Lezioni di inglese grammatica

Questo sito utilizza cookie, anche di terze parti. Se vuoi saperne di più leggi la nostra Cookie Policy. Scorrendo questa pagina o cliccando qualunque suo elemento acconsenti all’uso dei cookie.I testi seguenti sono di proprietà dei rispettivi autori che ringraziamo per l'opportunità che ci danno di far conoscere gratuitamente a studenti , docenti e agli utenti del web i loro testi per sole finalità illustrative didattiche e scientifiche.

Le informazioni di medicina e salute contenute nel sito sono di natura generale ed a scopo puramente divulgativo e per questo motivo non possono sostituire in alcun caso il consiglio di un medico (ovvero un soggetto abilitato legalmente alla professione).

Lezioni di inglese grammatica

English Program

Causative.

Farsi fare qualcosa (senza complemento d’agente)
Farsi fare qualcosa da qualcuno (con complemento d’agente)

Esempi:

Yesterday I had a whole film taken

Ieri mi sono fatta fare un intero rullino di fotografie

We have have (or get) + object + past participle

Yesterday I had my sister take me a whole film

Ieri mi sono fatta scattare un intero rullino da mia sorella

You have have (or get)+ the person who does s.th. for you + the infinitive without to (sometimes with)

Il prossimo fine settimana mi farò portare la colazione a letto	Next week-end I’ll have (I’m having) breakfast brought to (in) bed.
Domani mi farò portare la colazione a letto da mio marito.	Tomorrow I’ll have my husband bring breakfast in bed.
Ogni domenica mi faccio consegnare il giornale a casa. Do una piccola mancia al ragazzo ma ne vale la pena.	Every Sunday I have the newspaper delivered at home. I give a little tip to the boy, but it’s worth it.
Jill si è fatto riparare il tetto ieri.	Jill had the roof repaired yesterday.
Dove ti sei fatta fare i capelli?	Where did you have your hair done?
Ci stiamo facendo verniciare la casa, al momento.	We are having the house painted at the moment.
Tom si è appena fatto installare il telefono nel suo appartamento.	Tom has just had the telephone installed in his flat.
Ogni quanto ti fai revisionare la macchina?	How often do you have your car serviced?
Perché non ti fai pulire quel cappotto?	Why don’t you have that coat cleaned?
Voglio farmi scattare una fotografia.	I want to have a photograph taken.
Penso che dovresti farti tagliare i capelli.	I think you should get your hair cut.
Ann si fece quel vestito da sola o se lo è fece fare?	Did Ann make that dress herself or did she have it made?
Riparerai da solo la macchina o te la farai riparare?	Are you going to repair your car yourself or are you going to have it repaired?
La prossima settimana mi farò controllare la vista dall’ottico.	Next week I’m going to have my eyes tested at the optician’s.
Sue portò il suo orologio dal gioielliere lo scorso mese. Lo aveva fatto riparare.	Sue took her watch to the jeweller’s last month. She had it repaired.
Ti fai consegnare il giornale o vai da te al negozio per comprarlo?	Do you have your newspaper delivered or do you go to the shop yourself to buy it?
Cosa stanno facendo quegli operai nel tuo giardino? Mi stanno costruendo una piscina.	What are those workmen doing in your garden? I’m having a swimming-pool built.
Mi dispiace, non ho ancora fatto sviluppare il rullino.	I’m afraid. I haven’t had the film developed, yet.
È vero che molti anni fa si fece dipingere un ritratto da un famoso artista?	Is it true that he had his portrait painted by a famous artist many years ago?
Il motore della macchina di Tom non poteva essere riparato, così si è dovuto far installare un nuovo motore.	The engine in Tom’s car couldn’t be repaired, so he had to have a new engine fitted.
Ti hanno mai rubato il passaporto?	Have you ever had your passport stolen?

English Program

Idiomatic expression

morire, crepare, tirare le cuoia	to kick the bucket to bite the dust to pass away
mettere da parte un’abitudine cattiva	to kick the habit
essere sull’orlo della sopportazione	to be an edge
essere stanchissimo, distrutto	to be beat
essere finita	to be over
essere stufo	to be fed up with
non ti preoccupare	never mind
non posso fare a meno di pensarci	I can’t help thinking about it
essere sempre impegnato	to be always up to something
chiedere a qualcuno di uscire insieme	to ask somebody out
rilassati, calmati	chill out
farsi prendere dal panico	to get cold feet
essere colti con le mani nel sacco	to be caught red-handed
come dice la tradizione	myth would have it
fare la spia, vuotare il sacco, fare una soffiata	to make clean breast to spill the beans to spill the guts
dire tutta la verità	to bear one’s soul
essere traditi da	to be squealed on by
essere al verde	to be broke
essere al verde	to be in the red
una bugia innocente	a white lie
la goccia che fa traboccare il vaso	the straw that broke the camel’s back
facilissimo	a piece of cake
prendere in giro qualcuno	to pull somebody’s leg

What is an idiom?

An idiom is any word or group of words which puzzle a foreign student, because it usually does not correspond to the sum of the meaning of the individual words, and if it is translated literally it usually loses its special meaning.

What is a phrasal verb?

A phrasal verb is a verb composed of an ordinary verb plus a preposition, sometimes two or more. It usually has no connection with the base form of the verb: eg “to fall” has no connection with “to fall out”, and “to hang on” or “hang up” or “hang out” have no connection with “to hang”. Like the idioms, also the phrasal verbs cannot be translated literally and they have to be studied an unanalysable wholes.

What is the meaning of the following verbs? Can you give the corresponding non-phrasal verb?

To give up to stop, to quit

To call off to cancel

To cut down on to reduce

How many kinds of idiomatic expressions do we have? Which ones?

We have three different kinds of idiomatic expressions: real idioms

metaphorical expressions

semi-idioms

What is the meaning of to buy the farm?

to bite the dust

to spill one’s guts

These idioms belong to the first group, they are real idioms: the first ad the second mean respectively “lasciarci la pelle”, and “passare a miglior vita”, and not “comprare la fattoria” and “mordere la polvere” as it might seem; the third means “svelare un segreto” and not “versare le budella”.

What is the meaning of to bite the bullet?

to blow off steam

to burn one’s fingers

to give someone a kick

These four idioms belong to the second group of idiomatic expressions, metaphorical expressions; their feature is that they have a literal meaning and a metaphorical meaning: “To bite the bullet”, for example, means both “stringere una palottola tra denti” and “stringere I denti, farsi forza”: the first is translated literally and the second metaphorically. “To blow off steam” means “scaldarsi, dopo una litigata”, “to burn off one’s fingers” and “to give someone a kick” mean respectively “rimanere scottato” and “fare provare a qualcuno una grande emozione”, besided the literal “bruciarsi le dita” and “dare un calico a qualcuno”.

9.What are the ready-made utterances? Can you give any example?

The “ready-made utterances” are sentences that, as Lyons said, resemble incomplete sentences, because they don’t follow the rules of grammar: SVO, subject, verb, object.

10.What is the meaning of “How do you do”?

This expression doesn’t have a proper translation in Italian. It doesn’t mean “How are you” as some people believe, and there is not a proper answer to it, besides “How do you do”. “I do very well” is wrong. It is a very formal way of speaking.

11.What is a catch-phrase?

A catch-phrase is a phrase usually taken from the papers, or from the media, or from some literary quotations, which has been used so much to become popular. “Big Brother is watching you” is an example. Many people use this phrase today, when they want to say “be careful, don’t think that I’m not watching, you are under observation, watch out, behave”. Although many people use this sentence today, only few know where it comes from and who wrote it: George Orwell spoke about this character for the first time in his novel 1984 (written in 1948).

12.Can you give some examples of catch-phrases?

“Big Brother is watching you”

“It was Greek to me”

“Frailty, Thy name is Woman”

“All’s well that ends well”

“Much Ado about Nothing”

“To be or not to be, that is the question”

13.Translate the following proverbs:

Quando il gatto non c’è, i topi ballano.

Rischiare il tutto per tutto.

Non tutto il male viene per nuocere.

15.Quote at least ten English proverbs.

First come first served

In for a penny in for a pound

To give tit for tat

Silence implies consent

Out of sight out of mind

Birds of a feather flock together

Once bitten twice shy

One swallow doth not make a summer

Early to go to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

Better late than never

16.What is the meaning of “down and out”?

