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E N G L I S HA B I T O F E V E R Y T H I N GBYBenedetto Remo Ingrassia Ai miei nipoti Giorgio e Vittoria. GOD BLESS YOU!Caro LettoreLe presenti note sono il risultato (I did my best) di faticose e divertenti ricerche (sull’uso discorde dei due aggettivi si veda quanto alla fine precisato). Esse sono destinate a coloro che, ancorché in possesso di una modesta preparazione in inglese, desiderino migliorarlo più nella “comunicazione” che nella grammatica. A tale proposito si osservi il seguente dialogo tra Mr. Smith e il Sig. Rossi entrambi poco preparati nella lingua dell’altro e quindi facili prede del cadere nella trappola della traduzione “ad litteram”. I due, cortesemente, parlano il primo in italiano e il secondo in inglese.Mr. Smith traduce dall’inglese in italiano la seguente frase: Have you ever been in New York? e chiede: hai (molto meglio “sei”) mai stato a New York?Sig. Rossi traduce dall’italiano in inglese la seguente frase: No, sono stato a Boston e risponde: No, I am (molto meglio “have”) been in Boston.In entrambe le suindicate frasi, i verbi avere ed essere sono stati usati in modo scorretto, ma giova osservare che i due dialoganti si sono, comunque, capiti, possono vicendevolmente correggersi e intelligentemente non hanno scelto il “silenzio” in attesa di esprimersi correttamente dopo avere studiato su una buona Grammatica. Senza nulla togliere all’importanza della grammatica, il suindicato esempio intende porre l’accento sulla predominante importanza della comunicazione anche se parzialmente sgangherata. E’ sulla scorta di detta considerazione che nelle presenti note i riferimenti grammaticali sono quantitativamente molto minori rispetto alle frasi di uso corrente e ai numerosi esempi del “comune parlare”. Sull’importanza della comunicazione, quale elemento essenziale per imparare una lingua, è sufficiente citare l’esempio di un piccolo bimbo che, se cresce in un ambiente “culturalmente sano”, parla correttamente senza l’ausilio della grammatica.Pertanto, per una non troppo remota conoscenza almeno sufficiente dell’inglese, è necessario:1° Cogliere ogni occasione utile per PARLARE (non importa se come il suindicato Sig. Rossi).2° GUARDARE, più volte se fosse necessario, film e documentari preferibilmente senza sottotitoli per meglio concentrarsi nell’ascolto.3° LEGGERE libri e articoli in ordine crescente di difficoltà.4° consultare un buon testo di grammatica e i dizionari “bi” e “mono” lingua.La suindicata cronologia e l’avere usato le lettere maiuscole per i verbi dei primi tre suggerimenti e le minuscole per il quarto non sono casuali.Le presenti note sono state volutamente scritte alternando l’uso dell’inglese e dell’italiano per non “appesantirne” la lettura. A tal fine ho inserito anche una coinvolgente “spy story” intitolata “The man who excaped” e numerosi interessanti articoli americani e inglesi di cultura generale. Per molte parole inglesi è stata riportata, nel limite del possibile, la relativa pronuncia in italiano che se non scritta indica, nella maggioranza dei casi, una lettura della parola inglese molto simile a quella italiana (es. la parola “lip” significa “labbro” si legge “lip” come se fosse un termine italiano). Giova osservare che la dizione in inglese costituisce una difficoltà di primo livello aggravata dal fatto che alcune parole assumono una pronuncia e un significato diversi. Valgano per tutte i seguenti esempi: “to read” significa “leggere” e si legge “rid”, ma “read” passato remoto e “read” passato prossimo, pur scrivendosi come l’infinito, si leggono “red”, il verbo “to live” significa “vivere” e si pronuncia “liv”, ma come sostantivo significa “vivente” e anche “dal vivo” (es. un evento sportivo) e si pronuncia “laiv”, “alive” (vivo) si legge “alaiv” e ancora non sempre due “o” si leggono “u” come per “book” (libro) e “good” (buono), infatti, “floor” (piano) e “door” (porta) si leggono rispettivamente “floar” e “doar” inoltre “blood” (sangue) si legge “blad” e “flood” (diluvio) si legge “flad”. Inoltre, nella speranza di una loro più facile memorizzazione, il paradigma di alcuni verbi irregolari è stato indicato più volte al pari di termini, espressioni e frasi non letteralmente traducibili, ma di uso comune.Infine, propongo in inglese i seguenti “three pieces of advice” puntualizzando che: “Studying English is very difficult, but it is worth it anyway because you will find many people speaking this language all over the world and, to cap it all, it is more difficult using Internet without knowing English”. As well as for any other subjects, if you want to achieve your goal, it is necessary to have:An intelligent study-strategy.A constant thirst for knowledge.The willingness to push your personal boundaries to their very limits.Per le presenti note, volutamente non ho indicato la data della loro stesura poiché ritengo che, a prescindere dalla normale evoluzione di qualunque lingua, esse, prima di diventare obsolete, possono considerarsi attuali per lungo tempo. Un’ultima osservazione ha per oggetto il vecchio adagio: “Non è baloccandosi che s’impara, lo studio è unito a sofferenza”. Sulla prima parte non si può che essere d’accordo salvo all’attribuire al verbo imparare l’intrinseco significato di “interiorizzare”. La seconda parte è condivisibile se il termine “sofferenza” è riferito all’angoscia nel dovere constatare quanto modesto è il bagaglio delle nostre conoscenze rispetto al volume della nostra ignoranza. Pur tuttavia, dovrebbe confortarci la gioia di essere costantemente animati dal desiderio di soddisfare le nostre “curiosità culturali” poiché anche in questo modo lo studio e la ricerca assumono i tratti del diletto e quindi: Buono studio e …. buon divertimento!Benedetto Remo IngrassiaI N D I C E (sintetico per capitoli) Pag.Cap. 1 - Frasi idiomatiche americane inglesi ed espressioni di uso comune 2Cap. 2 - To get/got/got 114Cap. 3 - One hundred common pharasal verbs 122 Cap. 4 - Un pò di grammatica e qualche curiosità 167 Cap. 5 - The man who escaped 233Cap. 6 - One hundred fourteen issues from books newspapers and magazines 253 Cap. 7 - English proverbs and common sayings 384 Cap. 8 - Odds and ends 390 AppendiceVerbi irregolari 394 Abbreviazioniabr.ne = abbreviazione di; ag.vo = aggettivo; av.bio = avverbio; eg. or i.e. (id est) = esempio inglese;es. = esempio italiano; fig.vo = figurativo; ger.dio = gerundio; inf.to = infinito; let. = traduzione letterale;met.co = metaforico; N.B. = Nota Bene; part. pres./pass. = participio presente/passato; pl.le = plurale;prep.ne = preposizione; pro.me = pronome; sarc.co = sarcastico; sing.re = singolare; sog.to = soggetto; sost.vo = sostantivo; sot.so = sottinteso; v. = vedi; V.a = Vedi anche.Capitolo 1FRASI IDEOMATICHE AMERICANE INGLESI ED ESPRESSIONI DI USO COMUNE- A …. LUNCH/DINNER = un pranzo/una cena a base di … (eg. lobster/meat/fish etc.). V.a. “CASUAL DINING (si legge “cagual dainingh”)=pasto informale”. Lunch si legge “lanc” da non confondere con launch=lancio che si legge “lonc” (to launch=lanciare, es. un nuovo prodotto), LIGHT MEAL=pranzo leggero, SPACY (si legge “spaisi”) FOOD =cibo piccante, STARTER=antipasto=APPETIZZER, FIRST/COURSE/HIGHLIGHT (parte migliore)=piatto forte, SIGNATURE (firma, si legge “sìgh-nacuar”) DISH=cavallo di battaglia di un cuoco), STEAMED FISH=pesce cotto al vapore, COLD CUTS=affettati freddi, LAMB CHOPS (“lem ciaps”)=costolette d’agnello, STUFFED/FRIED (si legge “fraid”) CHICKEN=pollo ripieno/fritto, FRUIT=frutta, DESSERT (si legge “disert”)= dolce (diverso da “DESERT (si legge ”dèsert”)=deserto” e FORTUNE COOKIE (si legge “forciun cuchi”)= biscotto della fortuna (negli USA è offerto nei ristoranti cinesi (che offrono i “CHOPSTICKS=bastoncini”, si legge ”ciopstichs” come posate), se è rotto A metà (IN half) mostra all’interno (inside) un “scrap (pezzetto) of paper” con frasi augurali) e “DRESSING (da to dress=vestire/rsi)=condimento per insalata”.V.a. “DON’T COUNT YOUR CHICKENS BEFORE THEY ARE HATCHED (da to hatch= covare/schiudere (di uova), si legge “hec”)=non vendere la pelle dell’orso prima di averlo ucciso), MAIN=più importante, MAINLY=principalmente=MOST OF ALL or CHIEFLY (da “chief=capo”), TO HAVE A SWEET TOOTH (dente, pl.le “teeth”)=essere goloso di dolci, DINER=ristorante economico, si legge “dainar”), A (indicare un numero) COURSE MEAL=un pranzo di… portate, CHUNK (si legge “cianch”)=una bella porzione/un pezzo (eg. of cheese (si legge “cis”)=formaggio), DELI (abr.ne di “delicatessen”)=gastronomia, COBB SALAD=ricca insalata americana, MASHED (da to mash=triturare) POTATOES (purée di patate), WINE ON TAP (rubinetto)=vino sfuso e ON TAPE=sciolto/alla spina (birra=BEER, si legge “biar”)”. In inglese l’espessione “buon appetito” non esiste, si dice “Enjoy your meal”.- A BIG SHOT (sparo, si legge “sciat”) = una persona importante. This expression can be used in a negative sense. Eg. (for instance) Now that he has (NO “is”) become (became/become) our president, he thinks he’s such a big shot=pallone gonfiato. V.a. “TO BE WORTH ONE’S WEIGHT IN GOLD=valere tanto oro quanto si pesa”.- A BIRD IN THE HAND IS WORTH TWO IN THE BUSH = (let. un uccello nella mano vale due nell’aiuola). Simile a “HALF A LOAF IS BETTER THAN NONE=mezzo filone di pane è meglio che niente”. Il senso è “meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani”.N.B. “Half as=neanche un pò così … . Eg. Italian men are so romantic, but the Englisharen’t half as romantic=non sono per niente così romantici. V.a. “FOR THE BIRDS= non vale nulla” (eg. This film is for birds.) e DON’T BEAT AROUND THE BUSH=non menar il can per l’aia (il senso è “non sprecare tempo/parole)”.- A BIRD’S EYE (let. occhio d’uccello) VIEW FROM THE TOP OF … = un panorama che si vede dalla cima di… .- A BIT OF A STRETCH (distesa/stiramento (verbo) (st)tendere(rsi)/esagerare, si legge “strec”) = a mild (blando/mite, si legge “maild”) exaggeration (esagerazione, si legge “eghsagerescion”) beyond the truth (verità) or what is likely the case. Eg. I’m not too fond (affezionato) of taxes either, but it’s a bit of stretch (è un pò esagerato) to claim they are the cause (causa, si legge “coos”) of all our problems.- A BREATH OF FRESH AIR = un soffio di area fresca (met.co). Indica “una persona/ cosa positiva e del tutto (WHOLLY, si legge “holy”) nuova”. N.B. Breath=respiro, si legge “breth”; to breathe=respirare, si legge “briid”.- A CAN-DO PERSON = un tipo in gamba/deciso .V.a. “AN ODDBALL=un tipo strano/ stravagante/eccentrico e I CAN DO = posso farcela” (Are you up to it?=ce la fai?).- A CLASSY … = un … di alta classe. Eg. Gintonic ON the rock (CON ghiaccio) made correctly (fatto correttamente) is a classy drink.- A CLOSE (vicino) RELATIVE OF … = un parente stretto di … (anche met.co). Eg. He is a close relative of the manager.- A DEAD WEIGHT = un peso morto (anche sarc.co).- A DRAGON LADY = una donna sgradevole (nasty) che abusa (to misuse=abusare, si legge “misiùs”) del suo potere. Simile a “SHREW (si legge “srù”)=bisbetica (nel senso “che rompe le scatole”), meno forte di “BITCH (puttana, slang, si legge “bic”).N.B. In inglese NON esiste la corrispondente espressione “a dragon sir or man”.- A FRESH = di nuovo/da capo.- A GREAT DEAL OF = molto. Eg. A great deal of money was lost during the strike (sciopero, si legge “straich”). V.a. “NO BIG DEAL=niente di speciale/roba da poco= NO BIGGIE (si legge “bighi” slang da big=grosso), WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?=e con ciò? e TO MAKE A BIG DEAL=farne un dramma” simile a TO MAKE WAVES (onde)=creare problemi”. Eg. The best way to stay out of trouble is not to make waves.- A HANDFUL OF … = una manciata/un po’ di … .- A HAPPY CAMPER (campeggiatore) = (slang) una persona nolto felice/soddisfatta. N.B. L’espressione è più usata nella forma negativa=he is not a happy camper.- A HEART-THUMPING … (eg. journey=viaggio) = un … al cardiopalma (to thump= picchiare/battere forte).- A LIGHTNING STRIKE = uno sciopero improvviso.- A LITTLE BIT LATER = un pò più tardi. V.a. “BIT BY BIT=a poco a poco=INCH (pollice)BY INCH”. N.B. “LITTLE/LESS/THE LEAST=poco/meno/il minore”. Eg: Eating less is the first rule of healty living=mangiare meno è la prima regola di una vita sana. It’s the least of my worries=essa è la minore delle mie preoccupazioni e LET ALONE=tanto meno (nel senso “senza contare …”)”. Eg: I can’t remember the name of the movie/picture (film, si leggono “muvi e pichciar”) and let alone the names of the actors. He is not capable of organising an office party, let alone an international conference and that applies (riguarda) to you too.- A LITTLE BIT OF … = un pò di … . Simile a “A LITTLE BIT MORE=ancora un pò”.- A LITTLE OVER … AGO = poco più di .... indicare il numero di giorni/mesi/anni fa.- A LOAD OFF ONE’S MIND = un peso/pensiero tolto dalla propria mente = A RELIEF (sollievo, si legge “rilif”).- A LOT LONGER = molto più a lungo (riferito a un evento). Simile a “THAT LONG= così a lungo”.- A LOT OF LAUGHTER (si legge “laftar”) = un sacco di risate=smiles (“smailes”).- A LOT OF = molto tempo. Da non confondere con “A LOT OF TIMES=molte volte”, con “AN AWFUL (terribile, si legge “oful”) LOT OF …=tantissime/un sacco di …” e con “AT THE BEST OF TIMES=il più delle volte”. V.a.” IT’S TIME I WENT (che io vada) HOME, (AND SO) THE BALLON (pallone/cino, si legge “balun”) WENT UP!=(e così) scoppiò la bomba! (met.co) e DOWN TIME=momento di pausa”.- A LOT ON ONE’S PLATE (piatto, si legge “pleit”) = A LOT TO DO=molte cose da fare.- A MATTER OF TASTE = una questione di gusto.- A NERVOUS WRECK (naufragio/relitto, si legge “rech”) = una persona molto preoccupata. Simile a “VERY TENSE (teso/in tensione)=ALL WOUND UP (da to wind (si legge “uaind”)/wound (si legge “uaund”)/wound=avvolgere=to wrap)”. Eg. Don is all wound up because he is next to getting (prossimo a conoscere) a review (recenzione/valutazione, si legge “rivieu”) of his performance.N.B. WIND (sost.vo si legge “uaind” NO uind)=vento e WOUND (sost.vo si legge “vuund” NO uaund)=ferire/ferita. - A NIGHT OWL (gufo/civetta, “auol”) = una persona che lavora anche di notte/ nottambulo.- A PERSON OF LEARNING, TRUSTWORTY AND TASTE = una persona di cultura, affidabile e di buon gusto. V.a. “LEARNED (ag.vo, si legge “learn-id“)=istruito/colto= EDUCATED/WELL-READ” (l’opposto è “ILLITERATE (si legge “elliteret”)=analfabeta), BAD TASTE=cattivo gusto, BAD MANNERS=maniere/modi volgari e TO BE HELD IN HIGH REGARD=essere tenuto in grande considerazione”.- A PIECE OF CAKE = un gioco da ragazzi (si dice di una prova/esame/lavoro) = EASYAS A PIE (torta, si legge “pai”). V.a. “TO WANT ONE’S PIECE OF PIE (met.co)=volere la … parte di qualcosa (eg. LION’S SHARE=la parte del leone, si legge “laions sheer”), TO HAVE ONE’S SHARE (quota/porzione/parte, si legge “sceer”) OF …=averne abbastanza di …, TO DO/MAKE ONE’S SHARE=fare la propria parte e TO MAKE COMEBACK=tornare alla ribalta/in auge”.- A PIPE (pipa e anche “tubo”, si legge “paip”) DREAM = una vana speranza.- A PITY IT DIDN’T = peccato che non sia successo (anche sarc.co).- A QUIRK (stranezza) OF FATE (fato, si legge “feit”) = uno scherzo del destino.- A RAISE (si legge “reis”) IN SALARY = un aumento DI stipendio. N.B. TO RAISE= alzare/innalzare e anche “allevare” (eg. To raise children with two languages). Il significato di detto verbo è simile a quello di TO RISE (si legge “rais”)/ROSE/RISEN, ma “to rise è intransitivo” (non ha un complemento oggetto), mentre “to raise è transitivo” (regge un complento oggetto). Pertanto, “to rise significa che il soggetto si alza/innalza da solo”, mentre “to raise significa che il soggetto alza qualcosa diversa da se stesso”. Eg: Raise your hands to the sky (il soggetto (“tu” imperativo sot.so) e l’oggetto (“mani”) sono diversi). The government is going to raise taxes (“TAX BREAKS=agevolazioni fiscali”). The sun ries in the sky (let. Il sole “alza se stesso” in cielo). The value of my shares is rising. V.a. “TO RISE TO THE SURFACE (let. salire alla superfice)=manifestarsi (eg. The jobs market doesn’t allow quality to rise to the surface and huge (enorme, si legge “hiug”) numbers of very talented Italians are not in Italy), TO RISE FROM GUTTER (ragazzo di strada, si legge “gatar”)=venire dal nulla/fogna, SUNRISE=alba, SUNSET=tramonto e MOONLIGHT=chiaro di luna”.- A SHORT CUT = una via (anche in senso met.co) più veloce/facile.- A STONE’S THROW FROM (met.co) … = a un tiro di sasso/schioppo da ... .- A SURE (sicuro, si legge “scuar”) THING = un risultato certo (riferibile anche a persona “degna di fiducia”). V.a. “DEFINITLY=certamente=ADMITTEDLY”.- A TALL (alto, si legge “tol”) ORDER = un compito/incarico difficile da compiere.V.a. “HARDLY=difficilmente/per niente”.- A TON (tonnellata) OF … = un sacco di … (indicare gli oggetti) = A WHOLE LOT OF …- A WAKE-UP CALL = un campanello d’allarme (met.co). V.a. “TO WAKE/WOKE/ WOKEN=svegliare(rsi), TO CALL FOR=richiedere” (eg: This calls for a drink! The situation calls for immediate actions) e A CALL FOR … = una richiesta DI …” .- A WEEK FROM + un giorno della settimana=detto giorno della prossima settimana.- A WHILE LATER = un po’ più tardi.- A WIDELY HELD (da to hold/held/held=tenere) BELIEF = un’opinione largamentediffusa. V.a. “A MATTER OF OPINION/PRINCIPLE (si legge “prinsipol”=una questioneopinabile/di principio”.- A WINDFALL (manna) = una fortuna/regalo/guadagno del tutto inaspettato.- ABOUT HALF WAY THROUGH (anche met.co) = circa a metà (strada).V.a. “ROUGHLY (si legge “rafli)=all’incirca/approssimatamente”, OUT OF THE WAY= fuori mano” e TO MAKE WAY FOR=fare posto per/A”.- (BUT) ABOVE/OVER ALL ELSE = (ma) soprattutto/sopra ogni cosa/più di tutto= MOST OF ALL. V.a. “CHIEFLY=soprattutto/principalmente”.- ACCORDING TO … = secondo il parere DI… (persona/libro/giornale, etc.). N.B. Si usa SOLO se si riporta l’opinione altrui, se invece è la propria si dice “TO MY MIND/IN MY OPINION”. Eg. My bet is that … = secondo me … . V.a. “ACCOUNTING FOR THE … =prendendo in considerazione il … .” Eg. Students account for (rappresentano) the majority of our customers (clienti, si legge “castmers”).- ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER (si legge “lauder”parlano più forte) THAN WORDS = i fatti contano più delle parole.- ADMITTEDLY = bisogna ammettere (to admit/admitted/admitted) CHE… . (“admitting (a inizio della frase)=ammettendo CHE”).- AFTER A WHILE = per un pò. V.a. “ALL THIS WHILE=per tutto questo tempo”.- AFTER TODAY = da oggi in poi (in genere segue l’indicazione di un nuovo comportamento). V.a. “IN THIS/THAT VERY DAY=in questo/quello stesso giorno, IN THIS VERY MOMENT=in questo preciso istante e ONWARDS=in poi”. Eg: This castel stood (da to stand/stood/stood=stare/essere in piedi) here from the 13th century onwards. From that day on=da quel giorno in poi.- (BUT) AGAINST THE ODDS (probabilità, SEMPRE al pl.le) … = (ma) contro le probabilità (probability) …/malgrado tutto/nonostante le circostanze avverse.- AGED (anziano (elderly)/stagionato) … = all’età di (indicare il numero) anni.Eg. Now aged 70, … .- ALIKE = allo stesso modo/in egual misura. Eg: To treat everyone alike. In many cities some monuments are often overlooked (trascurati) by residents and tourists alike, though (sebbene, si legge “thou”) they are Grade 2 listed (elencato/dichiarato) buildings (edifici di rilevanza storica). Gli opposti sono “INSTEAD=invece (DI)”=AS OPPOSED TO=al contrario DI/diversamente DA/ON THE CONTRARY= anzi/invece=IN REVERSE (può seguire EVEN IF=anche se)”. V.a. “LOOK-ALIKE=sosia”.- ALL ALONE = (tutto) solo/da solo/senza aiuto e anche “lungo tutto … .”.- ALL AROUND (tutto intorno) THE WORLD = in tutto il mondo = ALL OVER THE WORLD (di uso più frequente). V.a. “ALL OVER=THROUGHTOUT=EVERYWHERE (segue “the” o un “aggettivo possessivo”), eg: They are from all over the world. I gotKetchup (salsa piccante) all over my sweater (pullover, si legge “sueter”) e ALL OVERAGAIN = ONCE AGAIN=ancora una volta”. - ALL AT ONCE = improvvisamente.- ALL BEING WELL (a inizio frase) … = se tutto va bene… .- ALL BETTER = in buone condizioni (anche fisiche). V.a. “ALL BETTER?=tutto bene?”.- ALL BUT = quasi/tranne. Eg: The dinner is all but ready. Everyone has (tutti SONO) arrived, (all) but John. V.a. “SHORT OF …= all’infuori di/tranne … e TO ALL BUT …= a tutti tanne che a …” . Eg. He offered some whisky to all/everybody but me.- ALL DAY LONG = tutto il santo giorno.- ALL IN A BREATH (respiro/alito, si legge “breth”)=tutto DI un fiato (es. una bevuta).- ALL IN ALL = AT THE END OF THE DAY = DEEP DOWN = in fondo/tutto sommato/alla fin fine/in fin dei conti/conclusione = WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE. Simile a “AFTER ALL=dopo tutto”. Eg: He deep down likes her=in fondo in fondo a lui piace lei. I might just like it=forse mi piacerà. V.a. “SEAMLESSLY=senza soluzione di continuità”.- ALL IS FAIR (leale/giusto, si legge “fear”) IN LOVE AND WAR = tutto è consentito in amore e in guerra. Eg. It isn’t fear OF you=non è leale DA parte tua. V.a. “TO BE FAIR …=per essere precisi …” e TO FALL (abbattere, si legge “fool”) HEAD OVER HEEL (taco, si legge “hil”) IN LOVE=essere innamorato cotto”.- ALL KIDDING ASIDE = JOKING ASIDE = a parte gli scherzi, (segue un precedente commento). V.a. “LEAVING ASIDE=lasciando da parte, TO KID=scherzare (si legge “chid”; sost.vo “monello”, eg. Where are thy kids?=dove sono i ragazzi ?), NO KIDDING=sul serio/senza scherzi (eg. Are you kidding?=stai scherzando?), JUST (appena/solo, si legge “giast”) KIDS STUFF=ragazzate, SAVE FOR …=REGARDLESS OF … =a parte/a prescindere DA … e TO KNOW ONE’S STUFF=sapere il fatto proprio”.- ALL OF A SUDDEN (si legge “saden”) = all’improvviso, simile a SUDDENLY= improvvisamente=OVERNIGHT (av.bio e anche ag.vo). Eg. A overnight success=un immediato successo.- ALL OVER AGAIN = ancora una volta. V.a. “OF OLD=d’una volta/del passato e ONCE UPON A …=c’era una volta (l’inizio di una favola) un …”.- ALL SORTS = ogni genere. Eg. It takes (da to take/took/taken=prendere) all sorts (tutti i tipi) to make (made/made=fare) a world=il mondo è bello perchè è vario.V.a. “IT TAKES=ci vuole/vogliono” (eg. It takes two people to argue (si legge “arghiu”)=ci vogliono due persone per discutere (anche “litigare”) e TO HAVE WHAT IT TAKES”=avere le qualità necessarie. Eg. He has what it takes for this job.- ALL THAT MUCH = non più di tanto. Eg. I can’t eat all that much.- ALL THINGS CONSIDERED … = tutto considerato … Eg. All things considered the party went (da to go/went/gone=andare) well.- ALL TOO OFTEN (si legge “ofen”) = troppo spesso/sovente=TIME AND TIME AGAIN.- (ALL) YEAR-ROUND = (PER) tutto l’anno. V.a. “LEAP (salto, si legge “lip”) YEAR= anno bisestile”.- ALLEGEDLY = presunta (ag.vo)/presumibilmente (av.bio)/secondo quanto ritenuto.- ALMOST OVER = quasi finito (es: pranzo, spettacolo, riunione ecc.) = OVER SOON.- ALONGSIDE BY … = accanto A … . V.a. “ALMOST/NEARLY=quasi/per poco”. Eg. He almost/nearly missed the plane=per poco non ha perso l’aereo.- ALONG WITH … = insieme A … . V.a. “ALL ALONG=da sempre/sin dall’inizio, ALL ALONG THE ..=lungo tutto il … , eg. In London you can walk all along the Thames (Tamigi, si legge “tems”) e ALTOGETHER=del tutto/completamente=THOROUGHLY”.Eg: Listen to me, eliminate smoking cicarettes altogether. A thoroughly (si legge “thoreli”) enjoyable show.- (AND) IT TURNS OUT … = (e) salta fuori (nel senso “si viene a sapere”)/risulta CHE …Eg: Things have (NO “are”) turned out good=le cose sono andate bene. It turned out to be true=risultò vero.- (AND) SO WHAT? = che importa/e con ciò/e allora? (dopo un’affermazione per la quale con detta domanda si mostra perplessità). V.a. “DON’T SWEAT (sudare, sost.vo “sudore”, (si legge “suet”) ALL THE LITTLE STUFF=non preoccuparti delle cose di poca importanza”.- AN EVERYDAY THING = una cosa da poco.- AN EYE FOR AN EYE, A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH = occhio per occhio, dente per dente.- AN OFFER ONE CAN’T REFUSE = un’offerta irrifiutabile (This idiom is sometimes used to mean a bad offer one is forced to take. Eg. Don Vito Corleone in the movie Godfather said: I’m going to make him an offer (SENZA “that”) he can’t refuse.- AN UNPLEASANT (sgradevole, si legge “anplesnt”) INCIDENT (episodio, si legge “insident” diverso da “accident=incidente”, si legge “axident”) = un fatto spiacevole.- ANCIENT (antico, si legge “eincnt”) HISTORY = storia vecchia/passata. Eg. Our relationship is (SENZA articolo) ancient history now. Il senso è “il nostro rapporto (sentimentale o no) è finito”. La risposta potrebbe essere: “Indeed (infatti/davvero/ proprio/in realtà, si legge “indid”) it is=certo che lo è; può seguire: I am very glad indeed=infatti sono davvero molto contento. N.B. “HISTORY=storia (nel senso “narrativa storica”)”, mentre “STORY=racconto (nel senso “la storia personale”).- AND AGAIN = e inoltre/e ancora = ON TOP OF … (il senso è “in aggiunta di/A quanto già detto/scritto”). V.a. “MUCH AS=proprio come”.- … AND SO ON/THE LIKE = e così via/cose simili. V.a. “WHETHER YOU OR NOT=ti piaccia o no/volente o nolente”.- AND ON TOP OF THAT = AND TO CAP (tappare) IT ALL = e per di più/come se nonbastasse = TO TOP IT ALL = (AND) WHAT’S MORE … = (e) per di più … (espressione risentita). Può seguire “AND THAT’S THE LAST OF IT=e quello era il meno”.N.B. Last e latest significano entrambi “ultimo” con le seguenti accezioni: The last=l’ultimo/finale/scorsa (eg. That’s my last offer, take it or leave it=prendere o lasciare =love it or list it. I went to New York last summer=la scorsa estate). The latest=il più recente (eg. You can get the latest traffic information on TV).- AND THAT’S ALL = e questo è tutto (conclude una precedente affermazione).- AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER (da allora in poi) = e vissero felici e contenti.- ANY MINUTE NOW = VERY SOON (di uso più frequente) = molto presto/tra poco.- APPROVAL RATINGS = indici di gradimento.- APRIL (si legge “eiprul”) FOOL’S DAY = pesce d’Aprile (scherzi tipici del 1° Aprile).- (AS A) LAST RESORT (luogo di soggiorno, si legge “risort”) = (come) ultima risorsa(to resort=ricorrere=to appeal). V.a. “SKI RESORT=stazione sciistica, WINTER RESORT =luogo di villeggiatura invernale e SEASIDE RESORT=località di mare”.- AS AMERICAN AS APPLE PIE (torta, si legge “pai”) = qualunque cosa che sia tipicamente americano. V.a. “ALL-AMERICAN=americano al 100% fino al midollo”.- AS A MATTER OF FACT = IN FACT = IN REALTY = ACTUALLY = effettivamente.- AS A RESULT (risultato, si legge “risàlt”) OF THE … = in seguito AL …/in conseguenza del … (Notare l’uso dell’articolo). Eg: As an actor/actress=come attore/attrice. “As” ha anche il significato di “in quanto/poiché”. Eg. I had to send (sent/sent=spedire) the form (modulo) back, as it hadn’t been filled in/out (compiltato) correctly.V.a. “ACCORDINGLY=di conseguenza” e “DOWN THE LINE=per il futuro/in seguito”. Eg. There will be further (ulteriori) changes in the global economy down the line.- AS A RULE (norma/regola) = usualmente/generalmente/di solito/come al solito = USUALLY = TYPICALLY. V.a. “UNLIKELY (agg.vo)=insolita”.- AS A TEEN (adolescente, si legge “tiin”) = EARLY ADULTHOOD = da giovane/fino a = UP TO 19 (nineteen). N.B. 19 il più alto numero che finisce in “teen”.V.a. “TEENNAGERS=adolescenti, IN + ag.vo possessivo, TEENS=durante la … adolescenza, IN THE PRIME (si legge “praim”) OF LIFE=nel fiore degli anni e TO BE IN ONE’S TEENS (dai 13 ai 19 anni)=essere un adolescente”.- AS A WHOLE = nel complesso. = ALTOGETHER = ON THE WHOLE = IN THE MAIN.V.a. “THE WHOLE THING IS OFF=tutto è andato per aria/a rotoli”.- AS + indicare un nome (ONCE) PUT (put/put=mettere): …. = come … (una volta) DISSE: … . N.B. Si usa put (NO “say”) quando si riportano le parole di qualcuno, ma se le parole citate sono le proprie, l’espressione diventa “As I SAID”=come dissi/ho detto. V.a. “TO PUT IN PLACE=porre in essere, AS A TREAT (sost.vo=sorpresa/ regalo/gratificazione/piacere; verbo=trattare, si legge “trit”) e TO TREAT= concedersi un piacere”. Eg. Sometimes I treat myself=talvolta mi concedo un piacere.- AS BEST AS YOU CAN = meglio che puoi/si può.- AS CLOSED AS AN OYSTER (ostrica, si legge “oistar”) = muto come un pesce.- AS EVIDENCE OF … = come prova/a coferma di/dei … .- AS FAR AFIELD = luoghi lontani. Eg. To come from as far afield as … (indicare un luogo).- AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED (da to concern=interessare/riguardare; (sost.vo) preoccupazione, si legge “consern”) = secondo me/per quanto mi riguarda.V.a. “IN THE WAY OF …/AS FOR …=per quanto riguarda …”.- AS FAR BACK AS THE … = così indietro/databile sin dal (segue una data).- AS FAST AS LIGHTNING = in quattro a quattro otto.- AS IT WERE (NO “was”) = in effetti/per così dire = SO TO SPEAK (è il rafforzativo di una precedente dichiarazione).- AS LATE AS … = non prima/più tardi DI. V.a. “NOT LONGER THAN …=non più di … .”- AS LIKE AS NOT = come se non lo fosse. N.B. “As=in qualità/veste di … e Like=come”, ma “as”, usato come congiunzione, segue un soggetto (eg: We will do as you say. He found a job as tourist guide. As a doctor I must disapprove of smoking.) o un verbo (eg: Do as I tell you=fallo come ti dico). “Like” si usa per “fare un confronto” (eg. She looks as her mother).V.a. “WHETHER YOU LIKE OR NOT=che ti piaccia o no”- AS LONG AS THAT’S THE CASE = fintanto che/purchè è/sia veramente così.- AS MANY (come molti) AS … (indicare un numero, eg. “three”) = pari a/ben … (tre).- AS MUCH AS = tanto quanto. V.a. “(BUT) AS MUCH AS …= (ma) per quanto …”.N.B. “PER QUANTO” nel senso di “benchè” si traduce “ALBEIT” (si legge “ol-bi-it”).- AS OF… = a partire/con inizio da (es. mese e giorno)/sin dal … (es. una data/un fatto e simili) = SINCE (da …/da tempo/dall’ora in poi/da quando/giacché/poiché, dato che/siccome, si legge “sins”, è il più usato). Eg: As of today. As of May 25.- AS RECENTLY (si legge “rìsentli”) AS = come recentemente (latterly, si riferice a un evento accaduto). V.a. “NEWLY=di recente/da poco tempo, IN DUE COURSE=a tempo debito e SOON THEREAFTER=dopo poco tempo/presto”.- (AS) SHARP (affilato e anche “alla moda”) AS (SENZA l’articolo) TACK (puntina da disegno) = molto intelligente. Eg. He is a sharp dresser=è sempre elegante.- AS STEADY (si legge “stedi”) AS A ROCK = saldo come una roccia e anche “costante/regolare”. V.a. “STEADY HAND=mano ferma (anche met.co) e STEADILY= costantemente/in modo continuo”.- AS SURE AS FATE (fato, si legge “feit”) = sicuro come la morte/certissimo.- AS THEY/WE/YOU PLEASE = a loro/nostro/vostro piacimento.- AS THEY SOW (si legge “soo”) SO SHALL THEY REAP (si legge “rip”) = quello che sisemina si raccoglie. N.B. Shall + I/We + infinito (SENZA “to”) si usa per offrirsi a farequalcosa. Eg. Shall I carry your bag?=posso portare la tua valigia?- AS TIME HAS (NO “is”) GONE BY … = con il passare del tempo … . Simile a “OVER (durante) THE YEARS=col passare degli anni”. Eg. As time goes by I have (NO “am”) become less and less (sempre meno) interested in politics. V.a. “EVENTUALLY (si legge “ivenciuali”)=alla fine/infine/col tempo/prima o poi e TO STALL (rallentare, si legge “stol”) FOR TIME=guadagnare tempo/temporeggiare”.- AS TO WHY = sul/del/il perchè/come mai. Eg. I suppose (or think) that …, now I want to explain as to why.- AS WEIRD AS IT MAY SEEM = per quanto strano (si legge “uiird”) possa sembrare.- AS WELL (a fine frase) = anche/allo stesso modo.V.a. “AS WELL AS …=così come …/oltre a …/insieme a …”.- AS YOU GET OLDER (più vecchio) = invecchiando.V.a. “THE OLD FASHION WAY=all’antica”.- AS YOU GO = via via/gradualmente (in genere a fine frase).- ASIDE (si legge “esaid”) FROM/BESIDES (si legge “bisaids”) + ger.dio/sost.vo = oltre a …/a parte la (es. fortuna). V.a. “THE BULK (massa, si legge “bolch”) OF=la maggior parte del…” .- AT A ROUGH (irregolare, si legge”raf” ) ESTIMATE=secondo un calcolo non preciso. V.a. “BALLPARK FIGURE=numero/costo impreciso e TO ROUGH UP=maltrattare”.- AT ALL TIMES (SEMPRE al pl.le) = in ogni momento/sempre = ANYTIME (SEMPRE al sing.le), diverso da “AT TIMES=a volte/talvolta=SOMETIMES (entrambi SEMPRE al pl.le)”. V.a. “FROM THEN ON IN=da quel momento in poi”.- AT ANY TIME = in qualsiasi momento. E’ anche la cortese risposta a un invito.Eg. Do you want to play bridge with me? – (Yes) at any time (tutte le volte che vuoi).- AT BEST = nel migliore dei modi/casi. Eg. The chances of surviving without water are, at best, limited.- AT EASE (agio/comodità, si legge “iis”) = riposo. Altri termini militari sono: attention=attenti; watchword=parola d’ordine; fire at will=fuoco a volontà; to ceasefire=cessare il fuoco; to battle=andare a combattere, to be at war=essere in guerra=to be in a war=to be in arms (armi).- AT FACE VALUE = con superficialità/superficialmente.- AT FIRST… = all’inizio/in principio = AT THE TOP. Eg. At first the study of … is quitebasic (piuttosto semplice), but then … .- AT (SENZA “my”) HEART = in cuor mio (nel senso “in fondo = AT BOTTOM = sotto sotto”). V.a. “ALL IN ALL (a inizio frase)=tutto sommato ALL TOLD=AT HEART”.- AT LEAST = almeno. Eg: We have run out (esaurito) OF (NO “the”) coffee, but atleast we still have tea. There are at least (non meno) three hundred people (persone/gente, SEMPRE al pl.le) at the stadium. V.a. “IN THE LEAST BIT=in minima parte …“. Eg. When I walk in this park at night I don’t feel in the least bit (per niente=NOT AT ALL) threatened (minacciato, si legge “thretnd”). - AT MY SIDE = al mio fianco/vicino a me = NEAR (SENZA “to”) ME. V.a. “NEXT DOOR TO ME=vicino di casa e (RIGHT) NEARBY=nelle vicinanze (si legge “niarbai”)”.Eg. Indie Market in Brooklyn has tons of little restaurants nearby.V.a. “THE GIRL NEXT DOOR=la ragazza della porta accanto”. - AT ONCE = subito=IMMEDIATELY = immediatamente = PROMPTLY = velocemente= STRAIGHT AWAY=ON THE SPOT (macchia/individuare)=AT THE FLICK (schiocco/colpo secco) OF A SWITCH (interruttore) = in men che non si dica = BEFORE YOU KNOW IT = IN LESS THAN NO TIME. Simili a “RIGHT AFTER=subito dopo”. N.B. il seguente rimprovero=REBUKE (anche verbo, si legge “ribiuch”) a un bimbo: OFF to bed! You are supposed to be asleep at this time=SUBITO a letto! Dovresti già dormire ora.V.a. “ONCE AND FOR ALL=una volta per tutte”. Eg. I tell you once and for all!- AT SOME POINT = a un certo punto. V.a. “TO SOME EXTENT=fino a un certo punto, SOMEWHAT=alquanto e SO MUCH SO THAT …=a tal punto che … .”.- AT SOME STAGE (fase/palcoscenico, si legge “steig”) IN LIFE = a un certo punto della vita. V.a. “BY STAGES=per gradi”.- AT STAKE (palo, si legge “steich) = IN QUESTION = in gioco/pericolo (riferito a una o più situazioni). Eg. When I started this new business (affare/i, SEMPRE al sing.re), I had $ 250,000 of my own (proprio, è un rafforzativo) money at stake. Un altro rafforzativo è il “to do” posto prima del verbo principale coniugato all’infinito SENZA “to”. Eg: He does love her=egli l’ama davvero. I do want to meet you as soon as possible=voglio assolutamente incontrarti al più presto possible. There’s a lot at stake=la posta è alta. V.a. “AS FAR AS POSSIBLE=nei limiti del possibile”.- AT (NO “for”) THE BEHEST OF … = PER ordine/volere/ di … .- AT THE HEIGHT (altezza, si legge “hait”) OF … = all’altezza di … . V.a. “TO BE AT THE HEIGHT OF + ag.vo possessivo SUCCESS (si legge “sachsès”)=essere all’apice del … successo e TO COME TO A HEAD=raggiungere il culmine”.- AT THE READY = pronto per l’uso.- AT THE VERY TIME … = proprio quando … .- AT THE WHIM (si legge “uaim”) OF … = secondo iI capriccio di … .- AT (indicare l’ora) SHARP (tagliente) = alle … precise = PRECISE (si legge “prisais”).- AT TOP SPEED = As fast as (quanto più veloce) something/someone can go.- AXE (ascia, si legge “ax”) MURDERER (assassino, si legge “marderar”) = serial killer.- BACHELOR/BRIDAL (si legge “braidal”) PARTY = festa di addio al celibato/nubilato.- BABY BOOMERS = persone nate tra il 1940/60 (il senso è “diversamente giovani”).- BACK IN THE …s = all’inizio del … (indicare l’anno). V.a. “BACK IN THE DAYS=tempo fa, BACK IN THE DAYS OF …=ai tempi di …, (AND), BACK IN THOSE DAYS, …=(e), in quei giorni/tempi, …, BACK THEN=a quell’epoca/a quel/i tempo/i, BACK-TO-BACK= uno di seguito all’altro/consecutivi e AT THE BACK=nel retro”.- BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD (bordo, si legge “bord”) = tutto da rifare (riferito a un lavoro non condiviso/non approvato). TO DRAW (si legge “droa”)/DREW (si legge “driu”)/DRAWN (si legge “droan”)=disegnare/tirare. Eg. We must draw the line somewhere=dobbiamo pur mettere dei paletti (met.co). N.B. “DRAW” significa anche “pari/pareggio”, eg. The match ended in a draw=la partita finì alla pari.V.a. “ACROSS THE BOARD=dappertutto”.- BACKWARD(S) (indietro) AND FORWARD(S) (avanti) = BACK AND FORTH = (let. indietro e avanti (in italiano si dice al contrario) = su e giù. Eg. I bike back and forth to work every day=vado avanti e indietro dal lavoro in bici ogni giorno.- BAD NEWS (SEMPRE al sing.re) TRAVELS FAST = le cattive notizie corrono veloci. V.a. “TO BREAK (broke/broken=rompere) THE NEWS=dare una cattiva notizia, BREAKING NEWS = ultime notizie dalla TV/radio e A (articolo non omettibile perché “NEWS” è “uncountable”) NEWS ITEM (articolo, si legge “aitem”)=una notizia”.- BALD (calvo, si legge “bold”)-FACED LIE (let. bugia dalla faccia calva, il senso è “una bugia bella e buona”). Eg. Our son told us nothing but (salvo che) a bald-faced lie when we asked him where he went (da to go/went/gone=andare) last night.- BEHAVE YOURSELF!=comportati bene!- BE RIGHT BACK (se è usato come annotazione basta “brb”) = torno subito.- BEAR/KEEP IN MIND THAT … = tieni a mente/conto che … TO BEAR/BORE/BORNE= portare/generare. TO KEEP/KEPT/KEPT=tenere.- BEGGARS CAN’T BE CHOOSERS = i mendicanti non possono essere persone che scelgono.- BEHIND THE BACK = (es: criticare/sparlare) alle SPALLE. Eg. He would never criticize (si legge “critisais”) us behind our backs. V.a. “TO BAD-MOUTH …=sparlare …=to say bad things about someone=to speak poorly of someone)”. N.B.”To say … about ...” e “to speak … of …” hanno il medesimo significato.- BEHIND THE SCENES (scene, si legge “siins”) = dietro le quinte (nel senso “senza farbella mostra di se”). V.a. “TO MAKE A SCENE=fare una scenata”.- BESIDE (accanto a) THE POINT = irrilevante/non pertinente = INSIGNIFICANT (se iltermine è usato come aggettivo). Eg: This topic (argomento) is beside the point. Thisis an insignificant defence. L’opposto è “MORE TO THE POINT=più rilevante”.- BETTER LATE THAN NEVER = meglio tardi che mai.- BEYOND ANY RESONABLE DOUBT (si legge “daut”) = oltre/sopra ogni (ragionevole) dubbio. V.a. “THERE’S NO QUESTION=non c’è alcun dubbio”.- (IT IS) BEYOND (al di là DI) ARGUMENT = (è) fuori discussione (nel senso “non se ne parla proprio”).- BIAS (si legge “baies”) = pregiudizio. TO BIAS=influenzare.- BIG SPENDER = spendaccione (sometimes used sarcastically if someone offers to pay a cheap thing). L’opposto è “stingy” (tirchio, si legge “stingi”) o “miser” (avaro, si legge “maiser”) o “cheap” (slang). V.a. “TO SPEND MONEY LIKE WATER=avere le mani bucate, PURCHASING/SPENDING POWER=potere d’acquisto (eg. Our money (i nostri soldi, SEMPRE al sing.re) has more spending power now), ON THE CHEAP=con poca spesa/tirando al risparmio, TO SPEND/SPENT/SPENT=spendere soldi/impiegare tempo, energie, ecc.) e TO SPEND ON …=spendere PER (es. cibo)”.- BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER (let: gli uccelli di una piuma (della stessa razza) si affollano insieme) il senso è “ognuno si associa con il suo simile (anche sarc.co)/Dio li fa e il diavolo li accoppia”.- BIT BY BIT = a poco a poco.- BLIND DATE = appuntamento con una persona che non si conosce. Eg. Gary loved Cindy ON (their) first blind date=Gary amò Cindy AL/SIN DAL primo incontro; date significa anche “compagno/a, innamorato/a”. V.a. “TO DATE BACK …=risalire a …” .- BLUNDER (si legge “blandar”) = errore madornale. TO BLUNDER=muoversi alla cieca/inciampare. V.a. “WILL YOU KEEP STILL?=vuoi stare fermo?”- BOTH AS (entrambi come) … AND AS … = sia come … che come … Eg. Both as an American and as a father, I am upset (irritato) and tired (stanco, si legge “taird”) of hearing another mass (massa) shooting (da to shut/shot/shot=sparare) at a school.- BOW = inchino (si legge “bau” come “TO BOW=inchinarsi”) diverso da “BOW=arco, si legge “bou”. V.a. “BOW (si legge “bou”) TIE”=cravatta a farfalla.- BRAINCHILD = una grande/originale idea/creazione. V.a. “TO COME UP WITH THE IDEA=venire/avere un’idea” (il senso è ”essere l’inventore di qualcosa”) e AT THE VERY IDEA OF + ger.dio=alla sola idea di …”.- BRIGHT (lucido, si legge “brait”) AND EARLY = di mattina presto = AT THE CRACK OFTHE DAWN (alba, si legge “doon”).- BROARDLY SPEAKING = in linea di massima.- BUM (culo, si legge “bam”) RAP (colpetto da “to rap/rapped/rapped=colpire”) (slang)=accusa/condanna/critica infondata. V.A. “BUN JOB=lavoro malfatto”.- BUNK (cuccetta, si legge “banch”) BEDS = letti a castello.- BUSINESS BEFORE PLEASURE (si legge “plegiar”) = prima il dovere e poi il piacere (l’idioma è anche usato nel senso “gli affari prima di tutto”). V.a. “BEFORE LONG= molto tempo dopo (l’opposto è “WELL BEFORE=molto tempo prima”) e SOONER OR LATER=prima o poi=SOMEDAY=un giorno o l’altro”.- BUSYBODY = ficcanaso = NOSY/SNOOP/GOSSIP/YENTA (busy, si legge “bisi”= occupato, affaccendato=ON THE GO).-, BUT DOESN’T HAVE TO, = ma non è necessario (necessary, si legge “nèsessary”) /fonfamentale (l’opposto è TO BE KEY=chiave, si legge ”chi”). Eg. Homeschooling can, but doesn’t have to, take place in the home=l’istruzione dei figli da parte dei genitori può, ma non necessariamente, essere fatta in casa.- (BUT) IT HAS NOT ALL BEEN PLAIN (plein) SAILING (vento in poppa) = (ma) non è stato tutto semplice.- BUT IT IS NOT = ma non è così (conclusione anche a seguito di un’altrui non condivisa affermazione). N.B. “BUT” significa anche “tutt’altro”. Eg. He is anything (qualcosa, nel senso di “tante cose”) but stupid=è tutt’altro che stupido.- … BUT NOT ALONE, … = …, ma non solo, … (può seguire qualcosa a quanto già detto). N.B. Si usa “ALONE” per indicare una solitudine fisica e “LONELY” in riferimento a una solitudine emotiva. Eg. Tom lives alone, but he never feels lonely.- …, BUT NOT BY MUCH, … = …, ma non PER molto.- BUT THERE IT IS = ma è proprio così (dopo l’esposizione di un fatto che può non sembrare credibile).- BY A WIDE MARGIN = by a large amount/by a lot. Eg. Our team won (da to win/won/won=vincere) the game by a wide margin (CON un largo margine).- BY STEALTH (invisibile, si legge “stelth”) = di nascosto. Eg. The thives entered the store by stealth and stole (da to steal/stole/stolen=rubare) all the money.- BUT WITH (NO “till or until”) A CERTAIN POINT = ma FINO a un certo punto = TO SOME EXTENT. V.a. “WHAT’S THE POINT?=a che serve?”. Eg. What is the point speaking with you about (DI) … ?- BY … O’CLOCK = PER le … . Eg. Most American people have finished dinner by 8 o’clock. V.a. “AGAINST THE CLOCK=nel minor tempo possible=AS SOON AS POSSIBLE (di uso più commune)”.- BY (da) A LONG SHOT (sparo) = espressione riferita a un’altra cosa di gran lunga (BY FAR) migliore. Eg. Is that $ 90 bottle of wine the most expensive one in the store? – Not by a long shot (non è il migliore), we have one for $ 500. “BY” ha anche il significato di “del (o di)/entro/per/in”. Eg: The sales are down BY 9% this month. Will you have finisced BY lunch time? BY definition. To go BY sea/car. “By” assume anche il significato di “scritto da”. Eg. A novel by Dickens=un romanzo di Dickens.- BY ACT (atto) OF GOD = PER causa di forza maggiore. Eg. Not only does (rafforzati-vo) he have (NO “has” per l’uso di does posto prima di he perchè preceduto da not only) a very good education (istruzione), but also a perfect upbringing (educazione), actually (in effetti) he is a gentleman BY berhavior not BY birth (per comportamento no per nascita).V.a “A TRAIT (tratto/caratteristica, si legge “treit”)=un modo di comportarsi”- BY AND LARGE = nell’insieme (anche incidentale). V.a. “AT LARGE=in generale”.- BY ANY STANDARDS = da/sotto qualsiasi punto di vista = ON ALL COUNTS.- BY (ANY) CHANCE/ACCIDENT = PER caso (di solito a fine domanda). Eg. Do you have his phone number by any chance? Espressioni simili sono: DO YOU HAVE AT ANY POINT/TIME or BY CHANCE (per caso, forma molto usata) + part.pass. (eg: gone/ read/etc.)=hai mai …? Eg. Do you have by chance eaten fried chiken (pollo fritto)?V.a. “A CHANCE MEETING=un incontro fortuito, AS A LAST RESORT=come ultima chance/occasione e CHANCE WOULD BE A FINE THING!=magari”! Eg. Are you rich? – Chance would be a fine thing! V.a. “AT THE LOWER END=tra gli ultimi”.N.B. “END” significa anche “parte”, eg: The east/west end of the town=la parte orientale/occidentale della città. At the other end of … = dall’altra parte di … .- BY DOING IT/SO… = così facendo (segue un’affermazione conseguenziale alla precedente dichiarazione). V.a. “FORMERLY=in passato/precedentemente”.- … BY FAR = … di gran lunga = FAR + ag.vo = assai (heavily)/molto … . Eg: She spends far too much ON (decisamente molto IN) clothes. It rained (piovve) heavily last night. V.a. “THIS FAR=fino a questo punto e AT THIS STAGE … = a questo punto …”.- BY HOOK (amo, si legge “huch”) OR BY CROOK (truffatore, si legge “cruch”) = in qualunque modo (somehow)/con le buone o le cattive.- BY ITSELF = di per se. Eg. This matter by itself is neither good nor bad=questa faccenda di per se non è nè buona nè cattiva.- BY LAW (si legge “lo”) = PER legge. N.B. “BY” significa anche “con”, eg. “BY FORCE= con forza”. V.a. “A LAW IN PLACE (posto, si legge “pleis”)=una legge in vigore, THE LAW OF SUPPLY (fornitura, si legge “suplai”) AND DEMAND=la legge della domanda e offerta e TO ABIDE BY (attenersi A, si legge “ebaid”) THE LAW=osservare la legge”.- BY LEAPS (salti si legge “lips”) AND BOUNDS (confini) = a passi da gigante.- BY MEANS OF THE/A = mediante (through) il/un … /per mezzo di/del/un.V.a. “BY ALL MEANS=senz’altro”.- BY NEXT + scadenza = entro il prossimo … . N.B. Si usa “by” se la scadenza è definita. Eg. By next Friday. Se la scadenza è indefinita, si usa “within”. Eg. Within (entro il/i SENZA articolo) next months.- BY NO MEANS = senza significato (l’opposto è “FRAUGHT (gravida/denso/carico, silegge “froot”) WITH MEANING=pieno DI significato”). Eg. I’m by no means rich=sono ben lungi dall’essere ricco=TO BE FLUSH (abbondanza, si legge “flasc”).- BY RULE AND THUMB (police, si legge “tham”) = a lume di naso/a occhio e croce = BY GUESS-WORK. L’opposto è “BY THE BOOK=secondo le regole”. Eg. It also does not rule it out …=non è da escludersi che … . V.a. “BY THE END OF …=ALLA fine di …, ON AND ON=senza fine (eg. He talked/went on and on.) e BY THE TIME …= mentre/il tempo che/al punto in cui/nel momento in cui/quando”. (eg. By the time you come, I will have finished my work). “By the time” è spesso usato con il futuro perfetto (will+have+past participle). Eg: I will have had dinner by the time you arrive (SENZA “at” o PEGGIO “to”) home. By the time Kevin reaches Spain, he will have travelled to nine (9) countries. V.a. “SOME TIME BACK=qualche tempo prima”.- BY THE TURN OF … = dalla fine del … (segue una data o un evento).- BY THE WAY = a proposito. Eg. Yesterday I went to a very good fish restaurant, by the way do you like fish? V.a. “BY THEN=prima (es. di un evento)”.- BY THIS STAGE/POINT (a inizio frase) … = (arrivati) a questo punto … = BY/AT WHICH TIME …=a quel punto …- BY VIRTUE (virtù, si legge “verciu”) OF … = in virtù di/graze A… . N.B. “BY” significa anche “a causa di”, eg. The plane was delayed by fog (si legge “fogh”)=l’aereo subì un ritardo a causa della nebbia. V.a. “BY WAY OF=a causa di”. - CALL OFF THIS … = togli dai piedi/dalle scatole questo/a … . V.a. “OFF SHORE (riva, si legge “scioar”) FROM …=al largo di”. N.B. Si può usare solo “OFF=a largo di”.- CAN I GET YOU SOMETHING TO DRINK/EAT = posso offrirti qualcosa da bere/ mangiare? Simile a “CAN I BUY YOU A …?=posso offrirti un …?, da usare al bar e simili MAI a casa propria. To get si usa anche per rafforzare il significato dell’infinito che lo segue. Eg If you want to get to know New York ... . N.B. “SOMETHING” significa anche “e qualcosa”, eg. The ten something train=il teno delle 10 e rotti.- CANDY (caramella) = ragazza molto attraente che un napoletano definirebbe “nu babbà”. Simile a: EYE CANDY (let. un dolce per gli occhi)=persona/oggetto molto gradevole a vedersi=BREATHTAKING=da mozzare il fiato. Eg: She is eye candy. Our company lobby is very dull (smorto nei colori, si legge “dall”), let’s put some eye candy in there. V.a. “SEX APPEAL (appello/supplica e anche “attrazione, si legge “apìl”)=sensualità e ENCHANTRESS (da to enchant=affascinare)=ammaliatrice”.Eg. A woman who is considered to be dangerously seductive (si legge, “sedactiv”).- CANDY STORE (let. negozio delle caramelle) = il paese dei balocchi = THE COUNTRY OF TOYS. V.a. “FLAGSHIP (nave ammiraglia) STORES=negozi monomarca, MALL (si legge “mol”)=centro commerciale e DEPARTMENT SORE=grande magazzino”.- CAN’T HELP (aiutare) BUT BE … = non potere che essere … . V.a. I can’t help it=non posso farne a meno. Eg. I cannot help loving her=non posso fare a meno d’amarla.- CATCH (usato come sost.vo, da to catch/caught/caught=afferrare=to snag).Eg: A HIDDEN (da to hide/hid/hidden=nascondere) DRAWBACK=un inconvenientenascosto. There is the catch = c’è qualcosa che non va (il senso è “there is something that makes … (eg. “an offer”) not as (or “so”) attractive as it first seems”).- CHEAP SHOT = colpo basso (metafora riferita a commenti sleali, eg. To take a cheap shot by + ger.dio). N.B. “SHOT” significa anche “esausto/distrutto/rovinato”.- CHEER UP! = su coraggio/con la vita! V.a. “TO CHEER (allietare) … UP, TO BOOST + ag.vo possessivo SPIRITS=tirare su il … morale (eg. How can I cheer you up?=come posso tirarti su?) e CHEERS!=cin cin/salute”!- CHILDHOOD SWEETHEART = il primo amore (quello che non si scorda mai).- CHITCHAT = chiacchere inutili=GOSSIP. V.a. “TO CHITCHAT=TO SHOOT THE BREEZE (let. sparare la brezza, si legge “sciut di briis”)=perdere tempo in chiacchere”.- CLAIM (rivendicare/rivendicazione, si legge “cleim”) TO BE=affermare/pretendere/ sostenere di essere … Eg. The prisoner claimed to be innocent.- CLAY (argilla) SOIL (suolo) = terreno argilloso. Eg. Bricks (mattoni) are made OF (NO “with”) clay.- CLOSE ENCOUNTERS (si legge “encauntrs”) = incontri ravvicinati.V.a. “UP CLOSE=da vicino”- COBB SALAD = insalata americana molto ricca e mangiata come piatto unico.- COCK-AND-BULL STORY (let. storia di gallo/uccello maschio e toro) = cazzata (slang volgare; cock (si legge “cak”)=cazzo=dick. Meglio usare: A ridicolous lie (bugia)/ excuse (scusa) or explenation (giustificazione). V.a. “SEXY (in senso “non sessuale”) STORY=argomento giornalistico di grande attrazione”.- COME AS EARLY AS YOU LIKE = vieni/venite quando vuoi/volete/ti/vi fa comodo.. V.a. “BE MY GUEST=fai con comodo… e WHEN A GUEST STAYS TOO LONG HE WEARS OUT (logora) HIS WELCOME=l’ospite dopo tre gioni puzza”.- COME TO THINK (tought/tought=pensare) OF/ABOUT IT, … = adesso che ci penso, (segue l’esposizione di un fatto). V.a.“TO ASSUME (si legge “assum”)=presumere”.- COME WHAT MAY = succeda quel che succeda.- COMMON COURTESY = normale cortesia. Eg. It’s common courtesy to say “Hi” (ciao a uno solo o a tutti) when you arrive at a place.- CONTROL FREAK (mostro, si legge “friich”) = rompiscatole/accentratore.- COOL! = bene/bravo/bello! (indica apprezzamento per qualcosa).V.a. “COOL THINGS=cose interessanti, THAT’S COOL!=questo/a è figo/a (riferito a cosa o persona gradevole)! e WAY COOL!=troppo figo!”.- CORE (torsolo/nucleo, si legge “coor”) BUSINESS = attività primaria di un’azienda.V.a. “THE CORE OF THE PROBLEM=il nocciolo del problema”.- COUCH (divano (SOFA), si legge “cauc” POTATO=pantofolaio/persona pigra che stain casa e vedere la TV. Diverso da “COACH (si legge “coc”)=pulman/allenatore sportivo=TRAINER (si legge “treiner”). V.a. “MASHED (da to mash=pestare/schiaccia-re) POTATO=purè di patate”.- COURTESY OF … = per gentile concessione di/grazie A … .- CRAP! = merda = SHIT! (espressione di disappunto). Eg. It’s a crap!=è una cazzata. V.a. “BULL (toro) SHIT=cazzate, RUBBISH (sono tutte) balle, FULL SHIT=spregevole, CRAPS=gioco dei dadi e DON’T GIVE A SHIT (merda, molto volgare, PEGGIO se si usa “fuck”) ABOUT ANYTING=fregarsene di qualunque cosa”; molto meglio: I couldn’t care less=non me ne può importare di meno. V.a. “Shity (ag.vo). Eg. A shity movie=un film di merda, PISS (urinare) OFF!=vattene/smamma, PISSING (da to piss =urinare) OFF=fare incavolare e FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT=fottuto pezzo di merda”. (N.B. Sono tutte espressioni molto volgari che bisogna conoscere, ma NON usare).- CULTURAL CLASH = scontro tra culture diverse (to clash=scontrarsi, diverso da to crash = fracassare/rsi).- DECENT (si legge “dìsent”) PEOPLE = brava gente. N.B. “DECENT” se non è riferito a una persona, assume il senso di “passabile”=PASSABLE/TOLERABLE/ACCEPTABLE.- , DARE I SAY SO, = , se posso permettermi di dire, (è una incidentale). V.a. “TO DARE (si legge “dear”)=osare; sost.vo=sfida/atto di coraggio e DARING=audace= BRAVE”. Eg. It goes without saying that … = (è) ovvio che=NEEDLESS TO SAY.- DAY IN, DAY OUT = ogni (santo) giorno. Eg. Day in day out I have to sweep (swept/ swept=scopare) my house. V.a. “SO DAY IN, DAY OUT, …=(da/per) così tanto (tempo) CHE, … BYGONE DAYS=giorni andati e DAY OFF=giorno di ferie”.- DEAD END = strada senza uscita/vicolo cieco/punto morto. Eg. We are AT a dead end IN our negotiations (trattative, si legge “negosciescians”).- DEAD-END-JOB = un lavoro senza prospettive di carriera.- DEBT-RIDDEN (da to ride/rode/ridden=cavalcare) = molto indebitato (debt=debito, si legge “det”).- DEEP DOWN = in fondo in fondo = UNDER THE SKIN (pelle, il senso è “nel profondo del cuore”). V.a. “DEEP IN THOUGHT=immerso nei pensieri e TO BE IN DEEP WATER= essere in una difficile situazione/inguaiato”.- DICK-HEAD=testa di cazzo (volgare espressione che indica un “perfetto imbecille”)= JERK=coglione=CUNT (si legge “cant”), simile a LAME (let. zoppo/difettoso (slang) si legge “leim”); meglio dire “A RIGHT IDIOT=un vero/perfetto idiota”. V.a. “SWEAR (swore/sworn=giurare/bestemmiare) ON TABOO WORDS (parolacce=bad language) e VOW (si legge “vao”) sost.vo=voto; verbo=promettere/giurare”.- DO I HAVE TO SPELL (pronunciare ogni lettera) IT OUT FOR YOU? = DO I NEED TO EXPLAIN THIS TO YOU FURTHER? (ulteriormente)=(quante volte) devo ancora ripetertelo?/(ma) come devo dirtelo/spiegartelo?- (IT) DOES NOT MATTER (sost.vo=faccenda; verbo=importare) = non ha importanza (nel senso “tanto le cose non cambiano”). V.a. “A MATTER OF HUGE PRIDE TO …=un motivo di grande orgoglio PER …, TRIVIAL MATTER=una cosa insignificante (NO “triviale=VULGAR”, si legge “volgar”), FOR THAT MATTER …=in quanto a ciò …, IT’S A MATTER OF COURSE THAT …=va da sé/è ovvio che …, THE MATTER AT HAND= l’argomento in questione, ALL MATTER OF …=ogni genere di …, NO MATTER WHAT= costi quel che costi/qualunque cosa accada=COME HELL OR HIGH WATER e IT IS OF NO CONSEQUENCE TO ME=per me non ha nessuna importanza”. Eg. (It) is no laughing matter=(indicare l’argomento) non è una cosa su cui scherzare.- DON’T BOTHER = lascia perdere/non preoccupartene (sot.so “tanto non me ne frega più niente”). V.a. “TO BOTHER=preoccuparsi/infastidire”. Eg. He bothers me= non mi piace/mi da fastidio e WHY BOTHER (noia, può seguire la descrizione di un comportamento)?=(ma) chi te lo fa fare …?”.- DON’T FAIL (verbo=fallire; sost.vo=insuccesso, si legge “feil”) ME! = DON’T LET ME DOWN (più comunemente usato) = non deludermi! N.B. “TO FAIL” regge il verbo avere, eg. The company HAS (NO “is”) failed=l’azienda E’ fallita. V.a. “TO RIDE FOR A FALL (caduta)=andare incontro a dei guai”.- DON’T GET ME WRONG = non mi fraintendere = TO MISUNDERSTAND.- DON’T GO THERE = I DON’T WANT TO GO THERE or TO TALK ABOUT THAT = non voglio (più) parlarne.- DON’T SWITCH THE CONVERSATION TO A NEW SUBJECT! = non cambiare discorso!V.a. “ON THE SUBJECT OF …=a proposito di … “.- DON’T TURN A HAIR (let. non girare un capello) = non battere ciglio/restare impassibili.- DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO (TO + verbo) = fai quello che devi fare (PER …).- DO YOU KNOW WHAT? = sai/vuoi sapere com’è finita? N.B. Questa domanda retorica precede o segue l’esposizione di un fatto la cui conclusione è SORPRENDENTE perché CONTRARIA a ogni logica aspettativa.V.a. “IT’S WIDELY (largamente, si legge “uaidli”) KOWN THAT=tutti sanno che” .- DOOM (destino/sorte, si legge “dum”) AND GLOOM (oscurità/tristezza/tenebre, si legge “glum”)=molto pessimista=PESSIMIST. V.a. “DOOMSDAY=giudizio universale”.- DOS AND DONT’S = le cose che si devono o non si devono fare in certe occasioni.- DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE (si usa l’acronimo D.U.I, si legge “d-iu-ai”) = guida in stato di ebbrezza per alcol o droga. Gli acronimi si leggono in inglese, quasi sempre (most of the time), lettera per lettera (v. pag. 219 e seguenti).- DROP (goccia (anche “calo”), simile a “DASH=un goccio’”) DEAD! = crepa/va a morì ammazzato! Slang simile a “GET LOST=EAT SHIT!=(ma) vai a quel paese” (può seguire “(AND) GET OFF MY BACK=(e) lasciami in pace)!. Notare la differenza tra “shit”=merda (si legge “scit”) e “sheet=lenzuolo (si legge “sciit”)”.Eg: “I will have your guts (budella, si legge “gats”) for garters (giarrettiere, si legge“gatirs”)=ti spaccherò la faccia. A drop in the ocean=una goccia nel mare (met.co). Would you like a dash of brandy in your coffe? We have had a drop (calo) IN business=abbiamo avuto un calo DEGLI affari, può seguire “what are things coming on?=dove/come andremo a finire?” ovvero “things turned out all right in the end= alla fine tutto andò per il meglio”. - DUDE (si legge “duud”) = caro amico (“PAL”)/bellimbusto/tipo = KIDDO (si legge “kido”)=giovanotto (in senso affettuoso). Sono tutti slang non volgari.- EAGERLY (si legge ”igherli”) = molto volentieri. Eg. Universities eargerly (volentieri) accept home-schoolers.- EASIER SAID THAN DONE=più facile a dirsi che a farsi.V.a. “ALMOST DONE=quasi pronto/finito e MOST READILY=più facilmente”.- ED è un suffisso che messo dopo un sostantivo lo trasforma in aggettivo. Eg. A blue-eyed and long-legged=una donna dagli occhi azzurri e dalle lunghe gambe.- EITHER (si legge “idar” per un americano e “aidar” per un inglese) AS … OR AS … = sia come … o come … . V.a. “EITHER BY …=mediante … (sost.vo/gerundio)”.- EITHER WAY = in entrambi (either of them) i casi. Notare la forma singolare in inglese e quella plurale in italiano (eg. On either side of the road=in entrambi i lati della strada). Espressione simile a “ANY HOW=in ogni caso/modo”.V.a. “WAY BEYOND=ben oltre e WAY AHEAD OF …=molto più avanti rispetto a …”.- EMPTY-HANDED = a mani vuote. Eg. Let’s buy a bottle of wine, so we don’t go to the party empty-handed. V.a. “WITH BARE (nudo, si legge “bear”) HANDS = A mani nude”.- EVE (vigilia, si legge “iiv”) … = la vigilia di … (eg. Christmas=Natale).- EVEN BY … = anche secondo … (segue il nome di una persona e l’esposizione del suo pensiero). Se il pensiero è il proprio, si dirà: “even by me=anche secondo me”.- EVEN IF … = anche/perfino se … N.B. IF=se=WHETHER. “If” si usa in genere nelle frasi al condizionale (eg. If I were … (NO “was”)=se io fossi …) e “whether” in quelle alternative (eg. I don’t know (as to) wheather (se sia) or not this is a good thing).Sia if, non usato come sopra indicato, che wheather possono cambiare significato come nei seguenti esempi. Eg: Let me know if you will be coming=fammi sapere soltanto se verrai. Let me know whether you will be coming=fammi sapere in ogni caso se verrai. Whether si usa dopo le preposizioni e dopo l’infinito. Eg: I’m undecided about whether I’ll stay or not. They can’t decide whether to get started with their own company=non sanno decidere se costituire una loro società.N.B. “whether (se)” e “weather (tempo atmosferico)” si leggono entrambi “ueadar”.V.a “TO EVEN=livellare pareggire e TO EVEN UP ON (NO “with”) someone=pareggia-re i conti CON … (nel senso “rendere pan per focaccia”).- EVEN IF IT MEANS + ger.dio = anche se questo significa /comporta … .V.a. “TO MEAN/MEANT/MEANT=volere dire; (eg. What do you mean?=Che vuoi dire?), TO STAND/STOOD/STOOD (stare in piedi) FOR=significare e I MEAN (a inizio frase)= intendo dire (che) … (segue l’esposizione del proprio pensiero)”.- EVEN LESS = tanto meno. Più forte di “NEITHER = neanche”. Eg. I don’t want to see him and even less her. N.B. LESS si usa con sostantivi e aggettivi per indicare senza (Spotless=senza macchia/Thoughtless=sconsiderato/Timeless=senza tempo).V.a.” NOTHING SHORT OF …=non meno di …”.- EVEN (perfino/anche/addirittura) SO (in genere a inizio frase) = tuttavia/anche così/comunque = HOWEVER. V.a. “EVEN MORE=anche/ancora, EVEN BETTER= ancora meglio=BETTER YET/STILL e AND YET=e tuttavia/eppure=NONETHELESS”.- EVEN THOUGH = nonostante/sebbene. Eg. Even though I strive (mi sforzo, si legge “straiv”, da to strive/strove/striven=sforzarsi) to understand why he is such chain-smoker (accanito fumatore), it is a black box (un mistero) TO (NO “for”) me.- EVER SINCE (da, si legge “sins”) = sin da allora. V.a. “THAN EVER THAT=più che mai (il senso è “mai così prima d’ora”) e SINCE=dal momento che”.- EVERY BIT AS … AS … = tanto … come. Eg. She is every bit as kind as her mother.Più in generale: She is every bit like her mother=è precisa sua madre.- EVERY … IS MADE HIS/HER/ITS OWN VERSION (si legge “vergian”) = ciascun … è fatto a suo modo. Come rafforzativo può seguire “AND … IS IN THAT=e … lo conferma”. N.B. Own + un aggettivo possessivo=da solo (nel senso “senza alcun aiuto”). Eg. I like studying on my own=mi piace studiare da solo.- EVERY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING (rivestimento, si legge “lainingh”) = ogni male non viene per nuocere. Il contrario è “EVERY ROSE HAS ITS THORN=ogni rosa ha la sua spina”. V.a. “TO DO MORE HARM (danno, da non confondere con arm=braccio), THAN GOOD=fare più male che bene e TO BE OUT OF HARM’S WAY …= essere al sicuro DA …=TO BE SAVE FROM (NO “by”) …”. - EVERY DOG HAS ITS DAY (let. Ogni cane ha il suo giorno, met.co) = il buon tempo arriva per tutti alla fine.- EYE-OPENER=qualcosa che fa metaforicamente aprire gli occhi e da cui trarre inse-gnamento per il futuro. V.a. “DOWN THE LINE=in futuro/seguito”. - FACED (da to face=fronteggiare/affrontare, si legge “feis”) WITH … (in genere a inizio frase) = davanti A … (riferito a una situazione in genere spiacevole). Da non confondere “faced” con FADED=sbiadito; eg. The strong sunlight has faded the curtains (tende). V.a. “IN LIGHT OF…=alla luce di… (può seguire “these considerations, as previously stated (come già affermato), …)”.- FACILITIES = impianti riferiti alle cose che rendono la vita più semplice, es. wifi/internet/TV etc. V.a. “NO-FRILLS (fronzoli)=semplice/essenziale”.- FAMILIARITY (si legge “familìariti”) BREEDS (si legge “briids”, da to breed/bred/ bred=procreare/allevare) CONTEMPT (disprezzo)=la familiarità genera mancanza (shortage) di rispetto/eccesso di confidenza (Bred in the bone (osso)=innato/nel sangue). Eg. Violence (si legge “vaiolens”) breeds violence=la violenza genera violenza. V.a. “ILL-BRED=maleducato, WELL-BRED=educato, (TO NOT) GIVE … THE TIME OF THE DAY=(non) dare a … confidenza/non rivolgere la parola a …, TO BE SPEECHLESS=restare senza parole/allibito e TO LOOK DOWN ON=disprezzare”.- FAR (lontano se è ag.vo; molto se è av.bio) BEHIND …=molto indietro (rispetto) A...- FAR FROM = tutt’altro che … Eg. He is far from well=egli sta tutt’altro che bene.V.a. “FAR FROM IT!=al contrario/tutt’altro/anzi”.- FAR TOO MUCH/MANY = veramente troppo/troppi. V.a. “TO KNOW TOO MUCH= saperla troppo lunga (met.co)”. Eg. She knows too much to be bothered (si legge “bader”) BY …=la sa troppo lunga per essere preoccupata DI … . V.a. “SO MUCH AS= quanto”. Eg. Nothing cheeres me up (mi tira su) so much as + ger.dio. - FAST-DEPARTING (da to depart=partire/andarsene) YOUTH = la gioventù che se va troppo presto (e non torna più).- FATTENING = ingrassante/con troppe calorie. Eg. Dumplings are fattening, so I’ll just have a bite (si legge “bait”) of each (un morso di ciascuno).- FEATHER (piuma, si legge “fedar”) IN ONE’S CAP (berretto) = realizzazione (achievement)/successo (success) che prelude a futuri vantaggi. Eg. Winning this tennis tournament is another feather in his cap. V.a. (nel tennis) “SERVICE=servizio, FOREHAND=dritto, BACKHAND=rovescio, OVERHAND=schiacciata=SMASH”.- FILTHY (sudicio, si legge “filthi”) STINKING (puzzolente) RICH (SEMPRE al pl.re) = straricchi (usata in senso dispregiativo). Molto meglio “MUTI-MILLIONAIRE (si legge “moltimilioner”), TYCOON (magnate, si legge “taicun”), ROLLING IN MONEY” (SEMPRE al sing.re )=ricco sfondato=FLUSH (slang). V.a. “COINS/CHANGE= monete e TO BE IN POCKET=essere in attivo/ricco”. L’opposto è TO BE OUT OF POCKET, WORSE OFF=più poveri e UPSTART=persona venuta su dalla gavetta=OFF OF THE BUE=dal nulla, da to rise/rose/risen=sorgere/spuntare) FROM NOTHING”. - FIRST OFF (a inizio frase) … = per prima cosa … . Simile a “THE FIRST EVER=la prima/il primo in assoluto”.- FIT = adatto. Eg: The food was not fit to eat=il cibo non era buono da mangiare.A meal fit for a king=un pasto buonissimo/adatto a un re=ABSOLUTELY FIST-RATE=di prim’ordine. V.a. “TO FIT IN=adattare (rsi)/integrarsi (eg. He fits in well with the rest of the class) e ILL (malato)-FITTING=della misura sbagliata”.- FLASH (lampo) FLOOD (si legge “flad”) = alluvione/inondazione repentina.- FLATFOOT = piedipiatti/sbirro (espressione offensiva (meglio “cop”, si legge “cap”) riferita a un poliziotto). V.a. “SPOOKS (slang)=spie/spettri/agenti della C.I.A.”.- FLOPPY (floscio/molle) HAIR (SEMPRE al sing.re salvo il caso in cui significa “peli= hairs”, eg. There are two hairs in my soup)=capelli castani.- FOOD (cibo) FOR THOUGHT (pensiero) = cose che fanno riflettere/pensare. Eg. Al Gore’s movie, An inconvenient (scomodo) truth, provided (fornì) a lot of food for thought on the problem of global warming. V.a. “WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT= senza pensarci due volte=AT THE DROP OF A HAT (cappello) e MY JAW (si legge “gioa”) DROPPED (let. “mi è cascata la mascella”)=sono rimasto a bocca aperta”.- FOOD POISONING = intossicazione alimentare. V.a. “DAIRY PRODUCTS=latticini/ prodotti caseari (si legge “deri prodax”), PROCESSED (si legge “prosest” da to process=elaborare/sottoporre a trasformazione) e FOODS=cibi confezionati”. N.B. Process (sost.vo)=procedura/trattamento; processo legale=TRIAL (si legge “traial”).- FOR SHORT = come abbreviazione = ABBREVIATION. Eg. My name is Robert, but my fiends call me Bob for short. Diverso da “IN SHORT=in poche parole=SIMPLY PUT”.- FOR ALL … = nonostante … = EVEN THOUGH (sebbene, si legge “iven dou”) = NEVERTHELESS = NOTWITHSTANDING.- FOR A FEE (onorario/tassa/quota d’iscrizione) = a pagamento. Notare l’obbligatorio uso dell’articolo indeterminativo “a”.- FOR BETTER OR FOR (il secondo “for”si può omettere) WORSE = sia nel bene che nel male = THROUGH (attraverso, si legge “thru”) THICK (spesso) AND THIN (sottile).- , FOR ONE, = per quanto riguarda = AS FOR. Eg. I, for one, would prefer to put off the meeting=per quanto mi riguarda, preferirei rinviare la riunione.- FOR OVER … = per/da più DI … (segue una quantità numerica SENZA articolo).- FOR QUITE AWHILE NOW = per un (bel) pò. Notare la differenza tra “WHILE= mentre, in termini di tempo” e “WHEREAS=mentre, in termini di confronto”.V.a. “FOR A WHILE=per un po’, BY NOW=ormai, FOR QUITE SOME TIME=per/da unbel po’ di tempo e SOMETHING OF …=un po’ di …”.- FOR STARTERS = tanto per cominciare.- FOR THE TIME BEING = per il momento. V.a. “BY THE TIME=quando/nel momento in cui”. N.B. “TO BE BEING” seguito da un infinito SENZA “to” ha il significato di “stare per essere …”. V.a. “TO BE ABOUT TO …=stare per”. Eg: It was about to fall (fell/fallen=cadere) over=It was falling over. Our research funds were being cut off = i nostri fondi di ricerca stavano per essere tagliati.- FOR WANT OF = SHORT SUPPLY (let. corta fornitura) = per mancanza/scarsità di (in questo caso want è un sostantivo, il pl.le “wants”=desideri). Eg: For want of (per la mancanza di) a nail (chiodo) the shoe (scarpa, si legge “sciu”) is lost=Per un punto Martin perse la cappa. Sometimes (a volte) our wants are what other people have.- FORMERLY … = in precedenza. Eg. Formerly he had a poor job. V.a. “FORMER=ex”.- FORTNIGHT = due settimane (typical UK) = two weeks (typical American).- FROM ACROSS … = proveniente DA … . Eg. From across the globe=provenienti da tutto il mondo.- FROM SCRATCH (graffio, si legge “screc”) = da zero/daccapo/dall’inizio. Eg. Rewrite your report from scratch/the beginning, please. V.a. “TO START OVER=ricominciare daccapo=TO GO BACK e RIGHT FROM THE START=AT THE BEGINNING=sin dall’inizio =RIGHT OFF THE BAT (mazza da baseball)”.- FROM TIME TO TIME = di quando in quando/ogni tanto = NOW AND AGAIN = EVERY SO OFTEN = SOMETIMES (diverso da SOMETIME=a time but we don’t know when=a volte/presto o tardi/un giorno o l’altro e anche “di un tempo”. Eg. My sometime professor=il mio ex professore). V.a. “ADJUNCT (aggiunto, si legge “agiancht”)=professore a contratto, ALL TOO OFTEN=fin troppo spesso e MORE OFTEN THAN NOT=il più delle volte”.- FROM (NO “by or for”) WHAT I + verbo = da/PER quanto mi … (es: ricordo= remember; ne so=know, etc.). Simile a “HOWEVER MUCH …=per quanto ...” .- FROM WAY BACK = sin dai tempi lontani/da un sacco di tempo. V.a. “TO GO BACK= risalire nel tempo (over time)”. Eg. This Church goes back to the 17th century (il senso è “questa Chiesa fu costruita nel 17th secolo”).- FROST = gelo. Eg. ON (NO “in”) winter mornings, car windows can be covered IN (NO “of”) frost.- FULL SPEED AHEAD = senza esitazione/pensarci 2 volte = AT THE DROP OF A HAT.- FULLY = completamente. Se è posto tra “to” e un “infinito” significa “appieno”. Eg. To fully appreciate (si legge “apriscieit) …=per apprezzare appieno/fino in fondo… . V.a. “ALL TOGETHER=del tutto. Eg. We abandoned the project all together.- GET LOTS OF REST! = riposati!- GET OFF (scendi, SENZA “by”) YOUR HIGH HORSE! = smettila di essere (così) arrogante/presuntuoso (self-righteous)!- GET OUT THE WAY! (slang) = togliti dai piedi! (un po’ meglio “GET OUT!= vattene/fuori/esci!”). Simile a HIT (da to hit/hit/hit=picchiare/colpire) THE ROAD= vai via e TO HELL WITH IT=(vai/che vada) all’inferno/alla malora=GO TO HEEL=GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE=vattene al diavolo. (N.B. Il verbo “to hell” non esiste). L’opposto è “WE HIT IT OFF REALLY WELL=stiamo bene insieme”.- GET REAL/SERIOUS = non diciamo fesserie/sii serio… . Simile a “TO BE FULL OF BEANS (fagioli, si legge “biins”) (met.co)=dire un mucchio di (stack of) sciocchezze. V.a. “THAT IS ALL NONSENSE/BUNKUM (si legge “bancham”)!=sono tutte fesserie/ sciocchezze! e THAT IS ONLY TALK=sono solo parole/chiacchere”. Notare l’uso del singolare nelle suindicate frasi inglesi.V.a. “THAT’LL BE THE DAY=si, voglio vedere (ironico=IRONIC, si legge “aironich”)”.- GETTING A SAFE JOB AND EARNING A STEADY WAGE = ottenere un lavoro sicuro e guadagnare un costante salario (non soggetto a riduzioni). V.a. “TO BE WELLPAID= essere ben pagato, A HIGH-PAYING JOB=un lavoro ben retribuito e RESUME (si legge “res-mei”)=curriculum vitae/riassunto/sommario”.- GIVE (gave/given=dare) IT SHOT (slang) = (dai) provaci.V.a. “TO GIVE MONEY TO CHARITY= (IN beneficenza)”.- GIVEN A CHOICE (scelta) BETWEEN (tra 2)/AMONG (tra più di 2) = avendo la possibilità di scegliere tra … . V.a. “TO BE SPOILT (guasto/rovinato) FOR CHOICE= avere l’imbarazzo dell scelta”.- GIVEN CONDITIONS AS THEY ARE… = date le attuali condizioni/situazioni… .V.a. “ON OME’S OWN TERMS=alle … condizioni”.- GO AHEAD = vai avanti. E’ usato anche nel senso “fai pure”. V.a. “THE GO-AHEAD FOR=il via/l’inizio per … e THERE’S TROUBLE AHEAD=ci sono guai in vista”- GOOD LUCK (WITH) … = in bocca al lupo (PER) … = buona fortuna = HERE’S TO YOU.La risposta è: SAME TO YOU=anche a te.- HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE = esperienza diretta/sul campo.- HE/SHE IS SOMETIMES RUMOURED TO HAVE BEEN … = a volte (AT TIMES) si disse che … sia stato/a … .- HEAD FOR THE HILLS (colline) = scappa. V.a. “TO HEAD=diriggersi e HEADING FOR= verso/in direzione DI”.- HEAD HONCHO (si legge “oncio”, parola messicana) = BIG CHEESE (formaggio) = BIG WIG (parrucca, si legge “uigh”) = BIG WHEEL (ruota) = BIG GUN/TOP DOG (slang) = pezzo grosso=A HIGHER-UP (anche ironico).- HEAD TO TOE (dito del piede) = dalla testa ai piedi.- HEAVEN FORBID (da to forbid/forbade/forbidden=vietare/proibire) … = il cielo non voglia CHE ... . L’espressione “avere/non avere voglia di …” si traduce con “to feel (don’t feel) like + ger.dio”, eg. I feel like doing something new.- HIPSTER (fritecchione, si legge “hipstar”) = pseudo intellettuale (di sinistra/radicalchic). V.a. “DEEP THINKER=intellettuale”.- HOW ABOUT or WHAT IF (come alternativa a qualcosa sgradita) …? = che ne dici se.Eg: I don’t like the ballet, how about we go to the opera instead. How about/What if we went (se andassimo) to … .- HOW ARE YOU? = piacere di conoscerti = HOW DO YOU DO? = NICE/PLEASED (contento/piacere/piacevole, si legge “plisd”) TO MEET YOU.- HOW ARE YOU DOING?/HOW IS IT GOING?/WHAT’S UP? = come va (si chiede incontrando qualcuno). Le risposte sono: Fine (bello ed anche “multa”) thank you= bene grazie. I’m now better than I used to be=ora sto meglio di prima. Not too bad/So so=non troppo male/così così. Not doing well=male. V.a. “BY VIRTUE OF= grazie A e HOW ARE YOU AND … (indicare un nome (first name, middle name= secondo nome, surname=cognome) o una persona) DOING? come va tra te e …? - HOW DEEPLY … ? = fino a che punto …? V.a. “HOW FAR=fino a che punto”.- HOW LONG IS THE DRIVE? = quanto (tempo) ci vuole per arrivare con la macchina?- HOW SO/COME? = come mai? (nel senso “com’è potuto accadere quello che mi stai dicendo/avvenendo?”). Eg. How come you always arrives late?- I APPRECIATE IT = te/ve ne sono grato/lo apprezzo molto.- I CAN BARELY (appena/a stento) TIE MY SHOELACES (si legge “sciulesis”) = sono a malapena capace di allacciarmi le scarpe (met.co, il senso è “non mi sento adeguato ad affrontare la situazione”). V.a. “FLIP-FLOPS=scarpe infradito”.- I CAN’T BELIEVE (SENZA “to”) MY EARS/EYES = io non posso credere A quello che mi stai dicendo. V.a. “TO BE ALL EARS=essere tutto orecchi (met.co, eg. Tell me about her, I’m all ears) e IN ASTONISHMENT=con stupore”.- I DON’T GET THAT AT ALL = io proprio non lo capisco (del tutto).- I DON’T GIVE A DAMN (dannazione, si legge “dem”)= (BUT) IT’S NO SKIN (pelle) OFF MY NOSE or BACK or TEETH (slang) = non me ne frega un accidenti/me ne infischio= I DON’T CARE/IT DOESN’T MATTER TO (NO “for”) ME=WHO CARES?=chi se ne importa? Espressioni volgari sono: I don’t give a fuck=me ne sto fottendo/fottiti= Stuff it!=Screw you! Fuck you/Fuck off=vaffanculo (si scrive: F*** off). What the fuck!=e che cavolo! To fuck or screw (avvitare/vite; screwdriver=cacciavite)=fottere. L’opposto è “TO CHERISH=avere caro/tenere in gran conto”. V.a. “TO MAKE (NO “do”) LOVE=fare l’amore, SEXUAL ESCAPEDES (si legge “èscapeids”=scappatelle”) e ONE-NIGHT STAND=avventura sessuale di una sola notte (slang)”.- I DON’T KNOWN WHY I BOTHER (infastidire) = chi me lo fa fare/perché me la piglio.- I’D RATHER (piuttosto) + verbo = preferirei. Eg. I’d rather you didn’t pay for me=preferirei che tu non pagassi per me. V.a. “I RATHER BE …=io preferirei essere …”.- I JUST CAN’T WAIT FOR … = non vedo l’ora che arrivi (indicare una persona/un evento. Se segue un verbo sostituire FOR con TO …) … . Simile “TO LOOK FORWARDTO + ger.dio=essere desideroso/ansioso DI …”, meno forte di “TO BE DYING TO (da to dy/dyed/dyed=colorare) + inf.to (eg: I’m dying to try that) or FOR + sost.vo. (eg. I am dying for a cup of coffee). V.a. “TO LONG FOR=TO LOOK TO=TO RELAY ON=fare affidamento”. Eg. I look to … for assistance (aiuto, si legge “asistens”).- I’LL HAVE (SEMPRE al futuro) YOU KNOW THAT … = ti voglio fare sapere che … .- I’LL LET (SEMPRE al futuro) YOU KNOW ONE WAY OR ANOTHER = te lo farò sapere in un modo o nell’altro = BY HOOK (gancio) OR BY CROOK (uncino e anche “truffatore”, si legge “cruch”) = IN SOME FORM OR OTHER.- I’LL TALK (da usare SEMPRE al futuro) TO YOU LATER = ci sentiamo, aggiorniamo.- I’M GETTING A (NO “the”) HEADACHE = mi sta venendo IL mal di testa (si legge “ed-eich” anche met.co).- I’M NOT IN THE MOOD FOR A CONFRONTATION = non ho l’umore adatto per un confronto/discussioni.- I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER THAT … = avrei dovuto saperlo che … (segue un sost.vo o un ger.dio). Il senso è “mi rammarico/rimpiango (to regret) di … (per esempio) essermi fidato DI lui=to trust him”. N.B. La frase in inglese è espressa nella forma positiva (I should), ma la traduzione in italiano assume la forma negativa (I never should have …=mai avrei dovuto …). V.a. “THE BETTER (a fine frase)=meglio è”. Eg. The more time you have for yourself, the better.- I’VE BEEN TRYING TO GET HOLD (entrare in possesso) OF YOU FOR … = è DA … (indicare un tempo, eg. “a week”) che cerco di rintracciarti. Può precedere o seguire: LONG TIME NO SEE YOU=da tempo non ti vedo. V.a. “HAVE YOU BEEN WAITING LONG?=aspettavi da molto?”- I WAS (JUST) WONDERING IF … = mi chiedevo se … (domanda che può anche essere pleonastica). V.a. “LITTLE WONDER IF/THAT=c’è poco da supirsi se/che”.- I WISH I HAD KNOWN THAT = sarebbe stato bene saperlo. TO WISH=desiderare/ augurare/rsi. N.B. Si usa “to wish + simple past” per esprimere desideri difficili o impossibili. Eg: I wish I were (NO “was”) rich!=(come) vorrei essere/magari fossi ricco! I wish we had air conditioning=magari avessimo l’area condizionata.- I WOULDN’T DREAM OF IT = neanche mi sogno di farlo (risposta a una proposta non condivisa). Eg. If we pay for your MBA (si legge “m” (master) “b” (business) “ei” (administration)=master in economnia aziendale), you had better (faresti bene a) not (SENZA “to”) leave the company - I wouldn’t dream of it.