But on must always be used after et, si, ou, que, when the following word is one of the Pronouns le, la, les, lui, leur, or any other word with which l'on would have a disagreeable sound: as-On le lui a dit; he has been told of it; and not l'on le lui a dit.

On is in general to be preferred to l'on, and it would be ridiculous to begin a sentence, or a part of it, by l'on: as—On aime une femme aimable, on la chérit, on l'adore; we love an amiable woman, we cherish and adore her; and not l'on aime une femme aimable, l'on la chérit, l'on l'adore.

On and l'on being always the subject of the Verb, precede it, except in an interrogative sentence, when on goes after, like the personal pronouns; in which case, if the Verb ends with a vowel, a t, with a hyphen on each side of it, is put between the Verb and on: as- -What will they do? que fera-t-on ?

As to l'on, it can never be used for the subject of any Verb in the interrogative, it must always be on.

GENERAL RULE.-On is generally repeated in French before every Verb of which it is the nominative, although the expression equivalent to it in English may be used before the first Verb only, and understood before those which succeed, if several follow; in which case the Conjunction and used before the last Verb in English is elegantly suppressed in French: as-He is praised, threatened, and caressed; on le loue, on le menace, on le caresse; and not et on le caresse.

Aucun, nul, ni l'un ni l'autre, pas un, or their feminine, aucune, nulle, ni l'une ni l'autre, pas une, also personne and rien, always require ne before the Verb of which they are the subject or object, with the Adjective or Participle referring to them in the singular masculine if relating to men, and in the feminine if to women: as I say nothing, je ne dis rien; nobody told you so, personne ne vous l'a dit, &c. always putting the Verb in the third person singular, if these Pronouns are its subject.

For any farther explanation see the Syntax, on Indefinite Pronouns.

EXERCISE.

They say that the French will not succeed in Spain. It is reported réussir en Espagne

dit que Français

that the Spaniards have won the last battle.-I was told yesterday Espagnols gagner dernier bataille

famille

revenir

that the royal family was coming back to town.-Do they talk of parler peace?-People attribute the invention of (gun-powder) to Berthold paix poudre à canon Scherward, of Friburg. When one has deviated from the paths of s'est écarté

attribuer

Fribourg

sentier

Que

virtue, one ought to* endeavour to (get into them again.)-(What

devoir

news is there?) None.-(Is it thought) that Marshal N** (will be) dit-on de nouveau rien Croit-on maréchal N** soit

acquitted? No; people think that he will be condemned to death.acquitter condamner

penser

If peace were made, I should go to France with you. We learn bet

en

ter what we understand, than what we

comprend que

apprend

(do not.)Do that, ne comprend pas Faites

ce que or (you will be punished.)-She has been informed of it.—Bring

l'on vous punira

mander

Apporter your papers and they will be examined.-False reports are often examiner 4 Faux s bruit

2

papiers circulated. What do they say in that country of the French revolution? fait courir Que

campagne

I shall have some fruit sent) from the country.-We love an amiable On m'enverra du fruit woman, we cherish and adore her.-Somebody told me so.

Well, 3 a dit 1 2P Hé bien

whoever told it you was wrong.-Has any body written to him?— 3 a dit l'i avait tort

écrit

Every body believes it.-Nobody (came here) to-day.-If I had the 2 1il n'est venu

least

croit

idea that she is dead, nobody (could induce me to believe) the moindre idée qu' fút mort ne pourrait me faire croire contrary.—I have seen none of his friends.-He knows nothing.—

contraire

sait

Every one has his own* manner of thinking and acting.-Every coun

try has its laws and customs.-No man is free from error.-(There exempt erreur Il n'y was not) a single lady.-The same thing does not please at all times. avait pas seul -Many people say SO.- -When we apply ourselves to several

2 disent 1le

plaît en

sciences (at once,) we seldom succeed in any. She is always à la fois

me why such or such a thing.-Whatsoever merit he

asking
à 2 demander 1

mérite

may have, he will never succeed.-Whatever services you have

rendre birth and elevation may be, you ought not to despise any Anaissance votre élévation être

devoir

mépriser perbody. However foolish fashions may be, people follow them.–

Whatever may happen, give me notice (of it.)-All men and
Quoi qu'

arriver donner m' 2avis 'en

toutes

WO

men are mortal.-Were all his friends there?-All that you say 2 mortel étaient-ils 1

3 4y

dites

is not true.-Do* not speak ill of others.-Another would not have parler mal

vrai

behaved in that se comporter de

manner. They will both come.-Either 2 tous les deux 1venir

*

3

do me that favour.-Neither of them* (knows) 1ils ne savent

of* you can
1vous pouvez faire

2

plaisir

6

CHAPTER V.

OF VERBS.

THE Verb is the word, par excellence; it forms a part of every sentence, and is the tie of our thoughts; it alone has the property not only of manifesting their existence in relation to each other, but also of expressing the reference which they may have to the present, past, or future; for instance: Les femmes sont aimables, women are amiable; the Verb sont is the word with which I connect the word femmes with aimables, and by which I express, in that sentence, a reference to the present.

The Verb may be defined a word by which we denote that the person or thing of which we speak, either performs such or such an action, or is, was, or will be in such or such a state; or again, according to several most esteemed authors: it is a word of which the principal use is to signify affirmation.

ARTICLE I.

OF THE DIFFERENT SORTS OF VERBS.

