La grammaire anglaise

1
PHONETIQUE

Voyelles brèves

/ɪ/ big, which, England

/e/ bed, said

/æ/ hat, that

/ɒ/ got

/υ/ good, would

/˄/ luck, something, does

/ǝ/ an, rythm

Voyelles longues

/i:/ see, sea, believe

/a:/ father, dance

/ɔ:/ pork, walk, taught, thought, law

/υ:/ too, two, whose, rule

/з:/ bird, work, heard

Diphtongues

/eɪ/ snake, mail

/aɪ/ cry, while, might

/ɔɪ/ toy

/ǝυ/ goat, hope, ago, don’t, those

/aυ/ now, about, down, hour

/ɪǝ/ here, hear

/eǝ/ bear, there, rare

/υǝ/ tour

Consonnes

/θ/ thing

/ð/ this

/z/ dogs

2
/ʃ/ sugar, shall

/Ʒ/ tresor

/tʃ/ choose

/ʤ/ just

/ŋ/ singing

/j/ yet

3
PRESENT SIMPLE PRESENT EN BE + V-ING

auxiliaire : DO / DOES auxiliaire : BE au Présent (am, is, are)

conjugaison : conjugaison :

Base Verbale à toutes les personnes am, is, are + BV - ing

sauf 3ème pers. sing. BV + s

forme affirmative : forme affirmative :

I work I am working
you work you are working
he/she/it works he/she/it is working
we work we are working
you work you are working
they work they are working

forme négative : forme négative :

I do not work / I don’t work I am not working

she does not work / she doesn’t work he is not working / he isn’t working
they aren’t working

forme interrogative : forme interrogative :

Do you work? Are you working?

Does he work? Is she working?

→ habitude → action en train de se dérouler

I play tennis every Saturday. Be quiet! I am reading.

→ vérité générale → irritation de l’énonciateur

Water boils at 100°C. She is always shouting !

→ action permanente → action temporaire

I work in Lyon. I’m working in London at the moment.

remarque :

prononciation du –s de la 3ème pers. :

/s/ après consonnes sourdes (f, k, p, t, θ)
/z/ après consonnes sonores (b, d, g, l, m, n, ŋ, r, v)
/ɪz/ après s, ʃ, z, ʒ

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PRESENT PERFECT PRETERIT

auxiliaire : HAVE / HAS auxiliaire : DID

conjugaison : conjugaison :

have / has + participe passé BV – ed

verbes irréguliers

forme affirmative : forme affirmative :

I have worked I worked

you have worked you worked
he/she/it has worked he/she/it worked
we have worked we worked
you have worked you worked
they have worked they worked

forme négative : forme négative :

you have not worked / you haven’t worked he did not work / he didn’t work
she has not worked / she hasn’t worked you did not work / you didn’t work

forme interrogative : forme interrogative :

Have they worked? Did you work?

Has he worked? Did she work?

→ continuité entre passé et présent → action du passé qui est révolue

I have worked here for three years. I lost my keys but I have them now.

→ conséquences dans le présent → prétérit modal, action non-réelle

I have lost my keys; I can’t go home. If I were you, I would travel a lot.

→ notion de bilan → discours indirect

I have never been to China. He said :”I want to go on holiday.”
He said he wanted to go on holiday.
→ action qui vient juste de se produire
She has just arrived.
remarque :

remarque : /t/ après cons. sourdes /f/k/s/ʃ/p/θ/

/ɪd/ après /t/ et /d/
marqueurs temporels : /d/ après cons. sonores et voyelles
for, since, how long…
indicateurs de temps:
après les expressions adverbiales: yesterday, last week, in 1981,
ever, so far, not yet on June 28th, three days ago...

après les conjonctions:

as if, as though, even if / though

après les verbes:

would rather, it’s time, it’s high time,
it’s about time

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PRESENT PERFECT EN BE + V-ING PRETERIT EN BE + V-ING

auxiliaire : HAVE / HAS auxiliaire : WAS / WERE

conjugaison : conjugaison :

have / has + been + V-ing was / were + V-ing

forme affirmative : forme affirmative :

I have been working I was working

you have been working you were working
he/she/it has been working he/she/it was working
we have been working we were working
you have been working you were working
they have been working they were working

forme négative : forme négative :

he has not been working / he hasn’t been working he was not working/he wasn’t working
they have not been working / they haven’t been working we were not working/we weren’t working

forme interrogative : forme interrogative :

Have you been working? Was he working?

Has she been working? Were you working?

→ continuité entre passé et présent → action en train de se dérouler dans le passé

She has been playing tennis since she was eight. What were you doing this time yesterday?

→ description d’une activité → action au prétérit en –ing sert de cadre

She has been working for two hours. I was watching TV when she called.

