Grammatical spelling
Grammatical spelling is important in PSC Written Expression, where agreement and word forms must be written correctly, and it can also support Reading Comprehension, where an incorrect answer may reveal confusion between similar-looking forms, incorrect endings, or words that do not fit the grammar of the sentence. Grammatical spelling covers written forms that look close to the correct answer but are still wrong in standard French. These errors often involve spelling, morphology, homophones, or anglicisms inserted into French.
Why this matters on the PSC test
These questions are often deceptively simple. A word may look familiar, sound similar to the right form, or even come from English, but only one written form is accepted in formal French. PSC items frequently test your ability to spot these small but important written errors quickly.
Core rule
The correct answer must use the accepted written form in French. A near-match is still wrong if the spelling, morphology, or standard form is incorrect.
In your PSC categorization system, this category also includes anglicisms. So an English word inserted into a French sentence belongs here, even if it also looks like a vocabulary issue.
scolaire
gouvernement
approfondir
une fois
Common PSC traps
- Simple misspellings: the word is French, but the spelling is wrong. Example: scolaire, not scoleire.
- Homophone confusion: a form may sound similar but represent a different word. Example: une fois, not une foi.
- Morphological mistakes: a word may have the wrong ending or an altered written form. Example: approfondir, not aprofondir.
- Anglicisms: English words inserted into a French sentence are treated as grammatical spelling in your system. Example: gouvernement, not government.
- Fast-reading errors: under exam pressure, the wrong form can look “close enough.” Always check the exact written form.
PSC-style examples
votre niveau scolaire
le gouvernement du Canada
d’approfondir la question
une fois le document transmis
des programmes de contrôle
Mini practice
a) scoleire
b) scolaire
a) government
b) gouvernement
a) Une fois
b) Une foi
1. b) scolaire
2. b) gouvernement
3. a) Une fois