23.4: Exercises

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Exercises

Remember that in all exercises that require you to give personal information, you are free to invent a persona. Your statements, however, should be» appropriate and logical—your instructor will soon advise you what the limits of exaggeration and propriety in your community are.

1. Naming things:

We'll assume you're working in your dorm room (since it's probably basically your bedroom, call it a chambre) or in some kind of study room (then just use the generic term salle). Look around you and name as many objects as you can with the nouns listed in the Lexique at the beginning of this Intégration unit. Then look up the French equivalents of about five items that you don't know but that you consider important (i.e., words that you think you'd need to know if you were in France). Keep the two lists separate (a. and b.).

a. Dans cette salle (chambre), il y a un stylo, ....

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b. Dans cette salle (chambre), il y a aussi....

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2. Naming more objects, less obvious ones:

Now imagine that you are working in an office, at a factory, on a farm, or . . . (use your imagination to select a place). Again, write a list of objects (animate or inanimate) around you that you can name right now and then write a list of some that you have to look up. Don't get too technical. If you're thinking of being a doctor, for example, limit yourself to fairly common medical tools and/or to generic terms (try "knife" instead of "scalpel," for example—it might even be amusing). This is not just an exercise in checking your vocabulary or using the dictionary—it is intended to help you develop some techniques to handle topics for which you have a very limited vocabulary.

a. Dans mon bureau/Dans le garage/lci à la ferme/, il y a

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b. ________, il y a aussi

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3. Describing a person:

Imagine that you are introducing yourself (or a friend/relative, or a group of friends) to someone who speaks only French—but understands that you are just beginning to learn French. With the phrases and words you've learned so far, give a short portrait Note: you are writing out an oral exercise and should be prepared to read it aloud (or better, recreate it without the script) in class.

Sample: Bonjour. Je m'appelle Satan. J'ai 40.000 ans. Je suis mauvais.

Scan the vocabulary and topics lists above for ideas on what to include, but stay within your grasp of French.

Write out your answer on a card or a small piece of paper, and be ready to use it in class.

4. Asking the "how many/how much" question:

Write out five questions and answers asking how many X there are in/on Y, following the model. For this exercise you may, if you wish, look up words you need (like "clothes"—vêtements—and "wardrobe" garde-robe(s)), but try to avoid doing so. If the answer involves a numeral beyond those you know how to spell, use the Arabic numeral.

Models. Combien de stylos y a-t-il sur la table?
Il y a vingt stylos sur la table.

Combien de roues y a-t-il sur une voiture?
Il y a quatre roues sur une voiture.

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5. Contradicting someone else's statement—tactfully, of course:

Write a simple negative statement (as though in response to someone who has just made the equivalent affirmative statement), then follow it up with an appropriate (perhaps nasty, always imaginative) contrasting statement. Again, scan the vocabulary and topics lists for ideas on what to say. Don't limit yourself to je as subject or to the verb être plus adjective.

Model. Je ne suis pas paresseuse, je suis malade.

1.	5.
2.	6.
3.	7.
4.	8.

6. A Short Reading Exercise

Read the letter on the next page as follows. First, scan it quickly just to get the general idea. Then read it more carefully trying to figure out the meanings of words you have not seen before. Try to do the second reading without using a dictionary. If necessary, read it a third time, using a dictionary. Finally, read it through fast again after having put the text aside for some time.

This is a "pen-pal" letter from a Canadian to an American.²

² Excerpted from Simone Oudot, Guide to Correspondence in French (Lincolnwood, III: Passport Books, 1985).

Chicoutimi, le 20 avril 1987
Cher correspondant,
Je m'appelle Robert Ouelet, j'ai quinze ans, et je suis canadien. J'habite⁰ une petite ville, près du⁰ lac Saint-Jean, dans la province du Québec. Il y a beaucoup de neige⁰ ici en hiver⁰, et même au printemps⁰.	⁰ live in/near ⁰ snow/in (the) winter/in (the) spring
Mon père travaille dans une fabrique de papier⁰ et ma mère peint⁰ les décors du théâtre à l'université. J'ai deux frères et trois sœurs. Une de mes sœurs et un de mes frères suivent⁰ des cours à l'université. Les autres vont tous à l'école, comme moi. Je suis en quatrième³ et je suis un élève moyen⁰.	⁰ paper mill/paints ⁰ follow, take ⁰ average
J'aime beaucoup les sports: le hockey, la bicyclette et la natation. L'année prochaine, je vais faire du ski de fond⁰ avec mon frère aîné⁰.	⁰ cross country skiing/older
Raconte-moi ce que tu fais aux États-Unis, j'espère que nous nous entendrons⁰ bien.	⁰ we will get along
Cordialement, Robert Ouelet

³ en quatrième (a level in secondary school, no exact English equivalent)

From now on, each chapter will contain a reading passage. Please continue to prepare each reading exercise in the same way that we have recommended you do this one.