Common mistakes
Objective French summaries: four ways personal commentary slips in
Spot added approval, stronger reporting verbs and lost source judgements. Repair four French summary mistakes using a committee’s request for more time.
- C1
- 4 corrections
- Examples and fixes
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In short
Keep an evaluation when it belongs to the source, and attribute it: Le comité juge le calendrier trop serré. Remove your added approval, such as à juste titre. An objective summary can report a strong position clearly.
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Le comité juge le calendrier trop serré et demande une semaine supplémentaire pour examiner le dossier. Il reste favorable au projet.
The committee considers the timetable too tight and asks for an extra week to examine the file. It remains in favour of the project.
Keep three elements together: the committee’s judgement, its specific request and its support for the project.
- à juste titrea neutral way to report a requestrightly; with justification
Le comité demande à juste titre une semaine supplémentaire.The committee rightly asks for an extra week.
Here, à juste titre adds the summariser’s approval. Write Le comité demande une semaine supplémentaire.
- dénoncea synonym for a requestdenounces; publicly condemns
Le comité dénonce un calendrier absurde.The committee denounces an absurd timetable.
The source says juge trop serré and demande. Keep those acts: Le comité estime le calendrier trop serré et demande un délai.
- le calendrier est trop serréan explicitly attributed judgementthe timetable is too tight
Le comité juge le calendrier trop serré.The committee considers the timetable too tight.
The reporting verb identifies whose assessment you are representing. Keep juge or estime when this is the committee’s view.
- rejette le projeta summary of continued supportrejects the project
Le comité reste favorable au projet, mais demande un délai.The committee remains in favour of the project but asks for more time.
A complaint about timing can coexist with support for the project. Preserve both when summarising its position.
| Source element | Faithful summary |
|---|---|
| juge le calendrier trop serré | estime le calendrier trop serré |
| demande une semaine supplémentaire | sollicite une semaine de plus |
| reste favorable au projet | maintient son soutien au projet |
Tout en maintenant son soutien au projet, le comité estime le calendrier trop serré pour examiner le dossier et sollicite une semaine supplémentaire.
While maintaining its support for the project, the committee considers the timetable too tight to examine the file and requests an extra week.
Compare the objects of the verbs: the committee evaluates the timetable and supports the project. Replacing both with rejette changes the position. Likewise, une semaine is part of the request, so the short version keeps it. You can use plain demande again; variation helps only when the meaning survives.