It means “poor, dirty-poor, penniless, flat broke”, that is “spiantato, senza un soldo, al verde” and also “malandato; malmesso”.

18.Quote some pleonasms (redundancies)

We have a “pleonasm” when in a sentence there is a repetition which adds nothing to the comprehension of the sentence itself:

3 a.m. in the morning

new innovations

biography of her life

I saw it with my own eyes

ATM machine (Automatic Teller Machine Machine)

HIV virus (Human Immunodeficiency Virus Virus)

19.Quote some tautologies.

Both together

Cooperate together

Resume again

Repeat again

Necessary requisite

Round in shape

21.Is the passive voice in English used as much as in Italian?

No, the passive in English is used much more often than in Italian, and sometimes the active form sounds unnatural. We read in linguistic and grammar books: “Unless you have a reason not to, use the active voice”, and also George Orwell, in his essay Politics and the English Language writes: “Never use the passive when you can use the active”. Nevertheless, the passive is very often used in English, also because it is used to translate many Italian expressions that have no English counterpart, as the impersonal “si”: “Si pensa che …: It is thought that …”, “Si dice: It is said that …”.

Also in scientific writings the passive voice is very common, so that the subject is not specified, and the emphasis goes more on the action rather than on the person who performed the action: “Experiments have been conducted…”, rather then “Scientists have conducted some experiments…”. The passive diathesis is more effective here.

When the person who is doing the action is not specified, we’d better use the passive, despite the Italian active: “Stanno costruendo un nuovo pub in centro”: “A new pub is being built downtown”.

Usually, Italian learners have difficulty in turning the active into passive when there is a continuous tense, simply because these forms don’t occur in Italian, and every foreign learner is always looking for some form to equate the unfamiliar structure with his own language. When they don’t find any counterpart, confusion arises.

Always remember: keep the same tense: if there is a present continuous in the active, keep the present continuous in the passive:

- They are building a new gym: A new gym is being built

There is a past continuous in the active, keep the past continuous in the passive:

- They were installing a new telephone: A new telephone was being installed

There is a present simple in the active, keep the present simple in the passive:

- They clean the room every day: The room is cleaned every day

There is a past simple in the active, keep the past simple in the passive:

- They cleaned the room yesterday: the room was cleaned yesterday

The same sentence in the negative form:

- They didn’t clean the room yesterday: the room was not cleaned yesterday

The sentence in the active is in the future, keep the future tense in the passive:

- They will repeat the lesson tomorrow: the lesson will be repeated tomorrow.

And so on. There are other example in the book.

22.Translate the following sentences from Italian into English:

They are translated in the book.

24. How many ways do you know to say “to die” in English?

to pass away
to kick the bucket
to meet the Maker
to buy the farm
to go to sleep

25.Give some examples of euphemisms.

A euphemism is a figure of speech used to mitigate an expression considered too harsh and severe. The problem is that sometimes the real meaning is too hidden, obscured and blurred.

Garbage collector = sanitation engineer

Janitor = custodial engineer

Bombing raids = surgical air-strikes

Armies = peace-keeping forces

26.Give some examples of clichés.

A “cliché” used to be an original and brilliant way to say something: these expressions, though, lose their charm with time and become hackneyed phrases.

Bolt from the blue

Dog-eat-dog

Flash in the pan

To run away like greased lightning

To face the music

Cool, calm, and collected

Acid test

27.What is the “gobbledygook”?

It is what in Italian is called “politichese”, that is the bureaucratic and political jargon, in English also termed “officialese” or “bureaucratese”.

28.What is the meaning of “ground zero”?

It means “punto zero”, that is a place where there used to be something and now there are only ruins (after a war or some calamity of any kind).

29.What is the meaning of “to foot the bill”?

It means “Pagare il conto”

30.What is the meaning of “to kill the cigarette”?

It means “Spegnere la sigaretta”

31.What is the meaning of “blind date”?

It means “appuntamento al buio”

English Program

Cosa significa in inglese ? cosa vuol dire ? come si dice in inglese ? traduzione di ?

question tags

The question tags is the same auxiliary verb of the main sentence, but if it is positive it becomes negative, if it is negative it becomes positive, so you turn it into the opposite.

Con la question tag si chiede conferma di qualcosa che viene affermato precedentemente, per cui ad una affermazione segue la domanda che in quanto tale segue la regola dell’inversione fra soggetto e verbo, in più la domanda è negativa se l’affermazione che la precede è positiva, è positiva nel caso contrario.

You are Italian, aren’t you?	Sei Italiano, vero?
He is not English, is he?	Non è Inglese, vero?
You like English very much, don’t you?	Ti piace molto l’inglese, non è vero?
You don’t like this subject, do you?	Non ti piace questa materia, vero?
You speak English, don’t you?	Parli Inglese, no?
You don’t speak English, do you?	Non parli Inglese, vero?
You will go to Florida, won’t you?	Andrai in Florida, non è vero?
You have been studying English for two years, haven’t you?	Studi Inglese da due anni, vero?
It’s two years since you studied English, isn’t it?	Sono due anni che non studi Inglese, vero?
You haven’t studied English for two years, have you?	Non studi Inglese da due anni, vero?
You can write a letter, can’t you?	Puoi (sai) scrivere una lettera, non è vero?
You are going to England for Christmas, aren’t you?	Andrai in Inghilterra per Natale, non è vero?
You can drive, can’t you?	Guidi, vero?
You are going to University, aren’t you?	Vai all’Università, vero?
You liked coffee, didn’t you?	Ti piaceva il caffè, vero?
You can come with me, can’t you?	Puoi venire con me, non è vero?
You should go home, shouldn’t you?	Dovresti andare a casa, vero?
You are happy for her, aren’t you?	Sei felice per lei, non è vero?

English Program

I used to do

I’m used to + -ing

I’m getting used to + -ing

I got used to + -ing

Unit 60

present ® I’m used to + -ing = sono abituata a (fare qualcosa)

I’m used to it = ci sono abituata

past simple ® I used to do something = facevo qualcosa (ora non più, abitudine nel passato che ora non è più)

present ® I get used to doing = mi abituo a fare

present continuous ® I’m getting used to + -ing = mi sto abituando a (fare qualcosa)

I’m getting used to it = mi ci sto abituando

past simple ® I got used to + -ing = mi sono abituata a (fare qualcosa)

I got used to it = mi ci sono abituata

Frank vive da solo. Ci è abituato. È abituato a vivere da solo.	Frank lives alone. He is used to it. He is used to living alone.
Comprai delle scarpe nuove. Sembravano un po’ strane in principio perché non ci ero abituato.	I bought some new shoes. They felt a bit strange at first because I wasn’t used to them.
Diane ha un nuovo lavoro. Deve alzarsi molto più presto ora. Lo trova difficile perché non è abituata ad alzarsi così presto.	Diane has a new job. She has to get up much earlier now. She finds this difficult because she isn’t used to getting up so early.
Il marito di Brenda è spesso via da casa. Lei è abituata a lui che è via.	Brenda’s husband is often away from home. She is used to him being away.
Prima andavo a lavoro in macchina ogni giorno, ultimamente vado in bici.	I used to drive to work every day, but these days I usually go by bike.
Vivevamo in un piccolo paese, ora viviamo a Londra.	We used to live in a small village, now we live in London.
Abituarsi a parlare Inglese.	To get used to speaking English.
Mi sto abituando al tempo in questo paese.	I’m getting used to the weather in this country.
Mi sono abituata alla mia professoressa che parla inglese tutti i giorni.	I have gotten used to my teacher speaking English every day.
Ti sei abituato a sentir parlare sempre Inglese? No. Mi ci sto abituando.	Did you get used to listening to speak English all the time? No, I didn’t. I’m getting used to it.
Quando arrivai a Londra ebbi difficoltà a guidare dall’altro lato della strada, ma poi mi ci sono abituata.	When I arrived in London I had difficulty in driving on the other side of the road, but then I got used to it.

molti verbi riflessivi si formano con to get

da abituato = used abituarsi = to get used

da stanco = tired stancarsi = to get tired

da annoiato = bored annoiarsi = to get bored

English Program

Must – have to

Devo pagare la bolletta del telefono entro la fine di Novembre.	*I have to* *pay the phone bill within the end of November.*
Devo lavorare domani mattina, nonostante sia fine settimana.	*I have to* *work tomorrow morning, despite the week-end.*
Giorgio non può uscire con noi stasera, deve lavorare.	*George can’t come out with us this evening,* he has to work.
Devo alzarmi presto domani, parto ed ho il treno alle 7,30.	*I have to* *get up early tomorrow, I’m going away and my train leaves at 7,30.*
Devo svegliarmi presto domani, ci sono molte cose che voglio fare.	*I must* *get up early tomorrow, there are a lot of things I want to do.*
Mi dispiace devo andare, sono davvero stanca.	*I’m sorry* *I must go, I’m really tired.*
Quando verrai a Londra la prossima volta, devi venire a trovarmi.	*When you come to London next time,* *you must* *come and see me.*
Non chiamo Anna da secoli, devo chiamarla stasera.	*I haven’t phoned Ann for ages,* *I must phone her tonight.*

The difference between must and have to in the present:

They are both an obligation, but must is an obligation from inside and have to is an obligation that comes from society.

