Le Bon Usage

Le Bon Usage (French pronunciation: [lə bɔn‿yzaʒ], Good Usage), informally called Le Grevisse, is a descriptive book about French grammar first published in 1936 by Maurice Grevisse, and periodically revised since. It describes the usage of the French language, primarily in its written literary form.

Description

Quite extensive (1600 pages), it includes numerous examples and counter-examples taken from Francophone literature of various periods, including newspapers, to form a reference for teachers of French, and in particular, authors and editors.

Editions

In 1936, the first edition was published by De Boeck Supérieur (then named Duculot). A new edition was published in 1939, and another in 1946. The book was awarded the gold medal of the Académie française. The high praise of André Gide in the literary supplement of Le Figaro in February 1947 contributed to its success.^[1]

After the death of Grevisse in 1980, his son-in-law André Goosse, also a grammarian, took over and published the 12th and 13th (1993) editions. The 14th edition was published in August 2007 in a completely new format. The 15th edition appeared in 2011. Since then there has been a 16th edition published in 2016.

Online

As of 01/01/2023, Le Bon Usage is no longer available on-line.^[2]

References

^ "M. Grevisse répond à toutes les questions flottantes; y répond si pertinemment que je n'aurais qu'à le copier pour satisfaire aux inquiétudes et aux doutes de mes plus scrupuleux correspondants. Je les invite à s'adresser directement à ce remarquable ouvrage." André Gide, Figaro littéraire, 8 February 1947
^ "BIENVENUE SUR LA PAGE DU BON USAGE" (in French). Retrieved 8 March 2024.

External links

(in French) Official website
(in French) Biographical notice from the 13th edition
(in French) Guy Lemaire raconte: Maurice Grevisse RTBF journalist Guy Lemaire on Grevisse, 2005

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[1] "M. Grevisse répond à toutes les questions flottantes; y répond si pertinemment que je n'aurais qu'à le copier pour satisfaire aux inquiétudes et aux doutes de mes plus scrupuleux correspondants. Je les invite à s'adresser directement à ce remarquable ouvrage." André Gide, Figaro littéraire, 8 February 1947

[2] "BIENVENUE SUR LA PAGE DU BON USAGE" (in French). Retrieved 8 March 2024.

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