- I WOULDN’T GO SO FAR (let. io non andrei così lontano; è la risposta a una affer-mazione che si ritiene esagerata=OVER THE TOP) = io non credo che la situazione sia così cattiva/buona. V.a. “SO FAR AS TO=fino al punto DI”.N.B. “FAR=lontano” è anche un agg.vo irregolare: FAR/FURTHER/FURTHEST.- ICING (glassatura, si legge “aisingh”) ON THE CAKE = la cilieggina sulla torta.- IF IT’S NOT TOO MUCH TROUBLE = se non è di troppo disturbo (anche sarc.co).Eg. I’m sorry to trouble you=mi dispiace disturbarti.- IF WE ACT FAST (veloce/velocemente) = se ci sbrighiamo/iniziamo subito. In genere segue: maybe we can …=forse possiamo … .V.a. “FAST-FORWARD seguito da un numero di giorni/mesi/anni=nei successivi …” .- IF WORSE COMES TO WORST (a inizio frase) … = se (proprio) non c’è altro da fare ...V.a. “AT ITS WORST …=al peggio … , EVEN WORSE=ancora/perfino peggio e IF ALL ELSE FAILS (da to fail (si legge “fel”)=fallire)=in mancanza d’altro/alla peggio”. - IF YOU SAY SO = se lo dici tu (il senso è “contento tu contenti tutti”).- IF YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO + verbo (eg. the price BY … % = il prezzo DEL … %), WE MIGHT + verbo (SENZA “to”) = se tu fossi disposto a … (es. il prezzo del … %), noi potremmo … (eg. be interested in + ger.dio). Un’espressione simile è “TO BE WILLING TO + verbo=essere disposto a …”. Eg: If you would be willing to lower (abbassare) the price of your house BY (NO “of”) 20%, we might (potremmo) be interested IN buying (NO “to buy”) it. Where there is a will (volontà) there’s a way= volere e potere. V.a. “TO DO SOMETHING AGAINST ONE’S WILL=fare qualcosa controvoglia, TO TAKE AN INTEREST IN + ger.dio/the sost.vo=avere un interesse nel (eg. in the subject of …), e GOODWILL=buona volontà”.- IN A BLINK (occhiata, si legge “blinch”) OF AN EYE = in un batter d’occhio.- IN A FEW DAYS’ TIME = entro pochi giorni. Notare l’uso del genitivo sassone.- IN A ROW (riga, si legge “rou”) = in fila/sequenza/uno dopo l’altro = BACK TO BACK. Eg. That tennis player has lost four games in a row. V.a. “TO ROW=remare, diverso da ROW=lite/discussione animata, si legge “rau” ) e RAW (crudo, si legge “roa”)”.- IN A SENSE/WAY … = in un certo senso … .- IN ACTUAL (“achciul”) FACT = in realtà/veramente = ACTUALLY (più usato).- IN ADDITION TO BEING (NO “be”) = oltre a (as well as) essere.- IN ALL HONESTY = in tutta onestà (nel senso “parlando sinceramente”).- IN ALL LIKELIHOOD (a inizio frase) = con tutta probabilità. V.a. “LIKELY=probabile/ probabilmente=PROBABLY/ARGUABILY=forse/si può dire CHE, QUITE or FAIRLY (abbastanza) LIKELY=verosimile=REALISTICALLY=verosimilmente, QUITE WELL= discretamente, QUITE A LOT OF/A FEW (OF)=parecchi/pochi (di) e ON THE CARDS= molto probabile”. N.B. LIKELY/UNLIKELY si usano anche per fare previsioni.Eg. It’s likely/unlikely that it will rain=è probabile/improbabile che pioverà”. N.B. Siusa “LIKELY/UNLIKELY” + inf.to per descivere qualcosa che è probabile o meno.Eg: I’m likely to be late home from work this evening. He’s unlikely to pass the exam.- IN ALL MODESTY = modestia a parte.- IN ANY WAY = in ogni modo (da non confondere con “IN MY WAY=a modo mio/ così come preferisco”). “My way” è il titolo di una famosa canzone cantata da Frank Sinatra noto con il nickname (soprannome=TAG=PENNAME=nome d’arte) “The voice”. Eg. The different way people see/think about things=il modo diverso con cui la gente vede le cose. V.a “THE WAY=il modo in cui (eg. I don’t like the way you treat (tratti, si legge “trit”) your mother) e NAMESAKE=omonimo”.- IN BROAD (ampio/largo) DAYLIGHT = in pieno giorno. Eg: My house/“place” (slang) =il posto dove si vive (nel senso “appartamento”) got broken in broad daylight=la mia casa è stata derubata in pieno giorno. A (broad) range of (eg. topics=argomenti) =una serie/vasta gamma di … .- IN CERTAIN RESPECTS = per certi aspetti.- IN DEFIANCE (sfida, si legge “difaiens”, da non confondere con “defence=difesa”, si legge “difens”) OF … = in barba A/senza tenere conto di (REGARDLESS)/a dispetto di/in un gesto di sfida. V.a. “TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT=tenere conto DI …, IN SPITE OF (IT ALL)=malgrado=NOTWITHSTANDING=nonostante (segue in sostantivo SENZA “the”)=DESPITE ... (SENZA“of”)”.- IN DOING or DOING SO … (a inizio frase) = così facendo/facendo così … .- IN EXCHANGE/RETURN FOR = in cambio/a fronte DI.- IN FITS (scatti) AND STARTS (partenze) = IN DRIBS (gocciolamenti, da to drib/ dribbed/dribbed=gocciolare) AND DRABS (trascuratezze) = a singhiozzo/un pò per volta. Eg: The growth will come in fits and starts. He paid me back in dribs and drabs.- IN FULL (pieno) REGALIA (si legge “righeila”) = in pompa magna.- IN (NO “from”) MY INFANCY (infanzia, si legge “ìnfinsi”) = durante la mia infanzia.- IN LATER LIFE = durante/nel corso della vita. Eg. Leaving home too early can create problems in later life.- IN-LAW (diritto/legge, si legge “loa”) indica rapporti di parentela acquisiti/gli affini =in laws, eg: father-in-law=suocero, sister-in-law=cognata, son-in-law=genero, etc. V.a. “The law of demand and offer e To be in law=fare l’avvocato”.- IN + ag.vo possessivo SHOES (scarpe, si legge “scus”) = nei … panni. Eg. If I were (NO “was”) in … shoes=se io fossi al … posto.- IN MY DAY (NOT “days”) = ai miei tempi (nel senso “quando ero giovane”). V.a. “IN NO TIME=in pochissimo tempo/subito/in quattro e quattr’otto (diverso da (JUST), IN TIME=in tempo, a inizio frase significa “durante il tempo” (eg. In time, you can earn some privileges through (attraverso/a seguito di) good behavior), ON TIME= puntuale =PUNCTUAL (si legge “panchciual”), simile a DEAD ON TIME=puntualissimo e ALL-TIME HIGH/LOW=al massimo/minimo storico”.- IN + ag.vo possessivo SPARE (di scorta/di riserva, si legge “speer”, da to spare= avere in riserva/in più/risparmiare) FREE/OWN TIME=nel … tempo libero.Eg: Spare tire=ruota di scorta. Spare keys=doppione di chiavi. Spare room=stanza per gli ospiti. Take my pen, I’ve got to spare (or I’ve another in my spare).V.a. “WASTE (sprecare) NOT WANT NOT=chi risparmia guadagna, TO SPARE NO EXPENSE=non badare a spese e LAVISH (sontuoso) EXPENSES=spese eccessive”.- IN ORDER TO … = AIMED (teso, da to aim=mirare”(sost.vo “mira”, si legge “eim”) at = allo scopo/per (segue un inf.to). V.a. “TO THIS END …=a questo scopo …”.- IN SOME WAY/WAYS = in qualche modo/alcuni modi = IN SOME WAY OR ANOTHER =in un modo o nell’altro. V.a. “INCIDENTALLY=tra l’altro”.- IN RETURN/TURN = in cambio. Eg. I gave (SENZA “to”) Mark all my time and he gave me nothing in return=in cambio/a sua volta. Eg: He gives me some information and, in turn, I pay him. Garbage (spazzatura, si legge “garbg”) attracts of kinds of germs which, in turn, cause diseases. V.a. “, IN TURN,=, a sua volta, (si riferisce a qualcosa detta precedentemente e correlata al seguito della frase)”.- IN THE AFTERMATH OF … = in conseguenza di … (e anche “all’indomani del …”).- IN THE …’S (genitivo sassone) STAKES (posta in gioco, si legge “steicks”) … = in riferimento a … . Eg. In the men’s stakes …=per quanto riguarda gli uomini … . Simile a “AS FAR AS …/ON MATTERS OF …=per quanto riguarda …”. V.a. “AS FAR AS I KNOW =per quanto ne so e AS FAR AS HOW …=per quanto riguarda come …” .- IN (NO “from”) THE DISTANCE = DA lontano. V.a. “OUT OF SIGHT OUT OF MIND= lontano dagli occhi lontano dal cuore e TO BE IN TWO MINDS=essere indeciso”.- IN THE EVENT OF A TIE (cravatta/legame/pareggio e, come verbo, “annodare/ legare”)=in caso di parità.- IN THE LOOP (ciclo continuo) = al “top” dell’informazione. Eg. The company keeps one’s customers in the loop about its new products. Il senso è: to give the most up-to-date information=l’informazione più aggiornata.- IN THE MEANTIME … = nel frattempo … .- IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE (da nessuna parte/in nessun luogo) = in un postosperduto = BACKWATER. Eg. He comes from a backwater (let. acqua stagnante) place. V.a. “TO LIVE IN AN INTELLECTUAL BACKWATER=vivere in un torpore intellettuale e NOWHERE NEAR=per niente/neanche lontanamente/niente affatto”.- IN THE NICK (tacca/momento preciso, si legge “nich”) OF TIME = JUST IN TIME = ap-pena in tempo. - IN THIS RESPECT (rispetto/stima) … = a questo riguardo/sotto quest’aspetto … .- INSIDE INFORMATION (SEMPRE al sing.re) = informazioni aziendali riservate e, in genere, note solo al personale “interno”. Eg: Our upcoming (imminente) merger (fusione, si legge “morgiar”) with a Corporation is still considered inside information. My boss’s laptop (portatile) was stolen; it had lost inside information about our company’s strategic plans on it, what a nightmare (incubo)!=che tragedia!V.a. “INSIDE OUT=alla rovescia”, eg. You’ve put your sweater (maglione) inside out.- IRS (si legge “ai ar es”)=acronimo di INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE = Agenzia delle Entrate Americana (molto temuta per la sua efficienza).- IS THAT STILL THE CASE? = è ancora così? (domanda che segue una precedente dichiarazione). In senso affermativo, l’idioma è “IT STILL IS=(e) lo è ancora”. Eg. In New York, since the (sin da) 19th century an appartament on Fifth Avenue overlooking (prospiciente/che da su) Central Park became a status symbol, it still is.- ISH è un suffisso che indica “più o meno/pressappoco”. Eg: Yellowish=giallastro. I’ll see you at sevenihs p.a.=ci vediamo intorno alle sette del pomeriggio”.- IT ALL KIND OF CHANGED ABOUT … = tutto è cambiato circa … . N.B. “KIND OF=in un certo senso/alquanto/piuttosto/un pò”. Eg. I kind of like him=mi piace un pò.V.a. It’s very kind of (NO “by”) John …=è molto gentile da parte di John … .- IT AMAZES (si legge “emeises”) ME THAT … = mi stupisce che … .- IT CALLS FOR (esige) A CELEBRATION = è un buon motivo per festeggiare.- IT DOESN’T ADD UP/REALLY FIT! = non quadra! V.a. “TO ADD UP=sommare/ pervenire a una conclusione”.- IT FOLLOWS THAT … = ne consegue che … . V.a. “TO FOLLOW SUIT=seguire l’esempio (di altri) e FOLLOWING A/THE …=a seguito DI un/DEL …”. Eg. The building was finished following a (NO “of the”) fire. N.B. “TO SUIT=andar bene”. Eg. This job doesn’t suit me=questo lavoro non fa per me. V.a. “SUBSEQUENTLY=in seguito/ successivamente”. N.B. “TO FOLLOW SUIT” proviene dal gioco del “bridge” e significa “rispondere allo stesso colore della carta giocata dal 1° giocatore”.- IT HAS (NO “is”) TO BE SAID = devo ammetterlo (usata anche come una incidentale tra due virgole). V.a. “SAID=suddetto”.- IT IS A GOOD THING THAT … = menomale/per fortuna che … .- IT IS KIND OF … = è un pò … (segue un part. pass. e un inf.to, eg. “interesting to see how …”). V.a. “TO BE SOMETHING OF …=assomigliare un pò A …”.- IT IS KIND OF LIKE … = è un pò come a (segue l’indicazione di qualcosa o qualcunosimile al precedente). Eg. I kind of like her=mi è piuttosto simpatica. N.B. Se “like”segue un sostantivo indica “somiglianza” con quest’ultimo. Eg. In New York GrandCentral Station’s main concourse (atrio) is a cathedral-like space and the backdrop (scenario) for dozens of movies. V.a. “BIT LIKE=un pò come”.- (IT IS) NO WONDER THAT … = non c’è da stupirsi se …/non sorprende che … .V.a. “TO WONDER WHY=chiedere(rsi) il perché”.- IT IS NOT SAYING THAT= non è detto che. Eg. It’s not saying that you’ll come to us every day.- (AND) IT IS NOT LOOKING PROMISING (è una incidentale) = ….. (e) questo non promette bene.- IT IS THOUGHT THAT … = si ritiene che … . TO THINK/TOUGHT/TOUGHT OF or ABOUT=pensare.- (BUT) IT IS WHAT IT IS = something that must be accepted even if it is undesirable.Eg. I don’t like my new boss but it is what it is (il senso è “ma non c’è niente da fare).- IT IS WIDELY (esageratamente/largamente/ampiamente, si legge “uaidli”) KNOWN THAT …=è risaputo che … .- IT ISN’T AS LATE AS I THOUGHT = non è così tardi come pensavo/credevo.- IT’S A DEAL = affare fatto. V.a. “A GOOD DEAL=un buon affare e TO SNAP UP (assicurarsi) A BARGAIN (si legge “barghen”)=non lasciarsi sfuggire un buon affare”.- IT’S A PIECE OF CAKE (met.co) = è una cosa/un lavoro molto semplice/facile (nel senso “di poco conto”).- IT’S ABOUT TIME = finalmente (è successo). Eg. It’s about time you got (NO “get”) here!=Sei arrivato finalmente. V.a. “IN THE SPACE (spazio, si legge “speis”) OF (eg. days/months)=nell’arco di pochi …, IT’S ABOUT TIME SOMEONE + past simple (eg. It is about time (è tempo che) I went (io vado/a) to the hairdresser=parrucchiere), IT’S BLOODY (insanguinato/cocciuto/testardo, si legge ”bladi”) TIME=finalmente=AS LAST/era ora CHE (segue, per es. you arrived=che tu arrivassi), BLOODY MARY= bibita di vodka, succo di pomodoro, spezie, tabasco e salsa worcestershire, TIME FLIES (da to fly/flew/flown=volare) WHEN YOU ARE HAVING FUN (or “YOU HAVE FUN”)=il tempo vola quando ti diverti, AS TIME GOES ON=col passere del tempo (eg. Things just change as time goes on), HEADY TIME=esaltante periodo e DON’T GIVE SOMEONE THE TIME OF DAY=non degnare … neanche con uno sguardo.”- IT’S ALL ONE TO (NO “for”) ME = PER me fa lo stesso/è indifferente.- IT’S BETTER NOT TO … = non é il caso DI … .- IT’S GOING TO COST (cost/cost) YOU = (bada) ti costerà (ciò che mi chiedi di dire/fare, il senso è “do ut des”). Eg. You’re going to have to do something (denaro oqualcosa di diverso) for it. Con meraviglia e sorpresa la risposta può essere: YOU ARE (or ARE YOU) GOING TO CHARGE ME FOR … (?) = mi vuoi fare pagare per … .V.a. “TO CHARGE SOMEBODY WITH …=accusare qualcuno DI …”.- IT’S GROSS (grossolano/volgare) = IT SUCKS (da to suck=succhiare) = fa proprio schifo. V.a. “IT’S MY PET (animale domestico) HATE=è una cosa che odio/proprio non mi piace e YUCK (si legge “iach”)=puah! Che schifezza, simile a “KID (imbroglio/ capretto/bambino) OF YUCK(Y)” (sono tutti slang, meglio dire: I don’t like it)”.- IT’S KIND OF UNLIKELY, UNLESS … = è piuttosto improbabile, a meno CHE … .Eg. We are unlikely to arrive before you=è poco probabile che arriviamo prima di te. N.B. “KIND OF=piuttosto” è usato anche in senso positivo. Eg: The soul music really kind of has a calming effect. Unless I’m (NO “have”) mistaken (da to mistake/ mistook/mistachen=sbagliare/fraintendere) . V.a. “BY MISTAKE=PER errore”.Eg. Speaking out, but I can go wrong=parlando francamente, ma posso sbagliarmi.- (AND) IT’S LIKE THIS = (ed) è proprio così (segue e conferma una precedente affermazione=AFFIRMATION, si legge “àfermescion”).- IT’S NO (SENZA “a”) COINCIDENCE (si legge “coìnsidens”) THAT … = non è una coincidenza che … .- IT’S NOT (NO “no”) GOOD TO + ger.dio = non è il caso di … . La negazione “no” si usa in espressioni simili, ma con diversa costruzione. Eg. No (NO “not”) use TALKING =non vale la pena/è tempo perso parlarne.- IT’S NOTHING AT ALL LIKE THAT (WITH …) = non è miente del genere/non ha nulla a che vedere (con …). V.a. “NOTHING MUCH=niente di che”.- IT’S NOTHING TO BOAST (si legge “boust”) OF (ABOUT IN COMING YEARS) = non c’è nulla di cui vantarsi (PER i prossimi anni).- IT’S OVER BETWEEN US = è tutto finito tra noi due (riferito a un precedente rapporto, di solito, sentimentale).- … (AND) IT’S STILL THE CASE = …(e) è ancora così (a fine frase).V.a. “STILL MORE=ancora di più”.- IT’S TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE (ag.vo) = (è/sarebbe) troppo bello per essere vero.- IT’S VERY AWKWARD (scomodo, si legge “okword)! = è molto imbarazzante (es. fare quello che mi chiedi=to do what you ask (SENZA “to”) me)!- IT’S (WAY) ABOVE (molto al di sopra) WHAT I CAN AFFORD = è più di quanto posso permettermi. Espressione simile a IT’S (WAY) OVER + ag.vo possessivo HEAD=al di sopra delle … capacità (“way” è un rafforzativo). To afford si usa in senso economico e figurativo. Eg. He’s angry with you, so you can’t afford to offend him.- IT DOES COME DOWN TO … = in fin dei conti si tratta di + sost.vo/verbo.- IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE … = non sembra che … . L’opposto è “IT LOOKS LIKE …= pare/sembra che …”).- IT PAYS TO + verbo = conviene/vale la pena DI …/è una buona idea (concept) …. = TO BE WORTH (valore) A GO (tentativo) = vale la pena di fare un tentativo (to have a go). Eg: Have a go!=prova! It’s your go=tocca a te. The restaurant was crowded, but we got seated right away (ci siamo seduti subito), it pays to be friends WITH (NO “of”) the owner. It pays to be honest. V.a. “IT IS/WAS WORTH IT=ne vale/valesse la pena (notare l’obbligo di usare IT all’inizio e alla fine) e FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH=per quel che vale”.- IT TAKES seguito da un’espressione di tempo indica quanto tempo ci vuole per fare qualcosa. Eg. It takes me an hour to get home BY car=impiego un’ora per arrivare a casa CON la macchina.- IT TURNS OUT THAT (sopprimibile) … = si verifica/risulta/è emerso che … (segue l’esposizione di un fatto).- IT WILL NOT LAST FOREVER = non durerà per sempre. “Last” (si legge “last”) ha i seguenti significati: durare (come verbo); ultimo (come aggettivo); per ultimo (come avverbio). Inoltre se è seguito da un part. pass. significa “per l’ultima volta”. Eg. She was last seen getting off (scendere da) a train in/at Pen Station.- ITCH (si legge “ic”) = prurito. Eg: Scratch where it itches=grattati dove hai prurito. Are your mosquito bites itching?=ti prudono i morsi di zanzara? The boys are itching for the lesson to end=i ragazzi non vedono l’ora che la lezione finisca.- JET LAG (ritardo, si legge “legh”) = stanchezza per il cambiamento del fuso orario dopo un lungo viaggio in aereo.- JUST AS WELL … = meno male che … . V.a. “JUST AS=proprio come/altrettanto”.- JUST GO AWAY! = lasciami/lasciatemi in pace!- JUST OFF = al largo di/a poca distanza da = WITHIN FEW (eg. Kilometres) FROM.- JUST THE TICKET (biglietto) = proprio ciò che ci vuole. Eg. Sick (ammalato=ill, da non confondere con “hill=collina”) of winter (il senso è “stanco/stufo dell’inverno”), a vacation to Hawaii would be just the ticket.V.a. “COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS= biglietti omaggio, ONE WAY TICKET=biglietto di sola andata e ROUND (rotondo/ arrotondare, si legge “raund”) TRIP TICKET=biglietto di andata e ritorno e GREETING CARD=biglietto d’auguri”.- JUST TRY IT AND SEE = provare per credere (spesso usato alla fine di un discorso).- KEEP HOPE ALIVE (vivo) = speriamo per il meglio. TO KEEP/KEPT/KEPT=tenere (nel senso di “mantenere”).N.B. Il verbo “to Keep” seguito da un part. pres. (in “ing”) assume il significato di “continua/tendere a …”. Eg. The torch (torcia, si legge “torc”) keeps going out (tende a spegnersi) maybe the battery is flat (scarica). V.a. “TO KEEP ONE’S EAR TO THE GROUND=tenere le orecchie aperte/stare in campana e TO KEEP A COOL (calmo/imperturbabile) HEAD=avere sangue freddo (met.co)”.- KEEP IT UP = continua così. V.a. “IN SAFE KEEPING=al sicuro, TO PLAY IT SAFE= essere cauto/stare sul sicuro, IN KEEPING WITH=in linea con e TO KEEP ONE’S HEAD ABOVE WATER=(let. tenere la propria testa sopra l’acqua (il senso è “evirare la rovina/il fallimento”)”. L’opposto è “TO GO BUST (rovina, si legge “bast”)”.- KEEP THE WATCH = tienilo/la d’occhio (nel senso “tienilo/la sotto controllo”).- KIND (si legge “caind”) OF/PRETTY MUCH = più o meno/piuttosto/per così dire = AS IT WERE. Eg: He, kind of, said …=egli, più o meno, disse … . In some way/cases (in qualche modo/in alcuni casi) politicians can become, kind of, victims of their own success. The court’s decision was pretty much (più o meno) what we expected.- KIND OF YOU = gentile da parte tua/vostra.- KITCHEN-CUM-DINING ROOM = tinello (si usa “cum” per indicare l’insieme di due cose diverse tra loro). V.a. “SOUP (minestra, si legge “sup”) KITCHEN=mensa per i poveri/senza tetto=HOMELESS”.- KNOCKOUT = pugno che manda al tappeto/un cosa meravigliosa/ una bella donna/ uno schianto (stunner/gorgeous, si leggono “stanner/ghorges=squisito”).- KOSHER (si legge “cosciar) = cibo ebraico e anche “che va bene”. Eg. It is kosher + inf.to … .=It is allowed (permesso/consentito) + inf.to … .- LADIES’ MAN/LADY KILLER/HEARTBREAKER = Don Juan/Casanova. Womanizer= donnaiouolo =PHILANDERING, simile a “popular with the ladies”=piace alle donne=A WHIZZ (fischio) WITH THE LADIES=uomo che ha grande successo con le donne.- LAP (grembo/seno, da to lap/lapped/lapped=avvolgere/(ri)piegare) DOG = chi dice senpre “si”. V.a. “LAPTOP=computer portatile”.- LAST BUT NOT LEAST = ultimo ma non per importanza. V.a. “AT THE VERY LEAST= nel peggiore dei casi”. - LATER IN THE DAY = più tardi/dopo (DELLO/nello stesso giorno).- LAST-MINUTE=riferito a qualcosa (in genere un “viaggio/invito”) non programmata. L’aggettivo “last-minute” è simile all’espressione ON THE SPUR (sprone, si legge “sper”) OF THE MOMENT che si riferisce a decisioni prese quasi per caso perché spontanee e non programmate. Eg. We had no plans for the weekend, so on the spur of the moment we decided to go to Atlantic City. V.a. “ANY MINUTE NOW=tra pochissimo/da un momemto all’altro e AS LONG LAST=finalmente=AT LAST=alla fine FINALLY”. Eg: The bridge (ponte) was open at last. At last it clicked (da to click=fare clich/scattare e anche “avere fortuna/innamorarsi”)=a un tratto tutto fu chiaro.- LAZY BONES (ossa/spine, si legge “bouns”) = pigrone (rivolto a un familiare/amico).- LESS come suffisso di sost.vo/ag.vo indica “senza”. Eg: JOBLESS=disoccupato. TIMELESS=senza tempo. THOUGHTLESS=sconsiderato, etc.- LET (da to let/let/let=permettere) se è usato come suffisso significa “di piccole dimensioni”. Eg: Leaflet (volantino), piglet (maialino) etc. N.B. Il suffisso “ISH” si aggiunge a un ag.vo per indicare “abbastanza/un pò”. Eg. Yellowish=giallognolo.- LET IT BE! = FORGET (forgot/forgotten=dimenticare=TO UNDO) IT! = lascia perdere!- LET ME CONGRATULATE YOU ON (NO “for”) YOUR … = lascia che mi congratuli (con te) PER il tuo … .- LET ME HAVE MY SAY = lasciami dire/completare il mio dire/ragionamento.- LET ME INTRODUCE YOU … = ti/vi presento … (indicare il nome).- LET’S FACE IT = prendiamone atto/ammettiamolo/diciamo la verità. V.a. “LET’S BEGIN WITH … (a inizio frase)=cominciamo con … (segue una elencazione) e THE STARK (duro/nudo/crudo) TRUTH=la cruda verità”.- LET’S HAVE A CHAT (si legge “ciat”) = facciamo una chiaccherata. (TO HAVE A CHAT = fare quattro chiacchere). L’opposto è “EARFULL=molte chiacchere” (da “EAR (si legge “iar”=orecchio” e “FULL=pieno”).- LET’S GO + verbo (SENZA “to”) = andiamo a … (eg. buy some frozen foods from …= surgelati da … .).- LET’S KISS AND MAKE UP = facciamo pace.- LET’S PARTY = facciamo festa/divertiamoci. V.a. “PARTY GAMES (si legge “gheims”) =giochi di società e OK I’M GAME!=ok ci sto”!- LET’S PICK IT UP = (forza) sbrigati/evi. V.a. “PICK YOU UP!=riprenditi/cerca di stare meglio, TO PICK UP THE BALL AND RUN WITH IT=prendere la palla al balzo (met.co) /cogliere l’occasione, TO DROP THE BALL (let. far cadere la palla)=commettere un errore e TO PICK UP FOR A SONG (informale)=comprare a buon prezzo/per 4 soldi”.- (LET’S) PULL OVER = fermiamoci un pò/accostiano. N.B. Si usa SOLO stando in macchina/bus e simili.- LET’S START BY (NO “with”) + ger.dio = cominciamo + ger.dio. Eg: Let me start by introducing …=lasciatemi cominciare presentandovi … . Let her start by saying that … =consetitele di iniziare per dire che … .- LIKE HELL (inferno) I DO/WILL! (slang) = col cavolo che lo faccio/farò. “Like hell” è anche usata per evidenziare (TO POINT OUT) un comportamento deciso/una brutta sensazione. Eg: We tried like hell to win the game. He looked like hell after staying up all night=aveva una brutta cera dopo avere vegliato tutta la notte. - LIKE NEVER BEFORE NOW … = mai come prima d’ora … (eg. it is possible … .).- LIKE THE BACK OF ONE’S HAND = let. come il dorso della … mano, ma il senso è “(conoscere) come le … tasche”. V.a. “THE ONES THAT/WHO=i soli/coloro che/i quali… e WHO’S WHO (let. chi è chi)=elenco delle persone importanti”.- LITTLE/NOTHING SHORT OF … = niente altro che … Eg. What are you suggesting I do (che io faccia) is little/nothing short of blackmail (ricatto). N. B. “SHORT” come ag.vo assume il significato di “insufficiente”. Eg. We’re currently short of …= attualmente siamo a corto di … . V.a. “JUST ABOUT ENOUGH=appena sufficiente”.- LOADS (da to load=caricare (sost.vo) carico, si legge “loud”) OF …=un sacco di … (notare l’uso del plurale in inglese).- LOAF (pl.re “loaves”) = pane. Eg. Half loaf is better than no bread=meglio di niente.- LONG TIME NO SEE = chi non muore si rivede. Eg. Great to see you again, long time no see! V.a. “LOOK WHO’S HERE!=quarda chi si vede/c’è!”.- LOOK WHO’S TALKING! = senti chi parla! (usato come in italiano).- LOST CAUSE (si legge “cos”) = causa persa. Eg. To talk (SENZA “of”) politics with you is a lost cause.- LOVER’S SPAT = battibecco tra fidanzati/sposi. Eg. I just overheard (ho sentito per caso) your lover’s spat. V.a. “OVERHEARD (da to hear/heard/heard=sentire) CONVERSATIONS=discorsi sentiti per caso”.- MAKE OR BREAK = o la va o la spacca. V.a. “TO BREAK (broke/broken=rompere)/ BEND (bent/bent=piegare) THE RULES=infrangere le regole/norme”.- MAKE YOURSELVES AT HOME = accomodatevi = STEP RIGHT IN = SETTLE DOWN PLEASE! (le normali risposte sono: That would be lovely tank=molto volentieri grazie. Thanks or thank you very much). N.B. “STEP” seguito da una parola che indica parentela e specifica che la stessa non è “naturale”. Eg. Stepfather=patrigno.- MAKES YOU THINK, DOESN’T IT = (è una cosa che) fa pensare, non è così?V.a. “LOOKING/TINKING BACK ON IT …=ripensandoci …”.- MATE = compagno, si legge “meit”). I composti sono: SCHOOLMATE= compagno di scuola. FLATMATE=coinquilino. TEAMMATE=compagno di squadra.- ME EITHER or TOO/NEITHER = anche/nemmeno io (risposta che mostra assenso all’altrui comportamento). V.a. “EITHER OF THEM=o l‘uno o l’altro e NEITHER OF THEM=nessuno di loro”.- MEAL KIT = un kit (cassetta) di cibi diversi e separati, in genere congelati, che il consumatore metterà insieme prima di cuocerli. For example: A Chinese food meal kit might come with a bag of vegetables, a bag of chicken, a packet of peanuts and a packet of soya sauce. Eg. This restaurant offers meal kits too. - MIGHT AS WELL = tanto vale ... Eg. This hotel isn’t expensive, might as well (SENZA “to”) stay another day.- MONEY (soldi, si legge “mani”) BUSINESS = azioni stupide (silly)/disubbidienti (naughty, si legge “noti”)/cattivo comportamento. V.a. “To MAKE/EARN (si legge “ern”) MONEY=fare/guadagnare soldi, TO LEND (lent/lent=dare=to loan)/BORROW (prendere) soldi in prestito.- MONEY LAUNDERING = (si legge “londeringh” da to launder=fare il bucato,)= LAUNDERING-MONEY=riciclaggio di denaro sporco.- MONEY TALKS (let. il denaro parla, il senso è “per soldi si fanno tante cose”, quindi: “I/You/We should have offered more”). V.a. “IT ALL COMES DOWN TO MONEY= alla fine tutto si riduce a una questione di soldi”.- …, (AND) MORE TO THE POINT, … = … (e) più precisamente (si usa come incidentale o a inizio frase) … . V.a. “TO MAKE MY POINT=secondo me=IN MY OPINION”.- MORE THAN ONCE = più di una volta. V.a. “MORE AND MORE/INCREASINGLY + ag.vo=sempre più … e AT ONCE=nello stesso tempo”.- MURDER (omicidio, si legge “mardar”) HUNT (si legge “hant”) = caccia all’assassino.V.a. MURDER SCENE=scena del crimine e ALLEGED MURDERER=presunto assassino.- MY BEEF (manzo, si legge “bif”) IS (slang)=il mio problema/ciò che mi da fastidio é…- NAYSAYER = contestatore/bastian contrario/che dice sempre no (nel senso “da un voto contrario”). Eg. Not to be (non per essere) a naysayer, but … . Più forte di “WET (bagnato) BLANKET (coperta)=guastafeste che scoraggia l’entusiasmo=PARTY POOPER DAMPER”. Eg. I don’t mean/I’m sorry to be (non intendo (dire di)/scusate se sono) a wet blanket, but ... .- NEEDLESS = IT’S POINTLESS TO + verbo (a inizio frase) … = inutile/superfluo … .V.a. “THERE’S NO POINT (DOING ANY MORE)=non c’è motivo/è inutile (continuare ulteriormente)”. Può seguire “if your heart is not in it (met.co)=se non sei convinto”.- NEVER EVER … = mai e poi mai … . Ever significa anche “per caso”. Eg. If you ever go to …=Se mai vai a …. V.a. “BY THE SAME TOKEN (gettone)=per lo stesso motivo.- NEVER MIND (si legge “maind”) = non importa/lascia perdere/non ci pensare più.V.a. “DO YOU MIND IF …?=ti/vi dispiace se …?, MIND YOU, … (a inizio frase)= intendiamoci, … e TO LET THE MATTER REST (riposo, si legge “rest”)=lasciare perdere (nel senso “non preoccuparsene troppo”)”. Un’espressione più forte è: The matter does not concern you=la faccenda non ti riguarda. V.a. “AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED=per quanto mi riguarda, CONCERNING=che riguarda e TO CONCERN (si legge “consèrn”)=preoccupare”. Eg: I’m very concerned about this matter. There no cause (causa, si legge “cos”) for concern=non c’e motivo di preoccuparsi.- NICHEL-AND-DIME (ag.vo) = (una cosa) di poca importanza. - NO LAUGHING MATTER = non è una cosa/faccenda da ridere/sottovalutare.V.a. “FUN ALSO MATTERS=anche divertirsi è importante”.- NO LESS THAN = nientemeno che. Eg. That man is no less than the President. Diverso da NOT LESS THAN=non meno DI.- NO SOONER THAN … = AS SOON AS … = (non) appena che... .V.a. “IN THE MATTER OF (eg. dayS. N.B. Il tempo deve essere SEMPRE espresso al pl.le)=nel giro di qualche …”.- NO WAY/NOT A CHANCE = (ma) neanche per sogno = NOT ON YOUR LIFE (è la risposta a una proposta non condivisa). Espressioni simili sono: “NO SUCH LUCK!= niente da fare! ON NO ACCOUNT (conto in senso commerciale)=per nessuna ragione. PERISH (perire) THE THOUGHT=non ci pensare neanche. NEVER/NOT FOR ALL THE TEA IN CHINA (Cina, si legge “Ciaina”)=in nessun caso”. Eg. I would not miss (non vorrei che mi mancasse) the … for all the tea in China.V.a. “, ON ACCOUNT OF THAT, = , a causa di (DUE TO) ciò,”.- NO WONDER IF/THAT … = nessuna meraviglia SE/CHE (a inizio frase). L’opposto è “MUCH TO MY WONDER …=con mia grande meraviglia …”.V.a. “A NINE DAYS’ WONDER=una cosa di scarso interesse”.- NOR IS … = non è neanche … (a inizio frase). N.B. NOR (congiunzione)=né/ neppure/nemmeno è spesso posto in correlazione con un’altra negazione. Eg. Neither good nor bad=né buono né cattivo. V.a. “OF TWO EVILS (danni) CHOOSE THE LESSER=TRA i due mali scegli il minore”.- NOT ALL AT ONCE = non (es. berlo/mangiarlo) tutto/i in una volta/di colpo (in genere segue “You’ll get indigestion”). V.a. “IN ONE GO=in una sola volta/subito e ALL AT ONCE=improvvisamente/contemporaneamente=ABRUPTLY”.- NOT AS BLACK AS (ONE) IS PANTED = non così nero come si dipinge. Eg. The situation isn’t as black as it is panted.- (NOT) AS THOUGH … = (non) come se… . Eg. It looks as though it’s going to + verbo =sembra che stia per … .- NOT BUDGE (muoversi, si legge bag”) AN INCH = to be unable or unwilling move, change or shift (cambiare) in any way at all (il senso è “non smuoversi di un millimertro/essere irremovibile”). Eg. He doesn’t budge an inch once he gets an idea in his head, so don’t bother (infastidirti) trying to reason (ragionare, si legge “rison”) with him. V.a. “WON’T BUDGE AN INCH”. Eg. Once he gets his mind made up (che decide), he won’t budge an inch. - NOT EVEN A BIT (si legge “bit” da non confondere con “bite=morso, si legge bait”)= neanche un pò.- NOT JUST/ONLY FOR … = non solo per …”.- NOT LONG AFTER/AFTERWARDS = non molto tempo dopo. Simile a “A SHORT TIME LATER=poco dopo=SOON ENOUGH (abbastanza, si legge “inaf”)=A SHORT WHILE LATER”. L’opposto è “NOT SO/THAT LONG AGO=non molto tempo fa”. V.a. “TO MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME=recuperare il tempo perduto, MORE RECENTILY=più recentemente, MORE SO THAN … = più di … e A GREAT (molto)/GOOD (moltissimo) OF”. Eg. I spend a good of time in L. A. (Los Angeles, si legge “el-ei”) for business.- NOT MERELY IN FORM, BUT ALSO IN FACT = non soltanto nella forma, ma anche nella sostanza.- NOT TO OVERWHELM …, BUT … = non per sopraffare/opprimere …, ma … .- NOTHING MUCH = non molto. V.a. “MUCH THE SAME AS …=più o meno come …”.- NOTHING SHORT OF = addirittura/senz’altro/a dir poco. Eg. This news (SEMPRE al sing.re) is nothing short of revolutionary.- NUMBER (da indicare) OUT OF NUMBER (da indicare) = … su/di … . Eg. Two out of five apples are mine (si legge”main”)=due delle cinque mele sono mie. N.B. “MINE (sost.vo) significa anche miniera”.- OF ALL PLACES (di/TRA tutti i possibili posti)… = è un’incidentale che mostra meraviglia per avere trovato nel posto meno probabile qualcosa che, tra tutti i luoghi possibili, non doveva essere trovata proprio là. Eg. I found a pornographic photo inside - of all places - the Gospel (Vangelo).- OF YESTERYEAR (let. dell’anno scorso) = del passato. V.a. “FORMERLY=in passato”.- OFF AND ON (let. spento e acceso) = di tanto intanto. Eg. We’ve seen each other off and on. V.a. “MEANWHILE=intanto/nel frattempo”.- OFF THE TOP OF ONE’S HEAD (testa)=su due piedi (met.co)/senza pensarci troppo/ A memoria=FROM MEMORY/BY HEART (è l’espressione più usata). Eg. I don’t know the answer off the top of my head=non so dare una risposta immediata.- OK GOT IT! = Okay ho capito/fatto! L’opposto di OK è KO=To be out of the count = conteggio nel pugilato.- OLD HAND (mano, da to handle=gestire/tenere sotto controllo; handy=a potata di mano; handmade=fatto a mano)=veterano/esperto=EXPERT. To be an expert ON (NO “of”)=essere un esperto DI. V.a. “TO BE AT HOME IN=essere competente in …”.- OLD-FASHIONED = vecchio stampo/all’antica (usato come attributo). Eg. I am an old-fashioned gentleman.- ON … (indicare una festività) = il giorno di … Eg. On Chistmas/Thanksgiving.- ON A DAILY BASIS = su base giornaliera. Simile a “giornalmente=DAILY”.- ON BEHALF OF … = UNDER THE BANNER (bandiera/stendardo) = per conto/in/anome di … .- ON DIFFERENT NOTE = parlando d’altro (a inizio della frase manifesta la volonta di cambiare argomento).- ON HIS/HER/MY/YOUR/THEIR OWN = per conto suo/mio/vostro/loro.- ON ONE’S OWN = (starsene) da solo/(intraprendere un’attività) per proprio conto.- ON/BY STEP (passo/gradino) AT A TIME = una cosa per volta. Simile a: “STEP BY STEP=un passo alla volta=A STEP AT A TIME”=FINGER BY FINGER (let. un dito alla volta=lentamente)”. V.a. “ON THE FINGERS=ai margini, IN STEP WITH THE TIMES=al passo (anche andatura=pace, si legge “peis”; eg. I can’t stand the pace) con i tempi, TO CHIME (battere/suonare le ore, si legge “ciaim”) WITH THE TIMES=essere al passo con i tempi, A STEP BACK/FORWARD=un passo indietro/in avanti (nel senso “non conseguire/realizzare un progresso”), FIRST THINGS FIRST …=cominciando dall’inizio e AS FIRST STEP …=per prima cosa …”.- ON THE ...’S DIME = A spese di … Eg. Tell him to stop making personal phone calls on the company’s dime. V.a. “TO GIVE SOMEONE A CALLBACK=richiamare … al telefono e GIVE ME A CALL=telefonami/sentiamoci”.- ON THE FACE (faccia, si legge “feis”) OF IT = a prima vista = AT FIRST GLANCE (occhiata, si legge “glans”)/a quanto pare (SEEMINGLY/SUPPOSEDFLY)/a giudicare dalle apparenze (TO JUDGE BY LOOKS) = ON ITS FACE. V.a. “TO LOSE SIGHT OF EACH OTHER=perdersi di vista”.- ON THE GROUNDS (cause/motivi, si legge “graunds”) OF … = CON il pretesto di … .V.a. “ON THE GROUNDS THAT …=PER il fatto che…=BECAUSE …”.- ON THE HEELS (talloni, si legge “hiils”) OF … = in/a seguito del … (e anche “alle calcagna”).- ON THE HOOF (zoccolo, si legge “huf”) = in modo estemporaneo/improvvisato = AT RANDOM = a casaccio = HAP-HAZARD (si legge “hap-haserd”).- ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN (moneta) = ON THE FLIPSIDE = sotto un altro aspetto/dall’altro lato della medaglia. V.a. “TO FLIP/FLIPPED/FLIPPED=dare un buffetto A”. FLIP=colpetto/il retro di un disco.- ON THE SLY (furbo, si legge “slai”) = furtivamente/furbescamente. Eg. We founded out (da to found out=scoprire=TO DETECT (a mistake/a murderer=assassinio, da cui DETECTIVE (si legge “ditectiv”)=agente di polizia) he was stealing money on the sly.- ON THIS SCORE (punteggio, si legge “scor”) … = su questo argomento… .V.a. “TO SCORE=comprare droga e DRUG (droga, si legge “dragh”) ADDICT (dedito, si legge“àdict” (in senso negativo)/dipendente, da to addict=abituare/dedicare)”.- ON THE TROTS (da “trot = trotto”) = uno dopo l’altro.Eg. I read two books on the trots.- ON TIP-TOES = in punta di piedi. TIP = mancia/suggerimento.- ONE BIT = affatto/per niente. Eg. I don’t like it one bit.- ONE GOOD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER = una mano lava l’altra/scambio di favori.- ONE … IN … = un/o … SU … .- ONE AT A TIME = uno per volta. V.a. “ONE ON ONE=uno A uno (indica un punteggio =score) e ONE BY ONE=uno per uno”. Eg: The freshmen (studenti del 1° anno/ matricole) came to the classroom one at a time. The police queried (interrogò) the thives (ladri, il singolare è “thief”) one bye one. V.a. “SOPHOMORE (si legge “sofmor”)=studente universitario del 2° anno e MAJORING (laureando, si legge “meigiuringh”) IN ECONOMICS=studente della facoltà di economia, HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES (si legge “gragiuets”)=diplomati del liceo/scuola superiore e A DROPOUT=chi ha abbandonato gli studi e anche “emarginato/sbandato”.V.a. “PUBLICH SCHOOL=scuola pubblica (in USA)/scuola privata (in UK). - ONE/TWO DAY’S/MONTH’S NOTICE TO LEAVE = uno… giorno/mese di preavviso per andare via=TO BE OFF.- ONCE IN A LIFETIME = espressione riferita a un’offerta/occasione che capita una sola volta (once and once only) nella vita (eg. TO MISS OUT ON A GOOD CHANCE= perdere una buona occasione). Altri tra i più comuni composti con “life” sono: life-changing=che ti cambia la vita; life-threatening=che ti minaccia la vita; life-improving =che ti migliora la vita. Tutti precedono un sostantivo (es. “event”=evento, si legge “ivent”). V.a. “AT ONCE=in una volta”, ONCE IN A WHILE=di quando in quando/ogni tanto e FOR A CHANGE=per una volta”.- ONE’S CUP OF TEA = la … cosa preferita. Eg. She’s not my cap of tea=lei non è il mio tipo. Per la forma positiva è meglio usare “to like”, es. “I (DO) LIKE HER”. Cup (tazza) si legge “cap”, ma il suo composto “cupboard” (credenza) si legge “càbord” SENZA la “p”. N.B. “Cup”=tazza da tè con piattino, “Mug” (si legge “mag”)=tazza alta con manico per latte/birra/caffè (coffee) spesso seguiti da “lukewarm (si legge “luch-uòrm”=tiepido; sligthtly cooled=appena raffreddato; hot/cold=caldo/freddo”.V.a. “OF ANY SORT=di qualsiasi tipo”.- ONE-OFF = esemplari/pezzi unici.- ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER = da cosa nasce cosa (TO LEAD/LED/LED=guidare/ condurre/portare). V.a. “LEADING MAN/WOMAN=protagonista (eg. He has been a leading man for an entire generation) e MISLEADING=fuorviante”.- ONLY = solo; da porre davanti la parola a cui si riferisce. Eg. We live only once (NO“We only live once”)=si vive una sola volta.- OPENING LEAD = carta di attacco nel gioco del bridge. V.a. “TO BRIDGE A GAP= colmare una lacuna”.- OPENING SOON = prossima apertura (riferito a una attività commerciale).- (BUT) OTHER THAN THAT … = (ma) oltre a quello … (è un’incidentale che si riferiscea quanto detto prima).- OTHER THAN THE … = a parte il fatto che il … .- OUT AND ABOUT = fuori/in giro (preceduto da “to be” o “to go”).- OUT OF NECESSITY (si legge “nesessiti”) = per necessità/bisogno.Eg. I did it out of necessity.- OUT-OF-THE-OFFICE MESSAGE è la programmata e automatica risposta (senza che sia necessario trovarsi in ufficio) a un messaggio che si prevede di dovere ricevere.V.a. “TO GET THE MESSAGE=capire (nel senso “afferrare al volo”)”.- OUT OF THE FRYING PAN AND INTO THE FIRE = dalla padella (che frigge) alla brace.- OUT OF WORK = fuori servizio (è anche riferito a una persona che non è più in grado di lavorare, ma se è temporaneamente assente si usa “NOT AT WORK”). Simile a “OFF DUTY/OUT SERVICE”,- OUT ON + ag.vo possessivo OWN = da solo/i. Eg. I’ll figure it out on my own=lo capirò da solo.- OUT WITH IT! = avanti parla/dì quello che sai/sputa l’osso! (il senso è “don’t hold (da to held/hold/hold=tenere) back the information”).- OVER AND OVER=più volte=AGAIN AND AGAIN. V.a. “OVERALL= tutto sommato/nel complesso=BY AND LARGE=ON THE WHOLE=IN SUM/THE MAIN/BY ANY MEAUSURE =da qualsiasi punto di vista”. N.B. “OVER” significa anche “durante/nel corso DI…”. Eg: Over the course of my speech (discorso, si legge “spiic”)/the day/the years … . Over lunch/the show, he tells her that he wants to start dating her again. V.a. “OVER TIMES=più volte e OVER TIME=nel/col tempo”. Eg. Over time everything changes.- OVER MY HOUSE = a casa mia. Eg. I’m having five people over (sot.so “my house”) for dinner tonight.- OVER THE COUNTER = al banco (di negozio, bar e simili).- OVERNIGHT = da un giorno all’altro. V.a. “DAY IN DAY OUT=giorno dopo giorno”.- PAIN IN THE NECK = persona fastidiosa/scocciatura=Pain in the ass (culo, slang).- PAIN KILLERS (slang) = medicinali = MEDICINES/DRUGS = farmaci.- PEAK (cima, si legge “piich”) DAY = giorno di massima affluenza. V.a. “YOU LOOK A LITTLE PEAKED=mi sembri un pò sciupato (il senso è “non hai un bell’aspetto”)”. - PENDING = EXPECTING = in attesa. “Pending” si riferisce a “qualcosa”. Eg: I can’tskype with you because I found a pending contact request. The issue is pending to be discussed. “Expecting” si riferisce a “qualcuno”. Eg. We are expecting to know your decisions. V.a. I would HAVE expected that …= mi SAREI aspettato che … .- PER CAPITA = pro capite. Eg. China produces the largest amount of pollution (inquinamento, si legge “poluscion”) pro capita.- PER DAY/MONTH/YEAR = AL giorno/mese/anno. V.a. “A YEAR ON=un anno dopo eEAR-ON-YEAR=di anno IN anno”.- PERIOD (periodo, si legge “piriod”) = punto e a capo (si usa anche alla fine di una dichiarazione come suo rafforzativo nel senso “punto e basta non c’è altro da discutere”).- PICKUP = improvvisato (eg: game/picnic/party etc.). V.a. “PICK-UP=furgoncino con cassone scoperto, TO PICK AT=mangiare di malavoglia (against desire, si legge “disaiar”, eg. Stop picking at your food Johnny!) e GRUDGINGLY (di malavoglia/a malincuore, si legge ”gràg-inghili”). V.a. TO HAVE A GRUDGE ON=avere un astio con.- PIMP WHORE (puttana) = magnaccio.- PIPE (pipa, si legge “paip”) DREAM = chimera/sogno irrealizzabile.- PLAIN JANE = ragazza/donna priva di qualunque attrattiva. Simile a “MOODY COW (let. mucca lunatica, molto dipreggiativo)=donna lunatica/scontrosa”. L’opposto è “PRETTY GIRL/WOMAN”. “PRETTY (av.bio)=abbastanza; (ag.vo)=carino”. N.B. PLAIN significa anche “evidente/chiaro”, eg: It’s plain that …=è ovvio che … .- PLAN B = un 2° piano da attuare se il 1° fallisce: Eg. Let’s go with Plan B then.- PLENTY OF TIME = molto tempo; diverso da “PLENTY OF TIMES = un sacco di volte”. N.B. “PLENTY=molto/abbondante (bountifull)/più che sufficiente/i”. Eg: This money will be plenty for a pizza. There’s plenty of time, we won’t (or will not) be late.- PO’ed (slang è l’acronimo di “pissed off=incazzato”) = arrabbiato. Eg: I get pissed off (slang)=mi sono rotto i coglioni. I’m still PO’ed about…=sono ancora arrabbiato/ per … . Don’t piss me off=non mi fare incazzare. Espressioni molto volgari. - POINT PERSON = persona di riferimento.- POUCH (si legge “pauc”, pl.re “pouches”)= sacchettino/borsetta ove inserire cose diverse (es. cibi che insieme formano un “piatto”).- PROOF = prova (preceduto da un sostantivo significa “resistente a …” (eg. WATERPROOF=impermeabile (ag.vo); il sost.vo è RAINCOAT). V.a. “BURDEN (fardello si legge “berden”) OF PROOF=onere della prova”- PROVIDED (da to provide=fornire) come congiunzione = purchè, a condozione/a patto/a condizione che/sempre che.- PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION (al sing.re) = mezzi pubblici. V.a. “TRANSPORTINGLY= con trasporto/di slancio/d’impeto”.- PUBLICITY STUNT (bravata/esibizione, si legge “stant”) = trovata pubblicitaria (or“an action to gain (si legge “ghein” guadagnare/ottenere, sost.vo guadagno) atten-tion”). V.a. “TO STUNT=fare una bravata”.- PUT YOUR FOOT IN YOUR MOUTH = faresti meglio a tacere/tappati la bocca.- QUEER AS A THREE DOLLAR BILL (let. falso come la (inesistente) banconota da $ 3)= cosa/persona falsa. V.a. “BILL (slang)=progetto di legge=DRAF (bozza) LAW (può seguire introduced by some lawmakers=legislatori) e TO BILL=fatturare”.- QUITE A BIT/FEW/LOT OF … = un bel po’di … . N.B. “QUITE” (si legge “quait”) come ag.vo è un rafforzativo con il significato di “piuttosto”. Eg. It’s quite hot today=è piuttosto caldo oggi. V.a. “NO QUITE=non proprio (indica disaccordo)”. Eg. That’s not quite what I mean=non è proprio/del tutto quello che intendo (dire).- QUITE/ALMOST BY (SHEER = puro, si legge “sciar”) ACCIDENT=(proprio/quasi) PER (puro) caso. Eg. Quite not by chance=quasi per caso. L’opposto è “ON SURPOSE=di proposito”. V.a. “IT IS NO ACCIDENT THAT …=non è un caso che … e SHEER FANTASY =pura fantasia”.- QUITE THE CONTRARY OF = tutt’altro CHE. Eg. He is quite the contrary of (è proprio il contrario di) polite (educato/gentile/cortese, si legge “polait”).- QUOTE-UNQUOTE/IN QUOTE MARKS/INVERTED COMMAS/IN QUOTES = (messo) tra virgolette (nel senso “per così dire”). Eg. He believes to be a star and I’ll put that in quote marks. (il senso è “ci credo poco”).- RATHER THAN … = piuttosto che/anziché/invece di + verbo all’infinito SENZA “to”.- READY TO DROP (cadere) = molto stanco/esausto = EXHAUSTED .- REAL FLOP (da to flop/flopped/flopped=fallire=TO FAIL) = un vero insuccesso.- REAL MEN DON’T EAT QUICHE = i veri uomini (americani) non mangiano chish (torta salata francese). N.B. Il verbo to eat (ate/eaten) con “up” assume il significato met.co di “rodere” (nel senso “essere insofferente a qualcosa”). Eg. I worked in a bank for six months, but every day it ate me up to be sat behind a desk in a claustrophobic environment = mi rodeva essere seduto dietro una scrivania in un … .- RECIPE (si legge “resepi”) FOR DISASTER = (let. ricetta per disastro) = azione/idea che è causa di guai. V.a. “DISASTER RELIEF (sollievo)=in caso di catastrofe”.- RECORD = disco/prinato (eg. Guinness)/cronaca giornalistica. V.a. “TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT (dritto, si legge “streit”)=correggere una notizia errata pubblicata in un giornale (eg. He was keen to set the record straight=ci teneva a precisare il suo punto di vista), FOR THE RECORD=per la cronaca/precisione e ON/OFF THE RECORD =ufficiale/ufficioso”.- REGARDLESS OF … = indipendentemente DA … (eg. “age” SENZA “the”). N.B. Una lettera può terminare con “REGARDS (riguardi)=(cordiali) saluti”, da “TO REGARD= considerare” (nel senso di “riguardare”). V.a. “REMINDER (ricordo, si legge “rimainder”) LETTER=lettera di sollecito”.- RIGHT-HAND MAN = braccio destro nel lavoro. Eg. When the CEO (Chief Executice Officer) retired (andò in pensione, si legge “ritaird”) his right-hand man took over= prese il suo posto. V.a. “BOARD MEMBER=consigliere di amministrazione, BOARD OF DIRECTORS=consiglio di amministrazione, CHAIRMAN=presidente e IN ONE’S OWN RIGHT=per meriti propri”. Eg. He is a rich man in his own right=è ricco (AFFLUENT= benestante) di suo=TO BE IN POCKET (tasca)=essere ricco/in attivo. L’opposto è “TO BE OUT OF POCKET”.- RIGHT NOW or AWAY = proprio ora/subito = STRAIGHT AWAY = immediatamente = ON THE SPOT. Eg. I’ll phone him straight away. Simile a “NOW OR NEVER=ora o mai più = EVER/NEVER AGAIN”. V.a. THEN AGAIN (a inizio della frase) …=d’altra parte …- RIGHT ON THE MONEY = corretto/esatto/sensato. Eg. I think your idea is right on the money.- RIGHT UP = proprio (sopra). Eg. Right up your street=(è) proprio la vostra strada.- RIGHT UP/THROUGH TO=fino a=UP FOR UP TO. Eg. Right up to the present day= fino a oggi=TO THIS DAY. V.a. “ALL THE WAY TO=addirittura fino a …” . Eg: The train goes all the way to New York. He never stopped talking all the way to the office.- RIOT (sommossa/rivolta, si legge “raiot”) CONTROL VANS = furgoni (della polizia) antisommossa.- RISK WORTH TAKING = rischio calcolato che vale la “candela”/pena (worthwhile) prendere. V.a. “CANDEL-LIT=a lume di candela e THE EXTENT OF THE THREAT (minaccia) YOU’RE FACING=il livello di rischio che stai correndo”.- ROOT (si legge “rut”)= radice. Eg: Pull up plans by the roots. The roots go deep into the soil. V.a “ROOT BEER=birra Americana, TO TAKE ROOT=mettere radici e TO ROOT FOR …=fare il tifo per (indicare una persona, un giocatore o una squadra)”.- ROUND-THE-CLOCK = (per) tutto il giorno/24 ore su 24.- (A)ROUND THE CORNER = dietro l’angolo (come in italiano è anche met.co).V.a. “TO CORNER (accaparrarsi/monopolizzare, eg. the market)”.- RULES ARE MEANT/MADE TO BE BROKEN = le regole sono fatte per essere infrante.- RUMOR (diceria/pettegolezzo, si legge “rumor”) HAS IT … = si dice che … = IT IS ALLEGED (si legge “alegd”)/REPORTED THAT… . V.a. “REPORTEDLY/ALLEGEDLY …= (stando) a quel che si dice …/presumibilmente”.- RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! = si salvi chi può!- RUSH (fretta, si legge “rasc”) HOUR = ora di traffico. V.a. “IN A RUSH=di corsa”.- SAFE (sicuro se ag.vo; cassaforte se sost.vo, si legge “seif”) THAN SORRY = meglioprevenire che curare.- SAME-SEX LOVE = unioni tra persone dello stesso sesso. V.a. “THE FAIRER (più equo/giusto, si legge “ferar”) SEX=il gentil sesso”.- SAVE THE BREATH = risparmia il fiato (nel senso “è superfluo parlarne”). Espressionisimili sono “TO WASTE + ag.vo possessivo BREATH = sprecare il … fiato (nel senso di “parlare a chi non vuole sentire”), TO TALK OF THIS AND THAT=parlare del più e del meno e DON’T WASTE YOUR BREATH=non parlarmene tanto ne sono già a conoscenza”.- SAY (a inizio frase) … = diciamo/immaginiamo CHE … .- SCIENCE (scienza/sapere, si legge “saienz”) FICTION MOVIE = film di fantascienza. - SCRAMBLED EGGS = uova strapazzate (breakfast americano, da to scramble up/ climb (si legge “claim”)=arrampicarsi). TO WHISK=sbattere uova (sost.vo “frusta”).- SCRAP (rottame/pezzetto, si legge “scrap”) HEAP/RAFT (zattera)=mucchio di rifiuti.- SEIZE (afferrare/sequestrare, si legge “siiz”) THE DAY=cogli l’attimo fuggente (in latino: carpe diem). V.a. “FLEETINGLY=per un attimo/fugacemente”.- SHORTLY or (SOON) AFTER or AFTERWARDS (THE) … (a inizio frase) = (poco) dopo (il) … . V.a. “IN A SHORT WHILE=tra poco=BY AND BY, SHORTLY/SOON AFTER=poco dopo (che) e IN A LITTLE WHILE=in breve tempo/tra un momento”.- SHUT UP (slang, si legge “scat ap”) = (ma) stai/sate zitti, molto meglio dire “BE SILENT PLEASE or NO MORE!=basta!” V.a. “TO SHUT/SHUT/SHUT=chiudere”.- SIBLING RIVALRY (si legge “siblingh raivalri”) = rivalità tra fratelli/sorelle.- SICK (ammalato) TO BE BACK TEETH (denti, sing.re “TOOTH) = averne abbastanza = TO FEEL/FELT/FELT SICK OF … . V.a. “TO RECOVER=rimettersi/guarire (eg. Have you recoverd from your cold (raffreddore)?”. V.a. “BITTER COLD=freddo pungente”.N.B. “BITTER=amaro e anche risentito/arrabbiato”.- SIDE (lato, si legge “said”) BY SIDE WITH … = fianco a fianco con … .V.a. “A WHOLE NEW SIDE TO …=un nuovo modo di … e NEWLY=recentemente”.- SINCE THEN … = sin da allora (in genere a inizio frase) = FROM ON, (a inizio frase) … = fin dall’inizio, … . Simili a “EARLY DAYS …=all’inizio …”. L’opposto è “DAYS ON END =fino alla fine (es. dei suoi giorni)”.- SLOW (lento) DOWN (giù, si legge “daun”) = rallenta (riferito alla velocità di un mezzo, es. auto e simili). V.a. “SLOW FOOD/DRINKS=cibo/cocktail preparato con ingredienti locali e genuini”.- SMALL TALK = conversazione casuale, informale e preliminare. Dire: “Sorry I don’t have time for small talk right now” non è gentile perché il senso è “ora non ho tempo da perdere in chiacchiere”, salvo che chi lo dice ha un impegno importante (preferibilmente noto al destinatario) per il quale rischia di arrivare in ritardo; in questo caso alla suindicata espressione si aggiungerà “I’ve got a meeting IN (tra) five minutes”. V.a. “To make small talk with … before + ger.dio=fare quattro chiacchere introduttive/parlare del più e del meno con … prima di + verbo”.- SO = così, ma se è preceduto da “OR” significa “circa”. Eg. Bob is two years old ORSO=Bob ha circa due anni. N. B. Le parole “years e hours” perdono la “s” quando so-no aggettivi, eg: My two-year-old son. A three-hour drive/trip=un viaggio di tre ore. L’età può anche essere così espressa: He is twenty=egli ha venti anni.- SO AS (NOT) TO + verbo = così da (non) … (eg. To upset (sconvolgere) someone).- SO FAR SO GOOD = fin quì tutto bene. V.a. SO HERE’S THE THING (a inizio frase)= questi sono i fatti (segue la loro esposizione). N.B. Se si vogliono illustrare prima i fatti e dopo concludere con la citata espressione, essa sarà “THAT’S THE THING”. - SO MUCH SO THAT … = così tanto che … TO A DEGREE (grado, si legge “digri”) THAT = SO MUCH (senza “that”) = SO THAT … = così/in modo che … .- SO THAT MAKES (NO “so these make”)… = così fanno ... (segue un’elencazione e precede una quantità).- , SO TO SPEAK (spoke/spoken=parlare), … = , per così dire, …. (è un’incidentale).- SOCIAL SKILLS = abilità relazionali. Eg. He/she hasn’t social skills=non è un tipo socievole.- SOD (abr.ne di “sodomite (si legge “sadomait”) = omosessuale”) OFF (slang)= togliti/levati dalle palle.- SOFT DRINK = bibita analcolica = SODA = bibita americana gasata spesso aggiunta al whiskey. V.a. “SODA FOUNTAINS=distributore di bibite”.- SOME FOR EACH IS GOOD FOR ALL = un pò per uno non fa male a nessuno.- SOMEDAY = un giorno o l’altro (nel senso “a day but we don’t know when”).- SOMEHOW = in qualche modo = IN SOME WAY/BY SOME MEANS.V.a “IN ANY WAY=in un certo senso, BY ANY MEANS=con ogni mezzo, TO GET POWER BY ANY MEANS e BY THE WAY (OF)=a proposito (di)”.- , SOMEWHAT SURPRISINGLY (si legge “surpraisinli”), = un pò sorprendentemente.- SORE (si legge “sor”; ag.vo=dolorante, sost.vo=piaga) TROATH = mal di gola.- SOUND GOOD? = (hai) capito tutto? (domanda per accertarsi che una precedente dichiarazione è stata recepita. Senza il ? l’idioma diventa la conferma che indica “ho capito tutto”).- SPEAK OF THE DEVIL = si parla del diavolo e spunta la coda. This is used when the person we were just speaking about suddenly arrives or appears.V.a. “STRICTLY SPEAKING …=a rigor di termini …”.- SPOILT (viziato/guasto, si legge “spoil”, da to spoil/spoled or spoilt/spoled or spoilt=rovinare/rsi) FOR CHOICE (scelta, si legge “ciois”) = l’imbarazzo della scelta. V.a. “I’LL SPOIL HIS BEAUTY FOR (NO “to”) HIM=gli rompo il muso/cambio i connotati.”- STAG (cervo maschio, si legge “stag”) PARTY = festa di addio al celibato.- STAND RIGHT (THERE)! = stai fermo (lì)! TO STAND/STOOD/STOOD = stare in piedi.- STARTING … = A cominciare DA … (indicare per esempio (FOR INSTANCE) il giorno).- STATE-OF-THE-ART = all’avanguardia = AHEAD. Eg. This is a state-of-the-art machinery (macchinario, si legge mascìneri).- STEP AWAY FROM THE (a inizio frase) … = spostati (appena) un passo dal … .Può seguire “to make way for=per fare spazio A/per …”. Eg. The building was demolished to make way for another one. N.B. A building or a skyscraper is UNDER (NO “in”) construction. V.a. “TO STEP BACK=fare un passo/tirarsi indietro/astenersi”.- STIFF = rigido/a. Eg: Have a stiff leg/back. Fell stiff after a long walk.- STILL/SPARKILING/RUNNING/DRINKING WATER=acqua naturale/gassata/corrente/ potabile. SPARKILING WINE=vino frizzante/prosecco e CORKSCREAW =cavatappo/pi. V.a. “RUNNING=di seguito/consecutivamernte. (Eg: He won three times running. Bill was late for the third time running this week), HOW LONG (da quanto tempo) ARE YOU STAYING? (ci sei) – NOT FOR LONG=non per molto e LONG-RUNNING=che dura da molto tempo. (Eg. A long-running TV programme). N.B. “STILL” ha anche i seguenti significati: ancora (av.bio; (eg. He’s still here)/immobile/fermo (ag.vo). (eg. To remain still. Will you keep still?=vuoi stare fermo?). V.a. “STOP PICKING ON ME!= smettila di prendertela con me”!- STOP SCOWLING! = smettila di essere imbronciato/a! (scowl=sguardo minaccioso).- STRICTLY (rigorosamente, si legge “strichtli”) SPEAKING = a rigor di termini.- STRING (cordicella/spago) OF … = una successione di … Eg. A string of events= un’alternanza/successione (SUCCESSION) di eventi/accadimenti.- STUFF = roba/stoffa (anche come qualità positiva) (si legge “staf”). Eg: What is the stuff on the floor? I can’t get (mettere) all my stuff in this little bag. V.a. “A LOT OF CATCHING UP TO DO=molte cose da fare e THE LOT OF US=tutti quanti noi”.- STUFFED SHIRT (let. camicia imbottita) = insulto rivolto a un arrogante (self-important). V.a. “TOO BIG FOR ONE’S BOOTS (stivali)=presuntuoso=CONCEITED (si legge “consitid”)/arrogante=ARROGANT”.- SUCH IS THE … (eg. popularity) OF … THAT … = tale è la … di … che … .- SUIT YOURSELF! = fai come credi! Eg. If you don’t like to go out, suit yourself, I will go without you! Un’espressione simile è “HELP YOURSELF=serviti da solo” nel senso “scegli tra diversi cibi e bevande”.- SUPPLY AND DEMAND = domanda e offerta (nel mercato).-, SURE ENOUGH (quanto basta/abbastanza/sufficientemente, si legge “scuar inaf”) = infatti (indeed)/come previsto.V.a. “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH=il troppo è troppo”, il senso è “ne ho abbastanza, mi sono stufato”. N.B. Nelle tre parole “ROUGH ruvido, TOUGH=duro/resistente/ difficile e ENOUGH” il suffisso ough si legge “af”.- SWEET (dolce, si legge “suit”) AND SOUR (acerbo/acido/stizzoso, si legge “sauar”)= condimento agrodolce.- SWINGS (altalene)-AND-ROUNDABOUTS (rotatoie) = i pro e i contro.- TAKE-IT OR LEAVE-IT = prendere o lasciare (in genere usato per acquisti on line a prezzo fisso). V.a. “LEAVE IT TO ME=ci penso io, e TAKE (sost.vo)=punto di vista”. Eg. This is my take on … .- (TAKEN) AS A WHOLE = nel (suo) complesso.- TAKING IT EASY (facile/semplice/agevole, si legge “isi”) = prendersela comoda.V.a. “EASY COME, ESAY GO=tanti (soldi) presi, tanti spesi e EASY!=(stai) attento!”.- TAKING PLACE/IN PROGRESS = in corso (preceduto dall’oggetto).V.a. “TO TAKE PLACE AT=accadere in …”.- TALKING/SPEAKING OF … (a inizio frase) = a proposito di … .- TEETHING PROBLEMS (let. prolemi di denti) THAT SEEM OVER THE TOP FOR … = difficoltà iniziali che sembrano esagerate per... V.a. “SEEMING apparente (mente) e OSTENSIBLY=apparentemente”. Eg. His kindness is only seeming=la sua gentilezza è solo apparente.- THANK YOU VERY MUCH (INDEED = davvero) = molti sentiti ringraziamenti.Le risposte sono: It’s been a peasure/Don’t mention it/Not at all/You’re welcome.- THAT ASIDE (si legge “asaid”), … = a parte questo/ciò, … .- THAT DIDN’T TAKE LONG = non c’è voluto/non ci volle molto (tempo).- THAT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE = ciò non ha senso. L’opposto è “IT MAKES SENSE (conviene) TO + verbo”. Eg. It makes sense to do as he is saying=conviene/è meglio/ha senso fare come dice lui.- THAT HIT/HITS THE SPOT (macchia, da to spot/spotted/spotted=macchiare) = era/è (proprio) quello che ci voleva/vuole. TO HIT/HIT/HIT=colpire. V.a. TO PUT SOMEONE ON THE SPOT=mettere qualcuno ALLE strette, A PRETTY SPOT=un bel posticino e TROUBLE SPOTS=zone calde (per guerre/tumulti e simili)”.- THAT IS HYSTERICAL (isterico ed anche divertente, si legge “istericol”)! = che fa ridere/è molto divertente! V.a. “TO HOWL (ululare/ulutalo, si legge “haul”) WITH LAUGHTER=sbellicarsi dalle risate e A LOT OF FUN=un sacco di divertimento).- THAT IS MORE LIKE IT=così è meglio (in genere a conclusione di un suggerimento).Un altro uso comune è contenuto nella risposta che mostra un’opinione diversa da quella della persona con cui si parla. Eg: He is quite intelligent. – Intelligent? Stupid is more like it (sarebbe meglio dire). V.a. “ON THE CONTRARY/AS OPPOSED TO …= di contro/contrario/contrariamente a, QUITE THE CONTRARY=proprio il contrario.” (eg: l also “like” means that speakers have the same likes=gusti nel senso “sono dello stesso parere”. It may also mean that we are stating (affermando) that we have more than just one like. I like pizza, but I also like pasta), THE LIKES OF=persone COME (eg. This hotel is not for the likes of us) e OR THE LIKE=o qualcosa di simile”.- THAT IS NEVER GOING TO END = non si finisce mai. Espressione riferita a un lavoro/studio impegnativo.- THAT IS THE FURTHEST THING FROM MY MIND = (questa …) è l’ultima cosa che mi passa PER la mente.- THAT’S ALL WE NEEDED! (sarc.co) = ci mancava solo/pure questo!- THAT’S NOT REALLY MY/YOUR/THEIR CALL = questo non è di mia/tua/vostra/loro competenza.- THAT’S THE WAY THE COOKIE CRUMBLES (let. è così che il biscotto si sbriciola) = (rassegnamoci) questa è la vita/le cose vanno come devono andare.- THAT IS TO SAY (SENZA “that”) … = questo (è) per dire CHE … . V.a. “NOT IN THE SLIGHTEST (minimo, si legge “slaitest”)=neanche a dirlo (nel senso ”ma figurati”)”.- THAT IS TRUE = è proprio cosi (indica piena condivisione con quanto detto da altri).- THAT LONG (a fine frase) = così a lungo = AT LENGTH (lunghezza, si legge “lenth”) = a lungo (e anche “esaurientemente”). Eg. You are filthy (sudicio/osceno), keep at arm’s length=(tieniti (let. a un braccio di distanza) a dovuta distanza.V.a. “TO GO TO GREAT (grandi, si legge “greit”) LENGHTS TO …=fare di tutto PER …”.- (BUT) THAT WASN’T ALWAYS THE CASE (caso, si legge “cheis”) = (ma) non è stato sempre così. V.a. “ALL ALONG=da sempre/fin dal principio”.- THE BIGGER THEY COME, THE HARDER THEY FALL = più grande è il successo (di persona/qualunque cosa), più forte/dolorosa è la caduta.- THE … HAS MADE NEWS/HIT THE HEADLINES (titoli) THE WORLD OVER = il … ha fatto notizia in tutto il mondo = WORLDWIDE (si legge “uorld-uaid”). N.B. “WIDE (si legge uaid”)=largo/ampio”; da non confondere con “WILD (si legge “uaild”)= selvaggio”. V.a. “WHERE IN THE WORLD IS …?=dove cavolo è …?”.- THE DO’S AND DON’TS = espressione riferita alle cose da fare o non fare.- THE DAY OF RECKONING/SHOWDOWN (resa dei conti/confronto diretto) WILL COME = tutti i nodi vengono al pettine. V.a. “TO RECKOM=considerare/reputare”.- THE EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM (verme) = chi dorme non piglia pesci.- THE FIRST … THAT SPRINGS TO MIND … = la prima … che scatta alla mente … .V.a. “SPRING=(sost.vo) primavera, (verbo) scattare)”.- THE + una lettera WORD, si usa per indicare una parola, in genere volgare, che non si vuole dire. Es. The F (fuck) word.- THE BALL IS IN YOUR/MY COURT (tribunale) NOW=ora tocca a voi (o a te)/a me (es.prendere la decisione finale/di grande importanza=MOMENTOUS DECISION).- THE BOTTOM LINE IS … = il punto/il fatto più importante/fondamentale è … (in genere a inizio della frase). V.a. “IN THE BOTTOM OF …=in fondo di/del …”.- THE CHIEF SUSPECT = il maggior sospettato (chief=capo diventa ag.vo sostituibile con “The number one”).- THE DESTINY WAS UNJUSTLY TAKEN FROM HIM/HER = il destino gli/le fu tiranno.- THE FACT/HEART OF THE MATTER IS THAT … = il noccio/cuore della questione è che … . N.B. “A MATTER OF=solo”. Eg. I’ll be a way only a matter of days=starò via solo per pochi giorni. V.a. “TO PURSUE (perseguire, si legge “persiù”) THE MATTER= approfondire la questione, TO RAISE/MOOT AN ISSUE (si legge “isciu”)=sollevare/ discutere/dibattere una questione e MOOT POINT=questione opinabile”.- THE FLIP (buffetto/colpetto, da to flip=lanciare/capovolgere, si legge “flip”) SIDE = il rovescio della medaglia. V.a. “EVERY COIN HAS ITS FLIP SIDE=ogni medaglia ha il suo rovescio”.- THE GET-UP IS … = l’insieme/il tutto è … .- THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER ON (NO “in”) THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE (recinto, si legge “fens”) = l’erba del vicino e sempre più verde.- THE GREATEST THING/PERSON SINCE (dal tempo del) SLICED BREAD=cosa/persona utile/eccitante. This expression refers to the convenience of buying bread pre-sliced (da to slice=affettare, (sost.vo) fetta, si legge “slais”) rather than having to slice the loaf yourself at home. This was considered an exciting new product when it was first available in the USA.- THE KEY TO IT ALL = la chiave DI tutto/la soluzione del problema.- THE LANDING GEAR (ingranaggio, si legge “ghiar”)/AIRPORT TRUCKS=carrello di aereo/di aeroporto. V.a. “TO LAND=atterrare e TO TAKE OFF=decollare”.- THE LEAST YOU CAN DO IS … (segue un infinito SENZA “to”) = il minimo/meno che puoi fare è + verbo. V.a. “FEWER STILL=ancora meno”. N.B. “FEWER” si usa con i nomi plurali. Eg. I’m eating fewer (or “less”) sweets (dolci) at the moment.- THE LEAST SUCCESSFUL … = il meno riuscito… .- THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS = (let. le luci del giorno viventi; l’espressione deve essere usata come complemento e metafora). Eg. I kicked the living daylights out of him=gliho dato un sacco di calci/botte. V.a. “TO KICK (si legge “chich”)=dare/tirare calci”.- THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT IS THAT = il fatto è che. Eg. The long and the short is that I don’t like her.- THE MISUSE (si legge “mis-iuus”; verbo “fare cattivo uso DI”) or ABUSE (si legge “abius”; verbo “abusare”) OF … = il cattivo uso o l’abuso di … .- THE NIGHTMARE (incubo, si legge “naitmear”) SIDE OF + sost.vo/TO + verbo = il lato oscuro di … .- THE PLEASURE (si legge “plegiar”) OF + ger.dio = il piacere di passeggiare/andare a zonzo/spasso/fare due passi = TO HANG (hung/hung=appendere/impiccare) ABOUT = bighellonare = TO STROLL/LOITER (si legge “loitar”). Eg. Le’s go for a stroll round the block (isolato). V.a. “TO ZIP=muoversi rapidamente, (sost.vo) chiusura lampo”.- THE PLOT (trama) THICKENS = le cose si complicano (anche ironico). TO THICKEN (si legge “thichen”)=addensare. V.a. “THE PLOT SUMMARY=il riassunto dell‘intreccio (riferito a una rappresentazione)”.- THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING (budino) IS IN THE EATING (da to eat/ate/eaten= mangiare) = i fatti valgono più delle parole (il senso è “se son rose fioriranno”).- THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPED OVER THE LAZY DOG = la veloce bruna volpe saltò sul pigro cane (la frase è famosa perchè contiene, disordinatamente, tutte le lettere dell’alfabeto). V.a. “TO DOG=pedinare e DOGGED=caparbio/tenace”.- THE SAME … AS … = lo stesso … Di … . Eg: You have the same car as mine. You’ve the same name as my son.- THE THINGS THAT MATTER = le cose che contano/importano. Eg. It doesn’t matter to me=non m’importa. V.a. “THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO ME IS …=la cosa più importante PER me è… e MOSTLY=soprattutto/per lo più”.- THE 24/7 (si legge “twenty-four seven”) SOCIETY (società, si legge “sosaiti”) = 24 ore e 7 giorni alla settimana (in pratica sempre). E’ spesso usato dai supermercati “24/7” per indicare che non chiudono mai.- THE SOONER THE BETTER = prima è meglio é. - THE WAY I SEE IT = a mio modo di vedere/per come la penso/vedo io/secondo me = IN MY OPINION. Se invece della propria si riporta l’altrui opinione, si usa: ACCORDING TO (eg. him/figures=secondo lui/i dati)=in base a … .- THE WEE (minuscolo, si legge “ui”) SMALL HOURS OF THE MORNING/NIGHT = the very early hours after midnight (il senso è “fare le ore piccole”). Eg. I worked until the wee small hours of the morning/night.- THE WORD-OF-MOUNTH EFFECT = effetto passa parola. V.a. “MARK MY WORDS= attento a (WATCH OUT FOR) quello che ti dico e BE (stai) CAREFUL =attento!”.- THERE ARE SEVERAL ISSUES AT STAKE (puntata/posta, si legge “steich”) = ci sonovarie questioni IN ballo.- THERE IS NO GETTING AROUND IT = non c’è (più) niente da fare.- THERE IS NO NEED TO + verbo… = non c’è bisogno di … N.B. NEDD + ing è una forma passiva. Eg. My hear needs cutting=ho bisogno di tagliare i miei capelli.- THERE IS NO POINT IN (NO “for”) SOMEONE + ger.dio = non c’è ragione che …. .- THERE IS NO SUCH A THING AS A FREE LUNCH = nulla è gratis (free of charge) a questo mondo. V.a. “INTEREST FREE=senza interessi e CLASH (conflitto/scontro) OF INTERESTS”.- THERE IS NOTHING LIKE + ger.dio = niente/nulla è come …. (riferito a una cosa (es. viaggiare) che piace). -THESE … RANGE (messi in fila) FROM … TO … = questi (es. piatti indicati in un menu) vanno da … a … .- THIN (sottile) ON TOP = calvo = bald. Eg. That young man is thin on top already.- THINK (tougt/tought=pensare) TANK (carro armato, si legge “tench”) = gruppo di esperti in poltica ed economia.- THIS (eg. Story/piece of furniture) DATES BACK TO (or FROM THE) 1840’S = questo/a … risale a circa il 1840. - THIS MIGHT SOUND SILLY (cretino/sciocco (si legge “sili”) = DUMB (si legge “dam”) = FOOL), BUT = questo potrebbe sembrare insignificante, ma … . V.a. “(BUT) DON’T BE SILLY=(ma) non essere sciocco (anche in senso affettuoso)”.- (THIS IS) NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS = non sono fatti tuoi (risposta a una domanda sgradita). Può seguire: Keep (kept/kept=tenere/stick your nose out of the places where it doesn’t belong=(let. tieni il tuo naso fuori dai posti che non gli appartengono, il senso è “non intrometterti, fatti i fatti tuoi”). V.a. “TO POKE (spingere, si legge “pouch”) + ag.vo possessivo NOSE INTO OTHER PEOPLE’S AFFAIRS =ficcare/mettere il ….. naso negli affari altrui” (eg. Mind your business=fatti i fatti tuoi), TO BE NONE TO …=essere tutt’altro CHE… (es. convinto=convinced, si legge “convinsd”/persuated, si legge “persuetd”) e (LOVE) AFFAIR=rapporto amoroso”.- THIS IS NOT IN MY JOB DESCRIPTION = questo non rientra nei miei compiti o responsabilità. Eg. I want TO POINT OUT (precisare/fare notare) that what you are being asked (mi stai chiedendo) to do is not in my job description.- THIS WAS SO THAT … = fu così che … .- THOSE DAYS ARE OVER = quei giorni sono finiti (il senso è “la festa è finita=the game (gioco, si legge “gheim”) is over”).- THOSE WHO MAKE THEMSELVES SHEEP (pecora/e SEMPRE al plur.le diverso da “ship”=nave e “sheet”=lenzuolo) WILL BE EATEN BY THE WOLF = chi pecora si fa illupo se lo mangia. V.a. The black sheep of the family=la pecora nera della famiglia.- TROGH (si legge “trof”) = punto più basso. L’opposto è PEAK (picco, si legge “pich”) usabile anche come “composto”, eg: Peak years=anni migliori. Peak productivity= massima produttività. Peak efficiency=massimo rendimento. V.a. “TO REACH THEPEAK OF + ag.vo possessivo CAREER=raggiunere l’apice della … carriera e TO RISE/ ROSE/RISEN (elevarsi) THROUGH THE RANKS (fila)=fare carriera/strada”.- THROUGHOUT + ag.vo possessivo LIFE = per tutta la … vita.- THROWAWAY = usa e getta (es. biro, accendini (lighters) piatti di carta e simili). V.a. “TO THROW INTO THE FRAY (si legge “frei”)=gettarsi nella mischia/rissa”.- TICKING = ticchettio. Es. His brain started ticking straight (diretto) away=il suo cervello cominciò subito a lavorare. Straight è anche usato per indicare: una linea dritta (straight line)/un eterosessuale (straight man (slang)=heterosexual), l’opposto è “gay” (si legge “ghei”) diverso da “guy” (ragazzo/uomo, si legge “gai”).- TILL/UNTIL THE COWS COME HOME (let. finché le mucche tornano a casa) = per sempre=FOREVER (di uso più comune). V.a. “HOLY (santa) COW!=porca miseria”!N.B. “Till e until” sono SEMPRE seguiti dal tempo presente e NON dal futuro come in italiano. Eg. We’ll wait here until he comes (NO “will come”).- TIMBER (si legge “timbar”)=legno per costruzioni. V.a. “ WOOD=legno al naturale”.- TIME-CRUNCHED=persona che non ha tempo da perdere. (TO CRUNCH, si legge “cranc”=sbriciolare). V.a. “TO CRUNCH NUMBERS=fare calcoli (in genere finanziari)”. N.B. Il verbo può anche essere usato per il seguente idioma “WHEN IT COMES TO CRUNCH=quando si viene al dunque”.- TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE = non c’è più tempo da perdere = TIME IS VERY IMPORTANT AT THIS POINT. Eg. Time is of the essence in addressing (nel/per affrontare) global warming. V.a. “IN ESSENCE=in sostanza”.- TIME WILL TELL = chi vivrà vedrà.- TO + ger.dio = pur … . Eg. We have adopted one child to having (pur avendone) two of us own (già (sot.so) due dei nostri).- TO ACHIEVE (compiere/realizzare, si legge “aciiv”) ONE’S GOAL (meta) = TO HAVE GOT ON TOP = raggiungere il proprio scopo/obiettivo = TO GET TO THE GOAL.V.a. “TO BE WITHIN + ag.vo possessivo REACH=essere alla … portata (nel senso “raggiungibile”) e TO THAT END=a questo scopo”.- TO ACCOUNT FOR = rappresentare. Eg. These products (prodotti in generale, si legge “pràdacs”, diverso da “PRODUCE (si legge “prodius”)=prodotti agricoli) acount for ninety per cent of the company output (produzione). V.a. “FAMILY-OWNED COMPANY=azienda a conduzione familiare, TO WORK ON (NO “for”) ONE’S ACCOUNT=lavorare PER proprio conto e BY-PRODUCT=sottoprodotto”.- TO ACT IN VERY SILLY MANNER (or WAY) = agire/comportarsi da sciocco/in modo bambinesco. “TO ACT” significa anche “recitare/fare l’attore” (eg. He acted AT school and ON TV). V.a. “ALL MANNER OF …=ogni genere di … e AN ENGAGING (piacevole, si legge “enghegingh”) MANNER=un modo di fare simpatico”.N.B. “Very” significa anche “esatto/stesso”. Eg: He is the very man for you=è l’uomo perfetto per te. He is the very man I met yesterday=è lo stesso uomo (che) incontrai ieri. He is the very man that attacked me=è lo stesso uomo che mi attaccò.Notare l’uso di “that” prima del verbo nell’ultima frase e la sua assenza prima del soggetto (“I”) nella penultima.- TO ACT QUICKLY = agire subito/darsi una mossa = TO GET A MOVE (si legge “muv”) ON. L’opposto è “TO PLAY FOR TIME=temporeggiare=TO PUT IN THE TIME”. Eg. They haven’t signed the agreement yet, they are playing for time. V.a. “TO ACT ON ..= agire in base a…”.“- TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY … = (e per) aggiungere all’insulto (anche) il danno (in genere si usa a inizio frase. In italiano: Aggiungere al danno anche la beffa.- TO AIR (si legge “ear”) ONE’S DIRTY LAUNDRY IN PUBLIC = discutere dei fatti propri/lavare i panni sporchi in pubblico. Eg. The report kept (da to keep/kept/ kept =(man)tenere) asking (insisteva a chiedere A …) the actress questions about her divorce, but she said: “I’d rather (piuttosto) not air my dirty laundry in public”.- TO ALL INTENTS (scopi) AND PURPOSES (fini) = a tutti gli effetti. N.B. “Intent and purpose” sono sinonini. V.a. “ON PURPOSE=di proposito/apposta”.- TO ALLOWED (NO “allow”) A VOICE = essere autorizzato a parlare/avere il diritto di espimersi.- TO ARISE/AROSE/ARISEN = sorgere. Eg. Good opportunities don’t arise every day.- TO ASK SOMEONE FOR IDEAS = chiedere A … il suo parere (o le sue “idee su una data questione”).- TO ASK SOMEONE OUT ON A DATE FOR … = chiedere A … un incontro galante per … (eg. today). V.a. “ROMANCE=storia d’amore”.- TO BACK OUT = rimangiarsi la parola data (es: disdire un appuntamento/rifiutarsi di fare quanto già programmato). L’opposto è “TO BE TRUE (vero, si legge “tru”) TO ONE’S WORD=essere di parola”. N.B. Se si indica la persona con cui si era concordato di fare qualcosa, si usa “on”. Eg. I’m sorry to back out ON you, but…. = TO GET OUT OF IT=liberarsi DA un impegno (eg. Don’t try to get out of it!=non cercare di scansartela!=Don’t try to back out now! Notare le espressioni: TO BREAK ONE’S DATE=disdire un appuntamento in genere galante. Eg. Sorry to break our date, but I can’t make it to (non ce la faccio a, il verbo è sot.so) the cinema tonight) e TO BACK OUT IN THE NICK (tacca) OF TIME=all’ultimo momento. Eg: I’m sorry to cancel (disdire generico, si legge “cànsel”) in the nick of time, but SOMENTHING CAME UP=ma è accaduto qualcosa (che, in genere, si vuole celare o di inaspettato). I’m not going to be able (non ho alcuna intenzione, nel senso di “non posso o non voglio”; l’opposto è “to be+going to+infinito”) to drop you off (DI lasciarti) AT (NO “to”) the airport; meglio: “to take (nel senso di “portarti”) you TO the airport”. L’opposto è: TO PICK YOU UP (prenderti, NO “pick up you”) AT … (eg. your house).- TO BANG (colpire rumorosamente) UP = to strike (struck/struck or stricken= scioperare/colpire) and damage someone or something. Eg. Be careful with my celphone don’t bang the screen (schermo, si legge “scrin”) up.- TO BANK (versare sul c/c) ON … = contare su … (indicare un soggetto o un fatto).- TO BE + part. pass. rafforza il senso di quest’ultimo. Eg. I don’t need to be bought (da to buy/bought/bought=comprare) a new car.- TO BE A … NERD (si legge “nerd”) = essere un fanatico del … (es. computer). NERD, come aggettivo, è uno slang (come nella precedente espressione) e significa persona tenuta in scarsa considerazione/una nullità. V.a. “TO TAKE … INTO ACCOUNT= predere … in considerazione/tenere conto di, THAT’S ACCOUNT FOR IT=così si spiega e IN OF …=visto CHE/in considerazione/secondo il giudizio di… (IN THE VIEW OF...)”.- TO BE A BIG FISH IN A LITTLE POND = (let. essere un gran pesce in un piccolo stagno, il senso è “meglio essere testa di sarda che coda di tonno”).- TO BE A BLESSING IN DISGUISE (travestimento, si legge “disgais”) = espressione riferita a un brutto evento che alla fine “è risultato positivo=it turned out to be good”. Eg. Getting fired (si legge “faierd”) from (l’essere stato licenziato da) Sax was a blessing in disguise for Chad, he went on to start his own business and became a millionaire. V.a. “RESULTING (si legge “risaltingh”) IN … =con il risultato DI …”.- TO BE A BREATH OF FRESH AIR (met.co, respiro di aria fresca) = essere una cosa/ persona degna di nuova fiducia.- TO BE A HOT POTATO (met.co) = essere una patata bollente (l’idioma ha il medesimo significato italiano).- TO BE A MATCH (incontro, si legge “mec”) MADE IN HEAVEN (paradiso, si legge “heven”) = essere un perfetto accoppiamento tra 2 persone/organizzazioni/cose. V.a. “TO MATCH=competere/armonizzare/intonarsi CON”. Eg: This tie (cravatta, si legge “tai”) matches (SENZA “with”) your suit (vestito da uomo, si legge “siut”, “DRESS=vestito da donna”). I want to match (misurare) my skill (abilità) at chess (a scacchi, si legge “at ces”) agains the computer.- TO BE A TOSS UP (sost.vo, sorteggio da to toss/tossed/tossed=lanciare in aria) TO … OR … = essere nel dubbio se … o … .- TO BE ABOUT/READY TO + inf.to = TO BE ON THE VERGE (limite, si legge “verg”) OF+ ger.dio = essere sul punto di + verbo. Eg: I’m about to have a dinner. I was about tocall him when he called me. I’m on the verge of getting angry = mi sto arrabbiando.- TO BE ABOUT TO + inf.to = essere in procinto di …”.- TO BE ABOVE (al di sopra) THE LAW = sfuggire alla legge, nel senso di “essere latitante=hiding (da to hide/hid/hiden=nascondere) from justice”. Eg. I overlooked (da to overlook=guardare dall’alto) the fact=il fatto mi è sfuggito.