Describe, explain, justify
At B1, the written tasks of the TEF Canada and TCF Canada ask you to do three things in one short text: describe a situation, explain why it happens, and justify your own choice or opinion. The difference between a flat answer and a strong one is rarely vocabulary; it is structure and the connectors that link your ideas. This lesson gives you a reliable paragraph plan and the cause and consequence words that hold it together.
Associez chaque connecteur à son sens.
Match each connector with its meaning.
Quel connecteur doit être suivi d'un nom, et non d'une proposition ?
Which connector must be followed by a noun, not a clause?
Think of every paragraph as three moves. First, describe: state the fact or situation neutrally (what, who, where). Second, explain: give the cause with words like parce que, car, en raison de or grâce à. Third, justify: defend your position and show the consequence with donc, c'est pourquoi, par conséquent or alors. A reader (and an examiner) should be able to feel these three steps without you labelling them.
| parce que | because (answers a question directly) |
| car | because, for (more written, links two clauses) |
| puisque | since, given that (cause the reader already knows) |
| comme | as, since (cause placed at the start) |
| en raison de | owing to, because of (+ noun) |
| grâce à | thanks to (positive cause, + noun) |
| à cause de | because of (negative cause, + noun) |
| donc | so, therefore |
| c'est pourquoi | that is why |
| par conséquent | consequently (formal) |
| ainsi | thus, in this way |
| du coup | so, as a result (spoken, avoid in writing) |
| de plus | moreover, in addition |
| en effet | indeed (confirms and explains a point) |
Choisissez le bon connecteur : une cause positive.
Choose the correct connector: a positive cause.
Complétez avec un connecteur de cause + proposition (parce que).
Complete with a cause connector + clause (because).
Je n'ai pas pu venir ____ j'étais malade.
Watch what follows each connector. Parce que, car, puisque and comme introduce a full clause (subject + verb). En raison de, à cause de and grâce à introduce a noun, never a verb. Choose grâce à for a good cause and à cause de for a bad one: grâce à mon professeur (positive) versus à cause de la grève (negative). For consequence, donc and alors are everyday, while par conséquent and c'est pourquoi sound more written and score better in an exam.
Complétez avec le connecteur de cause négative (+ nom).
Complete with the negative cause connector (+ noun).
Le train a été annulé ____ la grève.
Remettez les mots dans l'ordre pour former une phrase avec une conséquence.
Put the words in order to form a sentence with a consequence.
A clean B1 paragraph follows a visible arc: a topic sentence that announces your idea, a cause that explains it, an example or detail that supports it, and a concluding link that states the consequence. Use connectors to mark each step rather than starting every sentence the same way. Avoid stacking three short sentences with no link: that reads like a list, not an argument.
Construisez une phrase décrire + expliquer + justifier.
Build a describe + explain + justify sentence.
Traduisez en français (employez un connecteur de conséquence écrit).
Translate into French (use a written consequence connector).
The office is too noisy; consequently, I work from home.
Traduisez en français (cause positive + nom).
Translate into French (positive cause + noun).
Thanks to this training, I made progress.
Écoutez et tapez la phrase que vous entendez.
Listen and type the sentence you hear.
Quelle phrase convient le mieux pour une réponse d'examen écrite ?
Which sentence is best for a written exam answer?
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