Using Accents on French Capitals

You may have heard that capital letters are not supposed to be accented. This may be good advice, but, really, whether to use  accents  on French capital letters is entirely up to you. Most of the time they are not essential, and so most French speakers do not add them. In publishing, they have not been added either ever since Vogue magazine decided about 20 years ago that they were too small to be read in print and detracted from clarity and good design; much of the publishing world agreed and followed suit. That said, there are actually two instances when you should always use accents on capital letters: Avoid Embarrassing Misunderstandings or Mistakes Look at what happens when  an advertisement for  biscuits salà ©s (salted crackers) is written in all caps:  BISCUITS SALES, a LOL-worthy mistake that means dirty crackers. Yum!  Its so much clearer to write BISCUITS SALÉS, nest-ce pas? There are plenty of  examples of French homographs like the case above, words that are spelled alike (or almost alike) but mean different things, where failing to add an accent or accents could lead  to embarrassing results. Consider haler (to haul in) versus hà ¢ler (to tan); arrià ©rà © (backward) versus arrià ¨re (backlog); and interne (internal) versus internà © (an inmate in a mental hospital), to name a few. Proper Nouns: The Name of a Company or a Person. Its important to show respect to organizations and people by spelling their names correctly, as well as to make sure that the person who reads the name knows how it should be spelled. If you dont write the accent when the name is in all caps, your reader may not realize that there is an accent when that individual sits down later to write a letter to the person or organization in question. What the  Acadà ©mie Franà §aise Says Some people argue that it just makes more sense  to always use  accents on capital letters in French. And the august  Acadà ©mie franà §aise  agrees: On ne peut que dà ©plorer que lusage des accents sur les majuscules soit flottant. On observe dans les textes manuscrits une tendance certaine à   lomission des accents. En typographie, parfois, certains suppriment tous les accents sur les capitales sous prà ©texte de modernisme, en fait pour rà ©duire les frais de composition. Il convient cependant dobserver quen franà §ais, laccent a pleine valeur orthographique. Son absence ralentit la lecture, fait hà ©siter sur la prononciation, et peut mà ªme induire en erreur. Il en va de mà ªme pour le trà ©ma et la cà ©dille. On veille donc, en bonne typographie, à   utiliser systà ©matiquement les capitales accentuà ©es, y compris la prà ©position  Ãƒâ‚¬,  comme le font bien sà »r tous les dictionnaires, à   commencer par le  Dictionnaire de lAcadà ©mie franà §aise, ou les grammaires, comme  Le  Bon Usage  de Grevisse, mais aussi lImprimerie nationale, la Bibliothà ¨que de la Plà ©iade, etc. Quant aux textes manuscrits ou dactylographià ©s, il est à ©vident que leurs auteurs, dans un souci de clartà © et de correction, auraient tout intà ©rà ªt à   suivre à ©galement cette rà ¨gle.

