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down. 2. It is not (en) by yielding to your passions that you will find that happiness which you are looking for. I saw her crossing the street with a small parcel in her (à la) hand. 4. You ought not to come without bringing your books with you. 5. She is far from thinking of it. 6. As soon as you (second fut.) have finished the task which (past ind.) I gave you, you may go for a walk. 7. She is very fond of scolding. 8. We met them, in going to church. 9. Do you know the ladies whom we met this morning, in returning from the bank? 10. Instead of staying alone, why do you not go and live with your sister-in-law? 11. I do not admire her singing. 12. He spoke during two hours without showing the least fatigue. 13. Have not your sisters arrived yet? 14. I do not blame you (de) for endeavouring (de) to justify yourself, but I blame you much (de ) for not having fulfilled the promise you had made us. 15. I received the letter which you wrote to me concerning the affair which I had proposed to you; and, after having read it and read it over again, I find that, if I had undertaken it, I should have met with obstacles which you have not foreseen.

PECULIAR FORMS ASSUMED BY THE FRENCH VERBS, OR, IDIOMATIC TENSES.

First form.

To express an action more emphatically in the present and imperfect of the indicative :

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To express a time just elapsed, when another action took place.

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To express that the future is near and immediate..

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1. Savez-vous où est Henri ?-il est à lire dans le jardin. 2. N'étiez-vous pas à écrire quand la cloche du dîner sonna?—non, j'étais à m'habiller. 3. Ne la dérangez pas elle est à travailler dans sa chambre. 4. Nons étions à pêcher quand la pluie tombait tant. 5. votre père est-il chez lui ?-non, monsieur : il vient de sortir. 6. Je pensais que vous étiez en haut :-oh! non : je ne fais que de rentrer. 7. Ma mère venait de partir pour Brighton, et ma sœur ne faisait que d'arriver de la campagne, quand nous avons appris que ma grand'mère venait de mourîr. 8. Pourriez-vous me dire si votre beau-frère doit aller à Paris l'été prochain? -il en parle, mais ce n'est pas certain. Nous devions y aller tous l'année dernière, mais la maladie de mon père nous en a empêchés. 9. Je vais voir ce que je peux faire pour tirer mes cousins d'embarras. 10. Allez-vous bientôt déménager? pas avant Pâques prochain. 11. Qu'allons-nous faire ? travailler,

jouer, ou nous promener ?-travaillons d'abord, nous jouerons ensuite. 12. Vous ne devriez pas vous absenter sans permission. 13. J'aurais dû aller aujourd'hui à l' Amirauté :-Qui alliez-vous y voir ?-le ministre.vous avez bien fait de ne pas y aller : vous ne l'auriez pas trouvé il vient de partir pour Portsmouth, et ne doit revenir qu'après demain. 14. Nous devrions être partis. 15. Vous n'auriez pas dû parler si durement à cette pauvre femme.

EXERCISE 179.

1. What are you doing now ?—I am reading a very interesting book. 2. Where do you think I can find your sister? -in the front-parlour: she is drawing. 3. We were amusing ourselves, when we heard that my mother's sister-in-law had just died suddenly. 4. Shall we see your brother this evening?-he has just set out for a very long journey. 5. Is your other brother to come back soon to England?-We expect him every day: he ought to have returned a month ago. 6. They have just arrived. 7. We had just gone to bed, when the clock struck twelve. 8. Are you to go in the country this year ?-I do not know yet. 9. I am going to dress myself: then, if you like, we shall go for a walk. 10. You ought to answer his letter. 11. She ought to have come sooner. 12. They ought not to keep (faire) us waiting (inf. pres.) so long. 13. I know that I ought not to have done it. 14. It has just been raining. 15. We are going to travel, and we expect that you will come with us:-I have just been ill, I have just recovered: still, if you think that the journey is to do me some good, I accept your kind invitation.

HOW TO USE THE FRENCH VERBS IN THE COLLOQUIAL STYLE.

Conversation is nothing else than a continual succession of questions and answers. The way of asking questions does not differ much in both languages but the way of answering them is not the same in many cases. More

over, the French language being less elliptical than the English, it is necessary in the former to use, in answer to questions, some words directly applicable to them, and often to repeat the principal verb.

The following series of examples will show better than rules and remarks the notable difference of the two languages on this point, and will offer at the same time, the practical way of surmounting the daily difficulties arising from it.

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Are not your sisters in Paris? Vos sœurs ne sont-elles pas હૈ

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Paris?

oui, elles y sont.

Votre thé est-il très chaud?

il est très chaud.

il n'est pas très chaud.

Avez-vous écrit à votre sœur?

oui, je lui ai écrit.

non, je ne lui ai pas écrit,

mais je lui écrirai ce soir.

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