French grammar and spelling

Teacher(s)

Simon Anne-Catherine;

Language

French

Main themes

The course aims to develop the mastery of French grammar and orthography in their current standards. It trains professionals in the French language, who have both a technical mastery of the norm and a capacity for critical reflection on the creation, diffusion and development of this norm. The understanding and good use of reference works (grammars and dictionaries) are part of this learning process.  

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Master the  standard spelling of a list of frequently used French words (5,000 to 6,000 words);
2	Outline the characteristic features of the French writing system and situate them within a historical and critical perspective;
3	Master the morphology of the verb and all the rules of agreement for verbs, nouns and adjectives;
4	Distinguish and name categories of words and identify through analysis what functions these categories are able to perform in simple sentences;
5	Analyse the constituent parts of complex sentences;
6	Understand and apply systematically the rules of prescriptive grammar;
7	Develop critical thinking on the norm and its application.
This learning unit contributes to the development and command of the following skills and learning outcomes of the ELAL programmes: 3.5; 6.4.

Content

1. Simple sentences, functions, verb and past participle agreement
2. Complex sentences, subordinate clauses
3. Parts of speech
4. Spelling
5. Capitalisation and punctuation
+ An introduction to a critical approach to the standard
+ Mastery of the 1990 spelling rules

Teaching methods

1. Lectures
2. Wooclap exercises completed in class (face-to-face)
3. Practical sessions
4. Tutorial sessions (optional)
5. Independent study between classes (compulsory preparation)
6. Wooclap exercises to be completed at home (optional)

Students are required to participate regularly in the learning activities or the various stages of this teaching programme.

Evaluation methods

Participation in learning activities is compulsory. Pursuant to Article 72 of the RGEE, the course lecturer may propose to the examination board that a student who has not attended at least 80 per cent of the lectures and practical sessions during the January, June or September term be barred from enrolment.
The assessment comprises two sets of questions:

• A set of 30 multiple-choice questions;
• A set of questions (between 5 and 10) on grammatical analysis and the justification of grammatical rules.

The mark is calculated as follows:

• If 70 per cent of the answers in set 1 are correct, the mark for the examination is calculated by adding together the marks obtained for sets 1 and 2.
• If the student scores below the 70 per cent threshold for correct answers in set 1, they will fail this session.

The maximum duration of the exam is 1 hour 30 minutes. The arrangements may vary for the June and August sessions.

Other information

N/A

Online resources

Moodle

Bibliography

Ouvrages de référence (à consulter)

• ABEILLE, A. & D. GODARD. 2021. Grande grammaire du français. Paris-Arles: Actes Sud, Imprimerie Nationale. (disponible en ligne via le site des bibliothèques)
• Encyclopédie grammaticale du français: http://www.encyclogram.fr/util/accueil.php (encyclopédie en ligne)
• GREVISSE, M., GOOSSE, A. Le bon usage. Grammaire française, Bruxelles, De Boeck-Duculot, 2016.  
   

Teaching materials

• Fairon, C. & A.C. Simon. 2024. Le petit bon usage de la langue française. (2e édition). Louvain-la-Neuve: De Boeck Supérieur (disponible à la DUC)
• Dictionnaire récent ex. Le Petit Robert de la langue française 2026 ou Accès en ligne (via les Bibliothèques universitaires)
• PPT FLRA1111 Grammaire et ortographe du français (disponible sur Moodle)

Faculty or entity

> ELAL