Napoleon s Control Over Europe s Territory - 1103 Words

Napoleon’s Control Over Europe s Territory Napoleon Bonaparte will remain in the heart of many French nationals as one of the greatest military leaders that the nation has had when it comes to warfare history. In 1799, Napoleon launched a series of wars, which historians call, â€Å"Napoleonic Wars† in a bid to extend the territory of France in Europe. Many historians argue that the Napoleonic Wars were a continuation of the French Revolution in 1789. The revolution brought with it many changes, especially in the production of modern mass weapons. Napoleon s success came from his ideas of freeing Europe, massive army and leadership abilities. Napoleon, Corsican aristocrat, who was a minor, rose to the position of emperor in France because†¦show more content†¦These two battles indicated the strategic nature of Napoleon, as well as the supremacy of the French military in Europe. They were the turning point of his quest to dominate Europe and increase French territory. Napoleon’s success was because of several factors from his military wit to the incompetent nature of his enemies in Europe. When Napoleon rose to the position of an emperor, he became the head of a huge army battalion set up by his previous predecessor. The French army was a conglomeration of loyal citizens who were aware of the cause for their engagement in warfare. They were doing the fighting out of free will and did not act as mercenaries as was the case in the larger parts of Europe. Napoleon impressed on them that they were fighting to protect the gains of their industrial revolution, which was under threat from the outside enemies, and it was a matter of patriotism rather than advancing the ideals of Napoleon as an individual. Napoleon used his wits to create the revolution ardor among those in the military. According to those in the army, the only way to express the ardor was to engage in battles making Napoleon succeed in his quest to gain more territories in Europe (Gershoy 67). It was a vital reason for the success of Napoleon, as many of his enemies did not fight to annihilate success

Night Creature Hunter’s Moon Chapter 19 Free Essays

I went into the bathroom, splashed my face with water, and brushed my teeth. My mouth tasted like something had died in there. My back was on fire. We will write a custom essay sample on Night Creature: Hunter’s Moon Chapter 19 or any similar topic only for you Order Now I turned, twisting awkwardly, trying to see in the mirror above the sink. The long, furrowed mark pulsed bright red, as if infected. The scar had never bothered me once it healed. Sometimes I even forgot for an hour or two at a time. What was the matter now? I straightened, rubbed my hand over my face, and looked again. The scar was just a scar. Puckered. White. Healed. â€Å"Shit.† I was losing my mind. I threw on some clothes, retrieved my weapons, and left the apartment. The remnants of the nightmare faded as I drove into Crow Valley. It wasn’t as if I’d never had one before. I’d just never had one in the daytime. Which disturbed me. I’d been able to keep the nightmares at bay by sleeping when the sun shone. If that re-lief was gone to me, would I ever be able to sleep again? I didn’t want to think about it. So I didn’t. I’d become very good at pushing aside anything I didn’t want to dwell on. If I hadn’t been, I doubt I’d be functional at all. Crow Valley was as busy in the light of an October afternoon as it was empty of an October midnight. Folk of every age, shape, and color walked up and down the picturesque streets. Some even waved as if they knew me. They probably did. In small towns gossip traveled at the speed of sound. One of the reasons I didn’t stay long in any one place. I drove to Jessie’s apartment. It was nearly five o’clock. I’d slept, and dreamed, the day away. But since she didn’t go on duty until the sun went down, we still had time to do our job. Jessie opened the door before I even knocked, and shoved the fax into my hand. â€Å"About time.† â€Å"What’s up your ass?† She turned on me, and I blocked her punch with my forearm. She might have slammed me against the wall once, but that didn’t mean I’d let her do it again. â€Å"I’m in no mood to play nice,† I warned. â€Å"Bitch, bitch, bitch.† She stalked away, plopping onto the couch with a scowl. â€Å"What’s the matter with you?† I tried a more pleasant version of the same question. She glared at me. â€Å"Will’s not back.† â€Å"Did you call him?† â€Å"Cell phone’s off.† â€Å"Does he forget to turn it on?† â€Å"Every damn day.† â€Å"Then what are you worried about?† â€Å"Let’s see – werewolves, vampires, zombies, witches, and all sorts of other things I don’t even know about. Then there are car accidents, mass murderers, blood clots, heart attacks, strokes, and various acts of God.† I blinked. â€Å"Gee, how do you sleep?