The Versatility of the Sylvan Tutoring Center Jobs

The Versatility of the Sylvan Tutoring Center JobsSylvan Tutoring Center Jobs are meant to help those in need of helping students. They also work with the families of the individuals that need the help.You will learn how to earn your degree in various talents. You can attend the classes in various subjects like accounting, science, and even dance. Not only do you earn money, but you will have a great experience as well.When you are working in a tutoring center, you will not only be helping people, but you will be helping your own family out as well. Your services are very important to your own family. In fact, you are most likely the one that provides the most for them. After all, it is hard to take care of someone that you do not know.The different people that you will meet at these centers are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. You will feel valued as well as important as well. If you are having any problems at all, you will be able to speak to someone who can help you o ut or even help find a solution to your problem.If you are a mother, a father, or a grandparent, you will want to consider these Sylvan Tutoring Center Jobs. You will get more time for yourself and your family as well. You will even get time to devote to your own career.If you are looking for a job in order to provide a better life for yourself and your family, there are various ways to go about it. Some of the different jobs are finding your own place to live and some are going to school. You may even be able to become a teacher at the school.For many, these Sylvan Tutoring Center Jobs is what they are looking for in a job. There are plenty of people that look for a job such as this and that is what they are looking for. Some people look for jobs like this as a part time thing and others look for them full time.Sylvan Tutoring Center Jobs is one of the best ways to make money today. You will be able to help the poor or needy. You can even be a teacher as well and you can have a gre at time doing it as well.

When the Price of an Hour of Tutoring Increases

When the Price of an Hour of Tutoring IncreasesWhen the price of an hour of tutoring increases, you will often think of a few different options. These options can vary with the amount of time that the fee per hour is going to cost you. You could look into taking your courses online or taking classes at your local school.A lot of people have been opting for their local schools. The best way to get the services of tutors is to start looking for them through your local schools. They will be in a position to give you some information about the different schools in your area. Be sure to ask if they are in a position to give you advice about their tutoring fees as well.If you are thinking of taking an online course then you need to make sure that you are getting the best results possible by taking the course through the local schools. The fact that you are using the services of an expert means that the services provided to you will be much better than the services that you are going to get through any of the other options that you have. You will always be able to use the online courses and your local schools are just not in a position to provide this service.You can make sure that you do all the homework that you can when it comes to choosing the school that you want to take the courses from. In most cases you will be offered some sort of discount on the tuition fees that you have to pay. If you want to ensure that you get a good deal then you should always check out the entire option that you have to choose from.When the price of an hour of tutoring increases, you need to make sure that you do some careful planning about what course to take next. If you want to take courses at your local school, then make sure that you always make sure that you are taking the required classes. These are the classes that will help you develop as a student and as a person. Without these classes you will end up being frustrated and also unsatisfied with your life.Whether the cost per h our is going to increase or not, you need to keep yourself up to date with the latest news and technology that are going on. This is going to make sure that you are aware of how your tutoring can benefit you. If you want to know more about the best ways to find the best tutors and the best school to take the courses from then you need to check out what are the best strategies to use. There are websites out there that you can check out and you can get information in a matter of minutes.It is important that you make sure that you take advantage of the best means to stay updated with the information that you are interested in. This way you will be sure that you will always have the knowledge that you need to achieve your goals and to improve yourself.

