Colloquial French Grammar: A Practical Guide

The many differences between formal and informal, written and spoken French are one of the most striking features of the language, and can cause problems even for its native speakers. Colloquial French Grammar provides a practical, non–technical survey of those aspects of morphology and syntax where standard and non–standard French differ.

Taking the key areas of grammar in turn, Rodney Ball describes the forms used in everyday French and indicates their level of colloquialness. A basic knowledge of the standard language is assumed, but less elementary points are reviewed and explanations are given of all the grammatical terms employed. Authentic conversational material is used in the examples, and there are a large number of exercises to aid and stimulate the reader. Designed specifically for the language–learner and for others who require a description of informal French structures, Colloquial French Grammar is the first systematic overview of its kind for non–native speakers.

Acknowledgements.

1. Introduction.

2. Three Grammatical Processes.

3. Noun Phrases.

4. Verbs.

5. Conjunctions and Prepositions.

6. Sentence Structure and Organization.

7. Grammatical Effects of an Unreformed Spelling System.

8. Conclusions.

Appendix 1: Answers to Selected Exercises.

Appendix 2: Explanations of Grammatical Terms.

Appendix 3: Using the International Phonetic Alphabet.

References.

Index.

Rodney Ball is Senior Lecturer in French in the School of Modern Languages at the University of Southampton. He has published widely on current developments in the language, and is author of The French–Speaking World: a Practical Introduction to Sociolinguistic Issues (1997).

"Rodney Ball has done us a service in providing this compact summary of the major grammatical features of colloquial French, in a form that is at the same time thoroughly linguistic in its approach and quite accessible to the non–specialist. The book would be equally useful for [undergraduate] and graduate students; moreover with its abundant bibliographic references, it could serve well in French linguistics courses." French Review