Part 31 (1/2)

2 The possessive pronouns mo, do, &c, are always placed before their nouns; as, atives co, cia, &c, are placed before their nouns, with the article intervening; as, cia am fear? _which man?_

3 Some adjectives of one syllable are usually placed before their Nouns; as, deadh dhuine, _a good h, _old people_ Such Adjectives, placed before their Nouns, often combine with them, so as to represent one complex idea, rather than two distinct ones; and the adjective and noun, in that situation, may rather be considered as one coly; as, oigfhear, _a young ions_[97]

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_Forh a Gaelic Adjective possesses a variety of Forms, yet its Fornification it modifies The Form of the Adjective depends on its Noun, when it immediately follows the Noun, or only with the intervention of an intensitive Particle, ro, gle, &c, and when both the Noun and the Adjective are in the Subject, or both in the Predicate, or in the same clause or member of a sentence In all other situations, the form of the Adjective does in no respect depend on the Noun; or, in other words, the Adjective does not agree with the Noun[98]

To illustrate this rule, let the following exahaoth fhuar, _I dislike the cold wind_; is beag oraoithe fuaire, _I dislike the sound of the cold wind_; is beag or in the cold wind_ In these examples, the Adjective and the Noun are both in the saree together In the following exaether:--Is fuar a' ghaoth a tuath, _cold is the wind frohaoith a tuath bhi fuar, _it is usual for the wind from the north to be cold_ In these examples, the Noun is in the Subject, and the Adjective in the Predicate of the proposition

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The gra exareeable to the strictest philosophical propriety:--Rinn heur, _I rees with the Noun, for itthat knife froeur, _I ree with the Noun, for it modifies not the Noun but the Verb It does not characterize the _object_ on which the operation is perfor the _nature of the operation_ perforheuraich mi an scian, _I sharpened the knife_ So also, haoth fhuar, _I felt the cold wind_; but haoth fuar, _I felt the wind cold_ In the forrees with it; in the latter it does not agree with the Noun, for its use is to modify the Verb, or to specify the nature of the sensation felt In likeiad an obair criochnaichte, _they left the work finished_; fhuaradh an igh snte, marbh, _the maid was found stretched out dead_ And so in other similar instances

1 When an Adjective and Noun are so situated and related, that an agreerees with its noun in Gender, Nuh it be in the Singular Number, [see conclusion of Part II Chap I]

takes an Adjective in the Plural; as, da iasg bheaga, _two small fishes_, John, vi 9 The Initial Form of the Adjective depends partly on the Gender of the Noun, partly on its Ter preceded by the Article

The following exa with its Noun, exhibit the varieties in the Initial Form, as well as in the Termination of the Adjective:--

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MONOSYLLABLES

Fear mr, _ _Plur_ _N_ Fear mr, Fir mhra, _G_ Fir mhir, Fheara mra, _D_ Fear mr, Fearaibh mra, _V_ Fhir mhir Fheara mra

_With the Article_

_N_ Am Fear mr, Na Fir mhra, _G_ An Fhir mhir, Naheal, fem _a white rod_

_Without the Article_

_N_ Slat gheal, Slatan geala, _G_ Slaite gile, Shlatan geala, _D_ Slait ghil, Slataibh geala, _V_ Shlat gheal Shlata geala

_With the Article_

_N_ An t-Slat gheal, Na Slatan geala, _G_ Na Slaite gile, Nan Slata geala, _D_ An t-Slait ghil Na Slataibh geala

POLYSYLLABLES

Oglach dileas, m _a Faithful Servant_

_Without the Article_

_N_ Oglach dileas, Oglaich dhileas, _G_ Oglaich dhilis, Oglach dileas, _D_ Oglach dileas, Oglachaibh dileas, _V_ Oglaich dhilis Oglacha dileas

{145} _With the Article_