Better writing for better speaking

HOW CAN WRITING HELP YOU ?

Did you know that writing can help you communicate better orally?

Because the written word is stable, and because it allows you to take the time to reflect, evaluate and correct yourself. And because written communication generates less stress than oral communication. Which makes it easier to learn.

That's why I'm proposing that you vary your learning, which most certainly favours the spoken word in all its forms, by working on the written word.

"The written word is much more reliable than the spoken word. In an oral conversation, you have to understand and speak quickly. You don't have time to think long and hard about what you're going to say. The written word, on the other hand, is stable and allows time for reflection. You can evaluate the effectiveness of your own texts and improve them (...) Writing facilitates self-learning and self-assessment".

Guy Capelle*, "Communiquer à l'écrit", B2-C1, Avant-propos .2018.

THE COURSE

Based on a set of texts, generally quite short, you will be asked to write 15 "homeworks".

Each text is followed by 3 or 4 questions on current affairs or French culture. You choose one of these questions and answer it with a text of between 140 and 200 words. It's not the length that counts, but application and regularity. Some of the questions will enable you to re-use vocabulary from the introductory text; others will allow you to give more personal answers, drawing on your imagination. The choice is yours.

I correct your text and send it back to you with advice and reformulations.

PRICE : €250

Why work on the written word?

Surviving the difficulties of intermediate levels.

Learning a language can be the passion of a lifetime. But it's also a thankless journey, fraught with frustration, discouragement and worry.
When you first start learning, you make lightning progress: the content to be assimilated is highly structured, the vocabulary is everyday and progressive. It's about meals, the family, holidays, etc. The linguistic universe is familiar and well-ordered.
But at an intermediate or advanced level, the progression is no longer upwards. The language suddenly seems to resist us: words are associated with each other according to mysterious rules. The syntax of the first levels becomes more complex. In short, the language appears to us as it is: an extraordinary human construction that no speaker, not even a native speaker, ever fully possesses.
At this stage, the gap between what we are capable of understanding and what we can express is confirmed. And it's not uncommon, in a conversation, to be unable to respond clearly, even though you've understood the other person. To speak naturally, you need to have all the vocabulary, grammar and syntax you've learned at your fingertips. This is impossible in the short space of a conversation.

The written word: stable, autonomous and reassuring

The written word is not the same as the spoken word. It is a form of deferred communication. By writing, you reactivate your knowledge: you take the time to look for the right word, to test different syntaxes or lexical associations, to self-correct. You can't do that when you're speaking.
What's more, writing is an autonomous process. You can't count on the active participation of a more advanced speaker to guide, complete and reformulate clumsy statements, as you can when speaking. The writer is the only one in charge!
Writing is therefore a demanding exercise. However, because it is not based on immediacy, writing is more reassuring for learners than speaking - studies that have looked at emotions in language classes show that speaking arouses more apprehension, even fear, in students. And less stress is good for learning!

WRITING IN FRENCH WILL HELP YOU IF:

you feel that you are not progressing quickly enough in your learning of French
you work alone and find it difficult to introduce regular language practice into your daily life; you're looking to set up a work routine that will fit easily into your schedule
you feel the need for support
your budget for learning is limited, but you're looking for a course that offers personalized feedback on your work
you need to improve your written French for professional reasons

WRITING RATHER THAN SPEAKING ?

Obviously, the aim of proposing training in the written language is not to depreciate oral training. It's just a question of remedying an imbalance in what is offered to learners. Because written practice is often reduced to a bare minimum in language courses.
And as for the abundantresources on the Internet, they focus primarily on comprehension. This course is designed for those who feel the need to work in a different way to reinforce what they have learnt, enrich their vocabulary and develop their communication skills.

WRITE TO SPEAK BETTER