Structuration du discours : emphase, focalisation, thématisation

1. a)He joined the debating society of his school in Manchester last October, and his first debate was about banning mobile phones in classrooms. (0,5 pt par information) (1)
2. b)Her rule was: "Tell them where you are going, take them there, then tell them where you have been", that is to say, announce your plan, follow it and sum it up. At first the narrator found this advice "rather simple" and did not take it seriously. (0,5 pt + 0,5 pt) (1)
3. c)He lost because his speech had no structure: he "piled up facts without any signposts" and lost his way. The quotation "It was the order that failed you" shows that the problem was the organisation, not the content. (0,5 pt pour l'explication, 0,5 pt pour la citation) (1)
4. d)It means the way the arguments are organised and linked: the order in which they come, the announcement of the plan and the transitions between the parts, rather than the quantity of facts. (1 pt ; toute reformulation correcte est acceptée) (1)

Repère — Une question d'inférence attend toujours une citation : la réponse se prouve, elle ne se devine pas.

1. a)Despite being exhausted, he finished the race. (ou : Despite his exhaustion, he finished the race.) — despite est suivi d'un nom ou d'un V-ing, jamais d'une proposition conjuguée. (1)
2. b)however (ou nevertheless, nonetheless) : adverbe de liaison ouvrant une proposition indépendante après le point-virgule. (1)
3. c)In the north, unemployment is falling, whereas in the south, it is rising. — whereas relie deux propositions complètes en les opposant. (1)
4. d)because of — suivi d'un groupe nominal ; because exigerait un sujet et un verbe conjugué. (1)

Erreur fréquente — « Despite of » n'existe pas, et « although » ne se met jamais devant un simple nom.

1. a)It was his brother who broke the window. (that est également accepté) (1)
2. b)It was in 1945 that the United Nations was founded. — devant un complément de temps, seul that est possible. (1)
3. c)What I need is a clear answer. — le verbe de la pseudo-clivée reste au singulier. (1)
4. d)The reason why he resigned is that he had lost the board's support. — la suite se construit avec that, non avec because. (1)

Le point clé — It is / It was reste au singulier : c'est le verbe qui suit who ou that qui s'accorde avec l'élément mis en relief.

1. a)Never have I heard such a convincing speech. — l'auxiliaire du present perfect passe devant le sujet. (1)
2. b)Not only did she write the report, but she also presented it to the board. — sans auxiliaire, on fabrique did et le verbe repasse à la base verbale. (1)
3. c)Hardly had the debate started when the power went off. — Hardly… when se construit au past perfect inversé. (1)
4. d)I do think you deserve this prize. — do emphatique devant la base verbale, dans une phrase affirmative. (1)

Attention — L'inversion n'a lieu que si l'adverbe négatif est en tête : « I have never heard » garde l'ordre normal.

1. a)Attendus : une formule d'annonce en tête (In this speech, I will first…, then…, and finally…) et trois arguments identifiables. 0 pt si le plan est seulement implicite. (1)
2. b)Attendus : un connecteur de concession correctement construit (although + proposition OU despite + nom / V-ing) et un connecteur de conséquence (therefore, consequently, as a result). 0,5 pt par connecteur correctement employé. (1)
3. c)Attendus : une clivée (It is not the phone that…) ou une pseudo-clivée (What worries me is…) syntaxiquement juste, au temps du contexte. (1)
4. d)Attendus : une inversion auxiliaire-sujet après never, not only, hardly, only then ou under no circumstances, et une formule de clôture (To sum up, All in all, In conclusion). Proposition rédigée : « In this speech, I will first explain why break time matters, then examine what phones do to our conversations, and finally suggest a compromise. Although a ban sounds authoritarian, the reality of our playground is simple: we no longer speak to one another. Screens have replaced the noise of the yard; consequently, the pupils who arrive alone stay alone. What I am asking for is not a punishment, but a pause. It is not technology that we are attacking, it is the habit of hiding behind it. Never have I seen a break time as silent as the one I crossed this morning. To sum up, I will defend a limited ban, a supervised exception for emergencies, and a review after one term. » (1)

À retenir — Un exposé se note autant sur son architecture que sur ses idées : annoncer, relier, conclure.