113 (A) (c) Conditional Clauses, i.e. expressing a Contingency: as, Des flatteurs l'entourent; vienne He is surrounded by flatterers; but if a misfortune should befall him, he will be forsaken. Vienne la St. Martin != Quand la St. Martin viendra. Observation.-For Subj. Plupf. instead of the Conditional Perf., see 112 (a) Obs. N.B.-The use of the Subjunctive Mood in Dependent Clauses is treated at full length in the Syntax of Compound Sentences, §§ 160-163. VI. THE IMPERATIVE. The IMPERATIVE is on the whole used as in English; a Present Perfect as well as a simple Present occasionally occurring in both languages: as, Ayez fini votre tâche à l'heure indiquée. Have your task done at the appointed time. Observation 1.-The want of a form for the first pers. Sing. may be supplied by the Plural: Si je ne suis hardi, tâchons de le paraître. Though I am not bold, at any rate let me try to put on a bold face. Observation 2.-An Impersonal construction with the Indicative or Infinitive is not infrequently used for a kind of Imperative : On n'entre pas ! No admittance here! Apply to the doorkeeper. SECOND CHAPTER: THE ATTRIBUTIVE RELATION. 114 INTRODUCTORY:-A Noun, whether used as Subject, Object, or Adjunct, may be determined by (a) an Article, definite, partitive, or indefinite; see §§ 115-121; (b) an Adjective, possessive, demonstrative, qualifying, or numeral; see §§ 122-124; (c) another Noun, without or with a Preposition, see § 16; (d) an Adjective Clause, see § 163: as, Les noix sont des fruits. Un ami est un trésor. Mon ami admire ces deux châteaux neufs. L'âge d'or, pure fiction mythologique, est le sujet favori de ce poète. A. THE NOUN DETERMINED BY AN ARTICLE. (USE AND OMISSION OF THE ARTICLES.) INTRODUCTORY:-Nouns are used RÉSUMÉ. (I.) in a general, (II.) in a particular, (III.) in a partitive, (IV.) in an indefinite, (V.) in an adjectival or adverbial, SPECIAL RULES: I. and II. The Noun taken in a General or Particular Sense: (a) Collective or Abstract, (b) the Name of a Title, Sense. (c) another Part of Speech used substantively, (d) the Name of any Day of the week, (e) the Name of a Country,1 etc., (ƒ) a Cognative accusative. 1 Geographical Names, used with the Article, if used (1) as Subject or Direct Object, (2) after any Preposition, except en (or if used adjectively with de). III. The Noun taken in a Partitive Sense: (a) Determinate, (b) Indeterminate. IV. The Noun taken in an Indefinite Sense: (a) used, as in English, with Indefinite Article, (b) used with Indef. Art. in English, but with Def. Art. in French, if it denotes (1) a bodily or mental Quality, (2) Price, Measure, etc., (c) used with Indef. Art. in English, without Art. in French, if used (1) in Apposition, (2) after a Copulative Verb, (3) after a Partitive Verb. V. A Noun used in an Indeterminate Sense (without Article), if used (a) adjectivally or adverbially: (1) in apposition, (2 and 3) as adjectival Adjunct, (b) in Enumerations, Proverbs, Titles, Addresses. Special Rules concerning the use of the Art. before Nouns in the Genitive :(a) Genitive of the Possessor, (b) Genitive of Quality. 115 INTRODUCTORY: The use or omission of the Article before a Noun depends on the more or less limited sense in which the Noun is taken; it is, therefore, indispensable first of all to distinguish the different ways in which the same Noun may be used: (I.) in a General sense, implying the whole class or species if the Noun is concrete, or the whole idea if it is abstract: as, Le fer; l'homme; les hommes; La musique; la vertu. Iron; man; men; mankind. (II.) in a Particular or Individual sense, qualified (limited) by an Adjunct, either expressed or understood: as, Le meilleur fer; l'honnête homme. as, The best iron; the honest man. (III.) in a Partitive sense, implying only a part or fraction of a whole : Du fer; des hommes. Some (any) iron; some (any) men. (IV.) in an Indefinite sense, implying a single individual of a class: as, Un homme; une femme. A man; a woman. (V.) in an Adjectival or Adverbial sense, qualifying (limiting) another Noun or a Verb: as, La chaîne de fer; habits d'homme. 