English is not French : 1. GRAMMAR

English is not French :

1. GRAMMAR

English is not French :

1. GRAMMAR

English Grammar ≠ French GrammarEnglish Grammar ≠ French Grammar

Le crayon noir de ton vieil oncle est perdu

La plume noire de ta vieille tante est perdue



English Grammar ≠ French GrammarEnglish Grammar ≠ French GrammarEnglish Grammar ≠ French GrammarEnglish Grammar ≠ French Grammar

Le crayon noir de mon vieil oncle est perdu

La plume noire de ma vieille tante est perdue

My old uncle’s black pencil is lost

My old aunt’s black pen is lost

In E., only the content words have changed.

Not the articles or the endings.



My old uncle’s black pencil is lost

My old aunt’s black pen is lost

In E., only the content words have changed.

Not the articles or the endings.



French substantives have gender

(masculine / feminine)



French substantives have gender

(masculine / feminine)

How about English ?How about English ?How about English ?How about English ?

No contrast masculine / feminine

for common nouns :

Le crayon The pencil

La plume The pen

Un crayon A pencil

Une plume A pen

Un oncle An uncle

Une tante An aunt

No contrast masculine / feminine

for common nouns :

Le crayon The pencil

La plume The pen

Un crayon A pencil

Une plume A pen

Un oncle An uncle

Une tante An aunt

A becomes Anbefore a vowel


But the contrast masculine / feminine exists

for gendered beings (in the singular) :

Le garçon ... il The boy ... He / his

La fille ... elle The girl ... She / her

Le crayon ... il The pencil ... It / its

La plume ... elle The pen ... It / its

The boys / girls / pencils / pens ... They / their

But the contrast masculine / feminine exists

for gendered beings (in the singular) :

Le garçon ... il The boy ... He / his

La fille ... elle The girl ... She / her

Le crayon ... il The pencil ... It / its

La plume ... elle The pen ... It / its

The boys / girls / pencils / pens ... They / their

How about English ?How about English ?How about English ?How about English ?No gender markers in the plural !

The boys ... they

The girls ... they

The drinks ... they

also :

Everybody ... they

and even :

Somebody / someone .... they / them / their

Nobody / no one ... they / them / their

No gender markers in the plural !

The boys ... they

The girls ... they

The drinks ... they

also :

Everybody ... they

and even :

Somebody / someone .... they / them / their

Nobody / no one ... they / them / their



Les crayons noirs

Les plumes noires

French adjectives agree with the nouns they qualify (gender and number)



Les crayons noirs

Les plumes noires

French adjectives agree with the nouns they qualify (gender and number)

How about English ?How about English ?How about English ?How about English ?English adjectives do not agree

with the nouns they qualify :

Un grand homme A tall man

Une grande femme A tall woman

Les beaux arbres The beautiful trees

Les belles maisons The beautiful houses

English adjectives do not agree


Un grand homme A tall man

Une grande femme A tall woman

Les beaux arbres The beautiful trees

Les belles maisons The beautiful houses




Le livre est bon The book is good

Les biscuits sont bons The biscuits are good

La pomme est bonne The apple is good

Les tasses sont bonnes The cups are good



Le livre est bon The book is good

Les biscuits sont bons The biscuits are good

La pomme est bonne The apple is good

Les tasses sont bonnes The cups are good

However ...However ...However ...However ...

The French « beaucoup de ...»

is invariable (does not change),

but the English « much » and « many »

change with the number of the noun :

Il n’a pas beaucoup d’argent, ....

He doesn’t have much (a lot of) money, ...

mais il a beaucoup d’amis.

but he has many (a lot of) friends !

The French « beaucoup de ...»

is invariable (does not change),

but the English « much » and « many »

change with the number of the noun :

Il n’a pas beaucoup d’argent, ....

He doesn’t have much (a lot of) money, ...

mais il a beaucoup d’amis.

but he has many (a lot of) friends !

