Celebrity Culture: Vocabulary and Comparatives

You cannot say it without comparing

Think about what you actually say when a famous person comes up in conversation. Almost none of it is description. It is ranking: this singer is better than that one, this team is more popular than it used to be, this programme is worse than the last series. That is why this topic and its grammar belong together. To say anything worth marks about a celebrity in French you need a comparative, and a comparative is made of an adjective, which means it has to agree with whatever it describes. You already met agreement on the festivals topic, where the adjective national showed the pattern that -al becomes -aux in the masculine plural. Take that as known. What this module adds is the structure that turns an adjective into an opinion: plus, moins and aussi, followed by que. Get those three and the vocabulary below, and you can say something about anyone.

Words for fame and media

Six items from your specification’s own list for this topic. They are the ones you will reach for most.

Match the media word

Three ways to compare two things

Your specification gives three comparative structures at Foundation, and they work identically. Learn the pattern once and you have all three.

Which comparison do you need

You want to say that one album is better than another. Which is correct in French?

• Cet album est meilleur que l’autre
• Cet album est plus bon que l’autre
• Cet album est mieux que l’autre
• Cet album est pire que l’autre

Which two are correctly compared

Select the TWO sentences that are correctly formed.

• Cette équipe est moins populaire que l’autre équipe.
• Les paroles sont aussi importantes que la musique.
• Ce groupe est plus bon que l’autre groupe.
• Cette émission est plus intéressant que l’autre.

Which tier needs the superlative

Check your tier before you spend time on this, because the two halves of it sit in different places. Comparatives, which compare two things, are Foundation content and everybody needs them: plus, moins and aussi with que, and the irregulars meilleur and pire. Superlatives, which pick out the best or worst of a whole group, are listed in your specification as Higher-tier content. If you are entered for Foundation you can express every opinion this topic asks for with a comparative, and time spent on superlatives is time not spent on the agreement that will actually be marked. If you are entered for Higher, the superlative is yours and it is a small step from what you already have: the structure adds the definite article, and the irregulars are the same words you already know, as le meilleur and le pire. Either way the underlying job is unchanged. You are ranking things, and the adjective doing the ranking has to agree with whatever it describes. Get that habit at Foundation and the Higher structure costs you almost nothing.

Compare the two groups

Je _____ deux groupes de musique. Le premier est plus connu, mais je préfère le deuxième parce que les _____ sont plus intéressantes. Leur dernier album a gagné un _____. Ce groupe passe souvent dans les _____ et à la télévision, dans une _____ que je regarde chaque semaine.

Say who you follow

The verb suivre means to follow, and your specification names it as an irregular present tense. Which form completes the sentence "Je ___ cette équipe depuis longtemps"?

• suis
• suive
• suivi
• suivre

The comparison that does not agree

Four sentences comparing famous people and programmes. Select the ONE in which the adjective does not agree with what it describes.

• Cette artiste est plus connue que son frère.
• Les paroles sont moins intéressantes que la musique.
• Cette émission est aussi populaire que l’autre.
• Cette équipe est plus fort que l’autre équipe.

An opinion, built properly

Build a sentence giving an opinion about a group, with a reason.

Choosing what to say about a star

You are writing a short paragraph in French comparing two famous people. Take the decisions in order.

• You want to say one is more famous than the other. Which structure?
• The person you are describing is female. What must you check?
• You want to say one album is better than the other. What do you write?
• You are entered for Foundation and are tempted to add a superlative. Is it worth it?

Write about someone famous

Écrivez un paragraphe sur une personne célèbre que vous admirez. Write in French about someone famous, comparing them with somebody else. You may invent the person or keep them general; do not worry about naming a real one.

• Say who the person is and what they do, using artiste, auteur, groupe or équipe
• Say how you follow them, using the verb suivre
• Compare them with somebody else using plus, moins or aussi with que
• Make sure the adjective agrees with the person or thing it describes
• Use meilleur or pire at least once, agreeing correctly
• Mention the media or a programme, using les médias or une émission
• Give a reason for your opinion, using car or parce que
• Add one qualification with mais or cependant, so the paragraph holds two ideas