Circle Graph - Math Online Tutoring

Circle Graph - Math Online Tutoring A circle is set of all the points that are in the same plane and equidistant from a central point. The radius of acircle is a line segment that joins center of the circle and any point on the circle. The circle graph is a graphdrawn in the shape of a circle and is divided into sectors. Each of these sectors represents a part of a dataset. These sectors may be mostly represented as percentage. This circle graph is also called pie chart. Thiscircle graph is a very useful tool and may be better explained by the following examples. Example 1: A collection of 100 people are sitting in a room. These are 3 colored chairs; 40 sittingon red, 30 sitting on blue, and 30 sitting on green. Calculate the percentage of people on these 3types of chairs. Solution: Total no of people are 100 Percentage on red chair = 40/100 x 100= 40% Percentage on blue chair = 30/100 x 100= 30% Percentage on green chair = 30/100 x 100= 30% Example 2: In a traffic jam, we have 30 Zen, 20 Santro, 25 Nano and 15 WagonR. Find thepercentage of the types of cars. Solution: Total cars = 30+20+25+15 = 90 Percentage of Zen = 30/90 x 100 = 33.33% Percentage of Santro = 20/90 x 100 = 22.22% Percentage of Nano = 25/90 x 100 = 27.77% Percentage of WagonR = 15/90 x 100 = 16.66%

Double Bar Graphs

Double Bar Graphs We can use the double bar graphs to compare or present more than one kind of information by using bars. We can also call the Double bar graphs as double bar charts. We have some important points to draw double bar graphs. Those are We need to decide which title we can give to graph We need to decide what kind of bars we can take (horizontal or vertical bars) given We need to choose a proper scale (To give the proper scale, we need to find the difference of the numbers which are in table, then from that, we can take the scale) We need to put the labels to x and y axis Next, from the given information, we need to draw the bars with the using of scale which we have taken in the third step. Example1:Construct the double bar graph with using of below table.We can use the double bar graphs to compare or present more than one kind of information by using bars. We can also call the Double bar graphs as double bar charts. We have some important points to draw double bar graphs. Those are We need to decide which title we can give to graph We need to decide what kind of bars we can take (horizontal or vertical bars) given We need to choose a proper scale (To give the proper scale, we need to find the difference of the numbers which are in table, then from that, we can take the scale) We need to put the labels to x and y axis Next, from the given information, we need to draw the bars with the using of scale which we have taken in the third step. Example1:Construct the double bar graph with using of below table. Solution: Step1: We need to decide which title we can give to graph We have the title from table that is Scores in practice test and test of students Step2: We decided to take vertical bars Step3: Since the scores are differ from one another by 5, 10, 15 0r 20 So, we can take scale of 10 If the differences are like 2, 4, 6 We can take scale of 2 Step4: we can label the x axis with students names Y axis with scores Step 5: Finally, from the given information, we need to draw the bars

How to Structure French Sentences for Beginners

How to Structure French Sentences for Beginners How To Build French Sentences ChaptersThe Simple Declarative SentenceNegative SentencesAdding Adjectives, Adverbial PhrasesDependent and relative clausesThe French Interrogative SentenceThe French Conditional SentenceConfessions of a Language Learner: Learning with a TutorSpeaking French is more than just learning vocabulary words from flash cards. Words are just the atoms, the building blocks of a language. They have to be put into context, strung together to form a sentence that is imparted with meaning.And grammar rules don’t just govern how to decline a verb, or what gender a French word is. They also regulate in what order you are going to put the words in a sentence. Your French classes will teach you a lot about how to conjugate a verb, have your nouns and adjectives agree and what words and phrases will help you find the bathroom. What they might not teach you (but should) is sentence structure.How are sentences put together in French? Does one use the dative, nominative, accusative and interrogative ca ses the same way as in English?Setting aside that pesky grammatical gender agreement required