English vs. FrenchEnglish vs. FrenchEnglish vs. FrenchEnglish vs. French



French possessives behave like adjectives :

they agree with the noun they qualify.

English possessives do not :

they agree with the possessor



French possessives behave like adjectives :

they agree with the noun they qualify.

English possessives do not :

they agree with the possessor

How about English ?How about English ?How about English ?How about English ?English possessives agree with the possessor :

Il a vu son père He saw his father

Il a vu sa mère He saw his mother

Elle a vu son père She saw her father

Elle a vu sa mère She saw her mother

We saw our mother

You saw your father

They saw their father

English possessives agree with the possessor :

Il a vu son père He saw his father

Il a vu sa mère He saw his mother

Elle a vu son père She saw her father

Elle a vu sa mère She saw her mother

We saw our mother

You saw your father

They saw their father

English vs. FrenchEnglish vs. FrenchEnglish vs. FrenchEnglish vs. French



Fr. past participles behave like adjectives :

They agree with the noun they qualify



Fr. past participles behave like adjectives :

They agree with the noun they qualify


English past participles do not agree


L’homme que j’ai vu

La femme que j’ai vue

Les hommes que j’ai vus

Les femmes que j’ai vues

The man / woman / men / women / I’ve seenseen

English past participles do not agree


L’homme que j’ai vu

La femme que j’ai vue

Les hommes que j’ai vus

Les femmes que j’ai vues

The man / woman / men / women / I’ve seenseen

No word endings in English ?No word endings in English ?No word endings in English ?No word endings in English ?

It is true that (in contrast to Latin or German) nouns (substantives) do not change according to their grammatical status (subject or object) :

The boy loves the girl

The girl loves the boy

It is true that (in contrast to Latin or German) nouns (substantives) do not change according to their grammatical status (subject or object) :

The boy loves the girl

The girl loves the boy

No word endings in English ?No word endings in English ?

It is true that verbal endings are much simpler, and fewer, in English than in Latin or French :

It is true that verbal endings are much simpler, and fewer, in English than in Latin or French :

Amo

Amas

Amat

Amamus

Amatis

Amant

J’aime

Tu aimes

Il/elle aime

Nous aimons

Vous aimez

Ils aiment

I love

You love

He / she loves

We love

You love

They love

I am

You are

He / she is

We are

You are

They are


Yes there are !

- s -ed -ing

Yes there are !

- s -ed -ing


Yes there are !

- s -ed -ing

Yes there are !

- s -ed -ing

No word endings in English ?No word endings in English ?No word endings in English ?No word endings in English ?

- S : 1. Plural - S

2. 3rd. Person - S

3. Genitive ’S

4. ’S = is, has

- S : 1. Plural - S

2. 3rd. Person - S

3. Genitive ’S

4. ’S = is, has

-S : one morph, three phonemes

one book, two books [s]

one bed, two beds [z]

one tree, two trees [z]

one house, two houses [Iz]

one witch, two witches [Iz]

-S : one morph, three phonemes

one book, two books [s]

one bed, two beds [z]

one tree, two trees [z]

one house, two houses [Iz]

one witch, two witches [Iz]

Careful !!! (1)Careful !!! (1)Careful !!! (1)Careful !!! (1)

We need a plural - S after

One of the (...) + noun :

One of the best players in the world

One of his worst performances

One of my favourite books

One of your dirty tricks

One of her close friends is an astronaut

etc.

We need a plural - S after

One of the (...) + noun :

One of the best players in the world

One of his worst performances

One of my favourite books

One of your dirty tricks

One of her close friends is an astronaut

etc.