→ traces d’une action passée

Look! It has been raining! remarque :

→ reproche, accusation de l’énonciateur I was walking home when I met Arthur.

He has been eating all my chocolates! action en cours de déroulement
→ justification I walked home after the party last night.
My hands are dirty. I have been repairing my car. action complète et terminée

remarque :

She has lived in London for five years.

Elle vit à Londres depuis cinq ans.

She has been living in London for five years.

Cela fait cinq ans qu’elle vit à Londres.

I have washed my car.

résultat: la voiture est propre

I have been washing my car.

c’est l’activité qui importe, et non le résultat

how long + present perfect en Be + V-ing

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PAST PERFECT PAST PERFECT EN BE + V-ING

auxiliaire : HAD auxiliaire : HAD

conjugaison : conjugaison :

had + participe passé had + been + V-ing

forme affirmative : forme affirmative :

I had worked I had been working

you had worked you had been working
he/she/it had worked he/she/it had been working
we had worked we had been working
you had worked you had been working
they had worked they had been working

forme négative : forme négative :

I had not worked / I hadn’t worked he had not been working / he hadn’t been working
you had not worked / you hadn’t worked we had not been working / we hadn’t been working

forme interrogative : forme interrogative :

Had she worked? Had you been working?

Had they worked? Had they been working?

→ action antérieure à une action passée → continuité entre deux moments du passé
(present perfect ou prétérit) They had been playing golf for an hour when
She had left before he arrived. the storm broke out.

→ action qui venait juste de se produire → constatation passée d’une action antérieure
She had just arrived. She looked outside. It had been snowing.

remarque :

le past perfect en be + V-ing correspond au

present perfect en be + V-ing dans le révolu

He had drunk five beers.

on s’intéresse au résultat

He had been drinking five beers.

on s’intéresse à l’action

how long + past perfect en be + V-ing

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FUTUR CONDITIONNEL

auxiliaire : WILL auxiliaire : WOULD

conjugaison : conjugaison :

will + BV would + BV

forme affirmative : forme affirmative :

I will work I would work

you will work you would work
he/she/it will work he/she/it would work
we will work we would work
you will work you would work
they will work they would work

forme négative : forme négative :

I will not work / I won’t work she would not work / she wouldn’t work
you will not work / you won’t work they would not work / they wouldn’t work

forme interrogative : forme interrogative :

will you work? would you work?

will she work? would they work?

→ action future → action hypothétique

I will go to China one day. If I were you, I would work harder.

→ habitude dans le passé

When I was young, I would go to
school by bus.

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LES MODAUX

auxiliaire : modal

forme affirmative :
modal + base verbale

forme négative :
modal + not + base verbale

forme interrogative :
modal + sujet + base verbale

CAN
capacité She can speak Japanese.
possibilité It can be true.
permission You can come if you want.

COULD
capacité dans le passé When I was young, I could read without glasses.
formuler des demandes polies Could you shut the door, please ?
capacité imaginaire You could succeed if you worked harder.

MAY (il se peut que)

probabilité She may be at home.
permission May I borrow your car ?

MIGHT (il se pourrait que)

probabilité plus incertaine She might be at home.

SHALL
suggestion Shall I open the window ?

SHOULD
conseil You should stop smoking.

MUST
certitude She must be at home.
obligation personnelle I must go now.

HAVE TO
obligation impersonnelle You have to go to school.

WILL
renvoi à l’avenir She will help you.
volonté The car won’t start.

WOULD
conditionnel If I were you, I would work harder.
volonté atténuée Would you pass me the salt, please?
habitude passée When I was young, I would play tennis every Saturday.

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LES EQUIVALENTS DES MODAUX

BE ABLE TO + V / BE UNABLE TO + V
capacité / incapacité
= can / cannot He will be unable to come.

WAS – WERE ABLE TO + V / WAS – WERE UNABLE TO + V

capacité / incapacité dans le passé
could = capacité générale I ran fast so I was able to catch the bus.
was-were able to = occasion particulière When he was young, he could swim.

HAVE TO
obligation
= must He had to pay a parking fine.

NOT HAVE TO
absence d’obligation
not have to You don’t have to tell the truth. (tu n’es pas obligé de)
≠ must You mustn’t tell the truth. (tu ne dois pas)

BE ALLOWED TO
autorisation
= may He was not allowed to come.

NEED (avoir besoin de)

modal She need not write.
verbe lexical Do you need to make reservations?

NEED NOT
absence de nécessité He need not worry.

DARE (oser)
modal au présent et au prétérit She dared not sing.
verbe lexical She doesn’t dare (to) sing.

OUGHT TO
conseil
= should You ought to finish your work before going out.

WOULD RATHER
préférence
would rather + verbe She would rather not drink wine.
sujet 1 + would rather + sujet 2 + prétérit I would rather he kept quiet about it.

