Understanding Diacritical Marks in French

Understanding Diacritical Marks in French There are four French accents for vowels and one accent for a consonant. Understanding each of these accents is vital because they actually change the pronunciation of the letters that they modify, essentially creating completely different letters for the French language.   Vowel Accents The accent aigu  ´ (acute accent) can only be on an E. At the beginning of a word, it often indicates that an S used to follow that vowel, e.g., à ©tudiant (student).The accent grave (grave accent) can be found on an A, E, or U. On the A and U, it usually serves to distinguish between words that would otherwise be homographs; e.g., ou (or) vs oà ¹ (where).The accent circonflexe ˆ (circumflex) can be on an A, E, I, O, or U. The circumflex usually indicates that an S used to follow that vowel, e.g., forà ªt (forest). It also serves to distinguish between homographs; e.g., du (contraction of de le) vs dà » (past participle of devoir).The accent trà ©ma  ¨ (dieresis or umlaut) can be on an E, I, or U. It is used when two vowels are next to each other and both must be pronounced, e.g., naà ¯ve, Saà ¼l. Consonant Accent The cà ©dille  ¸ (cedilla) is found only on the letter C. It changes a hard C sound (like K) into a soft C sound (like S), e.g., garà §on. The cedilla is never placed in front of E or I, because C always sounds like an S in front of these vowels. Capital Letters It is essential to put accents in their proper places; an incorrect or missing accent is a spelling mistake just as an incorrect or missing letter would be. The only exception to this is capital letters, which are often left unaccented.

Old Guard and Young Turks

Old Guard and Young Turks Old Guard and Young Turks Old Guard and Young Turks By Maeve Maddox Both terms, Old Guard and Young Turks, have been adopted for various purposes. According to the Wikipedia disambiguation pages, the terms have been applied to everything from a magazine and Internet news service to a street gang. In a general figurative sense, the terms are ideological opposites. Originally, the term Old Guard had military connotations, but now it is used in reference to any type of group. It refers to the older and most conservative faction in an organization. Aversion to change is the old guard’s most salient characteristic. The term Young Turks originated with the civil conflicts that racked Turkey at the beginning of the 20th century. It referred to opponents of the sultan’s absolute monarchy. They formed the Committee of Union and Progress and seized power in 1913. Nowadays the terms represent opposing models of leadership. The Old Guard want to keep things as they were. The Young Turks want to change the way things are done and don’t want to do it gradually. Here are some uses drawn from different countries and different types of organizations. Tea party vs. old guard in GOP Senate rift (Headline, The Denver Post) Old guard and young turks combine for stunning  victory (Headline for a story about an Australian cricket match) A storm is brewing within the MDC-T dominated Bulawayo City Council (BCC) as the party’s â€Å"young turks† who were elected as councillors in last month’s elections feel the â€Å"old guard† had failed the local authority. (Sunday News, Zimbabwe) [In a book about the C.I.A.] he traces the bitter fights between Langley’s old guard and Young Turks over whether the agency should use the new armed Predator drones to hunt and kill even Osama bin Laden. (New York Times) Army rifts: Is the old guard taking on the young Turks? (Headline, (Daily Monitor, Uganda) The majority which would control the vote would be a coalition between the â€Å"old guard† Democratic Party establishment, and the â€Å"young turks,† recent graduates of the University of Hawaii Law School. (Fighting Tradition: A Marine’s Journey to Justice by Bruce I. Yamashita) Santa Cruz Sierra Club: Old Guard vs. Young Turks (Headline, Santa Cruz Patch) Another â€Å"guard† expression is used when new leaders take over from the previous crew: changing of the guard. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:45 Synonyms for â€Å"Food†75 Idioms and Expressions That Include â€Å"Break†15 Names and Descriptions of Effects