- S : 3rd. Person -S

He works, she sits, ... [s]

He begs, she digs, ... [z]

He plays, she sees, [z]

He kisses, she watches, [Iz]

- S : 3rd. Person -S

He works, she sits, ... [s]

He begs, she digs, ... [z]

He plays, she sees, [z]

He kisses, she watches, [Iz]

Subject / verb agreementSubject / verb agreementSubject / verb agreementSubject / verb agreement

In French, « il y a ... » is invariable :

Il y a un chat sur le paillasson

Il y a deux chats dans la maison

In English, « there is / are » agrees with

the « real » subject that follows :

There is a cat on the mat

There are two cats in the house

NOT : They are ... (= ils sont)

In French, « il y a ... » is invariable :

Il y a un chat sur le paillasson

Il y a deux chats dans la maison

In English, « there is / are » agrees with

the « real » subject that follows :

There is a cat on the mat

There are two cats in the house

NOT : They are ... (= ils sont)

Careful !!! (2)Careful !!! (2)Careful !!! (2)Careful !!! (2)

It’s = it is, it has (it’s now or never)

Its = possessive (the dog bit its master)

Who’s = who is, who has

(Who’s the owner of this car ?)

(Who’s never been to Antwerp ?)

Whose = relative pronoun

(The girl whose dog bit the postman)

It’s = it is, it has (it’s now or never)

Its = possessive (the dog bit its master)

Who’s = who is, who has

(Who’s the owner of this car ?)

(Who’s never been to Antwerp ?)

Whose = relative pronoun

(The girl whose dog bit the postman)


Yes there are !

- s -ed -ing

Yes there are !

- s -ed -ing

- ed forms the simple past

and the past participle of regular verbs.

Here also, there are three pronunciations :

Worked [t]

Loved [d]

Played [d]

Wanted [Id]

Mended [Id]

Naked, Crooked [Id]

- ed forms the simple past

and the past participle of regular verbs.

Here also, there are three pronunciations :

Worked [t]

Loved [d]

Played [d]

Wanted [Id]

Mended [Id]

Naked, Crooked [Id]


Yes there are !

- s -ed -ing

Yes there are !

- s -ed -ing

-ing-ing -ing-ing

The ending -ing is used to form the present participle and the gerund of regular verbs.

The present participle is used

in the « progressive » verbal form :

I am teaching

You are learning

He / She / It is standing


The present participle is used

in the « progressive » verbal form :

I am teaching

You are learning

He / She / It is standing

-ing-ing -ing-ing


The gerund is an -ing verbal form

used as a substantive :

There will be some dancing tonight,

but no drinking after midnight.

No parking here (« a parking » ≠ Engl.)

Studying at the ULB is fun.


The gerund is an -ing verbal form

used as a substantive :

There will be some dancing tonight,

but no drinking after midnight.

No parking here (« a parking » ≠ Engl.)

Studying at the ULB is fun.


The form of personal pronouns changes

according to their function (« case ») :

SUBJECT OBJECT POSSESSIVE

I ME MY, MINE

YOU YOU YOUR, YOURS

HE HIM HIS

SHE HER HER, HERS

IT IT ITS (NOT IT’S)

WE US OUR, OURS

THEY THEM THEIR, THEIRS

The form of personal pronouns changes

according to their function (« case ») :

SUBJECT OBJECT POSSESSIVE

I ME MY, MINE

YOU YOU YOUR, YOURS

HE HIM HIS

SHE HER HER, HERS

IT IT ITS (NOT IT’S)

WE US OUR, OURS

THEY THEM THEIR, THEIRS

NOTE THAT THE ENGLISH « YOU »

IS BOTH SINGULAR AND PLURAL

IS BOTH FAMILIAR AND POLITE

SO

IS BOTH « TU » AND « VOUS »

NOTE THAT THE ENGLISH « YOU »

IS BOTH SINGULAR AND PLURAL

IS BOTH FAMILIAR AND POLITE

SO

IS BOTH « TU » AND « VOUS »

While we’re talking about pronouns ...While we’re talking about pronouns ...

NOTE THAT THE FRENCH «ON» WILL BE RENDERED IN DIFFERENT WAYS IN ENGLISH :

Alors, on ne dit même pas merci ?

Won’t you even say thank you ?

On a encore une fois ouvert la rue.