† â€Å"When he’s not here, I don’t.† Now that I looked closer, there were dark circles under her eyes; lines of stress bracketed her mouth. She was really worried, and I couldn’t say that I blamed her. â€Å"Did you call any friendly state cops?† â€Å"You think I’m a fool? Of course I called.† â€Å"And?† â€Å"Nothing.† This was exactly what I’d been talking about when I said attachments were a bad thing. Jessie wasn’t thinking of werewolves and serial killers; she was thinking of Will. â€Å"If anything had happened, they’d know about it, Jessie.† â€Å"Then where is he?† I had no idea. But if I gave voice to any of my thoughts, she’d only try to slug me again, so I glanced at the sheet of paper in my hand. â€Å"Open Serial Killer Cases Where Cannibalism Is Suspected.† What a lovely title. There were only two. Herman Reyes and some guy named Louis-Francois Charone. â€Å"You said Hector was on here.† â€Å"Check out the place where they last saw Herman Reyes.† I did. Topeka – in the year my life ended. Hell. I lifted my gaze. â€Å"Then Hector is Herman.† â€Å"You tell me.† Jessie held out a photo. Dizziness rushed over me in a nauseating wave. Querida. The word whispered through the room. I swayed. â€Å"Hey!† Suddenly Jessie was there, catching me around the waist and holding me up. â€Å"I guess I don’t have to ask if that’s him.† I shook my head. â€Å"Here.† She yanked out one of the dining room chairs. â€Å"Sit.† I did. She shoved my head between my knees, none too gently. â€Å"Now breathe.† I hated taking orders, especially from her. But I hated fainting even more, so I breathed. A glass of water appeared between my feet. I sat up and sipped. Jessie leaned against the table reading the rest of the faxed report. She lifted her eyes. I waited for her to ask if I was OK, if I needed to lie down, take a pill, see a doctor. â€Å"I guess he changed his name,† she said. She was going to pretend I hadn’t nearly taken a nosedive onto her carpet. I was going to let her. â€Å"I guess. But why? Hector died in 1977. No one would think the two were the same man.† â€Å"Why take a chance?† â€Å"I suppose.† This explained why I hadn’t been able to find him anywhere that I’d searched. He’d no doubt changed his name again. Jessie continued to read. Her lips tightened. â€Å"What?† She looked at me, then back at the paper. â€Å"All of his victims have been the same type of woman.† I knew I wasn’t going to like this, but I asked anyway. â€Å"What type?† â€Å"Blond, petite.† â€Å"Hell.† Had Hector planned on killing me, too? Why hadn’t he? â€Å"Let me see that report.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"I could make you.† She snorted. â€Å"I doubt that.† Since I was still dizzy and my hands were shaking, she was probably right. â€Å"He was a serial killer then and is a Weendigo now,† she murmured, â€Å"satisfying his need for like flesh in both forms.† â€Å"But how did he become a Weendigo in the first place? Isn’t that an Ojibwe warrior cursed by the great spirit?† I asked. â€Å"The great mystery.† â€Å"Whatever. Hector was a lot of things, but Ojibwe wasn’t one of them.† â€Å"I’m not sure how the whole cursed-by-a-mystery works. We’ll have to ask Will.† The reminder that Cadotte wasn’t back yet when he should have been caused a shadow of fear to tighten her face. â€Å"Do you think Hector’s here?† I blurted. â€Å"We’ll know soon enough.† â€Å"How?† She lifted the photo. â€Å"I show this to my deputy. El-wood is a nosy old coot. He knows everyone in Crow Valley. If Hector is in town, Elwood’s met him. We’ll nail Herman/Hector’s ass within a day.† I was glad she had confidence, because I didn’t. I’d dealt with Hector. He was one scary dude. And he was up to something. I just knew it. How to cite Night Creature: Hunter’s Moon Chapter 19, Essay examples

The Inevitability of Allied Victory in Europe During World War Two free essay sample

However Allied victory eventually did become inevitable after certain turning points in the war, this essay will demonstrate how the two most important turning points, the Battle for Stalingrad and the entry of the USA into the war changed a possible German victory into an inevitable Allied victory. In essence this essay will show that the idea of total war and industrial gigantism do not guarantee victory in conflict. One must also ask themselves why Germany would have such a drive for war if Allied victory was conceived to be inevitable. After all what soldier would fight the unwinnable battle? Richard Overy states in Why the Allies Won that ‘no rational man in early 1942 would have guessed at the eventual outcome of the war’ . To appreciate the credibility of this statement and the probability of German victory, the early years of the war must be looked at retrospectively, and Germany’s position tactically, economically and socially must be analysed. Even though Germany was out-matched in production and numbers there is no