All compositions will be typed, double-spaced, with standard margins. Use French-accented characters; do not insert the accents by hand. Revisions are clean copies with original version attached. Grades will be awarded only after submission of revised version. Grading is based primarily on accuracy of grammar and vocabulary; content, form, and originality are secondary considerations.

Proofread your works carefully (2-3 times), checking each word and sentence for spelling, agreement, gender of nouns, correctness of verb forms, and proper usage. Try to adapt grammatical constructions and syntax of model sentences to your needs. Do not leave anything to chance: look it up to verify accuracy!

Composition 2

Friday, November 19

You will write a short composition in class on an assigned subject. Class will meet in the LRC. Dictionaries, textbooks and notes will not be permitted. In order to prepare, review chapters 1 through 7. You should review the following structures in particular:

  • the present tense of all the verbs we have learned (regular –er verbs, small –ir group, reflexive verbs, and irregular verbs)
  • the passé composé with avoir
  • the passé composé with être (Dr-Mrs Vandertrampp + reflexives)
  • adjective placement (before vs. after the noun)
  • prepositions with geographical names
  • Vocabulary: personality traits (adjectives); adverbs of frequency (souvent, toujours…); places on campus/in town (le gymnase, le bistro…); months, seasons; countries and states; expressions of past time (le week-end dernier…); household tasks and leisure activities (jouer à / de); “adverbes” p. 149

You will have 50 minutes. Organize your time well. As usual, your writing will be evaluated on organization, style, and content, but particularly on vocabulary and grammatical structures.

Composition 1

A rendre: vendredi 8 octobre

Thème: You’ve been asked to write a welcoming letter to the exchange student from Belgium your family will be hosting for a month. Her name is Delphine.

A. Avant d’écrire (before you write). Follow the steps outlined below, in French. You do not need to type these steps, but you may want to print the chart and fill it in.

1. Make a list of the members of your family.
(ex: moi, ma mère, mon père, ma sœur Lynn) 		 
2. Write down each person's age and at least two descriptive adjectives.
(ex: moi: 19, grande, mince; ma sœur Lynn: 21, petite, jolie; ...) 		 
3. List three activities that you and your family (or individual family members) enjoy and two that you do not like.
(ex: oui--regarder la télé, jouer au foot, manger de la pizza; non--jouer au tennis, patiner) 		 
4. Make a list of the rooms in your house or apartment.
(ex: une cuisine, trois chambres, …) 		 
5. Write four questions that you would like to ask the exchange student.
(ex: Est-ce que tu habites une maison ou un appartement? …) 		 

B. En écrivant. Compose a letter that (1) provides information about you and your family, (2) tells about your activities, (3) describes your home, and (4) asks Bénédicte at least four original questions.

 

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