OF FRENCH VERBS. WITH EXERCISES AND READER. BY F. J. AMOURS, B.A., FRENCH MASTER, GLASGOW ACADEMY. GLASGOW: JOHN PRYDE, AND PORTEOUS BROTHERS. PREFACE. THIS book is intended for pupils who have learnt the rudiments of the first part of French Accidence, and require a sound and thorough knowledge of that most important part of speech, the Verb. The aim of the author has been to make the Study of French Verbs as methodical, and, therefore, as easy and useful as possible. The formation of derivative from primitive tenses has been made the fundamental principle in the classification of the verbs commonly called Irregular. Those verbs are divided here into two classes. The first includes all those which form their tenses regularly according to certain rules, their only irregularity being that they do not retain the same root throughout. The second class contains the verbs which present irregularities in the formation of their derivative tenses. In addition to the difficulty connected with the conjugation of Irregular Verbs, there is a very important point to be considered-their frequent use in idiomatic expressions; and great care has been taken to introduce as many of those idioms as possible in the Reading Lessons and Exercises, especially in those upon falloir, devoir, vouloir, and pouvoir, the verbs used in the translation of the English auxiliaries, must, shall, will, may, etc. In order to render this work complete, the Accidence of the first parts of speech has been inserted for reference at the beginning of the book; a few pages have been devoted to the Adverb, Preposition, and Conjunction, with Recapitulatory Exercises on the Verbs; and a short Reader has been added, containing easy and interesting selections from well known authors. 4 CLIFTON STREET. |