French Grammar in Context

212 French Grammar in Context

c Sometimes a noun or pronoun subject may be placed first, followed by a comma and re-

emphasized by the use of ce, e.g. de l’originalité, de l’humour, c’est bien! (text 1, lines 43–4),

Jeanne, c’est... (text 2, line 22). The pause marked by the comma and the ce both serve to give

the subject extra emphasis.

4 COMBINATION OF DEVICES

By a combination of the devices outlined in 2 and 3 above, a sentence may be given a double

focus, e.g. Moi, ce qui me plaît... c’est l’humour (text 1, lines 9–10). Here both the initially

positioned (pour) moi and the noun l’humour introduced by ce qui... c’est are highlighted. In

another example, C’est l’image que, de son vivant encore... (text 2, lines 8–9), a combination of

the framing device c’est... que and an adverbial phrase de son vivant placed before the subject

and verb serves to give a double focus, highlighting both the direct object l’image and the

moment of the action.

Other points to note in the texts

• avoir à + infinitive (text 1, lines 1, 4–6)


• Subjunctive: j’aime bien que l’autre soit (text 1, line 12); avant que... le cinéma ne s’en
  empare (text 2, lines 14–15) (see Chapter 26)


• Agreement of past participle with preceding direct object: m’a vivement intéressée (text 1,
  line 40); l’image que... un greffier du Parlement de Paris avait dessinée (text 2, lines 8–10);
  absence of agreement with faire + infinitive: m’a fait réfléchir (text 1, line 41) (see Chapter 2)


• Imparfait de narration (stylistic use of the imperfect to make the narrative more vivid – see
  Chapter 3, Discover more about the imperfect, 1d: En 1889 déjà Georges Hatot portait
  Jeanne (text 2, lines 15–16)


• Interrogatives: Qu’est-ce qui (text 1, title); n’est-elle pas ...?(text 2, line 32) (see Chapter 9)


• il s’agit de (text 1, lines 27–8) (see Chapter 25)


• Stressed personal pronouns: moi (text 1, lines 2, 9); eux (text 1, lines 4, 32) (see Chapter 10)


• Superlative: ce qui me rapproche le plus (text 1, lines 41–2; du plus timide au plus orgueilleux,
  du plus modeste au plus vaniteux (text 1, lines 46–7) (see Chapter 18)

Discover more about highlighting and emphasis

a In order to highlight a noun subject, a stressed pronoun may be added, and is most commonly

placed immediately after the subject.

e.g. Ma sœur, elle, n’y ira jamais

b In order to highlight a subject pronoun, a stressed pronoun may be used in addition. This may

be placed:

• in the initial position, immediately before the subject pronoun itself, e.g. Lui, il est toujours
  en retard