Nouns ending in consonants, which are very numerous, are masculine, with few exceptions.

The terminations, ere, eure, ire, me, phe, one, oire, are nearly common to both genders.

The names of winds, rivers, mountains, trees, and shrubs, are less arbitrary, being, for the most part, masculine.

The names of flowers and roots, are commonly of the feminine gender.

S. Having explained the gender, will you be kind enough to give me an idea of the number.

M. In French there are two numbers; the singular and the plural: the former relates to one object or thing; the latter to several.

The French, as well as the English, form the plural of their nouns by the addition of an s to the singular, with this difference, that the latter always pronounce it, but the former do not, unless the following word begins with a vowel; and then s is sometimes softened into z, which, forming a syllable in combination with such a vowel, links the two words together: so that s is never sounded s, but sometimes z, and may be considered rather a sign for the eye than for the ear.

I shall now explain to you why s, softened into z, is pronounced before a word beginning with a vowel. Taste and judgment have happily produced this change, for the sake of harmony, and to prevent a hiatus or clashing of vowels, which grates on the ear, and occasions a gaping barbarous sound; as if we were to say in English a ass, a art, or in French trois ânes, not sounding the letter s. To guard against this inconvenience, the agreeable sound of z is introduced between two vowels.

S. Are there no exceptions to this rule of forming the plural of French nouns by the addition of s?

M. Yes; four, which are as follows :

First. Nouns ending in s, x, or z, receive no addition in the formation of the plural. Example: le méchant fils, les méchans fils; the wicked son, the wicked sons: la belle voix, les belles voix; the fine voice, fine voices: le gros nez, les gros nez; the big nose, big noses.

Second. Nouns ending in au, eu, ieu, and ou, take a to form their plural; as, un grand chapeau, a large hat; de grands chapeaux, large hats; un feu allumé, a kindled fire; des feux allumés, kindled fires; ce lieu est élevé, this place is elevated; ces licux sont élevés, these places are elevated; voici un caillou bien dur, this is a very hard flint; voilà des cailloux bien durs, those are very hard flints.

Third. Nouns ending in ail or al, change their terminations into aux, in the plural; thus, un travail assidu, a diligent labour; des travaux assidus, diligent labours; son cheval est fougueux, his horse is unruly; ses chevaux sont fougueux, his horses are unruly.

Fourth. Nouns of several syllables ending in nt, convert the t into 8, in their plural; as, je récompense un enfant obéissant, I reward a

dutiful child; je punis les enfans désobéissans, I punish undutifu

children.

All monosyllables, except gent, people, (which makes gens in the plural,) follow the general rule; as, le vent est violent, the wind is boisterous; les vents sont favorables, the winds are favourable.

The following nouns may be called exceptions to the second and third examples immediately preceding, as they take an s to form their plural, instead of x, &c.

EXAMPLES.

Matou, cou, clou, filou, hibou, licou, fou, sou, trou, verrou; ram cat, neck, nail, pick-pocket, owl, halter, madman, penny, hole, bolt: bal, carnaval, régal, bocal; ball, carnival, treat, decanter: attirail, détail, éventail, épouvantail, gouvernail, mail, portail, sérail; apparatus, detail, fan, scarecrow, helm, mall, church-gate, seraglio.

Bétail, cattle; œil, eye; ciel, heaven; and ail, garlic; are quite irregular, and make bestiaux, yeux, cieux, and aulx in their plural.

CONVERSATION III.

ON THE ADJECTIVE.

Scholar. What is an adjective?

Master. A word joined to a noun, to signify that the object represented by the noun, is possessed of some property or quality; as, a round table, une table ronde; a red coat, un habit rouge; the words round and red are adjectives, because they denote the figure and colour of the objects, table and coat.

S. Does the French adjective differ from the English?

M. Yes; both in its own construction, and in the manner of its use. 1. The English adjective has neither gender nor number; but the French agrees with its noun in both.

