Grammaire progressive du français des affaires A2 B1 par Jean-Luc Penfornis (review)

Focusing an intermediate grammar text on professional French has the advantage of not only providing a cohesive context to student acquisition, it increases student motivation. The organization of Penfornis's text is very clear. The twenty-nine units contain between two and six grammatical foci, starting with Les présentations (pronoms toniques; c'est vs. il est) and concluding with Savoir-Faire (participer à une réunion, écouter activement, téléphoner, rédiger un email, relier des informations, présenter des résultats). The progression of grammar, exercises, and business practices is well done. Grammatical presentations are brief with excellent examples which prove very helpful. A warning sign indicates grammar points which might challenge students or notable exceptions to patterns. On the page opposite of that presenting grammar, the exercises reinforce those grammatical structures, with further excellent support from the included CD-ROM. The latter contains dialogues and/or simple questions that accompany well-marked exercises. Visually, the volume supports the clarity of the contents. The spacing, use of colored rectangles, the warning signs, images such as emails, drawings and photos engage students and promote learning. In addition, the photos support the diversity of the business world to a certain degree: gender, age, and even race-inclusive snapshots reflect the student population better than many texts. As for evaluating student acquisition of grammar and comprehension, ten bilans provide the instructor with well-designed assessments of student learning. Suggestions for a subsequent volume would be to add models for each section of the bilans, as well as a glossary for each chapter to support the acquisition of business world vocabulary. The final Test d'évaluation would prove too confusing for my students, given the lack of instructions. Visually, the twenty sentences peppered with blanks would stymie even the best of students. This final test should be replaced by a better-structured exam featuring clear instructions, models, and the chance to highlight the student's progressive learning. Further reservations are few. The passé composé of pronominal verbs is presented with one sentence stating that they are conjugated with être. No mention or example of agreement appears with that phrase. Indeed, this detrimental brevity also applies to the presentation of the distinction between the passé composé and the imparfait. While the book cover mentions a corrigé for the volume, it is not available through the press website. An online search shows that obtaining a copy is both challenging and costly. A feature often appreciated by students is the availability of online access for both the book and the CD at no extra cost. Finally, while I have not personally seen the two volumes which complete the intermediate series, the Vocabulaire progressif du français des affaires looks to be a nice complement to this text, one I would personally consider.