Breakdown of À force de diffamation, elle n'a aucunement gagné.
elle
she
avoir
to have
ne
not (used before the verb)
gagner
to earn / to win
à force de
by dint of / through repeatedly
aucunement
in no way
la diffamation
the defamation
Questions & Answers about À force de diffamation, elle n'a aucunement gagné.
How does à force de change the meaning compared to just using à cause de here?
While à cause de simply means because of, à force de adds the idea of repetition, persistence, or high volume. In this sentence, it emphasizes that the defamation was a repeated, relentless strategy.
Why is there no article before diffamation?
When à force de is followed by an abstract noun used in a general sense, the definite article is dropped. You say à force de diffamation rather than à force de la diffamation.
What is the role of aucunement in this sentence?
Why is aucunement placed exactly where it is, instead of at the end of the sentence?
Just like pas or jamais, the negative adverb aucunement typically goes between the conjugated auxiliary verb (a) and the past participle (gagné) when used in compound tenses like the passé composé.
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