Library

Short reference articles on the ten points of written expression Palier tracks. Each sets out the rule, the traps an anglophone writer meets, and examples.

Written expression

• Verb tense and mood

  Choosing the tense that fits the time you mean, and the mood the main clause calls for. The subjunctive is where C-level writing most often shows.

• Agreement

  Making adjectives, past participles and verbs agree with what they refer to. Most errors come from a subject far from its verb, or a past participle with avoir.

• Prepositions and government

  Using the preposition a verb, noun or adjective governs. English habits pull toward the wrong one, and some French verbs take none at all.

• Pronouns

  Choosing the pronoun that matches the construction it replaces: le or lui, en or y, and the right relative pronoun, dont above all.

• Connectors and discourse markers

  Linking ideas with the word that states their real relation (cause, consequence, contrast, addition), and building each connector correctly.

• Register and formality

  Writing at the level of formality a federal workplace expects: neutral or formal in notes and letters, never familiar, and never stiff for its own sake.

• Precise word choice

  Replacing all-purpose words with the one that says exactly what is meant. At C, the reader should not have to guess which of several senses you intend.

• False friends and anglicisms

  Avoiding French words used in their English sense, and English structures translated word for word. They are the most common marks of an anglophone writer.

• Punctuation and mechanics

  Punctuating, and writing numbers, capitals and quotation marks, the French way. The rules differ from English in small, visible ways.

• Sentence structure

  Building sentences whose parts fit together: a clear subject and verb, parallel elements, and no clause left hanging. Length is fine; confusion is not.

Articles on reading comprehension come after 1.0.