How French works
Units 1 to 57
1: Introduction • 2: The influence of Gaulish • 3: The influence of Latin • 4: The influence of Frankish • 5: Charlemagne • 6: The influence of Old Norse • 7: Dialectization and the rise of Francien • 8: French in the 20th century • 9: French in the world
1: Introduction • 2: The Roman and Anglo-Saxon invasions • 3: The influence of Celtic • 4: The influence of Anglo-Saxon • 5: The Viking invasions • 6: The Norman invasion • 7: The re-emergence of English • 8: The mutual influence of English and French • 9: Summary of differences between English and French
1: What is grammar ? • 2: Meaning versus grammar • 3: The clause and its constituent elements • 4: Parts of speech • 5: Parts of speech functioning as others • 6: Diagramming sentence structure
1 Simple sentences • 2 Multiple sentences • 3 Subordinate clauses • 4 Completive clauses • 5 Adverbial clauses • 6 Indirect interrogative clauses • 7 Relative clauses
1 Verb phrases, head verbs and auxiliaries • 2 Main auxiliaries • 3 Semi-auxiliaries • 4 Verb constructions • 5 Verbal agreements
1 The noun phrase and head noun • 2 Determiners • 3 Modifiers
1 Accents • 2 Punctuation • 3 Enchaînement and liaison • 4 Elision • 5 Stress • 6 Intonation
Introduction • Grammatical forms • Pronunciation • Vocabulary
1 Formation • 2 Use • 3 Preceding direct object rule with avoir verbs • 4 Exceptions to p.d.o. agreement rule • 5 Verbs taking être • 6 Pronominal verbs • 7 Use in the passive • 8 Agreement with subject pronoun
1 Formation of the perfect • 2 Formation of the past historic • 3 Formation of the imperfect and pluperfect • 4 Use of perfect tenses : the perfect and past historic • 5 Use of the imperfect • 6 Use of the pluperfect • 7 The past anterior
1 Formation of the future • 2 Formation of the conditional • 3 Use of future tenses • 4 Use of the conditional
1 Formation • 2 On constructions • 3 Pronominal verbs and faire • 4 The impersonal passive
1 Formation • 2 Verbal use • 3 Use a a gerund • 4 Adjectival use • 5 Translating the English -ing form
1 Definition • 2 Word-order and agreement of pronominal verbs • 3 Uses of pronominal verbs
1 Definition • 2 Types of impersonal construction • 3 Ce v il as impersonal pronouns • 4 Ce v il / elle as personal pronouns
1 Expressing would • 2 Expressing should • 3 Expressing could • 4 Expressing may • 5 Expressing might • 6 Expressing ought to • 7 Expressing must • 8 Miscellaneous problems
1 Present subjunctive - regular • 2 Present subjunctive - irregular • 3 The perfect and imperfect subjunctive
1 Definition • 2 The indicative in completive clauses • 3 The subjunctive in completive clauses • 4 Use in main clause to express commands, wishes etc. • 5 Table of verbs causing the indicative / subjunctive
1 Sequence of tenses • 2 Verbs that can take either the subjunctive or indicative
1 Classes of noun • 2 Gender of nouns • 3 Plural of nouns • 4 Capitalization of nouns
1 Definitions • 2 Agreements • 3 Placement • 4 Adjectival nouns
1 Definitions • 2 The definite article (le, la, les) • 3 The indefinite article (un, une, des) • 4 The partitive article (du, de la)
1 After negatives • 2 Before names of professions etc. • 3 Before nouns in apposition • 4 Before preceding adjective • 5 Before noun complements introduced by de or à • 6 After the preposition de • 7 In lists
1 Definition • 2 Subject pronouns • 3 Object pronouns • 4 Y, en
1 Order of object pronouns • 2 Le used as a neutral pronoun • 3 Disjunctive or stressed pronouns
