Developing Writing Skills in French

204 Pages·2005·1.27 MB·French

Developing Writing Skills
in French
Developing Writing Skills in Frenchhas been devised for intermediate to advanced stu-
dents of French who need to write French in the course of their leisure activities, work
or for study.
Suitable for use as a classroom text or as a self-study course, Developing Writing
Skills in French is structured so as to lead you carefully towards a better understand-
ing of the effect of choice of words, register and style.
Each chapter contains a selection of example texts, activities and clear notes in
French on the format, style or language demonstrated in the texts. Each activity has
a model answer in the Feedback section, which also offers advice, explanations and
further examples to support the student’s learning.
Features include:
• key learning points clearly indicated at the beginning of each chapter
• rich selection of texts from a variety of different media
• suggestions for self-assessment and improvement in the Feedback section.
Written by experienced teachers of French and trialled with non-native students of
French, Developing Writing Skills in French is the ideal resource to help students write
clearly, coherently and appropriately in a variety of contexts.
Graham Bishopis Lecturer in French and German, and Bernard Haezewindtis Lecturer
in French, both at the Open University, UK.
Other titles in the Developing Writing Skills series
Developing Writing Skills in Chinese
Boping Yuan and Kan Qian
Developing Writing Skills
in French
GRAHAM BISHOP and
BERNARD HAEZEWINDT
in association with
First published 2005
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
© 2005 The Open University
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any
form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bishop, Graham, 1946–
Developing writing skills in French / Graham Bishop and
Bernard Haezewindt.
p. cm.—(Developing writing skills)
1. French language—Composition and exercises. 2. French
language—Written French. I. Haezewindt, Bernard. II. Title.
III. Series.
PC2420.B5 2005
808′.0441—dc22
2004015934
ISBN 0-203-02383-8(cid:13)(cid:10) Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-415-34897-8 (Print Edition)
Contents
Acknowledgements viii
Introduction 1
1 Le bonheur 3
When you have completed your work on Le bonheur, you should be able to:
• understand the terms ‘noun’, ‘adjective’ and ‘pronoun’ and use each one
in a sentence;
• understand sentence cohesion and the function of relative pronouns;
• use synonyms, antonyms and homonyms.
2 L’habitat 17
When you have completed your work on L’habitat, you should be able to:
• understand the present, past and future tenses and their function in
writing texts;
• alter the perspective of texts by changing verb tenses;
• understand the function of adverbs and complements in a written passage;
• improve written passages by using appropriate adverbs;
• complete a story line by adding detail;
• manipulate the active and passive voices;
• improve a written text by adding adverbs and changing tenses.
3 L’expression artistique 37
When you have completed your work on L’expression artistique,
you should be able to:
• produce sentences starting from their basic elements (noun + verb + ... );
• improve a written passage by using connectors (link words);
• simplify a written text;
• write a text using elements gathered in note form;
• structure a well-planned essay.
v•
Contents
4 L’environnement en danger 56
When you have completed your work on L’environnement en danger,
you should be able to:
• manipulate register to adapt to different target audiences;
• use appropriate register for official correspondence;
• produce pastiches to explore different styles.
5 Quelques personnages historiques 73
When you have completed your work on Quelques personnages historiques,
you should be able to:
• write a description of the career and ideology of a political figure;
• describe a day in the life of a political figure;
• analyse texts to distinguish between objective and subjective descriptive
content;
• describe a political figure in both a positive and a negative manner;
• improve your style by redrafting your work.
6 Quelques édifices publics 87
When you have completed your work on Quelques édifices publics,
you should be able to:
• identify the nature and main themes of a text;
• find shorter alternatives to expressions used in a text;
• summarize texts and interviews;
• give objective and subjective reactions to texts;
• change register;
• argue for and against a theme.
7 Anecdotes 105
When you have completed your work on Anecdotes, you should be
able to:
• write a short story on a contemporary theme by following
specific steps;
• summarize a short story in three sentences;
• check your written work;
• redraft and improve your work.
8 Science et technologie 120
When you have completed your work on Science et technologie,
you should be able to:
• analyse the features of a scientific biography;
• write a fictional or factual text relating to the theme of science and
technology;
• vi
Contents
• identify the stylistic features of a text;
• correct and improve a text;
• comment on a passage;
• summarize the factual content of a passage.
Feedback 134
vii•
Acknowledgements
Grateful acknowledgement is made to Y. Tardy and Peregrine Stevenson who
co-authored sections of this book for the first edition.
Grateful acknowledgement is made to John Riordan for providing the illustrations.
Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following sources for permission to
reproduce material in this book.