reason to believe that the early years of the war pointed to inevitable Allied victory.WW2 in Europe was precipitated by many contributing factors. Widely accepted though is the idea that most Germans were resentful of the humiliating defeat in WW1 which in following, Germany was forced to sign the treaty of Versailles. Economic disaster ensued due to the large reparations the victors demanded. Thus it is not surprising that upon the Nazi Parties rise the German people immediately aggrandised Hitler, a wounded Linz Regiment corporal from the First World War who promised a mannish dream of another German Empire. Re-armament of Germany was soon to follow, in spite of the treaty’s prohibition of this, and a highly trained, equipped and motivated military war machine was built. Stats At this point Germany had 195 divisions 28 of which were elite armoured or panzer divisions, key elements in the army’s ability to fight a Blitzkrieg war. Hitler then moved to annex Austria and Czechoslovakia which he succeeded in doing while avoiding any conflict. Germany’s next move was to take Poland after signing a non-aggression treaty with Russia.Poland’s antiquated army fell in one month. The early years of the war saw the German war machine make crushing blows in Europe. Hitler’s blitzkrieg was ruthless and stunning to his enemies who found themselves caught in its path or more often cut off by its encircling tactics. After the fall of Poland the German Army turned south and fought a Blitzkrieg war through the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg and France. At this point Germany was undoubtedly tactically superior to every other nation on Earth. ‘The German Army had fought an amazing campaign.It had shown itself almost incomparable in defence as well as in offence’ It was positioned to take Britain and the Soviet Union. Hitler had assessed the French and British as weak. Although this assessment certainly was not representative of the courage and fortitude of the nations and even their military size it was however an accurate depiction of their readiness and tactical ability. France was ready having placed its army at the Maginot line to fight a war of attrition, however Germany on the other hand was not ready to fight a war of attrition and indeed would not. Using blitzkrieg and paratroopers the German Army encircled the Maginot Line, defeating the defenders and pushing the British Expeditionary Force out to sea at Dunkirk. Early in the war Germany’s economic might was very large but still not comparable to the allies. However this does not necessarily mean that defeat was an inevitable outcome. Hitler’s predictions of the German economic standing globally before the war would likely have given him a false illusion of Germans economic might.The statistics gathered caused him not to assess the USA or Russia as the potential superpowers or industrial giants they were to become, and rightly so. In 1936 America’s army was 110,000 men strong, its military spending was 1% of its annual budget and it had no independent air force and an unarmed navy The prediction was made that either country would not be able to mobilise an effective industry compared to Germany’s inside a four year time limit So is it reasonable to say that even economically Germany was facing a potential victory even though so many say this war was won by economics and economics alone?Not only did Germany have an impressive production capability already but it was sitting very close to potentially enormous deposits of resources, most notably the oil in The caucuses south of Rostov and Stalingrad. In 1941 German production of crude oil was 33. 4 million tons compared to Russia’s 110 million tons. Now at this stage in the war the USA was still not involved so German commitments even though on two fronts were only faced with a large pressure from Russia on the Eastern front.Certainly if Germany had taken the caucuses and their invaluable oil Russia would have been crippled and defeated? But also Germany would be standing in a much better economic position. Having developed an idea of Germany’s capability economically and tactically and proven that Allied victory at that stage was not inevitable it is now time to look at the turning points and why the German position became impossible. The summer of 1941 saw the war move east as the German army opened up an attack on the Soviet Union. Code named ‘Operation Barbarossa’ the attack achieved complete surprise.Stalin actually had to be convinced that the German army was attacking as he held faith in the non-aggression pact between the two countries. The war moved with incredible speed and with huge pincer movements that captured, killed and wounded whole Russian army groups. After making deep penetrations into Russia Hitler inexplicably ordered a halt on the advance before reaching Moscow and the momentum