Must ® necessità avvertita dalla persona

Have to ® imposizione proveniente dall’esterno

It’s later than I thought, I must / have to go home.

In questo caso è indifferente l’uso di uno o dell’altro perché non è specificata la natura del bisogno.

Must you can use only in the present.

Have to you can use in all forms: future, present, present perfect, past, infinitive.

We must go now.

We must go tomorrow. (not We must to go yesterday.)

I had to go to hospital. (past)

Have you ever had to go to hospital? (present perfect)

I might have to go to hospital. (infinitive)

In the negative:

You mustn’t do something means it’s necessary that you don’t do it.

You don’t have to do something means that you don’t need to do it.

Promisi che sarei stato puntuale. Non devo essere in ritardo.	*I promised I would be on time.* *I mustn’t be late.*
Devi mantenere il segreto. Non devi dirlo a nessuno.	*You must keep the secret.* *You mustn’t* *tell anyone.*
Non lavorerò domani, così non devo alzarmi presto.	*I’m not* *working tomorrow, so I don’t have to get up early.*
Puoi dire a me se vuoi, ma non devi dirmelo se non ti va.	*You can tell me if you want, but* *you don’t have to tell me, if you don’t feel like.*

English Program

Tenses of verbs

Future: I will / I am going to

Unit 19-20

We have two futures: I will go and I am going

I am going is present continuous, but sometimes the present continuous has also an idea of future when the is immediate future and planned future.

It means not only Io sto andando, it also means Io andrò; it is an other kind of future.

The difference between I will go and I am going is that: I’m going is something already decided, already planned.

Ex: What are you doing tonight? Cosa farai stasera?

Where are you going on Sunday? Dove andrai domenica?

In three years I’m going to Australia. Fra tre anni andrò in Australia.

I will do si usa quando la decisione si prende nel momento stesso in cui si sta parlando.

Con if e con when non ci va il futuro

Attenda un attimo vedo se ci sono ancora posti disponibili.

Hold on a minute. I’ll see if there are still available seats.

Hold on a minute. I’ll see if there are available seats yet.

(Il telefono squilla). Non preoccuparti rispondo io.

(The phone rings). Don’t worry, I’ll get it.

Non si usa il futuro dopo:

if, when, in case, as long as, unless, provided/providing, must/have to.

The future in the past

The future in the past = il futuro nel passato

Il primo verbo è al passato semplice (senza ausiliare) e il secondo verbo è al condizionale (anche qui senza ausiliare). Se il verbo della frase principale è composto anche quello della secondaria è composto.

Consecutio temporum (accordo dei tempi, se nella frase principale il verbo è semplice lo è anche nell’altra).

Sapevo che non sarebbe venuto	I knew he wouldn’t come
Mi disse che saresti venuto	He told me you would come
Immaginavo che avresti superato l’esame	I thought you would pass the exam
Sapevo che sarebbe diventato Re	I knew he would become King
Mi promise che mi avrebbe telefonato	He promised me he would phone me
Mi aveva promesso che mi avrebbe telefonato	He had promised me he would have phoned me
Mi avevano detto che ti saresti laureata dopo Natale	They had told me you would have graduated after Christmas

English Program

Inversions

Inversion means inversion of the verb and the subject

We make an inversion:

In interrogative sentences

Do you like American coffee?

Are you Italian?

Question tags

You are Italian, aren’t you?

You liked coffee, didn’t you?

When, at the beginning of the sentence, we have phrases like:

not only
no sooner
seldom
rarely
never
under no circumstances
on no account
scarcely/barely/hardly

Non solo arrivò tardi, ma neanche si scusò.

Not only did he arrive late, but he didn’t even apologize.

Non solo quell’orologio era il più economico era anche il più bello.

Not only was that watch the cheapest, it was also the most beautiful.

…, it was the most beautiful, too.

Non solo mi invitò a cena, mi pagò anche il teatro.

Not only did he invite me for supper, he even paid for the theatre.

Raramente compro il giornale Focus.

Rarely do I buy the magazine Focus.

Seldom do I buy the magazine Focus.

Raramente usciamo la domenica sera.

Rarelydo we go out (on) Sunday night.

Seldom do we go out (on) Sunday night.

No sooner è sinonimo di as soon as (non appena), ma l’inversione si fa solo con no sooner.

Quando si usa no sooner, oltre all’inversione si aggiunge than all’inizio della frase secondaria.

Non appena i genitori di John partirono, lui fece una festa.

As soon as John’s parents had left, he threw a party.

No sooner had John’s parents left than he threw a party.

Non appena Mary chiamò la cugina, lei la perdonò.

As soon as Mary called her cousin, she forgave her.

No sooner did Mary call her cousin than she forgave her.

Non appena le luci si abbassarono, la partita cominciò.

As soon as the light went out, the match started.

No sooner did the light go out than the match started.

Mai sono stato così felice in vita mia.

Never have I been so happy in my life.

I have never been so happy in my life.

NB: we have an inversion only when the adverb is at the beginning of the sentence.

Seldom do we have good returned to us because they are faulty.

Hardly had I got onto the motorway when I saw two police cars following me.

Only once did I go to the opera when I was in Italy.

Under no circumstances are the passengers permitted to open the doors themselves.

Never had the race been won by a European athlete.

Scarcely had the plane taken off when smoke began to appear in the cabin.

On no account must the windows be unlocked without prior permission.

Barely had he left the office when the telephone started ringing.

No sooner had I stepped through the office than Judith started asking me questions.

Inversions in conditional sentences:

We can use clauses with inversion instead of certain kinds of if- clauses:

It would be a serious setback, if the talks were to fail

(arretramento; regresso; battuta d'arresto: to suffer a setback, subire una battuta d'arresto)

It would be a serious setback, were the talks to fail.

If you should need more information, please telephone the main office.

Should you need more information, please telephone the main office.

If Alex had asked, I would have been able to help.

Had Alex asked, I would have been able to help.

The sentences with inversion are rather more formal than those with “if”. Notice that in negative clauses with inversion, we don’t use contracted forms:

If he hadn’t resigned, we would have been forced to sack him.
Had he not resigned, we would have been forced to sack him.

If you should need: non vuol dire “se dovresti aver bisogno”, come potrebbe sembrare a prima vista, che è un grave errore in italiano: si traduce invece con se dovessi aver bisogno, anche se il condizionale should può trarre in inganno.

If + should: if something should happen….

If Tom should phone you while I’m out, tell him I’ll be back later, equivale a dire If Tom phones while I’m out, …

With should, the speaker feels the possibility is smaller.

I’ve left the washing machine outside. If it should rain, can you bring it in?

Ho lasciato la lavatrice fuori. Se dovesse piovere, la rientri, per cortesia? (l’eventualità che piova è minima!)

The passive

My grandfather built our house.

My grandfather = subject

Built = verb

Our house = direct complement

Our house was built by my grandfather

N.B. : it’s important to keep the same tense when you turn the sentence from active into passive:

The Present Simple in the active is still the Present Simple in the passive, etc.

My sister cleans my bedroom every day.

My bedroom is cleaned by my sister every day.

My mother is cleaning the garden.

The garden is being cleaned by my mother.

When we arrived yesterday, they were preparing dinner.

When we arrived yesterday, dinner was being prepared.

Si dice che quell’uomo abbia cent’anni, è vero?

People say that man is 100 years old, is it true?

They say…

We say…

You say…

That man is said to be 100 years old.

Mi hanno rubato la macchina fotografica.

My camera was stolen.

Many accidents are caused by dangerous driving.

