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Chapter 3 – Determiners

This chapter covers all those words which give a context to a noun: the articles, both definite (le/la etc.) and indefinite (un/une /des), partitive articles (du/de la etc.), demonstrative adjectives (ce/cette etc.) and possessive adjectives (mon/ma/mes etc.).

The two tables that begin the chapter show the functions of the different types of articles and their singular and plural forms. Each of the three types is then explained in detail in a section headed by a list of key points. In the section on the definite article important differences between English and French are listed, such their use with nouns considered in general sense. The following two sections, similarly, list the uses of the indefinite and partitive articles. The latter section stresses circumstances where the partitive article is omitted. Sections follow on the demonstrative pronoun, corresponding to “this and that”, and the possessive pronoun. The latter highlights a major difference from English, according to which possessive determiners agree with the thing possessed, not the possessor. The last part of the chapter contains two separate prose passages, the first of which has many instances of articles, the second of demonstratives and possessives, which are then analysed. At the end of the chapter there are five exercises for grammar practice.

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

Exercise 4

Exercise 5

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