PREFACE. THE success which has attended the first and second parts of my Progressive French Course has encouraged me to proceed with the publication of this third part, intended for the use of Upper Forms. If I may judge from the numerous letters addressed to me by those of my own profession who have adopted the first two parts, no apology is needed for bringing out a new treatise on French Syntax; for although great activity has of late been displayed in working the field of word-lore, and in bringing the results obtained within reach of even the humblest beginners, no serious attempt has, so far as I am aware, been made in framing a Syntax on scientific principles without at the same time over-stepping the comprehension of a Fifth or Sixth Form boy of average ability. At the risk of sacrificing many niceties of word and phrase of only occasional utility, I have passed briefly over rules of secondary importance, exceptions to rules, exceptions to exceptions, etc., and have dwelt at length on the broad laws that underlie the characteristic structure of the French language. With this view I have devoted the chief part of the space at my disposal to an exhaustive treatment of those features of the language in respect of which French offers the most striking contrast with English-I mean the use of Articles (§§ 1-8), the place of Adjectives (§§ 20-23), the use of Tenses (§§ 62-74), of Moods (§§ 75-85), of Negations (§§ 104-107), and of Prepositions (§§ 108-119). In dealing with these I have not hesitated to go fully into details, being keenly alive to the fact that it is only by close attention to details that a sound basis can be laid for the general principles of a science. I trust therefore that this book, though necessarily succinct, will not be found wanting in those important rules which find constant application in the work of construing and writing composition. At the same time, by a carefully selected variety of type, I have enabled the learner at one glance to distinguish matters of first importance from what is chiefly intended for more advanced students. For these latter the matter printed in smaller type will, I hope, prove to be of great assistance for reference. As regards the Exercises which accompany this Syntax, it seemed to me to be plainly dictated by common sense that, at this stage of their studies, pupils should begin to try their hand at turning extracts from good authors into French, in preference to the endless disconnected sentences which in the long run cannot but prove very irksome to both pupil and teacher. With this view I have compiled a series of passages carefully selected and progressively arranged according to their difficulty, very smooth at the beginning but gradually tending up hill. Practice in translating these extracts will, step by step, and with the assistance of constant reference to the Syntax, initiate the student in the art of writing correct, if not elegant, French - an accomplishment involving much more mental training than the uncompromising advocates of exclusively Classic studies are ready to admit. G. EUGÈNE-FASNACHT, Senior Master of Modern Languages. HARPUR MODERN SCHOOL, BEDFORD, 1882. CONTENTS. N.B.-For full details of the subject matter see the Résumés at the §§ 1-8, Nouns and Articles, p. 1. §§ 9-19, The Noun used as Object or Complement (Case-Construction), p. 10. §§ 20-25, Adjectives, their Place, Agreement, and Government, p. 21. §§ 26-33, Personal Pronouns-(I.) Conjunctive, p. 26. §§ 34-36, (II.) Disjunctive, p. 34. §§ 37-38, Possessive Pronouns, p. 36. §§ 39-42, Demonstrative Pronouns, p. 38. §§ 43-51, Relative and Interrogative Pronouns, p. 42. §§ 52–58, Indefinite Pronouns, p.47. §§ 59-61, The Verb-Concord, p. 48. §§ 61-72, Indicative Mood and its Tenses, p. 51. §§ 73-74, Conditional Mood, p. 59. §§ 75-79, Subjunctive Mood, p. 61. §§ 80-86, Infinitive, p. 72. §§ 87-91, Par- ticiple Present, p. 83. §§ 92-102, Participle Past, p. 88. §§ 103-108, Adverbs, p. 94. §§ 109-118, Prepositions, p. 100. EXERCISES, DIALOGUES, AND COMPOSITION. 1. Use of Definite Article, p. 114. 2. Use of Partitive Article, p. 115. 3. Omission of the Article, p. 117. 4. Use and Omission of 5. Direct Object (Accusative), p. 119. 8-9. Indirect Com- 10-11. Place of Adjectives, p. 126. 13. Adjectives of Comparison and Dimensions, p. 129; Dialogue on the Metrical System, p. 130. 14. Conjunctive Personal Pronouns, p. 130. 15. Conjunctive Per- sonal Pronouns, en, p. 132. 16. Conjunctive Personal Pronouns, en and y, p. 133. 17. Disjunctive Personal Pronouns, p. 135. 18. Pos- sessive Pronouns and Adjectives, p. 136. 19. Demonstrative Pronouns, p. 137. 20. Relative Pronouns, p. 138. 21. Interrogative Pronouns, 23. Concord of Verbs, p. 142. 24. The Present Indicative, p. 144. 25. The Imperfect, p. 145. 26. The Imperfect and Definite, p. 147. 27. The Indefinite, p. 148. 28. The Pluperfect and Past Anterior, 36. The Infinitive without Preposition, p. 161. 37. The Infinitive 41. The Present Participle, p. 168. 42. The English Present Participle Construction not admissible in French, p. 170. 43-44. 1 |