to speak French properly, where and how do adjectives and adverbial phrases fit in a properly constructed sentence?As an overview of these topics, Superprof presents this chart, one that you might consider printing and clipping and carrying with you to your French lessons or your French tutoring sessions.Native speakers of French experience the same conundrum: if they are already speaking correctly, why do they have to analyse their speech?Grammar rules are the blueprints upon which language is built; its role obvious only upon learning a second language.Going back to the earlier analogy, that words are a language's building blocks, we can put grammar in that context by assigning it the role of mortar holding the blocks together.Just as mortar may combine different ingredients, so, from one language to the next, grammar may involve different constructions to make sentences.The most common t ype of sentence in English and in French is the  declarative sentence;  a simple expression stating a fact:Il fait beau.   It (the weather) is nice.Catherine est une adolescente. Catherine is a teenager.  J'ai faim! I am hungry!Ma mère est danseuse. My mother is a dancer.  Il écoute la musique. He listens to music.  As in English, the declarative form in French is the core around which more complicated sentences can be built.Basic as (French) bread, the declarative sentence is the simplest form of expression Source: Pixabay Credit: Free-PhotosBasic French sentences with nounsWhen you learn a language, you start with basic sentences with the most common word order.In French, this is SVO - Subject + Verb + Object. As for most Romance languages - and, indeed, English - the subject (who is doing the action?) generally comes at the beginning of the sentence.There follows the verb, and then the direct object (what is he/she doing?). The sentences above are all examples of the SVO constr uct.We now expand on that basic sentence structure by adding an  indirect object (for/to/with whom is he doing it?):Subject + Verb + Direct Object + Indirect ObjectMarie donne le livre à sa maîtresse.  Marie gives the book to her teacher.Jean rend le cartable à son frère. Jean gives his brother his rucksack back.Suzanne apporte les pommes  Ã  la cuisine. Suzanne brings the apples to the kitchen.Lucie retourne les livres  Ã  la bibliotheque. Lucy returns the books to the library.  Remi mange son dîner  Ã  table. Remi eats dinner at the table.  In each of these examples, the subject is doing something with the direct object for, to or with the indirect object.Until now, we've only shown sample sentences using action verbs: somebody or something doing something. What about sentences that use a compound verb?In French as in English, compound verbs consist of an auxiliary verb and a participle verb form, either in past or present tense.In English these 'helper' verbs are to be, to h ave and to do. In French, only the first two, être and avoir, are used in compound structures with being  Ãªtre used less frequently.Nevertheless, the structure remains the same: the verb that indicates what is happening stays in second place:Le roi avait pardonné le mousquetaire. The king had pardoned the musketeer.J'ai fini la vaisselle. I have finished the dishes.  Les parents ont gaté ces enfants! The parents have spoiled these children!Le maitre avait donné des devoirs. The teacher had given homework.  Mon copain est arrivé hier soir. My mate arrived yesterday evening.  The only time a direct object might come after an indirect object is if there is additional information attached to it, such as a relative clause:Jean rend à son frère le cartable qu’il lui avait prêté. Jean gives his brother back the rucksack he had lent him.Ma soeur montre  Ã  ma mére les dessins que j'avais peint. My sister shows my mother the drawings I painted.  Mon collegue dit  Ã  nôtre patro n que je suis fainéante!  My colleague tells our boss that I am lazy!Benoit lit  Ã  sa copine des pôemes qu'il trouve romantique.   Benoit reads to his girlfriend poems he finds romantic.Gabriel donne  Ã  sa soeur les bonbons qu'il avait promi. Gabriel gave to his sister the sweets he had promised.  Naturally, you could structure the sentence in such a way that the direct object comes before the indirect:Gabriel a donné les bonbons qu'il avait promi a  sa soeur. Gabriel gave the sweets he had promised to his sister.  