USED TO
contraste passé / présent
habitude
= would

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LE RENVOI A L’AVENIR

PRESENT SIMPLE + repère temporel

→ horaire, programme …

What time do you close on Saturday?

PRESENT EN BE + V-ING
→ projet personnel, envisagé par l’énonciateur

She is getting married next month.

BE TO + VERBE
→ engagement pris, fait convenu

We are to meet at six.

BE ABOUT TO + VERBE
→ évènement imminent

The hurricane is about to hit the island.

BE GOING TO + VERBE
→ prédiction, indices présents

Look at those clouds! It’s going to rain.

WILL + VERBE
→ décision prise sur le moment

Renvoi à l’avenir dans le révolu:

WAS / WERE + V-ING We didn’t invite him because he was catching an early train.
WAS / WERE TO + VERBE He was to come back at the end of the war.
WAS WERE ABOUT TO I was about to leave when he called me.
WAS / WERE GOING TO I was going to do it yesterday but I forgot.
WOULD He said he would mow the lawn next week.

Renvoi au révolu dans l’avenir:

WILL HAVE + PARTICIPE PASSE
By the year 2020 the world population will have reached seven billion.

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LE PASSIF

sujet + verbe + complément

sujet + be + p. passé + by + complément

The cat eats the mouse.

The cat is eaten by the mouse.

The lion is eating an antilop.

An antilope is being eaten by the lion.

The dog ate the bird.

A bird was eaten by the dog.

The monkey has eaten a banana.

A banana has been eaten by a monkey.

The chameleon has been eating a fly.

A fly has been being eaten by the chameleon.

The elephant had eaten the tree.

The tree had been eaten by the elephant.

She will eat all the chocolate.

All the chocolate will be eaten.

The children could have eaten the soup.

The soup could have been eaten by the children.

remarque:

traduction du “on” français

on ne précise pas le complément d’agent quand:

- c’est un pronom personnel
- il n’est pas pertinent

certains verbes ont deux compléments :

She gave Tom a watch.
Tom was given a watch.
A watch was given to Tom.

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LES ARTICLES

ø
→ généralité

ø + indénombrable singulier I prefer tea to coffee.

ø + dénombrable pluriel I like sports cars.

ø + concept abstrait love, nature, life...

ø + matériau, aliment wood, bread, sugar...
ø + repas breakfast, lunch, dinner
ø + saison spring, summer, autumn, winter
ø + couleur blue, yellow, red, green...
ø + langue French, English, Chinese...

a / an
→ article indéfini
→ pas de forme pluriel a dog - dogs
→ présente un élément nouveau There is a cat in the street.

a + son consonne a house, a university

an + son voyelle an elephant, an hour

a + dénombrable singulier a cat

a piece of + indénombrable singulier a piece of luggage

a + métier She is a doctor.

the
→ article défini
→ introduit un élément connu Where is the cat ?

/ðǝ/ + son consonne

/ði:/ + son voyelle

the + dénombrable singulier ou pluriel the dog, the cats

the + indénombrable singulier the milk

the + nationalité the French, the English...

the + adjectif the rich, the blind, the unemployed...
the + nom + of ... the dog of my parents
the + superlatif the best

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 Pronom
Pronom Déterminant Pronom
personnel Pronom réfléchi
personnel sujet possessif possessif
complément
I me my mine myself
you you your yours yourself
he/she/it him/her/it his/her/it his/hers/its himself/herself/itself
we us our ours ourselves
you you your yours yourselves
they them their theirs themselves

THIS / THAT

proximité éloignement

singulier this that

pluriel these those

→ proximité dans l’espace This beach was emty last year.

THIS → proximité dans le temps She is coming this weekend.
→ proximité dans l’affectivité I love this book.

→ éloignement dans l’espace What is that thing in the sky ?

THAT → éloignement dans le temps Life was cheaper is those days.
→ éloignement dans l’affectivité I hate that music.

o déterminant : this, these, that, those This book is very interesting.

o pronom : this, these, that, those I liked these apples but I didn’t like those.
o adverbe : this, that I didn’t know it was that simple.

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LES QUANTIFIEURS

 la totalité: both / the two; all / whole; each / every

 l’abondance: plenty, a lot, much, many
 une quantité suffisante, un nombre suffisant: enough
 une certaine quantité, un certain nombre: some / any
 une petite quantité, un petit nombre: a little / a few
 une quantité insuffisante: little / few
 une quantité nulle, un nombre nul: neither / no / none.

BOTH (les deux, tous les deux…)

both + ø nom Both girls are eating ice-creams.

both (of) + déterminant + nom Both (of) my parents live in Toulouse.
both of + pronom personnel They invited both of us.
both I like both.

