DEFINITIONS NECESSARY FOR UNDERSTANDING THE USE AND RELATION OF VERBS AND PRONOUNS.

174.-When we hear the words Peter carries, we understand that that sentence might be more complete; and if we add "John," Peter carries John (Pierre porte Jean), that word "John," (Jean), is called in French complément direct (direct object.)

175.-We might again add to London (à Londres), Peter carries John to London (Pierre porte Jean à Londres). That word "London" (Londres), is called in French complément indirect (indirect object).

176.-Observe then that we call complément direct a word that particularizes (completes) the meaning of another word without the aid of a preposition, and

177.- Complément indirect a word that particularises the meaning of another word with the aid of a preposition.

178.-In "Peter carries," (Pierre porte),

"Peter is car

ried," (Pierre est porté), "Peter sleeps," (Pierre dort),

Que, that, is not required in English.

"Peter, (Pierre), is called in French sujet (subject); and it must now be kept in mind that the French call le sujet (subject) the word representing the person or thing that performs the action of the verb, or the person or thing that is in the state represented by the verb.

179.-There are five sorts of pronouns: personal, demonstrative, possessive, relative, indefinite.

181.-Moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles, are used:

(a) To answer a question, as:—

Qui parle ?-Toi, lui, and not tu, te, il.
Who is speaking?-Thou, he.

Qui répondra ?-Moi, and not Je, Me.
Who will answer ?—I.

(b) Just before a conjunction connecting the parts of a subject, or of a complement, as:

Moi et mon père, I and my father.

Toi ou son frère, Thou or his brother.
Lui comme sa sœur, He like his sister.

(c) After a conjunction connecting the parts of a subject or of a complement, as:

Mon père et moi, My father and I.

Son frère aussi bien que lui, His brother as well as

Elle et lui, She and he

[himself

(d) After a preposition when there is no inversion:

Pierre est avant moi, Peter is before me.

Je le sais d'eux, I know it from them.

Je pense

à toi, à lui, à nous à vous, à elles,

I think of thee, of him, of us, of you, of them.

(e) After c'est, ce sont, and all the third persons singular and plural of the verb être preceded by c' or ce, as:—

C'est moi, It is I,

C'étaient eux, It was they,

Ce sera lui et toi, It will be he and thou.

182.-Observe the relative position of each of the words in

the following table, because when you must use them in the same sentence, their order is not to be inverted.

In asking questions, or making quotations, you must nevertheless place the pronoun subject after the verb.

183.-You must not mistake le, la, les, pronouns, with le, la, les, articles.

When pronouns, they are before a verb, or if they are placed after it, they must be connected with it by a hyphen. When articles, they are before a noun.

185.-All demonstrative pronouns, except ce, ceci, cela, agree in gender and number with the noun they represent.

186.-Observe that notre, votre, our, your, have no circumflex accent, but that there is one on le nôtre, la nôtre, le vôtre, la vôtre, ours, yours.

187.-Do not forget the combination of le, la, les, with à, de. (See § 120, 121.)

188. Before writing a possessive pronoun, ascertain the gender and number of the object possessed, which it is to represent; and then choose the pronoun of that gender and number, as :

I have my books, but my sister has lost hers.

J'ai mes livres, mais ma sœur a perdu les siens.

I have my pens, but my brother has lost his.

J'ai mes plumes, mais mon frère a perdu les siennes.

190.-Relative pronouns are used to avoid the repetition of a noun or pronoun just expressed, as:- "Entendez-vous l'homme qui parle." (Do you hear the man who is speaking.) Avez-vous payé l'homme que je vous ai envoyé." (Have you paid the man [whom] I have sent to you.)

191. We call antecedent to the pronoun relative the noun or pronoun which comes before it, and with which it must agree in gender and number.

192.-In interrogations the antecedent is generally understood, as-"Qui parle?" (Who is speaking?) (Je demande l'homme, I ask the man) who is speaking.

193.-This is common to both languages, but in English