126 De PACCENT. ES fyllabes qui finiffent par un e feminin font brèves; cómme, me, te, le,&c. Toutes les fyllabes, ou l'é ouvert, ou l'é mafculin fe trouve, font plus longues; comme en égarer, égaré. Toutes celles auffi qui font finies par des diphthongues, font auffi plus longues; comme en je parlerai. Toute fyllabe, dont on fupprime une lettre, foit en écrivant, foit en prononçant, eft longue; comme en doux, & en eftudier; qu'on écrit à préfent étudier. Toutes voyelles liées avec des confonnes, ou des liquides, font leurs fyllabes plus fortes; par exemple, fel, bon, &c. Quoique l's fuive l' e dans la même fyllabe, il est bref; par exemple, nobles. Vous en excepterez les mots d'une fyllabe, où il eft long; comme, mes, tes, &c. Nos fyllabes en ant, gur, eur, oir, on, en, om, font fortes; comme en aimant, amour, honneur, pourvoir, leçon, bien, nom. Of the ACCENT. THE Syllables ending in e feminine are short; as, me, te, le, &c. All fyllables, where the open ê, or é masculine is found, are longer; as in égarer, to lofe, égaré, left. All thofe likewise which end with diphthongs, are longer; as in je parlerai, I will Speak, Any fyllable where a letter is Suppressed, either in writing or in pronouncing, is long; as in doux, fest, and in eftydier, to study, which is nous written étudier. All vorvels joined with confonants, or liquids, make their fyllables ftrong, as for example, fel, falt bon, good ; &c. Although s follows an e in the fame fyllable, it neverthelefs is fort; as for example, nobles. Except words of one fyllable, where it is long, as mes, tes, &c. Our fyllables in ant,our,eur,' oir, on, en, om, are strong; as in aimant, loving; amour, love; honneur, honour; pouvoir, to be able; leçon, lesson ; bien, well; nom, name, The 127 The GROUNDS of the FRENCH TONGUE. HE fubftantive and adjective agree in gender, TH number, an cafe; as for example, Alexander the Great routed King Darius's army; Alexandre le Grand défit l'armée de Darius. C'étoit un très-puiffant Roi; He was a moft potent King. La grande Semiramis, Reine des Affyriens, paffa pour fon fils, le Prince Ninias; The great Semiramis, Queen of the Affyrians, paffed for the Prince Ninias her fon. C'étoit une très-vaillante Princesse; She was a molt valiant Princefs. The relative and the antecedent agree in gender and number; as for example, Cette belle Princeffe, que Clovis Roi de France époufa, s'appelloit Clotilde; That beautiful Princefs, whom Clovis King of France married, was called Clotilda. Obferve that the fame que in the accufative cafe is used for both genders and numbers; as for example, La Dame, que Monfieur enleva, s'appelle; The Lady carried off, is called whom Mr. On parle encore des belles actions que firent les Romains; They still speak of the brave actions which the Romans performed. The Relative qui is ufed for both numbers and genders in the nominative cafe; as for example, Le jeune Paufanias, qui tua le Roi de Macedoine, n'avoit que quinze ans ; Young Paufanias, who killed the King of Macedon, was but fifteen years old. Ceux qui affiégèrent la ville de Troye étoient Grecs de nation; Thofe who befieged the city of Troy were Grecians. Celle qui étoit la plus belle des trois Déeffes étoit Venus; The handfomeft of the three Goddeffes was Venus. F 4 Celles Celles qui défendirent leur pays avec tant de courage furent les Amazones; Those who defended their country with fo much courage were the Amazons. Qui may be alfo used in the genitive cafe for both num-bers and genders; as for example, De qui favez-vous ces nouvelles? From whom did you hear this news? It is ufed alfo in the dative cafe for both numbers and genders; as for example, A qui fit-on un fi grand affront? On whom did they put fo great an affront? A qui devons-nous rendre raisons de notre vie passée? To whom are we to give an account of our paft life? A qui rendez-vous grace? To whom do you return thanks? If we fpeak of a perfon, qui may be used alfo in the accufative cafe ; as for example, Qui voyez-vous? Whom do you fee? Qui demandez-vous? Whom do you ask for? After prepofitions, for both genders and numbers; as for example, Contre qui fe battirent les trois Horaces? With whom did the three Horatii fight? De chez qui venoit Alexandre le Grand, quand de telles penfées lui vinrent à la tête? From whom did Alexander the Great come, when fuch thoughts came into his mind? Il venoit de chez le grand prêtre d'Apollon; He came from the high-priest of Apollo. Lequel, laquelle, lefquels, lefquelles, are