THE TWO

Both of them got married on June 28th. (l’un et l’autre, séparément)

≠
The two of them got married on June 28th. (l’un à l’autre)

EITHER

either + dénombrable singulier Either day suits me. (l’un ou l’autre)

either + of + déterminant I don’t like either of these books.
either + of + pronom personnel I don’t like either of them. (ni l’un ni l’autre)

adverbe I didn’t go either. (moi non plus)

conjonction Either you stay or you go. (ou bien..., ou bien...)

ALL (tout, tous…)

all + déterminant (ø/the/this/that/possessif) + nom All the food was gone.

all They all agreed.
all + proposition relative All I want is to sleep.
all + adjectif It was all covered with snow.
all + of + pronom personnel All of them came.

WHOLE (tout entier, l’ensemble de…)

the whole + dénombrable singulier The whole school was empty.

the whole of + nom She has seen the whole of Europe.
on the whole (somme toute)

EACH (chaque, chacun…)

each + dénombrable singulier Each student has a seperate room.

each The books are ₤10 each.
each of + pronom personnel Each of them was wearing a hat.
each one Each one is different.

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EVERY (tout, tous…)

every + dénombrable singulier I go to school every day.

everyone / everybody (tout le monde)
everything (tout)
everywhere (partout)
every other day (un jour sur deux)
every so often (de temps à autre)
every now and then (de temps en temps)

A LOT OF (beaucoup de)

a lot of + dénombrable pluriel A lot of flights were cancelled.

a lot of + indénombrable singulier She gave me a lot of money.

a lot (adverbe) I like that painting a lot.

a lot (pronom) How much did you pay? – A lot.

≈ lots of (familier)
= a great number of (+ pluriel)
= a great deal of (+ singulier)

MUCH (beaucoup)

much + indénombrable singulier We haven’t got much time.

much (pronom) He drinks a lot, I don’t drink much.

too much (trop)

so much (tellement)

remarque:
much → énoncés interrogatifs et négatifs
a lot → énoncés affirmatifs

MANY (beaucoup)

many + dénombrable pluriel He made many mistakes.

many (pronom) She didn’t make many.

a great many (un grand nombre)

a good many (un grand nombre)
so many (tant)
too many (trop)
far too many (beaucoup trop)

remarque:
many = a lot dans les énoncés interrogatifs et négatifs
a lot est plus familier que many dans les énoncés affirmatifs

PLENTY (OF) (plein, beaucoup…)

plenty of + dénombrable pluriel They have plenty of ideas.

plenty of + indénombrable singulier Don’t worry, we’ve got plenty of time.
plenty That’s plenty.

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MOST (la plupart)

most + dénombrable pluriel Most children like snow.

most of + déterminant + nom pluriel Most of the children in the class like snow.
most of + déterminant + nom singulier She is late most of the time.
most of + pronom I have met most of them.

ENOUGH (assez)

enough + dénombrable pluriel He has enough toys.

enough + indénombrable singulier She earns enough money.
enough (pronom) More tea? Or have you had enough?
enough (adverbe) Are you warm enough?
enough (subordonnée comparative) He is lazy enough to fail.
enough (exaspération) Enough is enough.

SOME (quelques, certains, du…)

some + dénombrable pluriel Some children are playing outside.

some + dénombrable singulier I read it in some book.
some + indénombrable singulier Would you like some tea?
some (pronom) I’ve already had some.
some of + déterminant + nom pluriel Some of the pupils were late this morning.
some of + pronom personnel Some of them were on time.
some (adverbe) This happened some twenty years ago.

someone / somebody (quelqu’un)

something (quelque chose)
somewhere (quelque part)
sometimes (parfois)
somewhat (quelque peu)
somehow (d’une façon ou d’une autre)

remarque:
some dans les énoncés affirmatifs, interrogatifs et hypothétiques.

ANY (n’importe quell, du…)

any + indénombrable singulier Is there any mail today?

any + dénombrable pluriel Are there any good restaurants here?
any + dénombrable singulier Any colour will do.
any (pronom) I don’t know any.
any of + nom You can catch any of these buses.
any of + pronom I don’t like any of them.
any (adverbe) Are you feeling any better?

anyone / anybody (quelqu’un)

anything (quelque chose)
anywhere (quelque part)

remarque:

any dans les énoncés interrogatifs et négatifs = un nbre quelconque, une quantité quelconque
any dans les énoncés affirmatifs = n’importe quel

not ... anything = nothing (ne) ... rien

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not ... anybody = nobody (ne) ... personne
not ... anyone = no one (ne) ... personne
not ... anywhere = nowhere (ne) ... nulle part

not ... any more = no ... longer ne ... plus

SEVERAL (plusieurs)

several + dénombrable pluriel I’ve told you several times not to do that.

