A GRAMMAR OF THE

PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE

En a Simple and Practical Form

WITH A COURSE OF EXERCISES

BY ALFRED ELWES

AUTHOR OF THE SPANISH AND ITALIAN GRAMMARS, AND OTHER WORKS IN WEALE'S
SERIES; EDITOR OF M'HENRY'S SPANISH GRAMMAR AND EXERCISES

ETC. ETC.

Capio Lumen

LONDON

CROSBY LOCKWOOD & CO.

7, STATIONERS' HALL COURT, LUDGATE HILL

LONDON:

PRINTED BY VIRTUE AND CO., LIMITED

CITY ROAD.

PREFACE.

SOME years have now elapsed since any work has been produced in England fitted to assist the student and the merchant in acquiring the pleasant language of Portugal and Brazil, and in the interim it has undergone some change and improvement in its orthography.

The kind reception granted to my Italian and Spanish Grammars has encouraged me to compile, and the publishers to produce the present work, which, though small in size, will be found to contain as much really useful matter as many books of far larger dimensions.

I have bestowed particular care upon the Conjugations of the Verb, whose irregularities constitute one of the chief difficulties of every language; and I have grounds for the belief that the pains I have taken to bring this invaluable but refractory part of speech into something like order, will turn out to be not labour in vain.

A. E.

I. THE ARTICLE

PART II.

ETYMOLOGY AND SYNTAX.

Exercise on the Article

II. THE NOUN: NUMBER.

Exercise on Number

III.-ON GENDER, AS APPLIED TO NOUNS

-

Formation of the Feminine of certain Nouns

Exercise on Gender

IV. ON THE CASES OF NOUNS, AUGMENTATIVES, AND DIMINUTIVES

Exercise on the Possessive Case, Augmentatives, and

Diminutives

VI.-ON ADJECTIVES (CONTINUED) :

Comparatives and Superlatives

Comparisons of Equality

Comparatives and Superlatives of Superiority

Comparatives and Superlatives of Inferiority

Exercise on Comparatives and Superlatives

VII.-NUMERAL ADJECTIVES:

Cardinal Numbers