ARTICLE II.

Cases in which there is no Article used in French.

§. 1.

FIRST GENERal Rule.—1. No Article is used in French before the word dieu in the Singular, taken in a general sense, nor before the proper names of divinities, men, women, days, months, animals, towns, villages, and places, when they are taken in a general and indeterminate sense, although they may be preceded by a Preposition : as- -Dieu est bon, God is good; Minerve est la prudence, et Vénus la beauté, Minerva is prudent, and Venus is beautiful; Londres est considérable, London is considerable; je vais à Paris, I am going to Paris; il part pour Amsterdam après demain, he sets out for Amsterdam after tomorrow, &c.

"Au milieu des clartés d'un feu pur et durable,

Dieu mit avant le temps son trône inébranlable."

VOLTAIRE.

2.-No Article is used in French with the Cardinal or Ordinal Numbers, when they are employed in quotations after the words livre, book; chapitre, chapter; page, page; &c. although the Definite Article the is most commonly used with the Ordinal in English ;-the first in such a case must always be construed by premier or première, and never by un or une: as-Livre huit or huitième, book the eighth; chapitre neuf or neuvième, chapter the ninth, &c. and not livre le huit or le huitième; chapitre le neuf or le neuvième, &c. but we always say-Tome premier, tome the first; section première, section the first, and never tome un, section une.

3. We always use the proper names, St. Pierre, St. Thomas, St. Jean, St. Michel, without any Article; but whenever speaking of the days of their commemoration, the Article Feminine la must be used before them, on account of the Substantive fête being then understood as-La St. Jean, la St. Michel, la St. Pierre, &c. and if speaking of any thing which is to take place on those days, we then use à before the Article, thus-A la St. Jean, at Midsummer; à la St. Michel, at Michaelmas, &c.

Observe.-1. The Article le, du, or au, according to the import of the sentence is however used before the word dieu taken as the divinity of any individual religion, or of a particular thing, and les, des, or aur before dieux in the Plural, in speaking of the Pagan divinities, provided nevertheless dieux be not preceded by an Adjective which would not admit of the Article, as Le Dieu des Chrétiens, the God of the Christians; Mars est le dieu de la guerre, Mars is the god of war; les dieux et les demi-dieux, the gods and demi-gods, &c.

2. Proper names of men and women, used in the Plural, likewise take the Definite Article les before them: as-Les Alexandres, les Césars, &c.

Observe. When proper names being used in the Singular, are qualified by an Adjective, the Article le or la, must be used before the Adjective, with this difference, that should the Adjective precede the proper name, it denotes a quality common to many, and should it follow, it expresses a distinctive quality: asLe général Wellington, the general Wellington; in which case général merely denotes the quality of general which may belong to any body else; but if we sayWellington le général, in this case général expresses a quality which distinguishes Wellington from any other who may have the same name.

3. The Article is likewise used before the names of women of light character, when we speak of them in a contemptuous manner, asLa Watson.

4. It is also used before the names of some Italian authors, painters, &c. as-Le Tasse, l'Arioste, le Titien, &c.

It must be noted that when the Preposition de or à comes before a French proper name which is preceded by the Article le, la, or ', the contraction never takes place, therefore we say-Les tableaux de le Brun, the pictures of le Brun, and not du Brun; le livre de le Maire, the Maire's book, and not du Maire, &c.; whilst the contraction is requisite before proper names which are not French, if, being preceded by the Article, they come after the Preposition de: as-Les ouvrages du Dante, du Tusse, &c. and not de le Dante, de le Tasse, &c.

EXERCISE.

God is the Supreme Being who governs every thing by his power

and wisdom. After (having) visited London, Bath, and Brighton,

avoir

I shall set out for Paris, where I

voir

propose
se proposer de

passing the summer.

Venus was one of the Goddesses to whom the Pagans offered their

incense and sacrifices.-Alexander the Great and Napoleon were the Alexandre-le-grand

encens

two most powerful monarchs that ever

monarque

reigned. What a dif

sub. prete. régner

ference between the morality of the God of the Christians, and that

morale

of the Gods of the Pagans.-A beautiful statue was erected to the God

superbe

of war, in memory of that brilliant and ever

memorable victory

à jamais

over the Turks.-Do you think the Heathens

had as many Gods

sub. im.

and Demi-Gods as is related in history? No; but although the

divinities.-Come and see me on Monday or Thursday.

September and October are the two finest months in England; and

November and December the most disagreeable.- -I have read

somewhere that Aristotle and Plato were born in the age of Philip quelque part naître siècle and Alexander, which they illustrated by the elevation of their beauté (minds.) Demosthenes and Cicero were two great orators; the génie

former flourished at Athens, the latter at Rome.- -Pitt and Fox second

have rarely been equalled. Did you dine with general D***

yesterday? No; but I went to the play with Mr. D, the

banker. How could you fancy that Watson

would come

banquier -f. sub, im. vouloir here?- -If had read Tasso and Ariosto, I am sure you

you

s'imaginer

le Tasse

l'Arioste

(would not say so any more.)—Mr. C*** does not think Le changeriez de langage

Cernet's French Grammar,

equal to that of Le Maire.

sub. pr. être

He asserts that the works of Dante are better written than those of soutenir

Tasso. I should never have suspected that he

soupçonner

intended to

leave at Michaelmas, after he so positively affirmed, at Midsummer, quitter that he would renew his lease for one-and-twenty years.

renouveler

bail

St. Peter and St. Thomas were two of Christ's Apostles who exposed

themselves to the persecutions of the unbelievers, by preaching the infidèles

en

resurrection of their master. Did you not tell me that it was in the

second volume? No; it was my sister who told you so. Book the first,

chapter the second, section the first; rule the seventh, volume the sixth, article the third.