Cheese is made from milk.

The roof of the building was damaged in the storm a few days ago.

There is no need to leave a tip. Service is included in the bill.

The bill includes service. (not natural)

Perchè hanno licenziato Bill? Che ha fatto di male?

Why was Bill fired? (sacked)

What did he do wrong?

Stanno costruendo una bellissima piscina proprio in centro.

A wonderful swimming-pool is being built right in the centre (downtown).

Hanno sparato al Presidente.

To shoot – shot –shot

Present Perfect

Yesterday they shot at the President.

Yesterday the President was shot.

The President has been shot.

Stanno pulendo la nostra camera adesso, non si può entrare.

Our room is being cleaned at the moment, we cannot go in.

Stavano pulendo la nostra camera quando arrivammo in albergo.

When we arrived at the hotel, our room was being cleaned.

Hanno rimandato il concerto.

They have postponed the concert. “They” who?

If the subject is not specified, the passive is preferred.

The concert has been postponed. (has been put off)

Per fortuna hanno riparato la fotocopiatrice. Ieri si era rotta.

Luckily they have repaired the photocopier. Yesterday it broke down.

Luckily the photocopier has been repaired.

Ti hanno invitato al matrimonio, vero? Perché non sei andato?

They have invited you to their wedding, haven’t they? Why didn’t you go?

You have been invited to their wedding, haven’t you?

You are Italian, aren’t you?

(Question Tags)

You are not Italian, are you?

Vietato fumare!

Smoking is not permitted!

A cinema is a place where films are shown.

Originally the book was written in Spanish and a few years ago it was translated into English.

29. few / a few

little / a little

I have been living here for only two months, that’s why I have few friends.

“Who are you going on holiday with?” “I don’t know yet. I have a few friends and we have to decide”.

I cannot go on holiday this year, I have little money.

(megative connotation)

Next summer I am going to Wales, I have a little money. (positive connotation)

We were driving along quite fast but we were overtaken by lots of cars.

My friend’s dog was run over last week.

To run - ran – run

I was born in April.

To bear – bore – born

Walt Disney was born in 1901.

Beethoven was born in 1770.

Galileo was born in 1564.

Martin Luther King was born in 1929.

He was assassinated in 1968.

Elvis Presley was born in 1935.

Leonardo Da Vinci was born in 1452.

William Shakespeare was born in 1564.

My friend was born on August 29th.

Quando sei nato?

When were you born?

Quanti bambini nascono al giorno?

How many babies are born every day?

Baby boy

Baby girl

To give

To tell

To ask

To teach

To offer

To pay – paid - paid

To show

Io do qualcosa a qualcuno =

Qualcosa = complemento oggetto

A qualcuno = complemento di termine

In English we have two direct complements

I give someone something

I give something to someone

Hanno dato il libro a Mary

They gave the book to Mary

They gave Mary the book

The book was given to Mary

Mary was given the book: N.B.

We gave the information to the police.

We gave the police the information.

They didn’t give me the money

I wasn’t given the money.

They gave me the money.

I was given the money.

They asked me difficult questions at the interview.

I was asked difficult questions at the interview.

Her colleagues gave Mary a present when she retired.

Mary was given a present by her colleagues when she retired.

I wasn’t told Janet was ill.

How much will you be paid?

Last month I was offered a nice job and I refused it.

To allow [ə’laʊ]

To allow in

I wasn’t allowed in the exam because I had forgotten my ID.

They didn’t allow me in.

I wasn’t allowed in.

They are not allowed to stay out after eleven o’clock.

English Program

it’s worth it - it’s not worth it - it’s worth + verb-ing

it’s worth it. = ne vale la pena.

it’s not worth it. = non ne vale la pena.

it’s not worth + verb-ing = ne vale la pena (di fare qualcosa)

Vale la pena parlare con lui, è una persona molto interessante.	It’s worth talking to him, he is a very interesting person.
Vivo a soli pochi passi da qui, così non vale la pena prendere un taxi.	I live only a short walk from here, so it’s not worth taking a taxi.
Era così tardi quando arrivammo a casa che non valeva la pena andare a letto.	It was so late when we got home that it wasn’t worth going to bed.
Com’era il film? Valeva la pena vederlo?	What was the film like? Was it worth seeing?
C’è un interessante articolo nel giornale oggi. Vale la pena leggerlo.	There is an interesting article in the newspaper today. It’s worth reading.
Se hai tempo, dovresti andare al museo. Vale la pena visitarlo.	I you have time, you should go to the museum. It’s worth visiting.
Possiamo gettare questi vecchi vestiti via. Non vale la pena tenerli.	We can throw these old clothes away. They are not worth keeping.

English Program

hard - hardly

hard = duro (agg.), duramente (avv.)

hardly = a mala pena

late = tardi, in ritardo

Lately = recentemente, ultimamente

Hard, Late, Fast sono sia aggettivi che avverbi.

Aggettivo

Jack is a very fast runner

Ann is a hard worker

The late train was called off

Avverbio

Jack can run very fast

Ann works hard

I got up late this morning

Hardly + any / anybody / anyone / anything / anywhere

Dovrò andare a fare la spesa. Non abbiamo quasi nessuna provvista.	I’ll have to go shopping. We have got hardly any food.
I risultati dell’esame furono negativi. Quasi nessuno nella nostra classe fu promosso.	The exam results were very bad. Hardly anybody in our class passed.
Mangiò quasi niente. Non era affamata.	She ate hardly any. She wasn’t feeling hungry.

Hardly ever = quasi mai

Sono quasi sempre a casa la sera. Non esco quasi mai.

I’m nearly always at home in the evening. I hardly ever go out.

Used to + infinitive

If we want to talk about things that happened repeatedly in the past, but don’t happen now. It expresses a habit in the past which is not a habit now. We could say that it corresponds to the “imperfetto” in Italian.

When I was younger, I used to go dancing every Saturday.
My mother used to walk to work.
When I lived in N.Y., I used to drive to school.
My brother, when he was little, used to cry all night.
Matthew and I used to be good friends.
Each time I gave him a problem, he would solve it for me. (He used to solve it for me). (I use would or used to because it indicates a habit).

He would solve = he used to solve

But would is more formal, used to more common.

Last night I gave him a problem and he solved it for me.

I use the Past Simple because it indicates a particular occasion.

During the war, people would eat (used to eat) all kinds of things that we don’t eat now.
Early passenger planes would hold more than 300 passengers.
Quando vivevo a Londra, andavo a lezione a giorni alterni.

When I lived in London, I used to go to lesson every other day.

Quando James abitava in Italia, parlavamo inglese ogni giorno.

When James lived in Italy, we used to speak English every day.

Ricordo che l’azienda era in centro. Adesso è fuori città?

I remember that the firm (factory) used to be in the city centre (downtown). Is it out of the city, now?

Giocavamo sempre nel giardino, ti ricordi?

We used to play (always) in the garden, do you remember?

Fumavo tantissimo quand’ero all’Università.

I used to smoke heavily when I was at University.

20. Whether

He didn’t know whether to take him seriously.
He couldn’t decide whether he had to forgive her. (or not)
We haven’t planned whether to go to Scotland or Wales, yet.
We are still wondering whether to go on holiday abroad or to stay home and relax.

“If” cannot be followed by the infinitive.

Jack non ha ancora deciso se andare al battesimo (christening) di Mary o alla festa di laurea di John.

Jack has not decided yet whether to go to Mary’s christening or to John’s graduation party.

Non so se stasera uscirò.

I don’t know whether I’ll go out tonight.

Non ho ancora capito se mi piace o no.

I haven’t understood yet whether I like it or not.

21. Either – or

22. Neither – nor

Either you invite my boyfriend too, or I won’t come.
Either you change your attitude, or we’ll never get along.
I like neither him nor her, you?
Neither the President nor the representatives will come to the meeting.
Neither Tom nor Liz came to Matt’s graduation party.
Either you apologize or I’ll never speak to you again.

Né telefonò né venne.
She neither phoned nor wrote.
George non fuma e non beve.
George neither smokes nor drinks.
Non credo che andrò in vavanza quest’estate: non hop né tempo né soldi.
I don’t think I will go on holiday this coming summer: I have neither time nor money.
Non so di dove sia, sinceramente: o spagnola o italiana.
Honestly, I don’t know where she’s from: either Spanish or Italian.

