Latest news with #MacGill
Local France
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Local France
French grammar tip: Don't get hung up on object gender
In the first series of love it/loathe it Netflix series Emily in Paris, the character of Emily makes a startling discovery - that the French word for vagina is a masculine noun ( le vagin ). She tweets her big discovery and is re-tweeted by none other than French president's wife Brigitte Macron. This joke is not funny for two reasons - the first is because every single language learner since time began has made it. But we're language geeks not film critics, so in this article we're going to focus on the second reason why it isn't funny, and why Brigitte Macron would never retweet such an observation. Advertisement It's because the gender of nouns is a grammatical construct that usually bears little resemblance to gender in the sense of men and women/male and female. It's understandable that people whose heads are already bursting with the many complexities of the French language would search for short-cuts and assume that a noun like a vagina - intimately associated with the female body - would be a feminine noun. But it's not. And this isn't a one-way street - bite , a slang term for penis (pronounced 'beet') is feminine. In general, nouns only follow the gender of the object itself if they are describing something that is specifically male/female. Un homme - a man Une femme - a woman Un garçon - a boy Une fille - a girl Une vache - a cow Un taureau - a bull Most of the time the object itself - for example a table - has no gender, but sometimes it might have a vague relationship to gender, such as gender-specific body parts, or descriptions such as 'a crowd of men'. While there aren't in fact any hard-and-fast rules about what makes a noun masculine or feminine, the best indicator is spelling. Advertisement A noun that ends with an 'e' is usually feminine ( apart from the exceptions ), hence why it is la bite . And a noun that ends with a consonant is generally masculine (again, apart from the exceptions), hence le vagin . Likewise 'a crowd of men' = une foule d'hommes . The word for crowd is feminine, regardless of who is in the crowd, because the word foule ends with an 'e'. Like we said, there isn't a hard-and-fast rule, but linguists at Canada's MacGill university have come up with a rule that they reckon will help you get it right 80 percent of the time. The other 20 percent? Well, you're just going to have to learn them - although native French speakers only get it right about 90 percent of the time. Even president Emmanuel Macron got some wrong when tested here . Advertisement Which brings us back to Brigitte Macron - because French people are used to the concept of masculine and feminine being about nothing more than grammar, they don't usually see why it's funny to say le vagin . As a former teacher, we can assume that Brigitte has a good grasp of grammar and wouldn't find this amusing - although she clearly doesn't bear any grudges with the Emily in Paris producers, as she went on to make a cameo appearance in a later season of the show. Grammar tips From agreeing adjectives to the subjunctive, French grammar can be fiendishly - some claim deliberately - complicated and almost all French learners have at one point despaired over ever getting it right. People learn languages in different ways - some people prefer to just throw themselves into chatting, others like to have a textbook and some exercises. But the formal and structured nature of the French language means that if you want to become fluent - and if you need written French - then you are going to have to learn some grammar. That's the purpose of our weekly series of French grammar tips and tricks - and you can also sign up to receive them as a newsletter. The following tips are not intended as a substitute for formal classes or sweating over those verb tables (sadly, those are necessary for most people), but may be of some help to language learners. They come from our own experiences of living and working in France, and as with our popular French word of the Day feature , we've tried to focus on examples that will be useful in everyday life. Read more French grammar tips; French grammar tips: Look out for the accent French grammar tips: Cheat the future Guessing the gender of nouns The cheat's guide to the subjunctive Understanding French place names Getting the date and time right Pay attention to your French friend's English mistakes Which French grammar rules do you find most confusing? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Business Standard
09-05-2025
- Business Standard
Australian cricketer Stuart MacGill spared jail time over supplying cocaine
Former Australian Test bowler Stuart MacGill was spared jail time and given a community service order when he appeared in court on Friday for sentencing over supplying cocaine. MacGill was convicted of supplying drugs for a deal between his regular supplier and his brother-in-law in April 2021. He appeared at Downing Centre District Court where a statement from former Test captain Steve Waugh supported his former colleague. MacGill was sentenced to an intensive corrections order of one year and 10 months. MacGill must complete 495 hours of community service work and undergo drug testing as part of the order, in lieu of a prison term. The former legspinner, who began using cocaine after he retired from cricket, was found guilty in March of supplying an indictable quantity of the drug. A jury determined the 54-year-old MacGill knew about the deal between his regular dealer and his brother-in-law but was oblivious to the fact a one-kilogram (2.2-pound) brick was changing hands. He was acquitted of taking part in a large commercial drug supply. His role in the lucrative cocaine deal led to his alleged violent kidnapping days later. He was shoved into the back of a car by several men and taken to an abandoned building in Sydney's western suburbs, where he was assaulted and threatened before being released. Six days later, MacGill went to police but denied any involvement in the drug deal. He was arrested in 2023. Judge Nicole Noman said Friday that MacGill played an indispensable role setting up the cocaine deal. His role was essential to bring the parties together and for the transaction to occur, she said. The offender's colossal lapse of judgment has been causative of a very public fall from grace. MacGill's international career from 1988 to 2008 which featured 208 wickets in 44 test matches was largely overshadowed by fellow Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne, who is second on the list of all-time leading wicket takers in test cricket.