Continuation of the Cases in which no Article is used in French.

§. 3.

THIRD GENERAL RULE.No Article is used in French before common Substantives taken in a general and indeterminate sense :1. When they are used by way of title or address, although the Indefinite Article a or an may be prefixed to them in English: as-a proclamation, proclamation; a new grammar, nouvelle grammaire; a preface, préface; observations on the situation of Europe, observations sur l'état de l'Europe; general reflections, réflections générales; he lives in Piccadilly, St. James's, il demeure rue Piccadilly, quartier St. James; a life of, vie de, &c.

2. When several are enumerated, either as the subject or object of a Verb, to give more emphasis to the expression, in which case likewise there is not any Article used in English: as-Citizens, strangers, enemies, people, kings, emperors, pity and revere him, Citoyens, étrangers, ennemis, peuples, rois, empereurs, le plaignent et le révèrent.

Je ne trouve partout que lâche flatterie,
Qu'injustice, intérêt, trahison, fourberie."

MOLIERE.

3. After ne que in the sense of nothing but in English: as-I beheld nothing but solitude and desolation, Je n'ai vu qu'abandon et solitude.

4. In proverbs: as-Pauvreté n'est pas vice, poverty is no crime; contentement passe richesse, content is beyond riches, or is the greatest wealth.

5. When we address persons or things: as for instance-Amis, volons à la gloire, friends, let us fly to glory.

"Fleurs charmantes, par vous la nature est plus belle."

Delille.

But when we address persons in common conversation, the Article is sometimes used and sometimes not, which can only be learnt by practice as for instance, we say without ArticleEcoutez, garçon! hark ye, my lad! and with the Article écoutez, la fille! hark ye, my girl!-If calling to a man who sells umbrellas in the street, or to a milk-woman, you may say-marchand de parapluies, or l'homme aux parapluies! and, la femme au lait !

4. When they are preceded by one of the Cardinal Numbers un, une, deux, &c. as also by a Demonstrative, Possessive, or Indeterminate Adjective, in which case the Article is also suppressed in English: as-un homme, a man; une femme, a woman; cette fille, that girl; ce bouquet, that nosegay; mon livre, my book; quelques personnes, some persons; aucune, or nulle chose, nothing.

5. After quel, quelle, quels, quelles, used before a Substantive, to express surprise or admiration, although the Indefinite Article a or an is

commonly used after what in such a case in English: as-Quelle charmante demoiselle! what a beautiful young lady! quel bel homme! what a fine man! and not quelle une charmante demoiselle, quel un bel homme.

Observe.-1. We never express in French neither the Indefinite Article a or an used in English before a Substantive which qualifies or characterizes another spoken of before, or rather which determines what the preceding Substantive is, as in this Example: The Duke of York, a Prince of the Blood, le Duc d'York, prince du sang; and not, un prince du sang.

2. A or an used in the second part of a sentence before a Substantive which begins an observation upon the preceding part is never expressed in French neither: as Mr. S*** has canvassed two thousand votes, a sufficient number to exclude any other candidate, Mr. S*** s'est assuré deux mille voix, nombre suffisant pour exclure tout autre candidat; and not, un nombre suffisant, &c.

6. When they are immediately preceded by the Verbs avoir, faire, or any other with which they express but one same idea, in which case, they generally are or could be both expressed by one word in English: as-Avoir envie, to envy; avoir pitié, to pity; faire peur, to frighten, &c. so also when they are joined to a Verb by a Preposition: astrembler de froid, to shiver with cold; agir en père, en roi, &c. to act like a father, a king, &c.

7. When they are immediately preceded by ni, neither, nor, &c.— as Je n'ai ni or ni argent, I have neither gold nor silver; il ne peut souffrir ni femme ni enfans, he can bear neither wife nor children.

Observe. If several Substantives being enumerated the first were preceded by neither, and nor were understood before the others, ni must be repeated before each of them in French.

8. After soit repeated, or soit in the first part of the sentence with ou in the second, in the sense of either and or, as-Soit erreur, soit méchanceté de sa part, or soit erreur ou méchanceté de sa part, either through error or wickedness on his part.

9. After jamais, never: as-Jamais peut-être femme ne fut plus cruelle, there was never perhaps a more cruel woman.

10. Sometimes after tout, toute, all: as-Toute femme qui fait cela est perdue, every woman who does that is ruined.

11. After en, in, into: as-Etre en ville, to be in town, &c.

Observe. We however sometimes use the Definite Article after en before a word which begins with a vowel or an h mute, as it has already been mentioned before, under the article of Prepositions: as-En l'honneur de Madame T***, in honour of Mrs. T***; en l'absence de Mademoiselle C***, in the absence of Miss C***, and also sometimes before a Consonant, as in these sentences-être en la présence de Dieu, to be in the presence of God; avoir confiance en la miséricorde du roi, to trust to the king's mercy.

As to the Indefinite Article a or an which the English frequently use after in, as in this sentence-we were all sitting in a circle, is not expressed in French, except when it means one, in which case it is construed by un or une: Ex.-We were all sitting in a circle, nous étions tous assis en cercle; and not, en un cercle: but we say― in a month, en un mois; in a year, en un an; because a means one.

12. Finally, when Substantives are taken adjectively, no Article is used before them in French, whether there is one or not in English: as-Le mensonge est bassesse, lying is a base action; la sévérité dans les lois est humanité pour les peuples, severity in laws is humanity towards people, &c.