However, that makes the sentence meaning ambiguous: He promised the candies to his sister, but who exactly did he give them to?French being an exceedingly precise language, it is always best to follow the proper sentence structure in order to convey your intended meaning.It might take a bit of practice, but your language skills will be all the richer for it!Who exactly did Gabriel give the sweets to? Said correctly in French, we would know! Source: Pixabay Credit: Sk yradarWord order with pronounsAs in many other languages, French words are put into a different order if some or all of them are pronouns.Let’s take the sentence:Marie montre son dessin à sa maman. Marie shows her drawing to her mum.Subject pronouns stay at the beginning of the sentence:Elle montre son dessin à sa maman. She shows her drawing to her mum.  Sometimes, in French, it is much more convenient to describe an object in a sentence by using a pronoun.Consider the sentence above: She shows her drawing to her mum. How can that sentence be made less cumbersome?Elle lui montre son dessin. - 'lui' takes the place of 'maman' even though, generally, 'lui' represents a male. Elle le montre à sa maman. - 'le' takes the place of the picture. In this sentence, the gender matches; dessin is masculine. Elle le lui montre. - here, you have a combination of the two representations above, with 'le' meaning 'dessin' and 'lui' in for 'maman'.Let us now suppose you are that dear mum, telli ng a jealous mother about how your daughter creates artwork for you. You would say:Son dessin? Elle me le montre! Her drawing? She shows it to me!Because of its first person singular designation, “me” ranks higher than “le” - a mere article. Therefore, you would place 'me' before 'le' in such sentences.Object pronouns come BEFORE the verb but AFTER the subject. In what order they come depends on the pronoun:Subject + 'me', 'te', 'se', 'nous', 'vous' + 'le', 'la', 'les' + 'lui', 'leur' + (adverbial pronoun “y”) + 'en' + Verb.Examples:Elle nous les montre. She shows them to us. Note that 'montre' agrees with 'elle' - third person singular.You might also phrase it as a question:Elle vous les montre? Does she show them to you? Either way, the order listed above remains.'En' is an indefinite plural pronoun that, in this sentence's case, represents the drawings. 'en' is always placed just before the verb:Elle montre des dessins à sa maman. - Elle lui en montre. She shows some drawings to her mum. She shows her them.Learn more about French grammar rules.Negative SentencesThe French negative words are: ne…pas and ne…point (the latter is archaic or regional).“Ne” comes immediately after the subject. “Pas” comes immediately after the verb.Marie ne montre pas son dessin à sa maman. Marie does not show her drawing to her mum.  Marie ne le montre pas à sa maman. Marie doesn't show it to her mum.Marie ne lui montre pas son dessin. Marie doesn't show her her drawing.Marie ne le lui montre pas. Marie doesn't show her it.French sentence structure in the negative. Photo credit: biphop on Visual huntNegation is pretty straightforward in French, however you should be aware of using 'any' properly.The equivalent of the English “no” or “not…any” is “ne…aucun”:Marie ne montre aucun dessin à sa mère. Marie doesn’t show any drawing to her mother. Or: Marie shows no drawings to her mother.Adding Adjectives, Adverbial PhrasesAdverbs and a dverbial phrasesThe adverbial phrase or complément circonstanciel can come at the beginning, the end or the middle of the sentence. They are emphasised if they are put at the beginning or the end; it is more colloquial to only put single-word adverbs in the middle.Such phrases may denote a time:Marie lui montrera son dessin demain. Marie will show him/her her drawing tomorrow.  Demain, Marie lui montrera son dessin. Tomorrow, Marie will show him/her her drawing.Marie lui montrera demain son dessin. Marie will show him/her tomorrow her drawingOr a place:Marie lui montrera son dessin à l’école. Marie will show her drawing at school.  Ã€ l’école, Marie lui montrera son dessin. At school, Marie will show her drawing.However, if you are using a complément circonstanciel construction to denote a place where an activity has happened, you cannot put that location in the middle of the sentence:Marie lui montrera à l’école son dessin. Marie will show him/her at school her drawing .  You'll note that, as we do not know who the 'lui' in question is, it might represent a male or a female - hence both pronouns.    