L'ambitieux n'est jamais con- The ambitious man is never satisfied. tent. Les méchants ne sont pas heu- The wicked are not happy. reux. Je préfère l'utile à l'agréable. I prefer the useful to the agree 1. Qualifying adjectives are generally placed after the noun which they qualify; as, Une histoire intéressante. Un homme courageux. An interesting history. 2. The following adjectives and a few others generally stand before the noun: REM. They may be placed after the noun, when they are modified by an adverb, or when they are connected with other adjectives. Un garçon si bon, si studieux. Une femme jeune, belle et† aimable. So good, so studious a boy. A young, handsome, amiable wo man. 3. The following adjectives always stand after the noun: (1). Adjectives derived from proper names. (2). Adjectives denoting form, shape, or color. (3.) Adjectives denoting physical or mental qualities. (4). Past participles used as adjectives. + The conjunction must not be omitted in French. La langue française. Du drap noir. Une femme spirituelle. Un homme aveugle. Des plats cassés. The French language. A square table. Black cloth. An intellectual woman. A blind man. Broken dishes. 4. Many adjectives are placed before or after the noun, as taste or harmony may direct; as, Un brillant cortége. Un cortége brillant. A brilliant cortege. 5. Some adjectives have one meaning when they precede, and another when they follow, the noun; as, Un bon homme, a simple man ; Un homme bon, a kind man. La dernière année, the last year L'année dernière, last year. (of a series); Un grand homme, a great man; Un honnête homme, an honest man; Un homme grand, a tall man. Un homme honnête, a polite man. Un méchant livre, a worthless Un livre méchant, a caustic book. book; Mes propres mains, my own hands; Les mains propres, clean hands. Une vraie histoire, a mere story; Une histoire vraie, a true history (See List 324). 139. Special Rules of Agreement. 1. An adjective qualifying two singular nouns is put in the plural. If the nouns are of different genders, the adjective agrees in gender, with the masculine noun. L'homme et la femme sont pru- The man and woman are prudent. dents. REM.-When two or more nouns of different genders connected by et, are qualified by the same adjective, the masculine noun should stand last, to avoid having an adjective with a masculine termination immediately after a feminine noun; as, Une prudence et un courage An astonishing prudence and couétonnants. rage. 2. An adjective following two or more nouns connected by ou, agrees with the last noun; as, Un courage, ou une prudence An astonishing courage, or pruétonnante. dence. 3. When two or more nouns are placed in gradation, the adjective agrees with the last noun only; as, Un travail, une occupation con- A continual labor, a continual octinuelle. cupation. 4. The adjective demi, half, is invariable, when it precedes the noun, but when placed after the noun, agrees with it in gender; as, Une demi-heure. Une heure et demie. Half an hour. An hour and a half. 5. The adjective nu, bare, is invariable before the nouns cou, neck; tête, head; bras, arm; jambe, leg; pied, foot: nu-tête, or la tête nue, bare-headed. 6. The adjective feu, late, placed immediately before the noun, agrees with it; when it is separated from the noun by the article or by a possessive adjective, it is invariable; la feue reine, or feu la reine, the late queen. (337). 140. Government of Adjectives. 1. Adjectives expressive of our feelings, and those generally which are followed in English by of, from, with, require the pre position de, before the noun or infinitive that completes their sense; as, Je suis content de ce travail. Il est heureux de voir ses parents. I am satisfied with this work. He is happy to see his parents. 2. Adjectives expressing advantage, likeness, fitness, or the opposite qualities, require the preposition à : C'est une langue utile à savoir. That is a useful language to know. REM.-The noun or verb that completes the sense of an adjec tive after the impersonal verb il est, must be preceded by de (105-1). Il est difficile de faire cela. It is difficult to do that. 141. Irregular Model Verbs of the Third Conjugation. Among the verbs in oir (3d conj.), there are ten irregular forms of conjugation, which will be represented by ten verbs, called Irregular Model Verbs of the Third Conjugation. Pouvoir, savoir, vouloir (35), and voir (42), are four of them. The remaining six are: 142. S'asseoir, to sit down.-Etre assis, to be sitting. The pronominal verb s'asseoir expresses an action; the past participle assis, used as an adjective in connection with être, to be, expresses situation: Elle s'assied à la fenêtre. Elle est assise à la fenêtre. She sits down at the window. 143. Falloir, to be necessary; must. 1. The impersonal verb falloir is either followed by a verb in the infinitive, or by que (that) and a subordinate sentence with the verb in the subjunctive mode (295–3). 2. When falloir (must) is construed with the infinitive, the logical subject of the sentence is, in form, the indirect object of the verb (prep. à): Que me faut-il faire ? Il lui faut travailler. What must I do? You must study. He must work. 3. The logical subject is omitted when it is either the speaker or the person addressed, if the meaning be sufficiently obvious without it. Faut-il aller à la banque ? Must I go to the bank? 4. When the logical subject is of a general character it is always omitted. Que faut-il faire pour réussir ? What must one do to succeed? 5. Falloir is also used in the sense of to want; as, Combien faut-il à votre frère ? How much does your brother want? |