Page:A simplified grammar of the Danish language.djvu/31

Rh principle; as, Læsning, 'reading;' Styrelse, 'direction;' Færdsel, 'traffic;' Fangst, 'capture;' Löben, 'running.'

To the neuter gender belong, generally, names of places and metals; as, det store London; 'great London;' det stærke Jærn, 'strong iron.' To the neuter gender belong also words ending in eri, at, ium; as, Kranmmeri, 'trumpery;' Krat, 'thicket;' Kollegium, 'college.' And words derived from the infinitive of words by discarding the final e; as, et Skrig, 'a cry,' from at Skrige, 'to cry out.'

Some words are of uncertain gender; as, en, or et Telt, 'a tent;' en, or et Trold, 'a goblin.'

As a rule, it may be observed that in such cases of uncertainty the neuter gender is usually to be preferred.

Many words have a different meaning, in accordance with the special gender assigned to them; as, en Brud, 'a bride;' et Brud, 'a rupture,' 'a quarry.' The number of such words, of which we give examples in Part II., is very large.

Adjectives, which must agree in gender and number with the noun which they qualify, generally form the neuter by adding t, and their plural by adding e to the abstract singular form; as, en god Mand, 'a good man;' et godt Barn, 'a good child;' gode Drenge, 'good boys.'

When the adjective is preceded by the independent demonstrative article, den, det, de, it generally takes an e, as den gode Mand, det gode Barn, de gode Drenge.