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Need for an explanation
Message de walida posté le 29-11-2009 à 12:25:05 (S | E | F)
Hello,
I always find some expressions which must express contrast used as expression that express concession.I realy feel angry because of that.
Can anyone explain to me the difference between the concessive and the contrastive clause?
Message de walida posté le 29-11-2009 à 12:25:05 (S | E | F)
Hello,
I always find some expressions which must express contrast used as expression that express concession.I realy feel angry because of that.
Can anyone explain to me the difference between the concessive and the contrastive clause?
Réponse: Need for an explanation de seb06000, postée le 29-11-2009 à 13:52:44 (S | E)
Hello,
I gonna try to explain you:
- A constrastive sentence opposes two persons, two notions:
Morocco is a hot country contrary to ( as opposed to) Sweden
Tom is hard-working, unlike Jerry ( Jerry is lazzy)
-A concessive sentence: it admits some principles, some kind of truth about something but implies some concession. The statement is toned down, attenuated:
He finished the test though he had difficulties to do it
He managed to drive up to the summit though it was snowing
I hope you manage to understand my examples
sebastien
Réponse: Need for an explanation de gerondif, postée le 29-11-2009 à 15:55:00 (S | E)
Hello,
I think the problem is due to the fact that the simple word "but" means both
concession and opposition, like "mais" in French. When people try to replace it with a more elaborate word, they pick up the wrong notion:
CONCESSION
He was ill but he came (all the same): concession
(il était malade mais il est venu quand même.)
Although he was ill, he came. He came though he was ill.
He was ill; Yet / still/ however/ nevertheless/ he came.
OPPOSITION
I like coffee but my wife hates it:
(j'aime le café mais ma femme le déteste.)
I like coffee but on the contrary,(on the opposite) my wife hates it.
I like coffee, unlike my wife who hates it.
I like coffee WHEREAS my wife hates it.
To make things worse, "alors que" in French can mean both "although " and "whereas", so the confusions are numerous:
Il est venu alors qu'il était malade: He came although he was ill.
J'adore regarder des westerns alors que/tandis que/ ma femme déteste celà.
I love watching westerns whereas my wife hates watching them.
An opposition is when you contrast two different or opposite things:
White is light whereas black is dark, to state the obvious.
A concession is when you manage to do something by overcoming an obstacle.
He arrived on time although there was a traffic-jam.
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Modifié par gerondif le 29-11-2009 15:56
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