Do you mind / would you mind + ing

Would you mind closing the door?
I’m not ready, yet. Do you mind waiting?
Do you mind picking me up tonight? My car has broken down.
Personally I don’t mind studying at night.
Would you mind repeating? I haven’t understood very well.
Do you mind phoning after eight? None of us is at home before that time.

105. Both of us are going to the wedding tomorrow.

Do you mind calling the responsible for the firm? (the man in charge of)

93. to drive= to go by car

to walk= to go on foot

92. to ask someone for something

different syntax =

the syntax is the order of the words in a sentence

I think I’ll ask Tom for a favour.

Puoi chiedere a Mary la sua macchina per un paio di giorni?

Can you ask Mary for her car for a couple of days?

15. What is the difference between “I have to go” and “I must go”?

must

to have to

“must” has only the Present Simple: every time I want to speak in the future or in the past or in any other tense, “I will have to use to have to”. (come in questo caso: “dovrò usare”)

ieri sono dovuta andare

yesterday I had to go

domani dovrò andare

tomorrow I will have to go

the difference arises when we aree speaking in the Present: which one do we choose?

I have to pay the phone bill by tomorrow

We have to meet the doctor tonight.

I have to see the Principal today.

(she has called me to her office)

I must see the Principal today. ( I want to discuss something with her)

Must is personal. When we use must we give our personal feelings.

You must meet my new friend: she’s so cute!

When you come to London, you must come and see me.

Have to is impersonal. We use have to for facts, not for our personal feelings.

George cannot come out with us tonight. He has to work.

Students, in England, have to wear a uniform until the age of sixteen.

Non puoi girare a destra. Devi girare a sinistra.

You cannot turn on the right. You have to turn on the left.

Il dottore mi ha detto che devo mettere gli occhiali.

The doctor told me that I have to wear glasses.

58. to say to someone/ to tell s.o.

Mi devo alzare presto domani. Ci sono un sacco di cose che voglio fare.

I must get up early tomorrow. There are lots of things I want to do.

Mi devo alzare presto domani. Il treno parte alle 7.30

I have to get up early tomorrow. My train leaves at 7.30 (half past seven/seven thirty)

We use have to when someone else or some outside circumstances or authority makes something necessary.

English Program

Prepositions

Le preposizioni vogliono il verbo -ing

in the morning, la mattina

in the afternoon, il pomeriggio

in the evening la sera

at night la notte

I giorni della settimana (Sunday, Monday, …) non vogliono l’articolo, al massimo si mette on per indicare di domenica, di lunedì, ecc.

(On) Sundays (la “s” finale indica una regolarità, cioè tutte le domeniche)

last week, last month, …

next week, next month, next …

they never want the article the

if you have the month in January, if you have the month and the day on January 25

at Christmas

at Eater

on Christmas day

on Easter day

if there is the day you say on, if there is not the day you say at, if there is only the month you say in

on the week-end is American, at the week-end is English.

two hours a day due ore al giorno

twice a week due volte alla settimana

once a month una volta al mese

to go requires the preposition to because it’s a movement verb;

exception home: to go home

to go on holiday to take a holiday she is going on a cruise

to invite want the preposition for He invites me for dinner

to pay want the preposition for He paid for the theatre

to reach doesn’t want the preposition To reach you (raggiungerti)

to come wants the preposition to

to arrive wants the preposition at or in I arrived in England, I arrived at University

to depend wants the preposition on It depends on you

to speak wants the preposition to or with I would speak with her (le parlerei)

to talk want the preposition to or with I talk to her (le parlo)

to phone doesn’t want the preposition to I phone Ann

to call doesn’t want the preposition to I call Ann

to say wants the preposition to I said to you

to tell doesn’t want the preposition Tell me

to play includes the preposition to play basket

to bring wants the preposition to

Home non vuole mai “to” o si mette at (stato in luogo) oppure niente (se indica moto a luogo)

Bed wants only the preposition in without article the “to stay in bed all day”

Per entrare = allo scopo di entrare ® per è una preposizione finale, al fine di, si traduce con

In order to = allo scopo di,

oppure non si traduce, si mette direttamente l’infinito: to go, to enter,

mai “for to go” perché una preposizione in, with, for, to, without, after, non vuole mai l’infinito.

To be on strike = essere in sciopero

To be on a diet = essere a dieta

To be on the phone = essere al telefono

I verbi che seguono le preposizioni vogliono la –ing form.

English Program

at the beginning – in the beginning

at the end – in the end

on time – in time

at the beginningof something - the opposite is at the end.

of the interview

of the race

I’ll be moving to a new address at the beginning of September

Are you going away at the beginning of August or at the end?

in the beginning = in principio - the opposite is in the end.

In the beginning Ann didn’t want to go to the theatre, but she came with us in the end.

at the end of something - the opposite is at the beginning.

of January

of the month

of the film

of the course

of the match

of the concert

I’m going away at the end of the month.

I normally get paid at the end of the month

in the end = finally, infine, alla fine - the opposite is at first / in the beginning.

We had a lot of problems with our car. In the end we sold it and bought another one.

At first (in the beginning) we didn’t like each other. In the end we became good friends.

in time for something / to do something - the opposite is too late.

for the appointment

for the party

for dinner

for the lesson

to see the film on television

Will you be home in time for dinner?

We got to the station just in time to catch the train.

I got home too late to see the football match.

on time. (stop) = punctual - the opposite is late.

Despite the traffic I arrived on time.

Despite the traffic I arrived in time for the appointment.

Be on time. Don’t be late.

The Present Simple in Italian and in English

Contrastive analysis

1. What are you doing? I’m reading. What about you?

2. I have been playing basketball for six years.

3. What are you doing tonight? We are going to the cinema. What about you?

4. At Easter we will probably go to London. What about you?

5. It’s the first time I have seen this movie.

6. I haven’t seen him for a week.

7. It’s three years since I went to the mountains. I wish I could go.

I would love to go!

8. In the morning I get up at seven o’clock and I go to work by train. Usually I take one hour and fifteen minutes.

9. Hold on a minute, please, I’ll see if the Professor is available.

9. Who is going to pick up the President at the airport tonight? Ok, I’ll go! (I HAVE DECIDED NOW!)

Present Continuous
Present Perfect Continuous
Present Continuous (with the idea of future)
Future (will)
Present Perfect
Present Perfect
Past Simple
Present Simple
Future

THESE SENTENCES IN ITALIAN ALL HAVE THE PRESENT SIMPLE!!!

In English we use the Present Simple to indicate a habit!

English Program

despite - in spite of - although

Unit 112 of the book page 224

She accepted the job in spite of the salary, which was very low.

She went to work despite the snow.

Despite and in spite of have the same meaning = nonostante

Although has the same meaning but there is a little difference.

When after “nonostante” there is a noun we use despite or in spite of, it’s the same.

When after “nonostante” there is a verb we use although.

I went to play tennis despite the rain

I went to play tennis although it was raining

In spite of the fog I drove to Foggia

I arrived in time for the appointment despite the traffic.

Although he didn’t know me very well, he lent me his car.

Although it was snowing she went to work.

Although he has a very important job, he isn’t particularly well-paid.

Although it rained a lot, we enjoyed our holiday

Although it was very tired, I went to the party.

Although is used when there is a complete sentence, usually a complete sentence means there is a verb.

It was raining is a clause, clause means there is a verb. If there is not a verb it’s not a clause, it’s a phrase.

Exercises:

1) I didn’t get the job . . . I had all the necessary qualification. (although)

2) . . . the traffic, I arrived on time. (despite – in spite of)

3) . . . all our careful plans, a lot of things went wrong (despite – in spite of)

(Nonostante i nostri piani accurati, un sacco di cose andarono male)

4) . . . we had planned everything carefully, a lot things went wrong (although)

English Program

like – unlike like - likely hard - hardly

like = come

unlike = diversamente da

likely = probabile

90% of the times when you have an adjective and you want to make the adverb you add -ly which correspond to the Italian -mente. Ex: slow/slowly, quick/quickly, actual/actually, current/currently.

In a few cases you have the adjectives which end with –ly, but it is not an adverb.

For example friendly. Friendly doesn’t mean amichevolmente, but amichevole. Friendly is the most common example.

Ex: He is a very friendly person.

Likely it’s another adjective = probabile, instead of probabilmente.

Ex: It’s very likely. It’s likely that…

Friendly = amichevole non amichevolmente;

Likely = probabile non probabilmente, che si dice probably.

