Telemachus, the son of Ulysses. 14. Our dancing-master was a soldier formerly. 15. Have you bought letter paper? 16. Is there a rockingchair in your room? 17. The tea-canister is in the dining-room. 18. There is a steam-mill in this neighborhood. An, année; jour, journée, etc., 4. 19. I was a whole year in Paris. 20. I go there almost every year. 21. I see you pass here twice a day. 22. You did not see me pass here yesterday; for I stayed the whole day at home. 23. I never go out in the morning; I study the whole morning. 24. I go out almost every evening. 25. I usually spend the evening in company. FORTY-EIGHTH LESSON. THE ARTICLE.-USE OF THE ARTICLE BEFORE COMMON NOUNS. 1. The article is used before a common noun that denotes a particular person, place or thing, as: Le livre que je lis. Le mois dernier. La semaine prochaine. The book which I am reading. Next week. The article is used before nouns taken in a general sense, as: The article, combined with the preposition de, is used before nouns that are taken in a partitive sense, as : J'ai du papier. Il possède du courage. I have paper. He possesses courage. To this rule there are three exceptions. (See Fourth Lesson.) (1.) The article is omitted after pas, or any other negative word, as: Je n'ai pas de pain. I have no bread. + Put the adverb after the verb. REM. The article is, however, used after a negative word, when the sense of the noun is restricted by some other words, as: Je n'ai pas du pain comme le I have no bread like yours. vôtre. (2.) The article is omitted when the noun is preceded by an adjec tive, as : J'ai de bon papier. I have good paper. REM. The article is not omitted when the adjective stands after the noun: du papier blanc, white paper. When the noun is omitted, the rule for the suppression or use of the article is the same as if the noun were expressed: Avez-vous de bon papier? J'en ai de bon. Avezvous du papier blanc ? J'en ai du blanc. (3.) The article is omitted when the noun is governed by the preposition de, as the indirect object of a preceding word, as: J'ai besoin de livres. Beaucoup de courage. I have need of books. REM. The article is, however, used after bien, much; many; and after la plupart, most. Bien de la peine. La plupart des hommes. Much trouble. Most men. The article is used before the noun that denotes the unit of weight or measure, by which anything is bought or sold, and before nouns expressing fractional quantities when their sense is limited. Vingt sous la livre. Deux dollars le mètre. La moitié des marchandises. Twenty cents a pound. Two dollars a meter. The article is used, instead of the possessive adjective, before the parts of the body and the qualities of the mind. The construction of the sentence is so arranged that the part refers to the subject of the verb. Il m'a donnné la main. Elle a la bouche petite. He gave me his hand. Her mouth is small. When an operation is performed upon a person, the part acted upon is the direct, and the person the indirect, object of the verb. Vous leur avez ouvert les yeux. You opened their eyes. When a person performs an act upon a part of himself, the pronomi nal form of the verb is used. Il s'est fait mal à la main. He hurts his hand. The article is not used before nouns placed in apposition with, or explanatory of, preceding nouns. Télémaque, fils d'Ulysse. Telemachus, the son of Ulysses. The article is not used before nouns that qualify, or describe preced ing nouns. Un maître de danse. Un homme à cheveux blancs. A dancing-master. A man with white hair The article is, however, used before a descriptive noun, and before a noun that expresses the use or destination of an object, when the sense is definite. L'homme aux cheveux blancs. La boîte aux lettres. Le pot au lait. The man with the white hair. The milk-pot. The article is not used after the preposition en, nor after the conjunc tion ni, before a noun that is taken in an indefinite or partitive sense. The article is used before proper names of countries, provinces, seas, rivers, and mountains. La France est un beau pays. France is a beautiful country. The article is not used before the name of a country, when it is pre ceded by the preposition en, in, to. Il est en France. Il va en Angleterre. He is in France. He goes to England. The article is not used before the name of a country of the feminine gender when it is preceded by the preposition de, in the sense of from He comes from Germany. Il vient d'Allemagne. But: Д vient du Mexique. He comes from Mexico. The article is not used in connection with the preposition de, when the name of a country forms part of a title, or serves to qualify a preceding noun, as: Le roi de Prusse. Du fromage d'Angleterre. The king of Prussia. English cheese. In other cases the article is used with the preposition de, as: Le climat de la France. The climate of France. The article is used before proper names of persons, when they are preceded by a title or an adjective. Le Président Jackson. Le petit Henri. President Jackson. Little Henry. The article is not used before the names of the months and of the days of the week. [See Ninth Lesson (bis).] Vocabulary 48. L'Europe, f., Europe. L'été, summer; en été, in sum mer. L'hiver, winter; en hiver, in winter. Le climat, the climate. Un signe, a sign; en signe de, as L'automne, autumn; en automne, Un cheveu, a hair; les cheveux, Un ceil, an eye; les yeux, the S'approcher (de), to come near. The Article before Common Nouns, I and 2. 1. Mon père est allé à Boston le mois dernier. 2. Il reviendra la semaine prochaine. 3. Dieu a créé le ciel et la terre en six jours. 4. L'automne est une saison plus agréable que l'hiver. 5. On admire le courage, mais la prudence est tout aussi nécessaire au succès. 6. Avez-vous du satin blanc comme celui-ci ? 7. Nous n'avons pas de satin comme celui-là. 8. Nous en avons du blanc et du noir, mais d'une qualité différente. 9. Bien des gens passent leur temps dans l'oisiveté. 10. La plupart des hommes se plaignent de la fortune. 11. Nous payons la viande vingt sous la livre. 12. Cette soie blanche coûte trois dollars le mètre. 13. J'ai perdu le quart de mes plantes par la gelée. 14. Il m'a offert la main en signe d'amitié. 15. Elle a les cheveux blonds. 16. J'ai froid aux pieds. 17. Vous m'avez ouvert les yeux. 18. Je me suis fait mal au bras. 19. Un vieillard à cheveux blancs, qui tenait un livre à la main, s'est approché de nous. 20. Ce monsieur aux cheveux blancs est le grand-père de la petite Henriette. The Article before Proper Names, 3. 21. La France est plus grande que l'Angleterre. 22. Le climat de la France est préférable à celui de l'Angleterre. 23. Le roi de Prusse fut proclamé empereur d'Allemagne. 24. Mon frère est en France, et j'irai en Angleterre au printemps. 25. Le Président Grant était en ville hier. 26. Je n'étudie pas beaucoup en été. 27. Nous reviendrons à la ville en automne. 28. Il fait bien froid ici en hiver. |