Cours Français 7ème

Introduction

 Are you angry with the past participles?

 You never understood how they fit together?

 Looking for a “ trick ” to teach your students?

Then discover this method based on

the work of Marc Wilmet, a Belgian linguist. Check out devoir tn

Principle

By asking yourself a single question, you will normally be

able to solve most cases of

past participle agreement.

What question?

When writing the past participle, have

I wrote what is… [ + past participle]

Example

Should I tune the past participle ” ate ” in these sentences?

1 . I ate … an apple.

2 . The apple that I ate …

 To find out, what question should I ask myself?

When I write the past participle ” ate “, have I already

written before what was going to be eaten (the apple)?

No :

1 . I ate an apple.

I don’t agree because I

don’t know what I’m going to

eat yet.

Yes :

2 . The apple that I ate.

I give in to the feminine because I

know that I am eating “ an

apple ”.

To you!

 Should I tune the past participle “ read ” in these sentences?

1 . I have… three books.

2 . The three books I have there… 

To find out, what question should I ask myself?

When I write the past participle ” read “, have I already written

before what was going to be read (the three books)?

No :

1 . I have read three books.

I don’t agree because I

don’t know what I’m going to

read yet.

Yes :

2 . The three books I have read.

I agree in the plural because I

know that I read ” the three

books “

And the pronominals?

 Should I tune the past participle “ washed ” in these sentences?

1 . My sister washed…

2 . My sister washed… her hair.

 To find out, what question should I ask myself?

When I write the past participle ” washed “, have I already written

what my sister was going to wash?

Yes

1 . My sister washed.

I grant the feminine because I

know that it is my sister who

washes.

No

2 . My sister washed her hair.

I don’t agree because I know

I’m going to say after

she’s washed (her hair).

And the pronominals?

 Should I agree with the past participles “ washed ” and “ dried ” in this sentence?

My sister dried … the hair she washed.

Here I do not

yet know what my

sister will dry,

so I do

not grant.

= dried

here, I already know

that it is the

hair that has

been washed, so

I give the

masculine plural.

= washed

Other things to remember

 With the auxiliary ” to be “, we always agree the

past participle with the subject of the verb.

1. The boy fell … into a hole.

2. The girl fell … into a hole.

3. The boys fell … into a hole.

4. The girls fell … into a hole.

Subjects

The boy – masc sg ed The girl – fem sg ed The boys – masc pl ed The girls –

fem pl ed  With verbs like “ succeed ”: Disasters followed one another. I don’t agree because we say “ succeed sth, sth ”. They talked to each other. I don’t agree because we say ” talk to someone “.  Don’t forget that past participles in the infinitive do not exist! You don’t say, ” I’m done .” So you don’t write: “ I ate”.

And There you go! You see, it’s

not that complicated 

Train yourself by applying these few tricks, and you will never make mistakes again!