CHAPTER III.

ADJECTIVES.

THE ADJECTIVE, like the article, agrees with the noun in gender and number.

E mute is the mark of the feminine; S is the mark of the plural:

un homme poli, a polite man.
un garçon obéissant, an obedient
boy.

des hommes polis, polite men.
des garçons obéissants, obedient
boys.

une femme polie, a polite woman. une fille obéissante, an obedient girl.

des femmes polies, polite women. des filles obéissantes, obedient girls.

I.-FORMATION OF THE FEMININE.

RULE. The feminine in adjectives, past participles, and in a great number of nouns, is formed by adding e mute to the masculine :

REMARK.-Adjectives in e mute have the feminine like the masculine, as:-aimable, amiable; agréable, agreeable; utile, useful, etc.

Two sets of adjectives form an exception to the rule: Some adjectives, beside e mute, double the last consonant; the others form their feminine in an irregular manner.

§ 1.-ADJECTIVES DOUBLING THE LAST CONSONANT.

In some adjectives the consonants 1, n, s, t, are doubled in the feminine.

as:

1. L is doubled in adjectives in el, eil, in gentil and nul,

éternel, éternelle, eternal.

cruel, cruelle, cruel.
pareil, pareille, alike.

gentil,

nul,

vermeil, vermeille, vermilion. gentille, nice, pretty. nulle, none, null, etc.

3. S is doubled when placed between two vowels, and pro

nounced as C:

exprès, expresse, express.

gras, grasse, fat.

épais, épaisse, thick.

gros, grosse, big, stout, etc.

S is not doubled in the other cases:

pervers, perverse, perverse.

divers, diverse, diverse.

anglais, anglaise, English.

français, française, French.
yris, grise, gray.

marquis, marquise, marquis,
marchioness, etc.

4. T is doubled in three adjectives in ot, and in most ad

Are excepted adjectives in cret and plet, also inquiet and

prêt:

secret, secrète, secret.

complet, complète, complete.

inquiet, inquiète, anxious.
prêt, prête, ready.

§ 2.-ADJECTIVES IRREGULAR IN THEIR FEMININE.

In many adjectives the formation of the feminine cannot be determined by any rule.

1. C is changed in che, or in que:

blanc, blanche, white.

franc, franche, frank, sincere.

sec,

sèche, dry.

public, publique, public.

turc,

turque, Turk.

grec, grecque, Greek, etc.

2. E is changed in esse in some words, either substantives

or adjectives used substantively:

hôte, hôtesse, host, or guest.

traître, traîtresse, traitor.

When borgne, blind of one eye;

maître, maîtresse, master, etc.

ivrogne, drunkard; mulâtre,

mulatto; nègre, negro; pauvre, poor; sauvage, savage; and

suisse are adjectives, the feminine is like the masculine. Thus, say:

as:

Une Suissesse, and une femme Suisse.
Une négresse, and une femme nègre, etc.

3. F is changed into v, which is analogous and softer;

4. G is changed into gue in long, longue, long; and in oblong, oblongue, oblong.

5. I is changed into ite in favori, favorite; and in coi, coite (little used), quiet, still.

6. N is changed into gne in malin, maligne, malignant; and in bénin, bénigne, benign. Compagnon makes compagne.

7. S is changed, 1. into c, in tiers, tierce, third; 2. into che, in frais, fraîche, fresh; 3. into te in the past participles: absous, absoute, absolved; and dissous, dissoute, dissolved.

8. T is changed into de in muscat, muscade, muscadine; une rose muscade.

9. U is liable to several changes:

1. beau makes belle, beautiful. | tourtereau, tourterelle, young turnouveau, nouvelle, new.

jumeau,

jumelle, twin.

fou,

mou,

tle-dove.

folle, foolish.
molle, soft, limp.

folle, and molle, are
nouvel, fol and mol,

The feminines belle, nouvelle,
formed from the masculine bel,
used before a vowel and h mute, as:

un bel habit, a beautiful coat.
le nouvel an, the new year.

un fol orgueil, a foolish pride.
un mol édredon, a soft eider-down.
2. A diæresis is put on the e of adjectives in gu,
and it causes the feminine to be pronounced like the
masculine :

aigu, aiguë, sharp, acute. | contiqu, contiguë, contiguous.
ambigu, ambiguë, ambiguous | exigu, exiguë, small, scanty.

3. The participles, dû, owed; mû, moved; crû, grown, lose the circumflex in the feminine and plural: due, dus, dues, etc.

10. R. Pair, peer, makes pairesse, peeress.

11. X is changed, 1. into ce, in doux, douce, sweet;-2. into sse, in faux, fausse, false; and roux, rousse, red, sandy;3. into se, in époux, husband, épouse, wife; jaloux, jalouse, jealous; and in all adjectives in eux:

pieux,

heureux, heureuse, happy. pieuse, pious. courageux, courageuse, courageous. précieux, précieuse, precious, etc. 4. Préfix makes préfixe; and vieux, old, makes vieille, from the masculine vieil, used sometimes before a vowel or h mute:

Un vieil ami, an old friend; le vieil Homère, old Homer.

12. EUR. Adjectives and substantives in eur have six forms in the feminine :

1. eure, when expressing an idea of comparison:

meilleur, meilleure, better. supérieur, supérieure, superior.

extérieur, extérieure, exterior.

mineur, mineure, minor, etc.

2. euse, when derived from a verb:

danseur, danseuse, dancer.

flatteur, flatteuse, flatterer.

buveur, buveuse, drinker.

joueur, joueuse, gambler, etc.

3. rice in most of the adjectives and substantives in teur:

directeur, directrice, director. acteur, actrice, actor. instituteur, institutrice, instructor. | protecteur, protectrice, protector,etc. Ambassadeur makes ambassadrice, and empereur, impératrice.

4. resse in the following words:

bailleur, bailleresse, lessor.
défendeur, défenderesse, de-
fendant.

enchanteur, enchanteresse, en

chanting.

pécheur, pécheresse, sinner.

vengeur, vengeresse, avenger,
avenging.

REMARK.-A few adjectives have a feminine in euse, and another in rice, or resse, with a different meaning, as:

chanteur,

chanteuse, a singer;

cantatrice, a celebrated actress who sings.

demandeur, demandeuse, asker;

demanderesse, plaintiff, etc.

5. ante, only in the two substantives:

gouverneur, gouvernante, governor;
serviteur, servante, servant.

6. eur, masculine and feminine, in some nouns expressing qualities, or professions relating more to men than to

women:

auteur. Mme de Sévigné est un auteur classique.

défenseur. La reine d'Angleterre s'appelle le défenseur de la foi. imposteur. La comtesse de la Motte est un imposteur fameux.

A few others, not ending in eur, are also alike in the masculine and feminine, as :-témoin, witness; écrivain, writer, poëte, etc.

And some, as, châtain, nut-brown; dispos, nimble; fat, coxcomb, are only used in the masculine.

II.-FORMATION OF THE PLURAL.

RULE.

The plural of adjectives is formed by adding s to the singular :

1. Adjectives ending in s or x have the plural like the singular, as:

nouveau, new; jumeau,

2. The adjectives, beau, beautiful; twin; hébreu, Hebrew; take X, as: deux beaux garçons, two beautiful boys, etc.

3. Tout, all, loses t and takes $: tous les livres, all the books.

as:

4. Adjectives in al form generally their plural in aux,