A superlative (adjective or adverb) may be heightened in various ways; as, Ce jeune homme est on ne peut plus aimable, Il est de beaucoup supérieur, Il est plus grand de beaucoup, That young man is most amiable. He is by far superior. C'est l'homme le plus généreux du He is most generous (lit. the most monde, generous man in the world). Venez le plus tôt possible, Come as soon as possible. not agree either in gender or in The le of a superlative adverb does number with the substantive spoken of; as, Cette couleur me plaît le mieux, This colour pleases me most. "The le of a superlative adjective is changeable (that is agrees with the substantive), when the comparison is with others: it is unchangeable. when the comparison is with some other state of the object itself: "Cette fille est la plus blamable, This girl is most to blame (of them all). "La mère ne punit pas sa fille, lors même qu'elle est le plus coupable. This mother does not correct her daughter, even when she is most in fault; more in fault than she has been at any other time."-ARNOLD. 307. NOTE. So much the more and so much the less, are expressed by d'autant plus, d'autant moins; as, He is so much the more guilty, Il est d'autant plus coupable. He is so much the less to blame Il est d'autant moins blamable. (Not) near so good, etc., is expressed by (ne)...à beaucoup près si bon, etc.; as, He is not near so good as his brother, Il n'est pas à beaucoup près si sage que son frère. 308. NOTE. The more or the less...for it, is expressed by en before the verb, and plus or moins after it; as, He is only the more guilty for it, Il n'en est que plus coupable. He is not the less sorry for it, Il n'en est pas moins fâché. 309. NOTE. In after a superlative is expressed by de; as, France is the oldest monarchy in Europe, La France est la plus ancienne monarchie de l'Europe. 310 REMARQUES SUR LES COMPARATIFS pire ET pis. Pire se rapporte à un substantif masculin ou féminin: Le remède est PIRE que le mal; il n'est PIRE eau que celle qui dort. On emploie pis, 1o Lorsqu'il se rapporte à un mot indéterminé: Rien n'est PIs qu'une mauvaise langue. Ce que vous proposez est PIs que ce qu'on allait faire. 2o Lorsqu'il est employé lui-même comme mot indéterminé: Mettre les choses au PIS. 3o Lorsqu'il fait la fonction d'adverbe: Ils sont PIs que jamais ensemble; il se portait un peu mieux, il est PIS que jamais. Cependant on emploie aussi pire comme substantif: Il n'est point de degré du médiocre au PIRE.-BOILEAU. Pis dérive du latin pejus, plus mal, et pire de pejor, plus mauvais. Thème. Nothing ought to be so sacred to men as the laws intended to render them good, wise, and happy. Be just as well as1 humane. I am as happy as you. That country is as much enlightened as ours. He remained more than ten years in France. He is older than you. The more they study this language, the more they like it. His uncle is one of the richest merchants in Paris. That lady is not less than forty years old. He feels the insult so much the more as he deserved it the less. The weather is not so fine as I should have expected. The laws are less severe than they were. You are more learned than I. There is nothing (de) more difficult than to learn by heart what one does not understand 10. The richer they are, the more charitable they become". That action is so much the more laudable because it was unexpected 12. That is so much the more blamable. You do not think them the less guilty. Their conduct is so much the more honourable. The oldest general in the army. The wisest of men have been the most religious. Of all flowers, the rose pleases me most. William and George are most to blame. That over 13-indulgent father never chastises his children even when they are most in fault. That professor is most (translate one cannot be more) learned. He is not nearly so attentive as his sister. The voyage of the Phœni-' cians round Africa is (so much) the more admirable, because 14 their ships could not go far from the coasts. He is not so silly as to 15 believe you. Write to me as soon as possible. Your father is a most generous man (translate the most generous man in the world). Is he as tall as your brother? He is much taller. A kindness received is of all debts the most sacred. The learned are of all men the most sought after. Learned men have been most sought after. She is too sensible to do that. The highest trees are most exposed to the storm. The most fashionable ornaments. The talents most in honour. It is in France that the fine arts are most cultivated. The arts that are most needed, are not the most honoured. It is in England, where agriculture is in honour, that the land is best cultivated. That song is one of those which were most applauded. SYNTAXE DES PRONOMS. 311. Le pronom est soumis pour l'accord, aux mêmes règles que l'adjectif qualificatif (56.): Les fruits et les fleurs aux- The fruits and flowers to which I devoted all my care are destroyed. He has a courage, an intrepidity, which nothing can re sist. PRONOMS PERSONNELS. Je, tu, il, elle; nous, vous, ils, elles, etc. (88.) 