2. The English adjective precedes the noun; the French, with some exceptions, generally follows.

The gender and number of adjectives have been introduced into some languages, to manifest more immediately their dependance on the noun with which they are connected. Hence proceeds that gråmmatical harmony, termed by the Latins concordance, and which the French generally observe with great exactness.

S. How do you form the feminine gender of French adjectives? M. The feminine adjectives must always end in e mute; hence it happens, that adjectives ending in e mute in the masculine, do not change that termination to denote the feminine; therefore, they say― un homme aimable, une femme aimable; an amiable man, an amiable

woman: des hommes aimables, des femmes aimables; amiable men, amiable women. Adjectives ending differently, take an e mute, to form the feminine; as, un homme savant, une femme savante (learned); un joli homme, une jolie femme (pretty).

With some adjectives, the mere addition of an e mute to the masculine will not form the feminine. By attending to the following observations, you will soon become acquainted with these irregularities.

1. Of adjectives ending in c, which are seven in number, three require the addition of he to the masculine to form the feminine, as blanc, blanche, white; franc, franche, sincère; sec, seche, dry: three change the c into que; as, public, publique, public; Turc, Turque, Turk; caduc, caduque, decayed; and the last receives the addition of que, as, Grec, Grecque, Greek.

2. Adjectives ending in f, form the feminine by changing ƒ into ve; as, un homme vif et naif, a lively and ingenuous man; une femme vive et naïve, a lively and ingenuous woman.

3. Adjectives ending in eur or eux, change their terminations into euse; thus, cet homme est menteur et peureux, this man is false and cowardly; cette femme est menteuse et peureuse, this woman is false and timid.

Comparative adjectives, such as meilleur, better; supérieur, superior; follow the general rule of forming the feminine, by adding e mute to the masculine; as, cet homme est meilleur, cette femme est meilleure.

4. Adjectives terminating in 7, preceded by e, u, or ei, require the addition of le to form the feminine; as, cruel, cruelle, cruel; nul, nulle, null or void; pareil, pareille, similar. When I is not preceded by those vowels, they follow the general rule; as, fatal, fatale, fatal, &c.

5. Adjectives ending in n, preceded by o or ie, double then, and add e mute in forming the feminine; as, un bon homme, a good man; une bonne femme, a good woman; un usage ancien mentionné dans l'histoire ancienne, an ancient custom recorded in ancient history.

Many nouns, some of which may be used adjectively, change the termination eur into rice. They are the following:-accusateur, acteur, administrateur, admoniteur, adorateur, adulateur, ambassadeur, approbateur, auditeur, bienfaiteur, calomniateur, coadjuteur, compétiteur, conciliateur, conducteur, conservateur, consolateur, coopérateur, corrupteur, curateur, débiteur, délateur, d estrcteur, dictateur, directeur, dispensateur, dissipateur, dissimulateur, distributeur, donateur, électeur, émulateur, exécuteur, fauteur, fornicateur, générateur, instigateur, inoculateur, introducteur, instituteur, inventeur, lecteur, législateur, libérateur, modérateur, moteur, opérateur, persécuteur, perturbateur, procurateur, protecteur, réconciliateur, réformateur, spectateur, séducteur, testateur, tuteur, violateur, usurpateur, zélateur.

In the few following the feminine terminates in resse; thus-pécheur, pécheresse; enchanteur, enchantresse; vengeur, vengeresse; and two others (which are law terms), demandeur, demanderesse; défendeur, défenderesse.

Gouverneur makes gouvernante. Empereur makes impératrice. Orateur, amateur, and auteur, are used for both genders.

Others, ending in n, follow the general rule; un habit brun, a brown coat; une redingote brune, a brown great coat.

0. Adjectives terminating in t, with e or o going before it, double that consonant, and take e mute, in the formation of the feminine, as in the fifth rule, relative to n following o and ie; as, ce verre est net, this glass is clean; la rue est nette, the street is clean; un sot discours, a foolish discourse; une sotte demande, a foolish question.

Secret, complet, cagot, bigot, dévot, idiot, are exceptions to this particular rule, and follow the general one; making, in the feminine, secrète, complète, cagote, bigote, dévote, idiote.

