TWENTY-SECOND LESSON. OF COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS.-NAMES MATERIALS.-IRREGULAR MODEL VERBS, FOURTH CONJU GATION. 146. Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs. 1. Adjectives and adverbs are compared by means of the adverbs plus, more; moins, less; aussi, as; pas aussi, or pas si, not so. 2. The conjunction que, than, as, is used between the two terms of a comparison. Vous êtes plus grand que moi. You are taller than I. I am less strong than you. Il n'est pas aussi (or pas si)† stu- He is not so studious. dieux. 3. The superlative degree is formed by le plus, le moins. Le plus poli. Le moins avancé. The most polite. The least advanced. 4. When the adjective in the superlative degree stands after the noun, the article is used twice, once before the noun, and once before the comparative adverb. When two In a negative sentence, si may be used for aussi. or more adjectives accompany the noun, the article and adverb are used before each adjective. L'élève le moins avancé. The least advanced scholar. La langue la plus belle et la The most beautiful and most diffiplus difficile. cult language. 5. The noun which limits an adjective in the superlative degree, is preceded by the preposition de. Le plus grand et le plus beau The largest and finest store in the magasin de la ville. city. L'élève le moins avancé de la The least advanced scholar of the REM. The regular forms of petit, mauvais and mal, are also used: plus petit, le plus petit; plus mauvais, le plus mauvais ; plus mal, le plus mal. 1. Many adverbs are formed from adjectives, by the addition of the syllable ment. When the adjective ends with a vowel ment is added to the masculine form, when it ends with a consonant, to the feminine; as, Doux, fem. douce, soft; sweet; doucement, softly; gently. REM. The adjectives beau, nouveau, fou and mou, though ending in a vowel, add ment to the feminine ending: bellement, finely; nouvellement, newly; follement, foolishly; mollement, softly. 2. Adjectives in nt change nt into mment; as, A few adjectives, such as cher, dear; faux, false; haut, high; bas low; juste, just; fort, strong; tout, all, whole, &c., are used as adverbs. Adjectives used adverbially are invariable. Ils vendent cher. Elle chante faux. Nous parlons trop haut. Elle joue juste. Il gèle fort. They sell dear. She sings out of tune. We speak too loud. REM.—The adverb tout, quite, wholly, is an exception. When it precedes a feminine adjective that begins with a consonant, it agrees with it in gender and number, as if it were an adjective. Elle est toute malade. She is quite sick. 150. Modification of Adjectives and Adverbs. 1. Adjectives and adverbs are modified by adverbs; as, Très-bien, or fort bien. Bien fort, or très-fort. Un peu paresseux. Extrêmement poli. Tout doucement. Very well. Very strong. Rather lazy. Pretty well. Exceedingly polite. Quite gently; softly; quietly. REM.-Très, bien and fort, are used to strengthen the sense of adjectives and adverbs, as very, or very much is in English. Before nouns bien is used (101). Très is joined with a hyphen to the word it modifies. 2. Si, so, before an adjective, or before an adverb not expressing comparison, denotes intensity. He is so slow, that he is always late. Il est si lent qu'il est toujours en retard. Elle parle si bas que je ne l'en- She speaks so low, that I do not tends pas. 151. hear her. Names of Metals and Materials. 1. The names of metals and materials are not used as adjectives. The name of the material out of which anything is made, is placed, with the preposition de, after the name of the object that is made of it. Un dé d'or. Un plat d'argent. A golden thimble. A railroad. 2. The preposition en is also used before the name of the material out of which anything is built or constructed; as, Une maison en (or de) briques, A brick house, covered with couverte en (or de) tuiles. tiles. 152 Irregular Model Verbs of the Fourth Conjugation. Among the verbs in re (4th Conj.) there are twenty-five irregular forms of conjugation, which will be represented by twenty-five verbs, called Irregular Model Verbs of the Fourth Conjugation. Connaître (42), être (53), boire, croire, faire (91), dire, écrire, lire (98), are eight of them. The following are eight more: Battre,* battant, battu. Je bats, etc. To beat, beating, beaten. Conduire,* conduisant, conduit. To conduct, conducting, conducted |