Revision texts
●Text 1: Le secret du cerveau de Mozart Key to analysis
1 It refers to musiciens. The pronoun enreplaces de+ noun. See Chapter 10. In this case enstands for
the phrase in bold: ‘le plus célèbre exemple de ces musiciens’.
2 might/could well. See Chapter 24.
3 11 ayant l’oreille absolue; 11 qui ont l’oreille absolue. See Chapter 22.
4 le traitement du langage est effectué. See Chapters 20 and 21.
5 plus+ de+ number. See Chapter 18.
6 higher than whatit is. See Chapter 11. Better to omit the relative ‘what’ in English.
7 le fait que ce soit(lines 37–8). When le fait que is used to introduce new information, it is followed
by the indicative, but if as in this case, it is used to comment on information which has already been
established it is followed by the subjunctive. Not detailed in Chapter 26 itself, but see references
listed there to other grammar books. bien qu’il soit un organiste talentueux(lines 46–7). After the
conjunction bien que. See Chapter 26.
8 probably/may well be dependent not just on.... The present conditional is used here to indicate an
unconfirmed fact. See Chapter 7.
●Text 2: Il se pourrait bien que les arbres voyagent Key
to analysis
1 In the first three examples, the past participle agrees with the subject of a verb conjugated with
être. In line 54 it agrees with the preceding direct object, sa femme, of a verb conjugated with
avoir. All reflexive verbs form their compound tenses with être, as do a small group of other verbs,
including allerand partir. All other verbs, like trouver, take avoir.
2 The pluperfect. It is translated into English as “had gone, ” indicating what had happened before
the story began. The man had had to bend down.
3 The author shifts from the pluperfect to the imperfect to distinguish between what had happened
previously, e.g. une famille avait émigré en Saskatchewan(lines 16–17), and what still used to
happen repeatedly, e.g. des hommes allaient couper du bois(line s 17–18), or to describe a
continuing state, e.g. il était ... très fier (line 44).
4 Note particularly the absence of a preposition after a verb of movement, e.g. était allé visiter
(line 14), n’était jamais allé courir (lines 50–51), and a verb of perception, e.g. il avait vu construire
(line 27). See Chapter 22.
5 d’avoir entendu (lines 5–6);fier d’avoir vécu (line 44–5);sans jamais avoir eu besoin (lines 48–9).
6 See Chapter 8.
7 Personne; quelque chose; quelqu’un;quoi.
8 Indirect object:lui avait coûté (line 12);lui cachait le nez (lines 30–1). Stressed pronoun: disaient de
lui (line 35);Le vieil Herménégilde, lui (lines 41–2).
9 Demonstrative adjective:Ces gens(line 20); masc. sing.: ce village, but cet homme. Fem. sing.: cette
femme, but fem. pl.:ces femmes. Demonstrative pronoun: Il y avait ceux qui (line 1). Masc. sing.:
celui; fem. sing.: celle; fem. pl.:celles.
10 Note that possessive adjectives in French agree with the thing possessed, not with the possessor, so
sa femmefor his wife (line 11). Un voile qui lui cachait la figure.
11 The form,vieil, is used before a masculine singular noun beginning with a vowel or mute ‘h’. The
adjectives beau, fou, mou, nouveaubecome bel, fol, mol, nouvelin the same situation.
12 Étaient tous partis (line 41);toutes les tempêtes (line 36). The former is a pronoun; the latter is an
adjective. The final –s of tousis pronounced when it is a pronoun, but not when it is an adjective.
Keys 255