They have broken up the street again !

Chez nous, Monsieur, on ne jure pas.

We don’t swear here at home, Sir.

On m’a volé mon portefeuille

My wallet has been stolen.

On ne parle pas ainsi aux dames.

One does not talk to ladies like that.

Au Moyen Âge on brûlait des sorcières

In the Middle Ages witches were burnt alive.

En Amérique on parle anglais

In America, they speak English / E. Is spoken.

NOTE THAT THE FRENCH «ON» WILL BE RENDERED IN DIFFERENT WAYS IN ENGLISH :

Alors, on ne dit même pas merci ?

Won’t you even say thank you ?

On a encore une fois ouvert la rue.

They have broken up the street again !

Chez nous, Monsieur, on ne jure pas.

We don’t swear here at home, Sir.

On m’a volé mon portefeuille

My wallet has been stolen.

On ne parle pas ainsi aux dames.

One does not talk to ladies like that.

Au Moyen Âge on brûlait des sorcières

In the Middle Ages witches were burnt alive.

En Amérique on parle anglais

In America, they speak English / E. Is spoken.


It is true that verbal endings are much simpler in Eng.

than in Latin or French :

It is true that verbal endings are much simpler in Eng.

than in Latin or French :

Amo

Amas

Amat

Amamus

Amatis

Amant

J’aime

Tu aimes

Il/elle aime

Nous aimons

Vous aimez

Ils aiment

I love

You love

He / she loves

We love

You love

They love

I am

You are

He / she is

We are

You are

They are

Verbal endings are much simpler in English

than in Latin or French,

But English conjugation can be complex :

1. Word order is important (patterns)

2. Not all verbs behave in the same way (AV/NAV)

(especially negation / interrogation)• Some verbs are irregular• The VP has its own internal structure

1. Complementation is not the same as in French

(verb + inf., verb + that ..., verb + -ing)

Verbal endings are much simpler in English

than in Latin or French,

But English conjugation can be complex :



(especially negation / interrogation)• Some verbs are irregular• The VP has its own internal structure


(verb + inf., verb + that ..., verb + -ing)


The dog chased the man

The man chased the dog

You are my best student

Are you my best student ?

She gave the officer a medal.

She gave a medal to the officer.


The dog chased the man

The man chased the dog

You are my best student

Are you my best student ?

She gave the officer a medal.

She gave a medal to the officer.


SV We exist. It is raining.

SVCs She is a nurse. You are getting fat.

SVAC They live in Brussels. She is there.

SVO He caught a cold. She paid for the drinks.

SVOO We sent him an invitation

I explained the text to them

SVOC He painted the door green

They provided the refugees with blankets

SVOAC He put the book on the table


SV We exist. It is raining.

SVCs She is a nurse. You are getting fat.

SVAC They live in Brussels. She is there.

SVO He caught a cold. She paid for the drinks.

SVOO We sent him an invitation

I explained the text to them

SVOC He painted the door green

They provided the refugees with blankets

SVOAC He put the book on the table

But word order may differ :But word order may differ :

I saw the dog / I saw it

J’ai vu le chien / je l’ai vu

I saw the dog / I saw it

J’ai vu le chien / je l’ai vu


SV

SVCs

SVAC

SVO

SVOO

SVOC

SVOAC

All these patterns start with SV.

SV agreement is simple, but important :

The dog barks / The dogs bark

There is a fly in my soup /There are two flies in my soup


(especially negation / interrogation)

3. Some verbs are irregular

REGULAR I work / she works

I worked / she worked

I have worked / she has worked

IRREGULAR I sing / she sings

I sang / she sang

I have sung / she has sung

A.A. Aux (can, may, Aux (can, may, must ..., must ..., shall/will, do) + shall/will, do) + [to] + inf.[to] + inf.