Un altro avverbio con significato completamente diverso è

Hard = duro, duramente (è sia aggettivo sia avverbio)

Hardly = a mala pena (è avverbio, non ha nulla a che vedere con hard)

Riguardo alla posizione dell’avverbio:

se c’è un present perfect l’avverbio va tra l’ausiliare have e il participio passato;

I have never met him before

diversamente è preferibile metterlo dopo il soggetto, ma va bene anche alla fine,

I already know him

I know him already

dipende se si vuole enfatizzare il fatto di conoscerlo know him va alla fine, mentre se si vuole enfatizzare già, already va alla fine.

English Program

to borrow / to lend

to borrow and to lend are very similar, but they don’t have the same meaning.

Difference between to borrow and to lend:

It means “prendere in prestito”, you borrow is when you take something from me

Ex.: Can I please borrow your pen?

So I borrow my pen from you and you loan your pen to me.

Borrow = when you take something from somebody (prendere in prestito)

Lend = when you give something to somebody (dare in prestito)

Loan = (especially in the USA) (prestare; dare in prestito)

(fin.) prestare; dare a mutuo; mutuare

To borrow is a regular verb. The paradigm is:

to borrow borrowed borrowed

the preposition is from (borrow from…)

to lend is not regular. The paradigm is:

to lend lent lent

the preposition is to (lend to…)

the noun is loan = prestito

loan: prestito di denaro, loan of money

When I take out some money from the bank, that’s a loan.

Examples:

Can I please borrow 10 dollars?

Mi puoi prestare, per favore, 10 dollari?

(letteralmente Posso prendere in prestito 10 dollari?)

May you lend me your book, please?

Puoi prestarmi il libro, per favore?

Last week I lent 10 dollars to Mary, but she forgot to give it back to me (to return it).

Last week I lent my English book to Mary.

I borrowed a book from the library.

Acronyms

BBC = British Broadcast Channel

NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization

UNO = United Nations Organization

NYSE = New York Stock Exchange

AMEX = American Stock Exchange

UNESCO = United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

GMT = Greenwich Mean Time (standard time in the United Kingdom as measured at the Greenwich observatory)

Asap = as soon as possible

Mph = miles per hour

BC = Before Christ

AD = Annus Domini

WHO = World Health Organization

EU = European Union

EMU = European Monetary Union

Greenwich is one hour behind us

We are six hours ahead of N.Y.

RSVP = Reply, s’il vous plaît

PTO = Please Turn Over

FAQ = Frequently Asked Questions

BTW = By the way

AIDS = Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

VAT = Value Added Tax (Sales Tax in American English)

UFO = Unidentified Flying Object

ID = Identity Document

IMF = International Monetary Fund

ECB = European Central Bank

ERM = Environmental Resources Management

IOU = (abbr. di I owe you) (comm.) riconoscimento scritto di un debito, promissory note, pagherò cambiario, note of hand.

Cosa significa in inglese ? cosa vuol dire ? come si dice in inglese ? traduzione di ?

English Program

to apologize - to excuse oneself

Example:

Dinner was ready at six o’ clock and he showed up at seven without even apologizing.

Dinner was ready at six o’ clock and he showed up at seven without even excusing himself.

La cena era pronta alle 6 ed egli si presentò alle 7 senza nemmeno scusarsi.

Scusarsi: in English there are two verbs: To excuse oneself and To apologize

To excuse oneself is a reflexive verb like the Italian “scusarsi”

Of course oneself is in the infinitive form, when you conjugate the verb you conjugate:

I excuse myself, you excuse yourself, he excuses himself, she excuses herself, we excuse ourselves, you excuse yourselves, they excuse themselves.

To apologize

Mi scusai = I excused myself or I apologised, don’t say I apologised myself.

Some verbs are reflexive in Italian and not in English:

alzarsi = to get up;

svegliarsi = to wake up;

vestirsi = to dress up

scusarsi = to apologize.

Other verbs are reflexive in Italian and also in English: To excuse oneself.

Remember that when you have a preposition without, with, for, in the verb is –ing , not “without to apologize”, but “without apologizing”.

58. To say to someone / to tell someone

Indirect speech: to tell

Direct speech: to say

If you say who you are talking to, use tell

John disse: John said

John mi disse: John told me

John disse a Mary: John told Mary

John said to Mary

John said Mary

39. it’s worth it + ing

I live only a short walk from here, so it’s not worth taking a taxi

raise your hand

Do you know what I mean?

It was so late when we got home, it wasn’t worth going to bed.

What was the film like? Was it worth seeing?

What’s your brother like? Is it worth meeting him?

Have you seen the movie “A beautiful mind”? Was it worth seeing (watching)?

Vale davvero la pena leggere quel libro.

It is worth reading that book. or That book is worth reading.

It’s a page turner. (engrossing)

I think it is always worth talking when you have a problem with someone. Communication is important. If you don’t talk, it’s over.

I don’t think newspapers are worth reading. They all tell lots of lies.

57. unless

We’ll be late, unless we hurry.

Don’t tell Sue what I said, unless she asks you.

We’ll miss the sales, unless we go today.

Except if = unless

I’ll see you tomorrow unless I have to work late.

You cannot travel in the eurostar unless you have a reservation.

Unless it rains, I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 6.00

Some definitions

What is a limited company?

It’s a private company whose owners are legally responsible for its debts only to be extent of the amount of capital they invested.

Limited means that you are not responsible for all capital if the company goes bankrupt, you are responsible only for what you have invested.

S.r.L. (Società a responsabilità limitata) we’ll write L.t.d. (limited).

What is a joint-stock company?

It’s a company whose stock is owned jointly (congiuntamente) by the shareholders (azionisti). = S.p.A.

What is the jet lag?

Extreme tiredness and other effects felt by a person after a long flight across different time zones.

Estrema stanchezza ed altri effetti avvertiti da una persona dopo un lungo volo attraverso differenti fusi orari.

It’s not fuso orario. Jet lag = malessere per adattamento ad una rapida variazione di fuso orario.

What is a counterfeiter?

A counterfeit is something made in exact imitation of something valuable with the intention to deceive (ingannare) or defraud (frodare).

Counterfeiter = falsario

What is a joint-venture?

An authorization guaranteed by a government or company to an individual or group enabling (che consente) them to carry out (portare avanti) specific commercial activities.

Joint-Venture = Consorzio temporaneo di imprese finalizzato a un progetto con alto elemento di rischio.

Venture Capital = it’s a capital invested in a project in which there is a substantial element of risk

What is the meaning of “to talk shop”?

To talk about business matters at a social event, when business is out of place.

To speak out of turn = parlare a sproposito

To speak out of place = parlare fuori posto

What does “to speak off the cuff mean”?

To speak in public without preparation.

English Program

to take - to bring - to carry - to fetch

To take, to bring, to carry, to fetch mean portare

Take = prendere, afferrare

Bring = portare, condurre

Carry = trasportare

Fetch = andare a prendere

Carry is usually in something heavy:

Can you carry my bag, please? Because it’s a little heavy, because I have many books inside.

A man who can’t to walk very well, because is very old or blind (cieco) he carries a stick (bastone).

Every time I came here I carry a lot of books or I carry a heavy bag, usually I’ve got something heavy.

Fetch means andare a prendere

John, can you please fetch me a glass of water?

John doesn’t have the water here, so he has to go to the tap, take the water, bring it back and give it to me.

Are you going to fetch Anna from school today? ® Vai tu a prendere Anna?

I am in my office, I’m working, I have to go to school, take the child and bring her back.

Take - Bring

The problem is between take and bring. When do we say take and when do we say bring? It depends on where the people who are speaking are.

What are you taking tonight to John’s party?

If you are going to this party, what are you taking? Are you taking beers? Are you taking wine? Are you taking something to eat? Some roses? A present?

Are you going to John’s party tonight? Why don’t you take your sister with you?

I can say the second sentence:

Are you coming to my party tonight? Why don’t you bring your sister with you? (to my house)

Tradotte le due frasi sono uguali: “perché non porti tua sorella con te? Ma sono dette da due persone diverse.

The first one is pronounced by a person who is with me far (lontana) from the party.

Bring is said by John who organises the party.