1 Definitions • 2 Possessive adjectives • 3 Possessive pronouns • 4 Other ways of expressing possession
1 Definitions • 2 Demonstrative adjectives • 3 Demonstrative pronouns
1 Definitions • 2 How relative pronouns work • 3 Restrictive and non-restrictive relative clauses • 4 Difficulties in finding the right relative pronoun • 5 Qui • 6 Que • 7 After prepositions except de
1 Dont • 2 De qui / duquel • 3 Où • 4 Agreement • 5 Ce + relative pronoun
1 Definitions • 2 Autre - other • 3 Tel - such • 4 Plusieurs - several • 5 Différent - different / various • 6 Chaque, chacun(e) - each / every, each / every one • 7 Tout
1 Expressing some • 2 Expressing someone, somebody • 3 Expressing something • 4 Expressing somewhere • 5 Expressing sometimes and sometime • 6 Expressing somehow • 7 Expressing any • 8 Expressing anyone, anybody • 9 Expressing anything • 10 Expressing anywhere
1 Definitions • 2 Function of adverbs and adverbial phrases • 3 Adverbs formed using –ment • 4 Adjectives used as adverbs • 5 Other ways of forming adverbial expressions • 6 Position of adverbs • 7 Miscellaneous translation problems
1 Introduction • 2 Expressing to • 3 Expressing for • 4 Expressing at • 5 Expressing of • 6 Expressing from • 7 Expressing on
1 Expressing in • 2 Expressing by • 3 Expressing with • 4 Expressing out of • 5 No preposition in English
1 Negating nouns, phrases • 2 Negating verbs • 3 Position of negative adverbs • 4 Negative adverbs as subject of sentence • 5 Articles after negatives • 6 Ne ... que • 7 The expletive ne
1 Definitions • 2 Yes / no questions • 3 Information questions
1 Definitions • 2 Comparative and superlative adjectives • 3 Comparative and superlative adverbs • 4 Other points
1 Formation and use of the imperative • 2 Using pronouns with imperatives • 3 Pronominal verbs in the imperative • 4 Alternatives to the imperative • 5 Making exclamations
1 Reporting speech • 2 Reporting descriptions • 3 Reporting questions
1 Numbers • 2 Fractions • 3 Numerals • 4 Distance, dimensions • 5 Price • 6 Pronunciation • 7 Dates • 8 Verb agreements • 9 Measurements
1 Approximation, proximity • 2 High / low values • 3 Increasing, decreasing and equivalent values • 4 Expressing values, equivalence
1 Adverbials of time • 2 Adverbs and preposition phrases - notions • 3 Miscellaneous points
1 Definitions • 2 Expressing when • 3 Expressing after • 4 Expressing before • 5 Expressing as soon as • 6 Expressing while, during • 7 Expressing since • 8 Expressing until • 9 Other time contructions • 10 Participles
1 Depuis • 2 Pendant • 3 Depuis que / pendant que • 4 La première fois que
1 General position • 2 Points of the compass • 3 Giving directions • 4 Countries / nationalities
1 Conjunctions • 2 Prepositions • 3 Verbal expressions • 4 Participles and adjectives • 5 Juxtaposition
1 Conjunctions • 2 Adverbial phrases • 3 Verbs • 4 Juxtaposition
1 Conjunctions • 2 Expressing whatever, however, whoever, wherever • 3 Prepositions • 4 Adverbial phrases
1 Si clauses • 2 Other conjunctions • 3 Other ways of expressing condition
1 Finite clauses • 2 Nonfinite clauses • 3 Verbal expressions
1 Definitions • 2 Stressing nouns and pronouns using dislocation • 3 Stressing nouns and pronouns using extraction • 4 Stressing possessives • 5 Stressing demonstratives • 6 Stressing adverbial phrases • 7 Stressing verbs • 8 Emphasising two elements
1. Introduction • 2. Detailing and illustrating • 3. Making a judgement • 4. The mechanics of the argument
1 Layout • 2 Curriculum vitae • 3 Structure • 4 Body of letter • 5 Job application letter