The French language is evolving at breakneck speed. Each week, our language advisor dissects the words and expressions that make the headlines or give us trouble.
Posted at 4:00 p.m.
Writing – or revising – texts means immersing oneself in doubt and reference works. (It’s also having fun, for example by slipping a zeugme* into your sentence when the occasion lends itself to it.)
When we are asked whether to write a word like this or like that, the answer is often: “It depends on the sentence. Or else: “Neither.” »
Certain phrases can thus be variable or invariable depending on their position in the sentence, the role they occupy and the way in which things are seen. Attached are the documents you requested. You will find enclosed a copy of the annual report. Please read the attached documents.
phrases like attched (and included and attached) are invariable when they are adverbial, placed at the beginning of the sentence, as in the first example, or in the body of the sentence, when they precede a noun without determiner (copy) as in the second example. They are variable, in gender and in number, when they are used as adjectives which characterize a noun, as in the third example.
If the phrase is placed in the body of the sentence, before a noun preceded by a determiner (the list, two copies) it can be considered as an adverb (invariable) or as an adjective (variable), as desired. So we can also write you will find enclosed the list of our publications that you will find enclosed the list of our publications. We send you attached two copies of our project Where We send you attached two copies of our project.
If you want to simplify your life, avoid making a mistake while dispensing with conducting research, you can stick to the following rule: attched will be invariable before the name and variable after the name. Attached is the invoice. See the attached invoice.
If you are pressed for time, you can also make the difficulty disappear and formulate your sentence differently. We send you two copies of our project. I am attaching to my message the documents you requested.
* This is a semantic zeugma, ie the bringing together of elements of different lexical nature. The first is abstract (doubt) and the second, concrete (reference books).
Who is who ?
Should we write “It’s me who am” or “It’s me who is”?
Answer
We must check which word represents the relative pronoun who (what is its antecedent) and tune the verb accordingly. Here, the antecedent is me. It’s the first person singular, not the third. We therefore write it’s me who am as one would write I am. I found it. It was he who came. We are right. We are the first. You will be the leader. You are the one making the difficulties.