Perhaps it is in the nature of a reference grammar that there continue to be errors that were not spotted in the preparation of earlier editions, and better ways of describing things than before. At any rate, we have made a number of changes in this fourth edition that we believe render it more accurate and reader-friendly. A number of the changes are in response to the comments of reviewers or users of the grammar. We would particularly like to thank Guillaume Fleury for his observations about gens and persomies that have led us to revise the entry for these words. As in previous editions, to maintain consistency in the tone of the entries we have not always taken up suggestions made by our readers. We beg their forgiveness and hope that they will nevertheless find the new edition a useful source of information about the contemporary French language.
Roger Hawkins and Richard Towell
Colchester and Salford
August 2014