LESSON THE SECOND. OF THE ARTICLE. M. The rules concerning the article being many, and it being contrary, in almost every instance, to the genius of the French language, to use a noun as subject or object in a sentence, without preceding it by the article, I shall begin with it. Please to give particular attention, therefore, to the following rules. RULE I.—The article, though often omitted in English, in French precedes the noun, in almost every instance, and accords with it in gender and number.-EXAMPLES: La crainte de la mort est naturelle | The fear of death is natural to man. à l'homme. La paix ramène le repos, la tran quillité, et les richesses. Il apprend le dessein, la danse, et les mathématiques. L'ignorance est la mère de l'admiration, de l'erreur, du scrupule, de l'irrésolution, de la superstition, des ridicules, et des préventions de toute espèce. Les Egyptiens accoutumaient leurs enfans à l'obéissance, au travail, à la sobriété, au désintéressement, à l'amour des arts ou des lettres, et au désir de l'honneur. Apportez-moi un essuie-main, un verre, un couteau, une fourchette, une assiette, et une serviette. J'ai besoin d'un manteau, d'un parapluie, et d'une paire de bottes. Peace brings back rest, tranquil- He is learning drawing, dancing, The Egyptians trained up their children to obedience, labour, sobriety, disinterestedness, the love of arts or of letters, and the thirst of honour. Bring me a towel, tumbler, knife, fork, plate, and napkin. I want a cloak, an umbrella, and a pair of boots. RULE II.-Although proper names of men and cities, in general, do not require the article, proper names of countries, seas, rivers, and mountains, always admit it before them.-EXAMPLES: La France est au nord de la Médi- | J'ai passé par la Hollande, l'Alle- France lies to the north of the Mediterranean. 1 have passed through Holland, Germany, and Poland. I have crossed the Thames several times in a boat. La Parnasse, le Pinde, et l'Héli- | con, sont les montagnes favori. tes des poètes. La cime du Mont-Blanc a 2400 toises au-dessus du niveau de la · mer. Parnassus, Pindus, and Helicon are the favourite mountains of the poets. The top of Mont-Blanc is 4800 -yards above the level of the sea. REMARKS ON THE ABOVE RULE.-Some provinces and kingdoms, having the same names with the capital cities thereof, always dispense with the article.-EXAMPLES: Naples est un pays délicieux. Valence est une des plus agréables provinces d'Espagne. Naples is a delightful country. Valencia is one of the most agreeable provinces of Spain. To or in, when followed by the name of a country of Europe, is expressed by the preposition en, and from by de; but when followed by the name of any of the four quarters of the world, from is better expressed by the preposition and article de l'.-EXAMPLES: J'ai dessein d'aller en Italie, au printemps. J'ai voyagé en Angleterre, en Ecosse, et en Irlande. D'où venez-vous? je viens d'Es- I intend going to Italy, in the spring. I have travelled in England, Scot- Do you intend to stay long in Whence do you come? I come from I come from Europe, Asia, Africa, But, when the country mentioned is out of Europe, and not generally known, or of little importance, then the articles, au, à la, aux, du, de la, des, instead of the prepositions en or de, should always precede.-EXAMPLES: Il m'a dit qu'il devait aller au Me- He told me he was to go to Mexico, He is just arrived from Mexico, RULE III.-When national or nominal adjectives, of European nations, or of the four quarters of the globe, are used in English, before a noun denoting some commodity, production, or peculiarities relative to that country or city, the adjective is translated, in French, by the name of the country itself, and placed after the noun of commodity, &c. which is immediately followed by the preposition de.-EXAMPLES: English. Les fruits de France valent mieux | French fruits are better than the que ceux d'Angleterre. Le drap d'Espagne est excellent. La bière de Flandres n'est pas aussi bonne que celle de Hollande. Les vins d'Asie sont fort estimés. Les côtes d'Angleterre sont bien Spanish cloth is excellent. Asiatic wines are highly esteemed. The Tyrian purple was much sought after. The English coasts are well defended. Remark, that, although we may say, with equal propriety, la noblesse Française, and la noblesse de France, the French nobility, we cannot say, le roi Français, but le roi de France, the French king. If the national adjectives of countries, out of Europe, or those of countries not generally known, be used, the article du, de la, &c, should be used, instead of the preposition de.-EXAMPLES: L'or du Pérou fit commettre bien | Peruvian gold induced the Spades crimes aux Espagnols. niards to commit a great many crimes. Les mouchoirs de l'Inde sont à Indian handkerchiefs are HOW présent très à la mode. much in fashion. Les vins du Mantouan sont fort Mantuan wines are very good. bons. S. Do proper names of individuals and cities ever take the article? M. Yes, in particular cases: 1st, we can place the article plural before the names of great men, as it has been remarked in a former part of this volume, to which you are referred (page 126.) 