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NATION.

QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION.

ON THE INDEFINITE PRONOUNS.

What are indefinite pronouns?
When is autre a pronoun ?

What is the difference between l'un l'autre and l'un et l'autre ?

When l'un l'autre is governed by a preposition, where is that preposition placed in French?

When is the verb put in the singular, and when in the plural, after ni l'un ni l'autre ?

What signification has the pronoun on?

When is l'on used instead of on?

How is the English word however rendered when it occurs before an adjective?

How is whatever rendered when before a substantive ?

How, when before a verb?

How is it rendered in French when it can be turned in

English into all that which?

When is tout declinable, and when is it not?

EXERCISES ON THE INDEFINITE PRONOUNS.

I. EXERCISE ON RULES 1 AND 2, P. 82.

Your brother has lost his books; shall I give him others?

perdu

-I doubt whether any other could act with (so much) doute que quelque

pût agir

autant de

simplicity as you do.-As you have broken my penknife, Comme avez cassé

canif, m. you (shall give) me another.-Other people's opinions

que

donnerez

(82-2)

règle, f.

sentiment, m.

are not the rule of mine.-Do not speak ill of other

6

parlez mal

people, if you (will have nobody speak) ill of you.voulez que personne ne parle

Always

remember souvenez-vous de

that

principle of natural law; principe, m. naturel loi, f.

(do not do) to others what you (would not wish) that

ne faites pas

voudriez pas

(they should do) to you.-What are other people's troubles,

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II. EXERCISE ON RULES 3, AND 4, p. 82.

peine, f.

Fire and water destroy one another.-My cousins

se détruisent

Aimez-vous

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cannot bear each other.-Love one another*, said our ne peuvent se souffrir dit Lord to his disciples.-The seasons follow one another Seigneur saison, f. se suivent

disciple.

without interruption.-Rogues always mistrust one an

sans

Fripons

se défient de

other. They do justice to one another. It is rare to

se rendent

rare de

hear two authors speak well of one another.-Multientendre auteur dire du bien

plication teaches to multiply two numbers plication, f. enseigne à multiplier

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other. The columns were close against one another. colonne, f. étaient serrées contre

III. EXERCISE ON RULES 5-9, P. 83.

Both serve to the same purpose.-My father and mother même usage, m.

servent

2

1

campagne, f.

sont

set off last week for the country; but (both of them) are partirent already returned; and both intend to stay in town all déjà revenus; se proposent de rester en the winter. I called on your cousins, and I heard that hiver, m. ai passé chez cousine, f. ai appris que

Observe that as the number of our Lord's disciples was not limited to two, you cannot translate one another by l'un l'autre, but by les uns les autres.

both were married.-Honour your father and mother, and étaient mariées. Honorez

endeavour to please both.-Do you speak of my bro

tâchez de plaire à

[ocr errors]

parlez

ther or sister? I speak of both.-Apples and pears are Pomme, f. poire, f. good fruit; but peaches are preferable to both *.-I wrote

parle

pêches, f. préférable

to both; but neither of them has answered my

répondu à

ai écrit letters.-Yes

terday I expected my two best friends; but neither of them

attendais

came. I will give it to neither of them.-Neither of them vinrent. donnerai

has done his duty †.-Neither kindness nor harshness douceur, f.

devoir, m.

rigueur, f. moved him.-Neither of those ladies is my mother.ébranlèrent

Have you

ces

heard from your nephew and your niece reçu des nouvelles de

neveu

nièce

since their departure? No, Sir: I correspond with neither depuis

of them.

départ?

Non,

IV. EXERCISE ON RULES 10-14, p. 83, 84.

est

People imagine that, when they are rich, they are On s'imagine que quand happy; but they (are mistaken) very often; for the more heureux; se trompe très-souvent; car 6 one has, the more one wishes to have.-When we are

6

veut

avoir.

on

(raised up) to honours, or we are invested with some

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Observe that both apples and pears are in the plural; therefore you must translate to both as if there were to the ones and to the others. + Turn, neither of them have done their duty.

they talk of peace. We are always humane, charitable, and

parle

compassionate when we have

compatissant

(acute feelings). —If we beaucoup de sensibilité.

knew how abundant and solid are the consolations savait combien

(32-3)

which religion offers, we should incessantly have recourse to que sans cesse aurait recours

offre,

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that inexhaustible spring. When we are admired for cette intarissable source, f.

on

our beauty, we (cannot help) being proud (of it).— ne saurait s'empêcher d'être flatté en

One is always better at home than elsewhere.-They say

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bataille, f.

dit

croit

that the Spaniards have won the last battle.-People think que Espagnols gagné that he will be condemned to death.-They say the condamné à mort. dit que

que

queen is ill. People think (they have done every thing)

malade.

croit

when they (have done no evil).

n'a pas fait de mal

avoir tout fait

V. EXERCISE ON RULES 15 AND 16, p. 84.

Whatever efforts people make to hide the truth, it effort, m. on fasse pour voiler

(is discovered) sooner or later.-Whatever services you se découvre

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may have done to your country, it will reward you for them. patrie, f. récompensera

en

ayez rendus -Whatever capacity a man may have, he ought not

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to boast. However equitable your offers be*, I do not offre, f. soient,

se vanter.

believe they will be accepted.-Though kings be ever so

crois

soient acceptées.

soient

6

This is the construction to be observed in those sentences in which quelque (however), is followed by an adjective. Place quelque first, then the adjective, then que, then the verb, and alter it its subject, &c. However equitable that may be your offers, &c.

powerful, they die (as well as) the meanest of their puissant,

meurent comme

vil

subjects. However learned those ladies may be, they sujet, m.

savant

sometimes mistake. However elegantly he may write, quelquefois se trompent.

his style is not pleasing.

agréable.

VI. EXERCISE ON RULE 17, p. 85.

6 écrive,

Whatever the enemy

be *

whose malice you

ennemis, m. soient

malice, f.

dread, you (ought to rely) on your innocence.appréhendez, devez vous reposer sur

Laws condemn all criminals, whoever they may be.

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intention, f.

puissent

Whatever your intentions may be, I think that you (are in

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the wrong).—Whatever be the reasons which you (may

tort.

allege), they are not sufficient.-Whatever these books be,

raison, f.

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* Turn this sentence thus: Whatever be the enemy of whom you dread the malice, &c., and take it as a rule, in all sentences like this, to place the verb immediately after quelque (whatever), and its subject immediately after, &c.

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