, autrement, before the Verb following que, if the Verb preceding plus, mieux, moins, &c. is affirmative: as-I love you more tenderly than I ever did any other lady, je vous aime plus tendrement que je n'ai jamais aimé aucune autre dame; she is better to day than she was yesterday, elle est mieux aujourd'hui qu'elle n'était hier; he writes better than he speaks, il écrit mieux qu'il ne parle.

But if the Verb preceding plus, moins, mieux, autre, autrement, be Negative or Interrogative, ne must not be used before the Verb following que: as-She does not write better than she speaks, elle n'écrit

pas mieux qu'elle parle, and not qu'elle ne parle; she is not better to day than she was yesterday, elle n'est pas mieux aujourd'hui qu'elle était hier, and not qu'elle n'était hier; have you ever seen a lady more amiable than Miss B*** was, avez-vous jamais vu une demoiselle plus aimable qu'était Melle B *** and not que n'était Melle B***

Note. If the Verbs were in the Present of the Infinitive Mood, or if, without being in the Infinitive Mood, there were a Conjunction between que and the second Verb, then ne must not be used before it, whether the first Verb be Affirmative, Negative, or Interrogative: as-It is more noble to forgive than to revenge, Il est plus noble de pardonner que de se venger, and not que de ne se venger; you do not dance better than when you were in England, vous ne dansez pus mieux que quand vous étiez en Angleterre, and not que quand vous n'étiez en Angleterre.

2. Ne is likewise used in French after the Conjunctions, à moins que, unless; de crainte que, for fear; de peur que, lest; and after que, used in their stead, before the Verb depending on them, which must be put in the Subjunctive Mood: as- I shall not go unless you come and fetch me, Je n'irai pas à moins que vous ne veniez me chercher; stay here for fear he should come in, restez ici de crainte qu'il n'entre; I shall not go and see him unless he invite me, je n'irai pas le voir qu'il ne m'en prie; go out quickly for fear she should see you, sortez promptement de crainte qu'elle ne vous voie.

But when unless is construed by à moins de, or à moins que de; and lest or for fear by de crainte de, de peur de, with the next Verb in the Present of the Infinitive Mood, ne is never required before it: asFor fear of displeasing you, de crainte de vous déplaire; and not, de ne vous déplaire; no one could speak thus, unless he be a fool, à moins d'être fou, on ne peut parler ainsi, and not, à moins de n'être fou.

Observe. Avant que before, and also que used in the same sense, or for until, require ne before the next Verb, if any thing uncertain be expressed by it, whilst ne is omitted, if any thing positive is expressed, placing it in any case in the Subjunctive Mood: as-He will not come before you go and fetch him, il ne viendra pas que vous n'alliez le chercher; because it is uncertain whether you will go or not. Wait till the rain is over, attendez qu'il ne pleuve plus; being equally uncertain when the rain will cease; but we say-Elle vint ici deux jours avant qu'elle mourût, she came here two days before she died; and not avant qu'elle ne mourût, because reference is made to a positive thing, about which there can be no uncertainty.

Should before be construed by avant de with the next Verb in the Present of the Infinitive, then ne is never required before it: as-He came to see me before he went away, il vint me voir avant de partir; and not, avant de ne partir.

3. Ne is used in French after the Verbs craindre, to fear, to be afraid; appréhender, to apprehend; avoir peur, to be afraid; trembler, to tremble; before the next Verb depending on que, if the thing expressed by it is not wished for, but on the contrary, objected to, the Verb being put in the Subjunctive Mood: as-I fear, or am afraid he will come, Je crains qu'il ne vienne; because I wish him not to come. But if the thing it expresses is wished for, (in which case not is always used in English) pas must then be put after the Verb with ne before, using the Subjunctive Mood as above: as-I am afraid my sister will not arrive to night, J'ai peur que ma sœur n'arrive pas ce soir; because I am anxious for her arrival.

If, on the contrary, we were indifferent whether the thing it expresses take place or not, then ne and pas are both omitted, though the Verb is as before put in the Subjunctive Mood: as-I do not fear

his coming, je ne crains pas qu'il vienne; because whether he come or not, is a matter of indifference to me.