116 SPECIAL RULES: The iron chain; men's clothing. A virtuous deed. To act with wisdom (wisely). I. AND II. THE NOUN TAKEN IN A GENERAL OR A Noun is used with the DEFINITE ARTICLE in French, contrary to English usage, if it is (a) Collective or Abstract, whether taken in a General or Particular Sense: Le fer est plus utile que l'or. Iron is more useful than gold. Hypocrisy is a homage rendered by vice to virtue. I like music. He understands English. (b) the Name of a Title, Dignity, Profession, etc., or a Proper Noun qualified by an Adjective: as, Le roi Jean; la reine Victoria. Madame la marquise. Le petit Charles. King John; Queen Victoria. The Marchioness. Little Charley. (c) another Part of Speech used substantively: as, Le boire et le manger. Eating and drinking. Le mieux est souvent l'ennemi Let well alone. du bien. (d) the Name of any Day of the Week used distributively, or of a Holy Day: as, Les paquebots partent les mardis. The steamers leave every Tuesday. He makes his calls only on Thursdays. La St. Jean; le mercredi des Midsummer Day; Ash Wednesday. Cendres. (e) the Name of a Country, Province, large Island, Mountain, Season: as, La Grande Bretagne, l'Angleterre, le Portugal, la Bretagne, la Sardaigne, le Mont Blanc, le printemps. Observation 1.-With a Noun in the Plur., the Art. is used in both languages : Les Pays Bas, the Netherlands. Observation 2.-Only a few names of towns take, quite exceptionally, the Definite Article: Le Havre (Gen. du Havre, Dat. au Havre); le Caire; la Haye; la Mecque; la Rochelle; la Havane, etc. (f) the Subject or Object of an Adjective clause introduced by a Relat. Pron. in the Possessive case :— La reine dont le regne fut si glorieux. The queen glorious. whose reign was so Observation 1.-Thus also if used as a Cognative Accusative, or predicatively after faire: as, Sentir le brûlé. Il fait le malade. To smell of burning. 117 The DEFINITE ARTICLE, as a rule, is used in French instead of the English Possessive Adjective, with a Noun denoting part of the body or a mental quality, whether used as Subject or Object:(a) French Definite Art. + Dat. of Pers. Pron. Possessive Adjective: as, La tête me tourne. Le cœur lui fend à cette vue. or Il lui baisa la main. Vous me marchez sur le pied. Il assure que votre seule physiono- My head swims. = English His heart breaks at that sight. He kissed her hand. He declares that your very face has (b) The French Def. Art. = English Possessive Adjective: (1) with a Noun-Object of avoir corresponding to a NounSubject in English: as, (2) with a Noun-Object corresponding to a Noun-Object in English: as, Fermez les yeux, et ouvrez la bouche. Ils levèrent la tête.* *Notice the use of the Singular; thusPlus de mille hommes y perdirent la vie. Shut your eyes and open your mouth. They raised their heads (plur.). More than a thousand men lost their lives there. Observation 1.-A peculiar use of the Def. Art. plur. is that before Proper Nouns of men of note: as, Ils voulaient surpasser les Aristide en justice, les Phocion en constance, les Fabius en modération et les Caton même en vertu. Here les must be taken simply as emphatic and poetical; and not as in 'Les Virgiles sont rares:' where les implies- Such men as . . . Observation 2.-Le, la, les retain their original demonstrative force (fr. Lat. ille, illa, illos) in interjectional phrases: as, Le pauvre homme! Dites-donc, l'ami! Poor man! I say, you fellow! |