to the matter of correct intonation or lilt of the Spanish sentence. This is quite different from that of the English sentence. Students can best acquire this intonation by imitation of the teacher. For treatment of this matter see the Manual mentioned,

§ 172 to 183. 66.

III. PARTS OF SPEECH (panes de la
oraci5n)

The parts of speech are the noun (el nombre), the article, definite and indefinite (el articulo, definido e indefinido), the adjective (el adjetivo), the pronoun (el pronombre), the verb (el verbo), the adverb (el adverbio), the preposition (la preposiciOn), the conjunction (la conjunciOn), and the interjection (la interjecciOn). 67.

IV. THE NOUN

A. GENDER (genero). Every noun in Spanish is either masculine or feminine. 68.

r. Nouns denoting male beings are masculine: el padre, el cura. Those denoting females are feminine: la madre, mother; la tia, aunt. 69.

2. Names of rivers, oceans and mountains are usually masculine: el Tajo, the Tagus; el Pacifico, the Pacific; los Alpes, the Alps. 70.

3. Those ending in -o are usually masculine; el libro, book; exception, la mano, hand. 71.

GENDER OF NOUNS   19

4. Those ending in -a are usually feminine: la pluma, pen; exception, el dia, day. 72.

5. Those ending in -ciOn, -sign, -dad, -tad, -tud, -ez, -ie, and -umbre are usually feminine: la libertad, liberty; la ocasiOn, occasion; la rapidez, rapidity; la serie, series. 73.

6. Those ending in -ma, -pa, -ta, of Greek origin, are masculine: el clima, climate; el mapa, map; el planeta, planet. 74.

7. Letters of the alphabet are feminine: la o, una s. 75.

8. Any part of speech used as a noun is masculine: el ser humano, the human being; el pero, the but. See also 136, 143, 179, 413,

589. 76.

9. Names of kingdoms, provinces and cities usually have the gender of their endings: la vieja Sevilla, el Leon del siglo XV. Those whose endings are indeterminate, as Madrid, are usually masculine. 77.

Ia. Some nouns are of either gender, as artista, artist, according to the sex of the person indicated. 78.

T. The gender of some nouns varies according to their meaning: el cura, the priest, la cura, the cure; la orden, the command, el orden, the order (in a series). 79.

12. Some nouns are variable in gender: arte, art, is usually feminine; puente, bridge, and