The Linking of Words (La Liaison).

The last consonant of a word, standing before a word beginning with a vowel or h mute and closely connected with it in sense, is often carried over to it in pronunciation.

In such cases s and x have the sound of z, d that of t, c and g that of k, and f that of v. As mes amis, ils_ont, aux armes, grand_homme, avec elle, rang_élevé. In carrying over the n of a nasal, the sound of the nasal must be retained, and the n sounds as if it were the first

letter of the following word: mon enfant = mon nenfant ; un homme=un nhomme.

This linking of words, called liaison, is necessary in public speaking or reading; in conversation it generally takes place only when the words thus joined cannot do without each other. It cannot occur before oui, onze, or onzième. The t of et is never linked to the following word.

Final m, n, p, or r of a noun is not usually carried over. Beyond certain general principles, it is impossible to lay down rules. In reading, the number of liaisons will vary, according to the style of the composition, the shades of thought, pauses, euphony, and the taste of the reader.

Examples of Liaison

Ce petit enfant est très aimable, This little child is very lovable.

Leurs amis ne sont pas encore arrivés, Their friends have not arrived yet.

Quels jours heureux! What happy days!

Que dit-on? What do they say?

Quand avez-vous été chez eux? When were you at their house?

Je les ai vus de temps en temps, I saw them from time to time.

Ça m'est égal, That makes no difference to me.

Elle répond à ses questions_amusantes, She answers his amusing questions.

Ils aiment à lire et à écrire, They like to read and write.

Il a beaucoup étudié, He has studied a great deal. Elle est bien_heureuse, tout_heureuse, She is very happy, quite happy.

Capital Letters

Except at the beginning of a sentence, capital letters, lettres majuscules, are not used for the names of the

months and of the days of the week: as avril, lundi ; for any word used as an adjective: as un officier français; for any word used to signify rank or position: as empereur, roi, duc, général, cardinal, docteur, abbé, maire, etc.

Punctuation Marks

The following are the marks of punctuation most frequently used:

EXPRESSIONS FOR CLASS-ROOM USE

1 Monsieur (M.), Sir, Mr.

2 Madame (Mme.), Madam, Mrs. 3 Mademoiselle (Mlle.), Miss.

4 Bonjour, Good morning, good day.

5 Bon soir, Good evening, good night.

Good-bye (until I have the

6 Au revoir,
7 Au plaisir, pleasure of seeing you again).
8 A' demain, Good-bye until to-morrow.
9 A ce soir, Good-bye until this evening.

10 Que signifie

11 Que veut dire

12 Comment dit-on

?

?

15 En anglais, In English.

16 En français, In French.

? How does one (do you)

17 Comment épelle-t-on? How does one (do you) spell?

18 Epelez, Spell.

19 Comment prononce-t-on ? How does one (do you)

pronounce

?

20 Prononcez après moi, Pronounce after me.

21 Lisez, Read.

22 Lisez le français, Read the French.
23 S'il vous plaît, Please; if you please.
24 Plaît-il? What (did you say) ?

1 With capital letters, accents are regularly omitted.

2 Forms ending in -ez without the subject vous, you, are all imperatives To make any of them negative, put ne before and pas directly after.

25 Comment? How? What?

26 Pardon, I beg (your) pardon.

27 Merci, Thank you.

28 Il n'y a pas de quoi, You are welcome; don't men

29 Ce n'est pas la peine, tion it. (In response to thanks.) 30 Répétez, Repeat.

31 Répétez ensemble, Repeat together.

32 Traduisez, Translate.

33 Conjuguez, Conjugate.

34 Répondez, Answer.

35 Fermez les livres, Close the (your) books.

36 Ouvrez les livres, Open the books.

37 Commencez, Begin.

38 Continuez, Continue. 39 Ecoutez, Listen.

40 Attendez, Wait.

41 Faites attention! Pay (lit., make) attention!

42 Comprenez-vous, Do you understand?

43 Oui, monsieur, je comprends, Yes, sir, I understand.

44 Non, madame, je ne comprends pas, No, madam, I do not understand.

45 Je ne sais pas, I do not know.

46 N'est-ce pas ? Is it not? 1

47 Vous comprenez, n'est-ce pas ? You understand, do

48 Levez la main, Raise your hand.

49 Ceci, this (thing); cela, that (thing).

50 Qu'est-ce?

51 Qu'est-ce que c'est ?

52 Qu'est-ce que c'est que cela?.

What is that?

1 The explanation of the use of n'est-ce pas ? instead of the repetition of a statement in the form of a negative question, is left to the teacher: You do, do you not? He has, has he not! They will, will they not? etc., in English, but always n'est-ce pas in French.