Adverbial pronounsThe adverbial pronoun “y” (directional) comes after most other pronouns but before the plural pronoun “en”. It is generally used to denote a progressive action, or one that is about to take place. However,  'y' can only be used if the listener knows what the speaker is talking about:Marie va à l’école. Marie goes to school. If the listener knows where Marie is headed, the speaker could say: Marie y va - Marie is going.Another example: Nous irons au bois. We go to the forest. Contrast that with the much simpler: Nous y allons. We're going - the usage is contingent on it being known where we are going!Caution! You should never say:Marie y va  Ã  l'école or Nous y allons au bois  - it suggests the listener both knows and doesn't know the destination.Find French lessons that may interest you here.How would you say Marie and P aul go to school in French? Source: Pixabay Credit: Mohamad HassanAdjectives and their placement in the sentence.Unlike in English, Adjectives  are generally placed right after the noun:Whereas an English speaker would say: 'the red balloon', in French, the proper order is: 'le ballon rouge'. Here are some more examples:The hungry lion = le lion affamé.The sleepy child = l'enfant somnolent(e).The playful cat = le chat (la chatte) ludique.A good book = un bon livre.Do you know of the BAGS group? It denotes constructions wherein the adjective comes before the noun:Beauty: Un joli ballon. A pretty balloon.  More: Une jolie femme (a pretty woman), une belle chanson (a pretty song)Age: Un vieux ballon. An old balloon. More: Un viel homme (an old man), une vieille bicyclette (an old bicycle)Goodness: Un méchant ballon. A mean balloon. More: un bon vin (a good wine), une bonne amie (a good friend).Size: Un grand ballon. A big balloon.  More: Un petit ballon (a small balloon), une petite fille (a small girl).Adjectives used with verbs expressing a state come after the verb:Le ballon est vert.  The balloon is green.Le ballon semble petit.  The balloon seems small.Le ballon deviendra grand.  The balloon will become big.  Note that adjectives should always agree with the noun they are qualifying in gender and number.La chatte deviendra grande. The (female) cat will become big.  La fille semble petite. The girl seems small.  La voiture est verte. The car is green.  An imperative phrase,always begins with the verb. Photo credit: biphop on Visual HuntDon’t forget to do the grammar exercises in your French grammar textbooks and from your online French course to help you learn all about French sentence structure, learn French expressions and how to conjugate French verbs.Confessions of a Language Learner: Learning with a TutorLet us again reflect on how we learned our native tongue: by speaking it. That being the case, wouldn't it make sense that language classes would fo cus on spoken language rather than language mechanics?All while acknowledging that grammar is indeed essential to language, must we inevitably conclude that lessons in grammar are a vital component of language lessons?It seems to be a universal practice that language classes will devote a substantial portion of their time to teaching grammar, placing less emphasis on speaking and listening skills.I can say that with some veracity. Having been a language learner for all of my life - aren't we all? - and currently embroiled in picking up a new tongue, I feel frustration at grammatical exercises in the classroom that do seemingly little to improve my speaking ability.I could rail about it, complain to my teacher or school leader... or I could do something about it.Grateful as I am of my teacher's efforts at imparting declensions, cases and other grammatical particulars - and having no desire to detract her, I have engaged a tutor for the express purpose of practicing my speaking skills .This gives me the best of both worlds.I have a teacher, in a formal setting, imparting all of the nuts and bolts that makes this language I'm learning so very challenging.I also have a conversation partner who is a native speaker of this language, whose focus is exclusively on my pronunciation and my ability to understand what he says.Whereas in class, I get very little talking time; with my online tutor, I get to talk as much as I want - indeed, I am encouraged to talk ever more!If you are reading this, then you too must be a language learner. As such, you might consider the solution I hit upon to acquire the most language capability in the fastest manner possible.A language tutor will tailor his/her lessons to your needs and abilities, all while driving you to improve steadily. Also, s/he will give you a substantial boost in confidence - something that sometimes gets left out for all of the busy-ness in class.Why not contact a Superprof French tutor to help you, the way my tutor helps me?

