OF THE FORMATION OF THE PLURAL OF ADJECTIVES.

The plural of adjectives in French, is generally formed like that of the substantives, that is, by adding an s to the singular.*

Polite men,

Polite women,

EXAMPLES:

des hommes POLIS.
des femmes POLIES.

EXCEPTIONS:

Adjectives ending in s or x do not change their termination in the plural masculine.

Adjectives ending in au take an x in the plural mascu

line.

a new opera,

a fine sentiment,

EXAMPLES:

un opéra NOUVEAU. new operas, des opéras NOUVEAUX un BEAU sentiment. fine sentiments, de BEAUX sentiments.

OBSERVE.-The greatest number of adjectives ending in al in the masculine singular, become plural by changing al into aux, as: cardinal, cardinaux; libéral, libéraux; some follow the general rule and take an s; these are :

The adjective tout drops the t in the plural masculine, and makes tous.

OBSERVE. The feminine plural of adjectives is formed from the feminine singular, by adding s to it, according to the general rule, as:

A colossal2 monument, a colossal2 fortune; some colossal monuments; some colossal fortunes. The brother is happy; the sister is graceful; the brothers are happy; the sisters are graceful. A pretty present; a pretty gown; some pretty presents; some pretty gowns. A white2 curtain1; a white2 house;1 some white curtains; some white houses. An impartial2 judge; an impartial2 mother; impartial judges; impartial mothers. A cruel2 and revengeful3 animal; cruel and revengeful animals; a cruel and revengeful woman; cruel and revengeful women. That general2 officer1 is brave; our army is brave; those general officers are brave; our armies are brave. A new2 book; a new2 watch; new books; new watches. A loyal2 proceeding; a loyal2 petition; loyal proceedings; loyal petitions. A fatal2 event; a fatal resolution ;1 fatal events; fatal resolutions. Your brother is prudent and wise; your brothers are prudent and wise; your sister is prudent and wise your sisters are prudent and wise. An ideal being; an ideal fortune; ideal beings; ideal riches.

OF THE DEGREES OF SIGNIFICATION OF ADJECTIVES.

There are three degress of signification in adjectives; the positive, the comparative, and the superlative.

OF THE POSITIVE.

The positive is the adjective in its primitive state and meaning, without any increase or diminution; as a studious man, un homme studieux.

OF THE COMPARATIVE.

The comparative draws a comparison between two or more objects, either in a degree of inferiority, equality, or superiority, so that there are three sorts of comparatives.

1. The comparative of inferiority which is formed in French, by placing moins, less; before the adjective, and que, than ; after it, as:

He is less learned than you,

2. The comparative of

il est MOINS savant QUE VOUS.

equality which is formed by

placing aussi, si,* as, so; before the adjective, and que,

as;

after it, as:

He is as learned as you,

He is not so learned as you,

il est AUSSI savant QUE VOUS.
il n'est pas si savant que vous.

3. The comparative of superiority which is formed by placing plus, more; before the adjective, and que, than; after it, as :

He is more learned than you,

il est PLUS savant QUE vous.

OF THE SUPERLATIVE.

There are two sorts of superlative; the relative and the absolute.

* Aussi is used when the sentence is affirmative, and si when it is negative; in the latter case, both may be used indifferently.

The superlative relative denotes the quality of a person or thing in the highest or lowest degree, and is formed by prefixing the articles le, la, les, to the comparative of superiority or inferiority; it is called relative, because it always implies a comparison.

The finest ornament,
The least trouble,

EXAMPLES:

le PLUS bel ornement.
la MOINDRE peine,

The superlative absolute expresses a high degree of quality, but not the highest; it is formed by prefixing to the adjective an adverb such as très, fort, extrêmement, etc. It is called absolute because it does not express any relation to any other object,

His sister is extremely pretty,
I am very tired,

EXAMPLES:

sa sœur est EXTRÊMEMENT jolie. je suis TRÈS fatigué.

When no comparison is implied, the superlative absolute is formed by le plus, le mieux, le moins, before an adjective; in that case, the article always remains masculine singular.

EXAMPLES:

She never complains even when elle ne se plaint jamais, méme quand she is most ill-treated, elle est LE PLUS maltraitée.

Le plus, le mieux, le moins, having reference to a verb or an adverb, are invariable, because in that case, they are used adverbially.

EXAMPLES:

Of all flowers, the rose and the de toutes es fleurs, la rose et la tulip please me most, tulipe me plaisent LE PLUS.

Three adjectives and three adverbs are irregular in the formation of the comparative, which is formed in each severally in the following manner.

EXERCISE ON THE DEGREES OF COMPARISON.

Charity is the greatest virtue of a christian. God is infinitely merciful. Autumn is not so varied as spring, but it is richer. It is as easy to do good as to do evil. London is more populous than Paris. China is the greatest empire in the world. Your son will be taller than you. Your horses are handsomer than his. They are the handsomest of all. The simplicity of nature is more amiable than all the embellishments of art. My father is not so rich, but he is as learned as yours. You are less dutiful than your brother. You have written less than me. Your pen is better than mine, and consequently you write better than I. The life of a slave is worse than death itself. My books are worse than his, but yours are the worst of all. Pride and passion are his least defects. Of all prose writers, Bossuet and Buffon express themselves the most nobly. Racine and Boileau are the two French poets who write best. Honesty is the best policy.