Blair Collection > Elements of Gaelic grammar

154 OF SYNTAX. [Partllf.
the cold wind ; *is beag orm fuaim na gaoithe fuaire' / dis-
like the sound of the cold wind j 'is beag orm seasamh anns a'
* ghaoith f huair' / dislike standing in the cold wind. In
these examples, the Adjective and the Noun are both in
the same clause or member of a sentence, and iherefore
they must agree together. — In the following examples the
Adjective and the Noun do not necessarily agree together :
*Is fuar a' ghaoth a tuath' cold is the wind from the north ;
'is trie leis a ghaoith 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, ard the Adjective in the Predicate
of the proposition.
The grammatical distinction observable in the following
examples is agreeable to the strictest philosophical proprie-
ty. 'Rinn mis' an scian gheur' / made the sharp knife :
here the Adjective agrees with the noun, for it modifies the
Noun, distinguishing that knife from others. 'Rinn mis'
' an scian geur' / jnade the knife sharp : here the Adjective
does not agree with the Noun, for it modifies not the Noun
but the Verb. It does not characterize the object on which
the operation is performed ; but it combines with the Verb
in specifying the nature of the operation performed. The
expression is equivalent to 'gheuraich mi an scian' / sharp-
ened the k?iife So also 'mhothaich mi a» ghaoth fhuar' /
felt the cold wind; but *mhothaich mi a' ghaoth fuar' I felt
the wind cold. In the former of these examples the Ad-
jective modifies the Noun, and agrees 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
like manner, 'dh' fhag iad an obair criochnaichte' they left
the work finisJied i 'fhuaradh an òigh sìnte, marbh' the maid
was found stretched out dead. And so in other similar in-
stances.
I. When