Bring lo dice colui che organizza la festa, che telefona a questa persona e dice “perché non porti tua sorella alla festa?” (verso di me)

It depends on who is talking: if I am at home and you are coming to my house, you bring me, because you come to me; but if you and I are going to Luciana’s party I say to you “what are you taking to Luciana’s house? Are you taking something to drink or something to eat?” (you can say) “You know, I’m taking my boyfriend with me tonight”.

In the book there is nothing about to bring and to take, but this is important because sometimes you should use take and you say bring, or you should say bring and you say take.

Phrasal verbs & examples

To break down	rompersi	The washing machine has broken down again
To break out	scoppiare (guerra o epidemia)	The First World War broke out in 1914.
To break up	finire, rompersi, dividersi	Jane and I broke up last month.
To bump into	imbattersi	She bumped into Michael accidentally.
To call after	dare il nome a	The capital of the USA was called after the first President
To call off	to cancel	The game was called off because of the bad weather
To catch up	mettersi in pari	I need to catch up on my work, I was absent for a week.
To cut down on	to reduce	Won't you cut down on drinking, you are ill!
To fall out	to argue, litigare	The two brothers fell out because of a woman.
To fill in	compilare	You ahve to fill in that application form before Tuesday.
To fill out	compilare	I don't have enough cash, I'll fill out a cash.
To get up	alzarsi	They usually get up at five o' clock in the morning.
To give up	to stop, to quit, rinunciare, smettere	Why dont' you give up smoking?
To grow out	crescere troppo per	He's grown out of those trousers
To grow up	crescere, diventare grande	When I grow up, I want to be a doctor.
To hang on	to hold on, to wait	Can you hang on, please? I'm busy right now.
To hang out	to spend time with	Where do you usually hang out on Saturday night?
To hang up	riattaccare	I tried to explain, but she hung up on me
To hold on	to hang on, to wait	Hold on a second, my cell is ringing.
To keep up with	stare al passo	he'll have some difficulties to keep up with them
To look	sembrare	You look wonderful tonight
to look after	to take care of, prendersi cura di	Thank you for looking after my child when I was sick.
to look at	guardare	Look at me when I'm talking to you!
to look for	cercare	I'm looking for my keys, I cannot fine them.
to look forward	non vedere l'ora di	He is looking forward to meeting you again.
to look like	assomigliare	You look like your mother a lot.
to look up	consultare	Look up in the dictionary and you'll find the meaning.
To move in	trasferirsi, entrare	We have the keys and we can move in tonight
To move out	sgombrare, traslocare	I must move out before the end of this month
To pick up	prendere	Could you pick up mary at the station tonight?
To put off	to postpone, to defer, to delay	The match was put off to the following Monday
To put out	to extinguish, spegnere	Would you mind putting out your cigarette, please?
To put up with	to bear, to stand, sopportare	How can you put up with such a person?
To ring up	to call, to phone	Ring me up at nine tomorrow, will you?
To run out of	to finish, to end, rimanere senza	We ran out of gas on the highway
To show off	to strut, esibirsi, mettersi in mostra	She was showing off her son but he was embarassed
To show up	turn up, arrive unexpectedly	He showed up to the party without being invited
To sleep in	to sleep until late	I love sleeping in on Sunday
To take it out on	to blame, prendersela con	My sister was angry and took it out on me
To take off	to leave	The plane took off at five sharp
To take off	togliersi	They took off their boots and went near the fire
To take up	to start, iniziare	They've taken up diving
To try on	provare (abiti)	Try this hat on, it's nice
To turn in	andare a letto	We used to turn in very late, now we have changed habits
To wake up	svegliarsi	I usually wake up at six thirty, what about you?
To watch out	to be careful, fare attenzione	You'd better watch out for cars when you cross the street
To work out	to sort out, to solve	Don't worry, we can work it out.
To work out	to exercise, to go to the gym	I work out every other day.

English Program

Phrasal verbs

A phrasal verb is a verb composed of a main verb and a preposition. If you translate literally the verb and the preposition he doesn’t help, you cannot figure out (dedurre) the meaning.

To call off

To cancel. Disdire, Sospendere, Annullare.

The meeting is called off (cancelled) because of the snow.

Yesterday the flight to London was called off because it was raining. (passive)

To call on

Rivolgersi a, chiedere l’aiuto di, invitare, fare una visita.

To fall	Cadere
To fall out	Litigare, Discutere

To hold

Avere in mano, impugnare, tenere.

To hold on

To wait Attendere

Hold on a minute, I’ve not finished.

You use it when you speak on the telephone. Ex.: Can I speak to Mary, please? Hold on a minute. You don’t say “wait”, but “hold on”.

You wait for a bus, for something, for a friend.

To hang	Attaccare, Sospendere.
To hang on	To wait. Attendere.
To hang out	Trascorrere il tempo, trovarsi di solito, bazzicare
To hang up	Riattaccare il telefono.

To turn	Girare, Diventare
To turn up	To appear, To be found unexpectedly = Apparire, saltar fuori I was having dinner with a friend of mine when my husband turned up. Many students turned up at the Spanish lesson and many of them were sitting on the floor.
To show	Far vedere, mostrare.
To show up	To arrive (unexpectedly) = Presentarsi, Comparire (inaspettatamente). Dinner war ready at six o’ clock and he showed up at seven without even apologizing. La cena era pronta alle 6 ed egli si presentò alle 7 senza nemmeno scusarsi.

To turn up has nothing to do with the verb to turn, which means girare.

To turn up = to show up

To show off

Mettersi in mostra.

Come on, please. Let me see how you dance.

No, I don’t like to show off.

To give up

It means quit or stop. Arrendersi, cedere, smettere, abbandonare, lasciare.

I smoke a lot. I should give up smoking = dovrei smettere di fumare

After phrasal verbs we always have a verb with –ing.

Give up smoking and not to give up to smoke; give up drinking…

To give in

Stop or quit Arrendersi.

To take on	Intraprendere
To take over	Assumere le direzione o il comando When his father died, he took over the company.
To take up	It is the opposite of give up = Cominciare. If I give up smoking, I would like to take up something else …going to the cinema…or… gardening… etc / I will have to take up something also, I don’t know gardening or painting.
To take out	Ritirare, prelevare To take out money from the bank.
To take off	2 meanings: one means the opposite of put on = Togliersi (un indumento) To take off one’s jacket. and the other means to leave = Decollare / Andarsene it can be the plane or can be a person The plane to London takes off every morning at seven twenty.
To put on	The opposite of take off = Mettersi (un indumento)
To try on	Provare un indumento

To cut down on

It means to reduce = Ridurre

I should cut down on the amount of cigarettes I smoke everyday

Dovrei ridurre la quantità di sigarette che fumo ogni giorno

To run out of

Finire, eusarire

Last night it was eleven o’ clock when I ran out of gas and all the gas stations were closed.

I ran out of money before the end of the week.

Usually you run out of money, gas or petrol, cigarettes, food, furniture.

To fill

Riempire

To fill in

Compilare (is more British)

After the interview, they made me fill in an application form.

Dopo il colloquio, mi fecero compilare un modulo.

To fill out

Compilare (is more American)

To work out

Risolvere un problema – work out a problem or something

I am very worried for the exam.

(and the other person says) Why? We will work it out.

v. Allenarsi, s. Allenamento.

going to the gym, exercise, running, walking, lift weights, …

all that is called work out

Ogni quanto tempo ti alleni? ® How often do you work out?

To sleep in

To sleep until late= Dormire fino a tardi

I like to sleep in on Sundays. I love to sleep at the week-end.

To stay up

To stay up late = Rimanere alzato fino a tardi

To turn in

To go to bed = Andare a letto

It’s midnight. Ok Goodnight, I’m turning in.

To call after

Chiamarsi come

The baby was called after his father.

The capital of the USA was called after the first President of the USA George Washinghton (60-66). George Washington was the first President of the United states and the capital was called after him (Washington D.C. District Colombia).

In the United States and in the United Kingdom children are called after their parents, in fact we have John junior and John senior. This is not very common in Italy because here children are usually called after their grandparents

To put off

To postpone = Rimandare

My flight was put off from five o’ clock to six o’ clock.

To put out

To extinguish = Spegnere.

It is only the fire and the cigarette, not the light.

The fire is il fuoco and a fire is un incendio.

Ti dispiacerebbe spegnere la sigaretta, per favore? Mi da un po’ fastidio.

Would you mind putting out your cigarettes, please? It’s bothering me.