- TO BE AFRAID = essere dispiaciuto per dovere comunicare qualcosa di spiacevole/ avere paura di… Eg: I’m afraid …=mi dispiace (es. doverti dire) che (segue una spiacevole notizia). I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to make it (a farcela) to your house for dinner on Friday night. I’m afraid of dogs=ho paura dei cani. Can you attend (partecipare alla … SENZA “to”) the conference? – I’m afraid not=temo/ho paura di no. V.a. “TO BE SCARED (da to scare=spaventare, spavento, si legge “scher” =avere paura di”). Eg. Sorry, did I scared you?=scusa ti ho spaventato?- TO BE AHEAD (avanti, si legge “ehed”) OF THE GAME = essere in posizione vincente/autorevole.- TO BE ALL SET OUT = essere tutto predisposto/organizzato.- TO BE AMAZED (si legge “ameisd”) AT HOW … = essere stupito PER come … .- TO BE AN OUT-AND-OUT … = essere un estremista … (eg. Republican).- TO BE ANYTHING BUT (in genere a fine frase) = essere tutt’altro (di quanto detto/ ritenuto).- TO BE APPLES-AND-ORANGES (met.co) = essere comletamente (fully/utterly (del tutto)/completely/ totally) diversi.- TO BE AROUND THE BLOCK A FEW TIMES (let. essere attorno al ceppo poche volte, nel senso “essere stato fregato”=SCREWED (slang volgare)=fottuto (si legge “scrud”) /preso in giro poche volte”)=avere molta esperienza pratica e non farsi (più) fregare. Eg. I have been around the block a few times=sono già stato fregato, ma (sot.so) ora ho acquisito molta esperienza e non mi fregano più.- TO BE AS HUNGRY (affamato, si legge “hangri”, diverso da “angry=arrabbiato”, si legge “egri”) AS A BEAR (orso) = avere una fame da lupi.- TO BE AT A STANDSTILL = essere/giungere a un punto morto (eg. Negotiations are AT (NO “in”) a standstill.- TO BE AT EACH OTHER’S THROATS (gole) = azzuffarsi. THEY EACH=ciascuno di loro.- TO BE AT LOGGER (taglialegna, si legge “lagar”) HEADS OVER … /WITH … = essere ai ferri corti PER qualcosa/in urto con qualcuno. Espressioni simili sono: TO BE IN DOGHOUSE (canile) WITH or TO BE ANGRY (arrabbiato)/MAD (pazzo) WITH=essere arrabbiato con. TO GET ALL (è un rafforzativo) BENT (da to bend/bent/bent=fare di tutto/piegare=TO GO OUT OF ONE’S WAY. V.a. TO TICKET (etichettare) OFF (to ticket off=spuntare un elenco) AT … (NO “with”) Eg. I hope you’re not ticked off at me for forgetting to invite you to my party). V.a. “TO BE A HASSLE (alterco si legge “hasl)= essere una seccatura (eg. WATH A NUISANCE (fastidio, si legge “niusens”)=che seccatura), DO YOU GET HASSLED?=di solito ti arrabbi/infastidisci? e TO KEEP GOING IN SPITE OF …=andare avanti malgrado …”.- TO BE AT LOSS (perdita) = essere perplesso per qualcosa (es. la risposta da dare).V.a. “TO OPERATE (si legge “opereit”) AT A LOSS/PROFIT=operare/amministrare IN perdita/profitto”. Eg. The gains (profitti) offset (bilanciano) the losses (spese).- TO BE AT ODDS (disparità/disuguaglianze) = essere in disaccordo. V.a. “TO FIND (found/found=trovare) ODD THAT…=trovare strano che …, TO FIND IT ODD= trovarlo strano, AN ODD KIND OF PERSON=un tipo strampallato, ODDLY/WEIRDLY ENOUGH= abbastanza stranamente e AT ODDS WITH …=in lite con …”.- TO BE AT THE END OF ONE’S TETHER (fune, si legge “tidar”) = essere stremati/non poterne più. Eg: I’M CHEESED (da to cheese (slang, si legge “cis”)=smetterla/ piantarla, sot.vo “formaggio”) OFF=sono stufo, può seguire NOW THAT’S THE LAST STRAW (paglia/cannuccia, si legge “stroa”). V.a. “TO BE SICK AND TIRED OF + sost.vo /ger.dio=essere stufo di, KNOCK IT OFF!=smettila! e THAT’S THE LIMIT!=è il colmo”!- TO BE BASED IN … = avere sede in … Eg. My company is based in Los Angeles.- TO BE BEGINNING TO … = essere sul punto DI … /cominciare a … (segue il verbo).- TO BE BIRDS OF A FEATHER (si legge “fether”; let. uccelli di una piuma/penna) = essere dello stesso stampo/della stessa pasta (anche sarc.co).- TO BE BONE-IDLE (let. osso inattivo, si legge “boun aidl”) = to be extremely lazy (pigro, si legge “leisi”, il senso è “non avere nulla da fare”).- TO BE BOOKED SOLID (solido, si legge “solid”) = essere impegnato/occupato = TO BE BUSY (si legge “bisi”). V.a. “TO GET BUSY=darsi da fare”.- TO BE BORED TO DEATH = annoiarsi a morte. V.a. “BRINK (ciglio/precipizio) OF TEDIUM (si legge “tidiam”)=fino alla noia e ON THE BRINK OF WAR=sull’orlo della guerra=THE WAR IS LOOMING (imminente, da to loom=apparire all’orizzonte)”.- TO BE BORN WITH A SILVER SPOON (cucchiaio) IN ONE’S MOUTH = nascere con la camicia (met.co). V.a. “THE BIRTH/DEATH RATE =indice di natalità/mortalità”.- TO BE BREAD AND BUTTER (let. essere pane e burro, met.co) = essere/costituire con altri una grande risorsa/una fonte di guadagno.- TO BE CALLED OUT = essere subito richiesto al lavoro (eg: doctors, police, etc.)- TO BE CAUGHT (afferrato, si legge “coot” da to catch/caught/caught) BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE = essere tra l’incudine e il martello (met.co) = TO BE BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA. V.a. “TO BE SPOILT (da to spoil/ spoled/spoilt-spoiled=rovinare/rsi) FOR CHOICE=avere l’imbarazzo della scelta”.- TO BE CONTENT WITH (NO “of”) + ag.vo possessivo LOT (tutto) = accontentarsi del … destino.- TO BE COOL (fresco, si legge “cul”) = avere stile.- TO BE CUTTING EDGE (bordo si legge “eg”) = essere all’avanguardia.- TO BE DAMNED (dannato, si legge “damd”) IF … = to be determined (determinato, si legge “ditèrmend”) not to do something. Eg. I’ll be damned if I let you take control of my company.- TO BE DELAYED = essere in ritardo (es. aereo). L’opposto è TO BE EARLY.V.a. “BEFORE TIME=in anticipo=AHEAD OF TIME/SCHEDULE (programma, si legge “schegiul”), BEHIND SCHEDULE=in ritardo, ACCORDING TO SCHEDULE=come da programma/previsto=ON SCHEDULE, l’oppostto è OFF-SCHEDULE=fuori programma, LONG BEFORE=molto tempo prima=UP FRONT=in anticipo (eg. I demanded to be paid up front for my job), AT A GIVEN TIME=a una certa ora, TO BE AHEAD OF= essere in anticipo SU e TO SCHEDULE=fare una lista”.- TO BE DUMBFOUNDED (let. essere interdetto, si legge “dam-faundd”) = restare a bocca aperta. V.a. “MY JAW (mascella, si legge “gioo”) DROPPED (da to drop/ dropped/dropped=cadere)=sono rimasto a bocca aperta/stupefatto”.- TO BE/DO DIRTY (sporco, si legge “derti”) ON SOMEONE = essere scorretto CON … .V.a. “TO TREAT … LIKE DIRT (spocizia, si legge “dert”)=trattare … a pesci in faccia”.- TO BE DOING = di fare. Eg. What would you like to be doing one year from now (tra un anno)?- TO BE DOWN IN THE DUMPS (discariche e anche “depressione”, si legge “damps”) = essere di malumore.- TO BE DOWN THE EARTH (si legge “erth”) = essere con i piedi per terra (met.co).- TO BE DRESSED IN … (let. essere vestito CON …) = indossare (to have on).V.a. “TO DECK (coprire/adornare) OUT, TO GET DRESSED=mettersi in ghingheri, PROPERLY DRESSED=vestito per l’occasione, TO BE DRESSED UP THE NINES (noni, si legge “nains”, met.co), TO BE WEARING VERY SOECIAL CLOTHES=indossare abiti molto speciali, TO BE DRESSED-UP=essere elegante (eg. You are looking so smart= (ma) come sei elegante) e TO DRESS UP=vestirsi bene”. L’opposto è “TO DRESS BADLY/DOWN=vestirsi in malo modo/in modo informale” (“badly” è più forte di “down”). V.a. “CHEESY (si legge “cisi”)=trasandato/di cattivo gusto=KITSCHY (si legge “chici”) e TO BE BELOW THE DECKS (ponti di nave)=essere meno fortunati”. Eg. The rich (i ricchi (“SENZA “s”), si legge “ric”) don’t care about those below the decks.- TO BE DUE = essere dovuto/atteso (in arrivo di aerei/treni ecc.). E’ anche usato peruna nascita (eg. The baby is due next month). V.a. “DUE TO BE=sta per essere, OVER DUE=atteso da molto e IT IS ABOUT/GOING TO + verbo=sta per (es. piovere)”.- TO BE EASY-GOING = essere affabile/accomodante.- TO BE EFFECTIVE/GOOD AT + ger.dio = essere efficace/buono/adatto PER (eg. “making something better=migliorare qualcosa”). V.a. “PROPER/WELL-SUITED TO … =adatto a … (segue un infinito)”.- TO BE FAIR … = per essere obiettivo … .- TO BE FLAT ON ONE’S BACK = to have no strength or ability to get up. Eg. Oh man, I’m flat on my back with this flu (influenza).- TO BE FLUENT IN … = parlare correttamente il … (indicare la lingua).- (TO BE) FOR GOOD = essere per sempre. Eg. Today I’ll leave this poor job for good.- TO BE FOR THE BIRDS (uccelli, si legge “berds” da non confondere con beard= barba, si legge “bird”) = espressione riferita a una cosa schifosa (lousy, si legge “lausi”) o indegna (worthless).- TO BE GOOD AT … or WITH … = saperci fare con … (N.B. AT si usa per qualcosa; WITH si usa per qualcuno).- TO BE GREEN WITH ENVY (invidia) = essere invidioso (envious). N.B. L’espressione è anche usata nel senso “beato tu”. Eg. I saw your new sport car, I’m green with envy.- TO BE HAND IN GLOVE WITH … = essere (mano nel guanto) pappa e ciccia/molto intimi con … = TO FORGE (forgiare) A BOND = stringere un legame. Simile a TO HAVE BONDED (vincolato) avere legato/avere un buon rapporto con persona/cosa.V.a. “ON HAND FOR …=disponibile/pronto all’uso per …”.- TO BE HARD (duro) OF HEARING = essere duro d’orecchi (met.co).- TO BE HARD UP = essere in difficoltà economiche. V.a. “ TO BE IN DIRE (terribile, si legge “daiar”) STRAITS (sost.vo “stretti”, si legge “streits”)=TO HAVE ONE’S BACK TO THE WALL=essere con le spalle al muro/“in gran difficoltà”) e TO BE IN TIGHT (stretto, si legge “tait”) SPOT (macchia, da to spot/spotted/spotted=macchiare/rsi), A LIFE OF HARDSHIPS = una vita di stenti e ON THE BREADLINE = povero”.- TO BE HELL-BENT (determinato) ON DOING SOMETHING = essere deciso a fare qualcosa. HELL=inferno, BENT=tendenza/inclinazione e anche “curvo” (da to bend/ bent/bent)=curvare/piegare.- TO BE HOME TO… = essere la sede DI… (riferito a: azienda/ristorante ecc.). Eg. The farm (fattoria) is home TO nine (9, si legge “nain”) cows (vacche, si legge “caus”).- TO BE KEEN ON (NO “of”)… = essere entusiasta/appassionato DI. Eg. I’m keen on my brand/shiny new (nuova di zecca/fiammante, si legge “scaini niu”) car (auto).- TO BE IN AWE (si legge “o”) OF … = AVERE soggezione di … .- TO BE IN BAD/GOOD SHAPE (si legge “sceip”) = essere giù/su di forma/trovarsi in cattive/buone condizioni fisiche/mentali/buono cattivo stato. V.a. “TO BE DEJECTED (desolato, si legge “degectd”)/A PEG (piolo e anche “bevanda alcolica”) TOO LOW (il senso anche met.co è “c’è poco alcol nel bicchiere”, eg. I’m a peg too low, so I appreciate (apprezzare, si legge “apriscieit”) your coming to cheer me up=tirarmi su, si legge “cir me ap”), TO GET IN SHAPE=riprendere una buona forma fisica.Eg. After gaining ten (10, si legge “ten”) pounds OVER (durante) the holidays, I decided to join a fitness club and get in shape=mettermi in forma=TO KEEP FIT/TO DO WORKOUT (allenamento) AT THE GYM (palestra), TO BE FIT/TO BE AT THE TOP OF ONE’S GAME=essere piuttosto/molto in forma, TO BE IN THE SHAPE OF…=avere la forma/l’aspetto di …, PRETTY WELL=abbastanza bene e STAMINA=resistenza (hold out) fisica”.- TO BE IN BED WITH … (let. a letto con; met.co) = in combutta con/complice DI … .- TO BE IN FORCE = essere in vigore (es. leggi, e simili). V.a. “TO RUN TO …=essere in vigore fino al …”.- TO BE IN IT FOR … = essere pronto per … .- TO BE IN LINE FOR + ger.dio = essere sulla buona strada per … .L’opposto è “TO BE ON THE LINE=essere a rischio”.- TO BE IN JEOPARDY (si legge “gepardi”) = essere in pericolo/a rischio.- TO BE IN NO-WIN SITUATION = essere in una situazione nella quale ogni scelta è sgradevole e senza alcuna speranza di vittoria/successo. Eg. A bum (si legge “bam”) deal=una botta di culo (slang). V.a. “LOSE-LOSE” (perdono tutti, si legge “lus-lus”, da to lose/lost/lost=perdere). L’opposto è “WIN-WIN” (si legge “uin-uin” da to win/ won/won=vincere) vincono tutti (eg. A win-win situation/deal=affare)=SHOO-IN (slang, da to shoo (si legge “sciu”=fare “sciò-sciò” per allontanare …).V.a. “KILLER SCORE/GREAT ACCLAIM (acclamazione, si legge ”ecleim”)=successo strepitoso, TO WIN WITH EASE (si legge “iisi”)=vincere con facilità/comodo e TO HAVE THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS=avere il meglio di tutto/salvare capre e cavoli”.- TO BE IN RED = essere in rosso/debito. Eg. I don’t understand why he’s always in red as he has a good/enticing (allettante, si legge “entaisingh”) job.- TO BE IN/ON THE CARDS (carte) = essere in programma = AGENDA. Eg. What’s onyour agenda for today?=che hai in programa per oggi? – I’ve got a tight schedule (let. stretto programma, si legge “tait schegiul”)=ho una giornata fitta di impegni.- TO BE IN PURSUIT (inseguimento/ricerca, si legge “porsiut”) = to follow or chase (inseguire, si legge “ceis”) someone or something. Eg. The burglar (scassinatore, si legge “berghlar”) got away,but the police (SEMPRE al pl.re) are (NO “is”) in pursuit.- TO BE IN SOMEONE’S GOOD BOOKS = essere nelle grazie di … . Eg. Ted is in Mum’sgood books. V.a. “TO BE IN THE LEAD-UP TO …=essere in prima linea/posizione avanzata/più esposti per + verbo, TO PUT … ON THE LINE=mettere … in prima linea/ a rischio (eg. I don’t put my money on the line.) e TO PUT IT MILDLY (moderatamente, si legge maildli”)=a dir poco/senza volere esagerare “.- TO BE IN THE NEWS = fare notizia. = TO HIT/HIT/HIT (colpire) THE HEADLINES (titoli di giornale). Eg. The news (SEMPRE al pl.le) spread quickly=la notizia si sparse subito. V.a. “STRIKING (impressionante, si legge “straichingh”) NEWS=notizie sensazionali, TIP=notizia riservata/una soffiata, LEAKS (perdite, si legge “lichs”)=fughe di notizie. - TO BE IN THE SAME BOX (scatola) = essere nella stessa situazione/barca.V.a. “BOX OFFICE=botteghino”.- TO BE IN TROUBLE (si legge “trabol”)/HOT WATER/ON THE HOOK (gancio) = essere nei guai. V.a. “TO POUR (si legge “poar”) OIL ON TROUBLED WATERS (let. versare olio sulle acque agitate)=calmare le acque (met.co)”. Eg. Let’s just chill (freddo da to chill=raffreddare, si legge “ciil”)=diamoci una calmata=COOL DOWN (slang).V.a. “IT’S POURING=sta diluviando, TO LOSE THE COOL=perdere la calma, THAT’S COOL=va bene lo stesso e TO COOL DOWN=raffreddarsi (tè, caffè etc.)”.- TO BE IN/OF TWO MINDS = essere indecisi = TO BLOW (blew/blown=soffiare) HOT AND COLD (caldo e freddo, met.co).- TO BE INTO … = essere appassionato DI/interessato A …. (es. libri/musica/etc.).Eg. I’m really into …=sono un patito DELLA/DI … .- TO BE KNOCKED (colpito) OUT COLD (freddo) = to be rendered (reso) unconscious as by (come da) a physical blow (soffio fisico, il senso è “una brutta botta”), medication etc. Eg. He drank a bit too much and was knocked out cold by 10 p.m. . V.a. “TO BE LEFT OUT IN THE COLD=essere trascurato (es. dal coniuge)”.- TO BE LIKELY TO BALK (ostacolare, si legge “bolch”, sost.vo “trave”)=tirarsi indietro.- TO BE LESS/MORE LIKELY = essere meno/più probabile/“propenso a” seguito da to + verbo. Simile a “TO BE LIKELY THAT …=essere probabile che”. Eg. It’s more than likely that …=è più che probabile che … .- TO BE LIKE A CAT ON HOT BRICKS (mattoni) = essere sulle spine (met.co).- TO BE LIKE SCROOGE (Paperon dei Paperoni, si legge “scrug”) = essere avaro.- TO BE MIDWAY THROUGH = essere a meta’ DEL (eg. the first couse=primo piatto).- TO BE MORE INTO + ger.dio = essere più portato/interessato verso … .- TO BE MOURNING (SENZA “for”) THE DEATH OF… = lamentarsi (to mourn) per lamorte di… . V.a. “TO PUNISH BY DEATH=punire A/CON LA morte”. Eg. In the MiddleAges (medioevo, SEMPRE al pl.re) the crime/offence (reato/offesa) of witchcraft(stregoneria, si legge “uic-craft”) was punishable by death. V.a. “MOB=mafia”.- TO BE NOTEWORTHY = essere degno di nota.- TO BE NOTHING MORE THAN A/THE = essere nient’altro/niente di più che … .V.a. “SUPPOSED TO BE=si ritiene che sia …”.- TO BE NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT (let. non essere buono per scrivere a casa su …)/NO GREAT SHAKES (scosse, si legge “sceichs”) = non essere speciale/non proprio buono (il senso è “non è cattivo (es. un cibo), ma non è niente di speciale”). V.a. “SHAKE-UP=riorganizzazione/ristrutturazione totale”.- TO BE NURSED BACK TO HEALTH (salute) = curare (nel senso “riportare in salute dopo una malattia”). V.a. “TO SUFFER (si legge “safer”) FROM=soffrire DI … (eg. anxiety=anzia, si legge “en-zaity”)”.- TO BE NUTS (noci, si legge “nats”) ABOUT … = (slang) essere/andare pazzi PER … . “Nut” indica anche “bustarella/mazzetta”.- TO BE OFF ONE’S ROCKER (sedia a dondolo, si legge”raccar”) = essere impazzito nel senso “fuori di testa=out of one’s mind”.- TO BE OFF TO … = andarsene a. Eg: I am off to the movies. I am off=me ne vado.- TO BE ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH … = essere IN rotta di collisione con … .- TO BE ON A DIET (“daiet”) = essere/mettersi a dieta.- TO BE ON A ROLL (rotolo) = andare a gonfie vele = TO BE ON THE UP AND UP = TO BE RIDING (si legge “raidingh”, da to ride/rode/ridden=cavalcare). Eg. The demand of … is on a roll/has climbed off the charts (diagrammi statistici/le satistiche)=è salita molto. TO CLIMB (si legge “claim”=arrampicarsi). V.a. “TO KICK INTO HIGH GEAR (ingranaggio, si legge “ghiar”)=andare al massimo (at the most) e IN/BY LEAPS (salti, di legge “lips”) AND BOUNDS (limiti, si legge “baunds”)=a passi da gigante/ notevolmente”.- TO BE ON A WINNING STREAK (riga/striscia) = mietere successi (A streak (linea) of luck=un colpo di fortuna) = TO HIT (hit/hit=colpire/picchiare) THE JACKPOT (il primo premio alla lotteria)=avere un colpo di fortuna=TO HAVE A STROKE (ictus) OF LUCK.- TO BE ON COURSE OF LIFE … = essere sulla (buona) strada (per diventare …) .- TO BE ON EDGE (bordo/orlo, si legge “eg”) = essere nervoso. V.a. “TO HAVE ANEDGE 0N SOMEONE=avere un (piccolo) vantaggio su …” .- TO BE ON GOOD BEHAVIOR = comportarsi bene/rispettare le regole.V.a. “BEHAVIOR PATTERN=modello di comportamento”.- TO BE ON ITS LEGS = averne ancora per poco (riferito alla durata di un oggetto).- TO BE ON OFFER = essere IN offerta (riferito a prodotti, spettacoli e simili).- TO BE ON ONE’S ASS (culo, slang) = essere depressi/ubriachi. I più comuni e volgaricomposti con “ass” sono: “asshole=stronzo/escremento=turd, si legge “terd)”; “asskisser/asslicker=leccaculo”, da “TO KISS=baciare” e da “TO LICK=leccare” (si legge “lich”) sost.vo “leccata”. Da non confondere con LEAK=perdita (es. acqua, si legge “liich”). V.a. “FLUNKY/BROWN-NOSER (slang)=leccapiedi”. Eg. Tom is always brown-nosing (da to brown=rosolare, si legge “braun”) his boss to get a promotion.- TO BE ON SALE (saldo, si legge “sel”) = essere IN saldo. V.a. “ITEMS (si legge “aitens”) FOR SALE=prodotti IN vendita, BIG-TIKET ITEMS=prodotti di lusso molto costosi, HIGH-END=di lusso/alta qualità e SALE=vendite a prezzi scontati (scritto su di un cartello esposto nelle vetrine dei negozi)”.- TO BE ON SOMEONE’S CASE (astuccio, si legge “cheis”) = infastidire (TO BOTHER, sost.vo “fastidio/noia”) nel senso di “rompere le scatole”. Eg. Ted complained that his mother was always on his case (nel senso “si intrometteva sempre”) about doing his homework. Espressioni simili: TO BE PUSHY=essere insistente/invadente/ aggressivo (dal verbo “to push=spingere”), TO BREATHE DOWN SOMEONE’S NECK (let. respirare sul collo di …)=essere ossessivo e TO BE OBSESSED WITH=essere ossessionato DA … (eg. Teenages the world over (DI (sot.so) tutto il mondo) are obsessed with today’s music). N.B. TO BREATHE (respirare, si legge “briid”) e BREATH (respiro, si legge”breth”).- TO BE ON THE DATING SCENE (scena, si legge “siin”) = essere pronto per una relazione sentimentale.- TO BE ON THE FENCE (recinzione, si legge “fens”) = essere/restare neutrali (nel senso “non scegliere”). V.a. “TO MEND (rattoppare/rammendare) ONE’S FENCES= ricucire/accomodare i rapporti”.- TO BE ON THE LOOK-OUT (vigilanza/guardia) FOR … = essere IN cerca DI = IN THE PURSUIT OF … .- TO BE ON THE REBOUND (rimbalzo)=riprendere forza/quota (eg. A market/ company etc.). Many hands make light=l’unione fa la forza. V.a. “IT WAS BOUND (da to bind (si legge “baund”)/bound/bound=legare) TO HAPPEN=doveva accadere, IT IS BOUND TO RAIN=pioverà di sicuro e RAIN OR SHINE (splendore, si legge “scain”, eg. I’ll be there rain or shine=ci sarò comunque”. “TO HAPPEN” significa anche “capitare /avere la fortuna di”. Eg: I happened to be out when you called me=per caso ero fuori quando mi hai chiamato. If you happen to + inf.to = se ti capita di … .- TO BE ON THE RUN = andare di corsa/fretta = avere premura. Simile a TO SNEAK (muoversi furtivamente)/SLIP (scivolare) OFF = svignarsela. L’opposto è “TO TAKE ONE’S TIME”=prendere il … tempo (sot.so “necessario”). V.a. “TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO …=fare tutto il necessario per … e TAKE OUT=servizio a domicilio”.- TO BE ON THE SAME WAVELENGHT (si legge “vuev-lenghth”) = essere d’accordo/ sulla stessa lunghezza d’onda. Simile a “TO HIT IT OFF=andare d’amore e d’accordo”. - TO BE ON THE SPOT (macchia, da cui: “spot-remover=smacchiatore” e “a spot in his reputation”) = essere sul posto.- TO BE/GO ON THE WARPATH = essere/scendere sul sentiero di guerra/avere un atteggiamento aggressivo.- TO BE ON THE WAY = essere in viaggio/arrivo, nel senso “stare per arrivare”.- TO BE ON TOP OF … = avere il controllo di …/la situazione in pugno.- (TO BE) ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE … = IT IS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE … = è solo questione di tempo … (segue l’evento che si prevede accadrà). Eg. The stoplight (semaforo) at the intersection (incrocio stradale) is broken; it’s only a matter of time before there’s an accident. V.a. “FORESEEABLY=prevedibilmente”.- TO BE + ag.vo possessivo TREAT (piacere, si legge “trit”) = essere il … turno di pagare. Eg. Put down the bill, tonight’s dinner is my treat.- TO BE OVER THE MOON = essere felice/soddisfatto = HAPPY AS LARRY (slang, LARRY è un nome). N.B. “OVER” significa anche “nell’arco DI”. Eg. Over a generation. - TO BE PACKED TO THE RAFTERS (travi da tetto)/OVERCROWDED = essere pieno zeppo/fino al tetto (es. ristorante). V.a. “TO PACK=riempire e anche fare le valigie”.- TO BE PLANNING TO + verbo = AVERE l’intenzione DI … (segue un verbo).- TO BE PREGNANT (si legge “preghnant”) = essere incinta. Espressioni simili sono: TO GO TO HAVE/EXPECT A BABY=aspettare un bimbo (nel senso “la nascita”, eg. We are going to have a baby) e TO HAVE A BUN (si legge “ban”) IN THE OVEN (slang, let. avere una ciambella nel forno). V.a. “INFANT=neonato”.- TO BE RED HOT (rovente) = AVERE molto successo. Eg. The contemporary art market is red hot, but even so (tuttavia) … .- TO BE REDUCED TO + ger.dio = essere costretti a … (eg. asking for a loan=prestito).- TO BE RELEASED (si legge “rilisd”) ON COMPASSIONATE GROUNDS = essere rilasciato per motivi unanitari.- TO BE RIGHT IN ONE’S GRASP (vebo=afferrare; sost.vo=comprensione=SYMPATHY =solitarietà. V.a. “SYMPATHETIC=sensibile/comprensivo)=essere a portata di mano. (eg. The solution of this problem is in your grasp=la soluzione di questo problema ti è di facile comprensione.) e SYMPATHETICALLY=con affetto”.- TO BE RIGHT UP ONE’S ALLEY (vicolo, si legge “ali”; diverso da “ally”=alleato, si legge “alai”) = essere riferita a persona/cosa che fa proprio al … caso. Eg. They like horror movies, so Dawn of the Dead is right up their alley.- TO BE RUSHED = da fare frettolosamente. Eg. The Wild Atlantic Way is not a roadtrip to be rushed. V.a. “TO RUSH=affrettarsi”. Eg. Don’t rush, there’s plenty of time.- TO BE SHORT OF … = essere senza/a corto di … . L’opposto è “TO BE PLENTY OF …”.- TO BE SKATING (da to skate (si legge “scheit”)=pattinare”) ON THIN (sottile) ICE= rischiare troppo nel senso “promettere più di quanto si può”, può seguire “in that=in quanto”, da usare nel senso di “poiché”. Eg. Mint (menta, si legge “mint”) Julep with crushed ice is the most significant cocktail, in that it was the first one in the USA.- TO BE SLEEPY = avere sonno. V.a. “LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE=non svegliare il cane che dorme (met.co)”. Notare l’uso del plurale.- TO BE STOKED (slang) = essere entusiasta/eccitato (da to stoke (si legge “stoch”) the fire=attizzare il fuoco/aggiungere legna).- TO BE STRESSED = essere stressati per troppo lavoro o per qualunque altra ragione.- TO BE STUCK = restare bloccato. V.a. “TO STICK (stuck/stuck=conficcare-rsi/non mollare/bloccare/restare fedele) TO ONE’S OPINION=difendere le proprie opinioni, TO STICK TO ONE’S GUNS (pistole, si legge “gans”)=essere irremovibile=TO HOLD ONE’S OWN/GROUND e TO STICK TO THE RULES=attenersi alle regole”.- TO BE SUPPOSED TO + verbo= essere ritenuto/avere il dovere di …. (fare qualcosa).- TO BE THE KISS/YANKEE DIME (10 cents americani, si legge “ianchi daim”) OF DEATH (met.co) = essere (il bacio della morte) un evento rovinoso/fallimentare. L’opposto è “A MAJOR FEAT (prodezza, si legge “fit”)=un’impresa eccezionale”.V.a. “A DIME A DOZEN (dozzina, si legge “dasn”)=di poco valore”- TO BE THE ONE WHO … = essere colui che … .- TO BE THE SAME AGE AS … = avere la stessa età DI … . V.a. “TO COME OF AGE= diventare maggiorenne”.- TO BE THE TOAST (brindisi) OF (THE TOWN) = Someone who is especially well-liked (benvoluto), regarded (considerato/stimato) and admired in certain place. Eg. I hope you enioy being the toast of London because such fame (perchè tale fama) is always fleeting (fugace). V.a. “LET’S TOAST=brindiamo, TO TOAST=bere alla salute DI (simile a “Let’s make a toast to …=brindiamo a …) e TO BE TOAST=to be in serious trouble”. Eg. If mom and dad find out we took their car out last night, we’re toast (tostati/“fregati”). N.B. TOAST=pane tostato si usa SEMPRE al sing.re (a piece of toast, come per “advice=consiglio”), per il pl.le si usa “two pieces of toast”.- TO BE TIED UP (legato, si legge “taid ap”) IN … = essere coinvolto/occupato in … .- TO BE TOO SOFT (soffice/morbido, si legge “soft”) ON (NO “with”)… = essere troppo indulgente CON …- TO BE TOTALLY DIFFERENT, LIKE CHALK (“cioch”) AND CHEESE = essere diversi, come gesso e formaggio.- TO BE UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT …= essere convinto/ritenere che … . Eg. Mary is under impression that if she does one hundred sit-ups (flessioni) a day (al giorno), she will flatten (appiatterà) her stomach.- TO BE UP = restare alzato/in piedi. Eg. I was up all night studing for exam.- TO BE UP FOR + ger.dio = essere interessato in … = TO BE INTERESTED IN = essere pronto A = TO BE READY TO …. Eg: Would you be up for (saresti interessato/ti piacerebbe di) going out for a drink after the movie tonight? Are you up for … ?- TO BE UP IN THE AIR = incerto, non ancora deciso.- TO BE UP THE SNUFF (tabacco da fiuto, si legge “snaf”) = essere all’altezza (met.co). Eg. His performance (esecuzione) wasn’t up the snuff. Simile a TO BE UP TO …=essere pronto PER… . Eg. It’s up to you=sta/tocca a te. V.a. “TO LIVE UP TO=essere all’altezza (nel senso “al di sopra delle aspettative”)”. Eg. This doesn’t live up to my expectations=questo non è conforme alle mie attese.- TO BE UPON US = essere vicino. Eg. Christmas is almost upon us once again.- TO BE VERY COMMITTED TO THIS ISSUE = essere molto impegnato IN questo argomento. L’opposto è “TO STRADDLE (stare a cavalcioni, si legge “stradol”) AN ISSUE=non prendere una posizione/dare un colpo alla botte e uno al timpagno”.- TO BE VERY OPEN TO ADVICE (SEMPRE al sing.re) = essere molto disponibile ad accettare consigli. V.a. “ADVICE AND TIPS=consigli e suggerimenti e TIP=mancia”.- TO BE WARY (cauto, si legge “ueri”) OF DOING SOMETHING = guardarsi dal fare una cosa.- TO BE WAY OUT OF LINE = essere inopportuno. Eg. I’m sorry about getting so personal (per essermi intromesso nelle tue cose personali), I was way out of line and I apologize sincerely (si legge “sinsìrly”=sinceramente e anche “cordiali saluti”).V.a. “NODS=saluti con un cenno del capo” (da to nod=annuire).- TO BEAT (beat/beaten=battere) AROUND THE BUSH (cespuglio, si legge “busc”) = menar il can per l’aia/tergiversare.- TO BEAT ONE’S BRAIN(S) (cervello/mente/capacità intellettuali) = scervellarsi.- TO BEAT SOMEONE TO THE PUNCH (pugno, si legge “panc”) = battere … sul tempo(nel senso “anticipare l’azione di qualcuno”). Eg. I was going to give you the news, but I see that Heather beat me to the punch. V.a. “NOT TO PULL PUNCHES (let. non tirare pugni, anche met.co)=dire la verità nuda e cruda”. Eg. Don’t pull any punches with me=dimmi la verità nuda e cruda (sot.so piacevole o spiacevole che sia).- TO BEAT THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU/US=sputare nel piatto dove mangi/amo.- TO BEAT THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS OUT OF YOU = dare un sacco di legnate. E’ una minaccia rivolgibile a chiunque, ma è comunemente destinata ai binbi discoli.- TO BECOME (became/become) KEY (chiave; si legge “chi”)=diventare un elemento/fattore importante. V.a. “TO BECOME ANY GOOD=diventare abbastanza bravo/ competente”.- TO BEND (bent/bent=piegare/rsi) OVER BACKWARDS (indietro) TO + verbo=fare il possible/ogni sforzo PER …). Può seguire (AND) THIS IS THE THANKS (il grazie) I GOT FOR + ger.dio=(e) così mi hanno ringraziato per… .- TO BITE (si legge “bait”)/BIT/BITTEN (mordere) OFF MORE THAN ONE CAN CHEW (masticare) = fare il passo più lungo della gamba = TO OVERREACH ONESELF. - TO BLOW (blew/blown=soffiare/sperperare denaro) ONE’S STACK (catasta/pila) = to become very angry. Eg. Dad (or daddy=papà) blew his stack when he saw I wrecked (da to wreck=distruggere/rovinare, si legge “rech”) his new car.- TO BLOW OVER = placarsi. Eg. Don’t worry things will blow over/calm down again/soon. V.a. “CALM DOWN!=calmati/calmiamoci”!- TO BLOW SOMENTHING = non riuscire/fallire IN qualcosa.- TO BOTHER (or TO STOP MISSING ABOUT) (WITH …) = perdere tempo (con …).- TO BONE (disossare/rubare) UP (slang) ON SOMETHING = studiare frettolosamente …. poco prima di dovere discutere su qualcosa o parlare una lingua. Eg. Before the debate, all of the presidential candidates were busy boning up on the issues= questioni/problemi. TO BONE UP/FOR (slang=sgobbare su …, eg. Something=a thing, but we don’t know what=qualcosa). V.a. “BACKBONE=sostegno principale/struttura portante e anche “carattere/fermezza”. Eg: Steel (acciaio, si legge “stiil”) is the backbone of our economy. He hasn’t backbone=egli non ha spina dorsale (met.co). V.a. “TO STEEL (fortificare) ONESELF=farsi coraggio”.- TO BOOM (si legge “bum”) = espandere. Eg. His business is booming (va a gonfie vele) dispite (malgrado) the crisis (crisi, si legge craisis”). - TO BREAK (broke/broken=rompere) THE COLOR LINE = ribellarsi alla politica contro i NERI (MAI usare i termini “nigar=negro=ink (inchiostro)”, meglio “Afroamerican o black”). “BREAK (slang)=occasione/opportunità”, eg. Lucky break=colpo di fortuna.V.a. “GIVE ME A BREAK!=dammi una pausa (nel senso “non mi assillare!) e TO TAKEA BREAK=fare un intervallo”.- TO BREAK THE NEWS (telegiornale, si legge “nius”) = dare una notizia (“News” si usa solo al SINGOLARE, eg. The news is good/bad=le notizie sono buone/cattive).- TO BREAK UP = perdere la connessione telefonica.- TO BREAK UP/SPLIT UP (to split (senza “up”)/split/split=spaccare/dividere le spese) = concludere un rapporto sentimentale. L’opposto è TO START DAITING (SENZA “with”) …= intraprendere CON … un rapporto sentimentale. V.a. “TO START SMALL BACK= intraprendere un’attività commerciale di piccole dimensioni=SMALL IN SCALE (scala, si legge “schel”)/SIZE (si legge “sais”)”. “Split” sost.vo=fessura. Eg. Mary and John split up=si sono lasciati. V.a. “TO SPLIT A/THE … UP/IN/DOWN THE MIDDLE= spaccare un/il … a metà” (anche met.co) e TO SPLIT (ripartire) THE PROFITS (utili)”. - TO BRING DOWN THE GOVERNMENT= fare cadere il Governo.- TO BRING (brought/brought=portare da lontano a vicino, diverso da to take/ took/taken=portare da vicino a lontano) IN THE MAIL = prendere la posta.- TO BRING A KNIFE TO A GUNFIGHT (met.co) = to come poorly prepared for some goal, competition or confrontation.- TO BRING SOMETHING UP = rivelare/chiedere qualcosa gradita/sgradita. Simile a TO RAISE A TOPIC=sollevare una questione. Eg. I was hoping you would not bring that up=speravo che tu non (me) ne parlassi. V.a. “IT’S THE TOPIC OF THE DAY=è l’argomento del giorno e TO BRING ABOUT=essere la causa di …”.- TO BUCKLE (allacciare, si legge “bacol”) DOWN = cominciare seriamente (sot.so un lavoro e simili). Eg. If we want to win, we’re going to need to buckle down= mettercela tutta.- TO BURN (burnt/burnt=bruciare) UP THE ROAD = to travel/to go very fast.- TO BURST (burst/burst=scoppiare) WITH (NO “of”) ENVY=crepare D’invidia.- TO BUTTON (abbottonare/rsi, sost.vo “bottone”) ONE’S LIP (labbro) = to be quiet, often used as an imperative (nel senso “stai zitto”). Eg. Hey, button your lip, we don’t need to hear any more out of you today.- TO CALL A SPADE A SPADE (vanga, si legge “speid”) = chiamare le cose con il loro nome/dire pane al pane e vino al vino = TO SPEAK ONE’S MIND = TO PUT THE RECORD STRAIGHT = TO PUT IT BLUNTY (da blunt=non affilato, si legge “blant”).- TO CALL IT A DAY = smettere, per quel giorno, di svolgere un’attività. Eg. After skiing for eight hours, Kim was ready to call it a day (or “to stop for the day”).V.a. “LET’S CALL IT A DAY!=basta per oggi! e SO CALLED=così detto”- TO CAN GET = potere essere. Eg. Studying all the time can get boring=studiate troppo può essere noioso. N.B. “TO STUDY AT …=studiare IN …”. Eg. To study at an American University. Una “università” si traduce A (NO “an” anche se segue la vocale “u”) university. V.a. “TO DROP OUT=abbandonare tutto (es. gli studi) e TO DROP AWAY=andarsene alla sicciolata/un po’ alla volta”. - TO CAN’T STAND … = non potere sopportare … (persona o cosa. Verbo meno forte di “to hate=odiare”).- TO CARRY (carried/carried=(tras)portare) A TORCH (torcia, si legge “torc”) FOR …=tenere vivo il ricordo (es. del perduto amore) per … (indicare il nome).- TO CASH IN (incassare) ON (NO “from”) … = TO MAKE MONEY FROM … = fare soldi da. Eg. The mall (centro commerciale, si legge “mol”) is open until midnight (mezzanotte) every weekend to cash in on the holiday shopping rush=afflusso delle vendite. V.a. “TO BE BADLY OFF=essere in ristrettezze e “CASH-IN-HAND=in nero”. Eg. To earn money cash-in-hand with the word of mouth (passaparola).- TO CATCH (caught/caught=afferrare) UP ON = aggiornarsi anche nel senso di “avere tanto da discutere” (in genere perché non ci si vede da tempo). Eg. Come over (vieni a trovarmi) to (1) my house/place early on Saturday, we’ve got (rafforzativo) lots to catch up on. V.a. “TO CATCH ONE’S EYE (occhio, si legge “ai”)=attirare la … attenzione”.(1) N.B. “TO” si omette solo dopo i verbi go/come/drive/stay seguiti da “home” SENZA l’aggettivo possessivo.- TO CATCH SOMEONE RED-HANDED (da TO HAND=consegnare) = colto in flagrante = IN THE ACT. V.a. “ESTABLISHED FACT=fatto provato/incontrovertibile”.- TO CEDE (si legge “siid”) THE FIELD = cedere il campo (met.co).- TO CHANGE ONE’S MIND (mente, si legge “maind”)/TUNE (melodia/accordo, si legge “tun”) = cambiare il proprio parere = TO HAVE A CHANGE OF HEART/TO COME AROUND = cambiare opinione e anche “fare una breve visita non programmata”. Eg. I knew you would come around=immaginavo/lo sapevo che avresti cambiato parere/saresti venuto. V.a. “CHANGE=spiccioli” (eg. Give me the change=dammi il resto), ALL CHANGE=cambiare tutto e anche “fine della corsa (autobus/corriera= coach, si legge “coc”)”.- TO CHAT (chiacchierare, si legge “ciat”) GIRLS UP = rimorchiare ragazze.- TO CHEAT (ingannare/barare, si legge “ciit”) ON SOMEONE = essere sleale/infedele VERSO/CON ...V.a. “TO BE TWO-FACED (NO “faces”)=essere falso/doppio/ipocrita e TWO-TIMER (si legge “tu taimer”)=persona infedele (unfaithful) (es. verso (“TO”, NO “with”) il coniuge=spouse (si legge “spaus”) o il partner”.- TO CHILL (raffreddare/rsi, si legge “cil”) OUT (slang) = rilassarsi=TO RELAX.-TO CLAIM/DEMAND (reclamare/esigere) COMPENSATION=pretendere un rimborso.- TO CLEAN (si legge “clin”) UP ONE’S ACTS (let. (ri)pulire (ag.vo “pulito) le proprie leggi) = portare un drastico miglioramento.- TO CLEAR (chiarire/liberare, ag.vo “chiaro”, si legge “cliar”) ONE’S CALENDAR FOR … = rendersi libero per … . Eg. I’ve cleared my calendar for Saturday.- TO CLEAR THE AIR = chiarire le cose/risolvere (to settle) un contrasto/una incomprensione. V.a. “TO CLEAR=assolvere=TO ACQUIT (si legge “equìt”)”. Eg: The jury cleared the air. He was acquitted of the charge of murder (accusa di omicidio).- TO CLIMB (arrampicarsi, si legge “claim”) THE LADDER (scala, si legge “ladar”, da non confondere con “STAIR WAY/CASE=scala di un palazzo”)=raggiundere il successo. Simile a “TO HAVE CAUGHT ON=prendere piede (met.co)”. Eg. New forms of hybrid and electric cars are catching on.- TO CLUTCH (afferrare, si legge “clac”) AT STRAWS (paglie, si legge “stros”)= arrampicarsi sugli specchi (met.co).- TO COME (came/come=venire) ALIVE = ritornare attivo (es. persona/pianta, etc.).- TO COME CLEAN ON … = TO SPEAK OUT = parlare chiaro = TO TALK OPENLY.Eg: I don’t think the company will come clean on their bad business deals=loschi affari. I had better to come clean=mi converrebbe/conviene dire la verità. V.a. “IT COMES TO + ger.dio=si tratta di …, TO TALK AWAY=fare quattro chiacchere, TO TALK SOMEONE INTO SOMETHING=convincere … a fare …”. L’opposto è “TO TALK SOMEONE OUT OF SOMETHING”.- TO COME DOWN ON SOMEONE LIKE A TON OF BRICKS (una tonnellata di mattoni)=(met.co) fare passare un brutto quardo d’ora a qualcuno.- TO COME IN HANDY (a portata di mano=NEAR AT HAND)=tornare/essere utile.- TO COME ON BOARD = venire a bordo (met.co)/unirsi A = TO JOIN … .- TO COME ON TO … = fare delle avances a … (nel senso “provarci con …”) = TO PUT THE MAKE ON… . V.a. “TO MAKE OUT=pomiciare e GROPPING=palpeggiamenti”.- TO COME OUT/UP WITH (venire fuori con) = intraprendere una nuova iniziativa in genere imprenditoriale = TO PACK (imballare) ON = mettere su. Eg. Levi’s has come out with a new line of eco jeans made FROM (NO “with”) organic cotton.V.a. “OF ONE’S OWN ACCORD=di propria iniziativa/spontaneamente”.- TO COME TO BLOWS (colpi) = venire alle mani/azzuffarsi. V.a. “TO DUCK (si legge “dach”) A BLOW=schivare (anche “tuffare/rsi”) un colpo”.- TO COME TO TERMS (condizioni) WITH … = fare i conti/venire a patti con… . Simile a TO RECKON (contare, si legge “rècon”) WITH=vedersela con … . Eg. It is reckoned that …=si calcola che … . V.a. “AT THE END OF THE DAY=alla fin fine/a conti fatti”.- TO COME TO THE POINT = arrivare al dunque/andare subito al punto (N.B. In prima persona l’espressione è: Let me come/get right to the point=lasciami andare al punto/nocciolo della questione) = TO GET THE POINT = TO BE SPECIFIC = TO SPEAK PLAINLY/ONE’S MIND (chiaramente) = andare dritti al punto (eg. Let’s talk turkey= andiamo allo specifico/al dunque) = TO PUT (put/put=mettere)/LAY (laid/laid= stendere) ONE’S CARDS ON THE TABLE = esporre la propria opinione con sincerità (eg. I like honest talk (mi piace parlare onestamente)/to speak openly, so let me put my cards on the table with no frills (with no extraneous detailis)=desidero esporre apertamente il mio parere e mettere le “carte in tavola” senza fronsoli)=NOT TO MINCE (tritare, si legge “mins”) MATTERS or ONE’S WORDS=non usare mezzi termini, IN NO UNCERTIAN TERMS =senza mezzi termini.- TO COME TRUE (vero) = avverarsi. V.a. “IT SOUNDS TRUE=è/sembra vero”.- TO CONTINUE IN OPERATION (funzionamento, si legge “operescion”) = continuare a funzionare, eg. How does it work?=come funziona? (es. gioco/macchinario).- TO COMPARE (si legge “compèr”)=confrontare, eg. Compered with=in confronto A.- TO COST (cost/cost) A SMALL FORTUNE/A PRETTY PENNY/AN ARM AND A LEG= costare MOLTO. Questo aggettivo è in contrasto con l’uso di “small” (piccolo) e “pretty” (piuttosto/un po’), inoltre “to cost” regge il verbo AVERE. Eg: This car HAS (NO “is”) cost a small fortune. – Yes it did. To remodel (ristrutturare) my entire house will end up (finirà con IL) costing (costare) an arm (da non confondere con “harm=danno”) and a leg). L’espressione è simile a “IT DOES CHARGE (fare pagare/ addebitare) TOP DOLLAR=costa un sacco di soldi=LOADS (carichi) OF MONEY”.V.a. “GHARGE IT TO MY ACCOUNT=addebitalo SUL mio conto”.- TO CRAP (crap=eroina/merda, slang) = defecare e anche “fallire/comportarsi stupidamente/fare una cazzata”. V.a. “BY ALL ACCOUNTS=a detta di tutti e TO BE OF NO ACCOUNT=essere una cosa/persona senza importanza”.- TO CRY ON + ag.vo possessivo SHOULDER (spalla, si legge “sciolder”) = to complain (lamentare/rsi) about problems to someone else. Eg. We need to try to cheer Mark up, he’s been crying on my shoulder all day. V.a. “STRAIGHT FROM THE SHOULDER= con tutta franchezza”.- TO CRY OVER SPILT (da to spill/spilt/spilt (anche “spilled”)=versare) MILK=piangere sul latte versato (tardivamente, met.co. Eg. It’s no use crying over spilt milk). Il senso è “To complain about something from the past which can’t be changed now”. Eg. You failed your exame because you didn’t study enough, so it’s too late to cry/crying over spilt milk. V.a. “FOR CRYING OUT LOUD (a gran voce, si legge “aut laud”)=accidenti/per la miseria! (eg. For crying out loud, give me another chance!), TO WEEP/WEPT/ WEPT =piangere/lacrimare e TO MILK (mungere) SOMEONE DRY (asciutto/secco, si legge “drai”)=spremere qualcuno come un limone”. - TO CROSS THAT BRIDGE WHEN ONE COMES/GETS TO IT = sapere cosa fare al momento più giusto. Eg: When I asked him what he wants to do he said, “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it” (il senso è “affronterò il problema quando mi si presenta”). I’ll deal with (mi occuperò di) this problem later.- TO CURDLE (agghiacciare, si legge “cherdol”) ONE’S BLOOD = to terrify someone.Eg: That horror movie curdled my blood. You can’t get/squeeze blood (si legge “blad”) out of a stone (pietra)=non si può cavare sangue da una rapa.- TO CUT (cut/cut=tagliare) A PERSON DEAD (morto, si legge “ded”) = ignorare qualcuno del tutto. V.a. “CUT IT OUT!/DROP UP!=(e) piantala/finiscila! e TO CUT BACK (ridurre)”. Eg. IF YOU COULD CUT BACK=se si potesse tornare indietro (può seguire “to when I …”).- TO CUT CLASS = marinare la scuola. V.a. “TO CUT ONE’S LOSSES (perdite) = salvare il … salvabile e TO BAIL OUT=soccorre/salvare finanziariamente (es. un’azienda)”.- TO DEEP-SIX = eliminare. Simile a: TO DISCONTINUE (interrompere), TO GET RID OF (liberarsi di) e TO SCRAP=scartare/demolire/buttare via. SCRAP=rottame.- TO DATE (datare, si legge “deit”) = ad oggi = AS OF TODAY. Eg. To date the results are … . V.a. “NOWDAYS=oggigiorno e TO THIS DAY=ancora oggi”.- TO DELVE (fare ricerche, si legge ”delv”) DEEPER INTO … = scavare più a fondo in … (anche met.co). V.a. “FROM COVER TO COVER=da cima a fondo (in genere riferito alla lettura)”.- TO DEVELOP (sviluppare/rsi) AN EAR (orecchio) = TO LEARN TO LISTEN = imparare ascoltando. V.a. “A WORD IN YOUR EAR= (devo dirti) una parola a quattr’occhi”.- TO DEVOTE A GREAT DEAL OF ONE’S TIME TO … = dedicare una gran parte del … tempo a/per … .- TO DIG (dug/dug=scavare) UP = ottenere informazioni spesso negative e in genere segrete (la risposta più comune a: “I’ve dug up more, too=ne so ancora di più” è: “I’m all ears=(parla) sono tutt’orecchi”).- TO DISCOVER THE WEEL (ruota) = scoprire l’America/l’acqua calda (sarc.co).V.a. “TO BE JUST AS WELL=tanto vale”. Eg. It’s just as well I told her the truth. - TO DO (did/done) NOT HOLD WATER = fare acqua da tutte le parti (met.co).N.B. “Done” significa anche “finito/i”. Eg: When all is said (detto) and done (finito) … =in fin dei conti/alla fin fine … . Keep working (continua a lavorare) until it is done.V.a. “TO BE IN DEEP/HOT WATER=essere in (grave) difficoltà”.- TO DO + ag.vo possessivo DAYS = fare il proprio tempo/invecchiare/essere superato. Eg. I’ve done my days. “Days” assume anche il significato informale “di giorno”. Eg. I prefer to study days and sleep AT (DI/LA) night.- TO DO + ag.vo possessivo DIRTY WORK = fare per conto altrui un lavoro sgradevole. Eg. I don’t like to do/doing your dirty work.- TO DO POORLY (scarsamente) ON … (eg. chemistry test=esame scritto di chimica) = fare male IL … - TO DO (fare nel senso di “realizzare”) SOMETHING AS CHEAPLY (NO “cheap”, a buon mercato si legge “cipli”) AS POSSIBLE = fare/costruire/realizzare qualcosa al piùbasso prezzo possibile. L’opposto è “DO NOT COME CHEAP”. Eg. His services do notcome cheap=i suoi servizi non sono economici/sono costosi.- TO DO SOMEONE GOOD = fare bene alla salute/mente di … . Eg. You look out of it (or DOWN AND OUT, entrambi sono slang=non hai una buona cera), why don’t you take a short vacation/holiday? It would do you good (ti farebbe bene).V.a. “TO BE UNDER THE WEATHER (tempo meteorologico, si legge “ueda”)=essere giù di corda, TO DO GOOD=fare del bene e AS MUCH GOOD=altrettanto bene”.- TO DO SOMETHING OUT OF ANGER = fare qualcosa/comportarsi PER rabbia.- TO DO THE MATH (slang) = fare quattro conti (met.co, il senso è “to figure out/calculate how much something will cost”). La frase inizia con “Let’s do the math here, (facciamoci i conti) e segue con il conteggio di quanto … costa”.- TO DO THE TALKING = prendere/fare un discorso = TO TAKE THE FLOOR (pavimento, si legge “floar”). Eg. I think you should do the talking=penso (nel senso “sarebbe meglio”) che parlassi tu. L’espressione può essere seguita da: “I’m afraid I’ll get/become tongue-tied” (let. lingua (si legge “tangh”) legata (si legge “taid”)=muto; il senso è “io m’imbarazzo e temo di non esserne capace”).- TO DROP (cadere) A LINE ABOUT … = scrivere due righe su …- TO GO THINGS BY HALVES = fare bene le cose, non lasciarle a metà.- TO DO TIME = essere in prigione. Eg. He did time on charges of (con l’accusa di) defaming and murder=diffamazione e assassinio (si legge “difeimingh end marder”).- TO DO WITHOUT … = fare a meno di … . L’opposto è “CAN’T/COULDN’T HELP + ger.dio”. Eg. I can’t help loving her=non posso fare a meno/evitare di amarla. Notare la costruzione “can’t help + ger.dio=evitare fare a meno di”.- TO DONATE POSSESSIONS TO … = donare beni PER/al fine DI … . V.a. “TO BE AUCTIONED (si legge “och-sciond”)=da mettere all’asta”.- TO DRAG (trascinare, si legge “dreegh”) SOMEONE TO SOMEWHERE (an unspecified place=da qualche parte) = costringere … ad andare a … (indicare un luogo). N.B. “TO” si omette se il luogo è “here or there or home”. Eg. I can’t believe he dragged you here/there/home/to the theatre.- TO DRIFT (andare alla deriva) APART = allontanarsi (riferito a un rapporto amiche-vole/sentimentale). V.a. “APART FROM=a eccezione DI e STUNNINGLY (da to stun/stunned/stunned=stordire)=eccezionalmente”. (eg. A stunning blond=una bionda da schianto) e IN A STUNNING WAY=in un modo sbalorditivo”.- TO DRINK (drank/drunk=bere) OUT OF THE NECK (collo) OF THE BOTTLE = bere direttamente dalla bottiglia. V.a. “TO SIP/SIPPED/SIPPED=(sorseggiare/sorso)”.- TO DRINK LIKE A FISH = bere molto vino e alcolici. Eg: Dead drunk=ubriaco fradicio (l’opposto è SOBER=sobrio). Hard (duro) stuff (roba, si legge “staf”)=bevanda altamente alcolica (si usa “Straight (dritto)=liscio” (senza ghiaccio) se è riferito a un drink). I have other fish to fry (let. ho altri pesci da friggere, met.co)=ho (ben) altro da fare. V.a. “TO RECOVER (riprendersi da una malattia, NO “ricoverarsi=to admit to hospital”) FROM A HANGOVER=sbornia e TO FEEL LIKE A FISH OUT OF WATER= sentirsi come un pesce fuor d’acqua/non a proprio agio”. - TO DROP (dropped/dropped=cadere; sost.vo “goccia”) A BRICK (mattone, si legge “brich”) = fare un’osservazione non appropriata/commettere una gaffe.- TO DROP OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH = sparire dalla circolazione (riferito a persona o cosa). N.B. “TO DROP OFF” significa anche “far scendere/lasciare”. Eg: Drop me off at the next corner (angolo). I’ll drop off the package on my way home.- TO DROP EVERYTHING = piantare baracche e burattini (met.co).- TO DROP SOMEONE IN IT = lasciare qualcuno nei guai. (IT è un eufemismo al posto di (in place of) “merda=shit”).- TO DWELL (risiedere) ON THE PAST = focalizzare/rsi (to focus) troppo su quanto è già accaduto (il senso è “non parliamone più”). Eg. Doug never talks about his first marriage, he doesn’t like to dwell on the past.- TO EAT (ate/eaten=mangiare) LIKE A BIRD = mangiare (come un uccello) poco. Gli opposti sono: TO STUFF (imbottire/rimpinzare) ONE’S FACE/TO PIG OUT/TO STUFF ONESELF=mangiare troppo=TO OVEREAT/OVERATE/OVEREATEN=TO FILL UP ON (NO “of”) + indicare un cibo=riempirsi/ingozzarsi DI …=TO GAIN (guadagnare) WEIGHT FROM EATING TOO MUCH/MANY…=ingrassare PER mangiare troppo/troppi … (indicare il cibo)=TO PUT ON A FEW POUNDS=TO PORK OUT (slang). Un posto adatto per “abbuffarsi” è un All-you-can-eat restaurant dove a prezzo fisso si magia tutto quello che si vuole, ma si raccomanda di non lasciare nulla nel piatto. Eg. He goes to those restaurants because he likes binge (baldoria, si legge “bing”) eating=mangiare fino ad abbuffarsi. V.a. “TO EAT LESS …/TO CUT DOWN ON … = ridurre le quantità di … (un pasto o bevanda), TO BE A HEARTY (sincero/cordiale) EATER=essere una buona forchetta (met.co)/GREEDY=goloso, TO EAT SENSIBLY (assennatamente/ ragionevolmente, si legge “sènsibli”)=mangiare bene e TO BE SKINNY=essere troppo magro/pelle e ossa”.- TO EAT ONE’S LUNCH (and dinner (cena, si legge “dinar”) too; to dine=cenare (si legge “dain”) distruggere la propria azienda nel senso “portarla alla rovina”.Eg. If we don’t act quickly (se non agiamo presto) our competitors are going to eat our lunch (and dinner, è un rafforzativo che si può omettere).- TO EMAIL = inviare un’email. V.a. “TO SKYPE (si legge “schaip”)=incontrarsi via Skype e TO GOOGLE=cercare qualcosa su Google”.- TO END UP WITH EGG ON OWN FACE = fare una brutta figura. Eg. He ends up witheggs (uova, si legge “eghs”) on his face.- TO ENJOY A GOOD LAUGH = gioire di/farsi una buona risata.V.a. “ENJOYMENT OF LIFE=gioia di vivere”.- TO ENTER (SENZA “in”) THE MARKET = entrare NEL mercato anche a fini concorrenziali. (FLEA (pulce, si legge “fli”) MARKET=mercatino delle pulci).Eg: They entered the market for cell phones. To enter the room/a war/business/ Army/Navy/the University. V.a. TO ENTER THE CHURCH (chiesa, si legge “cerc”)=farsi prete e TO ENTER INTO (NO “in”)= entrare in/prendere parte a/impegnarsi.- TO FALL (fell/fallen=cadere) IN LOVE WITH … (NO “of”) = immamorarsi DI … .- TO FALL APART/FLAT = andare a rotoli/a vuoto. V.a. “FALL GUY=capo espiatorio”.- TO FACE THE MUSIC = affrontare le conseguenze (il senso è “hai voluto la bicicletta e ora pedala”). V.a.THIS IS MUSIC TO ONE’S EARS=qesta è musica per le … orecchie.- TO FARE (si legge “fear”) = comportarsi/passasserla. Eg. How will our senator (senatore, si legge “sènater”) fare in the next US election?- TO FEATURE (si legge “ficiar”) = caratterizzare/dare risalto/essere protagonista (cinema/teatro ecc.). QUITE HEAVILY (pesantemente) IN = spesso in. Eg. I feature quite heavily in literature (si legge “lìtriciar”)=so piuttorsto impeganto in (es. nello studio della) letteratura. V.a. “QUITE WHAT …=proprio ciò che …”.- TO FEEL (felt/felt) BLUE (blu) = sentirsi/essere triste/malinconico (i più comuni composti con “blue” sono: “blue movies=film pornografici/a luci rosse”; “blue language=linguaggio osceno”; “blue funk=fifa blu/una gran fifa”; “out of the blue= inaspettatamente”; “once in a blue moon=molto raramente/ogni morte di Papa (”THERE ARE OTHER FISH (pesce/i SEMPRE al sing.re) IN THE SEA=morto un Papa se ne fa un altro”) ; “to be blued (da to blue=sperperare)/drunk=essere ubriaco=to be sloshed” (si legge “sloscd”)=essere sbronzo). V.a. “TO HAVE THE FEEL OF + ger.dio or A + sost.vo=avere/dare l’impressione di … (eg. I feel as if (come se) I’ve known her all my life) e TO FEEL ROUGH (ruvido, si legge “raf”)=non stare bene”.- TO FEEL CHILLS (brividi, si legge “cils”) RUN DOWN ONE’S SPINE (spina dorsale, si legge “spain”) = sentire brividi lungo la propria spina dorsale (nel senso “atterrirsi”;più forte di “to be afraid=avere paura”).- TO FEEL PUT (put/put=mettere) TOGETHER = sentirsi in ordine/a proprio agio = AT (ONE’S) EASE=FEELING CONFIDENT (sicuri). V.a. “ILL AT EASE=a disagio”.- TO FIGHT (fought/fought=combattere) LIKE CATS AND DOGS=essere sempre controqualcuno. V.a. “TO FIGHT TOOTH AND NAIL=lottare con le unghia e con i denti (notare il sing.re nella frase inglese)”. Simile a “TO STICK (stuck/stuck=conficcare) TO ONE’S GUNS (pistole, si legge “gans”)=tenere duro/non mollare”.- TO FILL (riempire) SOMEONE IN = dare a … l’informazione più recente/l’ultima.Eg: Can someone fill me in on what has (NO “is”) happened? Espressioni simili sono: TO GIVE SOMEONE THE LOWDOWN (verità) ON …= dare A … informazioni riservate e confidenziali. Eg. After being out of the office (dopo essersi assentata dall’ufficio) for six weeks, Ann asked me to give her (di darle) the lowdown on what she had missed (su ciò che le era sfuggito). TO GET INFORMATION (SEMPRE al sing.re)= assumere informazioni. TO GET THE SCOOP (mestolo e anche “colpo giornalistico”, si legge “scup”)=ottenere informazioni spesso prima di altri (to scoop up=tirare su). V.a. “TO IMPRESS … WITH …=fare colpo/impressionare favorevolmente … (uno o più persone) con … e TO FILL A GAP (distanza/spazio vuoto/divario)=colmare una lacuna”. N.B. “To fill up” è usato anche nel senso di “fare il pieno di benzina”. Eg. I must fill my car up.- TO FISH = pescare. V.a. “TO FISH FOR=cercare di ottenere”. Eg. To fish for compliments (riferito a chi parla delle sue virtù, il senso è “cercare complimenti”).- TO FLY (flew/flown=volare) OFF THE SHELVES (scaffali, sing.re “shelf”)=espressione riferita a un oggetto che si vende molto bene. Eg. His book flies off the shelves at bookstores around the country. V.a. “TO FLAY (SENZA “in”) ECONOMY/BUSINESS CLASS=volare IN classe economica/business e HIGH-FLYER=persona di successo/ giovane in carriera=UP-AND-COMING=emergente”.- TO FORK (biforcare) OVER/TO SHELL (sgusciare) OUT = dare/pagare controvoglia= unwillingly=against the grain (grano). V.a. A GRAIN OF SENSE=un po’ di buon senso.- TO GASP (ansimare) FOR BREATH (respiro, si legge “breth”)=respirare a fatica.V.a. “IN THE SAME BREATH=contemporaneamente/simultaniamente”.- TO FULFIL (fulfilled/fulfilled) A DUTY = adempiere a un dovere.- TO GET (got/got) TO DO (eg. something) = riuscire a fare (qualcosa). Eg. I’ll tell him if I get to see him=glielo dico se riesco a vederlo.- TO GET UP AND RUNNING = andare a pieno regime.- TO GIVE (gave/given=dare) CREDIT WHEN CREDIT IS DUE (dovuto) = dare a Cesare quello che è di Cesare (met.co).- TO GIVE IN WITHOUT STRUGGLE (lotta/lottare si legge “stragol”) = cedere senza opporre resistenza. Il verbo to give usato come “richiesta”, a differenza di altri (eg. to look at/about/for, to think of/about, etc.) regge o meno il “to” se è seguito o non è seguito dall’oggetto. Eg. Give that book to me. Give me that book.- TO GIVE … THE CREEPS (brividi) = dare a qualcuno il voltastomaco.Eg. Tatoos (tatuaggi, si legge “tatìus”) give me the chreeps.- TO GIVE SOMEONE (SENZA “to”) A PIECE (pezzo, si legge “pis”) OF ONE’S MIND = TO TELL (SENZA “to”) SOMEONE OFF = dire A …. il fatto suo/tutto quanto si ha nel …. stomaco/in mente. Eg. Tom has still been so rude (maleducato/sgarbato) TO (NO “with”) me that I’m going to give him a piece of my mind. Un’espressione meno forte è: TO LET (SENZA “to”) SOMEONE KNOW WHAT ONE REALLY THINKS=fare conoscere/esporre A … cosa realmente si pensa.- TO GIVE SOMEONE AN INCH AND HE’LL TAKE A MILE (miglio, si legge “mail”) = dategli un dito e si prenderà il braccio (met.co).- TO GIVE SOMEONE THE RUNAROUND (senza la “s”) = prendere scuse/tirarla per le lunghe. Eg. He keeps giving me the runaround=continua a prendere scuse.Notare l’espressione “to get the runaround=rinviare una richiesta”. Eg. I’ve been getting the runaround from my boss regarding a pay raise = aumento di stipendio.- TO GIVE SOMEONE THE SILENT TREATMENT = togliere la parola. Eg. Why is he giving me the silent treatment? – Because he is mad with (arrabbiato con) you for not inviting him ON your ski (to ski=sciare, si legge “schi”) trip/TO your party.- TO GO (went/gone/TO COME (came/come) + verbo (SENZA “to”) = andare/venire A … (per esempio) vedere (to go/to come see …). V.a. “IN THE LONG/SHORT RUN=nel lungo/breve andare e TO GO=che mancano”. Eg. There are still two years to go before my contract expires (da to expire=scadere, si legge echspaier”). - TO GO + a colour si usa per indicare il cambiamento da un colore in un altro.- TO GO ALL OUT = fare tutto il possibile. V.a. “DON’T STRETCH (tirare/allargare le braccia, si legge “strec”) THE TRUTH (verità)!=non esagerare”!- TO GO ALONG WAY = durare a lungo (nel senso “avere successo”) e anche “essere più che sufficiente”. Eg. A little can go along way = con poco si può (anche) andarelontano (met.co)/fare molto. N.B. “ALONG si usa anche nel senso di “insieme”. Eg.Why don’t you come along with (insieme a) us to the party tonight?- TO GO ALONG WITH IT = acconsentire. Eg. Before we present our proposal to the CEO, we have to get our manager to go along with it. Simile a “TO AGREE TO A PLAN =aderire a un progetto”. Eg. A viable (fattibile, si legge “vàiable”) plan.- (TO GO) BACK TO THE DRAWING (disegno “drouingh”) BOARD (tavola di legno, silegge “boord”) = ricominciare da zero. V.a. “TO DRAW A LINE=porre un limite”.- TO GO BELLY-UP = andare a pancia in su/all’aria (met.co) anche nel senso di “TO GO BANKRUPT (fallito)=fallire”.- TO GO BLANK = confondersi/andare in pallone (blank=(ag.vo) in bianco; (sost.vo)= vuoto, si legge “blanch).- TO GO BY THE NAME … = si fa chiamare … (usato come “nickname=soprannome”).- TO GO DOWNHILL = TO WORSEN = peggiorare. Eg. The service at this hotel has (NO “is”) gone downhill (discesa, si legge “daunhil”).- TO GO FOR IT = intraprendere qualcosa/assumendosi dei rischi = taking ON risk. Eg. I’m thinking of applying to film school (di iscrivermi a una scuola di film) – I believe you should it! Il verbo è meno forte di “TO MOVE FULL STEAM AHEAD ON/WITH …= procedere con entusiasmo/a tutto vapore su/con …” . V.a. “GO FOR IT=dai provaci”.- TO GO FROM BAD TO WORSE = andare DI male IN peggio. Eg. It serves to right!=ti sta bene/peggio per te!- TO GO HAND IN HAND = andare insieme/di pari passo/d’accordo.V.a. “HAND-MADE=fatto a mano=BY HAND”.- TO GO IN ONE EAR AND OUT THE OTHER=entrare da un orecchio e uscire dall’altro.- TO GO INTO TOWN = andare in centro città. Diverso da “TO REALLY GO TO TOWN= esagerare”.- TO GO MAINSTREAM = andare secondo la corrente. Eg. To attempt to go mainstream=tentare di adeguarsi. V.a. “A STREAM OF CHATTER/CARS=un fiume di chiacchere/una lunga fila di macchine”.- TO GO NATIVE (si legge “neitiv”) = assumere le abitudini degli abitanti del posto dove ci si trova. Simile a “TO START BEHAVING LIKE THE LOCALS”, può seguire il vecchio motto (old saying): WHEN IN ROME, DO AS THE ROMANS DO!=se sei all’estero (overseas. V.a. ELSEWHERE=altrove), comportati come la gente del luogo!- TO GO OFF = essere una seccatura. Eg. My alarm clock goes off (rompe le scatole) every morning at seven.- TO GO ON A PICNIC = andare a fare un picnic (in senso generale).N.B. L’espressione simile è: TO GO TO THE PICNIC (in senso specifico da indicare; eg. “organized by …=organizzato da …”).- TO GO ON A RIDE (corsa, si legge “raid”) = andare a fare un giro (a piedi/in macchina) può seguire “and go out a lot=e divertirsi/spassarsela=TO FROLIC”.V.a. “TROLLEY (carrello) RIDE”=corsa in tram”. Eg. “A 15-minute trolley ride”.- TO GO OUT ON (NO “in”) THE TOWN = uscire per divertirsi = to have fun (in genere per andare: “at bars, restaurants or clubs”). Simile a “TO PAINT (dipingere) THE TOWN RED (“often by drinking a lot”)”. In generale: TO SOMETHING FOR ONES’ KICKS (calci, si legge “chichs”)=fare qualcosa per propio divertimento.V.a. “RED LIGHT ZONE=zona a luci rosse” (dove trovare prostitute).- TO GO RIGHT THROUGH THE ROOF (tetto esterno si legge “ruf” diverso da “ceiling” =soffitto, si legge “silngh”) = aumentare notevolmente.Eg: Taxes are going right through the roof. His anger went right through the roof suddently=la sua rabbia esplose improvvisamente=AT A STROKE (ictus, si legge “strouch”)=OUT OF THE BLUE=sorprendentemente. V.a. “TO HIT (hit/hit=colpire) THE ROOF=andare su tutte le furie e TO HIT THE ROCKS=andare in malora/toccare il fondo (met.co)”.- TO GO TO (NO “in”) PIECES = avere una reazione negativa/un crollo psicologico.Eg. When Craig got rejected (fu rifiutato) from/by Tiffany, he went to pieces (pezzi). - TO GO TO SCHOOL = riprendere gli studi. V.a. “NURSERY SCHOOL=asilo mido e TO SHELTER=rifugiarsi/rigugio/asilo/riparo”.- TO GRAB (grabbed/grabbed=afferrare, si legge “graab”) A BITE = prendere un boccone. Eg: Let’s grab a bite=mangiamo qualcosa. Up for grabs (presa/stretta)=a disposizione di tutti.- TO GRADUATE WITH A FIRST = laurearsi (let. con un primo) con il massimo dei voti.- TO GROW/GREW/GROWN = (far) crescere (es. un’attività, diverso “TO GROW UP= diventare adulto”). N.B. “To grow” non ha lo stesso significato italiano, infatti per tradurre “ho cresciuto i miei figli” si usano i verbi “TO RAISE o TO BRING UP”.V.a. “EVER-GROWING=sempre in crescita”.- TO GUESS (si legge “ghes”) = indovinare; sost.vo “congettura/supposizione”.Eg: Guess who’s coming to dinner=indovina chi viene a cena (è anche il titolo di un noto film). Your guess is as good as mine=ne so quanto te.- TO HAND ONTO (segue l’indicazione di una cosa) = tenere/non rinunciare a… .Eg. I’ll just hang onto this… .- TO HAND WASH = lavare a mano.- TO HANG (hung/hanged=appendere/impiccare) IN BALANCE (met.co) = essere appeso a un filo. Eg. The situation hangs in balance.- TO HANG IN THERE (non mollare)/TO PERSEVERE (si legge “preservìar”)= perseverare. V.a. “TO HANG UP=chiudere il telefono e HOLD ON (PLEASE)=attenda”.- TO HAVE … (indicare un oggetto) TO ONESELF/YOURSELF/YOURSELVES = avere … PER se/te/voi stessi.- TO HAVE A BAD RAP (colpo, si legge “rap”) = avere una brutta reputazione.- TO HAVE A BIT OF LIFE IN US/THEIR, YET = abbiamo/hanno ancora (av.bio) da vive-re (non si è ancora decrepiti). N.B. YET è anche congiunzione e, come tale, significa “ma/tuttavia”. Eg. New York is a beatifull city, yet the weather (tempo atmosferico, da non confondere con “whether=se”) isn’t always great.V.a. “BETTER YET=ancora meglio e UNDER THE WEATHER (tempo atmosferico)=giùdi tono Eg. Eg. I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather lately=mi sento un pò giùdi tono in questi giorni/di recente.- TO HAVE A COLD (freddo, si legge “cold”) = essere raffreddati/avere IL raffreddore.Eg. I often have a cold ON (NO “in”) a winter day.- TO HAVE A CRAVE (da to crave=bramare, si legge “creiv”) FOR (in genere riferito al cibo) = avere un gran voglia di … . Eg. I have a crave (or I am carving) for fish=ho tanta voglia di (mangiare) pesce. V.a. “TO FEEL LIKE + ger.dio/sost.vo=avere voglia di … e LONGINGLY (nostalgia, si legge “lònghinglili”)=con vivo desiderio”. - TO HAVE A CRUSH (infatuazione, si legge “crosh”) ON SOMEONE/TO HAVE THE HOTS (da hot=caldo) FOR…=avere una cotta PER ... (indicare il nome).- TO HAVE A DESK JOB = avere/svolgere un lavoro da scrivania.- TO HAVE A FEW SCREWS LOOSE (allentato, NO “loosed”, viti lente) = avere qualche rotella fuori posto. Simile a TO BE NOT QUITE ALL THERE. (Notare la differenza tra to loose/loosed/loosed=sciogliere/allentare e to lose/lost/lost=perdere (entrambi gli infiniti si leggono “lus”) da cui il sostantivo “loser=perdente”).V.a. “TO BE AT LOOSE (a piede libero) END=non avere nulla da fare”.- TO HAVE A FLUTTER (movimento rapido, si legge “flatar”) ON … = scommettere (TO BET/BET/BET) su … .- TO HAVE A GO = fare una prova/un tentativo.- TO HAVE A (GOOD) HEAD FOR… = TO PROVE (provare/dimostrare, si legge “pruv”) A NATURAL AT + ger.dio/sost.vo = essere portato per (es. studiare/affari)/avere il bernoccolo DELLA … (eg. Math=matemtica). Eg. The head/remarkable aptitude (notevole predisposizione, si legge “rimarchbol aptitiud”) for business.- TO HAVE A GOOD HEAD ON ONE’S SHOULDERS=avere la testa sulle spalle (met.co).- TO HAVE A HAND IN … = avere a che fare CON … . L’opposto è “TO SEE THE BACK OF …=liberarsi di … (il senso è “non averlo più tra i piedi”)”.- TO HAVE A LOT OF NERVE = avere un bel coraggio (anche sarc.co). Simile a “TO HAVE SOME NERVE + (SENZA prep.ne) ger.dio=avere un bel coraggio/la faccia tosta nel/per + verbo” e TO HAVE THE GUTS (budella, si legge “gats”) TO + verbo (met.co) =avere il fegato (liver, si legge “livar”) DI/PER ….”. L’opposto è “TO HAVE A LITTLE STOMACH”. Eg. He has a little stomach for + ger.dio=egli non ha (il) coraggio per … . - TO HAVE A REAL SENSE OF ACHIEVEMENT (raggiungimento) FOR/WHEN … = esseremolto soddisfatti per/quando … .- TO HAVE A SHORT FUSE (fusibile/valvola, si legge “fiùs”) = avere poca pasienza.V.a. “SHORTAGE=carenza (si legge ”scortig”)”.- TO HAVE ALL DAY TO PLAY GAMES = avere tempo da perdere.- TO HAVE AN ARGUMENT/A DISAGREEMENT/A BICKERING (contrasto, battibecco, si legge “bìcheringh) = avere una diversità di vedute/un disaccordo. L’opposto è “TO SYMPATHIZE (condividere/essere d’accordo, si legge “simpatais”) WITH …”.Eg. I sympathize with him IN (NO “with”) his feelings=condivido i suoi sentimenti.- TO HAVE BIG/LARGE HANDS (let. avere grandi/larghe mani, met.co) = avere una ottima manualità. Può seguire “and a great eye for attention to detail (dettaglio, si legge “dìteil”)”.- TO HAVE BUDGETS (preventivi, si legge “bagets”) = avere disponibilità economiche.- TO HAVE BUTTERFLIES (farfalle) IN ONE’S STOMACH = essere nervoso (per un esame/incontro) = TO FEEL NERVOUS.- TO HAVE COME A LONG WAY = avere maturato una buona esperienza personale e professionale.- TO HAVE FOREVER = avere tutta la vita davanti (es. per realizzare qualcosa).- TO HAVE GONE PUBLIC ON = rendere di pubblico dominio.- TO HAVE LINGERED = ESSERE durato/a (to linger=indugiare, si legge” lingher”).- TO HAVE (NOT) LIVED UP (TO ALL) THE EXPECTATIONS = (non) essere all’altezza delle aspettative/situazioni.- TO HAVE NOT A CLUE (traccia, si legge “clu”) = non averne la più pallida idea.- TO HAVE LOVE HANDLES (maniglie dell’amore) = non avere una vita snella/avere un po’ di pancetta.- TO HAVE NO CLUE (indizio/traccia, legge “cliu”) = non averne idea. Eg: I have no clue what it is=non ho idea di cosa sia/di che cosa si tratta. NO CLUE=nessun indizio.- TO HAVE NO SAY = non avere voce in capitolo.- TO HAVE ONE TO MANY (nel senso “uno di troppo”) = bere alcolici (TO IMBIBE, si legge “imbaib”) più di quanto (way above what) dovrebbe=to drink more alcohol than one should. Eg. I can’t drive straight (direttamente A, senza “to”) home, I had one too many. V.a. “TO DRIVE WEDGE (cuneo, si legge ”ueg”) between …=seminare zizzania tra (DUE persone , se sono più di due si usa “among(st)”)”.- TO HAVE ONE’S HAND IN EVERY PIE (torta, di legge “pai”)=intrufolarsi in ogni cosa/essere invadente. V.a. “ TO HAVE A FINGER IN THE PIE=avere le mani in pasta (il senso è “essere addentro alle cose”)”.- TO HAVE ONE’S HEART SET ON + ger.dio = desiderare qualcosa intensamente.Eg. I have my heart set (to set/set/set=mettere/collocare) on going to New York. V.a. “SET POINT=punto fermo, ALL SET?=tutto pronto?, SET AGAINST…= confrontato A …, AT ODDS WITH=in dissidio/lite con …, A SET OF …= una serie di …, SET OF RULES/VALUES=insieme di regole/valori, IT IS OF VALUE TO … =è valido (eg. for the taking)/importante PER …, TO BEND (bent/bent=piegare) THE RULES=fare uno strappo alle regole, TO SET BACK=ostacolare; e SETBACK=ostacolo/contrattempo”. Eg. I had a setback that is why I am arriving (da to arrive=arrivare, sost.vo arrivo, si legge “eraiv”) so late=così tardi.- TO HAVE ONE’S LIFE MATTER = fare in modo che la mia/sua/loro vita abbia unsenso/significato.- TO HAVE ONE’S SOURCES = avere le proprie fonti d’informazione (che, spesso, non si vogliono rilevare).- TO HAVE OTHERS DO SOMENTHING = fare sì che altri facciano (o un altro faccia) qualcosa (da specificare).- TO HAVE SKELETONS IN ONE’S CLOSET = avere scheletri nel … armadio (met.co).- TO HAVE SOMEONE’S NUMBER = avere scoperto il comportamento (subdolo= sneaky, si legge “snichi”) di … . Eg. I’ve got your number now=ti ho scoperto ora (in genere segue: the jig (si legge “ghigh”) is up!=la musica/il balletto (met.co) è finita/o). Espressioni simili sono: THE JIG IS UP=ti ho colto in fallo. THE GAME IS UP/ OVER (più usato)=il giochetto è finito. TO HAVE SOMEONE FIGURED OUT=inquadrare … (nel senso “capire il tipo”).- TO HAVE TIME ON ONE’S HANDS = avere tempo a (es. mia) disposizione.- TO HAVE TO DO WITH …=avere a che fare con … . Simile a “TO DEAL/DEALT/DEALT(elargire/distribuire le carte) WITH … = trattare con …”.V.a. “DEAL ME OUT=lasciatemi fuori (il senso è “non voglio essere coinvolto”)”.- TO HAVE TO MOVE WITH THE TIMES = stare al passo con i tempi = TO KEEP UP WITH THE TIMES.- TO HAVE TO SORT OF … = avere una specie di … (eg. agree=accordo).- TO HAVE (eg. A CARD/AN ACE) UP ONE’S SLEEVE=avere un asso nella … manica. - TO HAVE YOUR HEART IN THE RIGHT PLACE = avere buone intenzioni di riparare anche se si è commesso uno sbaglio.- TO HEAR (heard/heard=sentire) IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE (vite, si legge “greipvain”) THAT… = per sentito dire = TO HEAR RUMOR (diceria). Eg. I heard through the grapevine that Ann’s husband is leaving her to marry Dorothy.- TO HELP SOMEBODY TO + ag.vo possessivo FEET (piedi; sing.re “FOOT”) = aiutare … a rialzarsi (anche met.co). V.a. “BAREFOOT (si legge “bearfut”)=a piedi nudi”.- ,TO HIS/HER CREDIT, = …, bisogna riconoscergli/le, (è un’incidentale).- TO HIT (hit/hit=colpire) A SNAG (intoppo) = incontrare/affrontare delle difficoltà.Simile a “TO MEET A CHALLENGE=affrontare una difficoltà/sfida”. L’opposto è “TOGO SMOOTHLY=andare agevolmente/senza difficoltà”.- TO HIT ALL THE RIGHT NOTES FOR … = essere perfetto (flawless=senza difetti/ impeccabile) per … . V.a. “FLAW (si legge “floo”)=difetto/errore”.- TO HIT IT OFF = mettersi subito sentimentalmente insieme (il senso è “to get along great from the start”).- TO HIT THE BOOKS = TO START STUDYING = cominciare a studiare (fimalmente).V.a. “TO STUDY FOR KNOWELEDGE’S SAKE (interesse, si legge “seich”)=studiare peril piacere di conoscere/della conoscenza”.- TO HIT THE HAY (fieno, si legge “hei”) = andare a dormire. Eg. You look tired, it is time for you to hit the hay! V.a. “TO SLEEP LIKE A LOG (ceppo)=dormire come un sasso e TO NOD (nodded/nodded=accennare/cenno col capo) OFF=addormentarsi”.- TO HIT THE HEADLINES (titoli) = fare notizia sui giornali/giungere in cronaca.- TO HIT THE MAINSTREAM = essere di massa/popolare (in genere è riferito a un gioco/sport/prodotto). V.a. “TO BE ON STREAM (corrente)=essere IN produzione”.- TO HIT THE MARK/SPOT (macchia) = colpire nel segno (met.co, il senso è “… ben soddisfa un desiderio”).- TO HIT THE ROAD ON … = andare in giro per la città/il paese PER … (eg. a publicity tour). V.a. “TWO-LINE (linea, si legge “lain”) ROAD=strada a due corsie e ONE FOR THE ROAD=il bicchiere della staffa (nel senso “l’ultimo prima di andare via”)”.- TO HIT THE SHELVES (scaffali, il sing.re è shelf) = essere pronti (si riferisce a “prodotti”) per essere venduti/in commercio=ON THE SHELF.- TO HOLD (held/held=tenere) FAST TO … = mantenersi/essere fedeli a … .- TO HOLD GOOD = essere ancora valido (riferito a promessa/offerta). Eg. If your invitation still holds good, I will come tomorrow for lunch. V.a. “TO HOLD A CANDLE (candela, si legge “candl”) TO …=reggere il confronto CON …”. L’opposto è “TO PALE (impallidire/pallido, si legge “peal”) IN COMPARATION TO/WITH=non reggere il confronto rispetto a/con …” e “IN comparation with …=A confronto con …”.- TO HOLD OUT FOR … = attendere l’occasione/la persona che si auspica migliore. Eg. We’ve received several offers ON (NO “for”) our house, but we’re holding out (resistendo) for a price we think is fair. Il senso è “to keep refusing (mantenere il rifiuto) with the hope that the ideal thing/person will come later”.- TO HOLD SOMETHING AGAINST SOMEONE = avercela con … /tenere il broncio a … . Eg. I’m sorry I got the promotion you were hoping for, I hope you won’t hold IT (da indicare SEMPRE) against me.- TO INSIST ON + gerd. = insistere PER … .Eg. He doesn’t like pizza and insists ON going to restaurant instead.- TO JUMP (saltare, si legge “giamp”) THE CHANCE = cogliere un’occasione al volo. Simile a “TO HOP IN=salire/saltare SU”. Eg. Hop in! I give you a lift (ascensore/sollevamento)/ride (si legge “raid”)=sali che ti do un passaggio/strappo.- TO KEEP (kept/kept=tenere/mantenere) A WARY (diffidente, si legge “ueri”) EYE ON SOMEONE = diffidare di qualcuno. Eg. I don’t trust (fidarsi DI) Douglas, keep a wary eye on him (nel senso “controlliamolo”).- TO KEEP … AT BAY (baia, si legge bei”) = tenere … lontano. Eg. US scientists (si legge “sàientists”) say that eating dried (secco, si legge “draid”) apples can keep cholesterol at bay. V.a. “TO KEEP ONE’S EYES OPEN=tenere gli occhi aperti”.-TO KEEP ALIVE … = mantenere viva (eg. A tradition that dates back thousands of years). Simile a “TO BRING/BROUGHT/BROUGHT (portare) ALIVE=vivacizzare”.Eg. The story is brought alive by … V.a. “ALIVE AND WELL=vivo e vegeto e TO KEEP THINGS ON TRACK (traccia/pista)=mantenere le cose a un buon livello”.- TO KEEP CLUTTER (disordine, si legge “clatar”/confusione=mess) = ingombrare.- TO KEEP FIT=tenersi in forma. V.a. TO FIT LIKE A GLOVE (guanto)=stare a pennello.- TO KEEP IT DOWN = parlare a bassa voce (eg. You might want to keep it down= potresti parlare piano). Un’espressione comune è “KEEP IT DOWN=abbassa la voce/parla piano (ti possono/non farti sentire)”.- TO KEEP ON AND ON + ger.dio ABOUT ger.dio = continuare/insistere a …. circa … .- (TO) KEEP ONE’S CHIN (si legge “cin”) UP (let. tenere (alto) il proprio mento) = essere ottimista/positivo=UPBIT. Simile a “TO KNOW (knew/known=conoscere) FOR SURE (DI sicuro, si legge “sciuar”)”=essere certi/sicuri.- TO KEEP ONE’S EAR (orecchio, si legge “”iar”) TO THE GROUND (terra/suolo, si legge “graund”) = stare in campana/in silenzio e raccogliere utili informazioni.- TO KEEP UP WITH (THE LATEST TRENDS) = tenere il passo con (le ultime tendenze). Eg. Business is (NO “are”) all about to keep up with the competition=negli affari si deve seguire attentamente la concorrenza.V.a. “HAVE YOU HEARD THE LATEST?”=la sapete l’ultima”?- TO KICK ONESELF FOR + ger.dio = dolersi (to regret/regretted/regretted= rimpiangere (SENZA “for”, da cui “REGRETS=rimpianti”) something. Eg. I regret to say that… = mi duole dirvi che … (eg. I’m kicking myself for telling that/about…). - TO KNOW (knew/known=sapere) THE TRICKS (trucchi, si legge “trichs”) OF THE TRADE (comercio, si legge”treid”) = conoscere i segreti del mestiere”.V.a. “TO TRY EVERY TRICK IN THE BOOK TO … = fare/tentare di tutto PER … e TRICK (trucco/inganno/stratagemma) OR TREAT (godimento) è la frase che i bimbi diconodurante la festa di Halloween e con la quale chiedono dolci”.- TO LAND = atterrare. L’opposto è “TO TAKE OFF”=decollare. V.a. “TO LAND A JOB= trovare lavoro e TO LAND/FALL ON ONE’S FEET=cadere (anche met.co)”.- TO LAY/LAID/LAID (stendere) SOMETHING OUT IN BLACK AND WITE (let. sistemare(TO LAY OUT) … in nero e bianco) = mettere (es. una decisione) nero su bianco (il senso è “scriverla/applicarla”). V.a. “TO LAY (laid/laid) BARE (nudo, si legge “beer”)= rilevare”. Eg: His faults were laid bare=i sui difetti furono messi a nudo. The cupboard is bare=la credenza è vuota.- TO LEAD (led/led=condurre/guidare) SOMEONE BY THE NOSE = menare qualcuno PER il naso (il senso è “prendere in giro)” = TO MOCK = TO TEASE (si legge “tiz”).- TO LEARN ONE’S LESSON = avere imparato la …. lezione (eg. “after + ger.dio”).- TO LEAVE (left/left=lasciare or TO GET OUT OF) ONE’S COMFORT ZONE = lasciare le proprie solite/confortevoli abitudini perché costretto a fare qualcosa che si preferirebbe non fare. - TO LEAVE THE … AT … = uscire DA (es. casa, ufficio, etc.) alle (indicare l’ora).- TO LET BYGONES BE BYGONES = dimenticare/perdonare i fatti accaduti in passato.- TO LET (let/let=permettere) SOMEBODY DOWN QUITE BADLY = deludere qualcuno abbastanza malamente. Somebody=someone=a person but we don’t know who (chi). N.B. “BADLY” come rafforzativo significa “davvero” (eg. I want to see you badly =devo vederti a tutti i costi=BY ALL MEANS). V.a. “DISAPPOINTMENT=delusione, DON’T LET ME DOWN=non mi deludere e BY ALL MEANS significa anche “certo/ certamante” (eg. May/can I have a cigarette? – By all means!)”. L’opposto è “BY NO MEANS=decisamente no” (eg. This is by no means …=è ben lungi dall’essere …), MEANING LESS=senza senso/per niente/affatto e IN BADLY OFF=in ristrettezze”.- TO LET SOMEBODY KNOW THAT… = fare sapere a qualcuno che … .- TO LET SOMEONE OFF THE HOOK (gancio, si legge “huch”) = liberare … da un dovere/perdonarlo per non averlo eseguito. Eg. I’m not letting you off the hook for …=non mi considerare più disponibile per (es. oggi). V.a. “ON/OFF THE HOOK= nei/fuori dai guai”.- TO LET SOMETHING SLIP (slipped/slipped=scivolare) = accennare qualcosa. Eg. She let something slip about her job.- TO LET THINGS TAKE THEIR COURSE=lasciare che le cose prendano il proprio corso.- TO LICK ONE’S CHOPS (costate, si legge “ciops”) = leccarsi i baffi (met.co).- TO LIE LIKE A TOMBSTONE = mentire (let. come una pietra tombale) spudoratamente. N.B. Il verbo to lie/lied/lied è regolare da non confondere con l’irregolare “to lie/lay (si legge “lei”)/lain=distendere/rsi”. I due verbi hanno in comune il participio pressente “lying”, pertanto: “Ann is lying (si legge “laingh”)=Annsta mentendo/si sta distendendo”. La differenza si capisce dal contesto.- TO LIFT THE CAP (let. alzare il cappuccio) ON … = interessarsi DI … .V.a. “LIFT ME UP !=tirami su! e IT IS OUTSIDE MY SCOPE (ambito e anche “obiettivo”, si legge “scoup”)=non è di mia competenza”.- TO LINE (segnare/fiancheggiare) UP BUMPER (paraurti) TO BUMPER = parcheggiarein fila/uno dietro l’altro.