PRACTICAL FRENCH GRAMMAR AND EXERCISES. FOR THE SYSTEMATIC, PRACTICAL, AND GRADUAL BY PAUL BAUME, PROFESSOR OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE IN THE CITY OF GLASGOW ; D. BRYCE & Co., 129 BUCHANAN STREET. PREFACE. AT a time like the present, when this country is deluged with French grammars and class-books of all kinds, it may be considered somewhat akin to rashness and conceit to make any addition to the already long list; yet, fifteen years' experience in my profession as a teacher of languages, and practical considerations arising from the fact of my having to deal with a large and intelligent connection, in the midst of a rapidly increasing community, have induced me to give publicity to the PRACTICAL and THEORETICAL system which I have pursued with considerable success for so long a period. It may be that the intrinsic merits of my work, which I willingly submit to the fair criticism of my fellow-teachers, are few, and those not of a brilliant order; but I have strenuously endeavoured to reconcile and assimilate THEORY and PRACTICE, even for the young, and to produce a book which, while it leaves much scope for the individual talent and ingenuity of the intelligent teacher, may yet prove in his hands, whatever his preconceived notions may be, a convenient and useful text-book. A 2 Plain common-sense, simple logic, technicalities reduced to a minimum, and as few rules as are consistent with sound grammatical instruction, have been my chief aim; and although I was originally induced to publish this PRACTICAL FRENCH GRAMMAR especially for the use of my own pupils, I yet cherish a hope that my work may not prove unacceptable to the members of the profession in general. 1 NEWTON TERRACE, GLASGOW. PAUL BAUME. CONTENTS OF THE FIRST PART. PAGE 136 Rule 24, Formation of the Plural of Adjectives. Rules 25, 26, 27, |