Others, ending in t, follow the general rule; as, petit, petite, small or little; brut, brute, rough; plat, plate, flat.

There are a few exceptions to some of these rules, which will be found among the adjectives in the practical part of this work.

S. By what rules do you form the plural of adjectives, which, as you have already observed, agree in number with the nouns they

attend?

M. The rules prescribed for forming the plural of nouns will serve you, without exception, for that of the adjectives.

The greater part of the adjectives ending in al, have no masculine in the plural; as, adverbial, austral, automnal, boréal, canonial, conjugal, fatal, final, frugal, idéal, jovial, littéral, naval, pascal, pastoral, pectoral, trivial, vénal; but they are used in the feminine plural: thus, we may say, des batailles navales, sea-fights; des dépenses frugales, small or raoderate expenses.

S. You observed, I remember, that the place of the adjective must be attended to. Is it of great importance whether it go before or after the noun ?

M. Of very great, in regard to particular adjectives. Thus, the French adjective honnête, placed before a noun, signifies honest; but, after the noun, it implies civil or polite; as, c'est un honnête homme, he is an honest man; c'est un homme honnête, he is a polite Few adjectives, however, change their meaning with their situation. In the practical part of this treatise, you will observe a list of such as chiefly merit attention.

man.

Those which, in opposition to the genius of the English language, follow their nouns, are very numerous: some of these, however, may, without altering the sense, be placed before. Poets allow themselves a greater latitude, in this respect, than prose-writers,-which deviation is called a poetical licence (licence poétique). Your taste, gradually improved by reading the most elegant French writers, and by attention to polite custom, will be your best guide.

S. Have you concluded your remarks on the adjective?

M. No: I have still to examine their degrees of signification and comparison, and then proceed to what ancient grammarians

VOL. II.

K

term their regimen, but what some modern French ones term complement.

S. Be pleased then to continue your observations.

M. Men soon perceived that objects were not equally endowed with those qualities to which they had given names; and, rather than form new adjectives to express this difference (which would swell them to an immense catalogue), they naturally used nouns, denoting increase or diminution, in order to modify the adjective, or give it a degree of signification which it did not possess in itself.

S. How many degrees of signification may be expressed by the help of an adjective?

M. Three: the first is the same with the primitive signification of the word; as, good, bon; strong, fort; rich, riche: it is called the positive.

The second is the first reduced below its standard, by means of such words as, peu, guère, little; passablement, tolerably. Examples: Il est peu sage, (literally,) he is little wise; or, in better terms, he has little wisdom. Ce vin-là n'est guère bon, that wine is (literally) little good. Je la trouve passablement aimable, I find her tolerably amiable: it may be called the diminutive.

The third is the first extended beyond its original meaning by the help of the words, fort, très, bien, very; extrêmement, extremely; infiniment, infinitely, &c. as, Il est fort, très, or bien, riche, he is very rich; Dieu est infiniment sage, God is infinitely wise: it may be called the augmentative.

N. B. The word archi placed before some words in the familiar style, extends their signification to a very high degree: thus it is said in French, il est archi-sot, fou, vilain, &c. he is an arrant fool, madman, miser, &c.

S. How many degrees of comparison are there?

M. Three also. The signification of an adjective, comprehended in the ratio of comparison, is either levelled to equality, sunk to inferiority, or raised to superiority, in proportion as one degree is equal, inferior, or superior, to the other.

The mode of comparing consists in placing before the adjective the following words, viz. aussi, as, to express equality; moins, less, to denote inferiority; and plus, more, to signify superiority; as, elle est aussi aimable que vous, she is as amiable as you; je suis moins avancé que lui, I am less forward thau he; vous êtes plus jolie qu'elle, you are prettier, or more pretty, than she.

I request your attention to the foregoing examples, as the true model on which to extend or contract the signification of qualities, and also to determine their comparison. Your observance of these instructions will greatly facilitate your progress.

S. What distinction do you make between the degrees of signification and degrees of comparison of adjectivee?