FRENCH NOTE 78 " BEAUCOUP "

FRENCH NOTE 78 " BEAUCOUP , PLEIN, PLUS "
One student requested me to explain the difference between the above mentioned words.
This note is meant for that . I shall take up each of them .
BEAUCOUP
1.This word is an adverb. You know that adverb modifies a verb. The English equivalent
would be " much". It expresses the intensity or the importance of an action conveyed
by a verb.
Elle lit beaucoup .
She reads much.
2. It can indicate the quality of an adjective expressed by the pronoun " le ". Study the
the following example carefully.
Elle n'est plus belle.
Elle l'était beaucoup autrefois .
She is no longer beautiful .
Formerly, she was.
In the second sentence the pronoun " le" represents the adjective " belle". It is a
neutral pronoun.
3. " BEAUCOUP " can be used as a noun to mean many people.
Beaucoup sont riches dans cette ville.
Many are rich in this city.
4. The word. " BEAUCOUP " can be placed before certain adverbs of quantity
to intensify the effect of such adverbs.
Beaucoup plus
Beaucoup moins
Beaucoup mieux
Beaucoup trop
Une voiture beaucoup plus chère
A more expensive car
Un problème beaucoup moins difficile
A much less difficult problem.
5. " Beaucoup de " is a very common adverbial expression of quantity. " a lot of "
J'ai acheté beaucoup de livres .
I bought a lot of books.
Beaucoup de femmes travaillent aujourd'hui .
These days many women work.
If " beaucoup de " is followed by a singular noun , the verb should be conjugated
accordingly .
Beaucoup d' eau a passé sous les ponts.
Much water has flown under the bridges.
6. " de beaucoup " is an expression which is equivalent to " by far, greatly "
This expression can be used with a verb, a comparative or superlative adjective.
Study the following sentences
Les Africains courent de beaucoup plus rapide que les autres.
Africans run ,by far, faster than others.
Elle est de beaucoup plus belle que sa sœur .
She is greatly more beautiful than her sister.
À mon avis, Sivaji Ganesan est le meilleur acteur indien, de beaucoup .
In my opinion, Sivaji Ganesan is the best Indian actor ,by far.
Merci beaucoup !
Rest in subsequent notes.
Sayee Jayaraman
9/04/2015
Chennai