Carmody's Log for French

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frenchfish55
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Re: Carmody's Log for French

Postby frenchfish55 » Tue Aug 09, 2022 12:44 pm

Carmody wrote:My study regimen

I don’t know if anyone follows this thread but just in case, I thought a beginning of the year 2021 update would be appropriate.

How I study:
2 hours each day of reading resulted in my having read the following books in 2020:
Dans la paix des saisons C. Signol
La Rose de Java J. Kessel
Dix heures et demie du soir en été M. Duras**
Le Rempart Des Beguines Françoise Mallet-Joris*
La Chambre Rouge Françoise Mallet-Joris*
Passion simple Annie Ernaux
Chemins de fer Benoit Duteurtre
Malicroix Henri Bosco
Au bonheur des dames Emile Zola*
L'Étrange Défaite Marc Bloch*
Le régime de Vichy Henry Rousso*
Le syndrome De Vichy, de 1944 a Nos Jours Henry Rousso*
k.

Carmody bonjour,could you please recommend books like "Sans familie" or easier in french? Thank you. I like your log
2 x

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Carmody
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Re: Carmody's Log for French

Postby Carmody » Sat Aug 13, 2022 1:43 am

frenchfish55

Thanks very much for your question. Apologies for not answering sooner but I have spent a lot of time moving between houses and have not had the computer access to check in.

My suggestions are these:

For works by French authors these books could be at about that level:
Le Château de ma mère M. Pagnol
Le Château de mon père M. Pagnol

Un Sac de Billes J. Joffo This is about WWII children fleeing capture by the Nazis.

These are good long reads by an English writer. They are shunned on by many but I liked them:
HarryPotter, à l'école des sorciers J.K Rowling
HarryPotter et Le Prisonnier D'Azkaban J.K Rowling

I hope this helps and do let me know how you proceed.

Best of luck.
2 x

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MorkTheFiddle
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Re: Carmody's Log for French

Postby MorkTheFiddle » Sat Aug 13, 2022 5:48 pm

And if you like to listen, Youtube has "Le chateau de ma mère livre audio de Marcel pagnol lu par l auteur." Full disclosure: I personally have not listened to the audiobook nor even read the book.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
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frenchfish55
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Re: Carmody's Log for French

Postby frenchfish55 » Sun Aug 14, 2022 5:51 pm

Carmody wrote:frenchfish55

Best of luck.

Thank you
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Carmody
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Re: Carmody's Log for French

Postby Carmody » Tue Aug 16, 2022 1:41 am

More Marcel Pagnol for those who wish it:

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MorkTheFiddle
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Re: Carmody's Log for French

Postby MorkTheFiddle » Tue Aug 16, 2022 9:48 pm

Thanks for this, Carmody. It was Pagnol's wife Jacqueline who narrates the Bonjour Tristesse that I like so much.
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Carmody
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Re: Carmody's Log for French

Postby Carmody » Fri Sep 16, 2022 12:24 am

Back from my hiatus, for better or worse:

My wife and I moved from NYS to PA and are still moving in. We need chairs and it will be a while before the ones we ordered will arrive. In the meantime I haven’t been able to read much since there are no real comfortable chairs to settle into for study, so I have been working with grammar using Progress with Lawless French / Kwiziq.

The sad fact is that my many months in listening to French oral input and years of reading French literature have been a real joy although of a Passive sort. It has resulted in real gains both with the oral input comprehension and in reading comprehension. The problem is that during that time I have let my study of Grammar slip by the board.

In fact I am amazed from my Kwiziq test results at how little Grammar I know. So until the chairs arrive, I will be studying with Kwiziq and also:

-Essential French Grammar by Resnick
-Grammaire Progressive du Francais by Cle
-French Grammar-A complete Reference Guide-by Calvez
-The Ultimate French Review and Practice by Stillman

There is no Perfect course just as there is no Perfect book, but hopefully some grammar knowledge will be soaked up as a result of my studies over the next couple of months.

"Once More unto the Breach"
Act-III, Scene-I of Shakespeare’s play, Henry V.
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MorkTheFiddle
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Re: Carmody's Log for French

Postby MorkTheFiddle » Fri Sep 16, 2022 12:55 am

Welcome back. Carmody, and thanks for mentioning the titles of the grammar's you're studying.
My move left casualties, too, though the physical one has healed.
My writing has increased a bit in my major languages, i.e., French, Spaish and Ancient Greek. At any rate good luck about the chairs.
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Re: Carmody's Log for French

Postby jeffers » Fri Sep 16, 2022 9:40 am

Carmody wrote:In fact I am amazed from my Kwiziq test results at how little Grammar I know.


Just remember that Kwiziq tests are testing your knowledge of Kwiziq tests. A student who knows French grammar well but has never used Kwiziq would likely miss a lot. It's a very effective learning tool, but don't knock yourself too hard for mistakes. You have a long list of tools, but one more suggestion is https://www.linguno.com/, because it's good for focusing on specific verbs in specific tenses. I find that when I get hung up on a particular verb in Kwiziq, it's best to go over to Linguno and drill that verb for a few minutes.
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Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien (roughly, the perfect is the enemy of the good)

French SC Books: 0 / 5000 (0/5000 pp)
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Carmody
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Re: Carmody's Log for French

Postby Carmody » Fri Sep 16, 2022 11:01 am

jeffers » Thu Sep 15, 2022 10:40 pm

Carmody wrote:
In fact I am amazed from my Kwiziq test results at how little Grammar I know.

Just remember that Kwiziq tests are testing your knowledge of Kwiziq tests. A student who knows French grammar well but has never used Kwiziq would likely miss a lot. It's a very effective learning tool, but don't knock yourself too hard for mistakes. You have a long list of tools, but one more suggestion is https://www.linguno.com/, because it's good for focusing on specific verbs in specific tenses. I find that when I get hung up on a particular verb in Kwiziq, it's best to go over to Linguno and drill that verb for a few minutes.
Many thanks for your observations, but could you clarify please the observations of:
Just remember that Kwiziq tests are testing your knowledge of Kwiziq tests. A student who knows French grammar well but has never used Kwiziq would likely miss a lot. It's a very effective learning tool, but don't knock yourself too hard for mistakes.
Thanks so much.
1 x


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