- TO LIVE FROM HAND TO MOUTH (let. vivere dalla mano alla bocca) = vivere stentatamente. V.a. “TO MAKE ENDS MEET=arrivare (a stento) alla fine del mese, TO SCRATCH (grattare, si legge “scrac”) A LIVING, TO GET BY=sbarcare il lunario/tirare avanti, TO LIVE BEYOND ONE’S MEANS=vivere al di sopra dei propri mezzi, TO SAVE + ag.vo possessivo NECK (collo)=cavarsela/passare per il rotto della cuffia=BY THE SKIN (pelle) OF … THEETH (denti)=BY A HAIR/NOSE (naso, si legge “nous”), TO SCRAPE (raschiare, si legge “screip”) THROUGH” (eg: I scraped through the exam=ho superato l’esame per un pelo, IT WAS A CLOSE CALL = (ce l’ho fatta) per un pelo= NARROWLY (eg. He has narrowly (per miracolo) avoid an accident) e TO NITPICK= cercare il pelo nell’uovo (met.co)”.- TO LIVE IT UP = godersela anche spendendo molto/darsi alla bella vita. Eg. We really lived it up=ce la siamo davvero goduta. L’opposto è “TO LIVE WITHIN (dentro) ONE’S INCOME (reddito)=vivere secondo i propri mezzi e TO CAP (capped/capped= limitare, sost.vo “berretto”)/CUT SPENDING=ridurre/tagliare le spese”.- TO LIVE ON THE EDGE = vivere pericolosamente/sotto tensione/sul filo del rasoio. Simile a “TO BE ON THE EDGE OF THE CLIFF (scogliera)=essere sull’orlo (brink=ciglio) del baratro”. V.a. “PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES SHOULDN’T THROW STONES =la gente che vive in case di vetro non dovrebbe tirare pietre (met.co)”.- TO LIVEN (si legge “laiven”) UP = animare (eg: a party/a conversation).- TO LOOK AT QUITE = guardare abbastanza (nel senso “esaminare in profondità”).V.a. “TO LOOK THE OTHER WAY=girarsi dall’altra parte (iI senso è “disinteressarsi”).- TO LOOK DAGGERS (pugnali, si legge “dagars”) AT SOMEONE = guardare … in cagnesco. V.a. “TO LOOK TO…=con l’intento di (eg. to cash in on=lucrare su …)”.- TO LOOK FOR A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK = cercare un ago nel pagliaio (met.co).- TO LOOK FORWARD TO (non vedere l’ora Di + ger.dio = TO LONG (desiderare conardore TO + verbo) HEARING FROM YOU = attendere la risposta (anche e non solo a conclusione di una lettera, in questo caso si può usare “Hope (senza “il soggetto”) to hear you soon”). V.a. “I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU=non vedo l’ora di vederti e TOLOOK FORWARD TO SOMENTHING=essere ansiosi di fare qualcosa”.- TO LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE (FOR YEARS TO COME) = guardare il lato positivo(ancora per molti anni). V.a. “FAT (grasso) YEARS=anni di abbondanza e TO LOOK BRIGHT=appare luminoso”. Eg. The future looks bright for him.- TO LOSE (lost/lost=perdere) ONE’S TEMPER (umore, si legge “tempar”) = perdere la propria pazienza/le staffe. Simile a “TO GET (VERY) ANGRY, TO BE ANGRY AT (NO “with”) SOMEONE FOR …, TO HIT THE ROOF/CEILING/TO THROW (threw/thrown= gettate) A FIT (sost.vo)=lanciare un attacco, TO GO BALLISTC (balistico, termine militare) e TO BLOW (blew/blown=soffiare) ONE’S STACK (catasta/accatastare)”. “Short stack” è la porzione ridotta dei “Pancakes=frittelle di nonna Papera molto comuni in USA come breakfast”. “Sample (si legge “sampol”) them=assaggiatele”.- TO LOSE THE THREAD/TRACK OF…. = perdere il filo/traccia del … (es. discorso, gioco e simili).- TO MAKE (made/made) A BALLS-UP = fare casino. V.a. “TO MAKE A GUESS= avanzare una ipotesi, TO MAKE A LIVING=guadagnarsi da vivere, AT BEST/IN THE BEST/WORSE SCENARIO (si legge “sinerio”)=nella migliore/peggiore delle ipotesi”.- TO MAKE … A LOT OF MONEY = fare guadagnare a … un sacco di soldi (eg. Hundreds of millions of dollars, diverso da: One hundred million of dollars).- TO MAKE A DECISION = prendere una decisione.- TO MAKE A MINT (zecca) = to earn a very large amoun of money.- TO MAKE (indicare la somma) A (indicare il tempo) = guadagnare (eg. $ 100 a day). - TO MAKE AN ALL-OUT (totale) EFFORT (sforzo)= tentare il tutto per tutto.- TO MAKE ONE’S NAME AND WEALTH/MONEY=costruire la propria fama/ricchezza.- TO MAKE A LONG STORY (storia) SHORT = per essere brevi. Eg. To make a long story short, I’ve decided to quit (abbandonare) my job and move to … .V.a. “TO CUT TO THE CHASE (caccia/inseguire, si legge “ceis”)=TO BE BRIEF (eg. In brief=in breve)”=TO GET TO THE POINT=per arrivare al punto, SIMPLY PUT=in poche parole/ in breve/in sintesi=IN A NUTSHELL (guscio di una noce) e TO MOVE INTO A CONVERSATION=cominciare a parlare”. N.B. STORY or ARTICLE=servizio giornalistico, con la differenza che “story” si usa per un servizio giornalistico su un evento “in corso (under way)”, mentre “article” si usa per un servizio giornalistico su un “avvenimento già concluso”.- TO MAKE A MOUNTAIN (montagna, si legge “maunten”) OUT OF A MOLEHILL (piladi terra, si legge”moulhil”) (met.co) = farne un dramma (il senso è”fare di una mosca un elefante”).- TO MAKE A POINT OF SOMETHING (or ger.dio) = attribure importanza a qualcosa.- TO MAKE FUN OF … = prendere in giro … = TO TEASE (si legge “tiis”) = TO LEAD (led/led=condurre; TO LEAD … TO = portare … a/IN) ON = TO PUT SOMEONE ON = TO PULL SOMEONE’S LEG. V.a. “Don’t blow (blew/blown=soffiare) smoke up my ass/arse (si legge “ars”)=(slang) non cercare di prendermi per il culo e TO DO EVERYTHING HALF-ARSED (con mezzo culo, slang)=fare tutto male/con il culo”.Eg: A single dish menu is better of trying to do stuff (roba, si legge “staf”) half-arsed=è meglio un solo piatto nel menu che proporre cose fatte male. This menu has anexcellent choice (scelta, si legge “ciois”) of desserts.- TO MAKE FUSS (brontolio/agitarsi, si legge “fas”) = fare storie/protestare.- TO MAKE HEADWAY/PROGRESS + ger.dio = fare progressi. In questa espressione i sinonimi “headway e progress” significano “progresso”, ma, a differenza che in italiano, vanno usati spempre al SINGOLARE.- TO MAKE IT CLEAR … = rendere chiaro. Eg. I’ve said enough to make it clear what I’m talking about.- TO MAKE IT UP TO SOMEONE = fare una cosa gentile (anche a compensazione).Eg. Sorry I have to cancel our date (appuntamento in genere galante), but let me make (SENZA “to” come per tutti i verbi retti da “let”) it up to you – How? (come? nel senso “cosa vuoi fare per me”) – I’ll/Let me … segue la proposta.- TO MAKE MONEY HAND OVER FIST (pugno, si legge “fist”) BY + ger.dio = fare (velocemente=AT SPEED) soldi a palate. Eg. Mark is making money hand over fist by buying old apartment buildings, renovating them and then renting (da to rent= affittare) them out. Espressione simili sono: “TO MAKE TOP DOLLAR or THE BIG BUCKS (slang, si legge “bachs”=dollari=GREENBUCKS,) e TO MAKE A QUICK BUCK= guadagnare in fretta con poca fatica”. L’opposto è “TO RUN (ran/run) OUT/SHORT OF MONEY=restare al verde/a corto di soldi=TO BE BROKE (rotto)/CASH-STRAPPED (da to strap=legare con una cinghia)”. V.a. “IT WAS A SLOG=è stata una fatica-ccia”.- TO MAKE ONE’S BLOOD (si legge “blad”) BOIL = fare bollire il … (proprio o altrui) sangue dalla rabbia.- TO MAKE ONE’S DAY = TO GIVE A CHUCKLE (risatina, si legge “ciacol”) = rallegrare la giornata/fare sorridere.- TO MAKE PLANS (NO “plan”) = progettare UN piano/cercare UNA strategia.- TO MAKE RESERVATIONS AT + ristorante/teatro e simili = prenotare (to book/ reserve) posti al … .- TO MAKE SENSE = avere senso. Eg. I think there are lots of reasons why it makes sense.- TO MAKE SOMEBODY (SENZA “to”) GIVE … (eg. him information (informazione/i),SEMPRE al sing.re) = costringere qualcuno a dare … .- TO MAKE THE ACQAINTANCE OF… = TO BECOME ACQAINTED WITH … = conoscersi con …/fare la conoscenza di … . V.a. “TO ACQUAINT=essere edotto”. Eg. He made himself acquainted with his new duies=si rese edotto delle sue nuove mansioni.- TO MAKE THE MOST OUT OF = sfruttare al meglio (eg. opportunities=occasioni).- TO MAKE UP A STORY ABOUT… = inventare un fatto per giustificare il mancatorispetto di un impegno. TO MAKE UP FOR = recuperare (eg. lost time, SENZA “the”).- TO MAKE UP ONE’S MIND (mente, si legge “maind”) = decidere/rsi.Eg. I need to make up my mind quickly.- TO MAKE SURE (SENZA “that”) … = essere sicuri/certi CHE … .- TO MAKE THE BEST OF (trarre il meglio DA) A BAD JOB = fare buon viso a cattivo gioco = TO PUT ON A BRAVE FACE = TO ROLL (rotolare) WITH THE PUNCHES (pugni, si legge “pancis”). V.a. TO TAKE THIS IN ONE’S STRIDE (passo, si legge “straid”). Eg. Mark is the most hated (odiato, si legge “heitd”) man, but he takes this in his stride.- TO MAKE WAVES (onde, si legge “uevs”) = smuovere le acque/sollevare un polverone (met.co).- TO MEAN (meant/meant=significare) BY + sost.vo o ger.dio = intendere PER …/volere dire CON … . Eg. I didn’t mean to offend you by laughing=non intendevo offenderti ridendo. V.a. “TO MEAN BUSINESS=fare sul serio”. N.B. Business (countable)=impresa/società. Business (uncountable) affare/i (SEMPRE al sing.re).- TO MEASURE (misurare, si legge “megiar”) UP TO … = essere all’altezza DI/ DEL/ DELLO… . Eg. The exhibition didn’t measure up to last year=la mostra non era all’altezza di quella dello scorso anno. V.a. “BY MANY MEASURES=da/sotto molti punti di vista”.- TO MELT IN (ONE’S) MOUTH = si scioglie in bocca (riferito a un cibo). Una simile espressione è: THE … IS TO DIE FOR=il (indicare un cibo) è (let. da morire) buonissimo. V.a. “BEYOND PRAISE (lode, si legge “preis”)=superiore a ogni elogio”.- TO MENTION = citare (si legge “mencion”). Eg. Not to mention/without mentioning =per non parlare DI=TO SAY NOTHING OF… . - TO MISS THE BOAT (barca, si legge “bot”) TO DO DEALS = perdere l’occasione per concludere/fare accordi/affari=AFFAIRS significa anche “relazioni amorose”.- TO MORE THE MERRIER (allegro (da merry, si legge “meri”) = più siamo meglio è.- TO MOVE ON = smettere di temporeggiare (TO PLAY FOR TIME)/piangersi addosso(in genere segue “voltare pagina=TO TURN OVER A NEW LEAF” (foglia, si legge ”lif”;pl.re “leaves” si legge “livs”).- TO MOVE OUT = abitare per proprio conto. V.a. “TO MOVE ABOARD=traslocare/trasferirsi all’estero e TO MOVE BACK HOME = tornare a vivere con i genitori”.- TO MULL SOMETHING OVER=rimuginare su qualcosa. Eg. Are you going to take thenew job you’ve been offered (che ti è stato offerto)? – I don’t know, I’m still mulling it over=non so, ci sto ancora pensando su.- TO NOT BE ABLE TO KEEP/TAKE ONE’S EYES OFF …. = non riuscire a staccare i …. occhi da una persona o cosa molto attraente. Eg. Today I met a girl so beautiful thatI couldn’t keep my eyes off her. N.B. OFF aggettivo (es. spento/annullato)/avverbio.Off preceduto da un giorno significa “libero”, eg. Sunday off.- TO NOT BREAK THE BANK = TO BE CHEAP = essere poco costoso (il senso è “non c’è pericolo di rovinarsi”). V.a. “FOR A SONG (canzone)=per due soldi/una miseria”.Eg. I bought (da to buy/bought/bought=comprare) it for a song.- TO ONE ANOTHER = ad un altro. Eg. No one was talking to one another=nessuno parlava con/ad un altro.- TO OPEN A CAN (scatola di latta per cibi) OF WORMS (vermi) = aprire il vaso di Pandora (il senso è “fare qualcosa che procura danni/fastidi”). V.a. “TRASH CAN= bidone della spazzatura”.- TO OVERREACT (ingannare/andare oltre) ONESELF = fare il passo più lungo della (propria) gamba (met.co).- TO PALE IN COMPARATION TO (NO “with”)… = impallidire in confronto a …/non essere paragonabile a… .- TO PART (separarsi) WITH … = rinunciare A … con riluttanza (reluctance) = TO GIVE UP=rinunciare, più forte di TO GIVE IN=cedere. Eg. Don’t give up, I’m sure you’ll succeed eventually=non destire, sono sicuro che ce la farai prima o poi.V.a. “TO STOP USING=interrompere l’uso DI … e TO INTERRUPT SOMEBODY/TO CUT SOMEBODY OFF=interrompere … mentre sta parlando”.- TO PASS ON ONE’S KNOWLEDGE (sapere (sost.vo)/cognizioni, si legge “noleg”)= trasmettere le … conoscenze.- TO PATCH (rattoppare, si legge “pac”) THINGS UP (WITH …) = sistemare le cose/riconciliarsi (con).- TO PAY IN/BY INSTALLMENTS = pagare a rate. V.a. “PAYOFF=conclusione”.- TO PAY ON THE NAIL = pagare sull’unghia (nel senso “tutto e subito”).V.a. TO PAY OFF=avere successo. N.B. TO PAY + sost.vo può assumere il significato di “fare”. Eg: To pay attention/a compliment/a visit.- TO PAY THROUGH THE NOSE (naso, si legge “nous”) = pagare troppo. Eg. John paysthrough the nose for heating (riscaldamento). Simile a “TO BE HIGHWAY/ROBBERY/OVERPRICED/WAY TOO MUCH=essere troppo costoso”=charging too much money = fare pagare ingiustificatamente un alto prezzo”).V.a. l’espressione “HIGHWAY (autostrada) ROBBERY”. Eg. He is asking $ 10 PER/FOR indicare un prodotto/servizio that is (SENZA “a”) highway robbery!=è un furto!N.B. Si usa PER se ci si riferisce a “uno di tanti altri” (I plaid $ 1 PER person), ma se ci si riferisce a “uno solo”si usa FOR (I paid $ 1 FOR him). Notare in detta espressione il particolare significato (eccessivo) del sost.vo highway. V.a. “AFFORDABLE=a prezzi modici e FARE (si legge “fear”)=prezzo di una corsa in treno, aereo, bus etc”.- TO PAY UPFRONT/IN ADVANCE = pagare in anticipo.- TO PICK SOMEONE’S BRAIN = ottenere informazioni/consigli da … (che è ben informato=kowldedgeable, si legge “naulegbol”). V.a. “TO PUMP (pompare) SOMEONE FOR INFORMATION (eg. I’m trying to pump …. for information) e TO PUMP INFORMATION OUT OF SOMEBODY=strappare un’informazione A qualcuno”.- TO PICK (raccogliere) UP THE TAB (linguetta) = pagare il conto al bar, ristoranti e simili: Eg. You paid last time (SENZA “when”) we went out for lunch, let me (SENZA “to”) pick up the tab (slang) this time. N.B. “TO PICK” significa anche “scegliere con cura il meglio”. Eg. She always picks the best=lei sceglie sempre il meglio.- TO PIN (pinned/pinned=appuntare/attaccare) SOMETHING ON SOMEONE or SOMETHING ELSE=TO SHIFT (spostare) THE BLAME (colpa, si legge “bleim”) TO SOMEONE or SOMETHING ELSE = addossare le proprie colpe su/a … (il senso è “fare a scarica barile”). Eg. The players pinned the lost (sconfitta) on their coach= allenatore e anche pullman (entrambi si leggono “couc”, da non confondere con “divano=sofà/couch, si legge cauc”). Notare che con to pin si usa la preposizione ON, ma con to shift si usa la preposizione TO. V.a. “TO BLAME=dare la colpa A”.Eg. Don’t bame me if you missed the bus=non darmi la colpa se hai perso l’autobus.N.B. “SOMETHING” significa anche “e qualcosa/e rotti”. Eg. The 10 something train. - TO PLAY BALL = cooperare/aderire a una richiesta. N.B. Il verbo to play ha diversi significati tra i quali: giocare, suonare (eg. To play (SENZA “to”) tennis. To play the piano) e recitare (eg. He plays (the role of) a serial killer/essere in cartellone o programmazione (eg. A new musical is playing on Broadway right now).V.a. “TO PLAY ALONG=essere d’accordo/stare al gioco, TO PLAY IT STRAIGHT=rigare dritto (il senso è “comportarsi bene”), TO SLAP (schiaffeggiare) … DOWN=mettere … a posto/in riga (eg. I must try to play it straight), TO PLAY THE FIELD (campo, si legge “fiild”)=to date (dare appuntamenti A) many people usually while one is single=ave-re molti rapporti casuali e sentimentali (il senso è “me la sto spassando/sto facendola mia parte”) e TO PLAY FOR TIME=temporeggiare”.- TO PLAY WITH (SENZA “the”) FIRE (met.co) = giocare col fuoco = to do somethingthat can lead to danger. Eg. When Amy told me she was dating a married man, I warned her that she was playing with fire. V.a. “TO PLAY ON A LEVEL FIELD=giocare (met.co) a parità di condizioni e TO PLAY POORLY=giocare male”.- TO PLUNGE (tuffo) HEADLONG = buttarsi/tuffarsi (to dive) a capofitto (di solito riferito a un lavoro/studio).- TO POP (popped/popped=far scoppiare/esplodere) INTO SOMEONE’S HERAD = to occur or form suddenly in someone’s mind, as a thought/idea/revelation.Eg. The idea of this new model of car popped into my head as I was driving home.- TO POP THE QUESTION = fare una proposta di matrimonio. Eg. Will you marry me? =mi sposerai? Domanda più usata di: Do you want to marry me?=mi vuoi sposare? V.a. “POP IN ANYTIME=vieni quando vuoi” classico invito che un negoziante rivolge (turns to) a un cliente. N.B. Il verbo “to pop” ha anche il significato di “fare una visita inaspettata/arrivare all’improvviso”. V.a. “TO DROP BY …=fare un salto da … “.- TO POSE (si legge “pous”) AS … = atteggiarsi come … /fingere di essere (to pretend to be) … (“pose” sost.vo=atteggiamento).- TO POUNCE (assalire/piombare, si legge”pauns”) = afferrare al volo.- TO POUR OIL ON TROUBLED WATERS = versare benzina sul fuoco (anche met.co).- TO PRINT = stampare/pubblicare, da cui: OUT OF PRINT/STOCK=esaurito/fuori commercio. V.a. “OFF THE PRESS=fresco di stampa, IN PRINT=stampato/in circolazione” (eg. This book is still in print) e FINE PRINT=la parte più importante (es. di un contratto/documento)”. Eg. Read the fine print before signing (da to sign= firmare, si legge “sain”) any contracts .- TO PULL (tirare) ONE’S SOCKS (calze) UP = darsi una regolata (met.co) = TO CLEAN UP ONE’S ACT.- TO PULL ONESELF UP BY ONES (propi) BOOTSTRAPS (lacci per stivali) = farcela da solo/farsi da se.- TO PULL OUT ALL STOPS TO … = fare di tutto per … .- TO PULL SOMEONE’S LEG (gamba) = scherzare (TO JOKE) /prendere in giro.Eg: Are you pulling my leg? Just Kidding/joking=sto/stavo scherzando.- TO PULL STRINGS (corde, si legge “strings”) TO … = chiedere favori a/per … .- TO PULL THE PLUG (staccare la spina, si legge “plagh”) ON SOMEONE (slang) = ostacolare la carriera DI … . V.a. “TO PLUG=attaccare la spina”.- TO PURSUE (inseguire (anche met.co), si legge “persiù”) SOMETHIGN = ambire a (anche “produrre”) … .- TO PUSH (spingere) THE PANIC BOTTOM = creare un panico prematuro/reagire in modo eccessivo=to overreact/to panic suddenly. Eg. Let’s not push the panic bottom yet=non è ancora il momento di preoccuparsi (nel senso “eccessivamente (avverbio) =overly …”). V.a. “THEREAFTER=da quel momento”.- TO PUT (put/put=mettere)/TO SPOIL (rovinare) A DAMPER (guastafeste) ON … = arrecare disturbo A qualcosa (se a qualcuno si usa “to cause (si legge “coos”) a trouble”). Eg. When my wallet (portafoglio) was stolen, it put a damper on me.- TO PUT A FACE (viso, si legge ”feis”) = dare un volto (eg. to this dude=tipo, “duud”).- TO PUT ALL ONE’S EGGS IN ONE BASKET (paniere)=confidare/scommettere (TO BET/BET/BET) solo su una cosa. Eg. Investment advisors always recommend (SENZA “to”) their customers to buy a variety of stocks and add: it’s important not to put all your eggs in one basket=è importante “frazionare il rischio”. N.B. ALWAYS=sempre= ALL THE TIME, da non confondere con “ALL THE TIMES=tutte le volte CHE”.- TO PUT INTO CARE (cura, si legge “chear”) = mettere in orfanotrofio (orphanage). “Care” è usato anche per indicare una “casa di cura/orfanotrofio=care home=casa di riposo=nursing or rest home”. V.a. “TAKE CARE EASY=stammi bene/abbi cura di te”.- TO PUT INTO WORDS = esprimere con parole. Eg. It’s very hard to put it in words.- TO PUT IT BLUNTLY (da BLUNT=smussato, si legge “blant”) = dire ciò che si pensa senza mezzi termini.- TO PUT IT MILDLY (dolcemente, si legge “maildli) = a dir poco/senza esagerare.- TO PUT UP WITH=TO ENDURE WITHOUT COMPLAINT (protesta, si legge “compleint”)=sopportare e anche “rassegnarsi”. V.a. “CAN’T COMPLANE, THANK GOD=non potersi lamentare, grazie a Dio”.- TO PUT SPIN (angolazione/taglio) ON THE BALL = colpire la palla con effetto.- TO PUT THE BLAME (SEMPRE al sig.re, si legge “bleim”) ON = dare la colpa A.Eg: A bad workman puts the blame for his mistakes on the tools (arnesi, si legge “tuls”). No-one takes (ammette) the blame. L’opposto è “TO BEAR/BORE/BORNE (portare) THE BLAME/ FAULTS=assumersi la colpa/le colpe”. - TO PUT … ON THE MAP (mappa; to map/mapped/mapped = disegnare una mappa) = rendere … famoso/a.- TO RAIN FLASH FOODS (inondazioni, si legge “flads”) = piovere a dirotto.V.a. “IT’S POURING (da to pour=versare, si legge “poar”)=IT’S RAINING CATS AND DOGS=sta diluviando e COME RAIN SHINE (splendore, si legge “sciain”, a inzio frase) … =accada quel che accada …” .- TO RAISE LIVING STANDARDS = migliorare il tenore di vita.- TO RAISE THE BAR (barra) = alzare il tiro. Eg. This … really raises the bar; nel senso “è a un livello superiore”=HIGHBROW. L’opposto è “LOWBROW”. BROW=fronte.- TO REGRET + ger.dio = rammaricarsi per. Eg: She regret telling/not have telling you that… . I regretted not going there=rimpiansi di non esserci andato. V.a. “TO REGRET A LOST OPPORTUNITY=rimpiangere un’occasione perduta”.- TO RELISH (gustare, silegge “rèlisc”) THE … = gradire molto … . Eg: To relish an opportunity=godere di una opportunità. I relished his performances experiences =ho molto gradito le sue esperienze artistiche. V.a. “THE FACT OF PERFORMING AT=ilfatto di esibirsi A/IN (eg. Theatre=teatro, si legge “thìatra”)”.- TO RIDE/RODE/RIDDEN (cavalcare) SOMEONE FOR A RIDE (corsa, si legge “raid”) =imbrogliare/ingannare … .- TO RING (rang/rung) A BELL (canpana) = suonare, anche nel senso di “già sentito”. Eg. Your name rings a bell, have we met before? V.a. “DOES IT RING A BELL?= (questo/a …) vi dice qualcosa?”.- TO ROLL (rotolare, si legge “roul”) OUT = introdurre nel mercato un nuovo prodotto/servizio/programma=agenda che significa anche “ordine del giorno”.Eg. Starbucks (famoso “American coffee shop”) announced plans to roll out a new line of coffee drinks. V.a. “ROLLED INTO ONE=tutto in uno/messi insieme”.- TO ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET (let. stendere il tappeto rosso) = trattare … da vip (acronimo di “very important person”). Espressione usata anche in senso sarc.co.- TO ROLL UP ONE’S SLEEVES = rimboccarsi le maniche (met.co, nel senso “iniziare a fare qualcosa”).- TO RUB (rubbed/rubbed=strofinare, “rab”) ONE’S HANDS = fregarsi le … mani in segno di compiacimento.- TO RUN (ran/run=correre; anche “gestire un’attività”) ERRANDS (si legge “èrends”) =fare commissioni. Eg. Today I must run (SENZA “for”) errands=oggi devo andare PER (sot.so “fare”) commissioni. N.B. “RUN” (sost.vo)=periodo (eg. A run of good/bad luck). V.a. “TO RUN FOR=candidarsi, TO MISHANDLE=maltrattare/gestire male una attività e TO SET UP/OPEN FOR BUSINESS=aprire un’attività”. - TO RUN/BE OUT OF MONEY = restare senza soldi/essere al verde. V.a. “PENNILESS/ DOWN-AND-OUT=squattrinato, senza un soldo/LACK (mancanza=SHORTAGE) OF CASH=carenza di fondi (eg: A lack of cash has reduced (ridotto) the business. Shortage of personnel=carenza di personale), TO RUN OUT OF STEAM (vapore, si legge “stim”)=perdere energia/entusiasmo e TO LET OFF STEAM=sfogarsi”- TO RUSH (precipitarsi, si legge “rasc”) INTO … = essere troppo frettoloso/i (hasty) (eg: You just met Bob two months ago, and now you are talking about marriage, don’t you think you are rushing into things? Let’s not rush into anything, I still need to think about + sost.vo/ger.dio). N.B. ANYTHING (qualcosa) si usa in frasi negative/ interrogative e dubitative; eg. Anything will do=qualunque cosa va bene. V.a. “TO RUSH AROUND=correre di qua e di la’, WHAT’S THE RUSH?=che fretta c’è?, IN A HURRY=in/di fretta, TO HURRY HOME=affrettarsi a rincasare e HOME AND DRY= sano e salvo” (eg. We’re home and dry now=ora siamo sicuri di farcela).- TO SAVE (salvare anche met.co) ROOM FOR + indicare un cibo = lasciare spazio per … (il senso è “to make/be sure you still have some appetite left for …”). Se l’oggetto è diverso dal cibo si usa anche “to make for …”. V.a. “TO SAVE THE DAY=salvare la situazione (il senso è “to prevent a disaster/misfortune”=disgrazia, si legge “misforciun”)”. N.B. Il prefisso“mis” deriva da verbo “to miss” (mancare), ma si scrive con UNA “s”. Eg: misgovernment=malgoverno; misinvestment=cattivo investimento; mistrust=sfiducia; misgiving=timore (dread) etc. V.a. “LOUSY (si legge “lausi”)=pessimo”. Eg. The weather was louzy, it rained all the time.- TO SAY NOTHING OF … = per non parlare di … .- TO SAY THE LEAST (il meno, si legge “list”) = per non dire altro (anche sarc.co).- TO SCOLD = sgridare. Eg: Scold a child for being lazy! He was scolded by the boss because he was late.- TO SCREAM IN FRIGHT = gridare/urlare PER la paura (fear).- TO SEAL (sigillare, si legge “siil”) A DEAL (si legge “dil”) (WITH) … = concludere un accordo/trattativa (con). Simile a: TO COME TO AN AGREEMENT, TO MAKE AN AGREEMENT e TO CUT (cut/cut=tagliare) A DEAL.- TO SEE (saw/seen) EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY (let. ogni cantuccio e crepatura)= vedere attentamente. V.a. “TO SEE IT ALL (met.co)=vederle tutte, nel senso di avere acquisito un grande esperienza pratica, MUST-SEE LIST=cose da vedere ad ogni costo (eg. … is ON most visitors’ must-see list), IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN HOW/IF= resta da vedere come/se …, TO-DO LIST=elenco delle cose da fare e MUST-HAVE (indicare un oggetto) = un/una … da possedere assolutamente”.- TO SEE EYE TO EYE = vederla/pensarla allo stesso modo.- TO SEE RED = vedere rosso per la collera (met.co). Eg. When he laughed IN (NO “on”) my face, I saw red.- TO SEE THE WORLD THROUGH ROSE-TINTED (colorato, si legge “tintd”) SPECTACLES (si legge “spetcols” occhiali=glasses=bicchieri)=vedere il mondo con occhiali tinti di rosa (met.co), il senso è “essere ottimisti/positivi”. V.a. “SHOT (colpo/sparo/sorso, si legge “sciot)/GLASS=bicchierino (eg. Give me a shot/glass of whisky please), THE BEST OF BOTH WORLS=tutti i vantaggi e nessun svantaggio, ALL OVER THE WORLD=in tutto il mondo (simile a “FAR AND WIDE=dapertutto=ACROSS THE BOARD (tavola di legno e anche “bordo di nave”, si legge “bord”)/in lungo a largo”) e TO BE ABOVE BOARD= essere onesto/in regola”.- TO SEE THE WRITING ON THE WALL = vedere chiaramente/cogliere ogni indizio (l’espressione indica anche la capacità di “prevedere cosa potrà accadere a seguito di un evento”). Eg. This store is selling enerything at 70% off, I can see the writing on the wall, soon they’ll be going out OF (NO “by”) business. V.a. “WALL-TO-WALL=che va da un’estremità all’altra (della stanza, ecc), eg. A wall-to-wall carpet (tappeto).- TO SELL (sold/sold=vendere) SOMEONE A BILL OF GOODS (merci) = TO DECEIVE = ingannare (si legge “disiv”). Eg. If you buy a house be careful what kind of mortgage (mutuo, si legge “mogheg”) the bank offers, because they might try to sell you a bill of goods=possono provare a ingannarti. N.B. “bill” come sostantivo=fattura; come verbo=fatturare. V.a. “TO TURN SOMENE DOWN=negare qualcosa (es, un prestito= loan). Eg. The banks turned us down numerous times (è implicito l’oggetto, da non indicare, del rifiuto), TO SELL AT GIVEAWAY PRICES (a prezzi stracciati=very low), TO SELL LIKE HOT CAKES=andare a ruba, SOLD OUT=esaurito/tutto venduto, BEST-SELLING (ag.vo=migliore venditore. Eg. Lady Gaga is one of the best-selling musicians of all time) e TO SELL LIKE HOT CAKES=vendere prodotti che vanno a ruba/fortemente richiesti”.- TO SET (set/set=fondare) A GOAL FOR … = fissare un obiettivo (da raggiungere) per (se stessi (yourself) o altri). V.a. “TO SET OUT=proporsi=TO PURPOSE (si legge “perpas”), TO SET BACK=anticipare (es. ora/data etc). L’opposto è “TO POSTPONE SETBACK=battuta d’arresto”. Eg. The business has a setback. V.a. “TO ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES (scopi)=a tutti gli effetti e MULTI-PURPOSE=multi uso”. - TO SET EYS ON … = mostrare interesse PER … .- TO SET SOMEONE UP WITH SOMEONE = presentare … a … con la previsone che nasca un rapporto sentimentale. Eg. I set Todd up with Melamine last year and I just found out they are getting married.- TO SET UP A MEETING/DATE WITH… = organizzare un riunione di lavoro/incontro generico o galante con… . V.a. “TO DISMISS THE MEETING=sciogliere la riunione”.- TO SET UP IN BUSINESS = mettersi in affari = TO RUN A (NO “in”) BUSINESS.V.a. “TO HAVE A FLAIR (senso/intuito/fiuto, si legge “flear”) FOR BUSINESS=avere il senso DEGLI affari e TO HAVE BUSINESS + ger.dio=avere diritto di/a …”.- TO SET UP SHOP = intraprendere/espandere un’attività in un nuovo posto. L’opposto è “TO SHUT (shut/shut=chiudere) DOWN”.- TO SETTLE (risolvere/stabilre/saldare un conto) FOR + ger.dio = accontentarsi di quancuno/qualcosa anche se non ci soddisfa. Eg. He dreamed of teaching AT school, but after several attempts, he settled FOR (si accontentò DI) teaching AT a local high school. V.a. “TO SETTLE A DISPUTE (si legge “dispiut”)/AN ARGUMENT=decidere/ comporre una disputa/controversia, TO SETTLE A BILL=saldare una fattura, TO SETTLE DIFFERENCES=appianare le divergenze, TO SETTLE INTO=adattarsi (eg. It took a while to settle into village life=ci volle un pò per adattarsi alla vita di paese), TO SETTLE ON=decidersi (eg. Wich one have you settled on?=per quale di sei deciso?) eTO VIE (contendere/rsi, si legge “vai”). Eg. They vied to get the best prize (premio, si legge “prais”)”.- TO SHOOT (shot/shot=sparare (to go off)/scagliare, si legge “sciut”) ONESELF IN THE FOOT (let. spararsi nel piede) = fare/dire qualcosa che si ritorce verso se stessi. (il senso è “tirarsi la zappa sui piedi”).- TO SHOOT THE BREEZE (brezza, si legge “bris”) (met.co) = perdere tempo in chiacchere. Simile a: TO CHITCHAT (pettegolare, “chit-chat=pettegolezzo”, si legge “citciat”) e TO WASTE TIME TALKING. V.a. “TALKING GETS YOU NOWHERE (da nessuna parte, si legge “no-uear”)=le chiacchere stanno a zero”.- TO SHOW/TO TEACH SOMEONE THE ROPES (corde, si legge “rops”) = mostrare/ insegnare il mestire A (il senso è “to help a new employee (lavoratore dipendente) learn (SENZA “to”) how to do an activity or a job”). Eg. The employer (datore di lavoro) hired (da to hire=assumere, si legge “haier”) a new employee and he is going to spend a couple of days showing him the robes. V.a “UNEMPLOYED= disoccupato=JOBLESS/JOBSEEKER (da to seek/sought/sought=cercare) e TO LEARN THE ROPES=imparare un mestiere”.- TO SIGN (si legge “sain”) ON THE DOTTED LINE (let. firmare sulla linea punteggiata) = dare completo consenso. Eg. Let’s get Bob to sign on the dotted line=cerchiamo di ottenere da Bob il pieno assenso. V.a. TO SIGN UP FOR=partecipare/iscriversi A. - TO SIGHTSEE = visitare posti come turista, sost.vo “giro turistico” (si legge “saitsi”). Eg. I’m tired and don’t feel like sightseeing=sono stanco e non mi sento di gironzolare per vari posti come un turista.- TO SKYPE = contattare qualcuno/inviare la propria voce tramite Skype.V.a. “TO SEND/SENT/SENT=mandare/spedite”. “SENT” è diverso da “SCENT” (si legge pure “sent”)=fiuto/profumo/fiutare/profumare e TO LOG ON=collegarsi tramite computer a un istema operativo”. TO LOG=accedere.- TO SKIP THROGH (si legge “thru”) LIFE (let. saltare attraverso/per la vita, il senso è “vivere allegramente”, può seguire “WITHOUT A CARE=senza una preoccupazione, (si legge “chear”) IN THE WORLD” (al mondo)=to have no concerns (anzietà, si legge “conserns”) or worries (fastidi, sing.re “worry”). - TO SLACK OFF = perdere tempo (TO WASTE TIME) durante lo svolgimento delle proprie attività/ciondolare/rsi. Simile a TO DRAG (trascinare) ONE’S FEET/TO HANG AROUND (eg: Stop dragging your feet and start working. Go study, you have been hanging around the house for over an hour. The dispute dragged on for days).V.a. “TO SLACK=allentare/mollare”. Eg. People who slack off (battono la fiacca/si rilassano) all the time (troppo/sempre) are called “slackers=perditempo”.- TO SLAVE (lavorare come uno schiavo, si legge “sleiv”) AWAY = sgobbare per pochisoldi (il senso è “to work very hard for not much reward”=senza molta ricompensa).- TO SLIP (scivolare, sost.vo “sbaglio/svista”) THROUGH ONE’S FINGERS = sfuggire dimano. Eg. The deal slipped through my fingers. “FREUDIAN SLIP=lapsus freudiano”.- TO SMELL (smelt/smelt=odorare) A RAT = sentire puzza di bruciato (met.co, il senso è “gatta ci cova”). Eg. It stinks in here=qualcosa mi puzza/non mi convince. V.a. “TO STINK/STANK/STUNK=puzzare”. N.B. La parola “fishy=di pesce” è anche usata per indicare una cosa sospetta, “che puzza/equivoca”.- TO SOME EXTENT = IN qualche/una certa misura.- TO SPIN/SPAN/SPUN = far girare. Eg. The earth spins round the sun=la terra gira intorno al sole. V.a. “TO SHIELD (difendere/scudo, si legge”scild”) ONE’S EYES FROM THE SUN=riparare(rsi) gli occhi dal sole”. SPAN (sost.vo)=distanza tra due estremità/ larghezza/arco di tempo/intervallo/durata. Eg. He has a limited attention span (capacità di concentrazione, il senso è “si distrae facilmente”).- TO SPOT (spotted/spotted=macchiare/rsi) AN EASY MARK (marchio/segno) WHEN … = individuare/riconoscere/ distinguere un facile segno (nel senso “bersaglio”).V.a. “EASY (av.bio)=facilmente/comodamente/con calma/attenzione (in segno di avvertimento), TO HAVE A SOFT SPOT FOR …=avere un debole per … e FEEBLY= debolmente/senza forzare”.- TO SPREAD (spread/spread=estendere) ONESELF TOO THIN (sottile) = strafare in una sola volta/subito (at once) e anche “fare un passo più lungo della gamba”.Eg. That small restaurant has announced plans to publish cook-books and produce a line of frozen foods, I think they’re spreading themselves too thin. V.a. “WIDESPREAD=molto diffuso e TO SPREAD LIKE WIDEFIRE=diffondersi in un lampo”.- TO SQUARE THE CICLE (si legge “saicol”) = fare quadrare il cerchio (met.co).- TO STAB SOMEONE IN THE BACK = pugnalare qualcuno alle spalle (anche met.co).- TO STAND (stood/stood=stare in piedi=to stand up) A CHANCE = avere buone possibilità di successo (di solito è seguito da “of + ger.dio”). Eg. Our football team (squadra, si legge “tim”) stands a chance of winning the super bowl (ciotola, famoso torneo di football americano). V.a. “TO STAND BACK=prendere le distanze (met.co)”. N.B. “TO STAND” significa anche “essere/stare in certe condizioni”. Eg. Where do we stand on the matter?=come stiamo/siamo messi riguardo questa faccenda?- TO STAND FOR = si usa per spiegare le lettere di un acronimo. Eg. USA stands for United States of America. V.a. “TO STAND UP TO …=resistere a/non farsi intimidire DA … (eg. They tried to tell him what to do, but he stood up to them=non si fece intimidire DA loro), TO STAND TO + inf.to=avere buone probabilità di e TO STANDOUT=eccellere sugli altri (eg. His composition (tema, si legge “composiscion”) stood out from the rest)”.- TO START COMPETING WITH … = entrare in competizione con … .- TO START FROM SCRATCH (graffito, si legge “scrac”) = cominciare da zero (met.co).- TO STAY CLEAR OF = stare alla larga DA.- TO STAY OVER AT… = passare la notte/dormire IN … (eg. You’d better stay over at my house/place tonight, it’s snowing too hard for you to drive (SENZA ”to”) home). L’invito “stay over” potrebbe anche essere di natura sessuale. N.B. Il verbo “TO DRIVE/DROVE/DRIVEN=guidare”, ma driven significa anche “spinto/motivato/ ambizioso” e drive “energia/grinta”. Eg: The drive to win (won/won)=la volontà di vincere. I was driven by ambition. V.a. “TO DRIVE AT=intendere. Eg. What is he driving at?=a cosa allude/dove vuole arrivare?- TO STICK (stuck/stuck=conficcare) AROUND THE … = restare e gironzolare IN … (indicare un posto). V.a. “TO STICK AROUND=restare nei paraggi”. N.B. TO STICK significa anche “restare/essere bloccato”, eg: I’m terrifierd of getting stuck in a lift/elevator. This drawer (cassetto, si legge “droar”) always sticks.- TO STOOP (chinarsi, si lege “stup”) SO LOW = comportarsi in modo misero (to behave poorly)/immorale (unethical)/indignitoso (undignified). Eg. How could you stoop so low?=Come sei potuto cadere così in basso?- TO STOP AT NOTHING = non fermarsi davanti a nulla. Eg. I would stop at noting when it came to + ger.dio=Non mi fermerei davanti a nulla se venisse il momento di/si trattasse di … (indicare un verbo).- TO STRIKE (struck/struck or stricken=scioperare/colpire) WHILE THE IRON (si legge “airon”) IS HOT = battere mentre il ferro è caldo, nel senso “non perdere l’occasione favorevole”. V.a. “TO STRIKE THE WRONG NOTE=toccare il tasto sbagliato”.- TO STRING (strung/strung=legare) SOMEONE ALONG = ingannare … per ottenere qualcosa. Eg. Before you move in with him, make sure he is serious about getting married and he is not just stringing you along.- TO STUDY FOR KNOWLEDGE’S SAKE (amore, si legge “seich”) = studiare per il piacere della conoscenza. V.a. “DO IT FOR HIS SAKE!=fallo per il suo bene”!- TO SUCK (succhiare, si legge “sach”) IT UP = sopportare qualcosa/qualcuno senza lamentarsi (nel senso di “resistere ancora un po’”).- TO SURF (verbo: fare il surfing; sost.vo: cresta dell’onda, si legge “serf”) THE WEB = navigare in Internet.- TO SWING (swang/swung=oscillare) BY (NO “to”, segue una destinazione) = TO POP/POPPED/POPPED IN = andare in un posto ove trattenersi per un po’ di tempo (for a time), nel senso “fare una capatina=to wander (vagare) in”= to pop in). Eg. If you’re going to be (se stai per passare) IN (NO “to” perchè il verbo che regge la preposizione è to be e non to go) my neighborhood (quartiere), swing by (fai un salto da me) and say hi/hello. V.a. “TO SWING BOTH WAYS”=oscillare tra due possibilità, nel senso “non sapere cosa scegliere”. N.B. “BOTH=tutti e due/entrambi” si usa nelle frasi affermative con il verbo al pl.re, eg. Both (eg. sandwiches) were good. L’opposto è “NEITHER=nessuno dei due”.- TO TAKE (took/taken=prendere)/HAVE A SHOT (tiro) AT = fare un tentativo. Eg. I’ll take/have a shot at it=ci provo io. To take significa anche “impiegarci”. Eg. How long does it take you to go to work? - It takes me an hour to go to work.- TO TAKE A WALK ON THE WILD (selvaggio, si legge “uaild”) SIDE = to engage (impegnare/rsi/assumere) in adventurous behaviors (avventurosi comportamenti, si legge “advenciuras behevios”). V.a. TO ENGAGE WITH=dedicarsi A.- TO TAKE … FOR A RIDE (giro, si legge “raid”) = prendere … per i fondelli.- TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOMEONE/SOMETHING = approfittare di qualcuno/cosa.- TO TAKE BY SURPRISE = sorprendere. Eg. Many things have taken us by surprise.- TO TAKE CENTRE STAGE (palcoscenico, si legge “steig”) = occupare il centro della scena (anche met.co).- TO TAKE POTLUCK (un pasto alla buona, si legge “pat-lach”) = mangiare quello che passa il convento (met.co)/accontentarsi di quello che c’è.- TO TAKE … WITH A GRAIN OF SALT (dal latino: cum grano salis) = prendere … con discernimento. V.a. “IT TAKES MORE THAN …=ci vuole (ben) altro che …”.- TO TAKE … IN ONE’S STRIDE (passo, si legge “straid”) = prenderla bene (il senso è “accettare qualcosa di negativo”). Eg. Mark was the most hated man, but he appears to have taken this in his stride.- TO TAKE A LOOK/GLIMPSE/GLANCE/ PEEK AT… = dare uno sguardo = TO CHEK OUT (slang)/una sbirciata a… . Eg: Can I have a peek?=posso dare un’occhiata? Check out Jill’s new car, it’s great. - TO TAKE CHARGE OF … = assumere il comando di … . V.a. “TO TAKE ON = competere contro e anche assumere”.- TO TAKE COVER = ripararsi (da pioggia e simili).- TO TAKE CREDIT FOR … = prendersi il merito per … .- TO TAKE (SOMETHING) FOR GRANTED = dare (qualcosa) per scontato. V.a. “TO GRANT=concedere/attribuire e GRANT (sost.vo)=sovvenzione”.- TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION = adire le vie legali = TO GO TO COURT/LAW = TO FILE (ordinare/schedare, si legge “fail”) A SUIT (causa e anche “vestito”, si legge “siut”) = intentare una causa, può seguire “TO ENFORCE ONE’S RIGHTS=per far valere i propri diritti”. V.a. “TO SETTLE A CASE (caso, si legge “cheis”) OUT OF COURT=comporre una controversia amichevolmente”.- TO TAKE NOTICE = fare attenzione = TO PAY ATTENTION.- TO TAKE ONE’S HAT OFF TO … = fare tanto di cappello a. Eg. I take my hat off to … .- TO TAKE PAINS (dolori, si legge “peins”) TO + verbo = darsi da fare per … .- TO TAKE PRIDE (orgoglio, si legge “praid”; PROUD (si legge “praud”)=orgoglioso) IN … = (let. prendere orgoglio, il senso è “essere fiero per … (ger.dio) o per qualcosa)”. Eg: I took pride in knowing that you passed the exam. I take pride in my work.- TO TAKE SOMEONE UP ON AN OFFER/PROPOSAL = accettare una offerta/proposta. Eg. Are you willing to + verbo (sei disposto a …)? - Okay, I will take you up on your offer=va bene accetto). L’opposto è “TO TURN DOWN=respingere/essere rifiutato”.- TO TAKE STEPS (passi/gradini) TO … = adottare misure/procedere/fare passi avanti PER+verbo. V.a. STEP BY STEP=un passo alla volta. Eg. I learned English step by step.- TO TAKE THE BLAME (colpa, si legge “bleim”) = ammettere/assumersi le proprie colpe/responsabilità.- TO TAKE THE BULL BY THE HORNS = prendere il toro PER le corna (met.co).- TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO + verbo = cogliere l’opportunità/l’occasione PER …- TO TAKE UP THE REINS = prendere in mano le redini (sot.so del cavallo, met.co).- TO TALK OVER (NO “on”) = discutere SU … . V.a. “WHAT IT TAKES/TOOK TO=cosa ci vuole/vorrebbe per…” .- TO TALK SHOP = parlare di lavoro fuori dalla sua sede. Eg: Sorry to talk shop at a party, but what do you think we should do about the contract? – I don’t like to talk shop when (sot.so “I’m”) away from the office.- TO TELL (told/told=dire) SOMEONE OFF = rimproverare (to scold) qualcuno/dirgli il fatto suo. V.a. “I GO/I’M JUST LIKE=io penso, segue una personale riflessione”. La risposta può essere “I GET IT=lo capisco” e “ONLY TIME WILL TELL=chi vivrà vedrà”.- TO TEXT ON MOBILE PHONE = mandare un sms con il cellulare. V.a. “TO DROP … A LINE=scrivere due righe (met.co) a …” . Eg. I dropped him a line about our meeting.- TO THINK (tought/tought) BIG=pensare in/alla grande/puntare in alto.- TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX (scatola) = pensare in modo non convenzionale.- TO THRIVE = prosperare (si legge “thraiv”), Eg. Park Avenue is the Manhattan’sthriving core (centro/nucleo pulsante) and, for many, the centre of NewYork City. V.a. “THRIVING=prospero/florido”.- TO TOUCH … ON THE RAW (crudo, si legge “roa”) = toccare … sul vivo (met.co).- TO TRADE = commerciare. V.a. “TO TRADE … OFF=scambiare/barattare. Eg. The Indians traded furs (pellicce, si legge “fers”) for (NO “with”) Kinves (coltelli).- TO TRAVEL ON BUSINESS = viaggiare PER affari.- TO TREAT SOMEONE TO (eg. meal (pasto, si legge “mil”)/drink) = invitare a proprie spese qualcuno (per mangiare e/o bere).- TO TROW (trew/trown) COLD WATER ON SOMETHING/SOMEONE = (let. gettare acqua fredda su …) = raffreddare l’entusiasmo di … .- TO TURN A BLIND EYE = chiudere un occhio. Simile a TO TURN A DEAF EAR=fare orecchio da mercante=TO PLAY IT COOL=fare finta di niente/non sentire. L’opposto è “TO CATCH/CAUGHT/CAUGHT ONE’S EYE=attirare la propria attenzione”.- TO TURN + age (età, si legge “eig”) = compiere … anni. Eg. He turned twenty=ha compiuto venti anni. V.a. “TO TURN+time”, eg. The clock turns (segna, eg. two=le 2).- TO TURN ON THE CHARM (fascino) = cominciare a essere (to start being) gentile anche contro voglia.- TO TURN OVER (girare) A NEW LEAF (foglia) = migliorare il comportamento = TO START BEHAVING (da to behave=comportarsi) BETTER.- TO TURN THE TABLES = cambiare le carte in tavola (met.co). V.a. “UNDER THE TABLE=sottobanco/in nero”.- TO TURN TO … = ricorrere/rsi a. Eg: Some people turn to the drugs (farmaci, si legge “draghs”). It’s necessary to turn to a lawyer (avvocato).- TO USE (si legge “ius”) = usare/adoperare, ma anche riferito a un’azione. Eg: I used to drink wine=ero solito bere vino. I am used to drinking =sono abituato a bere.- TO WAIT FOR AGES = aspettare da tanto/un’eternità.V.a. “THROUGHOUT THE AGES=attaverso i secoli/FOR THE AGES = da secoli”.Eg. I haven’t seen you for the ages=non ti vedo da una vita.- TO WAIT (aspettare, si legge “ueit”) AND SEE = stare a vedere l’andamento di … .- TO WAKE (woke/woken) UP (svegliarsi) ON (NO “by”) THE WRONG SIDE OF THE BED = alzarsi dal lato sbagliato del letto, nel senso “arrabbiato”. Eg. He started screaming/yelling (urlando) AT (NO “with”) me when I walked into his office to ask a question, he must’ve (deve essersi) woken up (alzato) ON the wrong side of the bed. N.B. TO ASK (NO “do or make”) QUESTIONS=fare domande.- TO WANT + sog.to + inf.to IT ALL = volere che … tutto. Eg. I want you to tell IT all= voglio che racconti tutto.- TO WARM (riscaldare/rsi) UP TO (NO “with”) SOMEONE = avere col tempo un buon rapporto CON … . Eg. At first (all’inizio) I thought (SENZA “that”) my neighbors were strange, but now I warm up to them.- TO WATCH ONE’S WAISTLINE (giro di vita) = avere cura della propria linea.- TO WEAR (wore/worn=indossare) TOO MANY HATS (cappelli) = to hold (held/held=tenere) too many responsibilities or assume too many roles (ruoli) at same time.- TO WEEP (wept/wept=TO CRY (cried/cried)=piangere) ONE’S HEART OUT = to shed/shed/shed (versare, sost.vo “capannone”) tears intensily and for a long time. - TO WELCOME (accogliere/dare il benvenuto) A … (SUGGESTION) = accettare volentieri/di buon grado (un suggerimento).- TO WHOMP UP = to make something quickly. Eg. I wasn’t expecting company, but don’t worry, I can whomp up a dinner for us in no time (very quickly).- TO WIN (won/won=vincere) OUT = avere la meglio = TO OVERCOME/OVERCAME/ OVERCOME=superare). Eg. He was able to overcone (SENZA “on”) the intruder (intruso, si legge “intruder”). V.a. “TO WIN ONE’S CONFIDENCE=conquistare la propria fiducia (eg. He is so good that he won/has my confidence), WIN-WIN= OK/vantaggio per tutti, TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF …= approfittare(rsi) di … e ALL TO THE GOOD=a tutto vantaggio”.- TO WIP (whipped/whipped=frustare) UP = preparare su due piedi (met.co).Eg. She whipped up a delicious meal (pasto).- TO WOO (si legge “vu”) = sollecitare/cercare di ottenere un consenso.Eg. You would better be (faresti meglio a essere) more kind to her, she may be difficult to woo=potrebbe essere (un tipo) difficile da corteggiare.V.a. “CONUMDRUM (si legge “conandram”)=problema difficile/rompicapo/enigma”.- TO WORK A (indicare l’ora, es. “nine”) TO (indicare l’ora, es. “five”) JOB = lavorare dalle (es. 9) alle (es. 5). V.a. “TO WORK ONE’S WAY=farsi strada (met.co), TO WORK WONDERS TO + verbo=fare miracoli (met.co) per … e TO WONDER=neravigliarsi“. - TO WORK FLAT OUT/HARD = lavorare sodo. V.a. “HARDSHIP=sofferenza/ privazione”. Eg. A life of hardship=una vita di privazioni.- TO WORK HAND IN HAND = lavorare (let. mano nella mano) aiutandosi l’un l’altro. V.a. “TO SHAKE/SHOOK/SHAKEN (scuotere/agitare) HANDS=stringersi la mano e OFFHAND=improvvisato/sbrigativo”. Eg. Why are you so offhand with me?- TO WORK THE ROOM (met.co) = to interacrt (interagire) with many people at an event (evento, si legge “ivent”) or function (funzione, si legge “fanchscion”).Eg. At parties he always works the room and chats (da to chat=chiaccherare, si legge “ciat”) with everyone, but I am too shy (timido, si legge “sciai”) for that.- TO WORK WONDERS = fare miracoli. Eg. Take (prendi) this medicine, it will work wonders for your headache=mal di testa. N.B. Se invece che “take” si usa “get” il significato è “procurati …” . V.a. “WORKHORSE=cavallo di battaglia (met.co)”.- TO YELL (urlare) SILENTLY (silenziosamente, si legge “sàilentli”) = to think angry thoughts (pensieri arrabbiati/cattivi) without verbalizing (da to verbalize= verbalizzare, si legge “verb-lais”, il senso è “esprimerere i pensieri in parole”) them. Eg. Bill knew he couldn’t talk back (rispondere nel senso “rintuzzare” A) his teacher (insegnante, si legge “ticiar”), so indeed (infatti) he yelled silently as she reprimanded (da to reprimand=rimproverare, si legge ”rèprimand”) him.- TOUCHY (permaloso, si legge “taci”) SUBJECT = argomento delicato e non gradito. Eg. Don’t ask Joy how old she is, age is a touchy subject (or a sensitive issue=una delicata questione) for her. V.a. “ON … SCORE (punteggio)”=su … argomento (eg. On this score I find out (scoprì/resi noto) my thought) e LET’S DISMISS (scacciare/ scartare, si legge “dis-mis”) THE SUBJECT=non parliamo più di questo argomento”.- (ONE) TOUGH (tenace, si legge “taf”) COOKIE or COOKY (biscotto) = persona forte e decisa/un osso duro.- TOURIST TRAP (trappola) = un posto che attrae tanti turisti e costa molto (charges (them) high prices).- TOW (rimorchio, si legge “tou”, da to tow=trainare) TRUCK (camion, si legge “trach”)=carro attrezzi.- TRUMP (si legge “tramp”) = briscola (atout nel gioco del bridge) e anche “asso nella manica”. - TREAT = festa/trattenimento. Parola dai molti usi. Eg: I’ll take you to the theatre as a birthday treat=ti porterò a teatro per festeggiare il tuo compleanno. The meal is my treat=offro io il pranzo (simile a This one is on me=offro io). She looked a real treat=era bellissima (gorgeous). She was dressed up a treat=era elegantissima. - TRUE TO FORM (seguito da un sog.to) = come al solito (eg. He arrived late).V.a. “OFFBEAT=insolito”.- TRUTH BE TOLD (in genere a inizio frase) = a dire il vero/in verità = IN TRUTH.- TURNPIKE (si legge “ternpaich”) = autostrada a pedaggio. V.a. “TURNSTILE (si legge “ternstail”)=tornello”.- TUXEDO (si legge “tachsido”) = smoking. V.a. “TAILCOAT=frac e WAISTCOAT=gilet”.- TWICE/THREE TIMES etc ... AS EXPENSIVE AS … = 2/3 volte più costoso che … (notare l’uso di as … as …).- TWINKLY-EYED (da to twinkle=scintillare: sost.vo “scintillio/luccichio”) = happy, cheerful, innocent and good-natured (di buon cuore, si legge “gudneicird”).- TWO MINDS WORK BETTER THAN ONE = quattro occhi sono meglio di due.- TWO PEAS (piselli, si legge “piis”) IN A POD (baccello) = due gocce d’acqua (riferito alla somiglianza tra due persone).- TWOFER = due al prezzo di uno (riferito a una merce in vendita).- ULTIMATELY = alla fine. Eg. He worked very hard and ultimatly gained a pomotion.- UNBEKNOWN(ST) TO … = a insaputa DI … . Eg. Unbekonwn to me=a mia insaputa.- UNCLE SAM (slang.) = lo zio Sam/il governo degli USA/il popolo (grassroots) ameri-cano. V.a. “TO BE AN ALL-AMERICAN=essere Americano al 100%”.- UNLIKE … = a differenza DI/DA … . V.a. “NOT UNLIKE … = non tanto diverso da …”.- UNTIL NOT THAT LONG AGO=fino a non molto tempo fa. Simile a “UNTIL RECENTLY =fino a poco tempo fa (a short while ago)/UNTIL THEN=fin da allora”. V.a. “TO TAKE LONG TO=prendere/richiedere molto tempo per (eg. The defendant (accusato) took long to answer (SENZA “to”) the judge (giudice; verbo “giudicare”, si legge “giag”), FOR A WHILE=per un po’, TO JUDGE BY LOOKS=giudicare dalle apparenze e TO JUDGE WITH A DOUBLE STANDARD=giudicare con due pesi/misure/metri diversi”.N.B. “Standard=media/norma/criterio/metro”. Eg. To judge everyone BY the same standard=giudicare tutti CON lo stesso metro. - UP THE WALLS (let. sopra i muri) = extremely busy or overworked having things to contend with at once (con cui contrastare subito) = UP TO ONE’S EYEBALLS (IN SOMETHING). Eg. There’s no way (non c’è la possibilità che) I can take a vacation right now, I’m up to my eyeballs (pupille, si legge “aibols”) in work at the moment.- (ONLY) UP TO A POINT = (solo) fino a un certo punto/una certa misura = TO SOME EXTEND. Diverso da “UP TO ABOUT …=fino a circa… e BY THEN=a quel punto …”.V.a. “TO E GREAT EXTEND = in larga misura”.- UP TO … = fino a … (indicare un periodo di tempo). V.a. “UP TO DATE=aggiornato”.- UP TO NOW (in genere a inizio frase) = finora = SO FAR = AS OF YET.- UP WITH THE CROW (canto del gallo) = to awake (awoke or awaked/awoke or awaked (svegliare/rsi=to awaken/awakened/awakened) and get out of bed and active at a particularly early hour of the morning. Eg. I don’t know how he does it, but my husband has gotten up with the crow every morning of his life.- VALUE FOR MONEY = buon rapporto qualità prezzo = TO BE VERY GOOD VALUE.- VERY WELL = ottimo e anche “mica”, eg. I can’t very well work here all my life.N.B. Con il significato di “mica”, l’espressione si usa “SEMPRE in termini negativi”.- WEAK IN THE KNEES (let. debole nelle ginocchia, si legge “niis”) = unsteady (non stabile, si legge “anstedi”)/flustered (agitato, si legge flastrd”) due a strong emozional TO (NO “for”) someone/something. Eg: Hearing the news of his father’s sudden death (improvvisa morte). V.a. “BOMBSHELL (met.co)=fulmine a ciel sereno”. Eg: He coud barely (a mala pena/a stento) remain standing (in piedi). Just thinking about (sto solo pensando, il senso è “il solo pensiero di”) Mary, makes me feel (mi fa sentire) weak in the knees because I can’t shake (shook/shaken=agitare) off (liberarmi DI) the feeling (sentimento) of her.- WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE! (caffè, si legge “coffi”) = svegliati e guarda la realtà senza illuderti. Notare la differenza tra “coffee” e “café” (bar, si legge “cafèi”.Il pl.le perde l’accento ed è “cafes”).- WAITED ON HAND AND FOOT = servito e riverito (anche sarc.co).- WALLFLOWER = someone who remains on the outer edges (ai margini/in disparte) of social events, especially a dance or a party and does not participate due to being shy (timido, si legge “sciai”) or unpopular. Eg. I used to be a real wallflower when I was young.- WANNABE (slang, si legge “uonebi”) = imitatore (ag.vo riferito a persone che imitano metodi o comportamenti).- … WAS … WHILE IT LASTED = … è stato … finchè è durato. Eg. That was fun while it lasted. N.B. “WHILE” è anche verbo e significa “passare il tempo piacevolmente”.- (ALL) WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE = acqua passata (nel senso “tutto dimenticato”).- WAY OF LIFE = stile di vita. Eg. Many people envy (invidiare/invidia) the Canadians for their relaxed way of life.- WE CAN’T HELP, BUT BE (senza “to”) PESSIMISTIC = non si può che essere pessimisti.- WELL BELOW … = FAR FEWER = molto meno DI … . L’opposto è “WELL OVER (ben oltre) …=FAR BEYOND/BETTER=molto più DI…”. Eg: He earned well below …=ha guadagnato meno di … . He is well over thirty = ha superato la trentina da un bel pò.- WELL GEE (abr.ne di Jesus e anche “pozzo”)! = dai caspita/accidenti!- WHAT A TRAFIC JAM (marmellata/ingorgo)! = che traffico intasato!- WHAT A WAY TO + verbo! = che modo di …! (espressione che mostra rabbia ovvero compiaciuta sorpresa). - WHAT CAME UP? = cosa è successo? V.a. “HOW DID THIS COME ABOUT?=com’è successo?”- WHAT CAN I GET FOR YOU? = cosa posso servirvi (classica domanda rivolta da un cameriere ai commensali di un ristorante/bar, la risposta può essere “What do yourecommend?=cosa consiglia”? Dopo la risposta può seguire: What does the entree(si legge “antrei”) come with?=qual’è il contorno del secondo (piatto). Se il posto è diverso (es. negozio/ufficio) il commesso (V.a. DEALER=commerciante/negoziante, si legge “diler”)/l’impiegato dirà: What can I do (NO “get”) for you?=cosa posso fare per te? V.a. “WHAT DO YOU FANCY? (da usare tra familiari/conoscenti=cosa ti andrebbe), DO YOU FANCY A DRINK?=desideri un drink? (segue THERE YOU GO=eccoti servito), WHATEVER YOU FANCY=quello che preferisci e FANCY (di lusso) RESTAURANT”.- WHAT’S MORE … = (e) per di più/inoltre … = TO TOP IT ALL = come se non bastasse (si usa come incidentale).- WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO? = che hai/avete fatto di bello?- WHAT DID SHE/HE LOOK LIKE? = che aspetto aveva? (riferito alle fattezze fisiche).Simile a “WHAT’S … LIKE? = che tipo è … (in genere si indica una persona)”.- WHAT IS THE POINT OF + ger.dio … = che senso ha … .- WHAT IT IS LIKE TO + verbo? = cosa si prova a …/cosa significa …? Eg. What is IT like to raise (crescere, si legge “reis”) a bilingual child (bambino bilingue, si legge “bailingual ciaild”)? Notare l’uso obbligatorio di IT.- WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL? = qual è il problema/di cosa ti preoccupi? = WHAT ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT?- WHAT’S THE TIME? = che ora è? V.a. “BAG (borsa) ON TIME=in perfetto orario e BAGS OF …=un sacco di …”.- WHAT OF …? = che ne è di …/che fine a fatto …?- WHAT SORT OF TIME DO YOU CALL THIS? = è questa l’ora di arrivare? La risposta può essere “I’m sorry I’m late=scusa il ritardo”.- WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN? = cosa vuoi insinuare?/di che (diavolo) stai parlando? (esprime meraviglia/sorpesa). Espressioni simili: “WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?/WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING? (da to imply=comportare, si legge “implai”)=che stai insinuando”? V.a. “MEAN PERSON=persona perfida”.- WHAT’S UP? = come va/che si dice? (una risposta frequente è: BUSINESS AS USUAL =tutto al solito=IT WAS THE USUAL THING …=(sono accadute) le solite cose … .- WHAT’S WRONG? = che c’e che non va?/ma che hai?- WHAT WERE YOU GOING TO SAY? = che stavi/stavate dicendo? = WHAT WERE YOU TALKING ABOUT? V.a. “TO HAVE A SAY=avere voce in capitolo”.- WHEN IT ALL GETS TOO MUCH = quando si esagera (nel senso “il troppo è troppo”).- WHEN IT COMES TO + ger.dio = quando è il momento/si tratta DI. Eg. When it comes to buying a … . V.a. “WHEN IT COMES TO THE CRUNCH (scricchiolio, da to crunch=sgretolare, si legge “cranc”)=quando si viene al dunque e AT A LATER DATA= in un momento successivo”.- WHEN PIGS/PORKS FLY/WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER = NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS =in nessun caso. V.a. “EITHER WAY/ANYWAY/ANYHOW/AT ANY RATE=in ogni caso”.- WHEN THE BILLS ARRIVE I PAY THEM = quando arrivano i conti li pago, il senso è “cipenserò al momento giusto”. V.a. “TO RECKON (riconoscere, si legge “rècon”) WITH (met.co) …=fare i conti con … “.- WHENEVER I CAN = tutte le volte che posso (gentile risposta a una richiesta).- WHERE THE HELL (inferno) IS ...? = dove diavolo è …?- WHERE TO BEGIN (began/begun) = da dove cominciare.- WHETHER IT BE … = sia esso/sia che di tratti di … o di … Eg. Whether it be day or night I suffer from severe head pain (or (una sola parola) “headache”) = sia di giorno che di notte ho un forte mal di testa. V.a. “WHETHER … OR NOT = sia che… o no …” .Eg. I don’t care whether you like me or not (non mi importa se ti piaccio o no) e “WHETHER (se) OR NOT = in ogni caso/sia … che …” . Eg. I don’t care whether you like it or not=non mi interessa se ti piace o no.- WHISTLE (fischio, si legge “uisol”) BLOWER (soffiatore, si legge “blouar”, da to blow/blew/blown=soffiare) = chi denuncia un illecito/fa una soffiata.- WHITE (bianco/a) LIE = non pericolosa bugia detta anche a fin di bene. Simile a “A HARMLESS (innocua) LIE”.- WHO IS/WAS IT? = chi è/era? (es: alla porta/chi mi cerca/cercava). La risposta inizia con: IT (NO “he or she”) IS/WAS … .- WHAY EVER = perché mai. Eg. I don’t know why ever (perchè mai) I started smoking, I should give up it (io dovrei rinunciarvi).- WHY ON EARTH (terra) ….? = perché mai ….? Altre espressioni con “earth” sono: WHERE ON EART?=dove mai? WHO ON EARTH=chi mai? WHAT ON EARTH?=che diavolo/cosa mai? HOW ON EARTH?=come mai? V.a. “UNEARTLY (let. non di questa terra)=fuori del comune”.- WHY SHOULD I/YOU KNOW? = perchè dovrei/dovresti saperlo?- WIDELY KOWN = largamente noto. Eg. It’s widely known that … = tutti sanno che … - WISE = saggio. E’ anche usato come suffisso a una parola per indicare “in termini di”, es. insurance-wise. Come composto (-wise) significa “per quanto riguarda/dal punto di vista di”. Eg. How are you doing work-wise?=come sei messo con il lavoro?- WISHFUL (desideroso, si legge “uiscfull”) THINKING=pio desiderio/auspicio. Eg. Do you really believe that you can improve your English only BY watching these DVDs? That’s (SENZA “a”) wishful thinking=a dream. V.a. “A WISH FOR REVENGE (si legge “riveng”)=un desiderio DI vendetta”. Eg. There’s a wish for revenge not too far below the surface (superfice, si legge “se-rfs”)=non troppo celato/quasi evidente.- (AT ONE’S) WIT’S END = A state of distress (angoscia) reached when someone hasno more patience (il senso è “essere all’estremo e non sapere più cosa fare”).Eg: The baby has been crying for hours and I have reached my wit’s end. I’m already at my wit’s end, so if the train is delayed again (ancora in ritardo), I’m going to scream (si legge “scrim”, mi metto a urlare). WIT=spirito/intelligenza/arguzia.- WITH A VIEW TO + ger.dio = con lo scopo DI … = AIMED AT (da to aim=mirare, si legge “eim”).- WITH HINDSIGHT (si legge “haindsait”) = col senno di poi.- WITH LITTE FANFARE (fanfara, si legge “fanfer”) = senza fare tante storie.- WITH ONE’S HEAD HELD HIGH = displaying (mostrando) pride (orgoglio, si legge “praid”) and confidence (fiducia/sicurezza di se, si legge “confidens”) often, but not always, after something has gone wrong (il senso è “a testa alta/con dignità/con compiacimento”). Eg: I saw that the audience (pubblico, si legge “odiens”) was unfriendly (ostile), so I gave up my presentation (intervento) and left the conference roon with my head high. Mark, after hearing he was awarded with a prize (premio, si legge “prais”), walked through the hall (salone) with his head held high.- WITH ALL ONE’S MIGHT (potenza, si legge “mait”, da to may/might=potere) = to utilize (utilizzare, si legge iutilais”) all of one’s strength (forza) to do something (il senso è “mettecerla tutta”). Eg. I pulled at (tirai) the rope with all my might (più che potevo), but we lost the tug-of-war (tiro alla corda. It is a competition in which two teams pull at opposite ends of a rope, each trying to pull the other team over the line between them). V.a.”TO TUG (si legge “tagh”)=tirare con forza”.- WITH THE NAKED EYE = A occhio nudo.- WITHIN HOURS = entro poche ore. V.a. “AT ANY GIVEN TIME=a qualsiasi ora e BY + una data ora=entro (eg. seven p.m.)”.- WITHIN REACH = a portata di mano = HANDY simile a WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE =raggiungibile a piedi=WITHIN STRIKING (da to strike/struck/struck=urtare/ picchiare). V.a. “WITHIN ONE’S GRASP (presa/stretta)=alla … portata (l’opposto è: BEYOND … GRASP=oltre le … possibilità, simile a “AND BEYOND=e oltre”, FAR BEYOND=molto oltre”) e HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO REACH?=quanto tempo ci vuole per arrivare a …?” Eg: Do you fancy going for a walk?=ti piacerebbe fare una passeggiata? What do you fancy doing this day?=che ti piacerebbe fare oggi? V.a. “TO REACH (raggiungere/arrivare A, si legge “ric”) FOR THE STARS=chiedere la luna”.- WITHOUT LETUP = without showing down (mostrare una riduzione) or stopping.Eg. Today IT is (NO solo “is”) raining without letup=oggi piove senza sosta.- , WITHOUT (WISHING) TO STATE THE OBVIOUS, = senza volere affermare l’ovvio/ non per dire l’evidente.- WITHIN THE TIME FRAME (cornice, si legge “freim”) = entro/alla la scadenza = AT MATURITY (si legge “maciuriti”).- WORK IN PROGRESS = lavori in corso = ONGOING = in via di sviluppo.- WORLD HERITAGE (eredità) = patrimonio dell’umanità (es. monumenti/parchi etc.).- WOULD BE = sarebbe, ma anche “ASPIRANTE”. Eg. A would be …=un aspirante/chemira a diventare … .- WRITTEN ALL OVER ONE’S FACE/EXPRESSION = evident by one’s face or expression(met.co, il senso è “scritto sulla fronte”). Eg: The terror was written all over on his face. He said nothing, but his response was written all over his expression.- (AND) YET = eppure (se è posto a inizio frase o se è seguito da riflessioni diverse da quelle già prima evidenziate). Eg. The team had no hope to win, yet it did=la squadra non aveva speranza di vincere, eppure lo fece.- YAP (discorso a vanvera), YAP, YAPPING (da to yap/yapped/yapped=abbaiare) ALL DAY LONG = talking nonstop (parlare senza sosta) about insignificant things (il senso è “blaterare”). Eg. Connie is nice, but once she starts yap, yap, yapping all day long, I feel a headache (mal di testa, si legge “he-aeich”) coming on.- YOU CAN’T HAVE EVERYTING = non si può avere tutto nella vita. V.a. “YOU CAN’T HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO=non si possono avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca=TO HAVE IT BOTH WAYS”.- YOU COULD BE FORGIVEN FOR THINKING THAT … (let. potresti essere perdonato per pensare che …) = potrebbe sembrare che... Eg. You could be forgiven (da to forgive/forgave/forgiven=perdonare) that … has been around (for a long time)= esiste da molto tempo.- YOU’RE GOING DOWN (slang) = sei fregato.- YOU KNOW WHAT = lo sai che ti dico (segue l’esposizione di una nuova decisione).- YOU SILLY THING = (sei uno) schiocco (spesso detto in modo molto affettuoso per qualcosa propostaci).Capitolo 2TO GET/GOT/GOTTO GET (ottenere e molti altri significati) NELLE FRASI IDIOMATICHE:- TO GET A BAD VIBRES (si legge “vaibrs” da “vibrations = vibrazioni/sensazioni”) = avere una brutta sensazione.- TO GET/HAVE A FOOT IN THE DOOR (WITH …) = avere una buona occasione (con …eg. a potential employer) = riuscire a inserirsi (es. in un ambiente/mercato e simili).- TO GET A DEGREE = TO GRADUATE = laurearsi. V.a. “INTERSHIPS = tirocini/stages”.- TO GET A GRIP (presa) ON … (eg. himself) = dominare/controllare … (es. se stesso).- TO GET TO GRIPS (impugnature, si legge “grips”, da to gripe=tenere) WITH … = avere piena padronanza (GRASP)/(sapere) fare i conti con (eg. the pratical side of things). V.a.”TO BE IN THE GRIP WITH/IN THE THROES (spasimi, si legge “throus”) OF/LABOR PAIN (doglie, si legge “leibro pein”)=essere alle prese CON e TO GRAB (grabbed/grabbed=afferrare, si legge “graab”)”. Eg. I grabbed his arm.- TO GET A KICK (calcio/pedata, si legge “chich”) OUT OF… = essersi divertito PER … .- TO GET (NO “have”) A PROMOTION/PROMOTED = ottenere una promozione.- TO GET A JOB = trovare un lavoro. V.a. “TO APPLAY FOR A JOB=presentare una domanda di lavoro”.- TO GET A TOOTH-ACHE = avere mal di denti. “ACHE (si legge “eich”)=dolore fisico”.- TO GET A LEG UP ON … = avere una marcia/chance/qualità un più DI … . Eg. This new product is the best way to get a leg up on the competition (concorrenza).- TO GET A LOOK-IN = avere una possibilità.- TO GET A SECOND WIND (vento/fiato, si legge “uind”) = acquisire nuove energie.- TO GET ANGRY/CROSS WITH … = arrabbiarsi con … .- TO GET CRACKING/STARTED = incominciare = TO GEY RIGHT ON THAT = TO WORK ON… right away = cominciare subito a lavorare su … V.a. “TO CRACK = incrinare-rsi/ schiacciare-rsi (eg. You’d better get cracking=datti una mossa) e TO CRACK DOWN ON=usare la mano pesante CON ... (met.co)”. Eg. Why do you crack down on me viciously (in modo così crudele (av.bio); cattiveria (sost.vo), si legge visciusl”)?- TO GET BACK ON ONE’S FEET = rimettersi IN piedi/trovare il proprio equilibrio.V.a “SQUARE FEET=metri quadri”.- TO GET BACK TOGETHER = tornare sentimentalmente insieme.- TO GET CANNED (inscatolato, slang)/TO BE FIRED/LAID OFF/AXED/SACKED = essere licenziato. Espressioni simili: TO GIVE SOMEONE THE AX (ascia)=licenziare qualcuno e TO GET (or TO BE GIVEN) ONE’S WALKING PAPERS (licenziamento/foglio di via).Eg. After the crisis (crisi, si legge “craisis), one of bank mortgage (mutuo, si legge “mogheg”) brokers (intermediario per la concessione dei mutui) got his walking papers (è stato licenziato). V.a. “PINK (rosa) SLIP (scontrino)=(slang) lettera di licenziamento”.- TO GET CLEAR = rischiararsi. L’opposto è “TO GET DARK = farsi buio per il venire della notte”. V.a. “TO BE IN DARK ABOUT … = essere all’oscuro di … e A DARK HORSE = un tipo misterioso/reticente”.- TO GET DOWN TO BRASS TACKS (puntine d’ottone)/TO THE NITTY-GRITTY (concettiessenziali)=discutere di affari/lavori, andare al sodo=TO GET (senza “to”) THE POINT.- TO GET DRESSED = vestirsi. Simile a “TO DRESS/TO PUT ... ON = indossare.Eg. I put a clean (pulito, si legge “clin”) shirt with cufflink (gemelli) on every morning. L’opposto è “TO TAKE OFF=togliersi un indumento/oggetto (es. anello)”.- TO GET DRUNK = TO BE VERY HIGH ON ALCOHOL = ubriacarsi. V.a. “TO BOOZE (bere troppo, si legge “buus”, da cui: boozer=bevitore di alcolici e booze=sbornia/ bevanda alcolica) e DRUNK DRIVING=guida in stato di ebbrezza”.- TO GET FAT = ingrassare = TO FATTEN =TO GAIN (guadagnate) WEIGHT.- TO GET GROOMED (da to groom=strigliare) = azzizzarsi/farsi bello/a. Eg. Men go tothe Barber Shop to get their hair cut and their beards (barbe) trimmed (da to trim= smussare). N.B. To get + un participio passato si può usare solo in due casi: 1° se l’azione è riflessiva cioè rivolta a se stessi (eg. To get married/dressed/confused= sposarsi/vestirsi/confondersi), 2° se l’azione avviene all’improvviso (eg. He got attacked (fu aggedito) while he was walking home) o inaspettamente (eg. The thief got John drunk and then stole his wallet=il ladro (robber) fece ubbriacare John e dopo gli rubò il portafoglio). V.a. “TO TAKE … BY SURPRISE=cogliere … di sorpresa”.- TO GET (A LOT OF) HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE = acquisire (molta) esperienza pratica.- TO GET/ARRIVE LATE/EARLY = arrivare tardi/in anticipo. V.a. “BY LATE/IN THE LATE (SENZA “of”) …s=alla fine degli anni (es. 90) e AHEAD OF=prima di/in anticipo SU”.- TO GET ONES (proprie) HANDS ON … = mettere le … mani su (met.co). Il senso è “avere la disponibilità DI …”.- TO GET HELD UP IN … = essere in ritardo perché trattenuto (segue DA qualcosa, eg: traffic, a meeting, etc).- TO GET HOLD OF = afferrare = TO GRAB/GRABBED/GRABBED. Eg. Get hold of yourself!=controllati!- TO GET ILL/SICK = ammalarsi.- TO GET HOT UNDER THE COLLAR (let. sentire caldo sotto il colletto) = indignarsi.- TO GET/BE IN SPOT LIGHT = essere alla ribalta/molto in vista = TO BE IN THE LIMELIGHT. Per l’opposto si usa “TWILIGHT (si legge “tuailait”)=crepuscolo”.Eg: A twilight actor=un attore in declino=out of the limelight. He knew that it meant(significava) the twilight of his career. V.a. “IN LIGHT OF … = ALLA luce di …”.- TO GET IN THE WAY = intralciare la strada. V.a. “MIDWAY THROUGH (rafforzativo= diretto (ag.vo)/attraverso (prep.ne), si legge “thru”)=a metà strada=HALFWAY ALONG”. Entrambi si usano in senso fisico o figurativo.- TO GET IN TOUCH (toccare, si legge “tac”) WITH…=essere/mettersi in contatto con.- TO GET IN TUNE (tono, si legge “tun”) WITH = sintonizzarsi con … .- TO GET INTO TROUBLE FOR + ger.dio = cacciarsi nei guai per … . = TO LOOK FORTROUBLE. “TO LOOK” significa anche “dimostrare”. Eg: You don’t look your age. Helooks tired. It looks the part=si presenta bene.- TO GET INVOLVED WITH = farsi coinvolgere. N.B. “TO INVOLVE” significa anche “comportare”, eg. Expansion (espansione/sviluppo, si legge “echspancion”) IN (degli)business (affari) involve expenditure (delle/alcune spese, si legge “echspèndiciar”).- TO GET KNOWN = venire a sapere/imparare a conoscere.- TO GET MARRIED or HITCHED (si legge “hicd”)/TO TIE (legare, si legge “tai”) THE KNOT (nodo, si legge “nat”) = sposarsi. TO HITCH=impigliarsi (da to hitch-hike, si legge “hic-haich”=fare l’autostop). V.a. “TO BE MARRIED TO=essere sposati a/ CON e TO SETTLE (stabilire/decidere) DOWN=sistemarsi/mettere su famiglia”.- TO GET MUGGED (si legge “maghd”) = essere rapinato/aggredito.- TO GET ON SOMEONE’S BAD SIDE = fare qualcosa che irrita/disturba. Eg. How didyou get on the teacher’s bad side? – I came to class late every day. V.a. “TO ANNOY qualcuno (il senso è “to get into a situation where someone is angry at/with …) e TO BE HOT UNDER THE COLLAR=essere arrabbiato”.- TO GET OLD = invecchiare.- TO GET ON ONE’S NERVES = fare innervosire.- TO GET ON STAGE (si legge “steig”) = salire sul palcoscenico (anche met.co).- TO GET ON WELL WITH… = andare molto d’accordo con… . = TO SEE EYE TO EYE.- TO GET ONE’S FACTS WRONG = confondere i fatti.- TO GET ONE’S HANDS ON = avere/possedere. Eg. I’d like to get my hands on the first edition of … .- TO GET ONE’S HANDS AROUND … (let. mettere le … mani intorno …) = capire/ accettare … . L’opposto è “TO BE OVER ONE’S HEAD=essere troppo difficile da capire”. Eg. German philosophers are over my head. V.a. “CAN’T MAKE HEAD OR TAIL OF …=non capire niente di … “.- TO GET ONE’S OWN WAY = ottenere ciò che si vuole, può seguire “IN THE END”.- TO GET ONE’S WIRES (fili, si legge “uaiers”) CROSSED (incrociati) = non essersi ben capiti = TO HAVE A MISUNDERSTANDING. Eg. I’m sorry to miss our meeting, surely we must have gotten our wires crossed.- TO GET OVER IT = superare/dimenticare un evento spiacevole.Eg. Get over it! = non pensarci più!- TO GET PALE (pallido, si legge “pel”) = impallidire.- TO GET READY = preparare(rsi).- TO GET RICH = arricchirsi=TO HAVE BIG POCKETS (tasche grandi/profonde, met.co).- TO GET RID (da to rid/rid/rid) OF … = sbarazzarsi di qualcosa/non volere avere rapporti CON qualcuno = TO FREE (liberare) ONESELF OF… . Eg. She got rid of her olds clothes. V.a. “FOR FREE=gratuitamente e FREELANCE=libero professionista”.- TO GET (A)ROUND = superare/aggirare un ostacolo, girare/rci intorno.- TO GET SETTLED = sistemarsi/stabilirsi.- TO GET SOMETHING UNDERWAY (in corso) = avere inizio. Eg: The economic conference gets underway. Let’s get the new ad (abbreviazione di advertising= pubblicità) campaign underway immediately.- TO GET SPONSORED = essere sponsorizzato.- TO GET/START THE BALL ROLLING (da to roll=avvolgere) = dare inizio.Eg. Who got the ball rolling?=chi comincia?- TO GET THE PICTURE = capire le ragioni/dimostranze. Eg. You get the picture!=Tu puoi capirmi! V.a. “TO GET ONE’S POINT ACROSS=affermare le proprie ragioni”.- TO GET TO SOMEONE = fare arrabbiare/stare male. Eg. They play loud music andit’s really getting to me.- TO GET THE UPPER HAND = prendere il sopravvento/farsi valere.- TO GET THE WRONG END OF THE STICK (bastone) = fraintendere fischi per fiaschi.- TO GET THERE = arrivare/giungere là.- TO GET THIN = dimagrire.- TO GET THROUGH IT= conseguire un risultato = TO CUT/CUT/CUT (tagliate) IT.- TO GET TIRED = stancarsi.- TO GET TO = giungere/arrivare IN un luogo/pervenire.- TO GET TO BE = diventare = TO BECOME/BECAME/BECOME.- TO GET TO KNOW = venire a sapere/imparare a conoscere/fare la conoscenza.- TO GET TO THE BOTTOM (parte inferiore, si legge “bàtom”) OF=scoprire tutto di… .- TO GET TOGETHER = radunare(rsi.)- TO GET UP TO MONKEY (scimmia, si legge “manchi”) BUSINESS = non perdere tempo in scherzi/buffonate.- TO GET UNDER THE COLLAR (colletto) = irritare(rsi) e anche incensare (to incense).- TO GET UNDER WAY = essere operarativo; under way=in corso (es. lavori).- TO GET USED TO ... (seguito dal verbo in “ing”) = abituarsi a … .- TO GET WELL = guarire.- TO GET WILD (selvaggio, silegge “uaild”) = infuriarsi.- TO GET WIND (vento, si legge “uind” e “uaind” se è usato come “avvolgere/ caricare, es. orologio”) OF = scoprire = TO DISCOVER = TO FIND OUT.- TO GET WITHIN = arrivare A/raggiungere.- TO GET WORSE = peggiorare.- TO GET + sost.vo UNDER = domare. Eg. To get a fire under=domare un incendio.- DON’T GET EXCITED (eccitato, si legge “echsaitid”)= non ti arrabbiare.- GET A LIFE! = cerca di maturare/crescere (in tono di rimprovero).- GETTING WELL/BETTER TANKS (ringraziamenti e abr.ne di “thank you”) = va bene/ meglio grazie. E’ la comune risposta alla domanda: How are you?TO GET USATO COME PHRASAL VERB- TO GET ABOVE = superare. V.a.”TO GET ABOVE ONESELF=montarsi la testa”.- TO GET ABOARD = salire a bordo.- TO GET ABOUT = andare in giro/essere attivo/muoversi.- TO GET ACROSS = attraversare = to cross = to pass through (a place).- TO GET AHEAD = superare/andare avanti/farsi strada (anche fig.vo).- TO GET ALONG = fare progressi/avanzare = TO WORK ONE’S WAY UP.- TO GET AROUND = andare in giro/superare un ostacolo e anche “circuire”, eg. She knows how to get around her husband=lei lo sa come “prendere” suo marito.- TO GET AT = raggiungere = to reach = to arrive at (a place).- TO GET AWAY = allontanarsi/fuggire.- TO GET AWAY WITH IT = farla franca.- TO GET BACK = riprendere/ritornare.- TO GET BAD = andare a male/guastarsi.- TO GET BEHIND = rimanere indietro.- TO GET BETTER = migliorare/stare meglio.- TO GET BY = passare/riuscire a passare/vivere con semplicità/esistere/sbarcare il lunario/cavarsela.- TO GET CROSS WITH… = arrabbiarsi con… .- TO GET DOWN = (far) scendere/deprimere = to come down=to go down; (to go down with=ammalarsi DI).- TO GET DOWN TO BUSINESS = occuparsi di cose serie.- TO GET HOLD OF=afferrare=to grab/grabbed/grabbed=to catch/caught/caught.- TO GET IN = salire/entrare (in mezzi di trasporto)/arrivare=to come in=to go in.- TO GET INTO = infilarsi/(riuscire a) entrare/penetrare.- TO GET OFF = andarsene.- TO GET OFF ON THE WRONG FOOT WITH SOMEONE (met.co) = partire col piede sbagliato con … .- TO GET ON/ALONG = andare d’accordo.- TO GET ON/OFF = salire su … /scendere da … (auto, bus, ecc.)/fare progressi.- TO GET ON WITH = andare avanti con un lavoro/progetto.- TO GET OUT = uscire e anche “cacciare qualcuno fuori”. Eg. “Get out!=vattene! (nel senso “fuori dai piedi”).- TO GET OUT OF… = uscire DA…/evitare di fare un compito o di eseguire un dovere.- TO GET OVER = scavalcare/vincere/riaversi dopo una malattia o sorpresa/superare (es. ostacoli ecc.).- TO GET ROUND … = prendere … per il suo verso.- TO GET TO = giungere/arrivare in un luogo/pervenire.- TO GET THROUGH = portare a termine/usare o finire le scorte.- TO GET … = domare.- TO GET UP = alzarsi DAL letto; negli altri casi si usa to stand up=alzarsi IN piedi.- TO GET UP A … = organizzare (eg: a concert or a show).- TO GET UP TO = arrivare, eg. We got up to page 11. To get + complemento oggetto = to obtain = to receive = to buyI?got my passport?last week. (to obtain).She?got her driving license?last week. (to obtain)They?got permission?to live in Switzerland. (to obtain)I?got a letter?from my friend in Nigeria. (to receive)He?gets $1,000?a year from his father. (to receive)She?got a new coat?from Zappaloni in Rome. (to buy) He?got a new television?for the sitting room. (to buy)TO GET + ESPRESSIONE DI LUOGO = REACH, ARRIVE AT A PLACEHow are you?getting home?tonight?We?got to London?around 6 p.m.What time will we?get there?When did you?get back?from New York?TO GET + ADJECTIVE = BECOME, SHOW A CHANGE OF STATEI am?getting old.It's?getting hotter.By the time they reached the house they were?getting hungry.I'm?getting tired?of all this nonsense.My mother's?getting old?and needs looking after.It?gets dark?very early in the winter.Don't touch the stove until is?gets cool.ALTRE ESPRESIONI CON GETDo you get it?significa "hai capito?". Eg.Do you get what the teacher was explaining in class?He's getting dinner tonight?significa “sta preparando la cena”. Eg. It's my turn to get dinner tonight.I'll get the bill?significa "pago io". Eg. Put your wallet away! I'll get the bill.That really gets me!?significa “che mi irrita”. Eg. It really gets me when my sister shows up (arriva) late.To get rid of something?significa “gettare qualcosa”. Eg. I'm going to get rid of all these old newspapers.V.a.