Observe. If the sentence were construed by de with the next Verb in the Present of the Infinitive, instead of que with the Subjunctive, ne must then never be used before it: as-He fears, apprehends, trembles to be discovered, il craint, il appréhende, il tremble d'être découvert; and not de n'être découvert.

4. Empêcher, to prevent, to hinder, and prendre garde, in the sense of taking means that a thing may not happen, followed by que, always require ne before the next Verb, which must be put in the Subjunctive Mood: as-Prevent him from coming, empêchez qu'il ne vienne; take care that the child does not fall, prenez garde que l'enfant ne tombe.

If the sentence were construed by de with the next Verb in the Present of the Infinitive, instead of que with the Subjunctive, as with the Verbs craindre, appréhender, avoir peur, &c. then ne must never be used before it: as-I prevented him from coming, je l'empêchai de venir, and not de ne venir; take care you do not fall, prenez garde de tomber, and not de ne tomber.

5. Nier, douter, désespérer, disconvenir, followed by que, always require ne before the next Verb, if they are used negatively or interrogatively, but not when affirmatively. In any case, the next Verb is required to be in the Subjunctive Mood: as-I do not deny, doubt, despair, disagree, that it will be fine weather, je ne nie pas, je ne doute pas, je ne désespère pas, qu'il ne fasse beau temps; but-I deny, doubt, despair, that it is so, je nie, je doute, je désespère que cela soit, and not que cela ne soit.

6. When the Impersonal il s'en faut is followed by que, and used either negatively or interrogatively, or preceded by a Verb of doubt, or accompanied by one of the words peu, guère, presque, rien, or any other of a negative import, ne is always required before the next Verb, but not if il s'en faut is used alone affirmatively; in all cases putting the following Verb in the Subjunctive Mood: as-Il ne s'en faut pas de beaucoup que la somme entière n'y soit, there is not much wanting of the whole sum; combien s'en faut-il que la somme entière n'y soit? how much is it wanting of the whole sum? il ne s'en fallait rien que je ne fusse tué, I was very near being killed; je doute qu'il s'en faille beaucoup qu'il n'ait autant de mérite que l'autre, I doubt that he is very far from having as much merit as the other. But we say without ne-Il s'en faut beaucoup qu'il soit aussi savant que son frère, he is very far from being as learned as his brother; il s'en fallait de beaucoup que la somme entière y fút, there was a great deal wanting of the whole sum; because, il s'en faut is used affirmatively.

Peu s'en faut que Mathan ne m'ait nommé son père.

RAC. Ath. Act. iii. Sc. 6. Observe.-De beaucoup must always be used with the above Impersonal, in speaking of a quantity, of which the deficiency is great; and beaucoup without de, in speaking of a great difference between two persons or things.

EXERCISE.

(There are) some authors who write better than they speak, and others

Il y a who speak better than they write.- He

d'autre

he should, and he praises others less than they deserve.-Although mériter Quoique

devoir

she

sub. pr.

she

louer autre

is (quite another person to what) she was when she left us,

quand quitter

still speaks otherwise than she thinks.-Mrs. L*** is not better 2 encore 1

autrement

than she was yesterday, and I (am very much afraid) her health

-Have you ever heard any body sing better than Miss W*** sang the

entendre

other evening?—It is greater to overcome one's passions than to conquer de vaincre ses de conquérir are (a great deal) better than when we were se porter beaucoup

des entier

whole nations.-We

in town.-Unless you

punish him severely, he will not study.—

sub. pr. punir sévèrement

étudier

Stop a moment, for fear my father should come and Attendre

their mother. (No one could behave in that manner,) unless (he be) on ne saurait se conduire ainsi

d'être

intoxicated. Wait till the rain is over. He wrote to me two months ivre

faire promettre de

-My brother is so late this evening,

en votre présence

I should tell you of it, that she made me promise never to sub. im. 3 dire 1

2 le

mention her name (to you.)

prononcer

crains fort

that I (am very much afraid) some misfortune has happened qu'il quelque 5malheur soit 3 arriver (to him.)-Miss S*** is gone to see her cousin, but the weather is so bad 1 lui