A FEW (quelques, un peu…)

a few + dénombrable pluriel I’ve got a few books.

a few of + the/these/those + dénombrable pl. I knew a few of these people.

quite a few (pas mal de)

A LITTLE (un peu)

a little + indénombrable singulier She has a little money left.

a little of + the/these/those +dénombrable sing. Can I have a little of your chicken.
a little (adverbe) Could you work a little faster?

remarque:
a bit est plus familier que a little.

FEW (peu)

few + dénombrable pluriel He’s got few friends.

very few (très peu)
too few (trop peu)
few of + pronom personnel Few of them know this.

LITTLE (peu)

little + indénombrable singulier There is little hope.

very little (très peu)
too little (trop peu)

remarque:
little et few sont plus négatifs que a little et a few.

NEITHER (auncun)

neither + dénombrable singulier Neither story is true.

neither (pronom) I know neither.
neither of + pronom personnel I know neither of them.
neither of + déterminant + dénombrable pl. Neither of the children want to go to bed.
neither (reprise elliptique) I don’t know him. – Neither do I.

neither ... nor (ni ... ni ...)

remarque:
avec neither, le verbe s’accorde au singulier

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avec neither of + déterminant + nom pluriel, le verbe s’accorde au pluriel ou au singulier.
NO (ne…pas)

no + dénombrable pluriel She had no shoes on.

no + dénombrable singulier I have no idea.
no + indénombrable She had no news.

remarque:
no + nom est plus abrupte que not any + nom
avec no one, nobody et nothing, le verbe s’accorde au singulier.
no one et nobody sont repris par they dans les question tags.
nothing est repris par it dans les question tags.
NONE (aucun)

none (pronom) Is there any message? – None.

none of + déterminant + dénombrable None of the students was / were late.
none of + pronom personnel None of them spoke English.

remarque:
avec none of + pluriel, le verbe s’accorde au pluriel ou au singulier.

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LES NOMBRES CARDINAUX

0 zero 10 ten 20 twenty

1 one 11 eleven 21 twenty-one 10 ten
2 two 12 twelve 22 twenty-two 20 twenty
3 three 13 thirteen 23 twenty-three 30 thirty
4 four 14 fourteen 24 twenty-four 40 forty
5 five 15 fifteen 25 twenty-five 50 fifty
6 six 16 sixteen 26 twenty-six 60 sixty
7 seven 17 seventeen 27 twenty-seven 70 seventy
8 eight 18 eighteen 28 twenty-eight 80 eighty
9 nine 19 nineteen 29 twenty-nine 90 ninety

100 a hundred
1 000 a thousand sont invariables
1 000 000 a million sauf: hundreds of people, thousands of cars…
1 000 000 000 a billion

300 three hundred

150 one hundred and fifty / a hundred and fifty
1,005 one thousand and five / a thousand and five
60,127 sixty thousand, one hundred and and twenty-seven
8,000 eight thousand

remarque:
nombres terminés par –teen → accent sur la première syllabe et sur –teen
nombres terminés par –ty → accent sur la première syllabe

années :
1981 nineteen eighty-one
1900 nineteen hundred
1901 nineteen o one
2008 two thousand and eight

décimales:
1.754 one point seven five four

remarque :
en anglais on utilise un point pour une virgule et une virgule pour un point.

20
LES NOMBRES ORDINAUX

1st first 11th eleventh 21st twenty-first

2nd second 12th twelfth 22nd twenty-second
3rd third 13th thirteenth 23rd twenty-third
4th fourth 14th fourteenth 30th tirthieth
5th fifth 15th fifteenth 40th fortieth
6th sixth 16th sixteenth 50th fiftieth
7th seventh 17th seventeenth 90th ninetieth
8th eighth 18th eighteenth 100th hundredth
9th ninth 19th nineteenth 1000th thousandth
10th tenth 20th twentieth 1000000th millionth

date :
June 28
June 28th
28 June
28th June
28th of June
June the 28th

nom propre:
Elisabeth II Elisabeth the second
Henry VIII Henry the eighth
John Paul II John Paul the second

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LE GENITIF

nom + ‘s nom au singulier (my sister’s dog)

nom au pluriel irrégulier (the children’s toys)
nom propre terminé par –s (Dickens’s novels)

nom + ‘ nom au pluriel régulier (the boys’room)

nom propre terminé par –s (Dickens’novel)
nom propre d’origine étrangère terminés par –s (Archimedes’s law)

John’s and Sally’s cars → il y a deux voitures, celles de John et celle de Sally
John and Sally’s car → il n’y a qu’une voiture, celle de John et Sally