“TABLOID = giornale scandalistico”.To get out of bed on the wrong side?significa “essere di cattivo umore”. Eg. He got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning and he's been horrible all day.V.a. “TO BE IN A HUFF (stizza, si legge “haf”) = essere di cattivo umore/ stizzito e TO HUFF = maltrattare con insolenza”.To get your own back?significa “vendicarsi/punire qualcuno”. Eg. She is getting her own back for all those rude things you said at the party last night.TO GET/GOT/GOT (UK) or GOTTEN (USA) AND ITS MORE COMMON MEANINGSTo get without a preposition sometimes means:TO ARRIVE (arrivare). Eg. When we got (arrived) home, he was still sleeping.TO BE AFFECTED (influenzato) BY SOMETHING. Eg. He gets (is affected/becomes) angry when … .TO BRING (brought/brough=portare). Eg. Can I get (bring) something to drink?TO BUY (bought/bought=comprare). Eg. When I travel, I get (buy) some gifts for my family and friends. V.a. “BOUNTY (si legge “baunti”) = generosità/dono generoso”TO CATCH (caught/caught=afferrare). Eg. Jack went to get (catch) a train to … .TO COLLECT (raccogliere/riscuotere). Eg. I need to get (collect) my house keys (NO “house’s keys”).TO CONVINCE (convincere=TO PERSUADE). Eg. I finally got (convinced) her to see (nel senso “andare DA”) a doctor.TO EARN (guadagnare). Eg. He has a good job, he gets (earns) over $ 80,000 a year.TO FETCH (andare a prendere, si legge “fec”). Eg. I’m going home to get (fetch) … .TO OBTAIN (ottenere). Eg. I got (obtained) my passport last week.TO PAY (pagare). Eg. It’s my turn to get (pay) the bill.TO RECEIVE (ricevere). Eg. Susan got (received) a new car for her birthday.TO UNDERSTAND (understood/understood=capire). Eg. Do you get (understand) it?SOME SLANG WORDS WITH TO GETIl verbo to get è di certo il più “multi uso” della lingua inglese e non è esente dall’essere utilizzato anche per i seguenti comuni slang:- Get lost! (più forte di “get out/away”) = vattene. Se si vuole essere più volgari si usa: Go to hell! = vattene al diavolo, da preferisi al pessimo Fuck you = va fà nculo.- To get one’s kicks (let. ottenere i propri calci) = fare una cosa molto piacevole = To get off on something. Eg. I get my kicks from sleeping = dormire mi da molto piacere.- Get off (let. scendi) = smettila.- To get it on = iniziare a fare qualcosa e anche “danzare”.- To get on one’s bike (let. salire sulla propria bicicletta) = andarsene.- Get on/away! Sono esclamazioni che esprimono dubbio traducibili con “ma dai”!- To get smart with someone (let. fare il furbo con qualcuno) = disturbare qualcuno contraddicendolo. L’idea di fastidio si esprime con: “It gets to me = mi infastidisce”.- To get one’s just dessert (o “to get one’s”; let. ricevere il proprio giusto dessert) = ricevere una punizione che se è accettata si traduce con: “To get what’s coming”. Capitolo 3ONE HUNDRED COMMON PHRASAL VERBSN.B.: sb è l’abbreviazione di “somebody” e sth è l’abbreviazione di “something”.I verbi sottolineati all’infinito, all’imperfetto e al participio passato sono irregolari.001 TO BE ON = si riferisce a un evento programmato (to be happening/planned/to happen). Eg:- My favourite TV show is on at ten o’clock. V.a. “IT’S TURNED … O’CLOCK = sono le (indicare l’ora passata)”.- What’s on at the cinema?- Is the party still on for next Friday?- There was a music festival on last weekend.Opposites. If an event is off, it was planned but will no longer happen. Eg. Sorry but the party’s off.Other meanings. In informal situations you can say: We’re on = siamo d’accordo.002 TO BE UP TO sb = dipende da… (to be sb’s responsibility/duty; to be left to sb to decide). Eg:- It was up to Roger to make sure (essere sicuro/certo che) all the doors and windows were locked. V.a. “TO BE ON THE CARDS = assai probabile/quasi sicuro”.- It’s up to you to fix this situation (nel senso “sistemare (to fix up) le cose”).- The decision’s not up to her, it’s up to her manager.- It’s your birthday, what we do tonight is up to you.Synonyms. To be down to somebody. Eg. It’s down to you to check your insurance cover.003 TO BE UP TO sth = essere impegnato in... (to be busy doing something, especially sth bad). Eg:- The kids are very quiet. Are they up to something? (nel senso “che (diavolo) stanno combinando”?).- She didn’t really want to know what he had been up to (nel senso di “meglio non sapere”).- Have you been up to anything interesting since I last saw you? (anche sarc.co).- He looks very guilty (colpevole, si legge “ghilti”). What do you think he has been up to? (nel senso “quale reato pensi ha commesso?”).Other meanings. This verb can also mean “to be able to do sth”.Eg. Are you sure you’re up to this?Similar verbs. You can sometimes use to get up to instead of “to be..”.Eg. What did you get up to last night?What’s up? can be used to ask somebody if there is something wrong.What’s up is also synonym of “how are you doing?” (come và?).To be up to can also mean “to be as good as people expect”.Eg. Was your meal up to (SENZA “the”) standard? (nel senso “il tuo pranzo è stato dibuon livello/all’altezza della situazione?”).004 TO BLOW UP/TO BLOW sb or sth UP = scoppiare/far esplodere qualcosa, ancheuccidere qualcuno (to explode or be destroyed by an explosion; to kill sb or destroysth with a bomb or an explosion). Eg:- There was a huge bang (scoppio) as the fuel tank blew up, but luckily (per fortuna/fortunatamente) we escaped just in time unharmed (illesi). N.B. “TO ESCAPE TO (NO “in”) … = scappare (to flee) in/verso … (indicare un luogo, eg. “ESCAPE PATH = via di fuga”)”. V.a. “THE PATH OF SUCCESS = la strada/via del successo”. Eg:- In 1605 Guy Fawkes tried to blow up Parliament (SENZA “the”) and the King.- Rumor has it that (si dice che) a terrorist group threatened to blow the building up.- The thieves robbed the store and then blow it up.- One man was tragically blown up by a car bomb (nel senso “morì per l’esplosione di un’autobomba”).- Don’t blow smoke up my ass (slang; nel senso “non prendermi per il culo”).Related words. Blow-up as noun means explosion. Eg.The mixture of chemicals (sostanze chimiche, si legge “chemicols”) caused a massive blow-up.Similar verbs. You can use to explode instead of to blow up. A bomb can also go off, in informal language. Eg. Fortunately there was no one in the building when the bomb went off (or “exploded”).005 TO BREAK DOWN = guastarsi (to stop working because of a fault). Eg:- Why are you late? Did the bus break down?- What a terrible journey! We broke down (si riferisce all’auto/bus) twice on the highway (autostrada, si legge “haiuei”).- I’m nervous using the washing machine in case it breaks down again.- After the accident he broke down (nel senso “ha avuto un crollo fisico e/o psicologico”).Related words. Breakdown (as noun). Eg. We had a breakdown on the way home. Broken-down (as adjective). Eg. A broken-down truck (un camion sfasciato). Breakdown and broken-down are usually used about vehicles.Similar verbs. If a computer or its system stops working, we can say it crashes (da to crash=crollare/precipitare) or goes down or falls over. If a machine or a vehicle goes wrong, it stops working correctly. Eg. My watch has (NO “is”) gone wrong.006 TO BREAK IN/INTO sth = irrompere (to enter (SENZA “in”) a building/open a car, etc. illegally by (NO “with the”) force). Eg:- Get a strong front door lock (serratura), otherwise (altrimenti) anybody couldbreak in.- Thieves broke in smashing a window (to smash=fracassare).- Then I saw that somebody had broken into my car and (had) stolen the radio.- The hut (baracca) has been empty (vuota) for a while (per un pò) and they have been breaking into it (entrarono più volte).- My house has been broken into six times (nel senso “sono entrati i ladri sei (il nu-mero è precisato) volte”). V.a. “FRONT/BACK YARD = giardino sul davanti/retro”.Related words. BREAK-IN (as countable noun). Eg. Police reported a rise in the … ofbreak-ins (scassi con furti) over the last twelve months (N.B. Non esiste l’unica paro-la “breakin” come, invece, è “breakdown”).Idioms: Breaking and entering is the crime of entering (SENZA “in”) a building/storeby force, especially to steal (stole/stolen=rubare) something. Eg. He was found guilty of breaking and entering and sentenced to six months in prison.Similar verbs. Get in/get into something have similar meaning. Eg. How did the burglars (scassinatori) get in? (nel senso “come hanno fatto a entrare”? (to walk in).007 TO BREAK UP = interrompere (to come to an end (of a relationship); to end a relationship (of people); to stop working together (To interrupt=interrompere un discorso, eg. Don’t interrupt me while I’m speaking). Eg:- It’s always hard when a marriage beaks up, especially if there are children.- After three albums, the band broke up in order to have solo careers (carriere come assoli).- He has just broken up with his girlfriend (nel senso “ha rotto il fidanzamento”).- Why are you crying? - Chris thinks we should break up (nel senso “sarebbe meglio lasciarci”).- Mum doesn’t want me to marry Tom and tries to break us up.- After our umpteen (ennesimo) argument (contrasto) John and I broke up.Related words. Break-up (as noun). Eg: He moved away after the break-up (rottuta) of his marriage. Family break-ups are stressful and difficult (N.B. Non esiste l’unica parola “breakup”).Synonyms. Split up means the same as break up and is used in the same way (to split=dividere). Eg. Did you know Sue and Jake have split up? or Did you know Sue has split up with Jake?008 TO BRING sb UP = (far) crescere/educare (to care (avere cura DI) for (NO “of”) a child until he or she is grown up. V.a. “To teach (SENZA “to”) your child a particular way to behave = comportarsi bene”. Eg:- I would prefer not to bring my children up in a big city. V.a. “A low-rise city = città con costruzioni basse e Walkable city = città dove è facile camminare”.- She became A widow (vedova si legge “uidou”; vedovo=widower si legge “uidoar”)when she was very young and brought up her three children without help.- My mother brought me up to always say ‘please and thank you’.- I don’t know if he was brought up in the countryside or ON (NO “in”) a farm.Related words. Upbringing (the pattern of education=modello comportamentale). Eg: Not only does he have a very good education (cultura/istruzione), but also aperfect upbringing (educazione). Actually he is a gentleman by behavior not by birth. (N.B. Nella suindicata frase lo stile enfatico si evince da “Non solo…, ma anche… “. In questi casi si DEVE usare l’ausiliare rafforzativo “to do” da mettere PRIMA del soggetto (he) e verbo (have) come nelle frasi interrogative.Synonyms. To raise somebody means the same as bring somebody up. Eg. He was raised in Brooklyn.Similar verbs. To grow/grew/grown and to look after somebody.09 TO CALL BACK/TO CALL sb BACK = (ri)chiamare (qualcuno) al telefono (to telephone again; to telephone/phone (SENZA “to”) somebody who telephoned you earlier). Eg:- I’m sorry Mr. Smith is in a meeting, can you call back later?- There’s this phone message for you, can you call John back this evening?- I’m busy at the moment, Sam, can I call you back in about an hour?- I left lots of messages for Sue, but she never called me back.Related words. A callback as noun has two different meanings:1. a device (meccanismo) in a telephone that automatically calls again the number that was busy when you first called it. Eg. My telephone has a good facility, it’s a callback, so I can phone a person again without dialing (rifare il numero telefonico). V.a.” TO DIAL (si legge “daiol”) THE NUMBER=comporre il numero … e DIALING CODE=prefisso telefonico”. In caso di errore la risposta sarà: You’ve dialled the wrong number = ha composto il numero sbagliato/ha sbagliato numero.2. a telephone call that you make to somebody who has called you earlier. Eg. Please leave your name and we will give you a callback (nel senso “richiameremo”; notare l’uso del verbo “to give” con “a callback”).Similar verbs. To ring/phone somebody back and to call. Other similar phrasal verbs formed with “call” are:- To call around = to phone different people. Call-around can be also used as noun. Eg. Before buying that company, I should make a call-around (giro di telefonate) just to know more about it.- To call in = to phone the place where you work. Eg. She called in sick (nel senso “ha telefonato al suo ufficio per comunicare di essere ammalata”). N.B. Nella suindicata frase colloquiale NON è citato l’ufficio e NON é usato il verbo essere.- To call up = to make a phone call to somebody. Eg. Call up the office and ask for Mr. Morgan.010 TO CATCH UP/TO CATCH UP WITH sb or sth = raggiungere/afferrare (to reach somebody or something ahead of you by going faster than them or it). Eg:- They are a long way in front, do you think we can catch up? (nel senso “li (sot.so) rangiungeremo?”).- He ran to catch up with her.- The police finally caught up with the car at the traffic lights (il senso è “alla fine (dell’inseguimento) li (sot.so) raggiunsero con la (loro) macchina al semaforo”). Other meanings. The verb can also be used to mean “to reach the same level or standard as somebody or something else that was better or more advanced”. Eg:- The company will probably catch up with its competitors within (entro) a couple of years.- When I came from my trip I found that I had a lot of catching up to do (molte cose da fare).Related words. Catch-up, as noun, is related to this example: After our bad start tothe season, we were always playing catch-up (il senso è “recuperare/giocare di anticipo” = We had to catch up with our work).Similar verbs. To keep/kept/kept up, to keep up with somebody or something.Using the verb “to catch up with”, the preposition “to” can take the place of “with”. Eg. She caught up to Sam at (or “on”) the corner of the street = lei raggiunse Sam all’angolo della strada.011 TO CHECK IN/TO CHECK sb or sth IN = presentarsi in albergo per la registrazione o in aereoporto per i controlli (when you check in, you go to an official desk at a hotel or (in) an airport and tell somebody you have arrived, thus when somebody checks you in, they take your name and the i.d. (identification document, si legge “aidentifichescion dochiument”). When somebody checks luggage in, they either leave it or accept it to be put on (che sia messo su) a plane, ship, etc.). Eg:- It’s a good idea to check in at least two hours before your flight is due to leave.- The telephone kept ringing (continuava a suonare) while the receptionist was trying to check the guests (ospiti dell’albergo) in.- I watched the car leave (nel senso “vidi l’auto andare via”), then (I sot.so) went to check in my suitcases.- The bags have been checked in for the flight.- Hasn’t the hostess checked you in yet? I thought all the passengers had already been checked in.Related words. Check-in, as noun, can be countable or uncountable. Eg. (The) check-in starts (or “is”) from 9.00 and already there are very long queues/lines (code, si leggono “chiues/laiens”) at the check-in (or “check-in desk”).Similar verbs. You can also use check into something. Eg. I checked into a good hotel in town.012 TO CHECK OUT/TO CHECK OUT OF sth, as opposite of “check in”, means to leave a hotel, a hospital, etc. where you have been staying and means to finish an activity too (OF si riferisce al posto lasciato). Eg:- We have to check out by 10 a.m. (nel senso “dobbiamo andarcene entro le dieci dimattina”).- It was nearly twelve (quasi mezzogiorno) by the time (quando/allorchè/nel momento in cui) we checked out of the hotel.- He checked out of the hospital against his doctor’s orders.- The hotel was terrible so we checked out (or “of it”) after one night.- Let’s check out of here (nel senso “andiamo, qui non c’è altro da fare”).Related words. Checkout is uncountable. Eg: Checkout or Checkout time is (at) sixsharp (or “o’ clok”alle 6 precise).013 TO CHECK sb or sth OUT = fare indagini su… (to find out if somebody is honest/truthful/reliable (affidabile/attendibile, si legge “rilaibol”), etc. or something is correct/true or false). Eg:- The police are checking out his story and his family too.- His story was checked out very carefully.- My company checks people out before offering them a job.- She gave them a false address but they didn’t check it out (nel senso “non lo hannocontrollato”).- You need to get that cough (tosse) checked out (nel senso ”fatti controllare”) by a doctor. Notare la combinazione “to get … checked out” il cui senso è “fare in modo che “sb/sth” sia controllato/a.Other meanings. In informal language, check somebody or something out can mean “to look at (guardare per esaminare) sb/sth because they (or it) seem interesting or attractive”. Eg: Check out our website for more information. If you check out in a store, or somebody checks you out, you find out how much to pay and give somebody the money. Checkout, as noun, means the place (“cashier”) where you must pay.014 TO CHEER UP/TO CHEER sb or yourself UP = rallegrarsi/infondere agli altri o a se stessi fiducia (to become, or to make somebody or yourself, more cheerful (allergro, si legge “cirful”) or happier (più allegro, si legge “hapiar”). Eg:- What’s up? Cheer up! (che succede su con la vita!) I’m sure everything will be fine.- The thief didn’t cheer up not even a bit (neanche un pò) when the police broke in.- John was so hungry that he cheered up at the thought (al pensiero) of dinner.- He spent ages (nel senso “impiegò molto tempo nel” + ger.dio) trying to cheer the kids up.- How can I cheer you up? (il senso della domanda è: Come posso “tirarti su”?)- I went shopping to cheer myself (da preferire all’informale “me”) up.- She was cheered up by (NO “for”) a letter from her mother. Synonyms. To brighten up and to perk up/to perk somebody or yourself up mean the same. Eg:- She brightened up when her son arrived.- We perked up at the idea to picnic (or “of picnicking”).015 TO COME ACROSS sb or sth = trovare o incontrare, imbattersi per caso (to findor meet sb or sth by chance, without having planned or thought about it). Eg:- I came across some old photographs at the back of a drawer (cassetto, si legge “droor”).- I’ve never come across anything like this before. What is it?- This is a good book, I came across it (l’ho trovato per puro caso) and without asecond thought (senza pensarci due volte=at the drop of a hat) I bought it.- She is the most difficult woman, that’s why I have never come across the likes of(tipi come) her.Synonyms. To come across somebody can be replaced by to bump (urtare) into somebody by chance (or by accident=per caso). Eg. I bumped into an old school friend of mine the other day (l’altro giorno) in a bookshop.016 TO COME ON = venire avanti/sbrigarsi (nel senso “che aspetti/andiamo, etc”).To encourage somebody to do something, to show that you don’t believe what somebody has said or to disagree with somebody). Eg:- Come on! We’ll be late if you don’t hurry up! (nel senso “se non ti sbrighi”).- Come on Andy, give us a smile and everything will be OK.- ‘Come on’ urged (da to urge=incoraggiare/incitare/esortare, si legge “org”). Eg: - Oh come on! You don’t expect me to believe that story, do you?- Oh come on! I don’t believe a word of it (neanche un pò) you thought the movie was good?- The boss came on to me (NO “on me” senza to) on the first day of my new job (nel senso “il capo mi fece delle avances sin dal mio primo giorno di lavoro”).Synonyms. You can also use the verb to come along if you are trying to encourage somebody. Eg:- Come along (or “on”) now, don’t be afraid.- Come on (or “along”) kids, you’ll be late for school.Similar verbs. It’s possible to use come off it! When you want to tell somebody that you think or know what they have said is not true, or that you disagree with it.Eg. Come off it! Their team will never win.017 TO COME OVER or AROUND = fare una visita (to come to sb’s home for a short time). Eg:- Jill came over last night and stayed not longer than (non più di) half an hour.- I can’t go out tonight; I’ve got some friends coming over later (nel senso “aspetto visite più tardi”).- Would you like to come around to my place (nel senso “a casa mia”) for a drink?Similar verbs. You can use go over or go (a)round instead of come over or come (a)round when you are talking about somebody else’s home. Eg. I’m going over to see/visit Ann (or to Ann’s=a casa di Ann) later. To come over means also “accadere”. Eg.Why are you angry? What’s come over you? (che ti è capitato?).N.B. Per tutti i suindicati verbi l’oggetto specificato NON può essere posto tra il verbo e la sua preposizione.018 TO CUT DOWN/TO CUT DOWN ON sth = ridurre (eg. to eat/drink or use less of something, usually to improve your health or your situation). Eg:- Even if/though you’ve smoked all your life, it’s never too late to cut down.- I’ve spent (da to spend/spent/spent=spendere) far too much (davvero troppo) thismonth, I really must cut down (ridurre le spese/risparmiare).- If you want to lose weight and get fit (essere in forma), try cutting down on snackssuch as chips or nuts (patatine fritte o noci, si legge “cips or nats”).- Recycling (raccolta differenziata) cuts down on (SENZA “the”) wast (SOLO al singo-lare) = riduce gli sprechi.Synonyms: You can use to cut back/to cut back on something in the same way.Eg. The doctor told him to cut back on red meat because of (a causa della) his high blood pressure.Similar verbs. To give up (rinunciare) means ‘to stop doing or having sth completely’.Eg. He told me to give up sugar (or stop using sugar), but I prefer to cut down on it (or eat less sugar).N.B. L’oggetto specificato DEVE seguire entrambe le preposizioni down e on.019 TO CUT sb OFF = escludere sb (to interrupt a telephone conversation by breaking the connection). Eg:- Ken slammed the phone down and cut her off (to slam=chiudere con violenza).- Operator, I’ve just been cut off again, don’t keep cutting me off (nel senso di “non tenermi escluso”).- The day I had to work on (NO “to”) the switchboard (centralino) I kept cutting people off!- Every time I called I got cut off. (nel senso “si interrompeva la comunicazione”). (1)- I keep getting cut off (or I get cut off=perdo la connessione di continuo). (1)- I get cut off each time I call you. (1)(1) N.B. L’uso di “to get” è dovuto se la persona E’ il soggetto e NON l’oggetto a essere escluso. Al posto di to get è possibile usare to be (es. They were cut off) senza mutare il senso della frase.Other meanings. To cut somebody off mean ‘to interrupt somebody when they are speaking” Eg:- He rudely (sgarbatamente, si legge “riudli”) cut me off in mid-sentence (nel senso “mentre stavo ancora parlando”). V.a. “IT’S RUDE TO + verbo = non sta bene …”.- My explanation for why I was late was abruptly (improvvisamente/bruscamente, si legge “abraptli”) cut off.- You shouldn’t cut people off (or “interrupt”) when they are trying to give their opinion.020 TO CUT sb or sth OFF (1°) = separare (to separate sb, sth or yourself physically or socially from other people or things). Eg:- A concrete (calcestruzzo, si legge “concrit”) wall cut the town off from the beach.- No one knew why Ray had cut all contact off with us.- The mist/fog (nebbia, si leggono “mist/fogh”) had cut them off from the rest of the group, that’s why they were lost.- Mario cut himself off by living here, and now he’s staying overseas (all’estero, silegge “oversiis”) and far away from his family.- My farm is often cut off (“isolata”) in the winter because of severe (gravi, si legge“siviar”) storms. Synonyms. To isolate somebody or something has a similar meaning. Eg:- Flooding (inondazione - SENZA“the”) has isolated the town from the outside world.- She is deliberately isolating herself (nel senso “si sta isolando”) from her friendsand family.- He has deliberately isolated himself (nel senso “si è isolato”) from all of us.021 TO CUT sb or sth OFF (2°) = interrompere una fornitura (to stop the supply of gas, water, electricity, etc. to somebody’s home or hotel, company, etc.). Eg:- They cut the water supply off for three hours this morning.- Our gas company won’t (or “will not”) cut you off without a warning (avviso/ preavviso=notice).- He forgot to pay the bill so the telephone company cut his phone off.- I was told (mi fu detto/riferito) that our research funds (fondi per la ricerca, si legge “rìserc fands”) were being cut off (stavano per essere tagliati) immediately.- We can’t cook dinner at home because the gas has been cut off.Related words. Cut-off (taglio ai finanziamenti) is, usually, a countable noun Eg:- Electricity cut-offs prevented (da to prevent=impedire/ostacolare, si legge “privent”) small business from operating (NO operate=operare, si legge “òpereit”).- Hospitals are facing gas (nel senso “hanno subito”) cut-offs this winter.N.B. Per tutti i suindicati verbi l’oggetto specificato DEVE essere posto tra il verbo e la sua preposizione.022 TO DO sth UP = allacciare/chiudere (to fasten or close something). Eg:- I’ve eaten so much that I can’t do my belt (cinta) up.- His coat (cappotto, si legge “cout”) was so tight (aderente e anche “taccagno” si legge “tait”) that he couldn’t do the buttons up.- The skirt (gonna e anche “lembo”, si legge “schert”) was far too small (troppo piccola) for her, so she couldn’t even (perfino) do it up.- Because of the bad/nasty weather (tempo metereologico, si legge “uedar”) I wore (da to wear/wore/worn=indossare) a heavy sweater (maglione, si legge “suetar”) that was done up until the neck (collo).Opposites. The opposite of to do something up is to undo sth. Eg:- He undid a button. - My laces are undone.Similar verbs. To fasten (fissare/legare) something is more common of “to do sth up” and has the same meaning. You can also use more specific verbs as: to button up/zip up and to tie up. Eg. She helped him button up his raincoat. The opposites of these verbs are to unbutton/unzip/untie. Eg. It’s hot! I need to unzip my jacket.023 TO DRESS UP/TO DRESS sb UP = mettersi in ghingheri/travestirsi (to wear someclothes that are more formal than your usual ones (soliti), or to wear special clothesthat make you look like somebody else). Eg:- It’s an informal dinner, there’s no need to dress up.- Lots of (or “a lot of”) mothers love dressing the kids up in (NO “with”) costumes.- Ann had (NO “was”) dressed up (or “Ann was all dressed up=tutta in ghingheri”)for the interview.- Young people love to get dressed up in (NO “with”) clothes.- He’s been invited to a fancy dress party, that’s why he got (or “was”) dressed up asBatman.Idioms. To be dressed up to the nines (da nine=9 “nain”) means “to be wearing very special clothes”. Eg. Alicia was dressed up to the nines for the party, I think he waswearing her Sunday best (l’abito della festa/domenica). V.a. “LOUNGE (salone/ vestibolo, si legge “laung”) SUIT=abito informale e TO LOUNGE=bighellonare”. Opposites. The phrasal verb to dress down means “to wear clothes that are more informal than your usual clothes”. Eg. In my law firm (studio legale) we’re allowed (ci è consentito) to dress down for work on Fridays.Other meanings. The phrasal verb to dress something up (manipolare qualcosa) means “to present sth in a way that makes it seem better or different”. Eg. It’s just his opinion, but he has tried to dress it up as fact (come se fosse un dato di fatto).Related words. Dressed-up (elegante) can be used as adjective. Eg. Wow! You are very dressed-up.024 TO DROP sb or sth OFF = lasciare (fuori) “sb”/consegnare “sth” (to stop and let sb get out of a vehicle; to deliver (recapitare pacchi/lettere etc., eg. Do you deliver?= fate le consegne?) sth to a place, often when you are on the way to somewhere else). Eg:- Will you drop the kids off at school on your way into the town?- We dropped off our bags at the hotel and went to explore the city.- You can drop me off here if you like, it’s not far to walk (nel senso “a piedi non è lontano”).- I was so tired that I dropped off on the sofa (nel senso “mi lasciai cadere (sot.so per morto) sul divano”).- Where would you like to be dropped off? (dove vuoi essere lasciato?) - You can drop me off at home.- It was so late that I dropped my friends off at the hotel.To drop sb off indica anche l’atto di (farsi) accompagnare con un veicolo in qualche posto. In questo caso la richiesta sarà: Can you give me a ride (NO “a drop-off”) to..…?=Mi dai uno strappo verso/fino a…..? Ovvero: Do you need a ride (cavalcata/ corsa con un veicolo) to..…?Related words. Drop-off as noun is either countable or uncountable. Eg:- It’s often easier to get a taxi at passenger drop-off points at flight arrivals.- We repair shoes by mail or drop-off (nel senso “inviateci le scarpe per posta oppu-re lasciatele da noi”).Opposites. To pick sb or sth up (passare a prendere). Eg. Can you pick me and two trunks (bauli) up IN (tra/fra) an hour?025 TO FALL OVER or DOWN = cadere = to fall (fell/fallen over o down possono an-che avere una funzione rafforzativa per indicare che si tratta di “una brutta caduta”;to be unable to stay standing and fall on the ground). Eg:- I’m afraid that my old father might fall over again and hurt himself seriously.- My little baby still can’t walk properly and even though (per quanto) I guide (guido,si legge “gaid”) her, she keeps falling down (nel senso “continua a cadere”).- I grabbed (da to grab=afferrare/impadronirsi con violenza) the vase as it was about to fall over (or “it was (SENZA “about to”) falling over”).- She didn’t see the step and fell down backwards (all’indietro).- I put some applications in my computer, but they have (NO “are”) fallen over (nel senso “non sono funzionanti”).- The presenter (conduttore) fell down during TV (SENZA “the”) show.Idioms. To fall over yourself. If you fall over yourself to do something, you are happy to do it. Eg. He was falling over himself (or “keen=entusiasta”) to put money in my company when it became public (quotata in Borsa). Similar verbs. If you fall over something (inciampare), you hit sth with your foot when you are walking or running and almost fall. Eg. You’d better move this box or somebody will fall over it.026 TO FILL sth IN (or OUT) = compilare una documentazione (to complete a document (for example a form (modulo) or a questionnaire) by writing the necessary information on it). Eg:- You have to fill in a registration form before you can use (frequentare) the library (biblioreca, si legge “laibri”, da non confondere con “libreria=book shop”).- Fill in the blanks (spazi vuoti; sostantivo diverso dall’aggettivo empty) with the correct word.- Please fill in your personal details for our records (registrazioni).- That tax form is very complicated, do you need any help (qualsiasi aiuto) filling it in? (or “to fill it in?”).- I had to send the form back, as (in quanto) it hadn’t been filled in correctly.- Simply fill out this questionnaire and return it to us by (tramite/a mezzo) post.- Once you have fill your name and address in, click ‘OK’ to continue.027 TO FILL sth UP/TO FILL sth UP WITH sth = riempire (to make a box full). Eg:- He filled my glass up again for another toast (brindisi).- I’ve filled up (nel senso “ho scritto”) two journals (scritti di vario tipo) already (di già) this year.- I keep emptying the box, but you keep filling it up again (nel senso “io svuoto la scatola e tu la riempi”; la frase ha anche il significato di rimprovero e/o sarcasmo).- We were so thirsty (that) the water jug (caraffa) had to be filled up three times.- Unbeknown(st) to me (a mia insaputa) he has filled up all my shelves (scaffali) withhis files (raccoglitori). (Unbeknown(st) come ag.vo=sconosciusto=unkown) .- Because of the storm the boat was filling up with water. - After eight o’clock the restaurants are filling up (nel senso “cominciano a riempirsi”).Other meanings. To fill sth up and the noun fill-up are often used to talk about putting gas (abr.ne di “gasoline=benzina”, si legge “gasoline”) in a vehicle. Eg:- Don’t forget to fill up/to get petrol or gas = fare il pieno di benzina”) before we go. - We must fill the car up (with gas/petrol) before we go.- Take the car to the gasoline station and fill it up = porta la macchina alla stazione di servizio e fai il pieno.- In Italy the gasoline is very expensive. The last full-up (pieno) cost me (mi costò, da to cost/cost/cost) € 80,00!028 TO FIND OUT/TO FIND sth OUT = scoprire (to learn a fact, a piece of information or the truth about somebody or something by chance or by asking, reading, looking on the Internet, etc.). Eg:- I don’t know the answer to (NO “for/of”) this question, but I’ll find (SENZA “it”) out for you.- On this score (su questo argomento) you’ll never find out my thought!- How did you find that piece of news out even if it’s still not published?- The boss called him BY phone (Al telefono) to find out why he wasn’t at work.- She was sad when she found out that he’d been lying to her (le aveva mentito, da to lie/lied/lied/lying diverso da “to lie/lay/lain/lying=giacere/stradiarsi”).- Police have done some research and have found out where they’re living now.Similar verbs. You can change to find out sth with to discover sth in the only case in which this something is known to other people, but not to you (nel senso “ma non a te”). Eg. I’ve just discovered she is married!029 TO FINISH sth (OFF)/TO FINISH OFF = completare qualcosa (to complete sth) o smettere di farla. Eg:- He has fixed (riparato) the last bug (cimice/insetto/virus/errore di programma) and has finished the program off.- They worked so hard on the project that they finished it off last night.- The meeting was finished off with (or “finished with or without off”) a short discussion.- We finished the project in advance (or “before time=in anticipo”).- I’d like to finish my presentation (relazione) with some suggestions (suggerimenti/ proposte).- I’d like to finish off by thanking you for coming (nel senso “desidero concludere rin-graziandovi per essere venuti”). Notare l’uso di “by”+ ger.dio.Other meanings. To finish off can also mean to eat the last part of something.Eg. There is still the last piece of cheesecake, who wants to finish it off?030 TO GET OFF (or out)/TO GET OFF (or out) sth = scendere dai mezzi di trasporto(to leave a car, bus, train, plane, etc. that you are traveling in). Eg:- Is this where we get off? (nel senso “è questo il posto dove dobbiamo scendere?”).- Your bike has got a flat tire, you’d better (faresti meglio a) get off and walk.- The teenager was last (per l’ultima volta) seen getting off a train in/at Pen Station.- The bus stopped and three people got off (it).- Cycling (andare in bicicletta) is forbidden on the sidewalk (marciapiede), get out ofit at once! (subito, anche “nello stesso tempo/frattempo”, si legge ”at uans”)”.Opposites. To get on (see its meanings below). To get on sth means to get in a vehicle.Synonyms. There are more formal verbs with the same meaning. N.B. You can alight(scendere, si legge “elait”) from a bus or train and disembark (sbarcare, si legge “dismbarc”) from a ship/plane, besides (inoltre) see the next verb “to get out”). Eg:- Visitors should alight at the Wall Street stop.- Passengers were waiting to disembark (erano in attesa di sbarcare).031 TO GET ON/ALONG = andare d’accordo (to have a friendly relationship with somebody). Eg:- Do you get on really well with all the people you work with?- Ann and I got on well and I missed her when she left (da to leave/left/left=lasciare)- She’s not (or “she isn’t”; NO “no”) getting along very well with her parents at the moment (momentaneamente=at the present).- How are you and Peter getting on? (nel senso “come va tra di voi’?”).- In my family we don’t get along at all (nel senso “non andiamo d’accordo in tutto e per tutto=IN ITS SUM AND IN ITS PARTS”).Opposites. To fall out means to have a bad relationship with somebody.Idioms. To get on/along like a house on fire is an informal expression that means “to become friends quickly and keep a good relationship”. Eg. Since the first time we met, we’re getting on like a house on fire!032 TO GET ON/TO GET ON sth = salire su di un veicolo di qualunque tipo (to get into a car, bus, shuttle bus (navetta) train, plane etc.). Eg:- The bus stopped to let more people get on.- No one got on at the next station.- Her cellphone rang (da to ring/rang/rung=suonare un campanello) just as (mentre) she was getting on the train.- The bus was so full that we couldn’t even try to (neanche provare a) get on it.Opposites. To get off/To get off sth = scendere da un veicolo (see the next verb “to get out”).Synonyms. To board/To board sth is a more formal verb. Eg:- We boarded the bus and chose seats at the front.- The flight is now boarding at Gate 11.Similar verbs. You can use the verbs to get in/into sth when you are talking aboutvehicles such as: cars/cabs or trucks. Eg. He got in the truck and drove off (nel senso“si allontanò”).033 TO GET OUT/TO GET OUT OF sth = (cercare di) uscire da un posto (to leave orgo out OF (NO “from”) a place such as a car, a lift/elevator, a room or a house. Simile a “to manage to find a way out of a place”). Eg:- The driver’s door opened (si aprì) and an elderly (anziano) man got out.- The bank’s doors were locked and the thieves (ladri) couldn’t get out.- I was so tired that I didn’t get out of (SENZA “the”) bed until after (fin dopo le…)ten o’clock (precise/in punto).- The car was very small, but (eppure) six people got out of it.- I usually try to get out of (NO “by o from”) the office for an hour at lunchtime.Similar verbs. To get off/to get off sth, to alight from a bus or train and to disembark (sbarcare) from a ship or planeOpposites. To get in/into sth have the same meaning of the verb “to enter”. Eg:- If you want to visit the museum, you can get in free on Sundays only.- We got into the cab, gave (SENZA “to”) the taxi driver our destination and he drove off (partì, da to drive/drove/driven=guidare veicoli).034 TO GET OUT OF sth/TO GET OUT OF doing sth = evitare qualcosa o evitare di farla/scansarsela (to avoid a responsibility or duty; to not do something that you ought (dovresti. N.B. Ought è il solo verbo modale che, a differenza di can/could, may/might, will/would, shall/should e must regge l’infinito con “to”). Eg:- I wish I could get out of this meeting, I’m so busy and it isn’t compulsory (obbligatorio, si legge “compolsori”).- He had promised to go out with some colleagues (colleghi, si legge “colighs”), therefore he couldn’t get out of it (perciò/e quindi non poté evitarlo).- The wedding is all arranged (stabilito), there’s no getting out of it (non c’è altro da fare) now. V.a. “THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE WEDDING=preparativi per le nozze”.- She’s not really sick/ill, she is just trying to get out of taking the English test.- He tried to get out of running errands (si legge “èrends” da to run errands=fare commissioni).Related words. A get-out is usually a singular noun, which means a way of avoiding something. Eg:- They are looking for an easy get-out (stanno cercando una facile scappatoia, il senso è “di scansarsela”).- That bad agreement (accordo) contained a number of get-out clauses.035 TO GET OVER sb or sth = cancellare qualcuno dalla mente/superare le difficoltà (to return to your state of health or happiness after an illness, a shock, the end of a relationship etc.). Eg:- He didn’t go out as (mentre) he was still getting over the flu (influenza).- Once he got over the shock of seeing us again after so many years, we hugged (ci abbraciammo, da to hug/hugged/hagged, si legge “hag”; HUG=abbraccio).- I loved Mark very much, it took (da to take/took/taken=prendere) me a long timeto get over him (nel senso “per dimenticarlo”).- His words hurt (da to hurt/hurt/hurt=ferire/farsi male) my pride, but I’ll get over it(nel senso “mi passerà”).- He said he will never get over losing her = egli disse che mai supererà il trauma diaverla perduta.- After some days away from his family, he got over the homesickness (nostalgia dicasa).Similar verbs. The verb “to get over” describes an action; if you want to describe a status, it’s better to use to be over. Eg. He had a nasty bout (brutto attacco, si legge “baut”) of flu (influenza), but he is over it (lo ha superato).N.B. Per tutti i suindicati verbi, l’oggetto specificato DEVE essere posto dopo il verbo e la sua preposizione.036 TO GET UP/TO GET sb UP = svegliare(rsi) (to get out of bed; to make sb get out of bed). Eg:- What time do you have to get up tomorrow?- Hurry up! It’s time to get up, today I must go on (NO “for”) errands (devo andare per commissioni).- I got the children up early this morning.- It’s eight thirty and Mark’s still in bed, I’d better go and get him up (nel senso “è ora di svegliarlo”).Similar verbs. To wake (sb) up has the same meaning of “to get (sb) up” that describes an action. If you want to describe a status it’s better to use to be up. Eg:- He was up (or “he was out of bed”) and dressed by six o’clock (alle 6 precise era già vestito/pronto).- I’d better go to bed, I have to be up really early tomorrow.037 TO GIVE sth AWAY = donare (to give sth to somebody as a gift). Eg:- I can’t believe you just gave those antique books away!- The magazine (rivista) is giving away some CDs this month.- Our old computer still works, don’t just abandon it, shall we sell it or give it away?- ‘I gave away millions of dollars to (NO “for”) charity (in beneficenza)’ said the millionaire.- A selection of books will be displayed (mostrati) and then will be given away to the public.Related words. A giveaway (omaggio) is a noun. Eg. We are offering (SENZA “to”) three lucky readers five CDs in our great CD giveaway. As adjective giveaway must be only used before a noun. Eg. The shop is closing down (sta per chiudere), so everything is selling at giveaway prices (a prezzi stracciati=very low).V.a. “A LOW = un minimo”, il contrario è “A HIGH”.038 TO GIVE sth OUT = distribuire (to hand sth to a lot of people). Eg:- We booked (assumemmo) a celebrity (celebrità, si legge “selebriti”) to give out theawards (riconoscimenti/premi, si legge “auords”).- They were standing BY (NO “near”) the door giving leaflets (manifestini, si legge “lif-lets”) out to passers-by (passanti).- I had prepared handouts (volantini/opuscoli) and gave them out to the students.- The tutor asked for silence, the papers were given out and the students had onehour to do the test.Synonyms. To hand sth out means the same. Eg. A factsheet (verbale) was handedout after the session.Other meanings. To give sth out can also mean:1. To produce sth as heat or light. Eg.The lamp doesn’t give out enough light.2. To tell or broadcast (trasmettere) people sth. Eg. No details of accident have beengiven out yet.039 TO GIVE UP/TO GIVE UP sth (1°) = rinunciare (to stop trying to do sth usually difficult). Eg:- I’m at loss about (sono perplesso) the right answer, so I prefer to give up.- I tried to run (ran/run=correre e anche “gestire”) more, but I gave up when it got dark (quando si fece scuro).- Nick tried fixing the car, but gave up after an hour of useless attempts (inutili tentativi).- In/at the end (alla fine) I gave up trying (NO “to try”) to explain it all (tutto quanto) to them.- Don’t give up trying unless you are sure you won’t succeed (to succeed=avere successo/riuscire, si legge “sachsiid”).Similar verbs. The verb to give in (to somebody) means ‘to accept that you have been defeated (sconfitto) or persuaded by sb’. Eg. I give in (OK mi arrendo), you will have to tell me the answer.040 TO GIVE UP/TO GIVE UP sth (2°) = rinunciare (to stop doing/having sth that you consider unhealthy=dannoso alla salute). Eg:- Do you still smoke? You should give up, I gave up saying it again (sono stufo di ripeterlo).- Try giving up cow’s milk and drinking soya milk instead (invece). N.B. il genitivo sassone è usato SOLO per “cow” e non per soya.- No whiskey (or “whisky” termine più usato per quello scozzese) for me, thanks. I have given it up.- I gave up drinking coffee in the evening because it kept me awake all night.Other meanings. You can also “to give up sth” not connected with (SENZA “the”) health. Eg:- My mother didn’t give up work when she had children.- He’ll never give up (SENZA “to”) the idea of being (or to become/became/become =diventare”) an actor.Similar verbs. To cut down/to cut down on something.Opposites. To take up something = prendere/assumere qualcosa.041 TO GO OFF = sparare (di arma)/esplodere (to be fired/to explode). Eg:- The gun went off accidentally while he was holding (to hold/held/held=tenere) it.- I heard that a bomb had gone off in the centre of town making a sudden loud noise (improvviso forte rumore).- ‘What’s that noise?’ – I think it’s due to fireworks (fuochi d’artificio) going off in the park.- My alarm clock goes off (nel senso “rompe le scatole”) every morning at seven.- Everybody had to leave the building when the fire alarm went off.- People should be taught (dovrebbero essere educati nel senso “si dovrebbe insegnare loro”) how to handle (maneggiare) guns that can to go off accidentally.Other meanings. To go off can also be used to describe something making a sudden flash. Eg. When he finished his song, flashbulbs (flash della “camera”=macchina fotografica) went off in the audience.042 TO GO ON = accadere (to take place/to happen. To go on is usually used in the progressive tenses). Eg:- What’s going on here? (nel senso “che sta succedendo qui?”).- I wasn’t told (non mi fu detto) what went on at work.- Something was going on and I wanted to know what.- We have the right (il diritto di…) to know what goes on in Parliament.Related words. Goings-on is ALWAYS a plural noun which means activities or events strange or amusing (divertenti). Eg. There have been some strange goings-on (nel senso “accadono cose strane”) at their house.043 TO GO ON/TO GO ON DOING sth = continuare (of a situation or state of affairs: to continue/to happen/to exist without changing; of a person: to continue an activity without stopping). Eg:- I know things seem bad, but life (vita, SENZA “the”) must go on.- Things can’t go on as they are and I hope something will change.- She just went on with what she was doing as if (come se) I wasn’t there (io non ci fossi).- When I came in (entrai), he didn’t even look up and went on reading.Related words. Ongoing as adjective means continuing to exist or develop. Eg:- Modernizing the computer system is an ongoing process (nel senso “evoluzione senza fine”).- I’m afraid this problem is ongoing (perdurante).Synonyms. To carry on has the same meaning and is used in the same way. Eg. Things can’t carry on like that=le cose non possono (sempre) andare così. To continue is a formal verb. Eg. He continued talking even though I asked him to stop.Other meanings. To go on means also “to last=durare”. Eg. The class goes on (dura fino/finisce) until nine (fino alle 9).Similar verbs. To keep on/to keep on doing something has similar meaning.044 TO GO OUT (1°) = uscire/andar fuori a divertirsi (to leave your house to go tosocial events). Eg:- We are going out for a pizza, do you want to come (with us)?- You look very smart (elegante) this evening, are you going out?- He goes out a lot (nel senso “si diverte un sacco”).- You have missed Jack (nel senso “per poco non lo hai trovato a casa”), he has just gone out.Opposites. To stay in = restare a casa. Eg. Do you want to go out tonight or wouldrather stay in? V.a. “A SHORT/LONG STAY=un breve/lungo soggiorno”.045 TO GO OUT (2°) = incontrarsi per un rapporto sentimentale (to spend time withsb and have a romantic relationship with him/her. N.B.This verb is used about youngpeople and often in the progressive tenses). Eg:- They started going out together when they were still at school.- She’s going out with a guy she has known FOR years (DA anni).- How long have you and Josh been going out (nel senso “da quanto state insieme”)?- They went out for nearly a year, but they are not together any more (non/mai più).Synonyms. To date or to date somebody have the same meaning. Eg. Are you and Jack dating?046 TO GO OUT (3°) = smettere di illuminare/bruciare (to stop shining/burning). Eg:- Because of a power cut (interruzione elettrica) the lights first flickered (da to flicker (si legge “flichar”)=tremolare di luci) and then went out (si spensero).- Look at the fireplace and don’t let the fire go (NO “goes”) out (si spenga. Notare la combinazione di let - go).- The torch keeps going out (nel senso “sta per/tende a spegnersi”), maybe the battery is flat (scarica).Opposites. To go on or to come on have the opposite meaning of to go out. Eg:- There was a light going on and off up ahead in the distance (nel senso “molto più avanti”).- We were left (da to leave/left/left=lasciare/partire) in the dark for a few minutes and then the lights suddenly came on again.Similar verbs. To put something out/to turn something off. N.B. A fire can also die down or burn itself out.047 TO GROW UP = crescere/diventare adulto (to become an adult; to spend (spent/spent=spendere) the time when you are a child in a particular place or in a particular way. (To grow (without “up”) means “to become bigger or taller”). Eg:- We always spent the summer at the beach when we were growing up.- He wants to be a firefighter (pompiere, si legge “faiar-faitar”) when he grows up.- I grew up in a big city and have become (sono diventato) a responsible adult.- Oh, grow up! Stop being so childish! (si legge “ciaild-isc”, il senso è “cerca di crescere, smettila di fare il ragazzino”).- That plant has (NO “is”) really grown (SENZA “up”) since the last time I saw it.Related words. Grown-up can be used as:- ADJECIVE. Eg. They have three children, all of them “grown-up” (nel senso “tutti sono diventati grandi”) now.- NOUN is used by children talking about adults or by adults talking to children.Eg. Do you want to come over here and sit with the “grown-ups”?=volete intratte-nervi quì e sedere con i “grandi”?.Similar verbs. To bring somebody up.048 TO HANG UP/TO HANG UP sth = chiudere il telefono (to end a telephone con-versation, often very suddenly, by putting down the part of the telephone that you speak into or switching the telephone off. To switch off=interrompere). Eg:- After a long argument (discussione anche “dusputa”), I hung up and said go hang!(da to hang/hung/hung=appendere/impiccare)=impiccati/vai al diavolo=go to hell).- The number you dialled (hai composto) is busy, please hang up and try it again.- As soon as he hung up the phone, it rang again.- I said goodbye and hung up (anche nel senso di “volere chiudere ogni ulteriore discussione”).- Don’t hang up on me (il senso è “non chiudere mentre stiamo parlando”), we still need to talk.Other meanings. To hang something up means to hang sth on a hook (amo/gancio/ uncino), a piece of string (corda). Eg:- Shall I hang your raincoat (impermeabile sost.vo; ag.vo watreprof) up for you, sir?- The wedding dress was hung up in the closet (armadio).049 TO HAVE sth ON/TO HAVE GOT sth ON = indossare vestiti etc. (to be wearing sth). Eg:- She didn’t have any make-up (trucco/cosmetico) on, which was unusual.- I had on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt (maglietta a forma di una “T”).- Have you seen my new dress? I had it on yesterday for Susan’s birthday.- I can’t read that, I haven’t got my glasses on.- You Have got your T-shirt on back to front (nel senso “scambiando il davanti con il dietro”). NOTE: This verb is NOT used in the progressive tenses (to say ‘I have having’ IS A BIG MISTAKE).Synonyms. To don/To be wearing sth. Eg. I wish I donned/was wearing a thick coat (nel senso “sarebbe stato meglio se avessi indossato un cappotto pesante”; to don= indossare vestiti ecc.). V.a. “I would better + verbo (SENZA “to”)=farei neglio a …”.Other meanings. This verb has the following (or “next”) two other meanings:1. I am cold. Can we have the heating on? = Can we have the heating switched on?2. Have you got anything on tomorrow?=Do you have anything planned (or “arranged”) for tomorrow?050 TO HOLD ON = attendere (prego) (to ask somebody to wait for a short time). Eg:- Hold on a minute please, I need to get my umbrella (ombrello si legge “ambrela”).- Can you hold on? I’ll see if Mr. Jones is free to take your call (nel senso “per rispon-dere al telefono”).- Could you ask the caller (si legge “colar”) to hold on while I get my appointment book?=potresti chiedere a chi ha chiamato di aspettare mentre prendo il mio … .- Let’s hold on for a few minutes and see if anyone else is coming.- Hold on a second! That doesn’t sound right at all (nel senso “fermati un attimo! C’èqualcosa che non va”).Synonyms. To hang on means the same and is used in the same way, but is moreformal than to hold on.051 TO HOLD sb or sth UP = bloccare/trattenere (to block or delay (ritardare) the progress of sb/sth). Eg:- Road-works on the highway are holding up the traffic again.- Opposition to the road (nel senso “l’essersi opposti alla costruzione della strada”) and a lack of cash (carenza di fondi) have held up progress.- I’m sorry to be so slow, am I holding people up?=sto bloccando la fila?- John’s not home yet, he must have got held up AT the office=deve essere stato trattenuto IN ufficio.- I am late because my taxi (or “cab”) has been held up by the snow storm.NOTE: This verb is often used in the passive form. Eg: The construction of that building is held up BY law (PER legge). Law holds up the construction of that building.Related words. Hold-up (impedimento) as noun is related to something that has gone wrong. Eg. My car has stopped, what’s the hold-up?=qual’è il guasto?052 TO JOIN IN (WITH sb or sth)/TO JOIN IN sth = raggiungere/unirsi con sb o sth/ partecipare a una attività (to take part in an activity with people). Eg:- She laughed and John joined in.- The four of us (NO “we four”) were tempted to join in with the dancing.- Bard started singing and we all joined in with him.- Her son was so sad (triste) that she didn’t want to join in with the other children.- Over fifty of us had joined in the search for (NO “of”) the missing girl.- Everyone wanted to join in the game.Synonyms. To take part in something or to participate in…. (more formal) is used with the same meaning. Eg. Over one thousand people took part in (or “participated in”) the democratic convention.053 TO KEEP UP/TO KEEP UP WITH sb or sth = tenere testa a qualcuno/essere all’altezza della situazione/di qualcosa (to move, to make progress or to increase at the same rate or speed as (NO “of”) somebody/ something else).Eg:- He was walking very fast and I had to run to keep up (with him).- Hurry up! Do try to keep up=Dai! Prova (se sei capace) a raggiungermi/prendermi.- The last runner (corridore) after a final effort kept up with (nel senso “raggiunse”) the group. - They have not kept up with their competitors in the industry.- The discussion went so fast that the interpreters could hardly (a stento=scarcely, silegge “schersli”) keep up with it.- It doesn’t matter how fast you drive (non importa a quanto vai) he’s too far and wecan’t keep up with him.Other meanings. This verb can also mean to deal successfully with a situation thatchanges rapidly. Eg:- The company is finding (da to find/found/found=trovare) it hard to keep up with demand (nel senso “trova difficile soddisfare la richiesta”).- The new director has introduced so many changes that we can’t keep up with them.Similar verbs. To catch up/to catch somebody or something.Opposites. To fall behind/to fall behind somebody or something:- He has (NO “is”) fallen behind the rest of (nei confronti di=TOWARD) the class.- The industry is (NO “has”) falling behind the rest of Europe.054 TO LEAVE sb or sth OUT/TO LEAVE sb or sth OUT OF sth = (tra)lasciare/ escludere sb o sth/to not include sb or sth either on purpose (scopo, si legge “parps”) or intentionally/ accidentally/deliberately). Eg:- You’ve spelt (da to spell/spelt/spelt=pronunciare ogni lettera/fare lo “spelling”)Michael’s name in a wrong way because you’ve left out the ‘a’ (si legge “ei”).- The brochure is very thorough (completa/ben fatta, si legge “thorou”), they haven’t left any details out.- Because of his fever (febbre, si legge “fivar”) the coach left him out of the team.- Can you check the guest list for me? I don’t want to leave anyone out.- She left her boyfriend when she knew that he dated (SENZA “with”) another woman.- He was always left out when it was time (SENZA “the”) to make (NO “to take”) decisions.- Why did you decide (decidere, si legge “disaid”) to leave Smith out of the team? -‘Because of injury’ (a causa di una ferita). Synonyms. To miss out/to omitted sb or sth (more formal). Eg:- You’ve missed out the first “m” in ‘committee’ (comitato, si legge”comiti”).- You’ve omitted the second “t” in ‘committee’.055 TO LET sb DOWN = deludere (to fail to help sb in the way that they hope or expect). Eg:- Study hard if you don’t want to let your teacher down.- I think that during our last performance we let down the public.- When he missed that penalty (es. “ha sbagliato il rigore”), he felt that he’d let the team down.- We think that this government has let down particular communities.- Don’t worry! I won’t (or “will not”) let you down this time, I promise.- The restaurant recommended by the guidebook let me down.- He finds it hard (gli è difficile) to trust anyone, he has been badly let down in thepast.- I tried to help him but he didn’t want me to (nel senso “non volle che lo facessi”).N.B. Il verbo dopo la prep.ne to è sot.so.Related words. A let-down as noun means “something that is not as good as youthought or hoped it would be (che fosse)”. Eg. I enjoyed the movie but I think theending (il finale) was altogether (tutto sommato/del tutto) a let-down.Notare la differenza tra the ending e the end che indica la fine del film/spettacolo.056 TO LOG ON (or “in”)/TO LOG ONTO (or “into”) sth = collegarsi con un computera un sistema operativo (to perform the actions that allow you to begin using a CPU (acronimo di “central processing unit=computer”). Eg:- Can you show me how to log on?- Close all programs and log in (collegati) as a different user (utente, si legge “iusar”).- I don’t know how to log onto (nel senso “utilizzare i programmi”) this computer.- Bridge Basic On line (BBO) is a great international website and hundreds of people are logging in every day.- Another user is already logged on to this computer.- After some attempts, I successfully logged into the system.- I can’t take it anymore (non ne posso più)! The system is still unable to log me on. Opposites. To log off/out something. Eg. If the system is running slowly, try logging off and logging on again.Related words. Logon (or “login=collegamento”. V.a. “TO LOGON=accedere”).Eg. All successful logons are recorded (registrati).057 TO LOOK AFTER sb or sth or yourself = avere cura di… (to make sure that sb or sth is safe; to take care of sb, sth or yourself). Eg:- She found that looking (or “to look”) after two young children on her own (da sola) was not easy.- Who is looking after your apartment while you are away?- That toy (giocattolo, si legge “toi”) was expensive, you should look after it.- She’s sixteen (years old, sot.so) and feels that she’s old enough (NO “enough old”) to look after herself.- My sister is still sick and is being looked after (nel senso “è ancora accudita”) by our parents.- She runs her own business (gestisce la propria azienda) as well as (oltre a) looking after her children.Synonyms. To take care of and to care of (more formal). Eg:- Who is going to take care of the kids while you’re at work?- She has a new job, caring for (NO “of”) elderly patients (pazienti anziani, si legge“elderli pesciens”).058 TO LOOK FOR sb or sth = cercare (to search for sb or sth, either because I havelost them/it or because you need them/it). Eg:- I spent ages (ho impiegato un sacco di tempo) to look for my watch, have you seenit by chance (per caso)?- Jack looked for his name in the list but (he, sot.so) couldn’t find it.- Where have you been? We’ve been looking for you everywhere.- He’d lost some files and we spent over (or “more than”) an hour looking for them.- What are you looking for? - ‘I’m looking for a job at the moment (ora/adesso).- The thieves are being looked for (stanno per essere cercati) by the police.- She was frantically (freneticamente) looking for her son who had (NO “was”) runoff somewhere.Similar verbs. To have a look (dare un’occhiata) for sb or sth, especially when you’retrying to find sth quickly in one place. Eg. I must have a look in the kitchen, maybe/ perhaps I will find my car (NO “car’s) keys there.Other meanings. To look for sth can also mean “to expect or hope for sb”. Eg:- The examiners (esaminatori) will be looking for good answers by their examinees (esaminandi, si legge “echsaminìs”).- What do you look for in an assistant manager?059 TO LOOK FORWARD TO stb/TO LOOK FORWARD TO DOING sth = essere in trepidante attesa di qualcosa (to feel excited about sth that is going to happen in the future). Eg:- I’m looking forward to seeing (NO “see”) them again. Aren’t you?- We’re going on (NO “in”) vacation next week. I’m really looking forward to it.- I’m not looking forward to going (NO “go”) to the dentist again.- I’ve nothing much (niente di cui) to look forward to now.Other meanings. To look forward to is used very often at the end of more formal letters. Eg:- I look forward to hearing (NO “hear”) from you soon. - Looking forward to meeting (NO “meet”) you next week.N.B. Per tutti i suindicati verbi l’oggetto specificato NON può essere posto tra il verbo e la sua preposizione.060 TO LOOK sb or sth UP = fare ricerche (to search for a word or some information in (NO “on”) a book or on (NO “in”) a computer). Eg:- Joe’s looking up their number in the phone book.- I had to look several words up in the dictionary.- I don’t know when the course starts, but I’ll look it up for you (nel senso “cercherò di fartelo sapere”).- You can look up anything you need to know ON (NO “in”) the Internet.- I wanted to check him out, so I looked him up on the Internet.Related words. Look-up as noun can be countable and uncountable. Eg:- Look-ups on (NO “in”) this site are free = le ricerche in questo sito sono gratis.- My software has a look-up facility (funzione di ricerca) which is useful for readingweb pages.061 TO MAKE sth UP = inventare qualcosa spesso per ingannare (anche “deludere”) qualcuno (to invent sth, often in order to deceive sb). Eg:- I don’t believe you! You’ve made up the whole story.- He didn’t know the real facts, so he made them up.- It’s all true (è tutto vero)! I’m not making it up (nel senso “io non mento”).- The characters (personaggi, si legge “càraters”) are not real but (they) have beenmade up as an example.- He can’t have made (NO “make”) up all that stuff (quelle cose) about the army(esercito). V.a. “STUFF HAPPENS=cose che capitano e STUFF OF HISTORY=cosa/ roba vecchia/del passato/superata”.Related words. Made-up as adjective means “invented”. Eg. It’s a true story, not a made-up one.062 TO OWN UP/TO OWN UP TO sth = ammettere/accettare le proprie responsabilità per quanto é accaduto (to admit that you are the person responsible for sth that has (NO “is”) happened). Eg:- Are you sure he did it? Did he own up (or “own up to it”)?- Don’t be afraid to own up to your mistakes or what you did.- A vase had been broken, but nobody owned up to it.- He finally owned up to forgetting (NO “forget/forgot/forgotten=dimenticare”) to send the email.- If you owned up to being (NO “be”) wrong it would make a difference (nel senso “le cose cambierebbero”) between us.- She was close to tears (lascrime, il senso è “stava per piangere”) as (mentre) she owned up to taking (NO “take”) my money. Synonyms. To admit to sth has a similar meaning and can also be used without “to”. Eg. He admitted (to) taking the money. To confess to sth is a more formal verb and is usually used for serious crimes. Eg. He refused to confess to the murder (l’omicidio/l’assassinio). V.a. “CRIME SYNDICATE=associazione a delinquere”.063 TO PICK sb/sth UP (1°)=prendere e alzare (to take hold off and lift sb or sth). Eg:- They picked up my bags and took them to my room.- Pick your toys up off the floor (nel senso “togli i tuoi giocattoli (fuori) dal pavimento”) please.- Little Mary wanted to be picked up (nel senso “essere presa in braccio”).- If the baby is close to tears (sta per piangere), pick him up.Similar verbs. To lift sb or sth up means “to raise” and is usually used for heavy things. Eg. I couldn’t lift up the box, it was too heavy.Opposites. To put sb or sth down.Idioms. To pick up the pieces means “to return, or to help somebody return, to anormal situation, particularly after a shock or disaster. Eg. He walked out on (il sen-so è “abbandonò/fuggì dalla”) his family, leaving his wife to pick up the pieces (nel senso “assumersi tutta la responsabilità”). V.a. TO PICK UP THE TAP=pagare il conto.064 TO PICK sb or sth UP (2°) = passare a prendere (If you pick sb up, you go to their home/a place you have arranged and take them somewhere in your car; if you pick sth up, you obtain (otieni) or collect it). Eg:- Sorry I must go because I have to pick the kids up from the gym (palestra).- We can pick up the tickets from the Box Office (botteghino) an hour before theshow starts.- Shall I pick you up (nel senso “posso passare a prenderti?”) from work today?- What time are you being picked up (nel senso “a che ora ti passano a prendere”) inthe morning?Other meanings. To pick sb up also means “to stop and let sb get in your vehicle”.Eg. Don’t pick up hitchhikers (autostoppisti, si legge “hic-aichers”) when you are driving on your own (da solo).Related words. A pickup as noun is:1. A car with an open big trunk for carrying large items. Eg. We need a pickup to deliver this armchair (poltrona, si legge “armcear”).2. An occasion when sb or sth is collected. Eg. We made several pickups before heading for (da to head for=dirigersi verso) the airport.Opposites. To drop sb or sth off.065 TO PUT sth AWAY = (ri)sistemare/(ri)mettere ogni cosa al proprio posto (to put/put/put sth in a box, a drawer, etc. because you have finished using it). Eg:- When the bell rang, the students quickly put their books away in their bags and left the classroom.- When it’s time for bed (è ora di andare a letto) it’s always necessary to encourage (incitare/incoraggiare) my kids to put their toys away.- To her surprise, she found that all the books had been put away.- I washed my shirt and after I ironed it, (or “after ironing (NO “iron”, si legge “airon”) it”=averla stirata) I put it away in the drawer (cassetto, si legge “droar”).- You had better (faresti meglio) put (SENZA “to”) the cakes away before I eat (ate/eaten=mangiare) them.- You ought to put all those old things away in a “bin/trash can=contenitore di cianfrusaglie”.- Put the car away in my garage, it’s safer than leaving (NO “to leave/left/lerft= lasciare”) it in the street. V.a. “SHORTCUT=scorciatoia”.066 TO PUT sb or sth DOWN = (ri)posare/(ri)mettere giù (to place sb or sth that you are holding on the floor or another surface=superfice (nel senso “posto”, si legge “sarfis”). Eg:- He’s always putting his keys down somewhere and losing (NO “to lose/lost/lost= perdere”) them.- Finally you have (NO “are”) arrived, put down your bag and take your coat off.- You are going to break (broke/broken=rompere) that vase if you are not careful. Put it down please!- Put me down, Mom! (nel senso che “il bimbo in braccio alla mamma (mum, papà= dad, bambini=kids, in inglese colloquiale) le chiede di scendere”).- He heard the sound of the phone being put down=egli sentì il rumore del telefo-no che veniva chiuso.- This book is so good, I can’t put it down (in the meaning of “stop reading (NO “toread”/read/read=leggere) it”).Opposites. To pick sb or sth up. Eg. I walked nervously around the room pickingthings up and putting them down again.067 TO PUT sb OFF/TO PUT sb OFF sth (1°) = respingere/tenere a distanza (to makesb stop liking (NO “to like”) or being interested (continuare ad essere interessato) in (NO “to”) sb or sth. Eg:- His bad manners tend to put people off.- Don’t tell Lisa how hard the course (corso/percorso, si legge “cors”) is, you’ll put her off (nel senso “la scoraggerai”).- They did their best to put him off the idea of acting as a career (intraprendere la carriera di attore).- It’s the smell of garlic (aglio, si legge “garlich”) that puts most of people off it.- The accident put me off (mi tenne lontano da) driving (NO “drive”/drove/driven= guidare) for a long time and made me afraid (“e mi fece diventare pauroso”).- Don’t be put off (nel senso di “non lasciarti influenzare”) by his appearance, he’s really very nice.- Please don’t put me off (non distogliermi dal + ger.dio) doing my homework.- The Doctor put him off (lo diffidò) drinking (NO “drink”/drank/drunk=bere).Related words. Off-putting is an adjective. Eg. He seemed nice, but he had off-putting (scostante) manners.068 TO PUT sb OFF/TO PUT sb OFF sth (2°) = infastidire, mettere in imbarazzo (to disturb sb who is trying to give all their attention to sth). Eg:- The manager complained that (si lamentò che) the noise of the crowd had put his players off.- Don’t stand right here (proprio qui) watching me as I play bridge, kibitzers (gli angolisti (al tavolo verde)/i ficcanaso) put me off.- Some people are speaking in such a loud voice (così ad alta voce) that it put me off my work.- During the conference I was rather put off by somebody coughing (da to cough= tossire, si legge “cof”).Related words. Off-putting (fastidioso) is an adjectiv. Eg. I find it off-putting to have somebody staring at me (nel senso “avere qualcuno che mi fissa”).069 TO PUT sth OFF/TO PUT OFF DOING sth = rinviare (to change sth to a later date/time). Eg:- They’ve decided to put off their wedding until March (marzo, si legge “marc”).- It isn’t always a good idea to put difficult decisions off any longer (più/così/troppoa lungo).- You’ll have to go to the dentist eventually (infine/alla fine, nel senso “in ogni caso/in fin dei conti”), why keep putting it off=perchè continui a rimandare?- Somme couples put off having children until they are older.- They were going to start building, but the work has been put off (or “rescheduled=riprogrammati”) again.Synonyms. To delay (ritardare) sth/to delay doing sth is more formal.Opposites. To bring sth forward. Eg. The meeting was brought forward (anticipato di…) two days.070 TO PUT sth ON = indossare (to put an item (articolo, si legge “aitim”) of clothing on your body). Eg:- He puts a clean shirt on every morning.- She had/took A (NO “the”) shower (fece la doccia) and put on a new white T-shirt.- She took a pair of dark glasses out of her purse (borsa da donna, si legge “pers”) and put them (NO “it”) on.- The maid (cameriera, si legge “meid”) has put her apron (gembiule, si legge “eipron”) on back to front (al rovescio).Other meanings. To put sth on is also used when you apply (metti, si legge “eplai”) cream/perfume (profumo, si legge “pèrfium”) to (NO “on”) the skin. Eg. I spent a long time putting on (NO “to put on”) my make-up (trucco). It can also mean the same as to turn sth on. Eg. It’s dark in here (se l’avverbio “qui” significa “IN questo luogo” NON si traduce con il solo here, ma “IN here”), can you turn (or “put”) the light on for me?Opposites. To take sth off. Eg. May I take (SENZA “to”) my jacket off?071 TO PUT sth OUT = spegnere (to stop sth burning). Eg:- Firemen and firefighters (pompieri e volontari) put out raging (furioso/violento, si legge “reigingh”) fires (incendi) using some fire hoses (manichette).- The paper caught fire (N.B. To catch/caught/caught fire=prendere fuoco), but we managed to put it out (nel senso “abbiamo fatto del nostro meglio per spegnerlo”).- It was late at night (notte inoltrata) before the flames/blaze (fiamme/vampata, si leggono “feims/bleis”) was put out.- The smoke of his cigar (sigaro, pipa=pipe, sigaretta=cigarette, si leggono “sigar/ paip/sigaret”) was making me cough (mi faceva tossire), so I asked him to put it out.Synonyms. To extinguish sth has the same meaning, but is usually more formal.Eg. All passengers are kindly requested (gentilmente invitati) to extinguish their cigarettes and fasten their seatbelts (allacciare le loro cincture di sicurezza).You can use to stub out a cigarette (by pressing its end against something hard) or to blow out a candle.072 TO PUT UP WITH sb or sth=sopportare con rassegnazione (to accept/to toleratesb or sth that is annoying, difficult or unpleasant (sgradevole), without complaining (NO “complain”)=senza lamentarsi). Eg:- I find him very annoying (fastidioso), I don’t know how she puts up with him.- I am not putting up with that sort of talk (nel senso “non tollero questo tipo di discussione”)!- I’ve put up with a lot from you guys (nel senso “ho (già) sopportato troppo da voi ragazzi”).- Now you know what I have to put up with=ora sai quello che ho dovuto sopportare.- I can’t stand (non sopporto) the city, but I must put up with living here because ofmy job.073 TO RUN OUT/TO RUN OUT OF sth = esaurirsi (if a supply (fornitura, si legge “suplai”) of sth runs out, it is used all up (esaurita del tutto=entirely); if a person or a machine runs out of a supply or sth, they finish it or use it all up). Eg:- Money ran out after four years and the building was never finished.- Can I’ve a copy of the handout (opuscolo)? – Sorry, I’m afraid we’ve run out (of it).- I’ve run out of (SENZA “the”) sugar, I’ll see if I can borrow some (vedrò se ne posso avere un po’ in prestito). V.a. “TO LEND/LENT/LENT=dare denaro in prestito”.- ‘Why has (NO “is”) the car stopped?’ – Because it’s run out of gas (è finita la benzina).- That book is a best seller (il più venduto, si legge “best selar”), that’s why a lot of bookstores/bookshops (negozi di libri, da non confondere con “library=bibloteca”, si legge “laibrari”)=are running out of it (lo hanno esaurito).- Time is running out and we still have (NO “have still”) lots to do.- Can you slow down (puoi calmarti) please?’ – No! My anger isn’t still run out.Other meanings. If a contract, a passport, an i.d. (si legge “ai di, è l’acronimo di “identity document”) etc. runs out, it is no longer (non è più) valid.Idioms. To run out of steam (vapore acqueo) means “to have less energy or enthusiasm and stop doing sth or do it less well”. Eg. I ran out of steam halfway up the hill (a metà strada su per la collina).074 TO RUN sb or sth OVER/DOWN = investire (to knock a person/an animal down and often pass over their body; this verb is used about a vehicle or its driver. To get run over is often used). Eg:- She ran over him and even though he was injured, she escaped jail (si è scansata la galera).- He ran/stepped into (nel senso “invase”) the road and the car couldn’t avoid running him down.- He died after being run down (essere stato travolto) by a speeding four-wheel drive (auto con quatto ruote motrici). V.a. “VEHICLE (veicolo si legge “viecol”)”.- I was inattentive (distratto/disattento, si legge “inetentiv”) and nearly got run over(nel senso “quasi m’investivano”).- John was/got run over by a car and was taken/conveyed (trasportato da to convey=(tras)portare, si legge “convei”) to (SENZA “the”) hospital.Synonyms. To knock sb or sth over has the same meaning. Eg. He was knocked over and killed while he was crossing the road.075 TO SELL OUT/TO SELL OUT OF sth/TO BE SOLD OUT = essere del tutto esauritoperchè interamente venduto (if tickets for a concert/game etc. sell out or are soldout, they are all sold and there are none left; if sb sells out of sth or is sold out, theyhave sold all of it and have nothing left). Eg:- They hope that all tickets for the game will sell out very quickly.- Is there any bread left (nel senso “c’è rimasto del pane”)?–Sorry we’ve sold out (it).- It’s incredible but they had sold out of milk by (sin dalle) 9 a.m.- The performance was completely sold out (nel senso ”per lo spettacolo non ci sono più posti”).- We are already sold out (nel senso “è tutto esaurito”) for Saturday’s concert.- They were imprisoned (or put in prison) and accused of selling out (essersi venduti) to the enemy (nemico, si legge “enemi”).Related words. A sell-out is usually a singular noun which is related to a show, a football game, etc. for which all the tickets have been sold. Eg:- Their concert was a sell-out (nel senso “il concerto ebbe un grande successo”).- A sell-out tour of the United States.- The band played to (a/per) sell-out audiences across the country.076 TO SET OFF = intraprendere un viaggio (to begin a journey). Eg:- When are you planning to set off?=quando pesi di partire?- When I was a student I usually set off for (1) the college at about seven.- It was late by the time (allorchè) he set off on (1) the return journey.- After breakfast they set off up (1) the mountain.- Every day she sets off at (1) 6 a.m. in order (allo scopo di..) to miss (evitare) the rush-hour traffic (ora di punta/di maggior traffico, si legge “rasc hauar trafich”).- We were late because we didn’t set off until (1) 8 o’clock.- We unpacked and changed our clothes before setting off to explore.(1) This verb is often used with a preposition or an adverb.Synonyms. To set out is more often used about (NO “for”) a long journey. Eg. He set out on (NO “for”) the last stage (ultima parte) of his round-the-world trip (viaggio intorno al mondo). To start out also means to begin a journey. Eg.They started out very early in the morning. To leave has a similar meaning. Eg. It was very late when I finally left to go home.077 TO SET sth UP = inziare un’attività/organizzare qualcosa (to create sth or start a business, an organization, etc.). Eg:- They often talked about setting up their own business.- He set the company up three and half years ago.- The company is still run (da to run/ran/run=gestire e anche “correre”) by Ms. Smithwho set it up long ago (da molto tempo).- A committee was set up (è stato costituito) to investigate the problems.Similar verbs. You can also use to start sth up to refer, to creating or starting a business. Eg. My father helped me start up (SENZA “to”) my own company. (V.a. START UP=un’azienda di piccole dimensioni che lancia un’idea technologica nuova).NOTE: It is also possible to use the pattern (modello/esempio/campione) “he set up,but only in sentences with other phrases such as: in business, on his own etc.Eg. He set up in business in a town near New York.078 TO SETTLE DOWN = sistemarsi/mettere su famiglia (to start, to have a calmer(più calmo/sereno) way of life, without many changes, especially living in one place/to get married/to start a family). Eg:- Everyone I know is getting married and settling down.