9.4 A compte rendu — Epoché
What you will be able to write A French report, le compte rendu , of about 400 words on a text, a book or a film: what it is, what it says, and what you think of it. The difference between the compte rendu and the résumé of 9.3 Writing : here you speak about the author, you may reorganise, and you may judge. The verbs of reporting that avoid repeating dire : raconter , montrer , décrire , souligner , dénoncer . A draft you can check with an AI assistant while keeping your own judgement. Sentences from this lesson, before the explanation. Read the French aloud; all of them come back below. French English Le collier de diamants était faux. [1] It was a fake diamond necklace. Je ne comprends pas cette phrase bien qu'elle soit dans ma langue maternelle. [2] I don't understand this phrase despite it being in my mother tongue. Tu ne peux pas remplacer la virgule par un point dans cette phrase. [3] You can't replace the comma with a period in this sentence. Dans cette maison vivent deux familles. [4] There are two families living in this house. J'aimerais acheter ce collier, mais il est trop cher pour moi. [5] I'd like to buy this necklace, but it's too expensive for me. Elle vivait dans le luxe. [6] She used to live in luxury. Elle m'a félicité pour mon succès. [7] She congratulated me on my success. Prerequisites : 9.3 — this lesson follows 9.3 Writing . You need the vocabulary of literature from 5.18 Vocabulary and the readings of this phase, from 7.17 Reading to 7.32 Reading , which give you texts to report on. The compte rendu is the most common form of academic and professional writing in French: the report on a meeting, the review of a book, the account of a lecture. Unlike the résumé , it is written from outside, in the third person: l'auteur raconte , le film montre . It presents the work, gives its content, and ends, in its critical form, with a reasoned judgement. It is the natural next step after the summary, and the form you will use to write about everything you read in French. Model A short report on La Parure , the story you read in 7.17 Reading , written for this lesson. « La Parure » est une nouvelle de Guy de Maupassant, publiée en 1884 dans un journal parisien. L'auteur y raconte l'histoire de Mathilde Loisel, une jeune femme pauvre qui rêve d'une vie de luxe. Invitée à un bal, Mathilde emprunte un collier de diamants à une amie riche. Elle a beaucoup de succès, mais elle perd le collier en rentrant chez elle. Pour le remplacer, son mari et elle achètent un autre collier très cher, et ils passent dix ans à payer leur dette. À la fin, Mathilde apprend que le premier collier était faux. Maupassant décrit avec précision la vie des petits employés de Paris. Il montre comment le désir de paraître peut détruire une vie. Le récit est court, et la dernière phrase change le sens de toute l'histoire. À mon avis, cette nouvelle est remarquable parce qu'elle est à la fois simple et cruelle. On peut seulement regretter que le personnage du mari soit peu développé. Je la recommande à tous ceux qui commencent à lire Maupassant. The plan Part What it does · in the model Presentation The work, the author, the date, the genre, the subject in one sentence · « La Parure » est une nouvelle de Guy de Maupassant Content What happens or what is argued, in the present tense, briefly and in order · Mathilde emprunte un collier Analysis What the author does, and how: themes, method, style · Maupassant décrit … , Il montre … Judgement Your opinion, with reasons, a strength and a limit · À mon avis … , On peut seulement regretter que … The present tense. French reports tell the content of a work in the present: Mathilde emprunte un collier , not the literary past of the story itself. The past tenses appear only for the work's history: publiée en 1884 . Verbs of reporting. Avoid writing l'auteur dit again and again. Choose the verb that says what the author does: raconter for a story, décrire for a place or a life, montrer and souligner for an idea, dénoncer for a criticism, défendre for a thesis. Judging with nuance. A French critical report rarely praises or condemns without reservation. It names a strength and a limit, often with certes … mais or on peut regretter que , followed by the subjunctive. The first person appears only in the judgement. Useful sentences Corpus sentences for presenting and judging a work. French English Il est l'auteur de l'article. [8] He is the author of the article. Ce roman m'a bien plu. [9] I have enjoyed reading this novel. Ce roman est loué pour son réalisme cru. [10] This novel is praised for its gritty realism. D'un point de vue littéraire, son œuvre est ratée. [11] From a literary point of view, his work is a failure. Elle a quelque talent littéraire. [12] She has some literary talent. Le roman historique est un genre littéraire populaire. [13] The historical novel is a popular literary genre. Practice Read and translate. Read them aloud, then translate each into English: Elle est cruelle et sans cœur. [14] / Je vais vous dénoncer pour meurtre. [15] / Il ne veut pas vivre dans un pays moins développé. [16] / Je vends des diamants. [17] / Il emprunte souvent le métro. [18] / Il m'emprunte toujours de l'argent. [19] Into French. Say these in French; every word has come up in the course: She was quite nervous about her first flight. / She was very beautiful in her new dress. / She knew better than to tell him such a story. Your task Write a compte rendu of about 400 words on one of the readings of this phase: Aux champs from 7.19 Reading , the first chapter of Germinal from 7.21 Reading , or the chapters of Poil de Carotte from 7.29 Reading . Follow the four parts of the plan, tell the content in the present tense, use at least three different verbs of reporting, and end with a judgement that names a strength and a limit. Asking the AI for help Write your report completely before you ask for help. Then ask, for example: Here is my French report on a short story. Please