Le nom au génitif peut être :

o un nom propre
Mr Smith’s daughter

o un nom commun désignant une personne, un animal, un véhicule

the old lady’s bag
the horse’s tail
the train’s speed

o un nom désignant un groupe de personne

the government’s decision

o un nom de lieu
Bitain’s exports

o une unité de temps

today’s news, yesterday’s paper, last year’s results

o un pronom indéfini
everyone’s concern

Le génitif peut être employé seul :

o les noms désignant un lieu

the Baker’s (shop), at Tom’s (house), St Paul’s (cathedral)

o losque le deuxième nom a déjà été mentionné, on ne le réutilise pas

She put her arm through her mother’s (arm).

o dans la structure nom + of + génitif

His movie’s are not as good as Hitchcock’s.

o dans un emploi littéraire

Maggie’s (life) was a troubled life.

On utilise la structure nom + of + nom :

o losque le nom du possesseur est très long

the arrival of the locally famous Captain Blank

o losque le nom après of désigne une chose

the roof of the house

o après un adjectif substantivé

22
the favourite pastime of the British

23
COMPARATIF ET SUPERLATIF

Comparatif de Supériorité Superlatif de Supériorité

adjectif
adjectif + -er the + adjectif +-est
court
He is smaller than her. He is the smallest in the class.
adjectif long more + adjectif the most + adjectif
She is more interesting than her. She is the most interesting of all.
Comparatif d’Infériorité Superlatif d’Infériorité
less + adjectif the least + adjectif
adjectif
He is less big than his sister. He is the least small.
court
adjectif long This book is less interesting than this one. This is the least interesting.
Comparatif d'égalité
as + adjectif + as
adjectif
She is as tall as me.
court
adjectif long She is as interesting as her brother.

Les adjectifs irréguliers :

adjectif comparatif superlatif

good, well better best
bad, evil, ill worse worst
far farther / further farthest / furthest

LES COMPARATIFS

le même que
the same… as
His eyes are the same colour as mine.

pas aussi… que / pas autant… que

not as… as / not so… as
She is not as old as she looks.

3 fois plus que… / 4 fois moins que…

He earns three times as much as her.
His house is a quarter as big as hers.

De plus en plus / de moins en moins

comparatif + and + comparatif
Your english is getting better and better.
It’s more and more interesting.
They seem less and less interested.

plus…, plus…
the more…, the more…
The more money he has, the more he wants.

moins…, moins…

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the less…, the less…
The less I see them, the less I want to see them.

moins…, plus…
the less…, the more…

plus…, moins…
the more…, the less…

adjectif + -er
adjectif irrégulier
The shorter a book is, the better.

the + comparative + sujet + verbe, the + comparative + sujet + verbe

The earlier we leave, the sooner we will arrive.

remarque :
quand on ne compare que 2 éléments, on utilise The + comparatif
He is the tallest in the team.
He is the taller of the two.

LES SUPERLATIFS

in + lieu ou groupe de personnes

the largest city in the country
the best player in the team

of dans tous les autres cas

the happiest day of my life

that / O dans les propositions relatives

This was the most delicious meal (that) I’ve had for a long time.

25
FOR / SINCE / DURING

for + durée

since + point de départ

during + nom

while + sujet + verbe

J’habite ici depuis trois mois. (= durée)

I have lived here for three months.

J’habite ici depuis le 9 septembre.

I have lived here since September 9th.

I fell asleep during the film.

He called me while I was watching TV.

during the war

during the holidays
during his childhood

BECAUSE / BECAUSE OF / SINCE / AS

because of + nom I hate England because of the rain.

because + sujet + verbe I love England because it rains all the time.
since + sujet + verbe I love England since it rains all the time.
as + sujet + verbe I love England as it rains all the time.

MOTS INTERROGATIFS

what? que / quoi

when? quand
where? où
who? qui
why? pourquoi
which? quel / lequel
whose? à qui
how? comment

how old? âge

how far? distance
how deep? profondeur
how long? durée / longueur
how tall? taille
how often? fréquence
how much? quantité / prix
how many? nombre

structures particulières :
Whose book is it ?
What does it taste like ?
What is this tool for?