312. Le pronom sujet du verbe le précède ordinairement: je suis, j'aime. Excepté, comme nous l'avons vu (91.), dans les phrases interrogatives: parlent-ils? 313. Le pronom sujet se place aussi après le verbe : 1o Dans certaines phrases elliptiques et exclamatives : Puissiez-vous être heureux! Que viens-je d'entendre! May you be happy! 2o Dans les phrases interjetées : "Soldats!" s'écria-t-il, " qui m'aime, me suive!" "Soldiers!" cried he, "let him who loves me follow me!" 3o Dans les phrases construites avec aussi, en vain, peut-être, encore, à peine, du moins, au moins, ou autre expression semblable: Peut-être viendra-t-il, A peine fûmes-nous arrivés, Perhaps he will come. We were scarcely arrived. On peut aussi placer le pronom avant le verbe : peut-être il viendra. 314. NOTE. A personal pronoun in the nominative is repeated in French before every verb, if those verbs be of different tenses. When however the verbs are in the same tense, it may be repeated or not, as taste may direct or perspicuity require : J'étudie et j'étudierai toujours, I study and will always study. 315. NOTE. When there are two or more pronouns in the nominative case, a resuming pronoun (395.), such as nous, vous, ils, is generally used in French as the subject of the following verb; as, Vous et moi, nous partirons, Vous et nous, nous payerons, You and I will depart. You and we will pay. 316. La répétition des pronoms faisant office de com pléments est indispensable avant chaque verbe : Il me l'a dit et me l'a assuré He said it to me and asserted cent fois, it a hundred times. Mais on ne les répète pas avant un temps composé dont l'auxiliaire est sous-entendu: Il les a flattés et loués, He flattered and praised them. N 317. Quand un verbe a pour compléments directs (132.) un pronom personnel et un substantif, il y a réduplication du premier: Il me verra, moi et mon domestique, He will see me and my servant. 318. Il en est de même lorsqu'un verbe a un pronom personnel et un substantif pour compléments indirects (133.): Cela me parut vrai, à moi et à tout That appeared true to me and every le monde, one. 319. Quelquefois on supprime après moi, toi, etc. les pronoms personnels je, tu, etc., ainsi que le verbe dont ils sont le sujet: Moi, vous abandonner! Voudriez-vous me perdre, moi, votre allié! 320. En général on se sert des pronoms moi, toi, lui, etc. quand on veut s'exprimer avee force et énergie: Toi, qui fais le brave, Thou who pretendest to be so valiant. 321. On s'en sert aussi par raison de clarté, quand il y a plusieurs pronoms sujets qui se suivent dans une même phrase: Eux m'ont relevé, et lui m'a pansé, They picked me up, and he dressed my wounds. Place des Pronoms (96.) 322. NOTE. We have seen, in page 67, the arrangement of personal pronouns when there are two or three governed by the same verb; in order however still further to simplify this subject to the student, the following table is given, which shows not only the relative position of the personal conjunctive pronouns with regard to each other, but also with regard to the verb and other words connected with them in a sentence. figures indicate the order of the words. 3 me The le lui y en auxiliary pas adverb participle te la leur les se or verb. The student will understand, that although all the words numbered cannot come together in the same phrase, yet that as many as do occur invariably preserve the same relative position, as will be seen by the fol lowing examples: Je ne le lui ai pas encore dit, I have not yet said it to him. Il ne me les a pas encore donnés, He has not yet given them to me. 1 25 8 9 10 11 Nous ne lui avons pas encore écrit, We have not yet written to him. Ils ne vous en ont pas demandé, They have not asked you for any. Nous ne vous en avons pas envoyé, We have not sent you any Ils ne s'y sont pas appliqués, They have not applied themselves to it. Vous ne vous en êtes pas encore plaint, You have not yet complained about it. And in placing the nominative after the verb in interrogations (91.): 2 5 6 7 8 Ne lui y en ai-je pas envoyé? Have I not sent him any of it thither? The order of the personal pronouns with verbs in the imperative mood, as in the following examples, will be found fully explained in the rules 92, 93, and in the note *, page 67. Donnez-le-moi, Ne me le donnez pas, Ne m'en donnez pas, Give it me. Do not give it me. Give me some. Do not give me any. 323. Remarque. Quand il y a deux impératifs de suite unis par une des conjonctions et, ou, les pronoms compléments du dernier impératif peuvent le précéder: Écrivez-le-lui et le lui en Write it to him, and send it to him. voyez, 324. NOTE. In sentences like the following: IL NE S'EST PAS FIÉ À LUI, he has not trusted himself to him, beginners often find a difficulty in arranging the pronouns, and are inclined to put lui for à lui before the verb; thereby they commit a great error and compose a very obscure sentence. It is true that when y or en is used, either may precede the verb, as, Il ne s'y est pas fié (329.), but one of the pronouns moi, toi, lui, elle, soi, nous, vous, eux, elles, soi, must be used and placed after the verb whenever a personal pronoun is indirectly governed by a REFLECTIVE VERB which requires after it the preposition à or de; as, |