Having good ideas isn't enough: you have to know how to get them across. Writing in a foreign language, French in this case, makes things even more complicated. A text should be clear and enjoyable to read. So here is some general advice.

Presentation

The presentation of French is very similar to that of English. Just bear in mind that the paragraphs should stand out well on the page. In the case of an essay, they should all be about the same length (except for the introduction and the conclusion). Starting a new paragraph is not done in an arbitrary way, but only when moving on to a new idea. It is often advised to develop only one idea per paragraph.

Spelling

If the reader comes across too many spelling mistakes, s/he will lose the thread of the text and will have difficulty in following your argument. So take care over your spelling and reread the text several times. Check systematically to see that you have not made the most common mistakes (agreement of adjectives and past participles, gender of nouns, accents, verb endings...).

Punctuation

Another very important aspect of French writing is punctuation. This makes the text easier to read and can sometimes change the meaning of a sentence completely. The rules of punctuation are stricter in French than they are in English. The most straightforward punctuation marks, such as the exclamation mark and the question mark, are used as in English. For the others, which are more complex and are sometimes used differently in French and in English, here is a list of the basic rules.

The stop

The stop is used:

• to indicate the end of a sentence (when it is called a full stop);
• after some abbreviations (for example, c.v. for curriculum vitae, etc. for et cetera, p.j. for pièce jointe).

It should be noted that if an abbreviation comes at the end of a sentence, the abbreviation stop is merged with the full stop:

Veuillez joindre un c.v. à votre lettre.
Veuillez joindre un c.v.

One common fault to be avoided: etc. is never followed by suspension points (...)!

Il y avait des chats, des chiens, des oiseaux, etc.
and not Il y avait des chats, des chiens, des oiseaux, etc...

Watch out! Abbreviations which end with the last letter of the full word are not followed by a stop, unless they come at the end of a sentence.

For example: bd for boulevard.

Suspension points

Suspension points are mainly used:

• to leave a sentence, a paragraph, etc. in suspense, inviting the reader to dream or reflect:
  Elle fixa l'horizon et se mit à rêver...
• to show that a list could be continued:
  Elle avait rangé dans son tiroir les crayons, les gommes, les stylos...
• to show thought, hesitation, emotion:
  Elle irait lui parler dès ce soir.. ou peut-être attendrait-elle demain... non, il fallait qu'il sache tout de suite.
• to create the effect of anticipation in the reader:
  Il essaya de la rattraper...mais en vain. À suivre...
• to show that some words have been left out of a quotation.

Watch out! There are always three suspension points. They are merged with the full stop and the abbreviation stop. They can be used with other punctuation marks, such as the comma, the question mark, the exclamation mark or the semi-colon.

Suspension points are also used in the form.../... in the bottom right-hand corner of a page to show that the text continues on the next page.
Suspension points are only followed by a capital if they come at the end of a sentence. One should write:

Il lui fallait des carottes, des tomates, des haricots... Il alla donc au marché.

but:

Il avait marché des kilomètres... pour rien.

The colon

The colon is used:

• to introduce a quotation, a proverb, or dialogue:
  Comme on dit souvent : tel père, tel fils.
  Elle a ajouté : «Ça m'est égal!»
• to introduce an explanation or a summary of what has just been said:
  Les arbres commençaient à roussir, les premières feuilles tombaient : l'automne était là.
• to introduce a list:
  Il vous faudra :
  
  –un cahier; –un classeur; –du papier à dessin.

or

Elle avait choisi ce qu'elle porterait ce soir : une robe noire, une veste rouge et des escarpins noirs.

Note that in French there is a space both before and after the colon.

Watch out! After a colon and opening quotation marks, a capital letter is always used.

The semi-colon

The semi-colon is used to distinguish the subclauses in a complex sentence.

Elle savait que seul le résultat comptait; qu'il faille faire des sacrifices lui importait peu.

It is also used between clauses of similar construction when some of them contain an ellipsis.

Il était secrétaire; sa sœur, infirmière; et son jeune frère, instituteur.

The semi-colon is used to separate the different elements in a list:

Il vous faudra :

– un cahier;
– un classeur;
– du papier à dessin.

It should be noted that the different items do not require a capital letter.

The comma

The comma is used between independent clauses which have a certain continuity between them:

Il s'arrêta devant la boutique, il jeta un coup d'œil dans la vitrine, il entra.

When the two clauses are joined by a co-ordinating conjunction (et / ou), the comma usually disappears:

Il traversa la rue et il entra dans la boutique.

The comma is, however, used in front of et / ou if one of the two clauses already contains a conjunction:

La rue était sombre et silencieuse, et elle prit peur.

With the conjunctions mais, car, donc, or, the comma is not obligatory. Watch out when using the comma with the conjunction ni:

Il ne parle ni anglais ni espagnol.

but

Il ne parle aucune langue étrangère, ni l'anglais, ni l'espagnol.

and

Il ne parle ni l'anglais, ni l'espagnol, ni l'allemand.