There are two sorts of Verbs, the Substantive and the Adjective. There is only one Substantive Verb, which is-être, to be. It is called Substantive, because it merely denotes that the subject of which we speak, or which is the object of our thoughts, exists, has existed, or will exist, in relation with the modification expressed by the attribute,

without ever including that modification in its own signification; for instance: Napoléon était un grand conquérant, Napoleon was a great conqueror; the Verb était only affirms the existence of the subject, Napoléon, in relation with the modification of grand conquérant.

There are five Adjective Verbs; the Active, Passive, Neuter, Pronominal, and Unipersonal. They are called Adjective, because they express, in one word, the existence of the subject, and its relation to any modification included in their own signification; for instance: Je joue, I play; joue is an Adjective Verb, because it includes the Verb étre, and the Adjective jouant; je joue being, in fact, the true equivalent of this proposition: Je suis jouant.

The Verb être taken in the sense of exister is itself an Adjective Verb; for instance: Dieu est, God is, is precisely the same as if I had said : Dieu est existant, God is existing.

1. Active Verbs are those of which the subject performs the action which they express, and which have, or may have, at the same time for object, a Noun not preceded by any Preposition, as for instance: Il aime Sophie, he loves Sophia; aime is an Active Verb, because the action which it expresses, namely, that of loving, is performed by its subject, il; and it is immediately followed by Sophie, which is its direct regimen, or object.

A Verb may also be known to be an active one, when it will admit after the present of the Indicative the words, quelqu'un, some body; quelque chose, something; therefore, chanter, to sing; consoler, to console; are Active Verbs, because we can say: Elle chante quelque chose, she sings something; je console quelqu'un, I console some body.

2. Passive Verbs are those of which the subject is affected in any particular manner; or rather, of which the subject receives or suffers the action which they express, and which have no direct object: asLouise est aimée, Louisa is loved; est aimée is a Passive Verb, because its subject, Louise, receives the action of being loved, which the Verb expresses; and Louise is, consequently, the term of the action, instead of being its cause, or mover.

3. Neuter Verbs are of two sorts:-1st. Those expressing an action performed by the subject, which either is, or can be, directed towards. an object or a term, with the help of a Preposition, as may be seen by the following examples: Il nuit à ma réputation, he injures my reputation; il vient, he is coming; the action expressed by either of these two Verbs, nuit and vient, is performed by their subject il, and directed in the first example towards the object, ma réputation, with the help of the Preposition à; and in the second, it can be directed towards at term with a Preposition, as for instance: Il vient de la campagne, he comes from the country; these two Verbs are, consequently, neuter. -2dly. Those expressing an action performed by the subject, but which being concentrated within themselves, can never be directed towards any object; or rather, those merely expressing the state, situation, manner of being, or existing of the subject, such as: Je dors, I sleep; j'existe, I exist; which Verbs, dors and existe, merely express the state of the subject je.

Hence, Neuter Verbs can never be followed by the words: Quelqu'un, quelque chose, as we cannot say: Je dors quelqu'un, or quelque chose, in which respect they differ from Active Verbs, which always admit of those expressions.

4. Pronominal Verbs are those which are conjugated throughout their different tenses and persons, with two Pronouns of the same person, thus: Je me, tu te, il or elle se, nous nous, vous vous, ils or elles se, in the sense of myself, thyself, himself, herself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves, either expressed or not in English: as-Je me lève, I rise; tu te lèves, thou risest, &c. Je me suis levé, I have risen ; tu t'es levé, thou hast risen, &c. nous nous sommes flattés, we have flattered ourselves; vous vous êtes flattés, you have flattered yourselves, &c. &c.

The Present of the Infinitive, and the Present Participle, with their compounds, must, however, be excepted, as they have on'y one Pronoun: as-Se lever, to rise; s'être levé, to have risen; se levant, rising; s'étant levé, having risen. The second person singular, the first and the second plural of the Imperative, also, admit but one Pronoun only as-Lève-toi, rise thou; levons-nous, let us rise; levez-vous, rise ye

or you.

5. Unipersonal Verbs, otherwise called Impersonal, are Verbs which are only used in the third person singular of their different tenses: as-Il y a, there is; il faut, it is necessary; il importe, it is of importance.

It will not be superfluous to observe, that among Unipersonal Verbs, some are such essentially, that is to say, cannot be used otherwise than in the third person singular: as-il pleut, it rains; il neige, it snows; and others accidentally, being some times Unipersonal and sometimes Personal, according as the Pronoun il, which precedes them, is taken in an indeterminate manner, or with reference to a Noun antecedent; as for instance: Il convient d'y aller, it is becoming to go there; il arrive souvent que, it often happens that; in which sentences: il convient and il arrive are Impersonal, because the Pronoun il preceding them does not refer to any Noun antecedent, But in this: pardonnez à votre fils, il convient de son tort, pardon your son, he acknowledges his error; il convient is a Personal Verb, because it refers to the word fils, which is mentioned before.

ARTICLE II.

OF NUMBERS AND PERSONS IN VERBS.

There are two Numbers in Verbs, as in Nouns, the singular and the plural; the singular, when a single person or thing performs the action expressed by the Verb: as-Je chante, I sing; tu marches, thou walkest. The plural, when two or several persons concur to the same action: as-Nous chantons, we sing; ils dorment, they sleep.

In each Number there are three Persons: the first, the second, and the third; the first is the person who speaks; the second, the person spoken to; and the third, the person spoken of.

There are three Pronouns to represent those three Persons: je, I, for the first in the singular; tu, thou, for the second; il or elle, he or she, for the third; nous, we, for the first in the plural; vous, you, for the second; ils or elles, they, for the third.

In French as in English, though speaking to one person only, the