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11.5.6.1 Summary substitution - examples group a)

The groups are according to the overview.

a1) fixed expression with de - thing / animal
	C' est le pays dont il a toujours rêvé
	This is the land of which he has always dreamed.
	Ils ont parlé de choses dont je n' ai rien compris.
	They have talked about things of which he has understood nothing.

a2) fixed expression with de - person
	Ce sont des enfants dont on peut être fier.
	These are children, of whom one can be proud.
	Oskar Schindler n' a pas accepté qu' on tuât les hommes dont il était responsable.
	Oskar Schindler did not accept that people were killed for whom he was responisble.

a3) fixed expression with de - context
	Ils ont réussi à réparer la voiture, quelque chose dont ils étaient fiers.
	They have managed to repair the car, something that they were proud of.
	Ils lui ont écrit des lettres d' amour, quelque chose dont ils ne parlaient jamais.
	They have written love letters to her, something that they have never talked about.

As you have seen the context is first summarized by an expression (in the previous example with 'something'). However, there are more possibilities.

a4) fixed expression with de - ce, quelque chose, la seule chose, tout, rien
	Il a tout ce dont tu as besoin.
	He has everything that you need.
	Il n' y a rien dont il ait peur.
	There is nothing that he is afraid of.
	C' est la seule chose dont on ne peut pas parler.
	This is the only thing that one cannot talk about.
	C' était tout ce dont on pouvait parler.
	This was everything that one could talk about.
	C' était la seule chose dont on pouvait parler.
	This was the only thing that one could talk about.
	Ce dont on pouvait parler, n' intéressait personne.
	This, about what one could talk, was not interesting to anyone.
	Ce n' était rien dont on pouvait parler.
	This was nothing that one could talk about.

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