AP French Language Unit 2 Cheatsheet: Language and Culture

Determine Intended Audience

• Identify who the text targets (family, peers, formal institution, general public)
• Look for register clues: tu vs. vous, informal slang vs. formal vocabulary
• Consider context: social media post, academic essay, invitation, news article

Identify Point of View & Tone

• First person (je/nous): personal experience, direct involvement
• Third person (il/elle/on): observation, narrative distance, objectivity
• Tone markers: celebratory, nostalgic, critical, reverent, humorous
• Attitude toward custom: pride, ambivalence, critique, preservation

Cultural Context

• Celebrations reflect values, history, and identity
• Regional and generational variations in how customs are observed

Standard Written French

• Accents: é, è, ê, à, ù, ç (affect meaning and pronunciation)
• Capitalization: proper nouns, sentence starts; months/days lowercase
• Punctuation: French puts a space before !, ?, ; and :, and inside the guillemets: « comme ça »
• Orthography: correct spelling, agreement (gender/number)

Organizational Structure

• Introduction: hook, thesis, or clear topic statement
• Body: logical progression (chronological, thematic, comparative)
• Conclusion: synthesis, reflection, or call to action
• Transitions: d'abord, ensuite, cependant, en conclusion