- I’m going to travel for six months before I settle down with a career.- Jack has (NO “is”) settled down with his wife in a small town in Long Island.Other meanings. To settle down can also mean “to become relaxed and confident (fiducioso) in a new situation”. Eg. Julie has settled down well at her new school.This verb also has (NO “has also”) the meaning “to become calmer and less active”. Eg. The children finally settled down and started to study quietly.079 TO SLOW DOWN/TO SLOW sb or sth DOWN = rallentare/procedere con cautela (to go, or to make sb or sth at a slower speed). Eg:- I realized I was driving too fast and began to slow down as my car approached the crossroad (incrocio).- Those scientists claim they can slow the ageing process (processo di invecchiamento, si legge “eigingh proses”) down.- Can’t you work any faster (non puoi lavorare più veloce)? You’re slowing the whole class down!- Don’t wait for me, I’m only slowing you down (ti sto solo rallentanto, nel senso “ti faccio perdere tempo”).- Slow down please! I can’t understand anything if you still talk so fast.- The plant’s growth is (NO “has”) slowed down by lack (SENZA “the”) of light (1).- The economy has (NO “is”) slowed down this year (1).(1) Nella seconda frase l’uso del verbo avere (e non essere) indica che la crisi (gloom =depressione (si legge “glum”)/oscurità (darkness) economica continua.Related words. A slowdown, as noun, means “a decrease of the rate (una riduzione della percentuale) of activity or production”. Eg. This year’s trade figures (dati commerciali) show a considerable slowdown.Opposites. To speed up. Eg. Speed up! You’re talking much too slowly!=sii più veloce, parli troppo lentamente. V.a. “TO EXCEED (superare) THE SPEED LIMIT”.080 TO SORT sth OUT = risolvere/trovare la soluzione (to deal with (trattare/ affrontare/avere rapporti con/…/occuparsi di…) a problem or situation in a satisfac-tory way). Eg:- Fortunately the problem sorted itself out (si è risolto da solo).- You got into trouble (ti sei messo nei guai), but don’t worry about the money, I’llsort it out. V.a. “TO ASK FOR TROUBLE=andare in cerca di guai”.- We have sorted out our problems and everything is fine now.- If the heating breaks down, an engineer will quickly sort things out.- There‘s a crisis (crisi, si legge “craisis”) at the office and they need me there to sort it out (per risolverla).- The system has (NO “is”) broken down, it could take days for it to be sorted out.Other meanings. To sort sth out also means “to put sth in order or to tidy (rassetta-re, si legge “taidi”) sth. Eg. We need to sort out these papers and file them away (nelsenso “schedarli e metterli da parte”).This verb can also mean “to arrange (mettere in ordine) or organize sth”. Eg:- Help me to sort out this crossword (aiutami a risolvere questo cruciverba).- He still hasn’t sorted out accommodation (alloggio, si legge “accomodescion”) for our stay (soggiorno) in the States. N.B. In America se la parola accommodation è usata al plurale “accommodations” significa “vitto e alloggio presso privati”.081 TO SPEAK UP = gridare (to speak in a loud voice or to shout). Eg:- I’ll have to speak up because Mr. Newton is going deaf (sta diventando sordo).- Speak up! I can’t hear a word you’re saying above the noise (nel senso “con tutto questo rumore”).- He said that if I had spoken up a little, it would have been much easier for everyone to hear me.- Even though (nonostante, si legge “iven dou”) he spoke up nobody paid (pagò, nel senso “prestò”) attention to his words.- ‘There’s no need to shout!’ I said, and finally all of them stopped speaking up.- Don’t speak up please! I’m trying to get to sleep (nel senso “sto tendando di prendere sonno”).Other meanings. To speak up can also mean “to say what you think clearly and freely”. Eg:-The players spoke up about the manager and said he should not resign (si legge “risain”, non dovrebbe dimettersi).- It’s time to speak up about (or “to say we don’t like”) these terrible housing conditions (condizioni abitative, si legge “hausingh condiscions”).- Speak up what you really think about/of it and don’t beat (da to beat/beat/beaten or beat=battere, anche nel senso “vincere”) around the bush (e non girarci attorno).082 TO TAKE AFTER sb = somigliare a un familiare (To look like=somigliare a un estraneo o a un’altra cosa. To behave like=comportarsi come un’altra persona o, per esempio, “an idiot”). Eg:- When I was young I took after (SENZA “to”) my father in looks (NO “look”; nell’aspetto/nei tratti somatici), but I’ve still got his character (carattere/indole).- He’s very musical (appassionato di musica, si legge “miusicol”), he takes after hisgrandfather in that respect (nel senso “sotto questo aspetto”). V.a. “IN MANY RESPECTS=per molti versi”.- Who do you take after, your mother or your father?- My son isn’t sporty, he doesn’t take after me (nel senso “non ha preso da me”)!NOTE: This verb is frequently used in the present tense and NEVER in the progres-sive tense.Similar verbs. To resemble sb can be used when sb looks like or is similar to a per-son. Eg. She closely (strettamente nel senso di “molto”) resembles her (SENZA “to”) sister and also vaguely (vagamente, si legge “veighli”) a friend of mine.083 TO TAKE OFF = decollare (to leave the ground and begin to fly with an aircraft ora (NO “an” perchè la “h” della parola successiva NON è “muta”) helicopter). Eg:- What time is your flight due to take off (nel senso “a che ora è fissato il decollo”)?- We were a bit late taking off (nel senso “siamo decollati con un pò di ritardo”).- The plane eventually (finalmente) took off at 5 p.m.- We thought the flight wouldn’t take off at all (del tutto, nel senso “non sarebbe (mai) decollato”), but in the end it took off on (NO “in”) time.Other meanings. To take off can be used about an idea, a product or somebody’s career (carriera, si legge “carìa”) that suddenly becomes very successful. Eg:- Sales of mobile phones (cellulari, si legge “mobail fons”) have (NO “are”) really taken off in recent years.- Her career is just starting to take off (nel senso “ha avuto un buon inizio”).Opposites. To land. Eg. It was raining in Paris when I took off, but sunny (soleggiato) when I landed in New York.Related words. Take-off as noun can be countable or uncountable. Eg:- He hates (da to hate=odiare, si legge “heit”) flying, but it was a nice smooth take-off (nel senso “fu un buon dolce/calmo decollo”).- ‘Sorry for the delay (ritardo), but we are now ready for/to take-off’ the pilot said.084 TO TAKE sth OFF = togliere(rsi) un indumento/oggetto personale (to remove an item from your or sb else’s body). Eg:- Why don’t you take your coat off?- Do you mind if (ti spiace/permetti se) I take off my shoes (scarpe, si legge “scius”)?- When I got married I promised myself never to take the wedding ring (fede) off and to wear it forever (per sempre, si legge “forevar”).- All jewelry (tutta la gioielleria intesa come “tutti i gioielli”) must be taken off when doing sports.Synonyms. To remove is a formal verb. Eg. Remove your shoes before entering (SENZA “in”) the temple.Opposites. To put sth on. Eg. Don’t forget to put your shoes on when leaving the temple.085 TO TAKE UP sth (1°) = intraprendere una attività in genere piacevole (to start, todo a new activity, especially for pleasure). Eg:- I didn’t know you had taken up cookery/cooking (nel senso “ti sei dedicato all’arte culinaria”)!- I’m taken up jogging in order to (al fine di) lose (lost/lost=perdere/smarrire) weight and to get/keep fit (per tenermi in forma).- He took up languages (intraprese lo studio delle lingue) and now speaks Englishquite well/fluently (correntemente, si legge “fluintli”).- I used to do writing (let. fare scrittura, il senso è “scrivere”) and I’d like to take it upagain (nel senso “lo facevo e vorrei rifarlo”).- Rather than (piuttosto che/invece di=AS OPPOSED TO) wasting time (perdere tem-po), you should take up studying English.Opposites. To give up /to give up sth.086 TO TAKE UP sth (2°) = occupare spazio/tempo (to fill (riempire) a particular amount of space or time). Eg:- The equipment (apparecchiatura) is expensive and takes up a lot of space.- I’m sorry to take up so much of your time.- Looking for a (nel senso “la ricerca di un”) place to live has been taking up all my time recently (recentemente, si legge “rìsentili”).- The whole day has been taken up WITH making phone calls (A fare telefonate).- I’m sure he won’t mind helping you, as long as (finché/purchè) you don’t take up too much of his time.- Once (una volta che) we folded the chairs up (ripiegammo le sedie), they hardy took up any (hanno preso poco) room (spazio). V.a. “DECKCHAIR=sedia a sdraio”.Synonyms. To occupy sth is a more formal verb with a similar meaning. Eg:- Worrying about (NO “for”) the kids (la preoccupazione per i ragazzi) occupies (da to occupy=occupare, si legge “achiupai”) all my time.- A single picture occupied the whole screen (parete divisoria/schermo).- When we arrived all the seats were occupied.087 TO THROW sth AWAY OR OUT = gettare via (to get rid (disfarsi) of sth that is not usable (or “has (NO “is”) no use”) or that you no longer need). Eg.- I knew that he threw my letter away in a trash can (pattumiera) without reading it.- There’s too much junk (robbaccia, si legge “gianch”) in here, can we throw some of it out in a rubbish bin (bidone della spazzatura, si legge “rabish bin”)?- Every year the average family (famiglia media) throws away two tons of waste (SEMPRE al sing.re, rifiuti/sprechi, si legge “ueist”).- Our PC’s completely useless now, we’ll have to throw it away.- All the fruit had (NO “is”) gone bad (è andata a male) and had (dovette) to be thrown out.- Six trees’ worth of paper (la carta prodotta da 6 alberi) is thrown away every year.- 60% (SENZA “the”) of what we throw away could be reused or recycled.Synonyms. To discard (scartare) sth and to dispose (smaltire) of sth are more formalverbs with the same meaning.Related words. Throwaway is an adjective that is only used before a noun.Eg. A throwaway razor (rasoio (si legge “reisar”) del tipo usa e getta) is one that isintended to be (nel senso “è concepito per essere”) used only once or for a very short time before you get rid (sbarazzarsi/liberarsi) of it.088 TO TURN sb or sth DOWN=respingere/rifiutare (to reject or refuse sb or sth). Eg:- Why did you turn down the invitation to Kate and Jim’s wedding?- I can’t believe he turned the company’s offer down flat (piatto/a, il senso è “senzaproporre alcuna negoziazione”).- She has invited me to join the team and I’m not going (nel senso “non me la sentodi”) to turn her down.- Their request for funding (ottenere un finanziamento) was turned down.- I’ve just been turned down for another job (nel senso “mi hanno ancora rifiutato un altro lavoro”).- After my eye test, I was turned down as an airplane pilot.Synonyms. To reject sb or sth. Eg. I’ve been rejected by the college I applied to (a cui (sot.so) ho fatto domanda di ammissione).089 TO TURN sth DOWN = ridurre suoni/etc. (to adjust the controls on a piece of equipment in order to reduce the amount of heat/noise/light that is produced). Eg:- Who turned the music down?- He turned down the sound on (NO “of”) the TV, but left the picture on the screen.- If the radio was too loud for you, why didn’t you ask me to turn it down?- When it’s very hot, keep your lights off or turned down low (riducine l’intensità).- I can’t hear myself think (nel senso ”non riesco a seguire i miei pensieri”) IN here (NO solo “here”) ), turn the volume down please! . “IN” è un rafforzativo che indica un posto specifico (proprio qui) e non generico.Similar verbs. To lower sth can be used in a (or “the”) similar way with nouns such as: volume, heat, lights and temperature (temperatura, si legge“tèmpicia”). Eg:- Bring the sauce to a boil (porta la salsa (si legge “sos”) al punto di cottura), then lower the heat (riduci il calore, si legge “hiit”).- He lowered his voice to a whisper (nel senso “fino a bisbigliare”, NO “to whisper”).Opposites. To turn sth up. Eg. Do you mind if I turn the music up? I’m not able to hear it.090 TO TURN sth OFF = spegnere (to stop the flow (flusso) of electricity, gas or water BY moving (NO solo “moving”) a switch (interruttore, si legge “suic”) or (by) pressing a button. Eg:- Can you turn the lights off? The switch is by (vicino) the door.- Turn off the music please, I want to talk to (NO “with”) you.- I forgot (da to forget/forgot/forgotten=dimenticare) to turn off the TV in my room.- You’ve been watching TV (SENZA “the” che invece deve essere indicato se si usano verbi diversi (es: to buy, to sell, to use, etc.) all day! Turn it off now.- Why has the air conditioning been turned off when/if it’s so hot?Synonyms. To switch sth off. Eg. Don’t forget to switch off the lights when you leave (da to leave/left/left=lasciare e anche “andare via/partire”).Similar verbs. To turn sth down. Eg.Turn down your voice (abbassa la (tua) voce)!091 TO TURN sth ON = accendere (to start the flow (flusso) of electricity, gas or water by moving a switch or pressing a button). Eg:- It’s pretty (piuttosto=more like) dark IN here, shall I turn the light on?- Let’s turn on the TV, I want to watch the news (telegiornale, SEMPRE al pl.le per-chè assume il significato di “notizie”).- The heating (riscaldamento) has been turned on, so the house is going to get warm(si sta riscaldando).- I was bored (mi annoiavo) driving (NO to drive) down (NO “on”) the parkway on my own, so I turned the radio on. N.B. “on my own=da solo” è più forte di “alone”.- I don’t understand this machine, how do you turn it on (come (diavolo) si accende)?- How can you read in (NO “with”) this light? Let me turn a bigger light on for you.Synonyms. To switch or put sth on. Eg. Why did you switch/put the lights on? There is still light here.Similar verbs. To turn sth up. Eg. Turn up the voice (alza la voce) on (NO “of”) the TV please!092 TO TURN OVER/TO TURN sb or sth OVER = girare la posizione (to change your position, or the position of sb or sth, so that the other side is facing (rivolto) outwards (verso l’esterno) or upward (verso l’alto). Eg:- He turned over (si girò) and went back to sleep (tornò a dormire).- The car skidded (da to skid=slittare, si legge “schid”) on the ice and turned over (nel senso “fece una testa coda”).- She turned over the book and read the notes on the back cover.- Some animals use their nose (naso, si legge “nous”) to turn over stones (pietre/sassi) where they are looking for food.- Cook the steak for a few minutes and then turn it over to cook the other side.- Can you match one card to the one (nel senso “si può giocare una carta uguale a”) that has been turned over (girata)?- His mind went blank (spazio bianco nel senso “nulla”, si legge “blanch”, nel senso “andò in pallone”) as soon as he turned a question paper (modulo) over.Similar verbs. To turn sth over sb means “to give the control of sth to sb else”.Eg. Two years ago, before I retired, I turned all my business over (cedetti la mia azienda) to my son.Idioms. To turn over a new leaf (foglia; leaves=foglie) means “to change your way of life (stile di vita) to become a better, more responsible person”. Eg. He saw (SENZA “the”) fatherhood (la paternità) as a chance to turn over a new leaf.093 TO TURN UP = arrivare (to arrive). Eg:- He turned up late, he is unreliable (inaffidabile), as usual (come al solito)!- The cab/taxi didn’t turn up on (NO “in”) time (in tempo), so we had to walk (nel senso “siamo stati costretti a andare a piedi”).- By the time (quando) I turned up at (NO “to”) the party, most people (SENZA “of them”) had already left (erano già andati via).- Around 5,000 people turned up to celebrate the start of the year.- You don’t need to book (prenotare) at my restaurant, just turn up=basta che arrivi.Synonyms. To show up means the same, but is more informal. Eg:- Did Mark show up for the class (era presente al corso) last night? - The bus never showed up.094 TO TURN sth UP = alzare suoni etc. (to adjust the controls on a piece of gear (silegge “ghier”=congegno) in order to increase the amount of heat, noise or light that is produced). V.a. TO MUSHROOM=aumentare velocemente, sost.vo “fungo”. Eg:- You’ll have to turn the volume up because she is a bit deaf (sorda, si legge “def”).- I closed the windows and turned up the air conditioner (si legge “condischionar”).- I can’t hear the radio with all this noise, can you turn it up?- The television was turned up so loud that she couldn’t hear him shouting (da to shout=gridare (sost.vo “urlo”), si legge “sciaut”).- He always turns the radio up loud (alza il volume della radio) when his favourite programmes are on (sono trasmessi).- She wanted the chicken to cook (che il pollo cuocesse) quickly, so she turned up the gas.Similar verbs. To raise sth has a similar meaning and can be use with nouns such as: volume, voice, heat and temperature. Eg. It’s too cold and wet/damp (umido, si legge “damp”) IN here, can you raise the heat please?Opposites. To turn sth down.095 TO WAKE UP/TO WAKE sb UP = svegliare/rsi (to stop sleeping; to make sb stop sleeping). Eg:- I fell out OF (NO “from the”) bed (caddì dal letto) and woke myself up (mi svegliai).- He’s always in a bad/good mood (di cattivo/buon umore) when he wakes up.- Please try not to wake the baby up, I have just got him to sleep (l’ho appena fatto addormentare).- Be silent! You’ll wake up the whole family if you don’t keep quiet (nel senso “se non abbasi la voce”).- We were woken up by the sound of breaking glass (un bicchiere che si stava rompendo).- He is still asleep (or “sleeping”); it’s better not to wake him up or he’ll become angry.- I may be (SENZA “at”) home very late tonight, don’t wake me up until 10 o’clock please.Related words. Wake-up is an adjective which is only used before a noun.Eg. A telephone call that is intended to (fimalizzata a) wake you up is a wake-up call.096 TO WEAR OUT/TO WEAR sth OUT = logorare(rsi)/sciupare(rsi) (to become, or tomake sth become thin (sottile/magro, si legge “thin”) or no longer able to be usedusually because it has been used too much). Eg:- This car is so sturdy (resistente/robusta, si legge “sterdi”) that it hasn’t (NO “isn’t”) still worn out.- The carpet had been completely worn out by so many people (da così tanta gente).- The carpet had been completely worn out by so many (da così tanti) people wal- king on it.- Even though (anche se) he took good care (si prese cura) of his boots (stivali/scar-poni), he wore them out during the last winter.- She rarely (raramente, si legge “rearli”) wore those shoes because she didn’t want to wear them out.- I tried to read the whole book, but my patience wore out BY page 25 (si è esaurita A pag. 25).- My son grows out of (cresce piu di/dei) his clothes (vestiti) before he wears them out and so we must replace (sostituire) them.- She made her jeans into (trasformò i jeans in) shorts when her knees wore them out (quando le sue ginocchie, si legge “niis”, li logorarono).- I know how to make my clothes look their best (nel senso “mantenere al meglio”), but in time (nel senso “con il passare del tempo”) they wear out anyway (or “anyhow”=in ogni caso).- Low quality shoes can wear out, so buy the best you can afford (il meglio che ti puoi permettere) and don’t forget that purchasing (acquisto, si legge “pèrcisingh”) in a good store can make all the difference (può fare (tutta) la differenza).Related words. Worn out is an adjective. Eg.This jacket of mine is worn out, I need a new one.097 TO WEAR sb or yourself OUT = stancare(rsi) (to make sb or yourself tired). Eg:- The baby wore her parents out by (NO “for”) refusing to go to bed every night.- Go home and rest! There’s no point to wear youself out (non c’è motivo di stancarti). V.a. “TO REST ON …=dipendere da”. Eg. My hopes rest on you.- You’ll wear yourself out if you carry on working (nel senso “continui a lavorare”) so hard.Synonyms. To tire (stancare, si legge “taiar”) sb or yourself out and to exhaust sb or yourself mean the same. Eg. Don’t work so hard, you’ll tire yourself out (or “you’ll exhaust yourself”).Related words. Worn out (stanco/sciupato) is an adjective that doesn’t usually come before a noun. Eg:- Come and sit down, you look worn out!- I went home feeling worn out after the conference.098 TO WORK OUT = riuscire bene/progettare (to plan), ottenere un buon risultato(to happen or develop in a particular way, especially in a successful way). Eg:- My mother is living with us now, which is working out well (nel senso “il ché funziona bene”).- I do hope (SENZA “the”) things work out for him, as (poichè) he deserves (merita) to be happy.- Unfortunately their marriage didn’t work out and they got divorced (hanno divor-ziato) last year.- Everything’s going to work out just fine (nel senso “ogni cosa sta andando propriobene”=things (SENZA “the”) worked out).- My trip to New York worked out (SENZA “in”) the way I’d planned (nel modo in cuil’avevo programmato/pianificato).- We needn’t have worried (or “we didn’t have to worry”=non avevamo bisogno dipreoccuparci) because, without our knowing (l’opposto è “unbeknown to us=a nostra insaputa”), everything worked out.- They were married for five years, but things (or “it”) didn’t work out.- I knew I could always go back home if living on my own (da solo=alone) didn’t work out.Other meanings. If people work out, they train (preparano/addestrano) their body by (NO “for”) physical exercises. Eg:- I try to work out in the gym three times a week.- You look well, have you been working out? (il senso é: “io ci provo a… (sot.so), tu che sei in gran forma ci sei riuscito?”).Related words. Workout is a very common noun. Eg. I did a two-hour (NO “hours”) workout (allenamento) in the gym (palestra).099 TO WORK sth OUT = trovare/scoprire la migliore soluzione (to calculate sth, to find the answer to a question or sth that is difficult to understand or explain). Eg:- I need to work out the total cost of the project before we agree to (NO “with”) it.- It took (SENZA “to”) him (gli ci vollero) two days to work the code (codice) out.- Don’t tell me the answer because I’d like to work it out for (NO “by”) myself.- I can’t work out (nel senso “non riesco a capacitarmi”) how you got (nel senso “come mai sei giunto”) here so quickly.- Any reductions (riduzioni, si legge “ridachscions”) will be worked out (nel senso “saranno prese in considerazione”) before you receive your bill (fattura/conto).N.B. At the restaurant after eating, you will ask: The bill please.Synonyms. To figure sth out means the same and is used in the same way. Eg:- Have you figured out how much I owe (da to owe=dovere (essere in debito), si legge “ou”) you (sei riuscito a calcolare di quanto ti sono debitore)?- I’m so confused that I can’t figure out what to do (nel senso “non riesco a capire cosa devo fare”). Eg. Can you figure out how to open this box?- I always use a calculator rather than (piuttosto che/invece di) trying to work out calculations myself.Similar verbs. You can also use to work out or to figure out a person. Eg:- She’s a strange girl. I can’t work her out at all (nel senso “non la capisco affatto”).- I’ve never been able to figure my boss out.100 TO WRITE sth DOWN = prendere nota (to write sth on a paper in order to (allo scopo di) remember or record it). Eg:- Work on your own (lavora da solo, è sot.so “senza copiare”) and write down theanswers to these questions - said the teacher.- My chief told me to write down everything the thief (ladro; thieves=ladri) hadsaid to me.- Before speaking (or “taking the floor”) I wrote all my ideas down. V.a.”To take thefloor” (let. prendere il pavimento) non è uno slang, significa “prendere la parola”.- The policeman told him the address and he wrote it down in his notebook.- Information (SENZA “the” e SEMPRE al singolare) was passed on (nel senso “trasferite”) by word of mouth (da bocca a bocca) and was never written down.- Writing new English words down is the best way to help you to remember them.- I can’t remember new vocabulary (lessico) unless (salvo che, si legge “anles”) I write it down (or “if I don’t write it down”). V.a. “DICTIONARY=vocabolario”.- I’m bound (da to bind/bound/bound=legare/attaccare, si leggono “baind e baund”, il senso è “sono costretto/finisco con”) to forget everything if it isn’t written down.- If you had (avessi) a piece of paper I could write down my phone number for you.Similar verbs. You can use other verbs with the particle (particella, si legge “partcol”) down to make phrasal verbs that are similar in meaning. Here are some examples:- To jot (annotare in fretta, si legge “giot”) or to note sth down=to write sth quickly.- To scribble (scarabbocchiare, si legge “scribol”) sth down=to write quickly and carelessy (con negligenza).- To copy sth down=to write sth exactly as it is written somewhere else.SUMMARY001 To be on si riferisce a un evento programmato.This verb hasn’t an object but (salvo che) in some interrogative phrases. Eg. Is my favourite show on for next Friday?Phrasal verbs per i quali il relativo oggetto/persona può essere posto, salvo alcune eccezioni (es. se l’oggetto è il pronome “it”), indifferentemente prima o dopo la preposizione che caratterizza detti verbi.N.B. The phrases in brackets (parentesi) are grammatically INCORRECT.004 To blow sb or sth up = scoppiare/fare esplodere/uccidere (They blew up it).008 To bring sb up = (far)crescere/educare (He brought up him in Paris).009 To call sb back = (ri)chiamare al telefono (I called back my parents late).011 To check sb or sth in = presentarsi per registrazione/controlli (I’ve checked in them for the…)013 To check sb or sth out = fare indagini su… (I checked out it very carefully).020 To cut sb or sth off (1°) = separare (She cut off herself from her friends).022 To do sth up = allacciare/chiudere (He did up it).024 To drop sb or sth off = lasciare (fuori)/consegnare (I dropped off them at the hotel).027 To fill sth up/To fill sth up with sth = riempire (He filled up it with water).028 To find sth out = scoprire (I found out the truth. I found out it quite quickly).038 To give sth out = distribuire (I gave out them).051 To hold sb or sth up = bloccare/trattenere (She held up it).054 To leave sb or sth out/To leave sb or sth out of sth = lasciare/escludere (You’ve left out it).060 To look sth or sb up = fare ricerche (I can’t remember their number, I have tolook up it).061 To make sth up = inventare qualcosa per ingannare qualcuno (He made up it).063 To pick sb or sth up (1°) = prendere e alzare (I picked up it).064 To pick sb or sth up (2°) = passare a prendere (He picked up them).065 To put sth away = mettere ogni cosa al suo posto (Have you put away them?).066 To put sb or sth down = posare/nettere giù (I put down it).069 To put sth off/To put off doing sth = rinviare (She was put off her visit).070 To put sth on = indossare (He put on it).071 To put sth out = spegnere (They put out it).074 To run sb or sth over or down = investire (He got run over it by a bus).077 To set sth up = iniziare/organizzare qualcosa (He set up it).079 To slow down/To slow sb or sth down = rallentare/procedere con cautela (He slowed down it).080 To sort sth out = risolvere/trovare la soluzione (He doesn’t often talk about his problems; he’d rather sort out himself. There have been misunderstandings but they’ve all sorted out now. I’m going to see Jack because he’s in trouble and he wants me to sorted out it).084 To take sth off = togliere(rsi) un indumento/oggetto personale (He took off it).087 To throw sth away or out = gettare via (Has she thrown away it?).088 To turn sb or sth down = respingere/essere rifiutato (I can’t believe he turned down her!).089 To turn sth down = ridurre suoni etc. (He turned down it).090 To turn sth off = spegnere (He turned off it).091 To turn sth on = accendere (He turned on it).092 To turn sb or sth over = girare la posizione (He turned over it).094 To turn sth up = alzare suoni etc. (I turned up the volume, si legge “valium”).095 To wake sb up = svegliare(rsi) (He woke up him).096 To wear sth out = logorare(rsi)/sciupare(rsi) (He wore out them).099 To work sth out = trovare/scoprire la migliore soluzione (He worked out them).100 To write sth down = prendere nota (He wrote down. He wrote down it).Phrasal verbs per i quali il relativo oggetto/persona deve essere posto, salvo alcuneeccezioni (es. se l’oggetto è il pronome “it”), dopo la/le preposizione/i che caratterizza/no detti verbi.N.B. The phrases in brackets (parentesi) are grammatically INCORRECT.002 To be up to sb = dipende da… (What is it up to?).003 To be up to sth = si riferisce a un evento programmato (He is up to. What is he up to?).005 To break down = guastarsi (We broke down the car. The car broke itself down).006 To break in/into sth = irrompere (They broke the bank in during the night. They broke it into during the night).007 To break up = interrompere (He broke up).010 To catch up with sb or sth = raggiungere/afferrare/tenere il passo (She caught up Tom after one minute).012 To check out of sth = lasciare un albergo e simili (The hotel was checked out of).015 To come across sb or sth = trovare incontrare per caso (Where did she come it across? Where was the old book come across?).016 To come on = venire avanti (Oh coming on, Jim! They came on Jim. Jim was come on).017 To come over or (a)round = fare una breve visita (He came my house over. My house was come over to). Note: The verbs marked with (the) numbers 016 and 017 don’t have an object.018 To cut down on sth = ridurre (You should down cut drinking coffee).026 To fill sth in = compilare una documentazione (I filled in it).030 To get off = scendere da un mezzo di trasporto (He got the train off at the last stop. He got himself off quickly).031 To get on/along = andare d’accordo (They get on their colleagues).032 To get on sth = salire su di un veicolo (We got it on outside the school).033 To get out of sth = uscire da un posto (The car was got out of quickly).Note: The verbs marked with numbers 030, 031, 032 and 033 don’t have an object.034 To get out of doing sth = evitare qualcosa o evitare di farla/scansarsela (I get out the meeting. The meeting was got out of).035 To get over sb or sth = cancellare qualcuno/qualcosa dalla mente/superare una difficoltà (I got the illnes over).039 To give up sth (1°) = rinunciare (I gave it up and went to bed.).040 To give up sth (2°) = rinunciare (I gave up it. I gave up to drink coffe).041 To go off = sparare/esplodere (I went off the bomb. The bomb was gone off).042 To go on = accadere (Somebody is going on. Something was gone on).043 To go on doing sth = continuare (He went on to work).044 To go out (1°) = andare a divertirsi (We went out the house. We were gone out).045 To go out (2°) = incontrarsi per un rapporto sentimentale (He’s going out together).046 To go out (3°) = smettere di illuminare/bruciare (They went out the lights. Thelight was gone).047 To grow up = crescere/diventare adulto (Grow yourself up! She grew up her …).Note: The verbs marked with numbers 041, 042, 043, 044, 045, 046 and 047 don’t have an object.048 To hang up sth = chiudere il telefono (I hung up him).050 To hold on = attendere (prego) (Hold on the phone. We were held on for a fewminutes).Note: This verb doesn’t have an object.052 To join in (with sb or sth)/To join in sth = raggiungere/unirsi (Everyone wanted to join it in).053 To keep up/To heep up with sb or sth = tenere testa/essere all’altezza (I couldn’t keep him up. He couldn’t kept up with).056 To log on/To log onto sth = collegarsi tramite computer a un sistema operativo (I logged the computer on. I logged it on).057 To look after sb, sth or yourself = avere cura di (I looked my brother after).058 To look for sb or sth = cercare (He is looking him for. A job is being looked for).059 To look forward to sth/To look forward to doing sth = essere in trepidante attesa di qualcosa (She is looking forward to leave).062 To own up/To own up to sth = ammettere/accettare le proprie responsabilità per quanto accaduto (She owned up to make a mistake. The mistake was owned up).072 To put up with sb or sth = sopportare con rassegnazione (She put it up with. She put up with live there. The noise was put up with).073 To run out/To run out of sth = esaurirsi (We ran out money. Our money was run out of).075 To sell out/To sell out of sth = interamente venduto (They sold the tickets out).076 To set off=intraprendere un viaggio (We set off the journey. The journey set off).078 To settle down = sistemarsi/mettere su famiglia (I settled myself down. I was settled down). V.a. “TO SETTLE = stabilire/decidere/saldare un conto”.081 To speak up = gridare (She spoke it up. She was spoken up).082 To take after sb = somigliare a qualcuno (He takes her after).083 To take off = decollare (We took off the plane. The plane took the ground off).Note: The verbs marked with numbers 078, 081, 082 and 083 don’t have an object.085 To take up sth (1°) = intraprendere un’attività (piacevole) (She took up it. Sailing was taken up.086 To take up sth (2°) = occupare spazio e/o tempo (The table takes a lot of room up. The table takes it up).093 To turn up = arrivare (He turned up the party. He was turned up.).098 To work out = riuscire bene/avere un buon risultato (We worked out things. Things worked them out).Phrasal verbs per i quali il relativo oggetto/persona deve essere posto, salvo alcuneeccezioni (es. se l’oggetto è il pronome “it”), tra il verbo e la sua prep.ne.N.B. The phrases in brackets (parentesi) are grammatically INCORRECT.014 To cheer sb or yourself up = rallegrarsi/infondere fiducia (She soon cheered upherself).019 To cut sb off = escludere (She cut off him accidentally).021 To cut sb or sth off (2°) = interrompere una fornitura (gas, etc.) (They cut off us).023 To dress sb up = mettersi in ghingheri/travestirsi (She dressed up him for the party).025 To fall over = cadere (I fell over the ground. I fell myself over).029 To finish sth off = completare qualcosa/smettere di farla (I haven’t finished offthem yet).036 To get up = svegliare(rsi) (He was got up).037 To give sth away = donare (She gave away them).049 To have sth on/To have got sth on = indossare vestiti. (The watch was had on).055 To let sb down = deludere (He felt he had let down them).067 To put sb off/To put sb off sth (1°) = respingere/tenersi a distanza (Many people put off to buy organic food by the (a causa del) cost).068 To put sb off/To put sb off sth (2°) = infastidire/mettere in imbarazzo (The put off him).097 To wear sb or yourself out = stancare(rsi) (She wore out. She wore out them).N O T E SFor some of the above mentioned phrasal verbs, see the following notes:001 To be on si riferisce a un evento programmato. The correct phrase is: The show is on at 7 p.m.009 To call sb back = (ri)chiamare al telefono. The pattern call back John is not used.010 To catch up with sb or sth = raggiungere/afferrare. You can also use the pattern catch sb. Eg: I’ll never catch Tom up. I’ll catch you up in a few minutes.013 To check somebody or something out = fare indagini. The pattern check people out is much less frequent.014 To cheer sb or yourself up = rallegrarsi/infondere fiducia. You can also use the pattern cheer up sb but this is less common.016 To come on = venire avanti. This verb is only used in the form Come on.019 To cut sb off = escludere. This verb is usually used in the passive. The pattern cut off her friend is very rare in this meaning.021 To cut sb or sth off (2°) = interrompere una fornitura (gas, etc.). You can also use the pattern cut the elettricity supply off, but this is less frequent. Cut sb or sth off is often used in the passive in this meaning.022 To do something UP = allacciare/chiudere. You can also use the pattern “this dress does up at the back”.023 To dress sb up=mettersi in ghingheri. The correct phrase is: She dressed him upfor the party. The pattern dress up the kids is also possible but less frequent.026 To fill sth in = compilare una documentazione. You can also use the pattern “fillthe form in”, but this is rare.027 To fill sth up/To fill sth up with sth = riempire. You can also use fill up with this meaning: The boat was filling up with water. After 8 o’clock the pub began to fill up.028 To find sth out = scoprire. I found the truth out is also possible, but rare. The passive is almost never used.029 To finish sth off = completare qualcosa/smettere di farla. The right phrase is: I haven’t finished them off yet.036 To get up = svegliare(rsi). You can also use get yourself up: He had to get himselfup and off to school. N.B. “Off” è usato nel senso “subito”.039 To give up sth (1°) = rinunciare. You can also use the pattern “give the attempt up”, but this is less frequent.040 To give up sth (2°) = rinunciare. The pattern “give coffee up” is used, but it’s less frequent. 045 To go out (2°) = incontrarsi per un rapporto sentimentale. This verb is often used in the progressive tenses with this meaning.048 To hang up sth = chiudere il telefono. The pattern “hang the phone up” is also possible, but rare.049 To have sth on/To have got sth on = indossare vestiti ect. This verb is not used in the progressive tenses.050 To hold on = attendere (prego). This verb is usually used in informal spoken English and in the form “Hold on”.051 To hold sb or sth up = bloccare/trattenere. The pattern “hold the meeting up” is not very common.This verb is often used in the passive.Note also the phrase “get held up”, eg: I got held up at work = sono stato trattenuto al lavoro.053 To keep up/To heep up with sb or sth = tenere testa/essere all’altezza. This verb is not used in the passive.055 To let sb down=deludere. The pattern “he let down his parents” is less frequent.056 To log on/To log onto sth = collegarsi tramite computer a un sistema operativo. This verb is very flexible. It can also be used with these patterns: “The system was unable to log you on (to log sb on). This will automatically log you onto the webside” (to log sb onto sth).058 To look for sb or sth = cercare. The passive is possible but rare.059 To look forward to sth/To look forward to doing sth = essere in trepidante attesa di qualcosa. This verb is usually used in the progressive tenses. You can also use look forward to in the passive, but this is not very common, eg. Her visit was eagerly (entusiasticamente) looked forward to.060 To look sth or sb up = fare ricerche. The correct phrase is: I’ll have to look it up.The passive is also possible but very rare.061 To make sth up = inventare qualcosa per ingannare qualcuno. The pattern “he made the story up” is also possible but less frequent.062 To own up/To own up to sth = ammettere le proprie responsabilità per quantoaccaduto. The passive form is extremely rare.067 To put sb off/To put sb off sth (1°) = respingere/tenersi a distanza. The correct phrase is: Many people are put off buying organic food by the cost. The pattern “put somebody off doing something” is quite common. The pattern “it put off John” is possible but very rare.068 To put sb off/To put sb off sth (2°) = infastidire/mettere in imbarazzo. The pat-tern “put off Robert” is possible but very rare.074 To run sb or sth over or down = investire. The pattern run a person over is lessfrequent. The pattern get run over is often used.075 To sell out/To sell out of sth/To be sold out = essere esaurito/venduto.080 To sort sth out = risolvere/trovare la soluzione. The correct phrases are: He doesn’t often talk about his problems; he’d rather sort them out himself. There have been misunderstandings but they’ve all been sorted out/they’are all sorted out now. I’m going to see Jack because he’s in trouble and he wants me to sort it/things out. You can also say: The problem sorted itsef out.081 To speak up = gridare. This verb is usually used in the form Speak up! in this meaning.082 To take after sb = somigliare a qualcuno. This verb is frequently used in the present tense. It is not used in the progressive tense.085 To take up sth (1°) = intraprendere un’attività (piacevole). The pattern “take sailing up” is possible but very rare.086 To take up sth (2°) = occupare spazio e/o tempo. A pronoun is not usually used with this verb.087 To throw sth away or out = gettare via. The correct phrases are: Has she thrown it away? Was the jacket thrown away?088 To turn sb or sth down = respingere/essere rifiutato. The correct phrase is: I can’t believe he turned her down.089 To turn sth down = ridurre suoni, calore, rumori luce etc. The pattern “turn down” sth is less commom than “turn sth down”.Many of the phrasal verbs above mentioned have, as other English words, different meanings.The most common were chosen (da to choose/chose/chosen=scegliere), but, of course, it’s possible to find other meanings in a good English dictionary.Capitolo 4U N P O’ D I G R A M M A T I C A E Q U A L C H E C U R I O S I T A’TO LET TO ALLOW TO PERMIT AND TO AFFORDAll of them mean in Italian “permettere/consentire”, but if used in affirmative sentence to let, to allow and to permit express a “permission to do something”.Eg. John’s parents let (or allow or permit, the most formal) him to stay out as late ashe likes.- To let (let/let) is not used in passive form, in this case we must use to allow or to permit.- To allow and permit can be followed by an object and a verb in the infinitive tense or by a gerund.Eg. They allow (or permit) us to smoke (or smoking) at their house.These two verbs can also be used in the passive sentences.Eg. Smoking is allowed (or permitted) in the smoking area only.- To allow is “to let something happen”.Eg. Will you allow me to come through the garden to do upkeep (manutenzione)?- To afford can mean the same thing of to allow, but it’s better to use it when it isrelated (messo in correlazione) to (NO “with”) pricing matters = qualcosa che si caratterizza per l’alto prezzo, si legge “praisingh maters”.Eg. Can you afford to pay this very high rent?DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLESThe definite article “the” is used when we are referring to something specific or already mentioned and:- in front of a singular or plural countable noun or nouns. Eg: Give me THE apple. THE apples I bought are good. In front of uncountable nouns if they are specified. Eg: THE water from the bathroom tap isn’t good to drink.- when there is only one of something. Eg: THE sun, THE Prime Minister, THE Pacific.- before these words: cinema, theatre, radio (NEVER before television or TV).- when referring to a species or invention. Eg: THE whale (balena, si legge “ueal”) is almost extinct. Bell invented THE phone.- in front of nationality words, Eg: THE Americans, THE Japanese.- with some adjectives when referring to the group in general. Eg: THE old, THE young, THE rich, THE poor.- with superlatives. Eg: It’s THE biggest cinema in New York.- with name of newspapers. Eg: THE Washington Post, THE New York Times, THE Daily Mail, THE Guardian.- with countries, regions or group of islands which are plural. Eg: THE USA, THEMiddle East, THE Bahamas.- with names of oceans/seas/rivers/canals (NEVER lakes). Eg: THE Atlantic, THE Danube, THE Corinth Canal.- with mountain rangers (catene montuose). Eg: THE Andes, THE Himalayas.- with areas and deserts. Eg: THE north of the USA, THE west of England, THE Sahara. - with names of hotels, pubs, restaurants, museums, art gallery, cinema and theatre. Eg: THE Excelsior, etc.- with buildings and places containing the word “of”: THE Great Wall of China, THEBank of America.The indefinite article “a/an” is used:- in front a singular countable noun mentioned for the first time and “the” is usedwhen that noun is mentioned a second time. Eg: I bought A hat and A tie, THE tie was quite cheap.- to talk about someone’s job. Eg. She is AN architect.- with numbers and fractions. Eg: A hundred, A million, A third, A half.- to mean “every” with expressions of time. Eg: Once A week. Five times A year.- with an exclamations. Eg: What A strange person!Zero article. There is no article and it’s used:- in front of plural countable nouns when making general statements. Eg: Apples aregood for our health.- in front an uncountable noun when making general statements. Eg: Coffee keeps me awake.- in front of abstract nouns. Eg: Honesty should be the best policy.- in front of meal time. Eg: We have lunch at one (o-clock).- in front of certain places (hospital, school, college, university, church, prison, home, work, bed) when you are talking about the activity which normally takes place in that place or building. Eg. He had an accident and was taken to hospital.- with the name of most towns/cities/streets/countries/islands.- with lakes and individual mountains. Eg: Lake Michigan, Mount Fuji.- with names of streets or squares. Eg: Fifth Avenue, Times Square.- with names of buildings, airports and institutions. Eg: Empire State Building, JFK Airport, Harvard PARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE OF ADVERBS AND LONGER ADJECTIVESAdverbs ending in “ly” form their comparative and superlative adding more and most. Eg: Quietly becomes more quietly as comparative and most quietly as superlative. Carefully becomes more carefully as comparative and most carefully as superlative. N.B. Longer adjectives, which have TWO O MORE syllables, are preceded by more/ less and most/least to form their comparative and superlative. Eg: Interesting becomes more/less interesting as comparative and most/least interesting as superlative. Careful becomes more/less careful as comparative and most/least careful as superlative.SAY, TELL AND UTTERTO SAY is not usually followed by the person addressed. Eg: What did you say? I didnot say anything. He said it was time to go. Say is ALWAYS followed by “TO” if you are speaking of a person. Eg. I said to him that … .V.a. “TO HAVE A SAY = avere voce in capitolo, TO HAVE ONE’S SAY = dire la propria e NEEDLESS TO SAY= inutile a dirsi”.TO TELL is ALWAYS followed by the person addressed. Eg. I told (WITHOUT “to”) himit was time to go. NOTE: You may use either TELL with a pronoun (NOT by itself) orSAY by itself (NOT with a pronoun). “To say” and “to tell” are very common verbs, but people often get confused about which one to use. I’ll show you how easy it is! Even though “to say” and “to tell” have a similar meaning, we often use them differently. Remember the following rule of thumbs (let. regola dei pollici, si legge “thams” = regola generale):- You say something - You tell someone something. For example:To say: Ann said she was hungry. Kevin said that he would like to come to the party.To tell: She told me she was hungry. He told us that he would like to come to the … .Remember that both “to say” and “to tell” may be used in direct and reported speech. Look at some examples. Direct speech: I said: “I’m thirsty.” I told him: “I’m thirsty.” Reported speech: I said (that) I was thirsty. I told him (that) I was thirsty. Note that the “that” is optional in reported speech. We often use “to someone” with “to say”. For example:- She said to Paul that she was tired.- Alex said to her: “I hope you aren’t angry (arrabbiato, si legge “angri”, diverso da hungry=affamato si legge “hangri”).”- Mary said to him that she was nervous.When we want to give orders or advice we use “to tell”. For example:- He told me it wasn’t worth the money = che non valeva la pena (es. comprarlo).- Mary told me to wait.- Tell Susan to take a long holiday this year; she deserves it = se lo merita!Some set phrases (frasi fatte) with “to tell” are: to tell the time/to tell (someone) the truth/to tell (someone) a lie/to tell (someone) a story/to tell (someone) a joke.TO UTTER (pronunciare, si legge “atar”) means to be completely silent, to remaindiscret about something or to not tell anyone about something. Eg. All the while (per tutto il tempo che) our father was shouting at us, we didn’t utter a word.FEWER AND LESSFewer is the comparative of “few” and is used before plural nouns. Eg. Fewer peole went to the party than we espected.Less is the comparative of “little” and is used before uncountable nouns. Eg. I spendless time at home than I do at work.SPEAK AND TALKBoth of them mean (meant/meant=voler dire/“significano”) “parlare”, but:SPEAK is used:Without an object, in the meaning of “make a speech”, “give a lecture” etc. Eg: Today I’m going to speak about Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Everyone clapped (da to clap=applaudire, si legge claap”) and cheered (da to cheer=rallegrarsi, si legge “cier”) when he stopped speaking.On the phone (al telefono). Eg: This is Mr. Smith, who’s speaking, please. Can I speak to Mrs. Mary Harrison please?In the meaning of “say something”With the prepositions “to” and “about”. Eg: She didn’t speak to me about your party. Have you spoke to the teacher about a refresher course (corso di aggiornamento)?TALK is used:In the meaning of “have a conversation”.With the prepositions “to” and “about”. Eg: He was talking to her in the Sunny Snack Bar. What were they talking about (di cosa stavano parlando)?In the meaning of “make a noise (rumore) with words”. Eg. Stop talking and get on (vai avanti) with your work! V.a. “Don’t talk (or speak) loudly please = non parlare a voce alta = don’t raise (alzare) your voice”.BEEN AND GONEBEEN (da “to be/was/been”) means “go to a place and back”. Eg. Mary has been TO the bank (it means that she went to the bank and has already come back).GONE (da “to go/went/gone”) means “go to a place but not yet back. Eg. Mary has gone TO the bank (it means that she went to the bank and has not come back because (or “since”, usato come congiunzione) she is still there).Notice also that we use the preposition TO with both “been” and “gone”.DIFFERENZA TRA TO LOSE/LOST/LOST E TO MISS/MISSED/MISSEDEntrambi hanno un simile significato, ma:- To lose = perdere si usa con riferimento ad un “oggetto”. Eg: I lost my briefcase (valiggetta 24 ore). I lost my interest in the purchase of a house in Paris.- To miss = mancare si usa con riferimento ai seguenti diversi “significati”:Non presentarsi. Eg. I missed two math lessons because I was sick with flu.Arrivare tardi. Eg. I missed my flight only BY (solo PER) a few minutes.Affettivo. Eg. I miss you = tu mi manchi (è un’espressione molto comune, l’opposto è “you miss me = io ti manco”).WOULD, COULD AND SHOULD“WOULD” is used:In probable or improbable conditionals. Eg: Alicia would be (sarebbe) very pleased(contenta, si legge “pliisd”) if Mrs. Harrison took (prendesse) some cookery lessons.You wouldn’t like if I called you a fool, would you?In indirect speech. Eg: He told me he would see me on Thursday. He asked Mary if he’d go to the cinema (si legge “sinema”).In polite requests. Eg. Would you come this way, please?In the common phrases we can use: “would like”, “would prefer” and “would you mind”. Eg: I’d like a coffee. Wouldn’t you prefer a cap of tea? Would you mind if I opened (aprissi) the window? La forma “would (‘d) rather + verbo” significa “preferirei/mmo”. Eg: I would rather stay at home = preferirei stare a casa. I’d rather not tell him = preferirei non diglielo.“COULD” is used:As the past tense of “can”. Eg. I could speak Italian when I lived in Italy.In improbable conditionals. Eg. We could go out if it stopped raining.In indirect speech. Eg: He told me he could speak English. They asked us if we could go out with them.In polite requests. Eg: Could you pass me the salt, please? Could I see you for a moment please?“SHOULD” is used:In the meaning of “ought to” (dovrei/bbe). Eg: You shouldn’t smoke so much. What time should I come?After “suggest”. Eg: I suggested (that) we should go for a picnic. What do you suggest we should do? = cosa mi suggerite che dovrei fare?TO LIKE-TO LIKE + GERUND esprime l’idea di un piacere che proviene da un’attività particolare. Eg: - I like going (or “to go”) to the cinema.- She likes eating (or “to eat”) ice cream (gelato/i, SEMPRE al sing.re). -TO LIKE + INFINITIVE esprime l’idea che qualcosa è positiva per se stessi. Eg:- I like to go to bed early, whenever I can (tutte le volte che posso). - Sometimes I like to eat crackling (cotenna croccante di maiale arrostito) even though/so (malgrado/nonostante ciò/che) it isn’t good for my health.ADVERBSForm of adverbs:1.The majority of adverbs are formed by adding “ly” to the adjective: slow becomesslowly, heavy (1) becomes heavily. (1) The “y” ending of an adjective always changesinto “i” when ly is added.2.The following adjectives do not change at all when used as an adverb: fast, first, hard, high, early, late, better, best, last, wide, worse, near. Eg: He is a fast (adjective) driver. He drives fast (adverb). We had a late (adjective) evening (tarda serata, il senso è “abbiamo fatto tardi”). We came home late (adverb).3.Some of adjectives in 2. can be made into adverbs by adding “ly” but in these cases the meaning changes:- hardly = almost not (appena/quasi=pretty much). Eg: I’ve hardly seen her today. It’s pretty much the same. I hardly know him = lo conosco appena.- highly = very much (molto). Eg. I can highly recommended it.- lately = recently (recentemente). Eg. Have you been to the cinema lately?- lastly = finally (infine/da ultimo). Eg. And lastly, I want you to sign (firmare, si legge “sain”) this letter.- widely = very much (molto). Commonly used to indicate many different places.Eg. She has travelled widely (ampiamente, si legge “uadli”, il senso è “molto”).4.Some adjectives already end in “ly” (eg: friendly, lively, lovely, silly, cowardly). If you want to use these words as adverbs, you have to say “in a …….. way/manner”. Eg: She spoke to me in a friendly way. He acted in very silly (sciocco) manner = agì/si comportò da cretino = he acted as an idiot (idiota, si legge “idiot”).5.The same is true for (lo stesso vale per) longer adjectives of more than three syllables (eg: fascinating, complicated). Eg. He talks in such a fascinating (NOT fascinatingly) way = parla in modo affascinante/attraente.TYPE AND POSITION OF ADVERBS:a. Adverbs of manner show how something is done. These come after the verb or at the end of a sentence. Eg: He drives well. She speaks English fluently.b. Adverbs of frequency show how something occurs (accade). These come:- before the main verb. Eg. She always arrives too early.- between an auxiliary and the main verb. Eg. He has never travelled abroad.- after the verb to be. Eg. He is sometimes very charming (attraente/grazioso).c. Adverbs of time show when something happens. They usually come at the end of a sentence or at the beginning for special emphasis. Eg: He is waiting for next week. Tomorrow I’ve got (or I’ll have) my driving test.d. Adverbs of degree and modification. These come before the adjective or adverb.Eg. He drives terribly fast. She’s physically strong.The adverb enough comes before the noun or after an adjective or adverb.Eg: The baby is still hungry because he didn’t have enough milk. She isn’t old enough to get the job. This work is hardly enough (appena sufficente/non è abbastanza). When an adverb modifies a whole sentence, it can come at the beginning or end of the sentence. Eg: Fortunately, I wasn’t hurt (da to hurt/hurt/hurt=ferire/farsi male). I wasn’t hurt, fortunately.VERBS OF PERCEPTION WITH THE GERUND AND THE INFINITIVEPay attention to the difference in meaning between the following two sentences:I heard someone screaming = sentii qualcuno che gridava (più volte).I heard someone (SENZA “to”) scream = sentii qualcuno gridare/che gridava (una sola volta).Transitive verbs of perception (eg: see, hear, feel and smell) are usually followed by an object and a gerund. Eg: I saw a man lying (disteso) on the ground. I heard a baby crying.When the action of verb is instantaneous (i.e. (esempio) a single short action) the infinitive WITHOUT “to” is used. Eg. I saw the man fall off the ladder (il senso è “lo vidi nell’istante in cui cadeva dalla scala”).VERBI SEGUITI DAL GERUNDIO O DALL’INFINITOI primi esprimono gusti e preferenze abituali (eg: to avoid/to dislike/to enjoy/to finish/to go on/to hate/to imagine/to keep/to practise/to risk/to suggest. Eg. She finished eating and then washed her hands.), MA se sono espressi al “condizionale” devono essere seguiti dal verbo all’infinito (eg. I would like to cook (NO “cooking”) for you tonight). I secondi sono più numerosi (eg: to agree/to arrange/to attempt/to afford/to choose/to decide/to expect/to fail/to forget/to have to (dovere/essere costretto a)/to hope/to learn/to manage/to need/to offer/to plan/to prepare/to promise/to refuse/to seem/to want) eg. They agree to go to the concert. I verbi che significano dire, affermare, dichiarare e i verbi di opinione (pensare, essere sicuri, temere, ecc.) NON possono essere seguiti dall’infinito come invece accade in italiano. Eg: I think I met her yesterday. Are you sure you saw him? He says he has two brothers. I verbi che significano dire, affermare, dichiarare e i verbi di opinione (pensare, essere sicuri, temere, ecc.) NON possono essere seguiti dall’infinito comeinvece accade in italiano. Eg: I think I met her yesterday. Are you sure you saw him? He says he has two brothers.Si DEVE usare l’infinito SENZA to nelle frasi oggettive con let, make, have, bid e help(eg. Let me konow=fammi sapere) e dopo:- do, does, did se sono “rafforzativi” del verbo che segue (es. He does like her.)- i verbi difettivi (es. can, may, shall, will ecc.) ad eccezione di ought TO… = dovrei…- il verbo semidifettivo to dare = osare- i verbi di percezione: to look, to smell, to tast, to sound, to feel e to see- than e why?- had better (farei/faresti meglio a..), had rather ed had sooner (preferirei/resti)- except e but usati nel senso di eccetto, tranne che.Le frasi oggettive si costruiscono con oggetto + infinito CON il to dei verbi che esprimono volontà, permesso, divieto e opinione. Eg: My grandparents expect me to spend my vacation with them; I consider that to be a serious mistake; I’d like you to cooperate = mi piacerebbe che tu cooperassi.Una preposizione NON può essere seguita dall’infinito, esso deve essere sostituito dal gerundio (salvo i casi in cui la preposizione si può sottintendere). Eg:- ON opening the door we noticed… = nell’aprire/aprendo la porta notammo…- You can only learn English better BY speaking it = si impara bene l’inglese (solo) parlandolo.- I was punished FOR breaking the window-pane = fui punito per avere rotto il vetro della finestra.- The jury awarded him a prize FOR having been the winner = la giuria lo premiò per avere vinto.- I was blamed FOR being late = fui rimproverato per essere in ritardo. Alcuni verbi possono essere indifferentemente seguiti dall’infinito con “to” o dalla forma in “ing” (eg: to begin/to continue/to hate/to intend/to like or dislike/to love/ to prefer/to start), altri cambiano di significato, infatti:- To remember e to forget seguiti dall’infinito significano “ricordarsi di fare qualcosa”. Eg. Remember/Don’t forget to lock (chiudere a chiave) the door. Se sonoseguiti dal gerundio significano “ricordarsi di avere fatto qualcosa”. Eg. I remembervisiting my grandmother every Sunday when I was a child.- To try seguito dall’infinito significa “provare a fare qualcosa”. Eg. He’s trying tochange the tire (ruota dell’auto, si legge “taiar”) ON (NO “of”) his car. Se è seguito dal gerundio significa “provare a fare qualcosa per risolvere un problema”. Eg. Have you tried looking for a new employee?).- To stop seguito dall’infinito significa “smettere di fare qualcosa per farne un’altra”.Eg. We were walking through the woods (boschi, si legge “vuus”) and we stopped tohave a rest. Se è seguito dal gerundio significa “smettere di fare qualcosa”.Eg. Please Stop talking! = (ma) per favore smettila di parlare!Ricapitolando:Verbi seguiti dall’infinitoAfford (permettersi)/Agree (essere d’accordo)/Ask(chiedere)/Choose (chose/chosen =scegliere)/Decide (decidere)/Expect (aspettarsi)/Hope(sperare)/Learn (learnt/learnt= imparare)/Offer (offrire)/Prepare (preparare)/Promise (promettere)/Pretend (fingere)/ Want (volere). Eg: I can’t afford to go on vaction= Non mi posso permette di andare in vacanza. I don’t agree to go out in this weather=Non sono d’accordo a uscire con questo tempo. I asked Mary to come with us=Ho chiesto a Mary di venire con noi. I chose not to accept the job offer=Ho scelto di non accettare l’offerta di lavoro. Verbi seguiti dal gerundioAdmit (ammettere)/Avoid (evitare)/Consider (considerare)/Dislike (dispiacere)/ Enjoy (gioire)/Finish (finire)/Give (gave/given=dare) up (rinunciare)/Mind (ritenere importante)/Practice (praticare)/Suggest (suggerire). Eg: He admitted to smoking=Ha ammesso di fumare. I avoid using the car when I can walk instead=Evito di usare l’auto quando posso camminare piuttosto. I enjoy travelling=Mi piace viaggiare. Verbi seguiti dall’infinito o dal gerundio con lo stesso significatoStart (cominciare)/Begin (began/begun=cominciare)/Continue (continuare). Eg: I started studying English when I was at nursery school=I started to study English when I was at nursery school=Ho iniziato a studiare l’inglese quando andavo all’asilo. She began to cry as soon as she reached home/She began crying as soon as she reached home= Ha iniziato a piangere non appena arrivata a casa.Verbi seguiti dall’infinito o dal gerundio con diverso significatoForget (forgot/forgotten=dimenticare) Forget + gerundio (dimenticare qualcosa del passato). Eg. I can’t forget meeting you for the first time=Non posso dimenticare quando ci siamo incontrati per la prima volta. Forget + infinito (dimenticare di dover fare qualcosa). Eg. Please don’t forget to take this letter to the post office=Per favore non dimenticare di portare questa lettera all’ufficio postale. Like (piacere) Like + gerundio (mi piace fare qualcosa). Eg. I like watching old films=Mi piace guardare vecchi film). Like + infinito (ritenere che fare una determinata cosa sia giusto o preferibile). Eg. I like to wash the dishes by hand=Mi piace lavare i piatti a mano). ATTENZIONE: la forma verbale condizionale would like può essere seguita solo da un verbo all’infinito. Remember (ricordare) Remember + gerundio (ricordare qualcosa del passato). Eg. I always remember visiting Vienna as a child=Ricordo sempre quando ho visitato Vienna da bambino). Remember + infinito (ricordare di dover fare qualcosa). Eg. Please remember to pick up Mark from school=Per favore, ricordati di prendere Mark da scuola). Stop (smettere) Stop + gerundio (chiarisce cosa smette di accadere). Eg. Please stop making noise=Per favore, smetti di fare chiasso. Stop+infinito (chiarisce il perché qualcosa/qualcuno si ferma). The bus stopped to drop off the children=L’autobus si fermò per far scendere i bambini. Try (provare) Try + gerundio (provare a fare qualcosa). Eg. I have tried using honey instead of sugar=Ho provato ad usare il miele invece che lo zucchero. Try + infinito (tentare di fare qualcosa). Eg. I have tried to learn (learned/learned or learnt/learnt=imparare) Thai, but it is really hard=Ho provato a imparare il thai, ma è troppo difficile.VERBS OF REPORTING (segnalazione)The most common are: to offer/to tell/to agree/to explain/to accuse/to advise/to point out/to suggest/to apologize/to complain/to promise/to warn/to invite/to insist/to order/to thank/to threaten/to recommend and to admit. They can be followed by:- that + a clause. Eg. She complained that they had already left.- a pronoun + infinitive with “to”. Eg. He ordered (SENZA to) them to apologize.- an infinitive with “to”. Eg. She threatened (minacciò) to accuse one of them.- a gerund. Eg. He recommended seeing “Cats” (the famous musical show).- a preposition + gerund. Eg. She thanked him for explaining.When reporting negative statements, the adverb “not” always comes before the:- gerund. Eg. She apologized for not coming to the party.- infinitive with “to”. Eg. He warned/told me not to drive too fast.Note the following structures: Apart from say, tell and ask there are many other verbs, which report speech and have different structures:VERB + OBJECT + INFINITIVEVERB + THAT CLAUSEadviseremind say explainasktellI said/explained that I wasn’t feeling well.persuadewarn VERB + ING FORMHe advised me to leave at once (subito)suggestHe warned me not to stay.I suggested meeting at the rink (pista di pattinaggio)VERB + TWO OBJECTS VERB + PREPOSITION + ING FORMintroduceoffer apologizeShe introduced her husband to me. He apologized for being rude.He offered me a cup of tea. VERB + INFINITIVE VERB + OBJECTagreerefuse promise accept refuseThey agreed to come I accepted his invitationALCUNI VERBI DI USO COMUNE CHE VOGLIONO L’AUSILIARE AVERETO CHANGE=cambiare; TO SPRING/SPRANG/SPRUNG=spuntare; TO IMPROVE= migliorare; TO DIE=morire; TO SUCCEED=riuscire/avere successo=TO DO WELL ENOUGH (eg. Have you succeeded IN + ger.dio?=SEI riuscito A…?); TO DISAPPEAR= scomparire (eg. He HAS disappeared=E’ scomparso=He IS (NO “has”, è un’eccezione) gone; TO COST/COST/COST=costare (eg. This HAS cost …=questo E’ costato … (comunemente si usa “This costs …(eg. “A POP=al pezzo”); TO GO/WENT/GONE = andare; TO COME/CAME/COME=venire; TO BECOME/BECAME/BECOME=diventare.LA CONSONANTE FINALE DEI VERBIRADDOPPIA per i verbi di una sillaba che terminano con una consonante preceduta da vocale (eg. to chat/chatted/chatting=chiaccherare) e per i verbi di più sillabe se l’accento cade sull’ultima di esse (eg. to begin/began/beginning=cominciare).NON RADDOPPIA se la consonante è preceduta da due vocali (to look/looked/ looking=guardare), se l’accento cade sull’ultima sillaba (to visit/visited/visiting= visitare) e se l’ultima consonante è “y” o “w” (to play/played/playing=giocare; to blow/blowed/blowing=soffiare). Se il verbo termina in “l” (eg. to travel=viaggiare) essa si può raddoppiare (travelled/travelling) o non raddoppiare (traveled/traveling) indipendentemente su dove cade l’accento.BE ABLE TO (the negative forms are: Not able to and unable to)This verb is used:- To give emphasis to a statement of ability or possibility. Eg: After her illness, she wasn’t able to walk for a year. We won’t be able to live here much longer (molto più a lungo).- To express the meaning of “manage to” (riuscire a. Eg. I manage it=ci penso io) or “succeed in” (avere successo in) concerning one specific occasion. Eg: Luckily (fortunatamente, notare che la “i” con “ly” trasforma il sost.vo luck in av.bio) they heard the alarm and were able to escape. Although/Despite the sea was rough (mosso, si legge “raf”) they were able to (or they managed to) swim (swam/swum = nuotare) to the (fino alla) shore (riva, si legge “scoar”).- To replace (ricollegare) the infinitive and the “missing tenses” (tempi mancanti, eg.the present perfect) of can and could. Eg: I’d love to be able to sing well. She hasn’t been able to get the tickets for the concert.- On formal occasions (especially when written). Eg. I’m sorry, but we are unable (nel senso “non siamo autorizzati a”) to offer you a refund (rimborso/risarcimento) ON (NO “of”) your ticket.DIFFERENT USE OF “TO ALOW” (permettere) AND “TO SUPPOSE” (supporre)In the positive sense:- ALLOWED TO … = have (SENZA “the or a”) permission to … Eg. You’re allowed to smoke only outside.- SUPPOSED TO … = have an obligation to … (in the meaning “it is expected behavior”). Eg. We are supposed to pay our taxes on time. V.a. “TAX RETURNS= dichiarazione dei redditi e TAX FRAUD (frode si legge “frood”)=evasione fiscale”In the negative meaning:- NOT ALLOWED TO. This is used when you want to give a limitation. Eg. In here is not allowed to go swimming (da to swim/swam/swum=nuotare).- NOT SUPPOSED TO. This is often used when talking about a rule (norma/regola), which people sometimes break (broke/broken=rompere). Eg. You’re not supposed to block the street=non ti è consentito bloccare la strada.SOME LIKE IT HOT = A QUALCUNO PIACE CALDOE’ il titolo di un famoso film del quale è nel seguito riportato un divertente brano.In Billie Wilder’s hilarious film, two unemployed musicians (the actors Jack Lemmon and Tony Curts are Jerry and Joe) are desperately looking for work. The following exchange (scambio, si legge “exceng”) takes place in their agent’s office.Agent: The instruments are right, but you are not.Jerry: What a minute, what’s is wrong with (NO “of”) us?Agent: You’re the wrong shape (i tipi sbagliati). Goodbye.Joe: The wrong shape? What are you looking for hunchbacks (gobbi) or something?Agent: You gotta be (you have got to be=voi dovreste essere) under twenty five.Jerry (insisting): We could pass for them.Agent: You gotta be blonde.Jerry: We could dye (tingere, si legge “dai”) our hair.Agent: And you gotta be girls.Jerry: We could … .Joe (cuttimg (da to cut/cut/cut=tagliare) him off=interrompendolo): NO we couldn’t!Later, in the corridor, Jerry has this brilliant idea. “We could borrow some clothes (vestiti, si legge “clous”) from the girls in chorus, we get a couple of second-hand wigs (parrucche, si legge “uighs”), a little padding (imbottitura) here and there (seno e fianchi), we call ourselves Josephine and Geraldine. And that’s what they do.THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TO SEE, TO LOOK AT AND TO WATCHTutti significano “guardare/vedere”, ma:To see/saw /seen is the common verb to say that something/someone comes to our eyes even though it doesn’t necessary mean we are paying attention. Eg. Suddenly I saw something strange. N.B. The progressive forms are not normally used, so: “I can see a lion (NOT I’m seeing a lion)”.To look at is used if we are paying attention on something/someone. Eg. I looked (NOT saw) at the picture. V.a. “LOOK HERE!=guarda quì (NOT look at here)”!To watch has more or less the same meaning of look, but we use watch if we talk abut looking at events. Eg. Did you watch (NOT look at) the tennis match yesterday?VERBS AND EXPRESSION FOLOWED BY “TO + INFINITIVE or GERUND”Some verbs, when followed by a verb, can only be followed by “TO + INFINITIVE”.Eg.: Decide/plan/fail/pretend (fare finta DI ed anche “pretendere”. V.a. “Let’s make believe=facciamo finta CHE”) appear/want/manage/seem/refuse/arrange/dare. Eg: I decided to go trekking (fare escursioni).I plan to write another novel.He pretended to know me.Tim failed to meet (met/met = incontrare) up with me.Other verbs and expressions, when followed by a verb, can only be followed by GERUND. Eg.: Avoid/enjoy/involve/miss/fancy/mind/succeed in/give up/can’t help/ feel like/it’s not worth/it’s nouse/it’s a waste of time/there’s no point in. Eg.She avoided (evitò DI) thinking about it.I miss (mi manca) eating with my mother ON Sunday.This book is not worth reading.IT’S TIMEThe phases “It’s time, it’s about time, it’s high time” are ALWAYS followed by a verbin the PAST TENSE although they refer to the present or the future. Eg:- It is time I went (che io vada/o, NO “go”) home (i.e. (per esempio) now).- It is about time you did something exciting (i.e. now or in the future).- It is high time you visited (che facessi visita a) your mother.- It about/high time you cleaned (che pulissi) your room (stanza, si legge “rum”).The addition of about or high adds a critical note to the statement and is only used between people who know each other very well or when talking to children. Eg. It is about/high time you studied (che studiassi) with more attention.NOMI E PRONOMI SENZA PLURALEADVICE=consiglio (1)/FOOD=cibo/WEALTH = ricchezza/POLITICS = politica/NEWS (1) =notizia/KNOWLEDGE=cognizione/PHONETICS=fonetica/MATEMATICS=matematica/ BUSINESS = affare/FURNITURE(1) = mobilia/HAIR = capelli(2)/PROGRESS=progresso/INFORMATION=informazione/LUGGAGE=bagaglio. (1) Per indicare un singolo: consiglio, mobile, notizia e mobile e si usa: a piece of advice/news/furniture. (2) Inteso come capigliatura, ma: there are two hairs (nel senso di “peli”) in my soup. L’oggetto della caccia o pesca è SEMPRE al singolare, es: to hunt (cacciare, si legge “hant”) DEER (cervo, si legge “diar”; to fish (pescare, si legge “fisc”) TROUT (trota, si legge “traut”). Ai suindicati nomi vanno aggiunti i seguenti pronomi: everybody, nobody, everyone, no one, somebody, something e simili SEMPRE al singolare, eg. Everybody IS (NO “are”) invited=SIETE tutti invitati.NOMI SENZA SINGOLARECATTLE=bestiame, bovino/GLASSES=occhiali (glasses è anche plur.le di glass= vetro/bicchiere)/GOODS=merce, merci/PEOPLE=gente/POLICE=polizia. Ne consegue che, a differenza dei precedenti, il verbo che segue detti nomi è SEMPRE al plurale.ADBERBIALS LINKING PHRASESThey are used:- To express cause and effect. Eg: Because of (owing to=a causa di=on account of) his illness he was unable to come. He fell sick (or “ill”), as a result, (consequently) he is unable to play tennis.- To qualify a statement. Eg. I realized he was ill, nevertheless (pur non di meno) he could have phoned (doveva telefonare).- To make a general statement. Eg. There were some bad moments but on the whole/overall, (tutto sommato/complessivamente) we had a good time.IF ONLY AND TO WISHA fter if only (se solo) and to wish (desiderare), the verb tense in the following clause “moves back” on tense. When talking about past events, the past perfect and the past are used. Eg: If only he had known (se solo avesse saputo) the significance (significato/importanza, si legge “sighnificans) of that warning (avvertimento)! (but he didn’t know it). I wish I hadn’t gone to bed so late (but I did). “If only” is similar to “I wish” but is slightly (leggermente, si legge “slaitli”) stronger. Talking about present events, the past simple is used. Eg: If only/I wish I didn’t live so far away (but I do). If only/I wish I could remember her name (but I can’t).AS IF AND AS THOUGHThe conjunctions as if or as though (come se) introduce a clause. They are often used after the following verbs: be, act, behave, look, sound, feel and seem.Eg. She looked/sounded (sembrò) as if/as though she was going to cry.These verbs can also be used after other verbs to describe how something is done. Eg. They behaved (si comportarono) as if/as though they knew the place.In written or formal English, when as if/as though are used with the past tense of the verb to be, the form “were” is used for all persons (eg. I/you). Eg. He stared (da to stare=fissare, si legge “stear”) at him as if/as though he were (fosse) a stranger.FUTURE PERFECTThis tense is used to talk about the completion (completamento) of an event or activity before a certain time in the future. Eg. By the year 2050 the population will be risen (sarà salita, future perfect) to ten billion. It is often used with the preposition by or in and a future time adverbial. Eg. We will have used up (esaurito) the entire reserve of oil by the year … (indicare l’anno; or in about … years).IL GERUNDIO INGLESE SASSONE E NORMANNOE’ usato come:- SOGGETTO. Eg: READING helps you learn (SENZA “to”) more. FLYING makes me nervous. CLEANING UP (pulire/sistemare) after (dopo che) yourself (nel senso “hai finito”, NO “te stesso”) is good manners.- COMPLEMENTO DOPO “TO BE”. Eg: One of the hardest things in life IS STUDYING.One of my main duties in my old job WAS ATTENDING meetings (SENZA “the”). One of life’s pleasures IS HAVING breakfast in bed.- PHRASAL VERB. Eg: I LOVE GOING to the cinema at the weekend. He AVOIDEDTALKING to her at the party. You better GIVE UP SMOKING. After the race (gara di corsa) had (NO “was”) finished, she KEPT ON RUNING (continuò a correre). I ENDED UP STAYING (sono rimasto) at the party until the end.- DOPO UNA PREPOSIZIONE. Eg: He is very good AT COMMUNICATING with people. Ican learn a lot BY LISTENING TO my teachers. There is no point IN SITTING DOWN, as the meeting will be over soon (sta finendo).Il genitivo “sassone” si costruisce nel seguente modo: possessore +‘s SENZA articolo,si usa per indicare il possesso/appartenenza quando il possessore è riconducibile a:persona o animale, es. My brother’s car is rednazione o città, es. New York’s squares are largeavverbio di tempo, es. Today’s match is at 4.00 p.m.pronome indefinito, es. Everyone’s body temperature is 37° C.Se il nome del possessore termina in s, detto genitivo si forma con l’aggiunta di un “apostrofo”, es. It’s a 700 kilometers’ journey. Se vi sono più possessori:si aggiunge ‘s solo all’ultimo. Es: John and Mary’s parents are in Sweden (essi SONO fratelli)si aggiunge ‘s a ciascun possessore se il possesso è individuale e non vale per ciascuno di essi. Es: John’s and Mary’s parents are in Sweden (essi NON SONO fratelli).I seguenti sostantivi: house, restaurant, shop/store, hospital, church/cathedral e office sono omessi se rappresentano la “cosa posseduta”. Es: She’s going to Bob’s (la casa - è il sostantivo omesso - di Bob); we visited St. Paul’s (la cattedrale - è il sostantivo omesso - di St. Paul).Il genitivo sassone è, pertanto, un genitivo di “possesso” e conseguentemente si usa con i nomi di esseri viventi o di cose personificate (es. life’s little ironies=le piccole ironie della vita). Il genitivo “sassone” si usa anche nelle espressioni che indicano tempo, distanza e peso. Eg: Today’s newspaper. A two hours (or five miles) walk. A pound’s weight.Il genitivo “normanno” si forma, come quello italiano, mediante l’uso della preposizione of e si usa con i nomi collettivi e con quelli che indicano nazionalità, religione, partito. Eg: The fury of the crowd. The victory of the Americans. The defeat of the Republicans.DOPPIO GENITIVOSe nella frase italiana la cosa posseduta è preceduta da un articolo o da un aggettivo numerale, indefinito o dimostrativo la traduzione in inglese avviene mantenendol’ordine delle parole indicato nella frase italiana e aggiungendo ‘s al genitivo sasso-ne del possessore. Eg: - A friend of my brother’s=one of my brother’s friend=un amico di mio fratello.- A friend of Tom’s=Tom’s friend=un amico di Tom; a friend of mine=un mio amico.- A cousin of David’s= David’s cousin=un cugino di David.FORME INDEFINITEIn italiano alcune azioni hanno per oggetto i ”si indefiniti” (es. si dice/crede, ecc.) da tradurre con:ONE: One may prefer to play bridge instead of ... = Si può preferire il bridge al … .