Page:Simplified grammar of Hindustani, Persian and Arabic.pdf/42

It is useful to bear in mind the meaning of these words.

The Noun is the name of a thing (nomen); the Verb is the action word; and the Particle is a useful word not requiring to be defined by inflection or conjugation, but itself used to define, qualify, or restrict other words.

Old Persian—or rather Zend—had a very elaborate grammatical system. This has disappeared, and we have the relations of words to each other expressed in modern Persian with a simplicity equaled only by our own English.

The only case-ending for Nouns which has survived is را‎ for the objective.

The other relations which the case-ending of other languages imply are expressed by the iẓāfat, and by the use of such preposition as به‎ ba, "to," با‎ bā, "with," از‎ az, "from," بر‎ bar, "upon," در‎ dar, "in," etc.

Iżāfat implies the relation of one person or thing to another, as genitive and dependent, or substantive and adjective.

Of the application of iżāfat and the use of the objective case I shall speak when I come to treat of the Syntax.

The Vocative is formed by prefixing ای‎ ai, as ai mard, "O man!" or (poetical) by affixing ا‎ ā, as dūstā, "O friend!"

The language has no article, but a common noun is restricted