Page 4: Besson, R. (1988) Le français aux examens professionnels, Paris, Bordas, p. 356;
page 6: Hackett, C.A. (éd.) (1970) An Anthology of Modern French Poetry, New York,
Macmillan, p. 1; page7: www.tdg.ch/sante/conseils/psy/bonheur.html, accessed 16 April
2002; pages 9–10: Maupassant, G. (1930) Une vie, Paris, Albin Michel, pp. 19–20;
page 11: Gaboriau, E. (1979) L’Argent des autres, Paris, Nouvelles éditions Baudinière,
pp. 18–19; page 11: Zola, É. (1875) Contes à Ninon, Paris, Charpentier, pp. 1–2;
page 12: Grégoire M. et Thiévenaz, O. (1995) Grammaire progressive du français, Paris,
CLE International, p. 132; page 13: Proust, M. (éd. 1971) Combray, London, Harraps,
p. 131; pages 15–16: Maupassant, G. Le bonheur, http://maupassant.free.fr/
cadre.php?page=oeuvre, accessed 15 March 2005; page 16: Cahour, M. (1987)
Résumés et commentaires, Paris, Bordas, pp. 77–8; pages 18–19: « La NASA lance
une nouvelle sonde pour traquer l’eau sur Mars », Le Monde, 6 April, 2001; page 19:
« La plus petite maison adjugée à Bruxelles 4,9 millions », Le Soir, 11 January, 2001;
page 19: Camus, A. (1964) L’Étranger, London, Methuen’s Twentieth Century Texts,
p. 42; pages 19, 20: Etcherelli, C. Élise ou la vraie vie, London, Methuen’s Twentieth
Century Texts, pp. 1/3, 75; pages 21–2: « Graine d’appétit sert déjà 110 couverts »,
Le Figaro, 12 January, 2001, p. 20; pages 22–3: Balzac, H. (1846) « Ce qui disparait
de Paris », Le Diable à Paris, Paris, Hetzel; pages 28–9: Baedeker (1901) « Excursions
à pied », Le Sud-est de la France, Leipzig and Paris, Karl Baedeker Verlag; pages 35–6:
« Les vieilles façades ont la peau dure », after Libération, 29 January, 1999; pages
40–2: « Jeanne Moreau en habit vert – rencontre avec une immortelle », Le Figaro, 10
January, 2001, p. 30; page 43: Mérimée, P. (éd. 1969) Chronique du règne de Charles IX,
London, Harraps, p. 63; page 46: Proust, M. (éd. 1971) Combray, London, Harraps,
p. 90; pages 59–60: « Le protocole de Kyoto entre les mains des pollueurs », Charlie
Hebdo, No. 462, 25 April, 2001, Éditions Rotative; pages 60–1: Cahour, M. (1987)
• viii
Acknowledgements
Résumés et commentaires avec corrigés, Paris, Bordas, p. 26; page 64: after Vigeur, G.
(1979)Parler et convaincre, Paris, Collection Outils, Hachette, pp. 6–9; page 65:Entrevue
avec Georges M., © Christie Price; pages 66–8: after PNUD, Le Devoir, 13 July, 1999;
pages 74–5: « Georges Clemenceau (1842–1929) », www.premier-ministre.gouv.fr/
fr/p.cfm?ref=5976, accessed 16 April 2002; page 75: « Aristide Briand (1862–1932) »,
www.premier-ministre.gouv.fr/fr/p.cfm?ref=5958, accessed 16 April 2002; page77: Staël,
G. (1862) Considérations sur les principaux événements de la révolution française,
www.gallica.bnf.fr, accessed 16 April 2002; pages 77–8: Hugo, V. (1863) Napoléon le
Petit, www.gallica.bnf.fr, accessed 16 April 2002; pages 79–81: Moulin, C. (1981) « Ma
grande révélation a été la captivité », Mitterrand intime, Paris, Éditions Albin Michel
SA; pages 82–3: Mauriac, F. « Le premier des nôtres », Le Figaro, 25 August, 1944;
page 89: Canetti, C. Label France Numéro 26, December 1996, Ministère des Affaires
Étrangères; page 90: Mermet, G. (1999) Francoscopie, Paris, Éditions Larousse;
page 92: « Le Chômage artistique », Libération, 18 September, 2000; pages 93–4:
« Entretien avec Jean Favier », Label France Numéro 21, August 1995, Ministère des
Affaires Étrangères; pages 95–6: « Les Picasso du marqueur », Le Monde, 9
November, 1990; pages 98–9: Rivoire, A. « L’angoisse du gardien de musée face à la
techno », Libération, 26 September, 1997; page101: la pétition, Le Temps, 14 February,
1887;pages 102–3: Maupassant, G. (éd. 1980) « La Tour...prends garde », Chroniques
III, Paris, Union Générale d’Éditions, pp. 288–92; pages 106–8: Allais, A. Loufoquerie,
www.bmilisieux.com, accessed 16 April 2002; page 113: Maupassant, G. (éd. 1924)
Le Rosier de Madame Husson, Paris, Conard, pp. 1–2; page 114: Maupassant, G. (éd.
1924)Le Rosier de Madame Husson, Paris, Conard, pp. 13–14; page116: after Nègre,
H. (1973) Dictionnaire des histoires drôles, Paris, Livre de Poche, Fayard, p. 359; pages
121–2: Raynal, F. De découverte en découverte, www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/label_france/
FRANCE/SCIENCES/PASTEUR/pasteur.html, accessed 15 March 2005; pages 123–6:
Giroud, F. (1998) Une femme honorable, Paris, Fayard; pages 127–8: Bougainville, L.A.
(1771) Voyage autour du monde par la frégate La Boudeuse et la flûte L’Étoile; pages
130–1: Habashi, F., professeur au département de mines et metallurgie, Université Laval;
pages131–2: Fraissard, G. et Manoury, C. « La force des neurones », Le Monde Interactif,
17 February, 1999; pages 163–4: « Mao Zedong », www.de-gaulle.org/degaulle/
biographies/maozedon.htm, accessed 17 April 2002.
ix•