Memorial Day Activities for Families

Memorial Day Activities for Families While summer officially begins on the June solstice, the season unofficially begins on the last Monday in May: Memorial Day. Its the end to what is often a three-day weekend for families across America involving barbeques, swimming pools, and other gatherings. But its important to remember the meaning behind Memorial Day as a federal holiday. The day is designated as a time to remember and honor the people who died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Memorial Day Activities for families can include attending a Memorial Day parade, visiting military cemeteries and memorials, or visiting museums to learn more about Memorial Day and military history. [RELATED: 4 Educational Field Trips] What should you do on Memorial Day this year? Heres a list of some educational Memorial Day activities for families: 1. Attend a Memorial Day parade Traditions in and of themselves, Memorial Day parades are a great way to celebrate this holiday. The National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C. is the biggest and most famous in the country. However, a huge number of cities and towns host their own parades as well. During the parade, youll likely be entertained by: marching bands youth groups floats performers Moreover, you will be educated by veterans and military officials who will speak about the history of the holiday and some of the fallen soldiers it honors. 2. Visit a memorial honoring fallen soldiers on Memorial Day Many memorials have been constructed all across the U.S. to honor fallen servicemen and women. Memorials have educational placards, and sometimes even docents who give tours and offer more information. [RELATED: 6 Activities to Keep Students Learning This Summer] Some of the most famous are on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and include the National World War II Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the Korean War Veterans Memorial. Many other well-known war memorials are in New York City, including the Korean War Memorial, Brooklyn War Memorial, Soldiers and Sailors Monument, and New York Vietnam Veterans Memorial Plaza. 3. Visit a National Cemetery on Memorial Day There are 147 National Cemeteries in the U.S., which contain the graves of fallen U.S. military personnel, veterans, and their spouses. Even if you do not have a relative buried in one of these cemeteries, it can be rewarding to visit one and pay respects to fallen soldiers. One of the most famous National Cemeteries, Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, holds more than 400,000 military veterans and their immediate family members. This cemetery is the final resting place for military veterans who have served since some of the countrys earliest days as a nation, from the Civil War to today. You can tour the cemetery on foot or by bus with a guide. [RELATED: Educational Road Trip Games for the Whole Family] One highlight of the Arlington National Cemetery includes the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which pays tribute to soldiers who died while fighting in World War II through the Vietnam War. Another is the Changing of the Guard ritual, which is a traditional ceremony done every half hour from April 1 to September 30 and every hour from October 1 to March 31. President John F. Kennedys grave and its eternal flame are also open for viewing at Arlington. 4. Visit a museum on Memorial Day Many national history museums across America have at least one exhibit paying homage to the countrys fallen military heroes. Consider visiting the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., or the National Museum of Jewish Military History, also in Washington, D.C. Take a guided tour or explore on your own and be prepared to learn! Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.

Interesting Facts About France

Interesting Facts About France Interesting Facts About France, French History and the French Language ChaptersFrench History Facts: Kingdom, French Republic, Empire and a Colonial PowerFrench Fact: French is Spoken in About 30 Different Countries WorldwideMore Fun Facts About France They Didn’t Teach You In SchoolLanguage is shaped by history, and French history is full of fascinating facts. Here at Superprof, we want to make sure you know as much as possible about French culture.Fun Facts About the French LanguageAre you eager to learn French? Have you already booked French classes at the Alliance Francaise or a Superprof tutor? Here are some interesting facts about  the languages of France:French is a Romance language, meaning it evolved mostly from Latin.Before Julius Caesar invaded Gaul and Latin became the administrative language, the language spoken by the Gauls  was a Celtic language called GaulishThe King of France Charlemagne did not learn to read as a child. He learned when he was an adult and promoted the founding of schools to increase literacy.In the Middle Ages, there were two main dialects  of French called the Langue d’Oc (which gave its name to a French region in the south of France, the Languedoc-Rousillon) and the Langue d’Oil. The names of these languages are  based on their word for “yes”.The French word for a novel is a “roman” - these were the first books written in the French language, also called “Roman”, rather than Latin. They were tales of chivalry and adventure.French pidgin languages combining the grammar and vocabulary of French and a local language are called “creoles”.  