FRENCH CONVERSATION
AND COMPOSITION
BY HARRY VINCENT WANN, M.A.
PROFESSOR OF ROMANCE LANGUAGES
INDIANA STATE NORMAL SCHOOL
PREFACE
This little volume has been prepared with a twofold purpose inmind: to provide material (1) for conversation and (2) for areview in the elementary principles of the grammar.
To attempt to stimulate spontaneous conversation, even on simplesubjects, without the aid of a French model, not only is hazardousbut often becomes aimless, and at best results in the acquisitionof a limited vocabulary. Furthermore, it requires a skilful teacherto adapt to such purposes the substance of a text prepared witha totally different end in view.
The author, in the course of five years' experience with conversationclasses in the University of Michigan, had difficulty in findingmaterial for this work in a form that was adapted peculiarlyto his needs. Plays and anecdotes were found to yield the bestresults.
Another need is that of books offering a systematic review ofthe first year's work. In every class will be found a certainper cent of students who translate readily but who have only ahazy notion as to the practical application of some of the mostfundamental principles of the grammar.
It is hoped that this book will help to fill the two needs abovereferred to. The anecdotes have been selected from a large numberused by the author in conversational classes and drawn from a greatvariety of sources, many of which will be readily recognized. Heis in a number of cases indebted to Claude Augé's excellentgrammar. Most of the anecdotes have been adapted to the author'spurpose of illustrating grammatical principles. Questionnaireshave been inserted.
In the preparation of the vocabulaire, the Petit Larousseand Hatzfeld-Darmesteter dictionaries have been freely consulted.Students will at first require some aid and encouragement fromthe teacher, in the use of the all-French vocabulary; but theycan be made, in a surprisingly short time, to form the habit ofusing a French dictionary by preference, and of doing a largepart of their thinking in French.
It is suggested that the book be used on certain days of theweek only, to supplement the student's reading texts, and providethe sort of exercise indicated by its title. It is not intendedas a reader.
The author's thanks are due to his former colleague, ProfessorHugo P. Thieme, of the University of Michigan, for many helpfulsuggestions and criticisms, as well as to Professor RenéTalamon, of the same institution, who kindly assisted in readingthe proof.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Use of definite and indefinite articles.--Simpleinterrogation.--Contraction of de and àwith definite article.--Possessive case of nouns.--Chez.
Possessive adjectives.
Position of adjectives.--Irregular adjectives.--Compound subject,agreement.--Forms and use of lequel.