Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for French

Understanding Domestic Violence

Vocabulary

English - Spanish

• To punch: golpear (con el puño)
• To choke: estrangular (con las manos)
• To strangle: estrangular (con cualquier cosa)
• Isolated incident (single incident): incidente aislado
• Long-term: a largo plazo
• To cope with / to deal with: lidiar con
• To know and understand: awareness (conciencia)
• To look for or try to obtain: to seek (buscar)
• Psychological help: counseling (asesoramiento)
• To tell the authorities: to report (informar) NOT to demand
• A husband or wife: a spouse (cónyuge, esposa o esposo)
• Don’t get close to that person: a restraining order (orden de alejamiento)
• Repeated abuse: battering - battered women (maltrato, mujeres maltratadas)
• To support someone to do something: to encourage (animar)
• A

My Friend Alberto: A Profile

My friend Alberto must be one of the most interesting people at school. Also, since we are in the same class, we see each other every day.

Alberto has short brown hair and brown eyes. In addition, he is talkative, kind, and good-looking. Moreover, he is interested in art and music and knows a lot about singing.

Alberto is crazy about Spanish music. He can be a bit obsessed sometimes. He has participated in a TV singing competition and recorded a Christmas song. He always has a lot of funny stories about his experiences.

In conclusion, Alberto is quite unusual but also very fascinating.

I'm happy he is my friend.

Brand Names: Advantages & Disadvantages

Sometimes, buying brand names can be a bargain because it has advantages,... Continue reading "Personal Narratives, Consumer Choices & Language Skills" »

Formal Conditional Structures: Inversion

First Conditional Inversion (Should)

To create a formal or inverted first conditional, replace "if" with "should". The main verb following "should" must be in the infinitive form.

• If the patient shows any signs of abuse, please contact our emergency hotline immediately.
  • Should the patient show any signs of abuse, please contact our emergency hotline immediately.
• If a candidate is not chosen for the position, he/she will not be contacted by our Human Resources department.
  • Should a candidate not be chosen for the position, he/she will not be contacted by our Human Resources department.
• What will you do if you are not accepted to the Master’s program?
  • What will you do should you not be accepted to the M.A.?

Second

The Failed Hero's Journey in Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle

Male Flight from Home and Responsibilities into the Wilderness

According to Joseph Campbell, the story of the hero takes place in three stages: withdrawal, initiation, and return. The hero abandons his family or community, undergoes an initiation, which is usually an encounter with supernatural forces, and eventually returns to society, wiser than before.

A closer reading of "Rip Van Winkle" alongside Campbell's work will demonstrate that Irving was well aware of this pattern, and that he both followed and veered from it intentionally for his own purposes.

Withdrawal: Escape from Domestic Strife

As Campbell explains, the hero's story starts with a call to adventure. The hero does not... Continue reading "The Failed Hero's Journey in Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle" »

Marcus Wood's Offensive Email

When Marcus Wood, the boss of a recruitment company in Australia, sent an email to his colleagues, he had no idea it would make headlines around the world. In the email, Wood used offensive language to accuse his employees of not being good enough. He claimed they were playing games instead of working, not wearing the correct attire, and taking too many sick days.

Wood gave his employees an ultimatum: improve your performance in three months, or you're fired. His employees got their revenge by posting the email on Twitter. The tweets were shared globally, and news of the email appeared in newspapers from Australia to the UK. The "worst work email ever," as some called it, had gone viral.

After his email became famous,... Continue reading "The Worst Work Emails Ever" »

Passive Voice

The man studies Latin in university. Latin is studied in university by the man.

Changes

• Present Simple: is/are + past participle
• Present Continuous: is/are being + past participle
• Present Perfect: have/has been + past participle
• Past Simple: was/were + past participle
• Past Perfect: had been + past participle
• Past Continuous: was/were being + past participle
• Will/Can/Must: be + past participle
• Going to: is/are going to be + past participle

Pronoun Changes:

• I - me
• You - you
• He - him
• She - her
• It - it
• We - us
• They - them (always after "by")

Conditionals

• 1st Conditional: Subject + verb (present simple), subject + will/won't + verb (base form)
• 2nd Conditional: Subject + verb (past simple), subject + would + verb (base form)

Reported Speech

"I am making my... Continue reading "Passive Voice, Reported Speech, Conditionals, Modals, Relatives, and Writing Tips" »

The Baffling Rue Morgue Murders

The narrative centers on the perplexing double murder of Madame L'Espanaye and her daughter in the Rue Morgue, a fictional street in Paris. Newspaper reports detail the gruesome scene: the mother's throat is so severely cut that her head is barely attached, and the daughter, after being strangled, has been forced into the chimney. The crime takes place in an inaccessible fourth-floor room, locked from the inside. Neighbors who heard the incident provide contradictory accounts, each asserting they heard the murderer speaking a different language. The witnesses admit the speech was unclear and they did not recognize the language they claimed to have heard.

Dupin's Intrigue and Investigation Begins

C. Auguste Dupin,... Continue reading "The Murders in the Rue Morgue: Plot and Resolution" »

Capital culturel et déclassement

Le capital culturel désigne l'ensemble des savoirs, diplômes, biens culturels et langage propre détenus par un individu.

Le déclassement désigne la descente d'un individu dans l'échelle sociale. Il peut être :

• intergénérationnel : position sociale inférieure à celle de ses parents ;
• intragénérationnel : passage à une position sociale inférieure au cours de la carrière ;
• scolaire : le diplôme de l'employé est supérieur à celui requis par l'emploi.

Les formes de la mobilité sociale

La mobilité intergénérationnelle correspond au changement de groupe socioprofessionnel d'un individu par rapport à la génération précédente.

La mobilité intragénérationnelle correspond au changement de groupe... Continue reading "Mobilité sociale : comprendre l'ascension et le déclassement" »