26
VERBES A PARTICULES

about
across
along
around
away
back
down
in
off
on
out
over
through
up

to apply for sthg : être candidat à qchose

to break into : entrer par effraction
to care for sb : soigner qqun
to deal with : traiter de
to look for : chercher
to look after : surveiller
to give up : abandonner
to laugh at : rire de
to discriminate against : discriminer
to take advantage of : profiter de
to take care of : prendre soin de
to make fun of : se moquer de
to pay attention to : faire attention à
to listen to : écouter
to wait for : attendre
to suffer from : souffrir de
to depend on : dépendre de
to beleive in : croire en
to succeed in : réussir
to provide / supply with : fournir
to insist on : insister

27
LES PREPOSITIONS

an article from the Guardian

a book by William Shakespeare
a cheque for £100
a decrease / an increase in accidents
a demand / a need for help
an interest in music
a quest for happiness
a solution to the problem

angry about sth / with sb for doing sth

annoyed about sth / with sb for doing sth
furious about sth / with sb for doing sth
upset about sth
worried about sth
sorry about sth
amazed at sth / by sth
astonished at sth / by sth
surprised at sth / by sth
bad at sth
good at sth
responsible for sth
different from
interested in sth
afraid of sth
aware of sth
keen on sth
bored with sth
delighted with sth
disappointed with sth
pleased with sth
satisfied with sth

28
STRUCTURES

Inversion sujet / verbe

 lorsque la phrase commence par un adverbe

Here comes the bride.

 losqu’un terme négatif / restrictif / intensif est mis en relief en tête de phrase
Only then did I see the truth.
Never in my life could I imagine such a story.

 dans les subordonnées conditionnelles

Had I known, I would have called you.
Should you leave earlier, please let me know.

Mise en relief

It was Tom who bought a car yesterday.

It was a car that Tom bought yesterday.
It was yesterday that Tom bought a car.

What Tom bought was a car.

What Tom did was (to) buy a car.

so that + should
for fear that + should
lest + should
in order that + should

like + V-ing
love + V-ing
enjoy + V-ing
hate + V-ing
can’t stand + V-ing
can’t bear + V-ing
be fond of + V-ing
be crazy about + V-ing
keep + V-ing
can’t help + V-ing
be no use + V-ing
be worth + V-ing
spend time + V-ing
dream of + V-ing

used to + V
be used to + V-ing
get used to + V-ing

after
before
instead of + V-ing
without
for

begin
start to + verbe
continue V-ing

29
intend

it’s the first time + present perfect

to want sb to do sthg
to ask sb to do sthg
to make sb do sthg
to have sthg done

to suggest + V-ing
to suggest + sujet + verbe

need + V-ing
need + to be + participe passé

let sb do sthg

30
cattle
management
people + verbe au pluriel
police
vermin

luggage
fruit
information + verbe au singulier
news
furniture

a piece of

a loaf of bread
a bar of soap
a bottle of wine, a bottle of water
a bottle of shampoo
a tube of toothpaste
a roll of toilet paper
a box of matches
a carton of milk, a bottle of milk
a can of beer
a can of soup, a tin of soup
a bunch of bananas, a bunch of grapes
a bunch of flowers
a book of stamps

interesting interested
amusing amused
boring bored
confusing confused
worrying worried

to look at + image fixe To look at some pictures.

to watch + image qui bouge To watch TV, to watch a football match

journey : trajet
trip : voyage, séjour
voyage : trajet par la mer
travel : verbe voyager

to talk about something parler de quelque chose

to say something (to somebody) dire quelque chose (à quelqu’un)
to tell somebody something dire quelque chose à quelqu’un
to speak a language parler une langue

31
LES NATIONALITES

pays / continent adjectif nom singulier nom pluriel

England English an Englishman the English
France French a Frenchman the French
Holland Dutch a Dutchman the Dutch
Ireland Irish an Irishman the Irish
Wales Welsh a Welshman the Welsh
China Chinese a Chinese the Chinese
Japan Japanese a Japanese the Japanese
Portugal Portuguese a Portuguese the Portuguese
Vietnam Vietnamese a Vietnamese the Vietnamese
Switzerland Swiss a Swiss the Swiss
Australia Australian an Australian the Australians
Africa African an African the Africans
America American an American the Americans
Canada Canadian a Canadian the Canadians
Germany German a German the Germans
Italy Italian an Italian the Italians
Morocco Moroccan a Moroccan the Moroccans
India Indian an Indian the Indians
Norway Norwegian a Norwegian the Norwegians
Arabia Arabic an Arab the Arabs
Denmark Danish a Dane the Danes
Poland Polish a Pole the Poles
Finland Finnish a Finn the Finns
Sweden Swedish a Swede the Swedes
Iceland Icelandic an Icelander the Icelanders
Scotland Scottish a Scot the Scots
Spain Spanish a Spaniard the Spanish
New Zealand New Zealand a New Zealander the New Zealanders

32
ADVERBES

moreover : de plus
however : cependant
nevetheless : néanmoins
otherwise : sinon
anyway : de toute façon
yet / and yet : et pourtant
still : cependant
then : ensuite
therefore : par conséquent
somehow : pour une raison ou pour une autre
besides : d’ailleurs
so : ainsi
thus : ainsi
actually : en fait
afterwards : par la suite
already : déjà
eventuallt : finalement