of the attack was lost. It was not until winter had passed and the warmer weather arrived in April 1942 that Hitler moved to take the initiative again.At this time Russian reconnaissance noticed â€Å"Germans were concentrating their forces on the southern part of the Central Front’. Hitler’s plan was to move south with the 6th Army and the 4th Panzer Army and take first Rostov and then Stalingrad which would have effectively cut off the caucuses and Russian oil – some 110 million tons of it . This manoeuvre in itself could have ended the war for the Russians. Without the caucuses and its oil it would have been impossible to mobilise the reserve divisions that hadn’t been decimated in 1941 during B arbarossa. Ultimately soviet defeat would have allowed Hitler to return his full attention to Britain and invading her. Some may argue that German defeat was always inevitable because of the eventual involvement of the USA. However the involvement of the USA would never have occurred if Britain fell. â€Å"Had the British opted for a negotiated peace or succumbed to invasion the USA would have retreated behind the walls of a ‘fortress’ America’ This was an entirely possible scenario if Stalingrad and the caucuses had been taken .This operation in essence would be a defining point of the war, but was the loss at Stalingrad inevitable and thus leading to inevitable Allied victory? Firstly the circumstances must be looked at. Hitler’s plan was to drive the 4th Panzer division directly south to Rostov, however he overestimated Rostov’s ability to hold and stripped the 6th Army of its armour and fuel as support for the 4th. Rostov was poorly defended and captured r elative ease. At the same time though Hitler ordered the 6th Army to march on to Stalingrad.This became a fatal decision. The 6th army was weakened and had been marching for 6 weeks. A sensible strategist would have halted the 6th and allowed its armour and elements of the 4th Panzer Army to link up. Strangely this seemingly simple idea that would have resulted in a much more decisive and strengthened force arriving at Stalingrad was not implemented and the 6th army was forced to fight in extremely unfavourable circumstances. Hence Germany unable to deliver the knockout blow to take Russia out of the war.They had involved their most experienced troops in a conflict which resulted in huge casualties and losses, meaning any attack on the western front would further stretch the German armed forces. And all the while they had failed to destroy the Soviet economy, which by the end of ‘41 had put itself on a war footing, one which Germany was never able to achieve. Following Stalingrad the German Army suffered massive defeats on the entire Eastern Front until finally they could fight no longer.Thus the turning point in the war was reached and the fate of the war seems to have been decided by Hitler’s compulsion and hasty decisions rather than the ability of the German army to fight. Because of Hitler’s loss at Stalingrad and his failure to capture the all important caucus oil as well as the destruction of the finest parts of his army an invasion in the West was now not only possible but imminent. The invasion came in in the form of the US army at Normandy.The Western front became a devastating arena for the Germans but was only so devastating due to the effects of the German losses on the Eastern front. Even though Hitler ordered his reserves to concentrate on defending the Western front, it was still now an inevitable outcome that the allies would be victorious. Even the Battle of the Bulge had little hope of long term success as the allies were transporting more supplies on to mainland Europe every day, at a rate Germany could not hope to match. By 1945 the Russian army had made it to Berlin and the war was over.In conclusion Allied victory in Europe only became inevitable after the turning points of Stalingrad and the US invasion. Hitler made a fatal and unforgivable mistake by not ensuring the Soviet Union was completely destroyed in Operation Barbarossa. If the invasion had been successful, an Allied invasion of Western Europe would have been close to impossible. Overall Allied victory was not inevitable but sat on a precarious balance that fortunately tipped in the favour of good rather than that of evil. BibliographyBest, A, International History of The Twentieth Century and Beyond, Routledge, London, 2008 Duiker, WJ, Twentieth Century World History, Thomson Wadsworth, Belmont, 2006 Grenville, JAS, A History of the World from the 20th to the 21st Century, Routledge, New York, 2005 Overy, R, Why the Allies Won, London, 1996 Petrov, June 22 1941 Soviet Historians and the German Invasion, Columbia, 1968 Strategicus, To Stalingrad and Alamein, London Strategicus, The War Moves East, London Stokesbury, A Short History of WW2, New York, 1980 Statistical Data from Olive