La bonne utilisation du dico!

1. La bonne utilisation du dico! (How to use the dictionary efficiently)

2. register Informal very informal vulgar or taboo Navigating an English-French entry headword phonetics noun translations given with gender meaning signpostsin parentheses grammaticalcategories contextualizations in square brackets senses within grammaticalcategories contextualization after verb = object contextualization before verb = subject swung dash replaces headword phrasal verbs at end of entry

3. Navigating an English-French entry (II) a kindly face kindly: adjective or adverb? narrow the meaning by using context un visage sympathique Elle a souri avec gentillesse

4. Navigating a French-English entry nouns are listed with their gender links to verb tables at back of dictionary warnings of translation traps

5. Common Grammatical Categories

6. Grammatical Categories Exercise Match these words with the correct part of speech crabe bleuâtre parfaitement remarqué bagages se lever ou sur vpr prep nm pp conj adj adv mpl

7. Swung Dash (or Tilde) ~ and Hyphen - The swung dash stands for the whole headword so the ending is added: destitute les ~sthe destitute, the poor The hyphen indicates the feminine ending replaces the masculine one: Subject Field Labels un mouvement gracieux, une danse gracieuse

8. Register péj, pej = pejorative informal lit = literal very informal fig = figurative vulgar or taboo hum = humorous Register pejorative = contempt or disapproval figurative = metaphorical

9. Irregular Plurals lice lice =poux Cross-checking is particularly useful for adjectives ending in –al: plural is géniaux plural is bancals And for hyphenated words: plural is bandes-annonces plural is bandes-son

10. Idioms Idiom= a saying whose meaning has evolved so that it is now different from the original literal meaning of the key words within it. It was a difficult decision for Carol, and it was a long time before she could bring herselfto grasp the nettle. Louis peut sortir s’il veut; moi, j’ai d’autres chats à fouetter.

11. Expressions requiring the subjunctive warning note: shows when subjunctive is required: note use of subjunctive:

12. Quick refresher on grammatical verb terms (I) • Tense = present, future, past, conditional, imperfect etc. • Subject = the noun or pronoun that causes the action of the verb • Gertrudeloves Eric = Gertrude aime Eric • The dog ate the meat =Le chien a mangé la viande • Object= the word or group of words which is affected by the action indicated by the verb • Gertrude loves Eric = Gertrude aime Eric • The dog ate the meat = Le chien a mangé la viande

13. Quick refresher on grammatical verb terms (II) • Objects can be further divided into direct and indirect objects: • Direct object = the noun or pronoun directly affected by the verb • - Gertrude aime Eric = Gertrude loves Eric • - Gertrude l’aime = Gertrude loves him • - Le chien a mangé la viande = The dog ate the meat • - Le chien l’a mangée = The dog ate it • Indirect object = the noun or pronoun indirectly affected by the verb. In English, indirect objects are usually preceded by a preposition (from, to, at, etc.) • - Gertrude parle à Eric = Gertrude speaks to Eric • - Gertrude lui parle = Gertrude speaks to him (or to her) • - Eric sourit à Gertrude = Eric smiles at Gertrude • - Eric lui sourit = Eric smiles at her

14. Transitive and Intransitive Verbs (I) • Transitive verbs = vtr (verbe transitif ) = verbs used with direct object • I wrote the letter = J’ai écrit la lettre • Gertrude loves Eric and Wilhelmina= Gertrude aime Eric et Wilhelmina • She loves them = Elle les aime • Intransitive verbs = vi (verbe intransitif ) = verbs that do not have an object • He died yesterday = Il est mort hier • She ran very fast = Elle a couru très vite • Eric and Wilhelmina left yesterday = Eric et Wilhelmina sont partis hier • Transitive verbs do something to the object that follows them. • Intransitive verbs stand on their own without an object following them.

15. Transitive and Intransitive Verbs (II) • The same verb can be used both transitively and intransitively: • sortir • - Elle a sortison deuxième album=She brought out her secondalbum = transitive use (son deuxième album = direct object) • - Elle est sortie =She went out = intransitive use (no object) • rentrer • - Il a rentré la voiture =He brought the car in = transitive use (la voiture = direct object) • - Il est rentré =He came back = intransitive use (no object) • scatter • - He scattered his papers = transitive use (his papers = direct object) • - The birds scattered = intransitive use (no object)

16. Transitive and Intransitive Verbs Exercise éparpiller: Il a éparpillé ses vêtements transitive (vtr) and intransitive (vi) se disperser: les oiseaux se sont dispersés dispersés takes an extra -e

17. Reflexive Verbs (II) • Remember: just because a verb is reflexive in the source language, it doesn’t mean it’s reflexive in the target language. None of the examples in this table is translated by a reflexive verb in English. • A reflexive verb table showing a model verb, s’adonner, is on p 1925 at the back of the Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary.

18. Impersonal Verbs • Impersonal verbs = v impers throughout the dictionary • Impersonal verbs use the impersonal pronoun it or il: • Il faut que tu sois prêt = You must/It is necessary that you be ready • Il pleut = It is raining • Falloirand neiger are the only verbs that only ever take il

19. Verb Tables Verbs are listed at their infinitive form: we went to Italy  look up the infinitive go they bought a DVD  look up the infinitive buy elles veulent partir  look up the infinitive vouloir j’aimis la table  look up the infinitive mettre je me suis trompé look up the infinitive tromper il s’agit de ta santé  look up the infinitive agir check against verb table 57 at the back Wellington defeated Napoleon past participle Wellington a vaincu Napoléon

20. Cross-checking Cross-checking on the other side of the dictionary helps when: • a French word has several meanings • you are unsure which French translation to choose • you don’t know if the French word you know can be used in a certain context • you want to check the plural or feminine form • you want to know how to conjugate the verb

21. What else can a good dictionary offer you? Information about life and culture Thematic boxes explaining grammatical points and giving extra vocabulary, cross-referenced from the headword Correspondence – letters, CVs, emails, and linking vocabulary useful for essays French verb tables 1 2 3 Letter openings The standard opening greeting for personal correspondence is Cher/Chère in other words In other words, we must be wary of hasty judgments. Autant dire qu’il faut se méfier de jugements hâtifs. 4

22. Review (I) • Important factors to bear in mind when choosing a bilingual dictionary • Navigating through an entry – English-French, then French-English • Explaining abbreviations and symbols: • How the dictionary can help you with: • common grammatical categories • swung dash (or tilde) and hyphen • subject field labels • regional labels • register labels • sb, sth, qn, and qch • phonetics • irregular plurals • gender • idioms • word order • subjunctive

23. Review (II) • How the dictionary can help you with verbs: • Avoiding mistakes: • Extra features • tense, subject, and object • direct and indirect objects • transitive and intransitive verbs • reflexive verbs • impersonal verbs • phrasal verbs • verb tables • verb complementation • adapting examples • cross-checking Questions