There are creoles spoken in Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana and various African countries.The first French dictionary dates to 1606, the first grammar textbook to 1531.Here are good French lessons for you.The dying Gaul from this famous Roman statue would have spoken Gaulish. The French language evolved primarily from Latin. Photo credit: Xuan Che on Visual hunt AnnieFrench Teacher 4.89 (9) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutor s CarolineFrench Teacher 5.00 (13) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LowriFrench Teacher 5.00 (9) £90/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarianneFrench Teacher 5.00 (8) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ThibautFrench Teacher 5.00 (3) £19/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AnnickFrench Teacher 5.00 (6) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors DéborahFrench Teacher 5.00 (10) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SamyFrench Teacher 5.00 (2) £60/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsFrench History Facts: Kingdom, French Republic, Empire and a Colonial PowerKingdom of the FranksWith the disintegration of the Roman Empire, Germanic tribes established new states throughout Europe. One such tribe was the Franks, ruled by the Merovigian dynasty. The earliest real king of the Franks was probably Childeric I., supposedly the son of the mythic founder of the dynasty Merovech. Childeric’s son Clovis became famous for converting to C hristianity in 496.Following the Merovingian dynasty came the Carolingians and the first de facto French empire, though it was not called by that name. Under Charlemagne, the Franks ruled over most of mainland Europe stopping at the Baltic states in the East, the border with Denmark to the North and excluding Spain to the southwest.The last dynasty to rule  over France was the Bourbons. They first ascended the throne in 1589, a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty that first ascended the throne in 987.A Republic, Directory and ConsulateUnlike America, which had a plan for after its Revolution in 1792, France just sort of stumbled into democracy. What started as a series of revolts for adequate representation in the people’s council and over poverty and inflation quickly escalated beyond the storming of the Bastille, with demagogues such as Marat and Robespierre catching the imagination of the French population during the French Revolution and instigating witch hunts for those oppo sing freedom (a vague concept, ensuring that the guillotine never slept.)At first, France was aiming for a constitutional monarchy, though they brought King Louis XVI from the palace of Versailles to the Louvre in Paris to keep a better eye on him, but when he betrayed their trust by trying to flee to Austria with his wife Marie Antoinette, that idea was scrapped under the blade of the guillotine. It then tried a Directory, which mostly didn’t function, until Napoleon Bonaparte decided to help instigate a coup and install a triumvirate, of which he was First Consul.First EmpireWith deft political manoeuvering, Napoleon set up a vote that almost unanimously decided to make France an Empire (the Directoire had already been busy bothering the neighbours by invading Italy and annexing Belgium and the Netherlands) under its first official Emperor, a young general from Corsica,  Napoleon I.Napoleon Bonaparte is a much-hated figure in England, but while the French are aware of his less-t han-stirling treatment of conquered populations, they can't help admiring his vision. Photo credit: Onasill ~ Bill Badzo on Visual huntNapoleon continued his expansionist policy, annexing southern Germany and continuing his campaign in Italy. Secure in the support of Russia, which until then had been an ally, he invaded Spain.There, he was ultimately pushed back by General Wellesley, while on the other front Russia and a coalition led by Prussia ensured his defeat in 1814.The Second French EmpireStill unsure of what it wanted, France decided to try monarchy again, installing a brother of Louis XVI, also called Louis (XVIII), as a constitutional monarch. His reign was interrupted by a brief return to power by the Corsican Napoleon Bonaparte, who was defeated at Waterloo and sent in exile to St. Helena.After two more monarchs (Charles X and Louis-Philippe), France decided to try a Republic again. It elected Napoleon's nephew Louis-Napoleon  as the   first President of France.Unfortuna tely, the new constitution did not allow him tostand for election to serve a second term - and so he declared himself Emperor.France is now on its Fifth RepublicRise and Fall of a Colonial PowerThe first wave of colonisation in the 17th century centred on North America (Nouvelle-France with Québec and Lousiana), South America (the Caribbean and French Guiana), the islands around Madagscar as a stopover for the India trade and, only mildly successfully, India itself.A series of wars and disadvantageous treaties greatly reduced the French holdings, though some, such as the Seychelles, were restored at the end of the Napoleonic Wars.The French colony of Louisana was ceded to Spain in the Treaty of Fountainebleau, only to be returned throught he Treaty of Ildefonso twenty yers later. It was then sold to the young United States. Photo credit: denisbin on Visualhunt.comThe Directoire and Consulat both took action to secure land outside of Europe, most notably in North Africa, but the sec ond wave of expansionism started under Napoleon III. France ended up with most of northwest Africa and holdings