خلا, حاشا سوى غير الا : Particles of Exception , and لا حاشا are more properly nouns سوی and غیر 1. The following noun must necessarily be in the accusative. This is the case in affirmative sentences where the noun excepted is included in the preceding 2. If the sentence be negative or interrogative, and the exception be included in the preceding noun, the noun excepted may be either in the nominative or the accusative, as with the exception of Zeid, Zeid being one of them. الا قليل rohat is the فما الحيوة الدنيا في الآخرة. life of the present world in the last day but a small portion? If however the noun excepted be not included in the preceding noun from which the exception is made, the noun following must be in the accusative, as the assembly did not rise, but ما قام القوم الا حمارًا donkeys; donkeys not being included in the preceding substantive 3. When has the adverbial sense only, it pro duces no effect upon the construction of the sentence, .I saw only Zeid ما رايت الا زيدا thus we say it may be observed that they سوی and غیر Of that we may suppose الا SO always understood before them, and accent them accordingly. As has been remarked above, they are properly substantives, and retain the construction of substantives, governing the noun which fol عدا lows them in the genitive case., he deserted, he omitted, are properly verbs, and govern the accusative case; they may however be treated in affirmative sentences as prepositions, and the noun following them put in the genitive. he excepted, is likewise properly a verb, but in affirmative sentences it admits the same alternative as and lac. It is not used in negative sentences. how much and how many, if used interrogatively, require the following substantive in the accusative singu lar, but if be preceded by a preposition, the following noun is put in the genitive singular. If these words be not used interrogatively, they are followed by a genitive singular or plural. EXAMPLES. ? how many letters hast thou oritten كم رسالة كتبت 11811 hoo many dirhems does ب م درهم يسوى هذا البيت ? how much fish hast thou eaten ای سمكا اكلت |