272 



THE POPULAR EDUCATOR. 



La salle a manger. 

 Du tools a bruler. 

 Un verre a vin. 



See 80, (2.). 



The dining-room. 

 Fire-wood. 



A wine-glass, i.e., o glass for 

 wine. 



77. THE ARTICLE. USE OF THE ARTICLE. 



(1.) The article must bo used in French before every noun 

 employed in a general sense, or denoting a whole species of 

 objects ; although in similar cases the article is not used in 

 English. Ex. : 



Benefits are all-powerful with a 

 well disposed mind. 



Honour is with magnanimous 

 hearts more jprecious than life. 



Les bienfaits peuvent tout sur 

 une ame bien ne'e. VOLTAIKE. 



L'honneur, aux grands coeurs, 

 est plus cher que la vie. 



CORNEILLE. 



La honte suit toujours un lache 

 de'sespoir. CREBILLON. 



(2.) The article is used in French, as in English, before a 

 noun denoting a particular object, or taken in a particular 

 sense : 



Le bonheur des mediants 

 comme un torrent s'e'coule. 



BACINE. 



L'arbrisseau le plus sain a be- 

 soin de culture. 



FABRE D'GLANTINE. 

 Le moment du pe>il est celui du 

 courage. LA HAEPE. 



The happiness of the wicked runs 

 away like a torrent. 



The healthiest shrub needs culti- 

 vation. 



The time of peril is the time for 

 courage. 



(3.) The article is used before the names of countries, pro- 

 vinces, seas, rivers, winds, and mountains : 



La France est hoi-ne'e ail rnidi 

 pas les Pyre'ne'es et la Mediter- 

 rande ; a 1'est par 1'Allemagne, la 

 Suisse et 1'Italie ; au uord par la 

 Manche et la Belgique, et a 1'ouest 

 parl'Oce'an. Sea principales rivieres 

 sont la Seine, la Loire, la Ga- 

 ronne et le Khoue. 



France is bounded on the south by 

 the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean ; 

 on the east by Germany, Switzerland, 

 and Italy ; on the north by the Eng- 

 lish Channel and Belgium, and on 

 the west by the Ocean. Its principal 

 rivers are the Seine, the Loire, the 

 Garonne, and the Rhone. 



(4.) Those countries which take their name from their 

 capital, or some other city within their boundaries, take no 

 article : 



Naples est un pays delicious. 

 Venise e'tait un e'tat puissant. 

 New York est un e'tat sain. 



Naples is a delightful country. 

 Fenice was a powerful state. 

 New York is a healthy state. 



(5.) The French use the article before titles prefixed to 

 names : 



Le general Cavaignac. 

 Le president Bonaparte. 



General Cavaignac. 

 President Bonaparte. 



(6.) The article is also used before the names of dignities, of 

 certain bodies, systems of doctrine, and with other words men- 

 tioned below : 



La monarchic 

 Le parlement, 

 Le gouvernement, 

 Le christianisme, 

 L'^piscopat, 

 A 1'eglise, 



monarchy. 



parliament. 



gowernment. 



Christianity. 



episcopacy. 



at church. 



A 1'ecole, 

 Au college, 

 All marche", 

 An lit, 



etc. 



at school, 

 at college. 

 at, to marfeet. 

 in bed. 

 etc. 



(7.) Before the names of the seasons, and the following ex- 

 pressions : 



L'anue'e prochaine, next year. 



L'annde deruiere, last year. 



Le priutemps pro- next spring. 

 chain, 



(8.) The names of several cities take the article. Those 

 nouns have generally a meaning, and indicate often natural 



objects : 



L'automne dernier, last autumn. 

 La semaine derniere, lost week. 

 etc. etc. 



Le Havre, 

 La Haye, 



Havre. 

 The Hague. 



La Rochelle, Rochelle. 

 Le Detroit, Detroit. 



(9.) In speaking of the parts of the body or of the qualities 

 of the mind, the French use the article in cases where the 

 English use a possessive adjective or the indefinite article : 



Votre frere a les cheveux noirs. 

 II s'est blessd a la main. 

 Charles a la ice* moire excellente. 



Four brother Tias blacJc hair. 