B.B. Have + past Have + past participleparticiple

C.C. Be + present Be + present participleparticiple

D.D. Be + past Be + past participleparticiple

(A+B) He must have studied to succeed

(A+C) Someone may be watching

(A+D) The doctor must be called at once

(B+C) They have been tapping our phone

(B+D) The flat has been decorated by Terry

(C+D) The book is being republished

(A+B+C) He should have been working for you

(A+B+D) The hostages may have been released

(A+B+C+D) She may have been being harassed

4. The VP has its own internal structure :A VP can contain several auxiliaries, but their order is fixed.


(verb + inf., verb + that ..., verb + -ing, etc.)

« Je veux que tu viennes avec moi »

* I want that you come with me



« Je veux que tu viennes avec moi »

* I want that you come with me

I want you to come with me

Complementation is not the same as in French


« Arrête de bouger ! »

* Stop to move !

Stop moving !



I remember kissing my wife for the first time

remember + ing : retrospective

I must remember to buy some bread today

remember + to + inf.: prospective


Prepositional verbs in French may be

non-prepositional in English, and vice versa :

Resist temptation Answer a question Survive an accident

Résister à ... Répondre à ... Survivre à ...

Look at the clouds Wait for the bus Listen to the radio

Regarder les nuages Attendre le bus Ecouter la radio

6. English verbs have different aspects :

a) simple and progressive :

« Je mange une pomme »

« I am eating an apple »(here and now)

« I eat an apple » (every day)

The Progressive

(be + present participle)

1. Dynamic

not

« a permanent state »

= « makes a difference »

« it is raining »

DRY WETSHORT TALL

« he is growing »

The Progressive

2. Temporary validity

= 100 % true

at the time of speaking

NOW

0 %

100 %

The Progressive

3. Continuous Duration

not

punctual

or

– – – – – – – – discontinuous

The Progressive

1. Dynamic Process



At least TWO of these conditions

must be fulfilled.

The Progressive

PRESENT She is talking (now)

I am listening

PAST She was talking (then)

I was listening

She was talking when, suddenly, the phone rang.

I was listening when, suddenly, I had a new idea.

FUTURE She will be talking

(at a PTA meeting next week)

I shall not be attending

1. Dynamic Pocess



English verbs mark aspect differently :

a) simple and progressive :

What do you do ?

(What’s your job ?)

Hey, what are you doing there ?

(Your present temporary activity)

I am standing in front of the Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower stands in Paris

I know that I love you (stative verbs)

(MacDonald’s : I’m lovin’ it !)

6. English verbs have different aspects :

b) simple and perfective :

« J’ai écrit une lettre »

« I wrote a letter » (this morning)

« I have written a letter »(It’s finished)

Another grammatical difference :Another grammatical difference :determinersdeterminers

1. English has no partitive article :

Du pain : bread

Pas de pain : no bread

Du café fort : strong coffee

De l’eau trouble : murky water

De la limonade rouge : red lemonade


2. English has no plural indefinite article :

Des élèves : students

Pas d’ enfants : no children

Des ennuis : troubles

Des allumettes : matches


3. No definite article for NCNs

(abstractions and substances) :

L’amour Love

La nature Nature

La religion Religion

L’or est précieux Gold is valuable

L’eau est chère Water is expensive


4. But (with specifying postmodification) :

L’amour qui dure The love that lasts

La nature de l’Homme The nature of Man

La religion du Japon The religion of Japan

L’or de Troie The gold of Troy

L’eau des Océans The water of the Oceans

Another grammatical difference :Another grammatical difference :

4. Some of these NCNs (« Uncountables ») are countable in French :

Un conseil : some advice

Quelques conseils : some advice

Deux conseils : two pieces / bits of advice

(Two advices : deux conseillers juridiques,

deux mises en demeure )

Another grammatical difference :Another grammatical difference :

4. Some of these NCNs (« Uncountables ») are countable in French :

Des informations : Some information

Quelques informations : Some information

Les informations de 20 heures :

The eight o’clock news

Les nouvelles sont bonnes :

The news IS good.

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English is not French : 1. GRAMMAR