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GAELIC GRAMMAR. 15
Prepositions are words which determine the
relation of the ISToun that always follows to other
Nouns or Clauses in the Sentence : as Duine gun
fheum, a man ivitJiout use = a ^iseless man ; cu air
aineol, a dog astray ; air tighinn dha, on his coming.
It is to be noticed particularly that such phrases as guu
fheum, ofnouse = useless; gunneart, ivithout strength = strength-
less, iveak, are equivalent to Adjectives.
Again, air aineol, astray ; aig an tigh, at the house=at home,
&c., are Adverbs.
A knowledge of this does away with much of the perplex-
ity of idiom in translation. For instance, Tha e air mhisg
should be rendered, not as some do, he is on the drink, but he is
drunlc. Air mhisg is distinctly equivalent to an Adjective,
drunlc.
And such expressions as Chuir e mi air chid should be
translated he put me behind, and not literally he put me on
back. Air chid is plainly equivalent to an Adverb.
Exercise VI.
Translate the following Sentences (1) literally,
word for word, and (2) into correct English.
Tha mi fo thrioblaid agus fo sgios. Tha mi air
deireadh. Chaidh iad ri br.uthach. Thig mi air a
rahionaid. Chi mi e air uar^ibh. Thainig mi an
ceart uair. Tha iad nan cadal. Tha sinn air acras.
Tha iad troimh 'cheile. Thainig iad as a cheile.
Gille gun bhiadh gun tuarasdal cha bhi e uair gun
mh3,ighistir. Chaidh e ann a dh-aon pbair (pur-:
2xmly). Thug e dhomh e ach beag. Eainig mi an
latha roimhe. Chaidh sinn a leth-thaobh. Tha e na
amadan. Tha e na fhiodhleir maith. Tha e air an
(learg chuthach. Deoch an doruis. Cia mend
punnd a tha ann. Gabhaidh sinn an rathad mor.
Tha e na righ. Tha mi an so learn fein.
Thus we see that Prepositional Phrases are equal
to Adjectives or to Adverbs, and they may therefore