He has hurt his hand. 



Charlej has an excellent memory. 



78. USE OF THE ARTICLE BEFORE WORDS TAKEN IN A 

 PARTITIVE SENSE. 



(1.) A word, when used to denote an entire object or class cf 

 objects, is said to have a general sense ; when, however, it is 

 employed to indicate a part of any thing or class of things, 

 considered in reference to the whole, it is said to have a par- 

 titive sense. Before a word taken partitively, the word some 

 or any is, or may, in English, often be employed. If, for ex- 

 ample, I use the words courage and wood abstractedly, I take 

 them in the general sense ; but if I say, give me wood, your 

 brother has courage, I use them in the partitive sense, that is, I 

 ask for a part of that substance called wood, and attribute to 

 your brother something of that quality called courage. 



(2.) The partitive article [ 14, (11.)] is used before nouns 

 taken in a partitive sense : 



Du pain et de 1'eau lui suffisent. 



Apportez-nous du sel et du 

 vinaigre. 



Toujours la patrie a des charmes 

 pour moi. LA HABPE. 



Bread and water are sufficient for 

 him; that is, some bread. 



Bring us salt and vinegar; that 

 is, some salt. 



My native land has always (some) 

 charms for me. 



(3.) When the noun, taken in a partitive sense, is preceded 

 by an adjective, the partitive article is de or d' for both gen- 

 ders and numbers [see 14, (2. 11.)] : 



He possesses fine houses. 



Let us propose to ourselves rather 

 to imitate great examples, than to 

 follow vain systems. 



II possede de belles maisons. 



Proposons-nous a nous-memes 

 de grands exemples a imiter, 

 plutot que de vains systemes a 

 suivre. J. J. BOUSSEAU. 



(4.) When, however, the noun preceded by the adjective is 

 so connected with it that the two form a compound noun, this 

 noun takes the article according to rule (2.) above : 



Des jeunes gens ; des petits pois. 

 Heureux si de son temps, pour de 



bonnes raisons, 

 La Mact'doine cut eu des petites 



maisons ! BOILEAU. 



Young people ; green peas. 



Fortunate would it have been, if in 

 his time (^IZea'ander's) Macedonia had 

 had lunafic asylums. 



(5.) The preposition de is used before a substantive preceded 

 by a collective noun or by an adverb of quantity : 



Une multitude de peuples. 

 Beaucoup de personnes. 

 A quoi bon tant d'amis ? 

 Uu seul nous suffit s'il nous 

 aime. FLOEJAH. 



A multitude of nations. 



Many persons. 



Of what use are so many friends? 



A single one suffices if he loves us. 



(6.) The article (du, de la, de 1', des), however, is used when 

 the noun, whether or not preceded by a collective noun, is taken 

 in a limited sense. The noun la plupart, the most ; the adverb 

 of manner, bien, when used as an adverb of quantity, in the 

 sense of much, many, also require the article * du, etc. : 



Un grand nombre des personnes 

 que j'ai vues. NOEL. 



II me reste peu des livres qui 

 m'ont ete donne's. NOEL. 



Les mediants ont bien de la 

 peine a demeurer unis. 



FENELON. 



Ne donnez jamais des conseils 

 qu'il soit dangereux de suivre. 



GlRAULT DUVIVIEE. 



(7.) The words some or any, expressed or understood, are 

 rendered by de, also in negative sentences : 



Many of the persons whom I have 

 seen. 



I have few left of the books which 

 have been given me. 



The wiclced have much trouble to 

 remain united. 



Never give advice which it is dan- 

 gerous to follow. 



Je ne vous ferai pas de re- 

 proches. 



L'on ne dit jamais que 1'on n'a 

 point d'esprit. BOURSAULT. 



On ne fait jamais de bien a 

 Dieu, en faisant du mal aux 

 homines. VOLTAIIIE. 



I shall 7iot cast upon you any re- 

 proaches. 



We never say that we have no wit. 



We never can do good in respect 

 to God, by doing evil to men. 



* Before the adjective autre, in the plural, bien, as an adverb of 

 quantity does not require the article du, etc., but the preposition de : 

 J'al VU bien d'autres pays, I hove seen many other countries. 



