qui est arrivé à votre père; mais l'histoire en est longue. Il est temps de vous délasser1o de tous vos travaux. Venez dans ma demeure, où je vous recevrai comme mon fils; venez, vous serez ma consolation dans cette solitude; et je ferai votre bonheur, pourvu que" vous sachiez en jouir. 10 Se délasser, to refresh o. s. 11 pourvu que, provided. FORTY-THIRD LESSON. DIMENSION-A NOUN AS THE OBJECT OF A NOUN, ETC. 1. To describe the dimensions of a thing, the verb avoir is commonly used in French, with a noun of dimension preceded by the preposition de; as, Combien ce clocher a-t-il de How high is that steeple ? hauteur ? Ce clocher a deux cents pieds That steeple is two hundred feet de hauteur. high. 2. The verb être may also be used with the preposition de, before the term that states the measure. De quelle hauteur est ce clo- Of what height is that steeple ? cher? Quelle est la hauteur de ce clocher ? What is the height of that steeple? Ce clocher est haut de deux That steeple is two hundred feet La hauteur de ce clocher est de The height of that steeple is two deux cents pieds. hundred feet. REM.-The construction is analogous to the last example, when the price or weight is stated, in reference to a noun which is the subject of the verb être. Le prix de ce livre est de trois The price of this book is three dollars. dollars. Le poids de cette caisse est de The weight of this box is twenty vingt kilogrammes. kilograms. 3. When the dimension of anything is stated without a verb, either an adjective, or a noun of dimension, may be used. Une table longue de trois pieds? or Une table de trois pieds de longueur (or de long).† A table three feet long. 4. The preposition sur is used, as by is in English, between the two terms of dimension that describe an object. Une chambre de quinze pieds A room fifteen feet long by twelve de longueur sur douze de wide. largeur, 5. The preposition de is used before the term that states the difference between two objects compared; and also before the adverb that expresses excess or deficiency, with reference to a preceding noun. Vous êtes plus grand que moi You are taller than I am by two de deux pouces. inches. Vous avez deux pouces de plus You are two inches taller than I que moi. J'ai un dollar de trop. am. I have a dollar too much. + We generally use the noun of dimension, de longueur, but the adjective, de long, is also correct; only d'épais for d'épaisseur, and de profond for de profondeur, are not used. 283 A Noun as the Object of another Noun, 1. In English, a noun is often joined to another noun, the first one describing the second. In French, the nonns are separated; the descriptive noun stands last, and the relation between the two nouns is indicated by a preposition. 2. The preposition à is used between two nouns, the latter of which expresses the use or purpose of the object it describes, or the means of its motion; as, La salle à manger. Une cuillère à café. Des armes à feu. Une machine à vapeur. The dining-room. A steam-engine. 3. The preposition à is used between two nouns, the lat ter of which describes or designates the object, expressed by the former. Une maison à deux étages. A two-story house. 4. The article is used in connection with the preposition. à when the descriptive noun designates a particular person, place or object. L'homme aux cheveux blancs. Le marché au foin. La boîte aux lettres. La cave au vin. The man with the white hair The hay-market. The letter-box. The wine-cellar. 5. The preposition de is used between two nouns, the latter of which limits the sense of the former (56-–2). Le maître de danse. The dancing-master. 284. Plural of Compound Nouns. 1. In compound nouns, whose parts are not connected by a preposition, nouns and adjectives take the plural form (for exceptions, see f. n. *) 2. Verbs, adverbs and prepositions, forming parts of a compound noun, are invariable. Des avant-coureurs, forerunners; Des passe-partout, master-keys. Des arrière-gardes, rear-guards; Des oui-dire, hear-says. 3. When two nouns are connected by a preposition, the first only takes the plural form (for exceptions, see f. n. †). Un chef-d'œuvre, a master-piece; plur. des chefs-d'œuvre. Un arc-en-ciel, a rainbow; des arcs-en-ciel. 285. Plural of Proper Nouns. 1. Proper nouns do not change their form in the plural; as, Les deux Racine sont célèbres par leurs écrits. The two Racines are celebrated for their writings. * Exceptions: In some cases, a noun, forming part of a compound noun. cannot be pluralized, because the sense does not admit of it, as the words, Dieu, main, tête, poison, in hôtel-Dieu, hospital; appui-main, maul-stick; serre-tête, head-band; contre-poison, antidote; plur. des hôtels-Dieu, des appuis-main, des serre-tête, des contre-poison. The adjectives blanc and grand are invariable, the first in blanc-seigns, signatures on blank paper; the second in grand' mères, grand' messes. In some compounds, a noun, joined to a verb, is in the plural, whether it re presents one or more objects; as, un essuie-mains, a towel; un cure-dents, a toothpick; plur. des essuie-mains, des cure-dents. + In the following compounds both nouns are invariable; as, des coq-à-l'âne, cock and bull stories; des pied-à-terre, country boxes; des tête-à-tête, private interviews. 3. Proper nouns, denoting several individuals of illustrious families, take, however, the plural form. Les Stuarts ont été malheureux. The Stuarts were unhappy. 4. Proper nouns, though used in the singular, are sometimes preceded by the plural form of the article, for the sake of distinction. Les Corneille et les Racine ont Corneille and Racine have illus illustré le Théâtre Français. trated the French Theatre. 286. La Plupart, most. Bien, much, many. 1. The noun that follows la plupart is taken in a general sense, hence it is preceded by the preposition de (27–3), and the article. La plupart des hommes se Most men complain of fortune. plaignent de la fortune. 2. When the noun after la plupart is omitted, the verb, nevertheless, agrees with it in the plural. La plupart sont mécontents de Most of them are dissatisfied with leur sort. their lot. 3. Bien is used in the sense of beaucoup, but is followed by the preposition de and the article.t Bien du monde, Bien des gens, } Many people. Beaucoup expresses quantity absolutely. Bien, in addition, expresses our appreciation of it. Theme 43. 1. How high is your house? 2. It is forty-two feet high. 3. It is fifty feet deep' and twenty-five feet wide.' Deep, profond; depth, profondeur, f. 2 wide, large; width, largeur, f. |