33
BRITISH ENGLISH vs. AMERICAN ENGLISH

BE AE
automne autumn fall
addition bill check
billet banknote bill
coffre de voiture boot trunk
parking car park parking lot
pharmacie chemist’s drugstore
frites chips French fries
film film movie
appartement flat apartment
étage floor storey
rez-de-chaussée ground floor first floor
vacances holiday vacation
aspirateur hoover vacuum-cleaner
ascenseur lift elevator
camion lorry truck
autoroute motorway freeway
maman Mum Mom
trottoir pavement sidewalk
essence petrol gas
facteur postman mailman
ordures, déchets rubbish garbage, trash
magasin shop store
bonbons sweets candy
maillot de bain swimming costume bathing suit
boîte de conserve tin can
toilettes toilet restroom
pantalon trousers pants
métro underground subway

34
EXPRESSIONS IDIOMATIQUES

Avoir l'air d'un chien battu To have a hang-dog look

Avoir la chair de poule To have goose pimples

Avoir un air mi-figue, mi-raisin To act half in jest, half in earnest

Monter sur ses grands chevaux To get on one's high horse

Être une poule mouillée To be chicken-hearted

Revenons à nos moutons Let's get back on track.

Chercher la petite bête To be overcritical

Avoir du pain sur la planche To have one's work cut out for one

Mettre la charrue avant les boeufs To put the cart before the horse

Tourner autour du pot To beat around the bush

Donner sa langue au chat To throw in the towel

Verser de l'huile sur le feu To add fuel to the fire

Jouer au chat et à la souris To play cat and mouse

Avoir un coeur d'artichaut To be fickle

Poser un lapin à quelqu'un To stand someone up

S'entendre comme chien et chat To get along like cats and dogs

Ne pas faire long feu Not to stand a chance

Quand les poules auront des dents Until the cows come home

Être sourd comme un pot To be deaf as a post

Être haut comme trois pommes To be knee-high to a grasshopper

Être blond comme les blés To be a golden blond

To paint the town red Prendre du bon temps

Jour à marquer d'une pierre blanche A red-letter day

Faire d'une pierre deux coups To kill two birds with one stone

A vol d'oiseaux As the crow flies

Prendre des gants avec quelqu'un To handle someone with kid gloves

35
PROVERBES

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras

Come what may Advienne que pourra

Like father like son Tel père tel fils

The end justifies the means La fin justifie les moyens

There are plenty of fish in the sea Un de perdu, dix de retrouvé

No news is good news Pas de nouvelles, bonnes nouvelles

The more, the merrier Plus on est de fous, plus on rit

It takes all sorts to make a world Il faut de tout pour faire un monde

You never can tell On ne sait jamais

To err is human L'erreur est humaine

Talk of the devil and he will appear Quand on parle du loup, on en voit la queue

All roads lead to Rome Tous les chemins mènent à Rome

An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth Oeil pour œil, dent pour dent

You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs On ne fait pas d'omelette sans casser les
oeufs

When the cat's away the mice do play Quand le chat n'est pas là, les souris dansent

Every penny counts Un sou est un sou

Business is business Les affaires sont les affaires

There's no smoke without fire Il n'y a pas de fumée sans feu

Lucky at cards, unlucky in love Heureux au jeu, malheureux en amour

Cloudy mornings turn to clear evenings Après la pluie, le beau temps

Where there's a will there's a way Vouloir, c'est pouvoir

Long absent, soon forgotten Qui s'absente, se fait oublier

36
FAUX - AMIS

ANGLAIS FRANCAIS FRANCAIS ANGLAIS

to abuse insulter abuser to take advantage of
to achieve réaliser achever to complete, to finish
actually en réalité actuellement currently
to assist aider assister to attend
bachelor célibataire bachelier graduated
caution prudence caution guarantee
chance hasard chance luck
character personnage caractère nature, personality
to deceive tromper, duper décevoir to disappoint
deception tromperie déception disappointment
delay retard délai dead line
to demand exiger demander to ask
dispute conflit dispute quarrel
engaged fiancé engagé committed
eventually finalement éventuellement possibly
evidence preuve évidence obviousness
to evince montrer clairement évincer to evict
figure chiffre, silhouette figure piece of art, art work
hazard danger hasard chance
issue éditer, sujet à traiter issue exit, way out
lecture conférence lecture reading
library bibliothèque librairie bookshop
motto devise moto motorbike
novel roman nouvelle short story
petrol essence pétrole oil
phrase expression phrase sentence
to prevent empêcher prévenir to warn
to regard considérer regarder to look at
to relieve soulager relever to raise
rest repos rester to stay
to resume reprendre résumer to sum up
résumé CV résumé summary
rude grossier rude rough
sensible raisonnable sensible sensitive
sympathetic compatissant sympathique nice, friendly
vacation vacances vacation session

37