in Vietnam and Cambodia.DecolonisationThe colonies survived two further French republics, though dissatisfaction was growing. It wasn’t until after World War II that the Départements D’outre-Mer  (overseas departments) were created, allowing some of the ex-colonies (such as Guadeloupe and Martinique) to become an official part of France.Of the remaining territories, (for example, French Polynesia) some became independent, and others recieved a special status   in the French Republic, first as the Overseas Territories, and since 2007 as the Overseas Collectivities with semi-independent status. Learn more about the French Empire with our blog on  French Colonial Empire.French Fact: French is Spoken in About 30 Different Countries WorldwideFrench is still spoken in all the DOMs and COMs, where it is the official language (or one of them), but many of the ex-colonies  and territories have kept French as one of their official languages, including the Indian regions of Puducherry and Chantannagar, where it is an administrative language. In fact, many of the colonies lost before the 20th century still speak French in some form or other, such as Quebec and some parts of Louisiana.In Europe, French persists in regions once (or twice, or several times more) belonging to France, such as Belgium and parts of Switzerland. The population of several of the European microstates  in the European Union speak French as well:Monaco in the south  along the French RivieraLuxembourg,  alongside Strasbourg and Brussels a capital of the European UnionAndorra (though here it is not an official language) in the Pyrenees mountainsThere is even a little corner of Britain where a French dialect is still spoken by some of the inhabitants: the English  Channel islands, where they speak a version of the dialect spoken in Normandie.More Fun Facts About France They Didn’t Teach You In SchoolThe French island of the Mont Saint Michel is accessible on foot by low tideThe French coast of Normandy has a most spectacular tidal phenomenon. When the tide goes out, it reveals kilometres of sandy beaches and leaves a land bridge to a small island with a monastery and a town. Of course, now you can access the Mont Saint Michel at high tide, too, by means of a bridge connecting it to the mainland. It is one of the most beautiful places in France and one of the most visited along the coastline of Normandy.The first programmable machine was made in FranceWhen we think of computer progress, we think of Silicon Valley, but the first programs were for a mechanical loom invented by the French draper in Lyon, Joseph Marie Charles  Jacquard. Jacquard was well known for its woven designs, and found a way to use punch-cards on a roll to tell their mechanical loom how to adjust it sheds and shuttles to make the patterns automatically. Tourists who travel to France can visit an original at the Musée des Tissus et des Art Décoratifs in Lyon.The first computer programme was written by Ada Lovelace, Byron’s daughter, for English inventor Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine. And all without electricity.Parallel Popes in FranceFor a time, the Papal Seat was not in Rome, but in Avignon,  a city along the Mediterrannean. A disagreement between the French crown and the papacy culminated in the French king Phillip IV being excommunicated and killing Pope Boniface VIII in retaliation. Boniface’s successor, Benedict XI, reigned about a year before dying under mysterious circumstances. His successor, Clement V, was French and decided to leave Rome to live in France in 1309. Avignon remained the papal seat for the next 67 years, with 7 popes reigning from the Palais des Papes, until Gregory XI returned to Rome in 1376.After Gregory’s death, a disagreement between the elector cardinals and Gregory’s successor, Urban VI, led to the establishment of a paralle l lines of popes (called anti-popes) in Avignon. Two anti-popes resided there, Clement VII and Benedict XIII. The latter was unpopular even with the French, and he was forced to flee to Perpignan. There were other anti-popes after him, but he was the last living in France to reside in the papal palace of Avignon.The Avignon popes lived in splendid palaces within the French city. By Jean-Marc Rosier from http://www.rosier.pro, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4837734The papal palace - actually two palaces joined together - is the largest Gothic building dating to the Middle Ages. You can still visit it  as a tourist in Avignon today, where it doubles (or triples) as a tourist attraction/conference centre, research centre and exhibition hall. A must-see for your next trip to France! You can take the high speed train from Paris to Marseille and be there i a few hours.There are WWI battlefields in France still unaccessible to the publicThere are still miles of trenches an d open battlefield zones  in certain regions in France from World War I that are off-limits to the public   and where no agriculture is permitted because the soil is so saturated with the chemicals used in the various gas weapons and the concentration of bodies buried there is so high that the soil is toxic. This means that even escargot and frogs legs are off the table, and the geese for the foie gras can't be fed from anything that grows there.However, when visiting France there are other World War I battlefields that are accessible, where you can visit the trenches and see how the soldiers lived,Click here for more interesting facts about France!Or, look for french lessons to improve your language skills!