A comma is used:

• when part of a sentence is displaced:
  Je lui ai écrit hier but Hier, je lui ai écrit.
• when a comment clause is inserted or when calling out to someone:
  Les jeux vidéos font, paraît-il, beaucoup de tort à la lecture. Attends, Laurence!
• on either side of an apposition (an apposition adds details but can be removed without the sentence becoming grammatically incorrect):
  Sa collègue, une petite brune aux yeux verts, entra dans le bureau.
  Son père, lui, n'a jamais quitté le village.

When the apposition is a subordinate clause, the comma is also used:

Qu'il veuille partir, je l'admets.

But watch out, because if this clause is the subject then a comma is not used:

Qu'il veuille partir est compréhensible.

Relative clauses are separated by a comma when the pronoun (qui / que) is too far from the noun it relates to.One should write:

La femme que j'ai rencontrée ce matin m'a parlé de toi.

but

J'aime beaucoup le chat de la voisine, qui a de grands yeux verts.

Without the comma, one would think that it is the neighbour who has green eyes and not the cat.

In independent clauses, the comma separates items in lists. There is no comma before et.

Il acheta des roses, des tulipes, des lys et des œillets.

Elle m'a montré les cadeaux de son père, de sa mère, de son frère et de sa sœur.

Les dictionnaires, les classeurs, les cahiers, étaient rangés sur les étagères.

Watch out when writing sums in numbers, the comma is not used in the same way in French as it is in English.

French	English
1 000	1,000	one thousand
2,5	2.5	two point five

 

The dash

Dashes are used:

• to introduce replies in a dialogue:
  «Tu as vu ce film?
  - Non, jamais».
• to distinguish between the elements of a list;
  
• to isolate a comment clause, including one inside a parenthesis:
  Cette hypothèse - à laquelle je ne crois pas du tout - est l'œuvre d'un journaliste.
  Le rapport donne les derniers chiffres du chômage (chômage qui sévit à travers l'Europe - même dans les pays les plus riches - et qui ne semble pas près de régresser).

Quotation marks and the presentation of dialogue

French quotation marks (« ») are used in preference to English ones("").
Quotation marks are used:

• to emphasize a word which is going to be explained or which is being used in an improper, humorous or ironic way;
• to show the beginning and the end of a quotation;
• for the titles of poems;
• to show the beginning and the end of a dialogue or to introduce direct speech.
  Il l'interrogea :
  «Vous êtes arrivé quand?
  - Pourquoi cette question? Je n'ai rien fait de mal!
  - C'est ce que nous allons voir!»

Here the use of the quotation marks is not obligatory. They could have been left out. In such a case a dash would have been used in front of the first question.

Il l'interrogea
- Vous êtes arrivé quand?
- Pourquoi cette question? Je n'ai rien fait de mal!
- CV'est ce que nous allons coir!

Inverted commas are not used on either side of a break in direct speech.

«Tiens, dit-elle en ouvrant les rideaux, les voilà!»

Capitals

The rules for the use of capitals are very complex and changeable. Here are a few leads to help you. It should be noted that the use of capitals is slightly different in French and in English.

The following require a capital letter:

• the first word of a sentence.
• the first word of a quotation, however short it may be:
  Il cria : «Non.»
• the beginning of each line of verse in a poem;
• proper names of people;
• the names of towns, countries, rivers, nationalities and races:
  …à Paris… le Sénégal… la Tamise… les Français… les Blancs… la Répiblique d'Irlande
• titles and occupations which replace a person's name:
  …le Président… Madame la Directrice…
• the different forms of address in a letter:
  Cher Monsieur, …
  Veuilleez agréer, Madame, mes salutations distinguées.
• the names of associations, organizations, etc.:
  l'Alliance française… la Compagnie générale des Eaux…
• the names of great historical periods or events:
  … la Révolution française… la guerre de Cents Ans…

The following do not require capital letters:

• the names of days of the week and months of the year:
  C'était le début du mois de novembre. C'est vendredi.
• adjectives which denote nationality or region:
  … un citoyen suédois… une femme africaine…une spécialité alsacienne… la République italienne.
• nouns and adjectives which describe a language:
  … la grammaire française... Il parle anglais. L'italien est une langue latine.
• titles or qualities which precede a proper noun:
  …le président Chirac…

Capital letters in the names of artistic works

As a general rule:

• capitalize the initial letter of the first word only, provided it is not a definite article:
  À la recherche du temps perdu.
  Une vie
• capitalize the initial letters of the first two words if they are a definite article followed by a noun:
  Le Journal d'une femme de chambre.
• capitalize the initial letters of the first three words if they are a difinite article followed by an adjective followed by a noun:
  La Double Inconstance

Of course, if the title includes a proper name, a capital is required for the proper name as well:

L'Enfance de Bacchus

The titles of books and works of art must always be underlined or written in italics.

Next page: Style