Mes frères ne sont-ils pas ? Mes frères n'ont-ils pas ?

Mes sœurs ne sont-elles pas ? Mes sœurs n'ont-elles pas ? Are my sisters not?

Have we not heard the thunder? Have not the

door

of the conservatory? have you not seen the trees

Has not the Queen

arbres m.

1

Are you not at the

comtesse f.

fleurs f.

reine f.

been at the palace

palais m.

of the King of the
roim.

she not seen the army

and (the) navy

French? has
Français m.
of the kingdom?

armée f.

marine f.

royaume m.

21. The partitive article, which is frequently omitted in English, or expressed by some," " any," a few," is rendered into French by the genitive of the definite article, agreeably to the gender and number of the noun.

22. The partitive article is expressed by DE, instead of du, de la, de l', des, when the substantive, taken in a partitive sense, is preceded by an adjective.

Have you some wine? We have excellent wine.

Of the Elision and Contraction of the Article.

23. ELISION of the article means the omission or suppression of the letters a and e, in la and le, before a vowel or h mute. It is by the elision of the article, that we say and write:

l'oncle m. (uncle), and not le oncle.

de l'oncle, and not de le oncle.
à l'oncle, and not à le oncle.

l'âme f. (soul), and not la âme.
de l'âme, and not de la âme.

à l'âme, and not à la âme.

24. CONTRACTION of the article means the reducing of de le into DU; à le into AU; de les into DES; and à les into

AUX.

The contraction of the article, therefore, takes place in the genitive and dative singular, before a substantive masculine, beginning with a consonant or h aspirated, and in the genitive and dative plural, before all substantives.

It is by the contraction of the article, that we say and write :

du père, and not de le père.
au père, and not à le père.
des pères, and not de les pères.
aux pères, and not à les pères.

Of the Indefinite Article.

25. The English indefinite article "a" or

rendered into French, for the masculine, by UN, a; d'un, of a or from a; À UN, to a or at a ;-for the feminine, by UNE, a; D'UNE, of a or from a; À UNE, to a or at a.

EXAMPLES.

Masculine.
a hat.

Feminine.

UN chapeau,

D'UN chapeau, of a or from a hat. D'UNE table,
À UN chapeau, to a hat.

UNE table,

À UNE table,

a table.
of a table.
to a table.

reçu

lettre f.

given a reward to one of his pupils.

donné récompense f.

friend? He has

ami m.

Has my sister

ses élèves m. ma sœur f.

taken a lesson ? has she written an exercise? We have

France f.

étranger m.

sud m.

theme m.

a province of the province f.

a monument to a montré monument m.

foreigner. You have given a bit of bread to a poor

woman. My cousin has given an engraving to one of femme f. Mon cousin m. donné

his sisters.

gravure f.

ses sœurs f.

26. TABLE OF THE ARTICLES.

Definite Article.

A noun (masculine or feminine) beginning with a vowel or h mute.

A noun masculine beginning with a consonant or h aspi

27. A substantive or noun is the name of any thing that exists, or of which we have any notion; as, encrier, inkstand; couteau, knife; beauté, beauty.

28. The French, having only two genders, the masculine and the feminine, and no neuter gender, all sub