Indian Express
09-05-2025
- Indian Express
Stuart Macgill to serve community service after being convicted for a cocaine deal
Former Australian cricketer Stuart Macgill will have to serve a community sentence after being convicted for a cocaine deal in which he was kidnapped. the 54-year-old McGill had been accused of facilitating a cocaine deal between his partner's brother, Marino Sotiropoulos, and a dealer (who was not named for legal reasons) called Person A. Macgill was the link for a $330,000 exchange for a kilogram of cocaine between his brother-in-law, Marino Sotiropoulos, and his regular drug dealer. The cricketer arranged for a meeting under his restaurant on Sydney's north shore. However, the former Test leg-spinner denied knowing that a deal would take place and admitted that he regularly purchased half a gram of cocaine for $200 from the dealer. MacGill has been sentenced to an intensive corrections order for one year and 10 months, and also 495 hours of community service by Judge Nicole Noman. 'His role was essential to bring the parties together and for the transaction to occur,' she said. 'The offender's colossal lapse of judgment has been causative of a very public fall from grace,' the judge added. Three years ago, MacGill was kidnapped by some goons on April 14, 2021, followed by six men still under trial for the kidnapping. The court of Judge Nicole Noman was told that MacGill is alleged to have facilitated the supply of one Kg of cocaine in the suburb of Neutral Bay, a locality on Sydney's lower north shore on or around April 8, 2021. As per Australian media, Crown prosecutor Gabrielle Steadman told the jury that the former Test star was a regular cocaine user at the time of incident and was allegedly introduced Person A, from whom he regularly bought cocaine. Steadman told the jury that the charge against MacGill only related the former Australian star setting up a meeting between the pair for the cocaine to be exchanged. Earlier AAP reported that Person A allegedly decided to set up another meeting in which he planned to rip off the suppliers by using a fake bundle of cash. As per AAP, the jury was told that there was no dispute that MacGill was kidnaped by several men on April 14, 2021 and was later stripped and beaten.
NDTV
09-05-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Ex-Australia Star, Who Played 44 Tests, Punished For Involvement In Drug Deal
Former Australia cricket team spinner Stuart MacGill on Friday avoided going to jail after being found guilty of involvement in a cocaine deal. For the offence, he was given a 22-month intensive corrections order and 495 hours of community service. The 54-year-old was found guilty two months ago but the hearing of his sentence was adjourned. While he was found guilty of involvement in a cocaine deal back in May, the ex-Australia star was cleared of participating in large-scale drug supply. A Sydney District Court jury had acquitted the former leg-spinner of facilitating a one-kg cocaine deal worth AUD 330,000 in April 2021. However, he was convicted of the charge of taking part in drug supply. The court heard that MacGill introduced his regular drug dealer to his brother-in-law, Marino Sotiropoulos, at a meeting under his restaurant on Sydney's north shore. While he denied knowledge of the transaction, prosecutors argued the deal could not have taken place without his involvement. MacGill was involved in an incident last year where he was allegedly kidnapped. However, the alleged kidnappers -- two brothers -- have claimed that Macgill came to them willingly and was involved in the drug trade. As per Fox Sports, the brothers named Richard and Fredrick Schaaf alleged in court that MacGill had gone to the abandoned southwestern Sydney property willingly. The police had previously said that MacGill was purely a victim and was not involved in any criminal activity. MacGill appeared at Downing Centre District Court on Friday where the sentence of his punishment was announced. As per ESPNcricinfo, former Test captain of Australia, Steve Waugh, wrote a letter to the court in support of his former teammate. "I believe that Stuart has the background of knowledge accumulated in his life and playing days to appreciate all the options for the future and the hard work and steps required in this process," the letter said. (With PTI Inputs)
1News
09-05-2025
- 1News
Former Australian test cricketer spared jail for supplying cocaine
Former Australian test bowler Stuart MacGill was spared jail time and given a community service order when he appeared in court on Friday for sentencing over supplying cocaine. MacGill was convicted of supplying drugs for a deal between his regular supplier and his brother-in-law in April 2021. He appeared at Downing Centre District Court where a statement from former test captain Steve Waugh supported his former colleague. MacGill was sentenced to an intensive corrections order of one year and 10 months. MacGill must complete 495 hours of community service work and undergo drug testing as part of the order, in lieu of a prison term. The former leg-spinner, who began using cocaine after he retired from cricket, was found guilty in March of supplying an indictable quantity of the drug. A jury determined the 54-year-old MacGill knew about the deal between his regular dealer and his brother-in-law but was oblivious to the fact a 1kg brick was changing hands. He was acquitted of taking part in a large commercial drug supply. His role in the lucrative cocaine deal led to his violent kidnapping days later. He was shoved into the back of a car by several men and taken to an abandoned building in Sydney's western suburbs, where he was assaulted and threatened before being released. Six days later, MacGill went to police but denied any involvement in the drug deal. He was arrested in 2023. Judge Nicole Noman said on Friday that MacGill played an indispensable role setting up the cocaine deal. "His role was essential to bring the parties together and for the transaction to occur," she said. "The offender's colossal lapse of judgment has been causative of a very public fall from grace." MacGill's international career from 1988 to 2008 which featured 208 wickets in 44 test matches was largely overshadowed by fellow Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne, who is second on the list of all-time leading wicket takers in test cricket.
