Do you wonder why, in French, your arm is masculine while your leg is feminine? Why your sofa is masculine but your chair is feminine. And why should a person or victim always be feminine, even if the person or victim you’re talking about happens to be a man? And isn’t it odd that masculinité is feminine?
The illogic of French gender can be very frustrating. But, after reading this book, if you see words like croisement, pays, vin or chocolat, you will instantly know they are masculine, and you will also immediately recognize that words like ville, facture, maladie and essence are feminine.
The rules you wil find here are pragmatic and empirical. They were derived through the authors encounters with thousands of nouns through ordinary conversation and reading. His goal was to write a book about these rules in a conversational voice, pulling the reader in simply because it’s interesting.
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Here are some reviews of this and others of Rosenthal’s books on learning French:
Rosenthal’s book (The Rules for the Gender of French Nouns), is a great reference tool for both students and teachers. The easy to understand rules are highly useful. The other strength of this book is the style in which Rosenthal has written it. This book is a solid reference that clearly meets the authors goal of presenting paragmatic, empirical rules for determining the gender of French nouns. I wish Rosenthal had written his book twenty years ago when I was a student. --- The French Review (reviewed April 2006)
“I think your books are wonderful. You have made a fantastic contribution to the French language profession.” --- Professor Judy Baughin, Raymond Walters College
“Your little books are great!” ---- Professor AG Fralin, Washington and Lee University
“As with your previous book, I am amazed at how fun to read, as well as incredibly informative the book is. It's a wonderful tool” --- Professor Brigitte Humbert, Middlebury College
I love your books! They are easy to navigate, and they are extremely useful to non-native French speakers. I actually enjoy reading them at night in bed before falling to sleep, they're that entertaining. ---- Professor John Turvaville, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
The books are excellent (Rules for the Gender of French Nouns, Speaking Better French, Faux Amis) and I've recommended them as reference texts to my third-year French composition courses. ---- Professor Luke Bouvier, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
The illogic of French gender can be very frustrating. But, after reading this book, if you see words like croisement, pays, vin or chocolat, you will instantly know they are masculine, and you will also immediately recognize that words like ville, facture, maladie and essence are feminine.
The rules you wil find here are pragmatic and empirical. They were derived through the authors encounters with thousands of nouns through ordinary conversation and reading. His goal was to write a book about these rules in a conversational voice, pulling the reader in simply because it’s interesting.
-------
Here are some reviews of this and others of Rosenthal’s books on learning French:
Rosenthal’s book (The Rules for the Gender of French Nouns), is a great reference tool for both students and teachers. The easy to understand rules are highly useful. The other strength of this book is the style in which Rosenthal has written it. This book is a solid reference that clearly meets the authors goal of presenting paragmatic, empirical rules for determining the gender of French nouns. I wish Rosenthal had written his book twenty years ago when I was a student. --- The French Review (reviewed April 2006)
“I think your books are wonderful. You have made a fantastic contribution to the French language profession.” --- Professor Judy Baughin, Raymond Walters College
“Your little books are great!” ---- Professor AG Fralin, Washington and Lee University
“As with your previous book, I am amazed at how fun to read, as well as incredibly informative the book is. It's a wonderful tool” --- Professor Brigitte Humbert, Middlebury College
I love your books! They are easy to navigate, and they are extremely useful to non-native French speakers. I actually enjoy reading them at night in bed before falling to sleep, they're that entertaining. ---- Professor John Turvaville, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
The books are excellent (Rules for the Gender of French Nouns, Speaking Better French, Faux Amis) and I've recommended them as reference texts to my third-year French composition courses. ---- Professor Luke Bouvier, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