(es. poker).YOU: You can study English in this school=Si può studiare inglese in questa scuola.WE: In our school we do a lot of sport=Nella nostra scuola si fa molto sport.THEY: They make fine cars in Italy=Si fanno belle macchine in Italia=Fine cars are made in ItalyPEOPLE: People said (that) you are very rich=Si dice che sei molto ricco (l’uso di that è opzionale dopo verbi say, tell, think, promise, hope e wish). V.a.:- Engligh is spoken all over the world=l’inglese si parla in tutto il mondo.- I am told that he speaks English=mi si dice (mi dicono) che egli parla inglese.- She is said to be very rich=si dice (dicono) che sia molto ricca.- He was told that she was very rich=gli fu detto che era molto ricca.VERBI INGLESI CHE INDICANO “PERCEZIONI” = “SENSE VERBS”- TO FEEL (felt/felt=sentire/percepire). Eg.I feel sick.- TO HEAR (heard/heard=sentire). Eg.We heard the football fans shouting (da to shout=gridare).- TO LOOK. Eg.She looks nice in her new dress.- TO SEE. Eg. I can see a bird (uccello, si legge “berd”, diverso da “beard=barba” che si legge “bierd”) in that tree.- TO SMELL (smelled/smelled or smelt/smelt=odorare). Eg.Roses smell beautiful (nel senso “hanno un buon profumo”).- TO SOUND. Eg.Your voice sounds tired.- TO TASTE. Eg.I think the paella tastes nice.- TO WATCH. Eg:We watched a nice movie.We can use sense verbs to describe something along with (insieme a) an adjective; for example: This meal tastes delicious. That noise sounds horrible. The food smellsbad, throw it away. He looked too tired to go out.We can also use sense verbs with nouns in the following structure “subject + sense verb + like + object” to say that something is similar to or sounds, smells, tastes, etc, like something else; for example: You look so like my father. This perfume smells like vanilla. He looks like a clown dressed in those clothes. That sounds like water dripping (da to drip=gocciolare, si legge “driip”) on the floor.PREPOSITIONS CONJUNCTIONS AND ADVERBSABOARD = a bordoFOR = per, allo scopo DIABOUT = circaFORTH = (in) avanti, innanziABOVE = sopraFORWARD(S) = (in) avanti, in poiABREAST = (di) fianco a fiancoFROM = da, da parte DIABROAD = fuori/all’esteroHEAVENWARD(S)/SKYWARD(S) = verso il cieloACROSS = da un capo all’altroHENCE/FORTH = da questo momentoADRIFT = alla derivaHERE = qui, quaAFT = a poppaHEREAT = al chè, quando avvenne ciòAFTER = dopo (vedi (1) a pag. 185) HEREBY = qui vicinoAFTERWARD(S) = in seguitoHERETOFORE = prima d’oraAGAINST = contro HEREIN=in questo/accluso nella presente AGROUND = in secco HEREOF = a questo riguardoAHEAD = (in) avanti/in testaHEREON = al chè, in conseguenza di ciòUPWIND = sopravento HERETO = con riferimentoALONG = lungoHEREUPON = per cui, dopo di cheALONGSIDE = di fiancoHEREWITH = qui accluso/a(commerciale)(A)MID(ST) = in mezzoHOMEWARD(S) = verso casaAMONG(ST) = tra più di 2 persone/coseIN = inAPART = a parteINDOORS = all’interno, al copertoAROUND = intorno, in giroINSIDE = dentroAS = comeINTO = in/dentro (verso un luogo chiuso)AWAY = lontanoINWARD(S) = verso l’internoBACK = indietroLEFTWARD(S) = verso sinistraBACKWARD(S) = all’indietroLIKE = comeBEFORE = prima DIMINUS = menoBEFOREHAND = in anticipoNEAR = vicino, pressoBEHIND = dietro ANEXT = dopo, la prossima voltaBELOW = sottoNORTHWARD(S) = verso nordBENEATH = (al/di) sottoNOTWITHSTANDING = ciononostante, tuttaviaBESIDE(S) = accanto, oltre (a) NOW = ora, adessoBETWEEN = tra 2 persone/coseOF = diBEYOND = al di là DIOFF = (via) daBY = daON = su, sopraDESPITE = malgradoONWARD(S) = (in) avanti/là, oltreDOWN = giùONTO = sopra, suDOWNHILL = in discesaOPPOSITE = di fronteDOWNSTAGE = verso la ribaltaOUTDOORS = all’apertoDOWNSTAIRS = di sotto, dabbassoOUTSIDE = fuoriDOWNSTREAM = a valleOUTWARD(S) = verso l’esternoDOWNWARD(S) = giù, verso il basso OVER = sopra DI/finito (eg. The game is over)DOWNWIND = sottoventoOVERBOARD = fuori bordo, a/in mareDURING = duranteOVERHEAD = in altoEASTWARD(S) = verso estOVERLAND = via terraEXCEPT = eccetto, tranneWHEN = quandoVIA = per via, attraversoOVERSEA(S) = oltre marePAST = oltre WHEREOF = di che, di che cosaPLUS = piùWHEREON = su cui, su che cosaRIGHTWARD(S) = verso destraWHERETO = a che cosa, a che scopoROUND = intornoWHEREWITH = con che, con che cosaSEAWARD(S) = verso il mareWITH = conSINCE = da (allora)WITHIN = all’interno DI, dentro AUPSTREAM = a monte, verso la sorgente WITHOUT = senza (di)SOUTHWARD(S) = verso sudTHAN = che, di quello che (1) After significa anche “come”, eg:THEN=allora (now and then=ogni tanto) (like). I am going to call our child after you= Intendo mettere a nostro figlio il tuo nome (nel senso “chiamarlo come te”).He takes after you = ha preso da te THENCE = di là THENCEFORTH = da allora in poi = FROM THEN ONTHERE = là, lì THERE AT = a questo propositoTHEREBY = perciòTHEREWITH = con ciòTHROUGH = attraverso OTHERWISE = altrimentiTHROUGHOUT = da un capo all’altro UPWARD(S) = verso l’altoTO = a, verso WHENENCE = da dove, da cheTOGETHER = insieme WHEREABOUT = dove, in che postoTOWARD(S) = verso, in direzione DI WHEREBY = per cuiTHEREFROM = da adesso WESTWARD(S) = verso ovestTHEREIN = a questo riguardo = ON THAT SCORETHEREOF = da ciòTHEREON = su/con ciòTHERETO = inoltre, oltre a ciòUNDERNEATH = sotto. V.a. “FAR BELOW=ben al di sotto e FAR + agg.vo=molto.Eg. He spends far too much time playing video games”.UNLIKE = diversamente DA, a differenza DIUNTIL/TILL = finchè non/fino a quando/fino A (quest’ultimo se si riferisce a una situazione o a un luogo si traduce ”as far as” (eg. Go as far as until there’s light) o più semplicemente “to” (eg. We walked to the bridge and came back)UPHILL = in salita, in SUUPON = su, sopraUPSTAGE = verso il/al fondo del palcoscenico.UPSTAIRS = di sopra, al piano superioreCOMPLEX PREPOSITIONSACCORDING TO = secondo, in base aIN QUEST/SEARCH OF = in (ri)cerca diAHEAD OF = prima di IN THE LIGHT OF = alla luce diALONG WITH = con, insieme aIN THE NAME OF = nel nome diAS FOR = quanto aIN SPITE OF/DESPITE = nonostante, malgrado =AS FROM = come da IN STEAD (si legge “sted”)OF=invece/al posto diAS PER = secondo IN STEP WITH = al passo conAS TO = da IN TOUCH (si legge “tac”) WITH = in contatto conAS WELL AS = oltreIN VIEW OF = in vista diASIDE FROM = oltre aNEAR TO = vicino aAT THE EXPENSE OF = a spese diNEXT TO = accanto aAT THE HANDS OF = per mano diON ACCOUNT OF = per conto diAT (THE) RISK OF = a rischio diON BEHALF OF = per conto/a favore diAT VARIANCE WITH = in contrasto conON THE GROUNDS OF = per motivi di AWAY FROM = distante ON THE PART OF = da parte diBECAUSE OF = a causa di = DUE TO ON TOP OF = sopraBY DINT OF = a forza di OUT OF = suBY MEANS OF = per mezzo di OUTSIDE OF = al di fuori diBY VIRTUE OF = in virtù di OWING TO = a causa di (to owe=essere debitore)BY WAY OF = passando PERPRIOR (precedente,“praiar”) TO = prima diCLOSE TO = vicino a SO (THAT) = così (che)DUE TO = a causa DI SUBSEQUENT TO = successivamenteFAR FROM = lontano/lungi da SUCH AS = comeFOR THE SAKE OF = per amore/il gusto di UP TO = finoIN ACCORDANCE WITH = secondo UP AGAINST = controIN ADDITION TO = oltre a WITH A VIEW TO = in vista DIIN BETWEEN = traWITH THE EXCEPTION OF = con l’eccezione diIN CASE = nel casoIN CASE OF = in caso diIN CHARGE OF = a capo/responsabile di. Eg. Who’s in charge?=chi comanda?IN COMPLIANCE WITH = in conformità conIN COMPARISON/CONFRONTATION WITH = in confronto conIN CONFORMITY WITH = in conformità conIN RELATION TO = in relazione aIN CONTACT WITH = in contatto conIN RETURN FOR = in cambio DIIN EXCHANGE FOR = in cambio DIIN/WITH RESPECT TO = rispetto AIN FAVOUR OF = a favore diIN FRONT OF = davanti AIN LIEU (luogo, si legge “lu”) OF = invece di = BY WAY OF.IN LINE WITH = in linea conIN PLACE OF = al posto diMORE COMMON PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE (luogo)- ABOVE or OVER … = sopra … (eg. Can you see the plane flying above/over us?).- BELOW or UNDER … = sotto … (eg: Whenever (ogni volta CHE) we have dinner the dog sits below/under the table and waits for us to give him/her (NO “it”) a treat (sorpresa, si legge “triit”)=qualcosa (es. biscottino=biscuit (si legge “bischit)=biscotto =cookie (si legge “cuchi”) in “regalo”. There’s a cellar (cantina, si legge “selar”) under the kitchen).- AT = in un punto preciso (eg. To be at home) or IN = in luoghi chiusi/città/nazioni (eg. He is still in the office).- BEHIND = dietro a … (eg. Lis sits behind me in maths (aula di matematica, notare l’uso del plurale).- BETWEEN = tra 2. (AMONG(ST) = tra + di 2) (eg. When I park my car I must park between the yellow lines). V.a. “AMID=tra/in mezzo (a)/in presenza (di)/fra/in un contesto”. V.a. “IN THE MIDST OF …=nel bel mezzo di …”.- IN FRONT OF or ACROSS FROM = di fronte a … (eg. He was in front of/across fromme in the queue=fila=line. (Queue (si legge “chiu”) up please=mettersi in fila prego).The shop is a front for money laundering=il negozio è una copertura per riciclare ildenaro sporco).- INSIDE = dentro (l’opposto è OUTSIDE=fuori) (eg. The swimming pool is inside the hotel). V.a. “INSIDE OUT=alla rovescia/sottosopra”. Eg. You have put your swear inside out=hai messo il golf alla rovesca”.- NEXT TO/BESIDE (diverso da BESIDES/MOREOVER = inoltre) = accanto a (eg. Can I sit (sat/sat=sedere/rsi) next to/beside you during the move?). V.a. “SHOULDER= spalla (si legge “scoldar”) e TO SHOULDER=uno accanto all’altro”.- NEAR or CLOSE TO … = vicino a … (eg. The shop is near/close to my house, only two minutes walk=a piedi=BY FOOT).- ON … = sopra … (eg. I sat on my phone and broke the screen).Queste preposizioni seguono SEMPRE un verbo di stato (es: vivere/essere/trovarsi, etc.) e NON possono essere utilizzate con i verbi di moto (es: andare/venire, etc.).LONG NUMBERSLa parola hundred (100) è seguita da and non sempre usato nel linguaggio corrente. Eg: 682=six hundred and eighty two. 436,208=four hundred and (che potrebbe essere soppresso) thirty six thousand, two hundred and eight.Le parole hundred, thousand million e billion si usano:- al SINGOLARE se esprimono numeri esatti e non generici come centinaia e simili. Eg. three hundred and five miles=305 miglia.- al PLURALE per indicare quantità non definite. Eg.. Hundreds (centinaia) of people.Ove necessario per indicare i numeri in inglese si usa, a differenza di quanto accade in italiano, la virgola al posto del punto e viceversa. Eg. $ 1,322.30=one thousand, three hundred twenty two dollars and thirty cents. In questo caso dopo hundred non va indicato and perché c’è un and successivo che conclude l’indicazione numerica. Il numero 322 va letto 3 hundred and 22. Nel linguaggio corrente i numeri di quattro cifre si leggono a due a due anche se hanno per oggetto date espresse inanni. Eg. 1230=twelve thirty.I numeri degli autobus e delle camere d’albergo si esprimono nel seguente modo:Autobus/Stanza 542=Bus/Room five forty-two (anche singolarmente five four two).WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU MOVE A PERIOD (or FULL STOP) OR A COMMA?During the XVI century, Martin was a monk (Monaco/a, si legge “manch”) at the abbey (abbazia, si legge “abi”) of Asello. One day he decided to show on the abbey’s main door a signboard in which there had to be written in Latin: Porta patens esto.Nulli claudatur honesto=Door you must be always open. You must not close to honest people. Nevertheless, due to a period shift the sentence becam: Porta patens esto nulli. Claudatur honesto (look at the difference with the preceding)= Don’t open the door. It must be closed to honest people. Due to the period placed in a different position, Martin lost his cloak (mantello) as symbol of his status.From this story, the saying “For want of a nail the shoe is lost=Per un punto Martin perse la cappa/mantello”.During the old Roman Empire, some women went to the sibyl (sibilla) Cumana to ask this question: My son (or husband or father or brother) is going to war, may I know if he will live or die? The answer, in Latin, was always the following: Ibis et redibis, non morieris in bello=He will go and will come back, he won’t die in war. If a man died, his very angry relative went to the sibyl shouting: You are a liar, my …. died in war. However, the sibyl objected (of course not in English, but in Latin): You didn’t understand, I said: Ibis et redibis non, morieris in bello (look at the difference with the preceding)=He will go and won’t come back, he will die in war.Thus (in tal modo/così facendo), the sibyl Cumana moving the comma and, consequently, the intonation was always right.WHO, THAT, WHOM, WHICH, WHOSE AND WHEREWHO or THAT, as a subject pronoun, is used in defining relative clauses to define the person or people we are talking about. Eg. This is a baker (panettiere, si legge “becher”) who/that gave (SENZA “to”) … some fresh bread.WHO = chi; è usato per le PERSONE. Ad esempio i fatti sono: David lives near my house. He walks to school every day e sono così espressi: “David, WHO (riferito a “David”) walks to school every day, he lives near my house”.WHOM = a/con chi; è usato per le PERSONE. Ad esempio i fatti sono: They hired (da to hire=assumere, si legge “haier”) a man. We interviewed him last week e sono così espressi: “They hired the man WHOM (riferito a “man”) we interviewed last week”. Whom is one of the most confusing pronouns. Many people wonder how to use it. Is it a subject? Is it an object? Here are the simple answers: Whom is not a subject, but it can be the direct object of a verb. Eg. Whom did the waiter serve first? (A chi il cameriere servì per primo?). Whom is also used in a relative clause that describes a noun that is an object. Eg. The company hired the musician whom I recommended. Whom can serve as the object of a preposition. Eg: With whom does Belinda plan to go to the dance? The man from whom Alexis received the letter works at the supermarket. In casual speech and writing, people usually use who even when whom is technically correct. If you are still a little confused, try the substitution trick (trucco sostitutivo, si legge “sabstituscion trich”) to determine whether to use who or whom. Mentally answer whom (or “who”) questions with the pronouns “him” or “her.” Eg: To whom does this pen belong? - The pen belongs to him. This response makes sense, so whom is correct. Whom is coming to the party on Saturday? This question does not sound right. You should replace (sostutuire) whom with who. WHICH or THAT, as subject pronoun, are used in the same way to define things or places. Eg. This is the dog which/that followed me all over (per tutto) the lake.Who or which or that, as object pronoun, is used when the person or thing is the object of the verb in the relative cause, you can leave out (tralasciare) one of them. Eg. These are the boys (who/which/that) I met.WHICH = quale; è usato per ANIMALI e COSE. Ad esempio i fatti sono: The sweater (maglione, si legge “suetar”) is dirty. I was wearing it yesterday e sono così espressi: “The sweater WHICH (riferito a “sweater”) I was wearing yesterday is dirty”.WHOSE means “of whom” (di chi/del quale) and replaces (sostituisce) his/her/their in relative clauses. It can NEVER be left out. Eg. That’s the man whose cauliflowers (cavolfiori, si legge “coliflauars”) won first prize in the flower show.WHOSE esprime POSSESSO. Ad esempio i fatti sono: She is moving to Milan. Her husband is working in Italy e sono così espressi: “She, WHOSE (riferito a “her husband”) husband is working in Italy/is moving to Milan”. WHERE means “in which” (nel quale) and is used to talk about places. It can never be left out (non può mai essere omesso). Eg. This is the village where I stayed during my vacation or holiday.DIFFERENZA TRA ALREADY, YEY, STILL/NOT (NO “no”) YET E JUSTALREADY = già, si usa nelle frasi affermative e va inserito nella stessa posizione come in italiano. Eg:He’s already here. I’ve already finished.YET = ancora, si usa nelle frasi interrogative e negative, va inserito alla fine di esse e descrive un’azione cominciata nel passato e che sta per compiersi. Eg.She hasn’t arrived yet=ancora non c’è, ma sta per arrivare (sot.so).STILL/NOT YET = ancora/non ancora, si riferisce a una condizione statica. Eg:They’re still on (NO “in”) holiday/vacation. It is still raining. He hasn’t arrived yet. Has she arrived – Not yet.JUST= appena, si usa soprattutto con il “present perfect” e va inserito tra l’ausiliaree il verbo. Eg.She’s just left=è appena partita. Just può anche significare “soltanto” (eg. I am just looking) e “esattamente” (eg. He went out just a minute ago).DIFERRENZA TRA SINCE FOR FROM DURING WHILE E OVERSi usa “since = da” per indicare la data/il tempo/il mommento in cui comincia una azione. Eg. Since yesterday I have had a headache (mal di testa, legge “edeich”, SEMPRE preceduto da “a”). Si usa “for = da” per indicare un periodo come spazio temporale. Eg. For ten years I worked in that store. Si usa “from” per indicare la provenienza da un luogo, salvo che per la seguente eccezione: “FROM THEN ON IN = da quel momento in poi”. Si usa “during = durante” con i sostantivi. Eg. During the flight I slept (da to sleep/slept/slept=dormire) an hour. Si usa “while = mentre” per introdurre una subordinata. Eg. While we were suimming I saw (da to see/saw/seen =vedere) a lot of fish. Si usa “over = durante” nel senso di “nel corso”. Eg. He collected many stamps (francobolli) over the years.DIFERRENZA TRA TO WAIT E TO EXPECTEntrami significano “aspettare”, ma differisono per i seguenti motivi.Si usa “wait” quando si è in attesa che qualcuno o qualcosa arriverà “quasi sicuramente”. Eg: I’m waiting for you. After a cold winter I wait for a warm spring.Si usa “expect” quando si è in attesa di un evento che “si spera”arriverà. Eg: She is expecting a second baby. I’m expecting a promotion.DIFFERENZA TRA FEW E A FEWEntrambi hanno il significato di “poco/pochi” ma con diverso senso come si evince dai seguenti esempi: I have FEW friends=ho pochi amici. I have A FEW good friends= ho qualche buon amico. V.a. “A MUTUAL (reciproco, si legge “miucual”) FRIEND=un amico comune, AN ACQUAINTANCE (si legge “aqueintens”) = un conoscente e ON MY ACQUAINTANCE = DI mia conoscenza”.ANALOGIE E DIFFERENZE TRA CAN E MAYEntrambi significano “potere”, sono verbi modali (come: must, will, would, shall, should, could e might) e quindi sono INDECLINABILI, NON aggiungono la “s” che indica la tersa persona del presente singolare, sono seguiti da un infinito SENZA “to” e MAI preceduti o seguiti da un altro verbo modale.Per quanto, in genere, sono indifferentemente usati (can è meno formale di may), presentano le seguenti:Analogie. Entrambi si usano per chiedere un permesso. Eg:Can/May I go out? Can/May I help you? V.a. “PLEASE HELP YOURSELF! = prego serviti/si serva!Differenze. CAN indica la “capacità o il potere di sapere fare”. Eg. I can speak fivelanguages. MAY indica la “possibilità del verificarsi di un evento in passato (1), nelpresente (2) o nel futuro (3)”. Eg:John is not at home, he may have gone to his parents.Mary is not answering the phone, she may be watching TV.Bob is a good manager, he may become (può diventare) CEO.BOTH AND EATHERSi riferiscono a DUE cose o persone:Both = entrambi/tutti e due; both…and = sia…sia; either = uno dei due; neither = nessuno dei due. Either come aggettivo e pronome significa “o l’uno o l’altro, l’uno e l’altro indifferentemente”, la correlazione either…or significa o…o. Eg: I’ll come either today or tomorrow=verrò o oggi o domani. You can drive on either side of the road here=si può guidare dall’uno e dall’altro lato della strada. Which of these two colours do you like? – Either colour will do=l’uno e l’altro vanno bene; ma se i colori fossero PIU’di due la giusta risposta sarebbe: Any colour will do=va bene qualunque colore. Which of these THREE women do you like as a secretary – I like all of them/all three.Either, se posto alla fine della frase assume il significato di “pure” SOLO in affermazioni negative. Eg: I don’t like cheese – I don’t like it either. Diversa la risposta se: I like cheese – I like it too. Nelle frasi negative either significa “nè l’uno nè l’altro” e either…or significa nè…nè. Eg: Which of these two ties (cravatte, si legge “tais”) would you buy? – I wouldn’t buy either=non comprerei nè l’una nè l’altra. I don’t drink either wine or beer = non bevo nè vino nè birra. In dette frasi negative al posto di not…either (nel senso di nè l’uno nè l’altro, nessuno dei due) si può usare neither e invece di not…either…or (nel senso di “nè…nè”) si può usare neither…nor…. Eg: I’ve got two pens but neither works=ho due penne, ma nessuna delle due funziona. I drink neither wine nor beer =non bevo nè vino nè birra. N.B. Se le penne o le bevande sono PIU’ di due, neitherDEVE essere sostitito da “none/no one”.L’opposto di not…either = memmeno/neppure è also = anche = too.Quando neither o nor vengono all’inizio di una clausola, il verbo è posto prima del soggetto. Eg. My wife and I didn’t go swimming and so neither did our children.If either and neither are put in the end of an answer, they are used as responses (eg.I don’t like (eg. smoking) - eider (pure) or neither (neanche) do I. NO “I do”) when aperson agrees with a speaker’s negative statements which can assume two forms:1° I hate cigar smoke. In this case, the answer will be. I don’t like it either (Note: We must answer with “don’t” because the speaker’s statement has a positive form. The answer can be: So do I (NO “I do”) too).2° I don’t like cigar smoke. In this case, the answer will be. Neither do I (NO “I do”, or “Me neither). (We must answer with “neither do I” because the speaker’s statement has a negative form). V.a. NEITHER OF THEM=nessuno di loro.CHANCE AND CHANCESWhen chance means “time/opportunity”, it can be followed by either the infinitivewith “to” or the preposition “of + the gerund”, but the infinitive is more common. Eg. You’ll have a chance to meet (or “of meeting”) my brother tonight. When chance means “possibility”, it is followed by “of + the gerund”. Eg. I don’t stand/have much chance (non ho molte possibilità) of passing (NO “to pass”) my driving test.In both its meanings, chance can be preceded by qualifiers (qualificativi) such as “little, much, good, no, etc”. Eg. Grap (afferra) your chance (while you can)=cogli l’occasione (finchè sei in tempo). V.a. “GRAPPING WITH = alle prese con”.The plural “chances” means “likelihood” (probabilità/verosimiglianza). Eg. In all likelihood=con tutta/ogni probabilità. Chanches can only be followed by “of + the gerund”. Eg. What are his chances of winning the match (l’incontro, si legge “mec”)?THE PASSIVE VERBSThe passive infinitive + gerund can be used as the subject of the sentence. Eg. To be caught (essere colto/sorpreso) drinking and driving is a very serious offence (reato) in the USA. The passive infinitive without “to” can also be used after modal verbs. Eg. Some people say (that) a cold (raffreddore) can be cured by going for a vigorous swim (nuotata, da to swim/swam/swum=nuotare).The passive gerund is formed with the gerund of the verb “to be” plus the past participle of the main verb. Eg. I’m afraid of being found out=ho paura di essere scoperto. The passive gerund, like the gerund, can be used as the subject or object of a sentence. Eg:- Being caught is what thieves (ladri; sing.re “thief”) fear most (temono di più).- I hate (odio, nel senso “mi da fastidio”) being told (che mi si dica) what to do. Being must be used after a preposition. Eg. She did the washing up (lavaggio dei piatti) without being asked (senza che le fosse chiesto).N.B. Dopo una preposizione segue SEMPRE un gerundio. If you are not sure of the truth of a statement, can use one of the following passive constructions, with theverbs say, think, believe, suppose or consider, can be used.- It + passive + that clause. Eg. It is said (dicono) that a trained (addestrata) eagle (aquila, si legge “ighol”) worth twelve horses.- A subject + passive + infinitive with “to”. Eg. The American condor (a type of vulture (avvoltoio, si legge “volciar”) is believed to be almost extinct (nel senso “è creduto/ritenuto in via di estinzione”).INVERSION OF THE SUBJECT AND THE VERBIf a sentence begins with a “negative adverb” (no sooner …… than, not only, on no account/never) the subject and the verb (or auxiliary) which follow are inverted. Eg:- No sooner had I started to feed the baby than she would announce that she wanted a drink. (Note: No sooner is always followed by the past perfect tense).- Not only is sibling rivalry (rivalità tra fratelli, si legge “siblingh raivarli”) normal, it can also have a positive side (lato/aspetto positivo, si legge “positive said”).- On no account (per nessuna ragione al mondo)/never must you touch this wire (filo mertallico/elettrico, si legge “uaiar”).Beginning a sentence with a “negative adverb” is formal and is often found (da to find/found/found=trovare) in written English.CONDITIONALS WITH EVEN IF, PROVIDED (THAT) AND AS LONG AS“Even if” has a different meaning from “if” on its own (da solo). Eg:- I wouldn’t marry you if (se) you were (fossi) rich (the meaning is: but you aren’t rich so I will marry you).- I wouldn’t marry you even if (persino (yet)/anche se) you were rich (the meaning is: I won’t marry you, and if you were rich I still wouldn’t change my mind).“Provided” (that) (purché/a patto che/sempre che = SO LONG AS) and “as long as” (purchè=so long as) are conjunctions. They have the following same meaning of “but only if/on condition (that) ………. “. Eg:- I’ll come provided (that)/as long as (or “but only if”) I can bring (brought/brought= portare) a friend (of mine).- I’d do it provided (that)/as long as (or “on condition (that)”) I could wear a wetsuit (muta). N.B. As long as significa anche “finché/per tutto il tempo che”, usato con questo significato è SEMPRE seguito da un verbo al PRESENTE e NON dal futuro. Eg.- I’ll study this issue as long as it IS necessary.- He will stay here as long as he WANTS.- As long as you RESPECT me, we will get along.THE THREE ENGLISH CONDITIONALSFirst conditional. Eg: If everybody has (simple present) to shop in an out-of-townsuperstore, you probably won’t (simple future) talk to anybody. If he lives, he will …= se vive, (segue un verbo al futuro).Second conditional. Eg: If everybody had (simple past) to shop in an out-of-town superstore, you probably woudn’t talk (conditional: would +infinitive) to anybody. If he lied, he would have … = se vivesse, avrebbe (o altro verbo) … .Third conditional. Eg. If everybody (ognuno/tutti) had had (past perfect) to shop inan out-of-town superstore, you probably wouldn’t have talked (past conditional: would have + past participle) to anybody/anyone (qualcuno) if he had lived or he would have … = se fosse vissuto o avrebbe (o altro verbo) … .I N C A S EThis structure is used to give the reason for doing something. Eg.Take this road map (just) in case you get lost. “In case” CANNOT be followed by will or going to. The present tense is used to talk about the future. Eg: You need some coins (monete) in case you have to phone. Take some coins in case you need to phone.“In case” can also be used to explain why someone did something. Eg. She took her umbrella in case it rained (piovesse/dovesse piovere).LE PI? COMUNI TRADUZIONI DEL VERBO “FARE”L’espressione italiana fare+oggetto+infinito è comunemente tradotta come segue:a) TO MAKE + oggetto + infinito SENZA to, dove to make esprime una costrizione. Eg: Don’t make me laugh. The police made them confess the truth.b) TO LET + oggetto + infinito SENZA to, dove to let esprime una concessione o permesso. Eg: Let me see your new car. I’m late for work. Let me go now.c) TO GET + oggetto + infinito CON to, dove to get assume il significato di indurre,persuadere. Eg. Get somebody to help you = fatti aiutare da qualcuno.d) TO CAUSE + oggetto + infinito CON to, dove to cause assume il significato di essere causa di/far si che ed è sinonimo di “to make”. Eg. Who caused the child to cry? = Who make the child chry?DIFFERENT USE OF “OTHERWISE” AND “OR”A positive instruction or warning is often followed by a statement of consequence introduced by otherwise (altrimenti). Eg. Make sure you brush (di spazzolare) the grill with oill, otherwise the meat will stick (to stick=attaccare) to the grill.A negative instruction or warning is often followed by a statement of consequence introduced by “or”. Eg. Don’t salt the meat before grilling or the juices will run out.THE PAST PERFECTThis tense is used:TO REFER to something that happened before another action or state in the past. Eg. I was excited because Judy’s father had managed to get tickets for the match.TO DESCRIBE earlier events when telling a story in the past. Eg. What an awful (terribile) day! Everything had gone wrong from the moment I woke up.IN REPORTED SPEECHES AND THOUGHTS. Eg. I realized they had forgotten the keys.CAN and COULDThey are used:To talk about ability.Eg: She can sing well. When I was young, I could dance quite well.To talk about possibility.Eg: I can come on Monday. She couldn’t go to the party because she was sick.With certain verbs that do not usually occur (occurred/occurred=accadere, si legge “ochèr”) in the present continuous tense (eg: understand, smell, hear, feel, taste, see). Eg: I can’t understand anything. I can/could smell something burning.PRESENT SIMPLE AND PRESENT CONTINUOUSPresent simple is used:To talk about routine or frequency.To talk about general facts.To talk about fixed times in the future which are always true, as in timetable (lista orari, si legge “taimteibol”).Present continuous is used:To talk about events which are happening now or around the time of speaking.To talk about definitive future arrangements (accordi), as in agendas.WILL AND GOING TO“Will” is used:To make predictions about the future. Eg. The Docklands (zona ad est di Londra) will be like Manhattan in few years.To make statements of fact about the future. Eg. Steve will be thirty next birthday.To take a decision at the moment of speaking. Eg. I will tell him tonight.To make a promise of offer. Eg. I will post those letters for you.With clauses of condition and time. Eg. When I am (NOT “I will be”) rich, I will buy a new house.“Going to” is used:To talk about planned decisions and intentions. Eg. I am going to ask for a rise (aumento di stipendio, si legge “reis”) next month.To talk about future arrangements. Eg.He is going to stay with us for a weak.To make predictions about the immediate future when there is some evidence to show what is going to happen. Eg.Look at those black clouds; it is going to rain in a minute.VERY, REALLY AND EXTREMELYSono avverbi che seguiti da un aggettivo lo trasformano in superlativo assoluto (eg: very nice, really tall, extremely intresting). Essi non possono essere usati davanti agli aggettivi che da soli hanno un significato superlativo come: freezing (gelato), wonderful (meraviglioso), fantastic (fantastico), marvellous (stupendo), awfull (terribile), perfect (perfetto), essential (fondamentale), enormus (enorme), delicious (delizioso), etc. Questi ultimi possono essere preceduti dall’avverbio “absolutely” (assolutamente) usato come rafforzativo. Eg. Your help is absolutely essential (si legge, “isenscial”).PREFER AND WOULD RATHERPREFER (preferire) can be followed by a noun (I prefer antiques), an infinitive WITH “to” (I prefer to eat steak) or a gerund (I prefer staying at home). When using “prefer” to compare two nouns or activities, the preposition “to” is used. Eg. They prefer living alone TO (nel senso “invece che/di”) living together.The conditional form (‘d/would prefer) is usually followed by the infinitive WITH “to”. Eg. l think I’d prefer TO stay at home this evening.WOULD RATHER (preferirei) is always followed by an infinitive WITHOUT “to”. It means both prefer and would prefer. Eg: She likes a proper (corretto/appropriato, si legge “proper”) lunch every day, but he would rather have (or he prefers) sandwiches. She wants to move to Boston but he’d rather live (or he would prefer to live) in New York. V.a. APYLY=in modo appropriato, l’opposto è SLOPPILY=in modo inpreciso/trasandato). When using “would rather” to compare two activities, the preposition “than” is used. Eg. I would rather die than get married with him.PAST AND PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUSThe past perfect continuous is the past form of the present perfect continuous. Eg:- He was tired because he had been studying all night (past perfect continuous, nel senso “ha studiato”).- He’s tired because he has been studying all night (present perfect continuous, nel senso “sta sudiando”).The past perfect continuous can be used to describe an action or event that happened before another event in the past. The continuous aspect indicates that the action or event took place over a period of time. Eg. I woke up and looked out of the window. Nel seguente esempio, come per il precedente, “had” indica che ha nevicato tutta la notte ma ora non più; di contro, se si fosse usato “has” si sarebbe comunicato che ha nevicato tutta la notte e che continua a nevicare. DIFFERENZE TRA ALL E WHOLEEntrambi significano “tutto”, ma:- “All” si usa per indicare “ogni singolo componente”, eg. The baby cried all the time (pianse a intervalli).- “Whole” si usa per indicare “il tutto in modo completo”, eg. The baby cried the whole time (pianse sempre).- All seguito da “of” regge un pronome personale pl.le, eg. All of us/you/them.- All si usa con gli uncontables nous, eg. He spilled (da to spill=versare) all the water on his laptop (computer portatile).- Whole si usa con i countable nous, eg. The whole town burnt in big fire.N.B. L’articolo “the” segue “all” (All the day), ma precede “whole” (The whole day).“Whole” è sinonimo di “entire” (intero, si legge “intaiar”) con la differenza che “entire” è ag.vo e sost.vo.DIFFERENZE TRA NO/NOT E NONE E TRA ANY E SOME“NO/NOT e NONE” significano “nessuno/niente”, ma:NO è sempre seguito da un sostantivo perché si comporta da “aggettivo”. Eg: A poorbaby has no toys. We have had no good comic operas of late, because the real world has been more comic than any possible opera=non abbiamo nessuna opera comica recente, perchè il mondo reale è stato più comico di qualsiasi opera possibile.NO di solito precede nomi e/o verbi sostantivi (in “ing”). Eg: No students went to school yesterday. No smoking in this area.NOT precede un nome CON l’articolo per rendere negativo un verbo e/o un aggettivo. Eg. The students went to school yesterday, but not the teachers.N.B. Per negare una domanda si usa “no”, per tutto il resto si usa “not”. NONE non precede mai un sostantivo. Eg: Have you any friends in this town? – I’venone. The greatest of faults, I should say, is to be conscious of none (by Thomas Carlyle)=il più grande degli errori, io direi, è essere consapevole di niente.V.a. “NONE OF THIS=niente di tutto ciò” e NONE OTHER THAN=niente di meno che”. “ANY e SOME” significano “qualche/del”, ma:ANY si usa nelle domande e nelle frasi negative che possono essere anche costruite con “no + verbo in forma affermariva” (in inglese due negazioni “affermano”).Eg: Have you got any apple-juce in the fridge? I haven’t any apple-juce in the fridge. There are no eggs in the fridge. Any food going?=c’è niente da mangiare? Può seguire: I’m starving=muoio dalla fame.SOME si usa solo nelle frasi affermative positive, nelle domande e/o richieste.Eg: I have some (del) apple-juice in the fridge. Can I have some milk please?BUFFE CACOFONIEIn the English language, there are many same words with different meanings as in the funny following cacophonies:- The bandage was wound around the wound = la benda fu avvolta attorno la ferita.- The farm was used to produce produce = la fattoria fu usata per produrre prodotti.- The dump was so full (or riddled with…=piena DI…) that it had to refuse more refuse = la discarica era così piena che non accettò più rifiuti.- I must polish the Polish furniture = io devo lucidare i mobili polacchi.- The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert = il soldato decise di lasciare il suo dolce/torta/budino nel deserto.- Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the pre-sent = poichè non c’è un tempo come (nel senso “migliore”) dell’attuale, egli pensò che fosse tempo (nel senso “il momento giusto”) per donare il regalo.- When shot at, the dove dove (il secondo “dove” è usato in America come passato remoto e participio passato del verbo regolare “to dive/dived/dived”=immergersi/ tuffarsi) into the bushes = quando fu sparata, la colomba si tuffò nei cespugli.- I did not object to the object = io non obiettai sull’oggetto/scopo.- The insurance is invalid for the invalid = l’assicurazione è non valida per l’ivalido.- There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row = c’era una baruffa tra i rematori su come remare (il 1° row si legge “rau” e il 2° “rou”. In a row=di fila/ seguito, es: six years in a row).- They were too close to the door to close it = loro erano troppo vicini alla porta per chiuderla.- The buck does funny things when the does are present = il cervo maschio fa buffe cose quando le cerve sono presenti (buck è anche uno slang americano che significa: dollaro/maschio/negro/pellerossa).- A seamstress and a sewer (dal verbo to sew sewed sewn=cucire) fell down into asewer line = una cucitrice e un cucitore caddero dentro una fogna (sewer rat=topo di fogna, si legge “siuer rat”).- The wind was too strong to wind the sail = il vento era abbastanza forte da attorci-gliare la vela.- Upon seeing the tear (da to tear/tore/torn=strappare) in the painting, I shed (shed/shed) a tear = dopo avere visto lo strappo nel quadro, io versai una lacrima.- I had to subject the subject to a series of tests = ho sottoposto l’argomento a una serie di prove.- How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend? = come posso accennare/sug-gerire questo al mio più intimo amico?- The police made the thief name (nominare/dare il nome, SENZA “to”) the name of his accomplice (si legge “acòmples”) = la polizia costrinse il ladro a fare il nome del suo complice.- When the going gets tough, the tough get going = quando il gioco si fa duro, i duri iniziano a giocare.I MOLTI SIGNIFICATI DI “MOLTO” (Sorry for the cacophony)“Molto” preceduto da un verbo o seguito da un aggettivo è avverbio e si traduce con very. Eg. I’m very tired. L’intensità di very può essere modulata sostituendolo con i seguenti avverbi:- really = davvero/veramente/realmente (di uso molto comune e informale)- extremely = estremamente (di uso enfatico)- quite = piuttosto, nel senso di “molto” (meno forte di very)- fairly = abbastanza (di uso informale e meno forte di very).Detti avverbi non si usano con gli aggettivi che sono già superlativi salvo che per i seguenti: absolutely e really (meno formale, eg: This cake is absolutely delicious; it’s really freezing today). Nella comune forma orale very è molto usato e, correntemente con funzione rafforzativa, può precedere un aggettivo anche se superlativo assoluto. Eg: Studying has been my very best pastime. At this very moment (proprio ora, da preferire al pur diffuso “Just now”). “Molto” seguito da un sostantivo è aggettivo e si esprime diversamente in riferimento al tipo di frase.FRASE MOLTO ESEMPIaffermativa a lot of/lots of/plenty of I’ve got a lot of (lots of) books; The train is late, + sostantivo so we have plenty of (più del necessario) time.negativa many + sostantivo “countable” I haven’t got many English books.interrogativa much + sostantivo “uncountable” Do you have much spare time?affermativa a lot/hard. I’ve worked a lot (hard) today. Susan always talks a lot.negativa much/very much. I haven’t worked much today. He doesn’t talk very much.interrogativa much. Have you worked much today?Inoltre dinanzi a:Aggettivo o avverbio si usa very o quite, quest’ultimo ha il significato di “proprio,completamente”. Eg: You speak English very well. This is a very good hotel. It’s quitetrue=è assolutamente vero.Nome singolare si usa a lot of o plenty in frasi affermative e much in frasi interrogative o negative. Eg: We have to cook a lot of food. Has he got much money?Nome plurale si usa a lot of o many in frasi interrogative e negative.Eg: I have a lot of friends in New York. Have they got many children?“Molto”, come rafforzativo di un verbo, si traduce a lot o very much.Eg: He drinks a lot. I like your house very much. Thank you very much.Ricapitolando:ABCMOLTO = VERY (QUITE) A LOT (OF); (VERY) MUCH MANY (A LOT OF)TROPPO = TOO TOO MUCH TOO MANYTANTO = SO SO MUCH SO MANYALTRETTANTO = AS AS MUCH AS MANYQUANTO = HOW HOW MUCH HOW MANYPER QUANTO = HOWEVER HOWEVER MUCH HOWEVER MANYA – Dinanzi a un aggettivo e un avverbio.B – Dinanzi a un nome singolare, un participio passato, un comparativo e con i verbi.C – Al plurale.THE SAME WORD WITH DIFFERENT MEANINGSAGENDA = agenda (di lavoro) ED ANCHE attività giornaliera (lavorativa) = day-to-day business.BANK = banca ED ANCHE altura, argine, terrapieno; along the banks of…. = lungo le rive del… .BAT = mazza da baseball o cricket ED ANCHE pipistrello.BEING = essere (sost.) ED ANCHE essere (verbo); he was arrested for being a crook (truffatore, si legge “cruch”).BID = scommessa, licita nel bridge ED ANCHE tentativo.BLUNT = schietto, sincero ED ANCHE non affilato.BOB = diminuitivo di Robert ED ANCHE to bob = muoversi su e giù.BOOK = libro ED ANCHE carnet; check (or cheque) book = carnet di assegni.B REAK = interruzione ED ANCHE fortuna; to get a lucky break = avere un colpo difortuna.BRIGHT = lucido, risplendente ED ANCHE intelligente = clever.CHINA = Cina ED ANCHE porcellana (di pregio).COACH (si legge “coc”) = allenatore ED ANCHE corriera.CUSTOM = abitudine, usanza ED ANCHE dazio, dogana.GUN = arma da fuoco (weapon=arma in generale) ED ANCHE pistola o fucile.HAND = mano ED ANCHE to hand = porgere, passare.HARD = duro ED ANCHE difficile.HEAD = testa ED ANCHE capo (chi comanda).LOT = quantità ED ANCHE destino, sorte.MAKE-UP = trucco ED ANCHE composizione (di istituzioni, abitanti e simili).MATCH = partita, gara ED ANCHE fiammifero.PET = animale domestico ED ANCHE persona cara; to pet=pomiciare.OVERALL = tuta da lavoro ED ANCHE totale, globale.POLL = sondaggio ED ANCHE urna elettorale.PRETTY = carino, grazioso ED ANCHE piuttosto, abbastanza.RACE = razza ED ANCHE corsa; to race out off=correre fuori da; to race into=infilarsi. RECORD = primato sportivo ED ANCHE documentazione, elenco, archivio.RIGHT = destra ED ANCHE diritto (sost.), giusto, corretto (agg.), giustamente (avv.).ROUGHLY = violentemente ED ANCHE approssimativamente.ROOM = stanza ED ANCHE spazio; there is enough room=c’è abbastanza spazio.SEAT = sedia ED ANCHE seggio (in Parlamento), posto al tavolo da gioco (1st seat=1° giocatore).SHEER = semplice, puro (it’s sheer madness=è pura follia) ED ANCHE a picco, perpendicolare.SMART = intelligente, scaltro ED ANCHE elegante; a smart restaurant = un ristorante elegante.SMOG = aria sporca ED ANCHE to smog = sbaciucchiarsi (familiare).SPECULATION = speculazione ED ANCHE meditazione, congettura.SPONGE = spugna ED ANCHE parassita; to sponge = vivere a scrocco.SPORT = esercizio fisico, divertimento ED ANCHE to sport WITH… = burlarsi DI… (qualcuno).STERN = deretano ED ANCHE austero, severo.STILL = ancora ED ANCHE comunque, tuttavia (a inizio di frase), calmo; stand still =state/i calmi/o.TOAST = pane tostato, crostino ED ANCHE brindisi.TO CONCOCT = mescolare ingredienti ED ANCHE architettare, tramare.TO DOCTOR = curare, medicare ED ANCHE falsificare (documenti e simili).TO INCENSE = provocare/irritare(rsi) ED ANCHE incensare (anche fig.vo), profumaredi incenso.TO KNOCK OFF = buttare giù ED ANCHE rubare, uccidere, smettere.TO PICK UP = prendere su, raccogliere ED ANCHE imparare attraverso la propria sola esperienza.TO WISH = desiderare ED ANCHE augurare(rsi); to wish away = ignorare = to ignore.WARM = tiepido ED ANCHE cordiale, affettuoso.YIELD = raccolto ED ANCHE dare la precedenza a destra (segnaletica stradale).UN PARTICOLARE USO DELLA PAROLA “EARTH = TERRA”HOW ON EARTH = come maiWHERE ON EARTH = dove maiWHO ON EARTH = chi maiWHY ON EARTH = perché mai WHAT ON EARTH = cosa mai Dette espressioni si usano sia in forma affermativa che interrogativaUN VERBO PUO’ NON AVERE LA “S” ALLA TERZA PERSONA DEL TEMPO PRESENTEE’ quando accade per le frasi fatte. Eg:The more (più) serious (SENZA “is”) the subject, the more (più) necessary it is to pay attention.Dog eat (NO “eats”) dog.V.a. It is dog eat dog in this business = è lotta al coltello in questo affare.DIFFERENZE TRA EVER E NEVEREntrambi sono avverbi di frequenza, esprimono l’idea di un tempo passato non precisato e la loro posizione è sempre davanti al verbo principale e dopo i verbi ausiliari (essere e avere) e i modali (must, will, would, shall, should, could e might).EVER significa “mai” ed è usato nelle frasi:INTERROGATIVE. Eg. Has John ever met you?INTERROGATIVE NEGATIVE. Eg. Haven’t you ever been to the USA?NEGATIVE con la forma “NOBODY + EVER”. Eg. I have ever told she is a good singer.NEGATIVE con la forma “NOTHING + EVER”. Eg. Nothing ever happens here = qui non accade mai nulla.EVER SI USA QUANDO LA FRASE CONTIENE ALTRE FORME DI NEGAZIONE.Infatti, se nelle suindicate tre forme negative si fosse usato “never”, al posto di ever, le stesse sarebbero diventate positive perché in inglese 2 NEGAZIONI AFFERMANO.EVER si usa anche con l’espessione “THE FIRST TIME”. Eg. This is the first time I haveever (è un rafforzativo omettibile) met Susan=è la prima volta (in assoluto) che ho incontrato Susan. NEVER significa “non … mai”. Eg. He has never been to Italy. NEVER SI USA QUANDO LA FRASE NON CONTIENE ALTRE FORME DI NEGAZIONE.DIFFERENZE TRA SHADE AND SHADOWEntrambe le parole significano “ombra”, ma:SHADE (si legge “sceid”) è uncountable (NON si può dire “shades” (slang)=occhiali da sole) e si intende una zona o un’area non illuminata direttamente dal sole.Eg: Should we sit in the shade or in the sun??= Ci sediamo all’ombra o al sole? It’s so hot today, can we sit in some shade??= Fa caldissimo oggi, ci sediamo all’ombra? Let’s find a table in the shade?= Cerchiamo?un tavolo all’ombra.SHADOW (si legge “scadou”) è countable (si può dire “shadows”) e si intende l’immagine d’ombra che un oggetto crea quando impedisce alla luce di passare. Eg: Look at my shadow, it’s taller than yours! = Guarda la mia ombra, è più lunga della tua! The oak tree casts (da to cast/cast/cast=gettare e anche assegnare una parte agli attori) a shadow on the gound?= La quercia disegna/fa un’ombra sul terreno.Di solito (usually) la parola?shadow?è preceduta da uno dei seguenti verbi:?to cast/to create=creare/to make (made/made)=fare/to produce=produrre e to throw (threw/ thrown)=lanciare (es. un’ombra).?PREPOSIZIONI DI TEMPO HOW LONG, FOR, SINCE, EVER SINCE“HOW LONG” = Per quanto tempo?/Quanto a lungo? (deve essere posto a inizio della frase interrogativa). Si usa quando si pone una domanda riferita alla durata di un’azione/condizione non conclusa. Eg: How long has he worked (1) for your company? How long have you lived (1) in New York?“FOR” = da + un generico periodo di tempo. Si usa quando ci si riferisce a una durata temporale non conclusa. Eg: She has worked (1) here for six months. They have studied (1) English for two years.“SINCE” = da + un preciso momento temporale. Si usa quando ci si riferisce all’inizio di un indicato periodo non concluso. Eg: She has worked (1) for us since January. We have lived (1) here since 1999. I have been (1) here since 7.30 a.m. .“EVER SINCE” = da quando (nel senso “dal momento in cui/che …=GIVEN THAT …”) +una frase (di solito al simple past). Si usa per definire un punto d’inizio temporale non concluso. Eg. He has worked (1) here ever since he moved to New York.In inglese, a differenza che in italiano, per esprimere un’azione cominciata nel passato e non ancora conclusa si usa il present perfect (passato prossimo, es. has worked) e NON il presente (es. works).Se l’azione che è iniziata nel passato è conclusa si usa il simple past (passato remoto, es. worked).THE PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE AND THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUSThe present perfect simple relates (riporta) past events to present time. It is used:- To talk about experiences and events at an unspecified time in the past. Eg: I’ve seen two plays by Shakespeare. I’ve never been to New York.- To talk about something that is unfinished.Eg. I’ve lived in New York for ten years.- To talk about events in a period of time that is not yet finished.Eg. I’ve been to two parties (sing.re “party”) this week.- To talk about a present result of a past event.Eg. She has had an accident and she has broken her leg.This tense is often used in connection with certain words, eg:- The time prepositions since and for.- He’s worked here since 2018. She’s lived here for three years.The adverbs just and already. Eg. I’ve just finished it. I’ve already done it.Since and for are not generally used in negative sentences with the present perfect.The adverb yet. Eg: Have you done it yet? I haven’t done it yet.Yet is not used in positive sentences with the present perfect.The present perfect continuous is used:To describe an action which began in the past and is either still going on, or has recently stopped. Eg. I’ve been writing letters all morning (Present perfect continuous. The activity is important). I’ve written three letters (Present perfect simple. The letters are now finished). This tense is often used with for and since.Eg. I’ve been living here for a few months/since September (I am still living there).DIFFERENT USES OF TO MAKE AND TO DO“TO MAKE” is used:- to create, produce or construct something. Eg.He made a delicious cake.- to cause, to be or happen: Eg:Napoleon made himself emperor (imperatore, si legge “émpera”).She made him angry=lei lo fece arrabbiare.- to force somebody to do something. Eg.She made him do (SENZA “to”) his homework again.To make must be used with these words: phone call/decision/mess/good or bad impression/choice/cake/breakfast/lunch/dinner/friends/well/love/shower/mistake. “TO DO” is used:- to perform certain tasks an activities. Eg.He did his homework/cleaning (pulizie)/ housework/shopping.- to perform actions which bring about a desired result. Eg.She’s doing her hair/nails/room.- to talk about progress. Eg.How is he doing at school (come (egli) và a scuola)?To do must be used with these words: nothing/someone/a favor/an exercise/one’s homework/one’s best/the right thing/well.It’s possible to find both of these verbs in the same phrase as in the following. Eg.We will have to make do with what we have=dobbiamo farcela con quello che abbiamo.PAST MODAL VERBSThey are used:To criticize actions in the past, i.e. to say something was wrong or done incorrectly. Eg: They should have left earlier and then they would have missed the rush hour (ora di molto traffico). You ought to have written and thanked (ringraziare; NO “to thank”) them for your present. When they didn’t hear from you, they thought you didn’t like it.When the speaker is specutating about a possibility in the past. Eg: Mary may have overslept and missed the pale. They must have moved away because the house is empty now. He has a very old car, it could have broken down again and that’s why he is late.When the speaker is drawing a conclusion about something that happe-ned in the past. Eg. They must have met at the disco (discoteca) or at my partyPAST PERFECTIt is used:- To refer to something that happened before another action stated in the past. Eg:They were excited because Judy’s father had managed to get tickets for the match.We had started our meal when they arrived. She had arrived home late that nightand had gone straight to bed.- To describe earlier events when telling a story in the past. Eg: What an awful day! Everything had gone wrong from the moment l woke up. By the time (nel momento in cui/quando) the police came, the burglars (ladri/scassinatori, si legge “berghlers”) had gone (erano (già) fuggiti).- In reported speech and thoughts. Eg. They realized they had forgotten the keys.THE USE OF VERBS TO LET (LET/LET), ALLOW, PERMIT AND AFFORDAll of them mean in Italian “permettere/consentire”, but if used in affirmative sentence, to let, allow and permit express a “permission to do something”. Eg. My parents let (or allow or permit, the most formal) me to stay out as late as I like.- To let is not used in passive form, in this case we must use to allow or to permit.- To allow and permit can be followed by an object and a verb in the infinitive tenseor by a gerund. Eg: They allow (or permit) us to smoke (or smoking) at their house.Smoking is allowed (or permitted) in the smoking area only.N.B. These two verbs can also be used in the passive sentences.- To allow is “to let something happen”. Eg. Will you allow me to come through thegarden to do maintenance (manutenzione, si legge meintinens”)?- To afford can mean the same thing of to allow, but it’s better to use it when it is related (messo in correlazione) to (e NON “with”) “pricing matters=questioni di prezzi”. Eg. Can you afford to pay this very high rent?TAG QUESTIONSSono interrogativi finali corrispondenti a “è vero?/non è così?” che chiedono una conferma di quanto è già stato detto. Essi si formano con il verbo ausiliare presente nella frase. Eg. We’ll always be together, won’t we? – Of course we will.Le frasi AFFERMATIVE sono seguite da una tag question NEGATIVA.Eg. You’VE found something, HAVEN’T you?Le frasi NEGATIVE sono seguite da una tag question POSITIVA.Eg. He DOESN’T know what to do, DOES he?Il verbo ausiliare serve come forma breve per non ripetere tutta la frase. Eg. I bet (bet/bet=scommettere) he is late – He always is. Nel caso di più ausiliari basta usare il primo. Eg. I believe you’ve been thinking about her – Yes I have (SENZA “been”).Se non ci sono ausiliari si usano do/does/did. Eg. I think you like her (lei ti piace, NO tu le piacci=She likes you) - Actually (veramente) I don’t (no). V.a. “WHETHER WE LIKE OR NOT=(sia) che ci piaccia o no/volenti o nolenti”.Se un’affermazione riguarda anche se stessi, altre persone o cose si usa la seguente costruzione “So + ausiliare + sog.to”. Eg. We had burglars (ladri, si legge “barghlers”) at the weekend – So did our neighbours. Se una dichiarazione negativa riguarda anche se stessi, altre persone o cose si usa, nella risposta, la seguente costruzione “Neither + ausiliare + sog.to”. Eg:- My boyfriend hasn’t get much money – Neither has mine (neanche il mio).- Ann won’t be here tomorrow – Neither will I.- I don’t go away for Easter – Neither did we.Per confermare che una dichiarazione vale anche per se stessi, altre persone o cose si usa la seguente costruzione “So + ausiliare + sog.to”. Eg:I’m hungry – So am I. We want to move to a new house – So do we=That applies to us too=questo vale anche per noi”.BALANCING OPINIONSThey show that you have considered both sides of an argument. Eg: At first sight,the rules seem very simple but in fact, they’re enormously complicated. In theory/ theoretically, it is possible but in practice/practically, you’ll meet many problems. You can believe that some see boxing as a violent sport, but over all (nel complesso/ complessivamente) most people enjoy it. Many people believe/argue that this TV show (programma televisivo) should be banned (da to ban=vietare, si legge “ben”. V.a. “BANS=divieti”) but as far as I’m concerned (per quanto mi riguarda), you can always switch the TV off e As far as (per quanto riguarda) I know=per quanto ne so”.You can mix some phrases:- Many people argue that …………………. but overall/in my experience ……………………….- Many people believe that …………………….. but in actual fact …………………SHORT ANSWERSQuando si risponde “yes or no”, è opportuno e gentile aggiungere una short answer formata dal pronome del soggetto + l’ausiliare utilizzato nella domanda. Eg.Can you explain your behaviour? – Yes I can.N.B. La forma contratta del verbo si usa SOLO per le risposte negative. Eg.Do you like him? – No I didn’t. Pertanto:Will you marry me? – Yes I will (NO “I’ll”).PRESENT AND FUTURE IN THE SAME PHRASEDialogue between “A” AND “B”:A: Hi, how are you?B: Fine thanks, I AM off to work now. What time WILL you BE back?A: About six. But I’LL RING you if there ARE any problems.B: Well, if you ARE back before me, you WILL HAVE to get something for supper (cena, si legge “saper”).A: O.K. I’LL DECIDE on something when I GET to the supermarket.B: If I PASS a greengrocer’s I’LL BUY some strawberries (fragole, si legge “stroberis”).A: Great!B: Is Colin coming round tonight? (to come round=venire a trovare, nel senso “fareun salto = TO DROP/DROPPED/DROPPED BY/IN/ROUD”)A: He didn’t say but if he GETS IN TOUCH (si fa sentire), I’LL INVITE him to supper.B: Look at the time. I’LL MISS the bus unless I GO now.A: O.K. I’LL SEE you when I GET home (sono a casa).B: Bye, see you later.LE ESCLAMAZIONI (exclamations) WHAT E HOWUsi e forme:What (ag.vo/pron.me=quale/i? che?) è usato nel seguente modo:What a/an + sost.vo numerabile singolare. Eg. What a country!/nightmare!/mess!Spesso si usa l’aggettivo prima del sostantivo per sottolineare una sensazione di meraviglia/sorpresa. Eg. What a wonderful hat!/ridiculous story!What + ag.vo + sost.vo numerabile pl.le/sostantivo non numerabile. Eg. What sweetlittle kittens (gattini)!/glorious (meraviglioso) weather!What + sost.vo non numerabile. Eg. What a shame!/a pity!=che peccato!Una forma commune è: What + sost.vo + infinito. Eg: What a rotten (marcio/a) thingto do! = che cattiveria averlo fatto! What a terrible thing to happen!=che cosa (nelsenso “disgrazia”) terribile (è accaduta)!How (avv.=che/come/in che modo) è usato nelle seguenti costruzioni:How + agg. Eg. How fascinating (che incanto)!/disgusting (che schifo)!How + agg./avv. + sog.to + verbo. Eg. How happy you look!SO AND SUCHEntrambi significano “così”, ma si usano in modo diverso perchè:SO si usa con un aggettivo SENZA IL sostantivo. Eg. He’s SO stupid.SUCH si usa con un aggettivo PIU’ IL sostantivo. Eg. He’s SUCH an idiot person.So e Such sono usati per indicare “cose” e “non persone”. V.a.:SO FAR = finora. Eg. So far so good=finora va tutto bene.SUCH AS = ad esempio/come. Eg: I like cake, such as cheesecake. He has lots qualities such as intelligence.SUCH AS IT IS = così com’è. Eg. I like this apartment such as it is.SUCH A LOT OF = così tanto/i. Eg. There are such a lot of applicants (richiedenti /candidarti, si legge “àplicans”) for the position.ORIGINE DI FUCK E OKNella vecchia Inghilterra i rapporti sessuali potevano avvenire solo con il consensodel re così come sancito dalla seguente norma: “Formication Under Consent of the King” il cui acronimo fuck è la volgare parola che in inglese significa scopata, chiavata o fottuta (Not give a fuck=fottersene. We are fucked=siamo fottuti/fregati).Durante la guerra civile americana se le truppe tornavano senza avere subito perdite era esposto un cartello con la scritta 0 killed=zero morti, ma lo zero (0) veniva scambiato dai soldati yankees per O ed ecco il noto OK salvo che non sia scritto Okay. Il termine inglese yankees o gringos in spagnolo e portoghese identifica i residenti negli Stati Uniti d’America in generale e quelli nel New England in particolare. Detto termine, di dubbia origine, può avere anche un significato dispregiativo in considerazione del fatto che, durante la suindicata guerra, i suddisti sia civili che militari lo usavano come offesa riferita a tutti i nordisti.IN ORDER TO (or TO + INFINITIVE) AND SO (with or without THAT)“In order to + infinitive” is used to express purpose (intenzione/scopo) when the subject of the main clause and the subject of purpose clause are the same. “In order to” is more formal than the infinitive of purpose with “to”. Eg. I am going in England in order to improve (migliorare/ottimizzare, si legge “impruv”) my English.“So” (that) = così (che) is used to express purpose in the following situation:With can or could. Eg: I’d like to work in the afternoons so (that) I can studying in the mornings. I enclosed my address in that letter so (that) you could write (SENZA to) me.When the purpose is negative. Eg. You’d better take a map so (that) you won’t get lost (perdersi).BORN AND BORNE“BORN” = nato. Eg. I was born ON ... (data) IN ... (luogo) = io nacqui il ... a/in ... .“BORNE” è il part. pass. del verbo irregolare to bear/bore/borne=partorire/ portare/trasportare e anche “tollerare/sopportare qualcosa di sgradevole”.Eg: I can’t bear so much advertising on TV=non posso sopportare così tanta pubblicità in TV. She has? borne all her problems with courage and patience (si legge “pescens”)=lei ha sopportato tutti i suoi problemi con coraggio e pazienza.ADJECTIVE WORD ORDERWhen describing people’s appearance, we must use the following order (ordine, di legge “odar”) of adjectives, but it is unusual in speech to combine more than two or three adjectives before a noun. So, for example:Eyes: quality+size+shape+color. Eg. Big blue eyes. Beautiful green eyes.Clothes: quality+size+shape+color+material. Eg: A soft white jacket. A long-sleeved black woolen sweater.Hair: quality+length+texture+style+color. Eg: Shoulder-length wavy (ondulati) brown hair. Lovely thick (spessi) and smart (alla moda e anche “intelligente”) blonde hair.In inglese è sconsigliato l’uso di più di due aggettivi che precedono un sostantivo, comunque l’ordine in cui mettere più aggettivi prima di un sostantivo è il seguente:1° POSSESSIVO eg. your, 2° NUMERALE eg. three, 3° OPINIONE eg. nice, 4°GRANDEZZA eg.huge, 5° ETA’ eg. young, 6° FORMA eg. round, 7° COLORE eg. red, 8°ORIGINE eg. American, 9° MATERIALE eg. metal, 10° FINALITA’ eg. eating.Gli aggettivi “composti” sono formati da due parole separate da un trattino. La prima è, in genere, un aggettivo o un avverbio, la seconda un participio passato. Eg: Blue-eyed=con gli occhi azzurri. Curly-haired=con i capelli ricci. Left-handed= mancino. Sun-tanned=abbronzato. Well-dressed=elegante. ANY AND SOME“ANY e SOME” significano “qualche/del”, ma:ANY si usa nelle domande e nelle frasi negative che possono essere anche costruite con “no + verbo in forma affermariva” (in inglese due negazioni “affermano”). Eg: Have you got any apple-juce in the fridge? I haven’t any .SOME indica un non specifico numero o ammontare di un’entità ed è usato per una cortese richiesta o offerta. Eg:I have some work to do, do you have any? (il senso è “ne hai (lavoro) anche tu?”). May I have some bread?SOMETIMES, SOMETIME AND SOME TIME“SOMETIMES” means “qualche volta”.Eg. Sometimes I go to the beach.“SOMETIME” = SOONER OR LATER is an adverb and means “at an indefinite time”. Eg: Sometime in the morning, I go jogging. I’ll do it sometime=lo farò prima o poi/dopo.SOME (ag.vo) TIME means “a period of time”. Eg. I lived in Milan some time (periodo non troppo breve).DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AMERICAN AND BRITSH ENGLISHAMERICAN ENGLISH (A.E.)BRITSH ENGLISH (B.E.)ITALIANOAPARTMENTFLATappartamentoBACON SLICERASHERpancetta a fetteCHALKBOARD BLACKBOARD=lavagna (chalk=gesso, si legge “cioch”)BILLBOARDHOARDINGcartelloni pubblicitariBROILER GRILLERgraticolaCHECKBILLcontoCHECKING ACCOUNTBANK ACCOUNTconto correnteCOOKIE BISCUITbiscottoDIAPER NAPPYpannolinoDOWNTOWNCITY CENTERcentro cittàEGGPLANTAUBERGINE melanzanaELEVATORLIFT ascensoreEXHIBITEXHIBITIONmostraFALLAUTUMN autunnoFAVORITEFAVOURITE favorito/predilettoFRENCH FRIESCHIPSpatatine fritteFRENCH TOASTEGGY BREADpane tostato all’uovoFREEWAY/HIGHWAYMOTORWAYautostradaGARBAGERUBBISH spazzaturaGAS/GASOLINEPETROL benzinaGAS PUMPPETROL PUMPdistributore di benzinaGOLDEN RAISINSSULTANAS uvetta sultaninaGROUND MEATMINCED MEAT/MINCE carne tritataHARBORHARBOUR/PORT portoHOODBONNET cofanoLUGGAGE (SEMPRE al sing.re)BAGGAGGE (SEMPRE al sing.re)bagaglio/gliMAIN STREETHIGH STREET strada principaleMETERMETRE metroMOLASSES TREACLE melassaNO STANDINGNO WAITING divieto di fermata/sostaOATMEAL PORRIDGE fiocchi d’avenaPARKING LOT CAR PARK parcheggioPOPSICLE LOLLY ghiaccioloRECOGNIZE RECOGNISE riconoscereSAUSAGE BANGERS salsicciaSHRIMP PRAWNIS gamberiSIDEWALK PAVEMENT marciapiedeSNEAKERS TRAINERS scarpe da ginnasticaSUBWAY UNDERGROUND metropolitanaSWEATER PULLOVER maglionePANTS (SEMPRE al plur.le) TROUSERS (SEMPRE al plur.le) pantalone/iTRUCK LORRY camionVACATION HOLIDAY vacanzaIVY LEAGUEE’ il gruppo (edera lega, ivy league, si legge “aivi ligh”) delle otto più prestigiose Università americane di antica fondazione note anche come “The Ancient Eight”, esse sono: Harvard (1638); Yale (1701); University of Pennsylvania (1740); Princeton (1746); Columbia (1754); Brown University (1764); Dartmouth College (1769); Cornell (1865). La parola ivy si riferisce all’edera che ricopre le facciate degli atenei. Nel mondo accademico americano le parole school, college, e university sono tra loro intercambiabili. V.a. TO GRADUATE/TO GET A DEGREE=laurearsi; DEGREE=laurea; GRADUATE=laureato; GRADUATE SCHOOL=Facoltà universitaria per i laureati che vogliono conseguire il GRADUATE DEGREE/MASTER=specializzazione post-laurea.WHERE AND WHEN TO USE ALREADY, YET, STILL, NEVER, NOT YET AND STILL NOTSome common words are often, but not always, accompanied by the present perfect. These words are: already, yet, still, never, not yet and still not.ALREADY is used to refer to an action that happened sooner than expected. It is used in affirmative sentences in the present or the past but never in the future.YET refers to an action that is expected in the future. It is NOT used in the past. If we ask about something expected to happen, we ALWAYS place “yet” at the end of the sentence.STILL is used when we want to say that and action, which started in the past, is still happening in the present. Often, when we use “still”, it refers to an action happening longer than expected.NEVER means that an action has not happened any time before now, it is placed (collocato) ALWAYS before the main verb.NOT YET and STILL NOT are used as opposites to positive affirmations.In the following dialogue between Joe and Susan where we can clearly see their uses.Joe:Have you eaten yet, Susan?Susan: No, not yet. I haven’t had a chance (il senso è “non ne ho avuto l’occasione”) all day.Joe: It’s such a pity that you work so hard all day but you still haven’t had a holiday this year.Susan: I have never taken my holidays in the summer but I like going on holiday in October. Have you been on holiday yet this year, Joe?Joe: Yes, I have already been on holiday (or vacation) twice this year, but I still have a few days left which I might take at (NO “in”) Christmas time.Susan: Has your boss agreed to pay you for your holidays?Joe: No, he still has not! He told me to come back to him after the summer to talk about it again. And what about you Susan (il senso è “e per quanto ti riguarda”), any decisions for the summer yet?Susan: I’m afraid I haven’t even thought of it yet (il senso è “temo di non averci ancora pensato”).DIFERENZE TRA NEAR, CLOSE TO, NEXT TO E BESIDETutti significano “vicino in senso fisico” con la sottile differenza che:NEAR è usato nel senso “nei pressi di/non lontano da …”. Eg. I live near the park.CLOSE (che significa anche “chiuso”) indica altresì metaforicamente o in senso emotivo “l’essere vicino o intimo” a qualcuno o a qualcosa che gli è successa. Eg: Bob is a very close friend of mine. My friend Mark is already seventy years old and I’m close to his heels (tacchi/talloni, si legge “hiils”). Frase idiomatica il cui senso è: “io gli sono “vicino” perché anch’io sono prossimo a compiere 70 anni”.NEXT TO si usa, come rafforzativo di near, se la “vicinanza fisica” è tanto piccola che le persone o cose possono essere considerate tra loro “attaccate”. Eg. I sit next to him at the theater=teatro. (Notare il diverso modo di scrivere “teatro “ in: Americam English=“teatre” e in British English=“theater”. Lo stesso vale per “centro”=“centre” in Americam English e “center” in British English). N.B. The good English is “only one”, it doesn’t matter if it is American or British.BESIDE (si legge “bisaid”) significa “affianco”. Eg. The pub is located beside the …. .DIFFERENZA TRA THAN E THATEntrambi significano “che”, ma:THAN indica un paragone “rispetto a/in comparazione con” con un sostantivo confrontato con un altro mediante un comparativo di maggioranza, minoranza o uguaglianza. Eg: There are more onions (cipolle, si legge “anions”) than tomatoes (pomidori, di legge “tomatos”) in this sauce (salsa, si legge “sos”). She is smarter than him.THAT è una congiunzione spesso sopprimibile. Eg. He says (that) he loves me.DIFFERENZA TRA GOT E GOTTENEntrambi sono il participio passato del verbo to get e seguono il verbo to have, ma: GOT si usa quando ci si riferisce al “possesso”. Eg. I haven’t got any money. N.B. Più comunemente si dice: I don’t have any money.GOTTEN si usa quando assume il senso di “ottenuto/diventato”. Eg: She told us shehad gotten us (ottenuto per noi) tickets for the show. Bicycling has (NO “is”) gotten (diventato) vey popular.DIFFERENZA TRA WHILE, AS, WHEREAS E WHILSTTutti significano “mentre/quando”, ma:WHILE e AS si usano in senso temporale. Eg: I was thinking of you while sitting on the couch (divano, si legge “cauc”). As I was waiting for you, I received a call phone.WHILE (si legge “uail”) è di norma riferito al “tempo”. Eg. While I was at home the light went out. N.B. “while” significa anche “tempo”. Eg. For a while=per un po’.V.a. “IN A LITTLE WHILE/IN SHORT ORDER=in breve tempo/tra un momento/in quattro e quattrotto e A LONG WHILE=molto tempo fa”.WHEREAS (si legge “uer-as”) si usa per indicare un “confronto”. Eg. I love swimming, whereas Dan hates it.WHILST (si legge “uailst”) è di norma riferito a una “diversità”. Eg. Between my two brothers, the oldest is studious, whilst the youngest is lazy (pigro, si legge “leisi”).CHIEDERE L’ORA E SCRIVERE UNA DATAWhat time is it? = What’s the time? = che ore sono? Nelle risposte si usa: “O’clok” per indicare l’ora esatta. Eg. It’s two o’clock=sono le due in punto. “To” per indicare i minuti che mancano a una data ora. Eg. It’s ten to one=è l’una meno dieci. “Past” per indicare la frazione di mezz’ora all’ora successiva. Eg. It’s ten past on=è l’una e dieci. V.a. “QUARTER=quarto d’ora e HALF=mezz’ora”. In America le date si scrivono secondo il seguente ordine: mese, giorno, anno.DIFFERENZE TRA TO LOOK (AT), TO SEE E TO WATCHTutti significano “vedere/guardare”, ma:To look (at) è un verbo attivo da usare quando, per breve tempo, ci stiamo concentrando o prestiamo attenzione su qualcosa immobile o su qualcuno che cerchiamo attivamente di vedere. Eg: I have looked at your computer, it’s definitely broken. Look at my son, he is twelve months old and already walks. Se “to look at” è usato come imperativo e senza complemento oggetto, perde entrambe le preposizioni “to e at”. Eg. Look, it is snowing.To see (saw/seen) è un verbo passivo da usare quando ciò che vediamo ci balza all’occhio per breve tempo, anche se non prestiamo attenzione. Eg: I saw your brother in the supermarket yesterday. Did you see that car?N.B. To se somebody to … significa “accompagnare qualcuno da qualche parte. Eg: To see … to the door. To see … (SENZA “to”) home.To watch è simile a to look at, è un verbo attivo da usare per qualcosa che sta accadendo in tempi lunghi (es: una partita di tennis, un film e simili).Eg: Did you watch Wimbleton yesterday? I watched a good movie last night.Verbi simili sono: To stare at (fissare con lo sguardo, si legge “stear”). Eg: It’srude to stare (in senso generico senza “at”)=guardare fissamente (qualcuno,sot.so) è cattiva educazione.To glimpse at (dare un’occhiata, si legge glimps).E g. I glimpsed at him through the window as his car sped by=sfrecciava.TO DISCUSSSignifica avere un confronto, uno scambio di opinione in modo sereno (l’opposto è “to have an argument” (discussione/disputa/controversia). V.a.”IT IS BEYOND (SENZA “an”) ARGUMENT=è fuori discussione). To discuss è SEMPRE seguito dal complemento oggetto. Eg. They discussed the question (argomento/domanda).TO MAKE AN APPOINTMEN = fissare un appuntamentoDialogue between Mr. A and Mr. B:Mr. A: What day would suit you (ti farebbe comodo)?Mr. B: Monday or Tuesday.Mr. A: Let’s make it Monday (anche preceduto da “on”).Mr. B: That’s fine. What time?Mr. A: How (anche preceduto da “what”) about 11,30 a.m.Mr. B: Could we make it earlier?Mr. A: Yes but not before 11 o’clock please, bye-bye.ADDRESSCome sostantivo significa “indirizzo” (eg. May I have your home adress?) e anche “discorso” (eg. In his first commencement (avvio, si legge “comensiment”) address(or speech=discorso di apertura/inizio) the President himself (in persona) said … ).Come verbo significa “parlare/rivolgersi/dedicarsi” (eg. The dean (preside di Facoltà) addressed the students to welcome them.) e anche “occuparsi DI/lavorare SU” e “affrontare”. Eg: To address a problem. Organizations that address society’s issures =organizzazioni che si dedicano/occupano di questioni societarie.TO RAISE AND TO RISESono simili, ma:To raise (si legge “reis”) è regolare transitivo e significa “alzare/sollevare”.Eg. The company raised the prices.To rise (si legge “rais”)/rose/risen è intransitivo e significa “sorgere/crescere/ aumentare. Eg. Prices rose by..%. V.a. “TO RISE TO THE OCCASION/CHALLENGE=mo-strarsi all’altezza della situazione/delle sfide e TO RISE FROM THE RANKS (ranghi)=venire dalla gavetta (met.co)”.DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TO BRING, TO TAKE AND TO BEARThese three verbs mean “portare”, but:TO BRING (brought/brought) is used for a movement towards the asking person orhis place. Eg: He sometimes brings me a cake. Come to my house for … and bring abottle of wine please.TO TAKE (took/taken) is used for a movement away from the asking person or his place. Eg: Can you take this suit (abito sia per uomo che per donna; “dress=abito solo per donna”) to the cleaners (pulitori, si legge “cliners”, nel senso “lavanderia”) for me? You can take a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.TO BEAR (bore/borne) means “(tras)portare” (e anche “partorire”). Eg. He bore a heavy load (si legge “loud”)=un grosso peso.ESEMPI CON IL VERBO TO TAKE E I SUOI PIU COMUNI E DIVERSI SIGNIFICATI- How long does it take to get to Paris?=quanto tempo ci vuole per arrivare a Parigi?- It didn’t take me long to learn to … = non ci ho messo molto per imparare a … .- I took my sister to the airport = ho accompagnato mia sorella all’areroporto.(l’opposto è “I picked her up to the airport = ho preso mia sorella all’areroporto”).- Have you taken your medicine? = hai preso la tua medicina?- When are you taking your exame? = quando sosterrai l’esame?- I’ll take the children to school = i bambini li porterò io a scuola.- Take the M5 for Birmingham = prendi l’autostrada M5 per Birmingham.- To take the bull BY the horns = prendere il bue PER/dalle le corna (met.co).AGGETTIVI CHE DIVENTANO SOSTANTIVI E AVVERBIAlcuni aggettivi possono essere usati come sostantivi per indicare un’intera categoria di persone. Si traducono al plurale, ma si scrivono al sigolare (NON prendono MAI la “s”), sono preceduti dall’articolo “the” e seguiti dal verbo al plurale (eg. The rich aren’t always happier than the poor).I più comuni sono: The rich, the poor, the strong, the weak, the blind, the deaf, the sick, the injured, the hungry, the disabled, the young, the elderly, the homeless, the unemployed. Un aggettivo diventa avverbio con l’aggiunta del suffisso “ly” (eg: cheap-cheaply; quick-qickly; slow-slowly) salvo per le seguenti eccezioni. Gli aggettivi che terminano in “y” la cambiano in “i” (eg: easy-easisly; angry-angrily; happy-happily; lucky-luchily). Quelli che terminano in “able”, “ible” e “le” cambiano la “e” in “y” (eg: problabe-probably; terrible-terribly; gentle-gently).Ad eccezione di public-publicly, gli aggettivi che terminano in “ic” la cambiano in “ally” (eg: basic-basically; tragic-tradically; economic-economically). Alcuni avverbi mantengono la stessa forma del corrispondente aggettivo (eg: early, fast, hard, high, late, near, straight, wrong).LA DURATA DI UN’AZIONESi esprime come nel seguente esempio: We’ve been traveling for two hours=sono due ore che viaggiamo. Per chiedere in termini “positivi” da quanto tempo dura un’azione si porge la domanda con “how long”. Eg.How long have you been studying English?.Se detta domanda è posta in termini “negativi” è ERRATO dire “how long haven’t you …”, ma si usa la seguente costruzione “how long since + soggetto + simple past (eg: How long since you had a haircut?