To break	Rompere
To break up	Concludere, porre fine a ® a relationship John and I broke up last week.
To break out	Scoppiare ® the war The Second World War (si può dire anche World War Two) broke out in 1939.
To break down	Crollare. It’s a verb and it’s also a noun. It means when you have a psychological collapse. You have a psychological break down.

To feel blue	Sentirsi giù.
To be in the red	Essere in rosso (o al verde)
A white lie	Bugia bianca – bugia a fin di bene. It’s an innocent lie, not very important.
To turn green	Diventare verde, arrabbiarsi. when you are envious or jealous. (invidioso). I turned green when I saw her new car.
To turn red	Diventare rosso, arrossire.

To bump into

Imbattersi, Incontrare per caso. When you meet somebody in the street, you bump into him.

I bumped into Mary last week.

To grow up

Crescere. for people.

I grew up in New York.

To grow out

Crescere. It’s for object.

My hair grew out a lot.

A plant grows out.

For some people plants grow up because they think that plants live, plants have soul, plants hear, plants understand.

So if you have a green thumb (pollice verde) you say: A plant grows up, not out.

To move in

Trasferirsi in

I am moving in the new apartment next week. It’s very beautiful! It’s right across the street (dall’altra parte della strada).

Andrew and Elisabeth are moving in together. There going to live together. (convivere)

To move out

Trasferirsi (andar via)

My friend and I had a fall out last month and I eventually decided (alla fine) to move out.

To move in and to move out have the same meaning, it depends where you go.

When I moved out of my old apartment, I moved in the new apartment and I moved across the street. So I was a student, I wanted an apartment and then my parents got me a house across the street. It means I didn’t move much, I stayed very close (vicino).

To catch up with

to make up with = Recuperare, mettersi alla pari

Last week I didn’t come to university so now I have to catch up with everything you have done.

To come up with

to invent = to devise = to think up = Ideare, escogitare

To put up with

To bear = to stand = to tolerate = Sopportare

I’m sorry I cannot put up with this situation anymore, I’m leaving.

Mi dispiace non posso più sopportare questa situazione. Me ne vado.

I can’t put up with you anymore, you are very selfish, not understanding and unbearable. It’s over.

Non ti sopporto più. Sei una persona molto egoista, non comprensiva e insopportabile. E’ finita!

I can’t stand you no more no, no, no. (titolo di 1 canzone) Ci sono 2 negazioni, si usa nellinguaggio parlato. (Dovrebbe essere I can’t stand you anymore).

To keep up with	To try to be at the same level of other people = Essere all’altezza di, andare di pari passo. If you have a beautiful car and I have a small car,I want to buy the same car so that I can keep up with you. Her son goes to British school and in order to keep up with herhe send his daughter to the same school. If you keep up with somebody who does a beautiful job, you try to do the same thing, you try not to be lower.
To ring up	To telephone = telefonare Ring me up tonight = phone me tonight. Remember that the verb to phone doesn’t want the preposition to: not correct “phone to me”. Si dice: – To phone s.o. – To tell s.o. – mentre si dice: – To say to s.o. –
To watch out	To be careful – to pay attention = Stare attento – Prestare attenzione Watch out means open your eyes. To pay attention to something (ex. to the lesson) it’s not watch out. When you cross the road: Watch out there is a car coming! Watch out for the cars when you cross the road!
To pick up	Prendere (qualcuno o qualcosa) To pick up a person or also if I drop a pen I pick it up. Are you going to pick up dad from the airport tonight? Because if you can’t, I will. Are you going to pick up Mary after school? No, I thought you were (going). If you have the name (Mary, dad, Andrew) it can go at the end of the phrasal verb or between the verb and preposition, it’s the same. You can say: To pick up dad or to pick dad up. If you have a pronoun (him, it, her, them…) it goes necessarily in the middle. It’s not: are you going to pick up him, but are you going to pick him up?

To speak up	Parlare ad alta voce.
To wake up	Svegliarsi Wake up means when you open your eyes and you don’t sleep anymore. In English we have an idiom which says: Wake up and smell the coffee or also wake up and smell the flowers. –Sveglia!- It means wake up, not in the morning, when, for example, you are talking or you are at lesson and you are sleeping, or sometimes when something is very obvious but you don’t understand it.
To get up	Alzarsi da una sedia, da un letto. I usually get up at seven o’clock.
To stand up	Alzarsi in piedi

To take it out on

Prendersela con qualcuno

My sister was very angry last night and she took it out on me.

To look	Sembrare. You look wonderful tonight.
To look at	Guardare Look at me!
To look for	Cercare I’m looking for my keys.
To look after	To take care of something of somebody, usually children animals, old people. Prendersi cura di, badare a, assistere, accudire a . To look after the baby To look after one’s interests Thank you for looking after my cats, when my children and I were ill. Thank you for looking after my children, when my husband and I were on holiday.
To look forward	Non vedere l’ora di. To look forward to + ing ® non vedere l’ora di looking forward to hearing from you ® in attesa di vostre notizie After looking forward you have “to” verb“-ing”
To look like	Somigliare a, Sembrare Who do you look like? I look like my father a lot. We have got the same lips, the same eyes, the same nose, and even (perfino) the same hair. It looks like rain.

To feel like

Avere voglia di

(a joke) I fell like an apple. / You don’t look it!

I don’t feel like it! Non ne ho voglia.

To pass away

To die = Morire

To pass out

To faint = Svenire - when you lose consciousness (perdere conoscenza e coscienza)

Un phrasal verb è seguito sempre da un verbo con –ing senza il to

Il pronome va sempre fra il verbo e la preposizione, il nome (John, Mary) va sia prima che dopo la preposizione

Es. I work it out.

Are you going to pick up Mary at he airport tonight?

English Program

the more…, the more…

the more …, the more … quanto più …, tanto più … oppure più …, più …

the more …, the less … quanto più …, tanto meno … oppure più …, meno …

Examples:

The more you live, the more you love		Più vivi, più ami
The more the materials are expansive, the higher the cost of the house	Più i materiali sono costosi, più è alto il costo della casa
The stronger the materials are, the safer the house	Più i materiali sono resistenti, più la casa è sicura
The more light, the better the building	Più c’è luce, migliore è l’edificio
The more light, the better	Più c’è luce, meglio è
The smaller the building, the safer	Più l’edificio è piccolo, più è sicuro
The more test we carry out, the safer the aircraft is going to be	Più collaudi vengono fatti, più sicuro sarà l’aereo

Exercises:

Più ci penso, più non ci posso credere	The more I think about it, the more I can’t believe
Ti piace il freddo? Si lo adoro, più fa freddo meglio è	Do you like cold weather? Yes, I love it, the colder (it is), the better (it is)
Ti piace stare con le persone anziane? Si, più sono grandi, più sono saggi	Do you like to stay with old people? Yes, I do. The older, the wiser Do you like to spend your time with old people? Yes, I do. The older (they are), the wiser (they are)
Ti piace uscire con persone giovani? Si, più sono giovani, meglio è	Do you like to go out with young people? Yes, I do. The younger, the better
Si, più sono giovani, più mi diverto	Yes, I do. The younger, the more I have fun Yes, I do. The younger, the more fun I have
Divertire	To have fun To have a good time To enjoy ® usato per gustare qualcosa
Più è difficile la regola grammaticale, più riesco a ricordarla	The more difficult the grammar rule (is), the more I (can) remember it The harder the grammar rule, the more I can remember it
Più soldi ho, più ne spendo	The more money I have, the more I spend
Meno vai a lezione, meno impari	The less you go to lesson, the less you’ll learn
Più caldo è il tempo, meglio mi sento	The warmer the weather, the better I feel
Più presto partiamo, più presto arriviamo	The sooner we leave, the sooner we’ll arrive
Più sei giovane, più è facile imparare	The younger, the easier to learn
Più l’hotel è costoso, migliore è il servizio	The more expensive the hotel, the better the service
Più usi l’elettricità, più alta sarà la tua bolletta	The more electricity you use, the higher your bill will be
Più pensavo al progetto, meno mi piaceva	The more I thought about the plan, the less I liked it.

Fonte: http://wikieconomiaunifg.weebly.com/uploads/8/8/0/0/8800523/inglese.rar

Sito web da visitare: http://wikieconomiaunifg.weebly.com/appunti.html

Autore del testo: non indicato nel documento di origine

Parola chiave google : Lezioni di inglese grammatica tipo file : doc

Lezioni di inglese grammatica