In the third example, ames being in the second person plural, the verbs voulez and désirez, its correspondents, are also put in the second person plural. If you reflect, that an object could not be denominated under a gender and number, and be announced, qualified, recalled, and presented as existing by its correspondents under a different gender and number, without producing an irregularity, which would render vague and doubtful the relations of words with the ideas they are designed to pourtray, you will easily conceive why all the words we have just noticed appear with these inflections; and this more necessarily, as such a character of uniformity can alone manifest their dependance upon the hero of the phrase (the noun), for the sake of which they are used. However rational this rule of concordance may appear, it is still liable to many exceptions, which custom, that imperious law-giver of language, and to whom even philosophers must bow, has introduced. Of these, without entering into any superfluous logical details, I shall inform you: my design being to acquaint you solely with the particu lars of French Syntax. REMARK I.-Several noun subjects, occurring in a sentence, although singular and of different genders, impose on their correspondents the plural number and masculine gender.-EXAMPLES: Le mérite et la vertu sont seuls | Virtue and merit alone are calcufaits pour plaire toujours. lated to please us always. Le mari et la femme sont toujours | A husband and wife are always unmalheureux, lorsqu'il ne règne pas entre eux l'union la plus parfaite. Notre valet et notre servante sont paresseux, impertinens, et rai sonneurs. happy, when there does not reign between them the most perfect harmony. Our man and our maid are idle, impertinent, and will retort. But, should the nouns be objects, instead of being subjects, then the correspondent should follow in number and gender those of the last noun.-EXAMPLES: Il a la tête et les pieds nus; ou } His head and feet are naked. REMARK II.-Collective nouns, or in other words, nouns representing several persons or things, under the title of a noun singular, as multitude, armée, foule, forêt, &c., or numeral nouns, such as vingtaine, douzaine, cent, &c. followed respectively by other nouns, from which they are separated by the preposition de, require that verbs, adjectives, &c. should agree in gender and number, either with them or the second noun, as reason or logical sense may determine, without paying any regard to grammatical concordance, which, requiring that the verb should agree with the collective noun, in this instance, may thereby be violated, as it may become indispensible, for the sake of logical propriety, that they should agree with the second noun. In order to elucidate this intricate subject, we present the following examples, in which the verbs, &c. must sometimes agree, and sometimes not, with the collective noun; and, to render these examples the more forcible, and the less exceptionable, the respectable authorities from which they are drawn are occasionally quoted. EXAMPLES. Of the agreement of the verbs, adjectives, &c., with the collective noun, in number and gender. La multitude des étrangers rend | The multitude of strangers makes les denrées et le pain extrêmement cher. provisions and bread excessive- The army of the combined pow- The forest of Ardennes is to the west of Luxembourg. The fleet of the allies set sail during the night. The Senate unanimously ratified the treaty. It is a class of readers that only seeks and consults its own plea sure. The perfect orator will not neglect those abstract sciences, which the generality of men despise, only because they are ignorant of them. (1) La Harpe, Eloge de Racine. Un corps de Lacédémoniens, beau- | A body of Lacedemonians, much coup plus nombreux que le sien, retournait par le même chemin. (1) La foule des affaires l'accable. (2) Un certain nombre de différens modèles a déjà composé une masse de lumières et de connaissances nécessairement supérieure à ce que peut produire l'esprit le plus vaste. (3) Le mort du général répandit la consternation parmi les Phéniciens; et la multiplicité des chefs y mit une confusion qui accéléra leur perte. (4) Je lui disais qu'il était bien étrange qu'une multitude d'hommes eût jamais pu s'accorder à remettre son sort dans les mains d'un seul homme. (5) Le nombre des gens fesant profession du célibat est prodigieux. (6) Le plus grand nombre des tribuns de peuple s'opposait à la loi. (7) Une partie des soldats s'enfuit. (8) Un peuple de barbares subjugua tout le pays. La pluralité des maîtres n'est pas bonne. (9) Une poignée d'hommes fit l'attaque. La douzaine d'œufs qu'il a achetée n'était pas complète. Le cent d'huîtres que vous nous avez envoyé, était délicieux. A more numerous than his own, was returning by the same road. multiplicity of affairs overwhelms him. A certain number of various models has already created a mass of light and knowledge necessarily superior to what the greatest genius could produce. The death of the general spread consternation among the Phenicians; and the number of the chiefs caused a confusion which accelerated their ruin. was telling him, that it was very strange that a multitude of men could ever agree to submit their condition to the authority of one man. I part of the soldiers ran away. nation of barbarians subdued the whole country. The majority of masters are not good. A handful of men made the attack. The eggs which he bought were not a full dozen. The hundred oysters which you sent us were delicious. EXAMPLES In which the verb, &c. does not agree with the numeral or collective noun, in gender or number, En quelque endroit que j'aille, il faut fendre la presse Toute sorte de livres ne sont pas | All kinds of books are not equally également bons. Il n'est sorte de démonstrations de politesse qu'il ne lui ait faites. Une partie des arbres qui me restent sont chargés de fruits. Une troupe de nymphes couronnées de fleurs étaient assises auprès d'elle. good. There are no demonstrations of politeness whatever, which he has not shown him or her. A part of the trees which I have remaining are loaded with fruit. A band of nymphs crowned with flowers were seated near her. La plupart des femmes ont plus The greater part of women have d'esprit que de savoir. more wit than learning. REMARK III.--The words of quantity, beaucoup, peu, assez, moins, plus, trop, tant, combien, and que, in the sense of combien, exercise no influence on the verb and the adjective which may follow the subject, the totality of which they help to form; for the verb and adjective receive the law, as in the above examples, from the noun that follows those words of quantity. Beaucoup de personnes vous ai | A great many people love you. |