The Project Gutenberg EBook of French Conversation and Composition
by Harry Vincent Wann

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Title: French Conversation and Composition

Author: Harry Vincent Wann

Release Date: March 28, 2004 [EBook #11748]

Language: English / French

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRENCH CONVERSATION ***

Produced by Robert J. Hall.

FRENCH CONVERSATION AND COMPOSITION

BY HARRY VINCENT WANN, M.A.

PROFESSOR OF ROMANCE LANGUAGES

INDIANA STATE NORMAL SCHOOL

PREFACE

This little volume has been prepared with a twofold purpose in
mind: to provide material (1) for conversation and (2) for a
review in the elementary principles of the grammar.

To attempt to stimulate spontaneous conversation, even on simple
subjects, without the aid of a French model, not only is hazardous
but often becomes aimless, and at best results in the acquisition
of a limited vocabulary. Furthermore, it requires a skilful teacher
to adapt to such purposes the substance of a text prepared with
a totally different end in view.

The author, in the course of five years' experience with conversation
classes in the University of Michigan, had difficulty in finding
material for this work in a form that was adapted peculiarly
to his needs. Plays and anecdotes were found to yield the best
results.

Another need is that of books offering a systematic review of
the first year's work. In every class will be found a certain
per cent of students who translate readily but who have only a
hazy notion as to the practical application of some of the most
fundamental principles of the grammar.

It is hoped that this book will help to fill the two needs above
referred to. The anecdotes have been selected from a large number
used by the author in conversational classes and drawn from a great
variety of sources, many of which will be readily recognized.
He is in a number of cases indebted to Claude Auge's excellent
grammar. Most of the anecdotes have been adapted to the author's
purpose of illustrating grammatical principles. Questionnaires
have been inserted.

In the preparation of the _vocabulaire_, the Petit Larousse and
Hatzfeld-Darmesteter dictio