feldom ufed after the antecedent, unless it be to avoid equivocation; but instead of them we use qui. Dont is ufed instead of de qui, duquel, de laquelle, defquels, defquelles, in the genitive cafe, for both numbers and genders; as for example, Judith coupa la tête à Holoforne, dont elle fe vouloit vanger; Judith cut off Holofernes's head, of whom he wanted to be revenged. L'homme, dont Paufanias fe plaignoit, étoit le général du Roi de Macedoine; The man of whom Paufanias complained, was the King of Macedon's general. Les hommes dont je vous parle, étoient armés de pied en cap; The men of whom I speak to you, were armed from head to foot. The verb and its nominative ought to be in the fame number; as for example, Alexandre le Grand parla à Diogène; Alexander the Great spoke to Diogenes. Des WE Des Articles du Nominatif. Of the Articles of the Nominative Cafe. E ufe the article le for the mafculine gender, and la for the feminine; as for example, Le vin de Blois eft bon; The wine of Blois is good. Le vin eft fain; Winc is wholefome. La Reine, the Queen. Les is the article of both genders in the plural number; as for example, Les Romains firent de belles actions, The Romans performed great actions. Les Amazones s'acquirent beaucoup de gloire; The Amazons acquired great glory. In proper names of kingdoms, provinces, and of great places, we use an article; as for example, La France abonde en foldats; France is full of foldiers. L'Angleterre produit de beaux efprits; England produces fine Wits. L'Enfer eft plein de méchans; Hell is full of wicked men. All proper names of men, women, gods, goddeffes, angels, demons, of months, days, towns, and villages, have no article in the nominative and accufative; as for example, Priam Roy des Troyens, Priam King of the Trojans ; Lucrèce la belle Romaine, Lucretia the beautiful Roman Lady; Jupiter, Jove; Funon, Juno; Michel, Michael; Beelzebut, Beelzebub; Janvier, January; Lundi, Monday; Kensington, Londres, &c. But if we put an adjective before a proper name, then we exprefs the article; as for example, Le grand Baltzafar trembla à l'ouïe de fa fentence; The great Belshazzar trembled when he heard his condemnation. La puifante Sémiramis fut tuée par fon propre fils; The powerful Semiramis was killed by her own fon. La fuperbe Troye fut brûlée ; The mighty city of Troy was burnt. The infinitives of verbs have the mafculine article, when they become fubitantives; as for example, Le boire & le manger confervent l'homme ; Meat and drink keep men alive. When abfolute pronouns fignify fomething by themselves, they alfo take the article of the noun to which they relate ; as for example, Si Alexandre le Grand aimoit fa réputation, F 5 Céfar Céfar aimoit auffi la fienne; If Alexander the Great loved his reputation, Cefar loved his no lefs. Si Cyrus confervoit jes conquêtes, les Affyriens ne défendoient pas les leurs; If Cyrus preferved his conquefts, the Affyrians did not defend theirs. Si ce royaume-là eft votre pays, celui-ci eft le nôtre; If that kingdom be your country, this is ours. Des Articles du Genitif, le Défini & Indéfini. Of the Articles of the Genitive Cafe, both Definite and Indefinite. TH HE definite article of the genitive cafe, for the mafculine, is du in the fingular, and des in the plural. By a definite article I mean, that which reftrains the general fignification of a word to fome particular thing; as for example, J'ai lu un Acte du Parlement; I have read an Act of Parliament. Alexandre le Grand étoit fils du Roi Philippe ; Alexander the Great was fon to King Philip. The definite for the feminine gender in the fingular number is de la, for the plural des ; as for example, C'est un commandement de la Reine d'Espagne; It is a command of the Queen of Spain. Des is the definite article of the genitive cafe of the plural number for both genders; as for example, Ce font des actions des braves Anglois; Thefe are actions of the gallant English. Des vaillantes Amazones; Of the brave Amazons. DE De l'Article Indéfini du Génitif. Of the Indefinite Article of the Genitive Cafe. E is the indefinite article of the genitive cafe for both numbers and genders, when we fpeak in general, without referring to a particular thing; without fpeaking more of one than of another; as for example, J'ai lu un Acte de Parlement; I have read an Act of Parliament. Alexandre Be Grand étoit fils de Roi; Alexander the Great was a King's fon. C'est un commandement de Reine; It is a Queen's command. |