THE POPULAR EDUCATOR. 



discs above them, is that made by Elliott, in which a small 

 fly-wheel is connected by an elastic band with a pulley working 

 on a nicely poised axle. The velocity can be changed at 

 pleasure, the whole being worked on a mahogany stand in the 

 horizontal position ; and as the coloured discs are very beautifully 

 lithographed and painted, this apparatus rises above the mere 

 toy, and becomes a most interesting addition to the apparatus 

 required to illustrate the laws of colour. 



The effects of the colour top had not been displayed on the 

 screen by the oxy-hydrogen light, until Mr. King contrived a very 

 simple apparatus which could be placed in the oxy-hydrogen 

 lantern. 



It consists (Fig. 12) of a rotating circular piece of glass, 

 which is painted like the discs of the colour top, with the 

 columns in concentric rings, but in unequal proportions. An 

 opaque disc, with the usual section left open, is made constantly 

 to shift its position at the will of the operator, so that some- 

 times an excess of red and yellow with white and colourless 

 rings are disclosed, forming orange and white rings, then blue 

 or yellow, producing green or white, or other coloured rings, 

 and so on, according to the particular colour painted on the 

 revolving glass disc. The opaque one revolves with the former, 

 and is made to change its position by a simple lever arrangement. 



LESSONS IN ITALIAN. XL. 



ADJECTIVES. 



Rule 17. The adjective, in Italian, agrees in gender and 

 number with the substantive to which it refers ; as 



II chirurgo del Signer Anna e 

 stato un bravo uoino, Mr. Anna's 

 surgeon has been an excellent man. 



Tutti i giorui nou possono essere 

 fecondi di brillauti avveniraenti, 

 every day cannot produce brilliant 

 events. 



lo non fcci parola di quella mia 

 ridicola avventura, I did not 

 speak of m\i ridiculous adventure. 



Dio ti benedica amorosa fauciulla ! 

 God bless you, loving child I 



Oh che belle parabole! oh, what 

 fine parables / 



Rule 18. Two or more substantives of different genders re- 

 quire the adjective in the plural masculine : 



Un uomo, e una donna piccoli, 



a little man and woman. 

 Uii ragazzo, e una ragazza cattivi, 



a naughty boy and girl. 

 II padre, e la madre souo caritate- 



voli, the father and mother are 



charitable. 



Rule 19. When two or more adjectives refer to the same 

 substantive, they may either precede or follow it : 



Le mie case, ed i luoghi pubblichi 

 di Roma sou pieui d' imtieho 

 immagini de' miei maggiori, 

 niy houses and the public places 

 of Rome are fiUed with ancient 

 statues of my ancestors. 



Avendo seco Tancredi varie e 

 diverse novita peusate, Tailored 

 hawing revolved in his mind dif- 

 ferent thoughts. 



Ed al nostro atnore daremo piace- 

 vole, ed interno compiuiento, 

 and we shall give to our affection 

 agreeable and internal satis/action. 



Una donna dotta e religiosa, a 

 learned end religious woman. 



Uu uomo sobrio, ouesto, ed indus- 

 trioso, a sober, honest, and indus- 

 trious man. 



una damigella saggia, leggiadra, 

 e graziosa, she is a wise, pretty, 

 and graceful young lady. 



Rule 20. When an adjective refers to several nouns of inani- 

 mate objects, without being separated by a verb, it agrees with 

 the noun next to it : 



Egli ave"a la mano e il cappello 



onori, e gloria uuova, they refuse 

 an opportunity of gaining new 

 honours and glory. 



rosso, he had a red hand and liat. 

 Ecco F affetto e la pieta materna, 

 behold the maternal tenderness and 

 piety. 



Rule 21. Italian adjectives are generally placed either before 

 or after their substantives : 



Riftutano 1' occasione d' acquistare 



Un nobile aspetto, or un aspetto 



nobile, a noble face. 

 Un buan amieo, or un amico buono, 



a good friend. 



La nuova sposa, or la sposa nuova 

 (the new spouse), the bride. 



figli avesse la barba grande, he 

 had a (great) long beard. 



Rule 22. Italian adjectives are placed after the nouns, when 

 they express 



1. NATIONALITY. 

 Un principe Italiano, an Italian 



prince. 



Una dama Francese, a French lady. 

 La lingua Spagnuola, the Spanish 



language. 



[politics. 



2. THE SHAPE OR FORM. 

 Una tavola quadrata, a square 



table. 



Una forma ovale, an oval form. 

 Un teatro largo, a wide theatre. 

 Una chiesa lunga, a long church. 



La politico. Bornaua, the Roman I Un siyillo rotoado, a round seal. 