2. Before the name of a woman (in the singular only,) by way of derision or contempt. 3. It is sometimes used before the names of actresses. ·ExAMPLES: La Brinvilliers était une fameuse | Brinvilliers was a famous poisoner. 'empoisonneuse. La Saint-Huberti a charmé tout Saint-Huberti charmed all Paris by the melody of her voice. N. B. Before the proper name of the first example, the words femme appelée, a woman called; and before that of the second, the words actrice appelée, an actress called, are understood. The article is also placed before some names originally Italian; as, Le Tasse, Le Carrache, &c. before the first, the word poćte, and, before the second, the word peintre, being understood. French proper names of men and cities take the article only when they have kept up their original appellative signification; as, Les plaidoyers de le Maistre, the pleadings of Le Maistre; les tableaux de Le Moine, the paintings of Le Moine; le Châtelet, (for le petit château,) la Rochelle, le Hâvre, le Caire (la ville, in Arabic), &c. Observe, the article may be used in French before adjectives, prepositions, adverbs, conjunctions, and the infinitive of some verbs, which thereby become so many nouns. As we have attended before (in page 126) to this property of the articles, the learner is referred back for examples. RULE IV.-The indicative or definite article, instead of the declarative or indefinite, as used in English, is in French placed before nouns of measure, weight, and number.-EXAMPLES: Remark, that, in the following examples and the like, the article indicative, or definite, is elegantly rendered by the preposition par.EXAMPLES: Elle donne à son maître de musique She gives her music-master a guinea a (or per) lesson. I take three lessons in fencing a week. RULE V. Whenever the word some is expressed or understood, in English, before a noun, singular or plural, or an adjective preceding a noun, in the singular only, it is rendered in French, by du, de la, de l', or des, and accords with the gender and number and the initial letter of the substantive. EXAMPLES FOR THE NOUN, SINGULAR OR PLURAL. Envoyez-moi du poisson, de l'ail, | Send me some fish, garlic, oil, de l'huile, de la moutarde, et des anchois. mustard, and anchovies. I have bought paper, sealing-wax, ink, and some ready-made pens. EXAMPLES FOR THE ADJECTIVE, IN THE SINGULAR. Du bon pain et de la bonne viande | Good bread and meat suffice for a suffisent à l'homme tempérant. temperate man. Il nous a envoyé de l'excellent fro- [ He sent us excellent cheese, but mage, mais du mauvais beurre. bad butter. RULE VI.—If the word some be placed or understood before one of those adjectives, whose correspondents, in French, are put before their nouns, and are in the plural number, the preposition de, and no other, must be placed before the former. If the adjective be one of those that may change place, and come so immediately after the noun, de is changed for des (*),-EXAMPLES: Il a de beaux chevaux dans son He has fine horses in his stable. écurie. Ce boulanger nous fournit de bons | This baker gives us large loaves. pains. J'ai vu de bonnes viandes à la bou- | I saw good meat at the market. cherie. De célèbres auteurs (* ou des auteurs célèbres) pensent ainsi. Celebrated authors think so. S. You appear to differ very widely in opinion with the writers of French grammars for the use of Englishmen. They all invariably maintain that de (preposition,) answering to some, expressed or understood, must constantly be used before an adjective, whether singular or plural, when preceding its noun: for instance, instead of saying with you, "du bon pain et de la bonne viande suffisent," &c. they would, according to their rule, say, "de bon pain et de bonne viande suffisent," &c. M. This impropriety of expression not long ago struck some of our best grammarians; and they maintained that a preference should be given to the mode of expression I recommend, and which now also begins to be sanctioned by polite custom. In fact, when you say, "de bon pain et de bonne viande suffisent," owing to the pronunciation, which is the same in both cases, it cannot be discriminated, whether you do not mean, de bons pains et de bonnes viandes suffisent, &c.; the meaning of which is very different. Please to give your attention to the following rule, which is rather difficult, and has been very wrongly explained in such French grammars as have fallen into my hands. RULE VII.-When a French noun is accompanied by several adjectives, the article must be repeated before each of them, if they do not qualify the same object individually, although the same noun may be qualified: but, should the adjectives qualify both the noun and an object which is the same individually, the repetition of the article may be dispensed with. |