117 (A) SPECIAL RULES REGARDING GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES: Names of Countries (except those derived from names of Towns) take the Definite Article if used (1) as Subject or Direct Object; (2) with any preposition, except en (or if used adjectively with de): Those used in the Masculine or in the Plural, as well as those compounded with an Adjective, always take the Article: Venir du Portugal; des Indes. De la porcelaine du Japon. Le roi des Pays Bas. Le fleuve du Rhin. Venir de Suisse, d'Espagne. De la porcelaine de Saxe. Le roi de Suède. La rivière de Seine. 118 III. THE NOUN TAKEN IN A PARTITIVE SENSE. A Noun is taken in a partitive sense when only part or a fraction of the thing (or things) it denotes is implied; and this partitive meaning is expressed either (a) determinately, by de+Def. Art. i.e. du, de la, de l', des; or, (b) indeterminately, by de alone, whenever the noun is already sufficiently determined by (1) a preceding qualifying Adjective; (2) an Adverb, or Noun of quantity, or negation, beaucoup, peu, assez, plus, trop, tant, pas, point * :— (a) Determinate: as, Donnez-moi du lait ; Voilà de l'eau bonne à boire. ?— A-t-il du courage Voici des raisins. (b) Indeterminate: as, (1) de bon lait ; de bonne viande; de bonne huile; de bons œufs. Voilà de bonne eau. Ce sont de vrais amis. (2) Non, il n'a pas de courage. Thus also after Verbs of Filling, Covering, Adorning, Feeding (see § 36, d), in answer to the questions wherewith? whereof? i.e. if the Noun is used as indirect Adv. Complement : Compare Il boit du vin (what?) Il amasse de la neige (what?) Il ramasse des haillons (what?) Il s'abstient de vin ((whereof?) Les Alpes sont couvertes de neige (wherewith?) Ils étaient couvertes de haillons (wherewith?) Observation 1.-But- Du petit-lait, whey; du vif-argent, quicksilver; des bons mots, witticisms; because the Adjective is here merely part and parcel of a Compound Noun. Observation 2.-It stands to reason that if a Partitive Noun, preceded by an Adverb or Noun of quantity, is qualified by an Adjunct, it must, according to the General Principles laid down, be treated as Determinate. Compare: Il reste peu du vin mis en bouteille en Il y a encore une livre des raisins que vous Il reste peu de vin. Il n'y a plus qu'une livre de raisins. Compare also:-Je n'ai pas de l'argent pour Je n'ai pas (point) d'argent. I have no Ce n'est pas de l'argent que je vous de- money. Je ne vous demande pas d'argent. I do not ask you for (any) money. * Only bien (in the sense of beaucoup), much, many, and la plupart, most, take the Determinate form after them: bien des gens; la plupart du monde. 119 Observation 3.-Also Adjectives, Participles, and even Proper Nouns, may be used partitively, especially after Pronouns used substantively :-rien, quelque chose, quoi, tout ce qui, ceci, cela; and after Numerals: as, Qu'y a-t-il de nouveau ? Quoi de plus beau que ce coup d'œil! I have never seen anything like it. This palace has a somewhat august aspect. What could be finer than this sight! L'homme a cela de commun avec les ani- Man has this in common with animals maux que.. Sur six mille combattants il y en eut cinq that Of six thousand combatants five hundred were IV. THE NOUN TAKEN IN AN INDEFINITE SENSE. (a) A Noun is used with the INDEFINITE Article when it denotes any single (individual) person or thing used indeterminately: as, Un ami sincère est un trésor. A sincere friend is a treasure. Observation. Though, grammatically speaking, the Indefinite Article has no plural, yet Faire des excuses. I have a friend; I have friends. (b) A Noun used with the INDEFINITE Art. (or, without Art., if plur.) in English is used with the DEFINITE Art. in French, if it denotes (1) a bodily or mental Quality (used as object of the Verb avoir, cp. § 117, b): as, Platon avait les traits réguliers, J'ai l'œil bon, Dieu merci! Elle a la mémoire sûre. Plato had regular features, eyes full of sweetness, an open forehead, a broad chest, and high shoulders. I have a good eye, thank God. Observation. Thus occasionally after faire, donner dans, in the sense of to set up for, to affect (cp. § 116, ƒ, Obs.):— Observation.-The Indef. Art. a used distributively, in the sense of each, is rendered by par: Deux fois par semaine; cinq francs par Entrée: deux schellings par tête. Twice a week; 5 francs a lesson. Admission: two shillings each. 120 (c) A Noun used with the INDEFINITE Article in English is, as a rule, used without any Article in French, when it stands (1) in Apposition: as, Sedan, petite ville de France. Quel coquin d'intendant! Sedan, a small town in France. (2) after a Verb denoting Manner of Being—être, devenir, sembler, etc., and after en: as, Il est né Français, mais il est maintenant Anglais naturalisé. He was born a Frenchman, but he is now a naturalised English man. From a private soldier, he rose to the rank of captain. He perished a victim to his im- I speak to you as a friend. (3) as Complement of a Factitive Verb, i.e. a Verb of Making, Appointing, Creating, Believing, etc. (see § 77): as, Je le croyais homme d'honneur. I believed him to be a man of honour. He has become a sailor. V. THE NOUN USED IN AN INDETERMINATE SENSE. A Noun takes no Article (a) when so intimately linked with the preceding term as to lose its independent character and to become adjectival or adverbial in its functions: thus, (1) Noun + Noun: i.e. in Apposition: as, Mexico, capitale du Mexique (see § 119, c). Louis quatorze. Chapitre premier. Le 16 Floréal an IV. Observation.-But the Def. Art. must be used before a Noun in apposition, if the latter expresses a distinctive feature: as, C'est de Sénèque, le philosophe, et non pas de Sénèque, le tragédien, qu'il s'agit. (2) Noun + Prep. + Noun: i.e. Adjectival Adjunct: as, C'est une table de marbre (see Special Rules, § 121). Voilà un moulin à vent. (3) Adjective + Prep. + Noun: i.e. Adjectival Adjunct: as, Il est avide de gloire (= ambitieux); avide d'argent (=avare). (4) Preposition + Noun: i.e. Adverbial Phrase: as, de nuit = nuitamment, by night; à cœur ouvert = franchement, candidly; avec dureté = durement, harshly; par jour journellement, per diem; sans peur = intrépide, fearless. (5) Verb + Noun: i.e. Verbal Phrase: as, = = = Avoir peur (de) = craindre, to fear; avoir soin de soigner, to take care; faire cas de s'enrichir, to get rich; prendre part à in; mettre à mort = tuer, to put to envier, to bear envy; parler raison estimer, to esteem; faire fortune = = etc. ni; soit = participer à, to take part death; porter envie à raisonner, to talk sense, = (b) For the sake of brevity—(1) in Enumerations, especially after ni soit; tant. . . que, also after jamais; (2) in Proverbial Phrases; (3) in Titles, Headings; (4) in addressing a person or thing: as, (1) Tombeaux, trônes, palais, tout Tombs, thrones, palaces, everything périt, tout s'écroule. Les enfants n'ont ni passé, ni avenir, ils jouissent du présent. Soit faiblesse, soit pitié, il y a consenti. must perish and fall to pieces. For children there is neither Past nor Future, they enjoy the Present. Whether from weakness or from pity, he has consented to it. Tous, tant hommes que femmes, Both men and women were put to 121 SPECIAL RULES CONCERNING THE USE OF THE ARTICLE BEFORE NOUNS IN THE GENITIVE. |