3. THE STAID OP THE ELEMENTS. 

 Un tempo freddo, cold weather. 

 Una terra arida, dry ground. 

 Un vento caldo, a warm wind. 

 Un aria salubre, a wholesome air. 

 Un f uoco intenso, an intense fire. 



4. COLOURS. 

 Un abito turchino, a blue coat. 



Una sedia indorata, a gilt chair. 

 Un vino bianco, a white vine. 

 Uu fior giallo, a yellow flower. 



5. TASTE. 



Un f rutto dolce, a sweet fruit. 

 Un' erba amara, a bitter herb. 

 Un sidro agro, sour cider. 

 Un vino cotto, burnt wine. 



The following adjectives have different meanings, according 

 as they are placed before or after the substantive ; as 



Una certa notizia, a certain piece of ; Uu gentiluomo, a nobleman. 



neios. I Un uomo gentile, a genteel man. 



Una notizia certa, a certain report, j II pover uomo, a man without 

 Un galant' uomo, a braue a7id j genius. 



honest man. un uomo povero, he is a poor 



Uu uomo galante, a gallant man. | man. 



Rule 23. The adjectives hello, buono, santo lose their last 

 syllable before masculine nouns beginning with a consonant; 

 but grande loses it before masculine and feminine nouns : 



SINGULAR. 



Bel giardino, fine garden. 

 Buon libro, good boofc. 

 San Pietro, Saint Peter. 

 Bel ragazzo, fine boy. 

 Gran birboue, great rascal. 

 Gran regina, great queen. 



PLURAL. 



Belli, bei, be' giardini, fine garden*. 

 Buoni libri, good books. 

 Santi Pietri, the Saint Peters'. 

 Belli ragazzi, fine boys. 

 Gran birboni, great rascals. 

 Gran regiue, great gueens. 



Rule 24. The same adjectives, bello, buono, grande, santo, do 

 not lose their last syllable before nouns beginning with an s 

 followed by a consonant : 



SINGULAR. 



Bcllo sposo, fine husband. 

 Buono stato, good state. 

 Grando strepito, great noise. 

 Grande spada, a long sword. 

 Santo Steflfano, Saint Stephen. 



PLURAL. 



Begli sposi, fino husbands. 

 Buoni stati, good states. 

 Grandi strepiti, great noises. 

 Grandi spade, long suiords. 

 Santi Steffani, the Saint Stephens'. 



Rule 25. The adjectives hello, buono, grande, santo, lose their 

 final vowel before words beginning with a vowel, and take an 

 apostrophe in its place : 



Bell' occllio, fine eye. 

 Buou' aspetto, good face. 

 Grand' impero, great empire. 



Sant' Antonio, or San' Antonio, 



Saint Anthony. 

 Gran' ingegno, great genius. 



Rule 26. Adjectives of dimension alto, high ; largo, ivide ; 

 lungo, long ; grosso, thick; profondo, deep do not require the 

 preposition di before the numerals : 



Un tappeto lungo sei iardi e largo 

 due, a carpet six yards long and 

 two wide. 



Questa fossa era profonda nove 

 piedi, this ditch was nine feet 



Uu muro grosso due piedi, a wall 



two feet thick. 

 Questa camera e alta sei piedi, 



this room is six feet high. 

 Quell* albero e alto dieci piedi, 



this tree is ten feet high. 



COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES. 



COMPARATIVES. 



Rule 27. When, in a comparison, than is followed by an 

 article, or a possessive pronoun, it is expressed by the definite 

 articles del, dello, della, deyli, delle ; as 



La rosa e piii bella della viola, the i La Germania e piu grande, e piu. 



rose is more beautiful than the 



violet. 

 II maestro e ineno dotto dello sco- 



lare, the master is less learned 



than the scholar. 

 Questo libro e migliore del vostro, 



this boo': is better than yours. 



poteute dell' Italia, Germany is 

 larger and more powerful than 

 Italy. 



Questa camera e piu bella della 

 mia, this room is prettier than 

 mine. 



Rule 28. When than is followed by an article, or a posses- 

 sive pronoun, it is translated only by di : 



Cesare e stato piii felice di Porn- 



peo, Caisar was more fortunate 



than Pompey. 

 Giorgio e piii astuto di Pietro, 



George is more cunning tlian 



Peter. 



Vostro padre o piu dotto di me, 

 your father is more learned than 1. 



Egli e piii sciocco di voi, he is 

 more silly tlian you. 



Souo meno esperto di lui, I am 

 less experienced than he. 



Rule 29. When a comparison is made between two adjec- 

 tives, substantives, or adverbs, following one another, than is 

 expressed by che ; and if there is a verb after than, this con- 

 junction is rendered by che non : 



