SYNTAX.

FIRST CONCORD.

The Verb agrees with its Subject in Person, as

When a relative clause is added to a pronoun of the first or second person, the verb of that clause is not unfrequently put into the third person, as

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ أَمَنُوا إِذَا لَقِيتُم الَّذِينَ كَفَروا رَحفًا فلا

O ye woho have believed, when ye have met تولوهم الادبار

unbelievers face to face in fight do not turn your backs upon them.

If the subject consist of two persons or more, the

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أنا وبطرس كتبنا verb agrees with the most worthy, as

محمد جيتما I and Peter wrote thou and انت و

Mohammed came.

If the Subject precede the Verb, the Verb agrees with it in Gender and Number. From this rule are excepted inanimate Feminine Plurals, which require the Verb in the Singular.

If the subject be singular and immediately follow the verb, the verb usually agrees with it in gender and always in number.

If the subject do not follow the verb immediately, the verb usually remains in the singular masculine, unless the subject be a rational feminine.

If the subject be dual and follow the verb immediately, the verb agrees in gender, but not in number; if words be interposed, the verb remains in the masculine, unless the subject be a rational feminine.

If the subject be an irregular plural and follow the verb immediately, the verb usually takes the form of the singular feminine.

If, however, the subject be a regular plural masculine or a proper name, it is a vulgarism to use the feminine; the masculine singular is then employed; but where these plurals are of a different form from their singulars,

as in the case of words like, they are regarded as irregular, and the verb is placed in the singular feminine. The singular masculine may even be retained for the verb when the subject is an animated plural feminine.

-shall we believe as fools be انومين كما امن السفها

When the subject is a collective noun and precedes

the verb, the verb is ordinarily plural, as

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2

but the majority of و لكن أكثر الناس لا يشكرون

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فريق ;are

a

منهم يحشون الناس ;men are not grateful

portion of them fear men.

In the case of regular animated plurals, especially masculine plurals, it is not unusual to make the verb agree both in number and gender, even though it pre

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cede its subject, as

.the helpers came جاو الناصرون

SECOND CONCORD.

The adjective follows its substantive, and agrees with it in gender, number and case.

If the substantive be definite, the adjective is likewise definite; if the substantive be indefinite, the adjective is indefinite, except where a proper name is formed by the combination of an indefinite substantive with a definite adjective.

In this case M. de Sacy supposes an ellipse, and treats the adjective as in construction, the substantive with which it agrees being understood.

NOTE. A substantive is definite when it is preceded by the article or has an affixed pronoun. Proper names

are also definite. When, however, the substantive is plural and inanimate, the adjective which qualifies it, or the pronouns which refer to it, take the form of the feminine singular.

Demonstrative Pronouns precede the substantive they qualify, and require that the article be prefixed to it.

(4) (will the holy house, i. e. Jerusalem,

In some cases we have a peculiar concord of substantive and adjective. Where a phrase is appended to a substantive expressive of the quality of a second substantive bearing relation to the first, the adjective which expresses the character of the second substantive

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