Guided Tour of the Portal

Writing Tools Module

Transcription

Welcome to the Writing Tools module.

Here we are on the Language Portal's home page. There are two ways to access Writing Tools. In the Well Written, Well Said menu, you can click on the link below TERMIUM Plus^®, or click on the picture in the right column.

Writing Tools cover the many facets of English and French grammar, style and usage. Whether you're a language professional, enthusiast or learner, you're sure to find these online resources practical and easy to use.

For a brief description of each tool, click on Show All. To view the tools list without descriptions, click on Hide All.

Let's take a look at the English writing tools.

Favourite Articles is a collection of articles taken from past issues of Language Update, the Translation Bureau's quarterly journal. Here you'll find articles that deal with English language usage and style, translation problems and other related topics. Favourite Articles is updated regularly as new issues of Language Update are published.

Next we have HyperGrammar2. This self-teaching tool will help you improve your English grammar skills. You'll find it useful whether English is your first language or not. HyperGrammar2 is made up of modules that deal with parts of speech, punctuation, spelling and much more.

The Canadian Style guide covers such topics as abbreviations, hyphenation, misused words and Canadian geographical names. It also deals with correspondence and report formats, and provides techniques for writing clearly and concisely. Let's try it out together. Do you know what words to capitalize in a list? First, click on Search by Chapter. This brings up the chapters list at the left of the page. Find the chapter on capitalization and click on the plus [+] sign. Then, scroll down the menu to Lists and click. You can also search for a topic by using the Search by Index option or by entering a word or expression in the Search box.

Now let's go to Word Tailoring. This unique reference tool gives you many English equivalents for French words and phrases that are often hard to translate. You'll find it useful for both general and administrative writing. This tool is regularly updated with new entries. Let's take a closer look at Word Tailoring. Enter a French word or phrase in the Search box, for example, à la portée de. Then, click on the right arrow. As French words often have several meanings, Word Tailoring provides brief examples in both languages for each equivalent. This will help you select the best possible translation for your context. You can also search for a word or a phrase by clicking on a letter below the Search box.

Let's go back to the section's main page. Writing Tips provides solutions to common grammar, usage and style problems. Short examples are used to illustrate these solutions. Let's see how it works. To search in Writing Tips, you can click on a letter at the top of the page. Is jack rabbit spelled as one word or two? Or with a hyphen? To find out, click on the letter J, then on jack rabbit. You can also search in Writing Tips by entering a word or expression in the Search box.

Now let's look at the French writing tools.

Chroniques de langue is a collection of articles taken from past issues of L'Actualité langagière, the French equivalent of Language Update. Here you'll find articles that deal with French language usage and style, translation problems and other related topics. Chroniques de langue is updated regularly as new issues of L'Actualité langagière are published.

The next tool, Clefs du français pratique, deals with French grammar, syntax and usage problems. Rules are briefly stated and presented with clear examples relating to the Canadian context. Let's try it out together. First, click on Launch Clefs du français pratique. Let's say you want to know if the words globalisation and mondialisation are interchangeable. To find out, click on the letter G and scroll down the index to globalisation/mondialisation. Then, click on the entry for your answer.

Now let's take a look at ConjugArt. This tool presents the conjugations of nearly 8 000 French verbs. Let's take a closer look. Do you know how to conjugate the verb acquérir in the present indicative? Just enter acquérir in the Search box and click on the arrow. ConjugArt presents the verb acquérir fully conjugated in all tenses and moods.

Let's go back to the main page and look at the next tool. The Dictionnaire des cooccurrences tells you what words can be combined with each other for natural sounding French. Let's see how it works. Let's say you're unsure of which verb or adjective to use with the word habitude. Click on the letter H, then on habitude. This brings up a list of adjectives and verbs that can be used with habitude. You can now choose the word that expresses exactly what you are trying to say.

The next tool, the Juridictionnaire, is intended primarily for legal writers and translators. This tool helps solve the many problems associated with legal writing.

Just below the Juridictionnaire is the Bellerive, a self-teaching tool that helps you learn the main French rules for such topics as capitalization, numerical expressions and italics.

Le guide du rédacteur is an invaluable tool for writing in French. It covers such topics as abbreviations, capitalization and Canadian geographical names. It also outlines the general rules for correspondence, the principles of plain language and the techniques for incorporating the feminine gender into texts. Let's take a closer look. Do you know when to capitalize the word monsieur in a text? First, click on Search by Chapter. This brings up the chapters list at the left of the page. Find the chapter called La majuscule and click on the plus [+] sign next to it. Now scroll down the menu to Monsieur, madame, mademoiselle and click on the entry. You can also search for a topic by using the Search by Index option or by entering a word or expression in the Search box.

The last tool, the Lexique analogique, is intended for professional and occasional writers and translators. This tool helps you find the appropriate word by providing French equivalents for common English terms that are often hard to translate.

This ends the Writing Tools module. You can continue exploring the Language Portal in the other modules. To access these modules, click on Guided Tour of the Portal at the top of the left menu.

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