=da quanto non ti tagli i capelli? How long since you played tennis=da quanto non giochi a tennis).IL DOPPIO FUTURO IN INGLESESe nella frase italiana ci sono due futuri di cui uno nella proposizione “principale” (che ha un senso compiuto anche senza il resto della frase) e l’altro in quella “subordinata” (che non può reggersi da sola) introdotta da una delle seguenti congiunzioni temporali, la traduzione in inglese prevede l’uso del futuro per il verbo della proposizione “principale” e del presente o del passato prossimo per quella “subordinata”. Le congiunzioni temporali che precedono detti tempi sono:IF = seUNLESS = a meno che, se nonWHEN = quandoAFTER = dopoAS LONG AS = finchèBEFORE = primaUNTIL or TILL = fino a, finchè ONCE = una volta cheAS SOON AS = non appenaNEX TIME = la prossima volta.Eg: I’ll go for a walk when it stops (simple present) raining. I won’t go out until it has stopped (present perfect) snowing. If I have (NO “had”) enough money, I will go to the States. You will not (wont) go untill you have spoken to him=non te ne andrai finchè non gli hai parlato. I will/shall be home before it rains=sarò a casa prima che pioverà. I will speak to him as soon as I see him=gli parlerò non appena lo vedrò.USE OF “ELSE”Look at this dialogue between two people, Mark (M) and John (J):M: Good morning, John. Are you coming to the meeting this afternoon?J: Yes, I think so.Is anybody else coming?M: Yes, Sheryl and Chris will be there too.J: boss told me that I had to invite everyone from this floor. Have I forgottenanyone else?M: No, that’s everyone. What else did the boss tell you?J:Nothing else except that I should contact him if something else goes wrong.Let’s look at these three rules on the word “else”:1° “Else” can mean “other” or “more” after the following words: somebody/ someone/something/somewhere/anybody/anyone/anything/anywhere andeverybody/everyone/everything/everywhere/nobody/no one/nothing/nowhere.2° “Else” comes directly after the word and modifies it. Eg. Anything else.3° “Else” can also mean “more” after words like: who/what/why/when/ where/ how/whoever/whatever etc. Eg: Apart from sugar, butter and eggs, what else do you need to make a cake? Who else shall we invite to the wedding?TO WORK OUTThis verb has the following different meaning:1 - to resolve = risolvere/trovare la soluzione. Eg.Ted worked out a difficult chemistry problem.2 - to succeed = andare a buon fine. Eg. Your plan won’t work out.3 - to prove effective = provare l‘efficacia. Eg. I don’t like your plan, you need to go back to the drawing board (tavolo da disegno) and work out a new plan.4 - to endure/to last = durare. Eg. In my opinion this marriage won’t work out.5 - to exercise = allenarsi. Eg.After working out at the gym everyone is tired.To work out è’ un comune verbo composto che assume i seguenti significati:- Concludersi. Eg.I know how that worked out=so come è andata a finire (anche sarc.co).- Elaborare/Progettare. Eg.They appointed a committee to work out a new plan=hanno incaricato un comitato per elaborare un nuovo progetto.- Calcolare. Eg. I have worked out my share of the expenses=ho calcolato la mia quota di spese.- Risolvere/Sistemare. Eg. Don’t worry, I’m sure things will work out fine in the end=non ti preoccupare, le cose alla fine si stimeranno bene.- Decifrare/Essere convincente. Eg:- He is able to work out a code=è capace a decifrare un codice.- This sum doesn’t work out=questa somma non torna/ non mi convince.DIFFERENZE TRA FROM E BYEntrambi significano “da”, ma:FROM indica:CAUSA (es. stanco per troppo lavoro=I’m tired from too much work), composizione (es. il pane è fatto dalla farina=Bread is made from flour), impedimento o proibizione (es.i pulmann non possono entrare in città = Coaches (autovetture, si legge “coucis”) are banned from entering the town). DIFFERENZA (es. non distinguo l'uno dall'altro=I can't tell (or distinguish) one from the other).PROVENIENZA (es. from Paris), traduzione (es. dall’italiano in inglese=from Italian into English) punto di partenza anche temporale (es. from here/ yesterday). V.a. “TO GO BACK TO SQUARE ONE=ricominciare daccapo”. Eg. If our offer isn’t accepted, we’ll have to go back to square one.BY indica: agente (es. fatto da lui=made by him), mezzo (es. con il treno=by(SENZA “the”) train), vicinanza (es. accanto la finestra=by the window), metodo (es. prenotare per telefono=to book by phone) autore (es. a poem by Byron), entro una data (es. pronto entro martedì=ready by Tuesday), quantità (es. venduto a dozzina=sold by the dozen), nelle moltiplicazioni/ divisioni (es. moltiplicato/diviso 4=multiplied/divided by 4), esclamazione (es. By God!=Oh Dio!). V.a. “GOD WILLING=se Dio vuole/volesse Iddio”.WOULD + INFINITOIndica un’abitudine del passato simile a “used to + infinito”. Eg. When I was a childwe would go on holiday/vacation to the seaside=Quando ero bambino andavamo in vacanza al mare. V.a. “CHILDHOOD MEMORIES=ricordi d’infanzia.DIFFERENZE TRA AT IN E ONAT si usa per indicare un luogo generico in genere piccolo (eg. At home/school e anche “at work”, tutti SENZA “the”), un indirizzo (eg. He lives at 16 Overlook Avenue, SEMPRE maiuscola), in alcune espressioni di tempo (eg: At lunchtime/at night/at the end of/at the weekend/at the moment), in quelle che indicano l’ora (eg. The lesson is at ten o’clok) e con i nomi di festività/manifestazioni/ricorrenze (eg: At Chistmas/at boat show/at my birthday party).IN si usa per indicare un luogo generico in genere grande (eg. He lives in the States), una cosa dentro un’altra (eg. The book is in the second drawer=cassetto, si legge “droor”) e con riferimento a un mese/anno/stagione/tempo di attesa (eg: The new semester will start in March. Lunch is (“ready” è sottinteso) in five minutes).ON si usa per indicare date e gioni (eg: He was born on the 14th of June of 2019. I’llarrive on Friday), una parte del corpo (eg. He kissed me on my cheek=guancia) e percomunicare che una cosa è sopra un’altra (eg. The paper is on my desk=scrivania). ABBREVETIONS INITIALS AND QUOTATION MARKSAcronyms and Initials (acronomi e iniziali, si legge eniscials”). An abbreviation, simply put (in poche parole), is a shortened form of a word. In writing, abbreviations are useful when you need to squeeze a lot of writing into a small space. You can also use them in place of long or cumbersome (ingombrante) phrases to make your sentences easier to read. One thing to remember about abbreviations is that certain ones are considered informal. If you are writing something very formal, it’s better to spell things out. The other thing to remember is that some readers may not know what an abbreviation means. If the abbreviation is obscure or unfamiliar, make sure to explain what it means the first time you use it. Abbreviations come in a few different varieties. Both acronyms and initials are abbreviations that are formed by combining the first letter of each word in a longer name or phrase. Typically, acronyms and initials are written in all capital letters (lettere maiuscole) to distinguish them from ordinary words.An acronym is pronounced as a single word, rather than as a series of letters.NASA, for instance, is an acronym, it stands for?“National?Aeronautics and?Space Administration”, as this an acronym can become so commonplace (luogo commune) that it evolves into an ordinary word that people no longer think of as an acronym.Initials are similar to acronyms in that they are also formed using the first letter ofeach word in a longer phrase. Unlike acronyms, however, initials are pronounced as a series of letters. NFL?(National Football League), for example, is pronounced?en-eff-ell. If you need to use an?indefinite article?before an acronym or initials, use the initial?sound?of the word (not necessarily the initial letter) guide your choice. Internet slang often takes the form of initials. Eg: LOL (Lot Of Laughs), IDK (I Don’tKnow), IMO (In My Opinion) and BRB (Be Right Back). Although this type of slang isn’t appropriate for important correspondence like emails to your professor or colleagues, or in online comments when you want to be taken seriously, it can be handy (comodo/a portata di mano) for informal online chatting. Abbreviations for Courtesy Titles and Academic Degrees. Titles such as?Mister, Miss,?and?Doctor, as well as the names of academic degrees such as Bachelor of arts?and?Doctor of philosophy?are almost always abbreviated. In American English, title abbreviations are followed by a period (punto/periodo); in British English, the period is omitted. The most common title abbreviations include: Mr. = Mister (Sig.). Ms. = (Sig.ra/Sig.na, pronounced “miss”. Come per Mr. anche Ms. volutamente non indica se una donna è nubile o sposata). Mrs.=Mistress (compagna). Sr.=Senior. Jr.= Junior. Dr.=Doctor. The most common academic degree abbreviations include: B.S.= Bachelor of Science. B.A.=Bachelor of Arts. M.A.=Master of Arts. M.B.A.=Master of Business Administration. Ph.D.=Doctor of Philosophy. The periods (punti) are optional with abbreviations of academic degrees. When an academic degree is used like a title, it follows a person’s name and is set off (evidenziato) by commas (virgole). Eg. Ms. Beagle, Ph.D., runs the economics course at Stanford University.Latin Abbreviations.There is a small handful (manciata) of abbreviations for Latin terms that are used (and misused) frequently in English writing. Use periods with these abbreviations. Eg. Exempli gratia. It means “for example.” Use e.g. when you want to provide specific examples of a generalization. Eg. We expect?volunteers from many surrounding cities, (e.g., Springfield, Oakdale, Hogsmeade.). I.e. = id est. It means “that is.” Use i.e. when you want to provide more specific information about something you mentioned. Eg. After a reasonable amount of time has passed - i.e. two business days - please report the missing shipment to our customer service department. Etc. = et cetera. It means “and so forth.” Use it when you’re providing a partial list of details. Eg. You should see the doctor when you have flu-like symptoms (fever, chills (brividi, si legge “cils”), etc.).Other Common Abbreviations. Below are a few other abbreviations that are common in English. Remember that abbreviations are not always completely standardized. One style guide may advise you to abbreviate Thursday?as?Thurs.?while another may argue for?Thu.?Likewise (allo stesso modo), some style guides allow you to omit the periods with these abbreviations, but it’s never wrong to include periods. So if you aren’t sure whether to use the periods, it’s better to use them.ABBREVIAZIONI DI USO FREQUENTECEO=CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER=Amm.re delegato; I GOTTA…=I HAVE GOT TO…; CUZ =BECAUSE; YOU WANNA…=YOU WANT TO…; YOU’RE GONNA…=YOU ARE GOING TO…; I WOULDA=I WOULD HAVE; YOU HAFTA…=YOU HAVE TO…; AKA=AS KNOWN AS; I DUNNO=I DON’T KNOW; KINDA=KIND OF; BUD=la birra BUDWEISER; BRB=BE RIGHT BACK (torno subito); GTG=GOT TO GO (devo andare subito); IT=Information Technology; ID=Identification Document; IQ=Inteligence Quotient.Gli?acronimi?e le?sigle?sono formati dalle iniziali delle parole che compongono l’espressione abbreviata. Vengono scritti interamente con lettere maiuscole senza punti, per poterle distinguere meglio dalle altre parole del testo. Esiste però una sottile differenza tra un acronimo e una sigla: l’acronimo viene pronunciato come se fosse una parola unica, mentre la sigla viene letta come una sequenza di lettere singole. Per esempio la parola NASA è un acronimo (si legge “NASA”), mentre NFL è una sigla (si legge?en-eff-ell). Times and dates: a.m. (ante meridiem) = before noon, p.m. (post meridiem) = after noon. Eg. The mall opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m. Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., May, Jun., Jul., Aug., Sep., Oct., Nov., Dec. Eg. I was born on Nov. 6, 1980. Mon., Tues., Wed., Thurs., Fri., Sat,, Sun. Eg. The class will run Mon.-Fri. next week. Places: U.S. (United States). U.K. (United Kingdom). E.U. (European Union). U.A.E. (United Arab Emirates). Common units of measurement: in.=inches; ft.=feet; lbs.=pounds.Quotation marks (virgolette) are used to identify words that someone has said. You’ll often find them in fiction (narrativa), where they signify?dialogue and the words spoken by the characters. In newspapers, journalists use quotation marks to signify that something is a direct quote (citazione, si legge “quout”) from a person in the article. In academic papers, quotation marks can signify that you are quoting material that was written by someone else. Quotation marks always come in pairs; the first set opens the quote and the second set closes the quote. American English and British English differ in the way they use quotation marks. American English uses double quotation marks (“ ”) for quotes and reserves single quotation marks (‘ ’) for quotes within quotes. In British English, the convention is the opposite. Another difference is that in American English, periods and commas (periodi e virgole) go before closing quotation marks. In British English, they go after (seguono) the closing quotation mark. The guidelines (istruzioni) below apply to (siriferisono a) American English.When writers become confused about quotation marks, it usually has to do with where to put other nearby punctuation (punteggiatura vicina). Below is an example of a conversation between two characters, with their dialogue correctly punctuated.Martin said, “I’m going over to Jennifer’s house for a few hours.”“You can’t be serious!” cried Fauntleroy.“Oh, but I am.” Martin replied.“How will you get there?” Fauntleroy asked.“I thought I’d take the bus.”“And,” Fauntleroy continued, “exactly how long is ‘a few hours’?”“Probably two or three.”“Well . . . fine. Tell Jennifer I said hello.”In the first sentence, Martin makes a declarative statement that ends in a period.?The period goes inside the quotation marks. Treat anything within quotation marks as separate from the rest of the sentence you’ve written, and make sure it has its own correct punctuation. If the quote is a full sentence, it must begin with a capital letter, even though it is within the larger structure of another sentence. The second sentence begins a new paragraph because a different character is speaking. Fauntleroy responds with an outburst (sfogo), ending with an exclamation mark (V.a. “TO MARK=commemorare). When an exclamation mark belongs to the sentence inside the quotation marks, it goes before the closing quotation mark. In the third sentence, Martin is making another declarative statement. This time, however, the statement is followed by the dialogue tag (etichetta)?Martin replied. In dialogue, when a sentence that would normally end in a period is followed by a dialogue tag, the period becomes a comma. It should go before the closing quotation mark. In the fourth sentence, Fauntleroy’s query (domanda) ends with a question mark. As with exclamation marks,?a question mark goes before the closing quotation mark when it belongs to the sentence inside the quotation marks. In the fifth sentence, Martin is speaking, but there is no dialogue tag. Writers often omit dialogue tags when the context of a conversation makes it clear who the speaker is. In the sixth sentence, the dialogue tag?Fauntleroy continued appears in the middle of Fauntleroy’s sentence. Notice the placement of the commas after?And?and?continued; commas go before quotation marks. This sentence also contains a quote within a quote, which is enclosed (chiuso, si legge “inclosd”) with single quotation marks. Fauntleroy is repeating Martin’s words?a few hours. The final two sentences of the conversation also omit the dialogue tags, because it’s clear which character is speaking in both instances (si legge “instinsis”. Eg. AT istance of … = SU richiesta di … .).Non-Dialogue Quotations. In nonfiction (saggistica) or academic contexts, you may want to quote someone without styling it as dialogue. The same rules for where to put other punctuation in relation to the quotation marks apply. But you should also take care to construct your sentence so that the quoted words fit within it grammatically. Eg: The mayor (sindaco, si legge “meer”, diverso da “major=maggiore che si legge “meigiar”) said his two golden retrievers (cani da riporto, si legge “ritrivers”) were “the best dogs in the world” and added that he was not a cat person.The mayor said his two golden retrievers were “the best dogs in the world. I’m not a cat person”.In the second example, the sentence begins in the third person and past tense but abruptly (improvvisamente, si legge”abraptli”) switches to the first person and present tense halfway through the quote. The result is jarring (stridente) for the reader, and sometimes hard to follow.Scare Quotes. Occasionally, writers enclose certain terms they wish to distance themselves from in quotation marks. Quotation marks used this way are commonly called scare (spavento, si legge “schear”) quotes (let. virgolette della paura con il significati di “cosiddetto=SO-CALLED”) or shudder (brivido, si legge “sciadar”) quotes. It’s a way of implying that you’re using a term in an unusual way or that you don’t necessarily approve of it. For example: Silicon Valley has fully embraced (abbracciato) the “sharing economy.” The quotes around?sharing economy?suggest that it’s not a fully accepted term. Perhaps the writer feels that it’s?jargon (gergo) or just doesn’t like it. But, unless (salvo che) you’re writing for an audience who is totally unfamiliar with the subject, it’s better to leave the quotation marks out and instead provide enough context to make the meaning of the term clear. Overusing scare quotes will quickly annoy readers, so reserve them for terms that truly require?them. For example: For too many people, “computer security” is an oxymoron (ossimoro =unione di due termini contradittori). In the sentence above, the scare quotes are needed to indicate that the writer is not talking about computer security in general, but rather the term itself. Because scare quotes usually suggest a sniff (annusata) of disapproval or sarcasm from the writer, you should never use them purely for emphasis or decoration. A sign outside a restaurant that proclaims?Best “Flapjacks (frittelle)” in Town?will make people stop and wonder why the flapjacks need the scare quotes. Are they really flapjacks? Or are they some kind of inferior imitation? Likewise (allo stesso modo), if you write someone a note that says I “love” you, the recipient (desinatario, si legge “risìpient”) will probably assume that you meant the exact opposite!FALSI AMICI = FALSE FRIENDSSono quelle parole che hanno un significato reale diverso da quello che sembra.ACTUALLY = in realtà, effettivamente, veramente NO attualmente = at present.ADVENT = fatto nuovo, venuta di Cristo NO evento = event.ADVERSE = avverso, contrario NO diverso = different.AMATEUR = dilettante NO amante = lover.APE = scimmia (to ape=imitare, scimmiottare) NO ape = bee.ARGUMENT = discussione NO argomento = topic, item, subject.ATTITUDE = atteggiamento NO attitudine = aptitude = abilità.BAR = sbarra, tribunale, avvocatura NO bar = pub, coffee shopBARE = NAKED = nudo, scoperto (to bare=denudare, scoprire) NO bare = coffins.CANE = canna, bastone da passeggio, mazza NO cane = dog.CODE=codice/cifrario NO code (di animale)=tails, o code di persone=queue, ICS = fumetti (per bambini) NO comici (attori) = comic actors.CONFETTI = coriandolo/i NO confetti = sweets = dolci, dolciumi.CONFIDENT=sicuro di se/fiducioso NO confidente=confiding (agg.)/confident (sost.).CONSOLE = quadro di comando, unità periferica NO console (diplomatico) = consul.CONVENIENT = utile (che fa comodo) NO conveniente = cheap/good value.DOVE=colomba NO dove=where. Dove (slang) part.pass di to dive(regolare)=tuffarsi.EDUCATION = formazione culturale NO educazione=good manners=buone maniere.EFFECTIVELY = efficacemente NO effettivamente = actually, really.ESTATE = tenuta (real estate=proprietà immobiliare) NO estate = summer.EVENTUALLY = alla fine, in fin dei conti, infine NO eventualmente = possibly, in case.FACTORY = fabbrica, stabilimento NO fattoria = farm, ranch.FAME = fama, notorietà NO fame = hunger.FARE/RATE) = prezzo del biglietto NO fare = to do, did, done; to make, made, made.FATE = fato, destino = destiny NO fata/e = fairy/fairies; as sure as fate = certissimo.FINE = bello (I am fine=sto bene NO sono bello), multa NO fine/sottile= thin=magro.LIBRARY = biblioteca NO libreria = bookshop (negozio)/bookcase (mobile).LURID = sensazionale NO lurido/sudicio = foul (si legge “faul”).MALE = maschio, maschile E NON male (malattia) = diseaseMARE = giumenta NO mare = sea.MASS = messa NO masso = big stone, block.MISERABLE = triste, molto infelice NO miserabile = pauper = indigente.MOMENTUM = impeto, slancio NO momento = moment, instant.NOTICE = preavviso NO notizia = news; bad news = rottura di scatole.PACE = passo, andatura NO pace = peace; to pace = percorrere/camminare.PANE = lastra di vetro, faccia di dado NO pane = bread.PER = a (es. per person=a testa) NO per = for.PURE = puro, genuino, naturale NO pure/anche = also, too.RAPE = stupro (to rape=stuprare/violentare) NO rapa/e = turnip/s.RECOVERY = guarigione NO ricovero = refuge.REST = riposo NO resto o rimanenza = change.RUDE = maleducato E NON rude = rough = (terreno) accidentato/(mare) mosso.SALE = vendita NO sale = salt; nei negozi si legge on sale=vedita (a prezzi scontati).SCHOLAR = erudito, studioso, docente NO scolaro = pupil.SOLE = pianta del piede, suola, sogliola NO sole = sun.STALL = chiosco, edicola, bancarella NO stalla = stable = scuderia.STANZA = strofa (es. di poesia) NO stanza = room = spazio.STRANGER=estraneo, sconosciuto NO straniero=foreigner.SUGGESTION =suggerimento NO suggestione = awe (to overawe=suggestionare).TALE = storia, racconto, novella NO tale = such.TO ASSUME = assumere il commando/potere NO assumere qualcuno = to take on.TO DARE = osare NO dare = to give, gave, given.TO IMPRESS = colpire favorevolmente, imprimere NO impressionare = to upset.TO PRETEND = fingere, simulare, fare finta E NON pretendere = to claim = reclamare.TO STARE = fissare con gli occhi NO stare = to be, ecc.TRIVIAL = insignificante, senza valore NO triviale = vulgar.TRUCE = tregua, armistizio NO truce = cruel, fierce, grim.DIFFERENZA TRA TO REMEMBER TO REMIND E TO RECALL.These three verbs mean “ricordare”, but they are slightly (leggermente) different. In fact, “to remember” is intransitive and is the equivalent of “ricordarsi”, it is used when someone remembers something (or remembers to do something) without any help. For example: “I remembered to go to the doctor”, which means “Mi sono ricordato di andare dal dottore”. To remember seguito da “to + verbo” ha il significato di eseguire un compito. Eg. Did you remember to buy the milk? Invece, sedetto verbo è seguito da un altro nella forma “ing”, significa ricordarsi di avere fatto una cosa nel passato. Eg. I remember going (quando andai) to my first dance. The verb “to remind”, on the other hand, is transitive and is the equivalent of “ricordare”; for example: “My wife reminded me to go to the doctor” which means “Mia moglie mi ha ricordato di andare dal dottore”. In generale “to remember” (ricordare a se stessi) indica l’azione di ricordare direttamente alle nostre memorie, mentre “to remind” (ricordare ad altri) indica l’azione di associare qualcosa o qualcuno a una memoria del passato (V.a. “TO PINPOINT=ricordare/individuare perfettamente).Un verbo simile ai precedenti è “to recall” che significa “ricordare nel senso di rievocare alla memoria” e si usa per parlare di un dettaglio del nostro ricordo riportato alla memoria da qualcosa o qualcuno. Eg. When I saw that picture, I suddenly recalled my excitement of the time when Julia and I were going to a summer trip=Quando vidi quella foto ho improvvisamente ricordato l’eccitazione di quella volta che Giulia ed io andammo in gita estiva.VERBI INGLESI PER I QUALI LA TRADUZIONE IN ITALIANO PREVEDE L’AGGIUNTA DI UNA PREPOSIZIONE- TO ABUSE = abusare DI/DELLA (eg. my generosity/patience).- TO ADDRESS = parlare/rivolgersi A/occuparsi DI/lavorare SU.- TO ADVISE = consigliare A.- TO ADVOCATE (difendere/perorare, si legge “àdvocheit”) = essere a favore DI.- TO AFFECT = avere effetto SU.- TO ALLOW = consentire A.- TO ANSWER = rispondere A = TO RESPOND TO- TO ASK = chiedere A.- TO ATTEND = assistere/partecipare A, avere cura DI.- TO AVOID + ger.dio = evitare DI.- TO BAR (ostacolo/sbarra sost.vo) = impedire A.Eg. To bar someone from doing something.- TO BELIEVE + nome (Mary) o pronome (her) = credere/avere fiducia IN.Eg. “We believe IN God = In God we trust”. This famous motto appeared for the first time in the USA on a 2-cent coin in 1864.- TO BEAT (beat/beaten) THE HELL OUT = TO BEAT UP = suonarle di santa ragione A.- TO BOARD = imbarcarsi/salire SU (eg: plane/train etc.). V.a. “BOARDING (imbarco) PASS=carta d’imbarco”.- TO BORDER = confinare CON/delimitare/fiancheggiare.- TO CALL/PHONE = telefonare A.- TO CLING/CLUNG/CLUNG = attaccarsi/aggrapparsi A.- TO COMMISSION = commissionare A/incaricare.- TO CONFER = concedere A.- TO CONGRATULATE = congratularsi CON.- TO COPE = far fronte A (nel senso”lottare contro”). Eg: I can’t cope any more=non ce la faccio più. Will you be able to cope (cavarsela)?=sarai capace/pensi di farcela?- TO CRAWL (si legge “crol”) = strisciare/andare carponi PER … (indicare il percorso).- TO DONATE (si legge “dòneit”) = donare A.- TO DOUBT = dubitare DI. Eg: I doubt it=ne dubito. I don’t doubt Bob’s sincerity.- TO EMAIL = inviare un’e-mail A.- TO ENTER = entrare IN (un ambiente)/partecipare A (un evento).- TO EQUAL = essere uguale A.- TO FIRE = sparare CON. Eg. To fire a gun=sparare CON un’arma da fuoco.- TO FLIP/FLIPPED/FLIPPED = dare un colpetto/buffetto A.- TO FORBEAR/FORBORE/FORBORNE=astenersi DA/fare a meno DI=to dispense with.- TO FORBID/FORBADE/FORBIDDEN or TO PROHIBID = vietare/proibire A.- TO FORGO/FORWENT/FORGONE = rinunciare A/privarsi DI.- TO GIVE/GAVE/GIVEN = dare A.- TO GRANT = assegnare/concedere A.- TO JOIN = unirsi/partecipare A/diventare membro DI. Eg. Would you like to join us?- TO LACK = difettare/mancare/scarseggiare/essere privo DI.- TO LIVE OFF = vivere alle spalle/a spese DI. V.a. “WANNABE (combinazione di wantto be)=arrivista e chi fa finta di essere un personaggio celebre.- TO LOOK OUT = guardare fuori DA.Eg.I was looking out a window=guardavo fuori DA una finestra).- TO OFFER = offrire A.- TO ORDER = dare un ordine A (to order ha anche il significato di “mettere in ordine”).- TO OUTGROW/OUTGREW/OUTGROWN = crescere più DI.- TO OUTLIVE = sopravvivere A (l’altrui morte. Eg. To outlive one’s parents).- TO OUTPERFORM=rendere/lavorare meglio DI. L’opposto è “TO UNDERPERFORM”.- TO OVERCHARGE = fare pagare un prezzo troppo alto A.- TO OVERHANG/OVERHUNG/OVERHUNG = sorgere SU.- TO OWE = essere in debito DI (nel senso di “dovere”).- TO MATCH = competere/armonizzare/intonarsi CON.- TO PERMIT = permettere A.- TO PLAY = giocare A.- TO PRETEND = fare finta/avere la pretesa Di + inf.to con “to”.- TO PREVENT = impedire A.- TO PROVIDE = fornire A. V.a. “PROVIDE WITH …= fornito/a DI …” . - TO RECALL = ricordarsi DI.- TO RELAY/RELAID/RELAID = dare il cambio/trasmettere A.- TO RESEARCH = fare ricerche/documentarsi SU.- TO RESEMBLE = assomigliare A = TO LOOK LIKE = avere l’aspetto Di.- TO RIVAL = competere CON.- TO SAVE = risparmiare SU.- TO SEND/SENT/SENT = inviare/spedire A.- TO SURVIVE = sopravvivere A (una calamità. Eg. To survive a fire).- TO TALK = parlare/discutere DI (eg. politics).- TO TARGET = rivolgere(rsi)/indirizzare A.- TO TEACH/TAUGHT/TAUGHT = insegnare A.- TO TELEPHONE/PHONE = telefonare A.- TO TELL/TOLD/TOLD = raccontare/riferire A.- TO TOAST = bere alla salute DI.- TO TREASURE (si legge “tregiar”) = fare tesoro DI.- TO TRUST = fidarsi DI = TO RELY (fare assegnamento, si legge “rilai”) ON.- TO UNDERLIE /UNDERLAY/UNDERLAIN = stare alla base DI (at the core of).- TO WANDER (si legge “uander”) = vagare PER (eg. the woods=i boschi).V.a. “TO WANDER AWAY = smarrirsi”.- TO WISH = augurare A.SOME ENGLISH AND AMERICAN POP SLANG AND TABOO“Pop” è la forma abbreviata di popular (popolare) che comprende espressioni informali di largo uso non sempre accettate nella prosa di buon livello. “Slang” è una micro lingua originariamente usata nel solo ambiente criminale; oggi è in continua trasformazione perché al passo con i tempi. “Taboo” (tabù) è un termine di origine polinesiana indicante ciò che era vietato dalla religione; oggi qualifica tutto quanto è proibito dalle convenzioni sociali.Alcuni dei più comuni tra i suindicati modi di esprimersi sono:ACCADEMY (let. accademia) usato anche per indicare un “brothel=bordello/casa di tolleranza=accomodation house.AFRO-AMERICAN=persona di colore=Backs. MAI usare il termine offensivo “negro”.ALPHONSE=Alfonso. E’ un soprannome di origine britannica dato ai “magnacci”.Ass (let. asino) = persona stupida. E’ usato in espressioni volgari come: My ass! =Balls (palle/testicoli, si legge “bols”)=non ci credo! To be on one’s ass (let. essere sul… sedere) = essere depressi/ubriachi. Ass-kisser (da to kiss=baciare) o Ass-licker (da to lick=leccare) = leccaculo.BASTRICH = persona indegna. E’ la combinazione tra “bastard=bastardo” e “bitch= prostituta=dog”. Negli USA “bitch” indica anche la regina nel gioco degli scacchi.BEAM=fagiolo. E’ anche usato come esclamazione meno forte di Damn=dannazione!BENT (da to bend/bent/bent=piegare)=corrotto/disonesto e anche “omosessuale”.BOOBY/BOOB (dal latino “balbus=balbuziente”) = persona volgare e stupida. I plurali “boobs, boobies e cups (tazze)” sono sinonimi di breasts (si legge “brests”)=seni.BOOT = stivale (si legge “but”) è usato per le seguenti più comuni frasi idiomatiche:To bet (bet/bet=scommettere) one’s boot = essere certo di qualcosa. To die with one’s boots on = morire nel pieno delle proprie forze. To put the boot in = (ri)girare il dito nella piaga. To get the boot = essere licienzato. Boot hill = collina degli stivali è un termine del West degli USA che indica “cimitero” perché le persone morte per incontri a fuoco indossavano gli stivali.BOY = ragazzo. E’ usato come esclamaziome (Oh Boy!) che mostra sorpresa, piacere e/o disapprovazione.BRA è l’abbreviazione slang dell’obsoleto “brassiere = reggiseno”.BRICK = mattone, indica anche “una persona affidabile e di buon cuore”. E’ usato nelle seguenti espressioni idiomatiche: To drop a brick (let. fare cadere un mattone=fare un’osservazione non appropriata/una gaffe. Like a ton of bricks (let. come unatonnellata di mattoni)=severamente/con determinazione.BROTHER = fratello. E’ usato come esclamaziome che mostra stupore/disgusto.BULL = toro, se è unito a “shit=merda” diventa “bullshit=sciocchezze/cazzate”.BUM = panino dolce (si legge “bam”, al pl.re “bums=sedere=butt”). V.a. “Buttocks (ocks=greggi) of a woman, o solo “cake (torta)”=sedere di donna (a mandolino)”. L’idioma “to have a bun in the oven (let. avere un panino al forno) = essere incinta”.CHICKEN=pollo, indica anche “un codardo/pavido o una persona giovane inesperta”.COCK = gallo, con l’omonimo “dick” significa “cazzo”, ma come abr.ne di “detective” dick significa “investigatore”. Dick-head è la volgare traduzione di “testa di cazzo”.COOKIE è sinonimo di “biscuit=biscotto” e indica anche “una ragazza carina”.COP (da copper=rame) è lo slang in sostituzione di “policeman=poliziotto”.DAD/DADDY = papà. E’ usato per indicare “il migliore di tutti=the dad of them all”.DEAL=affare/transazione, da to deal/dealt/dealt=fare affari e ,come slang, spacciare. L’espressione sarcastica “big deal=bell’affare” esprime scarso interesse o delusione.DIG = vangata, da to dig/dug/dug=scavare e anche (negli USA) “sgobbare”.DRAG= zavorra (da to drag=trascinare). Negli USA “drag rase” è la corsa a chi parteper primo allo scattare del semaforo verde. Drag è anche usato nella frase informale: Can I have a drag from your cigarette?=mi fai fare un tiro?DROP=goccia (da to drop=(fare) cadere). Pessima l’espressione “drop dead=crepa”!(to) EAT/ate/eaten=mangiare e, come tabù, “fare sesso orale”. Il volgare “eat it= (ma) vai a quel paese=eat shit!”.FART = scoreggia e, come slang, “persona senza valore”.FINK = crumiro/informatore. V.a. “To fink on=informare la polizia”.FOOT = piede, se usato cone verbo to foot=fottere=to fuck=to screw=avvitare. Negli USA il dispregiativo “Flatfoot (piedi piatti)=poliziotto/i”.FOX = volpe. Come sost.vo o agg.vo (foxy) = una persona sessualmente attraente.(to) GIVE/gave/given=dare. Famosa l’espressione finale del film Via col vento “Frankly I don’t give a damn=francamente me ne infischio”. Negli USA se in un ristorante/tavola calda il cameriere chiede “For here or to go?” vuole sapere se l’odinazione deve essere consumata nello stesso locale o portata a casa.GROSS = grossolano/volgare, da cui “It’s gross=fa schifo”.GUY = fune/catena (si legge “ghai”). Diffuso negli USA come “uomo/ragazzo”.HICKY (si legge “hichi”) termine riferito a un oggetto di cui non ricorda il nome, traducibile con “coso/affare”. E’ anche il segno lasciato da un “bacio a succhiotto”.HOOK = gancio, da cui: To be on the hook=essere in attesa/in una situazione difficile e hooker (slang)=adescatore/prostituta.HOW = come. L’espressione “How are you doing?=come (ti) va?” è così diffusa da essere usata anche verso chi si è appena conosciuto.JERK come verbo = muoversi spasmodicamente e, come tabù, = masturbarsi.JUICE = succo (si legge “gius”). Come slang è una qualunque “bevanda alcolica” diversa dalla birra. L’agg.vo “Juicy=seducente/investimento che dà buoni risultati”.JUNKS = rifiuti/oggetti di scarso valore e, come slang, = sciocchezze/stupidaggini.KID = capretto, usato negli USA come sinonimo di “child (si legge “ciaild) = bimbo”.KOSHER (si legge “còscar”) termine diffuso soprattutto a New York che significa “conforme alle norme alimentari della religione ebraica”.(to) LAY/laid/laid=giacere/coricarsi. Nello slang tabù = avere un rapporto sessuale e il sost.vo “lay = atto sessuale/donna considerata solo come oggetto sessuale”.LEFT come av.bio, ag.vo e sost.vo = sinistra (da to leave/left/left=lasciare). V.a. “To be left at the altar (altare, si legge “oltar”) = essere abandonato/venire bidonato”.(to) LET/let/let = lasciare/permettere, da cui “Let it be = (ma si) lascia perdere”.MAN = uomo. E’ usato negli USA come appellativo per rivolgersi a una persona/amico/sconosciuto. V.a. “Old man=papà e Oh! Man!=perbacco”!MESS = disordine/confusione (to mess=fare confusione; to mess about/around=fare sesso). Negli USA “Mess (slang)=una persona stupida o mentalmente confusa”.NUT (si legge “nat”) = noce. Negli USA, come slang, indica = mazzetta/bustarella per corrompere; come tabù. V.a. “Nuts=palle/testicoli”.OFAY (di origine sconosciuta), slang afro-americano che indica “un bianco”.OUT = fuori. Negli USA, come slang, significa “ubriaco/drogato/omosessuale”.V.a. “Out-and-outer=una persona eccezionale e anche estremista”.PAIN = dolore, da cui la comune espressione “pain in the neck (let. dolore al collo)= persona molto fastidiosa”. L’ag.vo “painfull=molto brutto/pessimo”.PEON (sost.vo messicano) = contadino. Negli USA, come slang denigratorio, indica = un messicano o una persona insignificante”.POT = vaso/contenitore e, come slang, = grossa somma di denaro. V.a. “Fleshpot (let. contenitore di carne)=locale dove si fanno spogliarelli/ragazza molto attraente”.RAUNCHY (si legge “raunci”) = volgare/sciatto e, negli USA, = sporco/puzzolente.RIOT = lite/sommossa e, come slang, significa “persona divertente/un casinista”.RUBBER=gomma da masticare/preservativo (slang). Rubber sock=un timido/stupido.Capitolo 5T H E M A N W H O E S C A P E DEpisode 1Edward Coke used to be an army officer, but he is in prison now. Every day is exactly the same for him. It is winter now and Coke and all the other men get up at six, when it is still cold and dark. They have breakfast at six thirty and work begins at seven thirty. Some of the men work in the prison factory where they make mail-bags, but Coke often works in the fields outside. The men have lunch at twelve, it lasts an hour and then the men go back to work again. Dinner is at six. Some prisoners call Coke ‘Lucky Ted’ (diminutive=diminutivo di Edward) because they know that he, before his trial (processo, si legge “traial”), had a terrible car-accident and when the police arrived, found him drunk, unconscious, but almost unhurt (illeso). Coke usually goes to prison library and reads until nine thirty. The lights go out at ten. The day is long, hard and boring and every man has a lot of time to think. They usually think about why they are there. Coke does. He always thinks about two men. One of the men is called Eric Masters; he used to be an army officer, just like Coke. Coke knows that Masters has a lot of money now. The second man’s name is Hugo. That is all Coke knows about him. Masters knows where and who Hugo is, but Coke doesn’t. Every day Coke lies in bed and thinks about Eric Masters and Hugo. There is another thing he thinks about too, escaping. He wants to escape (fuggire) and find Masters and the other man. Coke is in prison for something he did not do.Episode 2It is six o’clock on a very cold winter evening. All over England people are sitting down in their living-rooms and are watching the news on television or are listening to it on the radio. There is one very important piece of news this evening. It is this: “In the West of England this evening, hundreds of policemen are looking for a man who escaped from Princeville Prison early this morning. The man’s name is Edward Coke, he is thirty years old, six feet tall, and he has black hair and blue eyes. He is wearing a dark blue prison uniform. The police do not think he can stay free very long. It is only a few degrees above zero and it is snowing”.The television is on in an expensive pub in Soho, in centre of London. Most of the people there are not interested in the news program, but one man is. His name is Eric Masters; he is about forty five years old and is wearing very expensive clothes. He is looking very afraid of something. There is another man standing next to him at the bar. Masters is asking him a question. “Did they say the man’s name was Coke?” - “Yes that’s right. Coke … Edward Coke. Why? Do you know him?” - “I beg your pardon.” (let. io imploro il tuo perdono, il senso è “prego vuol ripetere) - “Do you know him?” - “No … no, I don’t know him … I … just wanted to know the man’s name, that’s all.” In another part of London, a young detective is standing in the office of his chief at Scotland Yard. The young detective’s name is Richard Baxter. The chief asks Baxter: “You knew Coke, didn’t you?” - “Yes sir. I arrested him four years ago”. Baxter’s chief nodding (da to nod/nodded/nodded=fare un cenno col capo, nel senso “annuire”) and says: “I know that Baxter. That’s why I’m giving you this order now. Find Coke again! You must find him immediately!”Episode 3It is six thirty in the evening now and the wind is still blowing. It is getting colder. About ten miles away from Princeville Prison, a man is hiding (da to hide/hid /hiden =nascondere(rsi) in a field. The wind is cutting through his thin prison uniform like a knife. A dog is barking (da to bark =abbaiare/latrare) somewhere in the distance. Is it a police dog perhaps? The man in the field does not know. There is only one idea in his mind at the moment: he must find food and some warm clothes, but where?Two hundred miles away in London, Baxter’s train is standing at platform 9 in Paddington Station. Baxter is sitting in a comfortable compartment. There is another man opposite him. Baxter does not know the man, but he can see he wants to talk. The man is holding (da to hold/held/ held=tenere) a newspaper in his hands. “I see someone escaped from Princeville Prison this morning.”- “Oh, really?” - “Yes … Would you like to read about it? It’s all here in the paper.” - “No thank you”. The train is leaving the station now. Baxter is looking out of the window. He can see a thousand bright lights in the windows of pubs, cafés, houses and flats. Every people are sitting down to warm meals and hot cups of tea. The world looks warm and comfortable. The man opposite Baxter is still talking: “The paper says the man was a spy, he gave important military secrets away. I hope the police catch him!” - “Yes, so do I” (il senso è “lo spero anch’io”).Episode 4 – NOTE: From this point onwards (in avanti) there is a synopsis (riassunto) at the beginning of every unit. The synopsis tells in a few words what happened in the last episodes. The story is also told in the past tense from now on (da ora in poi).SYNOPSIS: A young detective Richard Baxter arrested Edward Coke four years ago. Coke escaped from his prison because he wanted to find two men, Eric Masters and someone called Hugo. That was all Coke knew about the second man. He knew Masters when they were officers in the army. Baxter, the detective, left London on the same day Coke escaped. His job was to catch Coke again.Baxter got on the train at five o’clock. An hour later, at six, he was asleep in the warm train compartment. Coke was still in his hiding-place in a field, one hundred miles away. The winter evening got darker and colder. The wind cut through Coke’s thin uniform like a knife. Coke was hungry and tired and hid arms and legs were so cold that he could hardly feel (felt/felt=sentire/percepire) them. He knew he had to find food, warming clothing and a warm place somewhere. ”I have to make a move, I can’t just stay in this field and die of the cold” he thought. Coke got up and began to walk. “Where am I? Which direction am I walking in? Am I going back towards the prison?” he asked himself. A few minutes later, the moon came out and Coke could see well. He stopped and looked around. Suddenly he saw a small light not far away. “What can it be? It can’t be a car. It isn’t moving. It must be a house” he said to himself and began to walk towards it. The light got larger, it was a house. Coke could see the form of the roof in the darkness. Ten minute later he was outside the house. He stopped and listened. “Strange” he thought “I can’t hear anything, not even television or a radio, but there must be someone in there. There’s a light on”. Just at that moment a thought struck him. “This is probably the only house around for miles. The police know I’m probably around here somewhere and if they’re anywhere, they’re in that house waiting for me”. Coke didn’t move. The wind became colder, his feet and hands felt like ice in the snow. “I have to take a chance, I have to! This is the only place I can find warm clothes and food” he thought.Episode 5 - SYNOPSIS: Coke escaped from prison and hid in a field. It was very cold and he knew he had to find warm clothes and food somewhere. He saw a house in the country isolated and far away from the nearest town. He stood (da to stand/stood/stood=stare in piedi) outside the house before going in. He could not understand why there was no noise coming from it, not even the sound of e television or a radio.Coke listened for several seconds, but he could not hear anything at all. And yet there was smoking coming from the chimney and there was a light on in the front room. “Why is it so quiet? Is it a trap? Are the police waiting for me in there?” he asked himself. He went to the front door and pushed it. To his surprise it was open. He went in, very quietly. In the front room there was a fire burning in the fireplace. The room was clean, small and very warm. There was a little furniture in it, only a couch and a table in front of the fire and two old-fashion chairs. There were also some photographs on the shelf above the fire. They were yellow and old. One of them was a young man in a World War I uniform. There were also a few of the same young man and also a woman in old-fashion wedding clothes. Suddenly Coke froze (da to freeze/froze/frozen=(con)gelare). There was someone else in the room. He knew it, he could feel it. He turned around quickly and, at the same time, put his hand in the pocket, there was a small knife there. He saw (da to see/saw/ seen=vedere) an old women, she had a covered dish in her hands and there was a delicious smell of meat and vegetables coming from it. She did not look afraid or surprised. “I’m sorry” she said “I didn’t hear you. Did you knock? I’m deaf (sorda), you see”. She pointed her ear, shook (da to shake/skook/shaken=scuotere/agitare) her head and said “deaf” a second time. “People often come to the door and knock, but I don’t hear them. I’m glad you came in”. Coke stared at her for a second and then finally found his voice. “I … I’m sorry, I just stepped in”. He looked down at his clothes. His prison uniform was so dirty that it was impossible to tell what kind of uniform it was. Then he suddenly had an idea and said: “I’m a mechanic from a garage in town. I came to repair a lorry (camion) somewhere out here, but the road was icy (ghiacciata, si legge “aisi”). I had an accident and fell off my motorbike”. Coke had to say this several times before the lady finally understood him. When she did, she gave him some hot water and soap and afterwards some food. The only thing he needed now was a change of clothes.Episode 6 - SYNOPSIS: After Coke escaped, he hid in a field all day. Then, when it got dark, he went into a small house in the country. There was an old deaf lady in the house. She gave him food. Baxter, the young detective who arrested Coke four years ago, left London by train. Scotland Yard’s orders were: “Find Coke immediately”.It was a cold and miserable night. Only a few miles away from the house Coke was in, two policemen in a small village police station could hear the wind outside. One of them was a sergeant, the other was much younger. The sergeant asked: “I wonder how Ms Bentley is?” - “Ms Bentley? Oh, you mean (meant/meant= intendere/voler dire) that old lady whose husband died a few years ago?” - “That’s right. She’s deaf, you know, so she never listens to the radio or watches television. In fact she doesn’t even read the papers.” - “Oh?” the young policeman said. He wondered why the sergeant wanted to tell him all this. Then he found out after the sergeant said: “Why don’t you go out to her place and see if she’s all right?” - “Who? Me? On a night like this?” - “It’s not far. Besides you’ve got your bike, haven’t you”?Baxter got off the train at a small station. There was a detective waiting for him on the platform. He shook Baxter’s hand and said: “My name is Halls, Tom Halls. Scotland Yard phoned us and told us to meet (met/met=incontrare) you here. There’s a car waiting for you.” Baxter wasted (perse) very little time on social formalities and said: “Coke escaped more than twenty four hours ago, I want to catch (caught/caught=afferrare) him before another twenty four hours are up.” Halls looked at Baxter for e few seconds before he answered: “A lot of us wondered why Scotland Yard is so interested in this fellow Coke. He isn’t the first one to escape. Another man did it only about six months ago, but Scotland Yard didn’t send anyone to help us then.” Baxter was already half-way to the car before he said anything “Coke isn’t just an ordinary prisoner. He’s very special. Let’s get going (andiamo).”The young policeman was angry. He was on the road now. The wind was cold and blew (da to blow/blew/blown=soffiare) snow into his face. “That stupid sergeant” he thought (da to think/ tought/tought=pensare)“We must be one of the last stations in England that still uses bikes and he sends (da to send/sent/sent=mandare/ spedire) me out on one on a night like this”. He had to get off the bike and push it up a hill. It was the last hill between the station and the old lady’s house. When he got the top of it he could see the house down below at the bottom of the hill. Just as he looked down at it, he saw a light go on in one of the rooms upstairs. “Idiot! That’s what he is, sending me out on a night like this.” the policeman said again. Then he got on his bike and began (da to begin/began/begun=cominciare) to go down the hill very fast, towards the house.Episode 7 - SYNOPSIS: Coke found food in a house in the country. Baxter arrived at a small station. Another detective met him there and asked Baxter why Scotland Yard was so interested in Coke. A sergeant in a police station, not far from the house Coke was in, sent a young policeman to the house to tell the old lady in it about Coke.After the meal the old lady said: “You know, your clothes are in a terrible state. Youruined them when you had the accident”. Coke answered “That’s right. They’re justmy work-clothes.” - “My husband was just about your size. A little heavier perhaps.All his clothes are upstairs. They’re no good to him. He died two years ago.” She pointed up to the room above them and said: “Why don’t you see if any of his clothes fit you? You can bring them back tomorrow”. Coke thought to himself: “Nobody can be this lucky.” He went upstairs and turned the light on. It was clear that the old lady was almost in another world. She trusted everybody. He found a heavy jacket, a woolen shirt and some trousers (pantaloni, si legge “trausers”) hanging in the room.“What do you know about Coke?” Baxter asked Halls. They were in the car now.” -”Very little. I’m afraid. In fact. I don’t think I know anything about him at all. Wasn’t he the fellow who was in that spy case about four years ago?” - “Yes that’s right. Coke always said it wasn’t him … that it was someone else.” - “That’s what they all say, but what’s so special about him?” Halls asked. - “Coke was in Army Intelligence. He knew important secrets. We could never understand why he sold them. There wasn’t a real motive. Some said he did it for money. We couldn’t prove it, but if he was a spy, he still knows too much. We could never find out who he sold (da to sell/sold/sold =vendere) the secrets to. That’s why we have to catch him before he makes contact with any of his old friends. These are the orders Scotland Yard gave me”.Coke put the clothes on as quickly as he could. They were old and shabby (logori), but, at least, they were warm. When he came downstairs the old lady was still in front of the fire. She smiled when she looked at him. “You know, you look just like my husband in those clothes … when he was much younger, of course”. Coke tried to be polite. He wanted to leave as soon as possible and said: “I can’t thank you enough. It’s very kind of you to do all this for me”. The old lady did not seem to hear him. “Just like my husband” she said again. Just then there was a knock on the door.Episode 8 - SYNOPSIS: After Coke escaped from prison he found a small house several miles away from the nearest. The old lady in the house gave him food and clothes. She was deaf. A policeman came out to her house to tell her to look out for Coke.The deaf old lady did not hear the knock, but Coke did. His heart began to pound (battere) wildly. Whoever (chiunque) it was obviously knew there was someone inside because there was a light on and smoke coming from the chimney. He had to decide what to do, and quickly. “There’s someone at the door” he said loudly, but the old lady did not understand. “There’s someone at the door” he said again, this time even more loudly than before. She went out of the room and Coke quickly stepped back into the shadows of the front room. The old lady opened the front door. Coke could see her clearly, but nothing else. He listened carefully. “Hello Ms Bentley, I’m from the village police station. The sergeant sent me. I’ve got something to tell you”. Then Coke saw the policeman very clearly. Coke looked around quickly. There was a poker (attizzatoio) lying in the fireplace. He almost went to get it and then stopped. “No” he thought “That’s too dangerous. They already think I’m a spy. Whatever I have to do I can do just as well with my fists (pugni)”. He stepped back and waited. The old lady and the policeman came through the door into the sitting-room. Coke was still behind the door, so the policeman could not see him. “Good evening officer. May I help you?” Coke said very loudly and clearly. The policeman turned around and looked at Coke. He was very surprised. Then Coke hit him (da to hit/hit/hit=picchiare/colpire) as hard as he could in the stomach and he fell (da to fall/fell/fallen=cadere) heavily. The old lady screamed. The policeman tried to get up, but fell back weakly. Coke ran (da to run/ran/run=correre) out of the room.The phone rang about five minutes later at the local police headquarters. Halls answered it: “What? Coke? Where? When?” Baxter stood up as soon as he heard Coke’s name. He quickly put his hat and coat on. Halls listened carefully to the voice on the other end and quickly made a few notes. Then he put the phone down and turned to Baxter “Well, we know where Coke is now. A policeman almost caught him only five minutes ago” - “What do you mean he almost caught him? Did he caught him or didn’t he?” - “No, he got away and stole the policeman’s bike”.Episode 9 - SYNOPSIS: Coke found food and clothes in a cottage (casetta di campagna) several miles away from the nearest village. However, a policeman came to tell the old lady in the cottage to watch out for Coke. Coke knocked the policeman down and stole his bike.Baxter got into the car first. Halls was right behind him. “You drive. You know the area better than I do” Baxter said. They raced out of the town and into the dark countryside. “It’s ridiculous” Halls said “Does he really think he’s going to get away from us on a bike?” - “Coke isn’t a fool” Baxter answered “He probably doesn’t realize we already know what happened in the old lady’s house” – “You mean he doesn’t know that even village policemen have small two-way radios these days?” – “That’s right. He probably thinks it’s going to take that policeman at least half an hour to get to the nearest phone. He thinks he can get pretty far in that time”. Ten minutes later, about three miles from the old lady’s house, Baxter suddenly saw someone on the dark road ahead. “Look there” he shouted (or screamed=gridò). “There’s someone on a bike and look he’s going to get off”. Halls saw the man quite clearly, but only for a second. As soon as the man saw they were in a police car, he dropped his bike and ran into the trees at the side of the road. “That’s Coke” Baxter shouted “He isn’t going to get away this time”. Baxter jumped out of the car even before Halls stopped it and ran after Coke. Halls jumped out too. He did not even switch off the headlights. All Coke’s training (da to train=addestrare) as a soldier helped him now. Baxter was just behind him when Coke suddenly turned. Baxter tried to grab him but almost lost his balance. Then Coke hit him on the chin (mento, si legge “cin”) as hard as he could. Baxter fell to the ground heavily. At that moment Halls jumped on Coke from behind but Coke threw him over his back and against a tree and then ran back towards the road before Halls could get up. Even when he did (anche quando lo fece), he fell back to the ground again. There was a terrible pain in his ribs (costole). Coke saw the police car very clearly. The headlights were still on and one of the doors was open. Coke jumped in. It took Baxter several seconds to realize where he was. At first, all he could feel was a terrible pain in his jaw (mascella, si legge “gioa”). Then he heard the sound of a car engine starting. Helooked up and saw Halls pointing to it. Suddenly Baxter realizes everything. Halls tried to run after the car but it was too late. Coke was gone and so was their car.Episode 10 - SYNOPSIS: When Coke saw Baxter and Halls in a police car he jumped off his bike and ran into the trees at the side of the road. Baxter and Halls ran after him. Coke managed to get away from both of them and to steal (stole/stolen= rubare) their car.Coke drove (da to drive/drove/driven=guidare veicoli) for about twenty minutes. He felt nervous in the police car, but he knew it was his only chance. “I wonder how that policeman managed to contact police-headquarters so quickly” he asked himself. Then he remembered a newspaper article about the new pocket radios all policemen had. They were small things which they put in their pockets. “Of course! That’s it!” he thought. Then he wondered if detectives like Halls and Baxter also had them. He knew they probably did not because they already had radios in their cars. Suddenly, however, something on the road ahead interrupted his thoughts.Two police cars were there side by side blocking the road. The two policemen at the road block were bored (da to bore=annoiare). It was a lonely/petty spot (macchia/punto/ posto) between two hills and there was very little traffic. “Could you give me a light (da accendere) Tom?” one of them said. It was his tenth cigarette that night. Just then, they both looked up and saw a car coming towards them. “It’s a police car,” the other one said “perhaps they’re bringing us some hot coffee or something to eat.” They both watched the car as it came closer. It was a long, straight road and the car was still a good distance away. “Isn’t it going to stop?” – “It doesn’t look like it.” – “Shall we stop it? Our orders are to stop every car”. Just then, they heard the two-tone sound of the horn (clacson). It was obvious that whoever was in the car was in a great hurry.The two policemen hesitated for a second. Then one of them turned to the other and said “Would you move the car out of the way, Bob, or shall I?” – “But our orders were to …” – “Look! That’s a police car, can’t you see? You don’t think Coke’s going to come through here in a police car, do you?” The other policeman got into the car and moved it back a few inches; the gap (breccia/ squarcio) was just wide (largo, si legge “uaid”) enough for another car to get through now. “Aren’t you going to move back some more?” the other shouted. Before he could do so, Coke shot (da to shoot (si legge ”sciut”)/shot (si legge “sciat”)/shot=sparare e anche “scagliare”) through the narrow (stretto/angusto, si legge “naro”) gap and raced down the road in direction of London.Episode 11 - SYNOPSIS: Baxter and Halls tried to catch Coke when they saw him on a road in the countryside late at night. Coke, however, got away from them and stole their car. He also got through a police road block.“How much farther is the nearest village?” Baxter asked. He and Halls were in the middle of the countryside. The night was very dark and there was no traffic on the roads. “It must be on the other side of that hill.” Halls answered. “I hope so! We’ve been walking for twenty minutes now. When we started, you said it was only ten minutes away.” Baxter said angrily. He was tired and his jaw hurt. He could already imagine the Chief Inspector’s comments at their next interview. The Chief Inspector was a very sarcastic man. “Well Baxter, perhaps you would explain all this to me. It seems you had a car when you saw Coke and that he had it after he saw you. Very interesting. How will we explain all this to the papers (giornali)? Will we say something like ‘The police are always ready to help anybody’.”Coke turned off the main road. He wanted to get rid (sbarazzarsi) of the police car as soon as possible. The army often used the area for maneuvers and Coke remembered it from the days when he was a soldier (soldato, si legge “solgiar”). He knew there was a village down a side road. Just before he got to it, he stopped and left the car in the field. Then he walked into the village itself. He wanted something and he was sure he could find it there.In his apartment in London, a well-dressed man named Eric Masters turned on the television and listened. The news was still bad. Coke was still free, the announcer said. Masters looked very frightened (da to frighten=spaventare, si legge “fraiten”). He turned off the TV suddenly and picked up the phone. In a village almost two hundred miles away, Coke found what he wanted. “People in villages like this always trust their neighbours. How lucky!” he thought when he saw the motorbike. It was in a garage at the edge (bordo/margine, si legge “eg”) of the village. The garage was not even locked and there was a leather (pelle, si legge “ledar”) motorcycle suit on a mail (chiodo). There was also a pair of gloves (guanti) and a helmet (casco). Everyone in the village was asleep. Coke worked silently. He pushed the bike down the road. When he was far enough away from the village he started the engine (motore). It roared loudly. He got on the motorbike and raced towards London.Episode 12 - SYNOPSIS: Coke knew it was dangerous to stay in the police car, so he stole a motorbike from a small village.Eric Masters had the face of a man who lived comfortably and ate (da to eat/ate/eaten=magiare) well. It was the face of a man who usually did not worry about the future, but all this was gone now. He was very worried indeed (infatti/davvero) when he picked up the phone and dialed (da to dial (si legge “daial”) /dialled/ dialled=digitare/comporre un numero telefonico) nervously. At first, nobody answered at the other end. The phone rang at least twelve times, but Masters did not hang up. Finally a sleep voice answered angrily. “Who is it? What the devil do you want at this hour?” It was a man’s voice, it was educated and smooth, but it had a cruel, cold edge. “Is that you, Hugo? This is Eric.” Masters said quickly. The man at the other end became even angrier. “And why are you ringing at this hour? I’ve been in bed for an hour” – “But haven’t you heard the news, Hugo? Coke’s still free” – “Of course I’ve heard. So have my friends.” the man answered coldly. Masters said: “I can’t sleep. I’ve been thinking about Coke all evening!” – “Perhaps you’d better take a sleeping pill (pillola)”. Masters almost screamed the next question into the phone. “What are you going to do Hugo?” The man at the other end answered as coldly and as calmly as before, “Do? We’re going to kill Coke! That’s what we’re going to do. That is if he is stupid enough to come to London.” The motorbike was fast but the roads were icy. Coke drove dangerously; he knew he had to, he had little time. “I’d better keep to the side roads (strade seconadarie)” he thought, but he did not because the main road was much faster and he had very little time. A police car went by in the opposite direction. He began to feel a little safer. Then, around two o’clock in the morning, he suddenly saw lights in his mirror (specchio, si legge “mirar”). They were the headlights of another police car, but this time it was just behind him. The car came closer and closer and then suddenly speeded up. For several seconds Coke and the car raced along side by side. Coke looked up, the two policemen in the car were looking at him but they could not see his face clearly because he was wearing a helmet and goggles (occhialoni). Coke raised his hand and waved (da to wave=salutare con la mano, si legge “ueiv”) causally. The driver was already looking at the road again, but the other still had his eyes on Coke. Then, the car sped (da to speed/sped (or speeded)/sped (or speeded)=accelelare/affrettarsi) up again. In a few seconds it was far ahead of him. Coke raced towards London, he knew exactly where he wanted to go.Episode 13 - SYNOPSIS: Eric Masters, a man who knew Coke before Coke went to prison, phoned a man called Hugo. Masters was terribly worried, for some reason he was very afraid of Coke.Coke reached London just before six. The huge city was just beginning to wake up, but the streets were still dark. He drove to a block of small flats not far from the Thames (Tamigi, si legge “tems”) in the south east. There was a light on in one of the ground floor flats. It was shining (da to shine (si legge “sciain”)/shone (or shined)/shone (or shined)=brillare) in the kitchen. He went to the window and tapped (da to tap=battere leggermente) softly. He was still standing at the window when the back door opened. When he looked up, a young woman was standing there. He hesitated when he saw her and almost went back into the shadows again, but she looked at him calmly. “Come in Ted, I’ve been expecting you.” she said very softy. Coke walked towards her and stood in the open doorway. “I haven’t got any right to ask for your help.” he said after a pause (pausa, si legge “poos”). “But there’s nobody else you can go to, is there? You’d better come in.” she answered calmly. Baxter caught a very early train to London. When he got to Scotland Yard, the Chief Inspector was waiting for him. When Baxter went into his office, he was sitting at his desk and looking at a photograph. The Inspector looked at Baxter quickly, then back at the photo. “Perhaps it was a good thing you didn’t catch Coke after all.” he said suddenly. Baxter stared at him in surprise and said: “What do you mean sir? I don’t understand.” – “I have a picture here of a man who knew Coke in the army. He was also a witness (testimone) at Coke’s trial. I’ve been interested in the man for some time now. Perhaps we’ll be able to find out more about him now that Coke is free.” the Inspector said and gave Baxter the photograph. “This is the man. Watch him. Follow him everywhere!” Baxter looked at the man in the photo carefully. It was Eric Masters.“You really shouldn’t help me, Kate. It’s against the law.” Coke said. He and the young woman were sitting in her kitchen. He was eating breakfast hungrily. Kate did not say anything. “I mean, everybody thinks I’m a spy.” he went on. “But I don’t think so.” she finally said. Coke finished his breakfast silently; then he said “You were the only person who ever believed I was innocent. That’s why I came to you. Who else will help me?” – “Help you to do what, Ted?” Kate asked. “Help me to find the real spies.” He answered slowly.Episode 14 - SYNOPSIS: (Note: The synopsis now uses all tenses previously introduced).Baxter caught the train back to London early this morning. He is now in the ChiefInspector’s office. The Chief has just told him to follow Masters everywhere. Meanwhile, Coke is hiding in Kate’s flat.Kate was what the Americans call ‘a cool character’ (N.B. “to have a cool character (si legge “cul càratar”=essere in gamba); nothing seemed to surprise her very much. She seemed ready for anything. Perhaps this was because she was an actress. She played some parts in films and on television. Her life was full of surprises. Just then (let. solo allora, il senso è “al momento”) she was not working at all. Perhaps that was why she did not hesitate even for a second when Coke said he wanted her help to find the real spies. “All right.” She said “I’ll help you and I’ll start right now. Wait here!” Coke asked: “What do you mean? Where are you going?”–“You’ll find out when I come back. I’ll have to get some things now!” Before Coke could ask her anything more, she was gone (N.B. la differenza tra “she had gone=se ne andò” e “she was gone=scomparve”). Not very far away, Baxter is still sitting in the Chief Inspector’s office. He was still looking at Master’s photograph. He looked up. “What’s so interesting about him? Why do you want me to follow him?” he asked. “A few days ago, quite by accident, we learned a few things about him. Coke might … notice I say ‘might’ be innocent after all. It’s only a possibility. We want to see what Masters does if Coke contacts him”. The Chief Inspector answered. Baxter was even more surprised now. “I don’t understand sir. What do you think Masters might do?” he asked. The Chief Inspector answered “Masters might try to kill him if he’s really afraid of him.”- “But surely that’s dangerous sir. I mean, if Coke is innocent Masters might kill him and if he isn’t innocent we’re letting him go free. After all Coke might kill Masters or someone else!” The Chief Inspector looked very serious. “That’s a chance we will have to take, Baxter!” he said.Time passed very slowly for Coke that morning and afternoon. He slept a bit, but then got up and walked about the flat nervously. It was evening before Kate came back. The winter sun was just setting when she came through the door. She was carrying a large bundle (fagotto, si legge “bandol”) and a lot of other things. “Where have you been? You’ve been gone for hours!” Coke said. “Yes. I’ve been busy. Here, try these things on.” She answered and unwrapped (da to unwrap=disfare/aprire) the bundle quickly and showed him a suit, shoes and a shirt. There was also a coat with an expensive fur collar (collo di pelliccia, si legge “fer calar”), the sort millionaires wear in films. Coke put the clothes on unwillingly (malvolentieri) and said: “I’ll have to change my appearance more than this! (più di così)”. Kate answered “Of course you will. And I’ve got just the things you’ll need!”Episode 15 - SYNOPSIS: Kate has come back to the flat with some clothes for Coke and other things. The Chief Inspector has told Baxter that Coke might be innocent.First Kate dyed (da to dye=tingere, si legge “dai”) Coke’s hair grey. Then she used some theatrical make-up (trucco, SEMPRE al sig.re) to give him a much older face. Finally she put a pair of dark glasses on him, thrust (da to thrust/thrust/thrust= spingere/conficcare, da non confondere con “to trust=fidarsi di/confidare in”) a white walking-stick into his hand and led him firmly to a full-length mirror (specchio a figura intera). Coke was surprised at how strong her grip (presa) was. He was even more surprised when he saw himself. An old blind man stared back at him. “And now,” Kate said. “You’ll have to do far more than simply look like an old blind man. You’ll have to walk, talk and act like one, too!” For the next hour she taught him exactly how to do that. “You learn fast. We can go now.” She finally said. “What do you mean ‘we’? You can’t come with me. It might be dangerous.” He objected. Kate was already putting her coat on. Her answer was simple. “If you want my help, you’ll have to take me with you. Besides (inoltre), things just beginning to get interesting.” They were walking towards a taxi-rank. There were usually several taxis parked there waiting for customers. “We must look an odd couple, you and I.” Coke remarked. “Don’t worry about that.” Kate said “We look so odd that nobody will guess who you are. Now just tell me where we’re going.” Coke answered “To a pub in Soho called ‘The Green Rider’ (fantino, si legge “raidar”; da to ride/rode/ridden= andare a cavallo/in bicicletta/in moto ecc.). Masters used to go there a lot.” – “You mean you think he’s one of the spies?” – “I don’t know, but he didn’t tell the truth at the trial. Why else should he lie?” Coke said. Just then they got to the taxi-rank (posto dei taxi in attesa). There were not any taxis there. “We’ll have to take a bus. Just remember that you’re an old, blind man. I’ll help you get on and get off.” Kate said. They got to Soho half an hour later. The streets were brightly-lit; there were people, pubs, restaurants, cinemas and strip-tease clubs everywhere. There was a man in front of one of the clubs. Whenever someone passed by he said: “The best show in London. Twenty beautiful girls. Step right in!” He began to say that when he saw Coke, but as soon as he noticed Coke’s dark glasses and white walking-stick, he closed his mouth again. They walked on until Coke suddenly gripped (da to grip/gripped/gripped=afferrare) Kate’s arm very hard. “This is the place. Take me in!” he said. There were two doors. One was marked ‘Public Bar’ and the other ‘Saloon Bar’. “Which one?” she asked. “The Saloon Bar.” he whispered (da to whisper= sussurrare). They went into the crowded, noisy, smoke-filled room. Several people stared at them curiously (curiosamente, si legge “chiurias-li”) when they came in.Episode 16 - SYNOPSIS: Kate has made Coke up to look like an old blind man. They have just gone to a pub in Soho. Coke thinks he might find Maters there.Kate led Coke to a table and then went to the bar to get their drinks. “I’ve been here before. I was here last week.” She said when she came back. Coke was not listening. “Masters isn’t here.” He said. Kate answered: “Surely you didn’t expect to walk in and find him, just like that?” – “No, I suppose no.” Time dragged (da to drag= trascinare, si legge “dreegh”, il senso è “il tempo passava”). They sat there for over an hour. More people came in, but Masters was not among them. It was getting towards closing time when the barman came to their table. “May I have your empty glasses?” He asked politely (gentilmernte, si legge “polaiteli”). Coke touched him on his sleeve (manica, si legge “sliiv”). “Does a man called Eric Masters ever come in here?” He asked. He did not notice the man standing at the bar who stared at him in the mirror when he mentioned Masters’ name. The barman thought for a second. “There’s a man named Eric who comes in here a lot. He’s a military type. Is that who you mean?” he asked. Coke tried to sound casual when he asked his next question. “Has he been in here today?” The barman nodded. “Yes.” he answered. “He was in this afternoon”. Coke asked “I don’t suppose you know where I can find him now?” – “I’m afraid not. All I know about him is that he has antique shop somewhere near Red Lion Square.” He answered. “Wasn’t that questioning a bit dangerous?” Kate asked after the barman left. “Yes, it was, but I haven’t got much time. I’ve got to find Masters before the police find me.” He answered. Kate asked. “I still don’t understand why you can’t simply find his address in the telephone book.” Coke said: “I’ve already looked. I went through the phone book in your flat. Masters might have a phone, but his number isn’t there.” The barman was shouting “Last orders, please” when Coke a Kate left. She led him through the crowded (da to crowd =affollare/rsi), bright (luminoso, si legge “brait”) streets. Most of the pubs were closing. It was eleven, but the clubs and restaurants were still busy. When they got to Shaftesbury Avenue, Kate called a taxi. Neither she nor Coke noticed the man who was so close behind them in the crowd that he heard Kate say: “Red Lion Square, please” to the driver. They did not see him get into a cab and follow them.Episode 17 - SYNOPSIS: Coke has just found out that Masters owns an antique shop somewhere near Red Lion Square. He and Kate have gone there by taxi. They do not know they are being followed (stanno per essere seguiti).“Would you mind driving round the Square once?” Kate asked the driver. Red Lion Square was deserted. There were a number of dark side streets (strade secondary) around it. “It’s obviously not on the Square itself.” Coke said. They got out of the taxi, paid the driver and started exploring. There were antique shops on several of the side streets, but they all either had names like ‘Connoisseur’s Corner’ which told them nothing about who owned the shop or other names like ‘Richards’ and ‘Harvey Keen’. ‘Masters’ name was not among them. Half an hour later they were still looking. Kate kept glancing over her shoulder (spalla, il senso è “continuava a smirciare alle sue spalle”). She had the uncomfortable feeling that someone was following them, but she could not see anybody. “I don’t like wandering round the dark streets at this hour.” She said. “Someone is bound (da to bind (si legge “baind”)/bound/bound=legare/obbligare) to notice us! (il senso è “qualcuno certamente ci sta noando”)” she went on. Coke answered: “I don’t like doing it either (neanche a me piace farlo), but what else can we do? We can’t stop looking now. It might be our last chance”. Suddenly something in the window of a shop across the road caught his eye. The street was very dark, but the thing gleamed (da to gleam=luccicare, come sost.vo “barlume”, si legge “glim”). It reflected the light of a passing car. They crossed the street. The thing was an old military sabre (sciabola, si legge “seibra”) and it was in a window marked ‘Antique Weapons and Military Antiques’. There were old pistols, helmets and other swords (spade) in the window. Coke became excited and said: “This must be it.” Kate lit (da to light/lit/lit= accendere) a match (fiammifero) so that they could see a bit better. There was no name on the window, but there was a phone number on the door. Coke copied it.It was around midnight when the phone rang in Eric Masters’ flat. The voice on theother end was hard and cold. “This is Hugo” it said “Why didn’t you come to the Green Rider?” – “I’m sorry Hugo. I don’t enjoy going there anymore. Not since Coke escaped. I thought it might be dangerous.” Masters was nervous and became even more so when he heard what Hugo had to say: “There was an old blind man in the pub. He had a young woman with him. He asked about you and then went to your shop.” Masters blinked (da to blink=sbattere gli occhi/vacillare) in surprise. His voice cracked (da to crack=incrinare/rsi) slightly (debolmente, si legge “slaitli”). “But I don’t know anybody like that. What did they want?”–“How do I know, you fool? (come faccio a saperlo, imbecille?) Just watch out for them, that’s all!” Hugo said furiously and hung up. Masters slept (da to sleep/slept/slept=dormire) very badly.Episode 18 - SYNOPSIS: Hugo has told Masters an old blind man and a girl have been looking for him. Coke and Kate have found what they think is Masters’ antique weapon shop.Coke did not sleep very well that night, either. He lay awake thinking. He was on Kate’s sofa in the sitting-room. Slowly, however, he formed a plan in his mind. He fell (da to fall/fell/fallen=cadere) asleep around three in the morning. When he woke up, Kate was already in the kitchen making breakfast. “What are we going to do now?” she asked while they were eating. Coke did not answer immediately/on the spot. He stared into his coffee. He knew he had to make one thing clear to her and suddenly asked: “Have you thought what will happen to you if the police find me here?” – “We’ve been over this before (il senso è “ne abbiamo già discusso prima”), haven’t we? Now answer my question.” She answered. Coke said: “But they’ll send you to prison if they learn you’ve helped me!” – “I’ll worry about that if and when it happens.” – “All right. I’ll tell you. But I warn (mettere in guardia) you, if anything goes wrong, you might get hurt, badly hurt.” He told her. “Go on. I’m listening.” – “We’re going to try to get Masters to come here. That is, if the owner of that shop is Masters.” – “Get him to come here? How?” Coke began to explain the plan he had in mind. Eric Masters was cleaning an antique pistol when the phone rang in his shop. He heard a young woman’s voice at the other end. “I believe you buy and sell antique weapons.” She said. “Yes, that’s right. I’m particularly interested in old firearms.” – “My father is, too. He has a number of seventeenth-century pistols and he wants to sell some of them. Would you be interested?” – “Certainly. If you bring them to my shop, I’ll look at them and give you a price.” – “Well, unfortunately my father is blind. It’s very difficult for him to get around. Would you mind coming to our place?” The woman answered. Masters managed to answer calmly “Well, my assistant is out to lunch. I’ll come over (venire da lontano) when he comes back. Is that all right?” He noted down the address she gave him and hung up. His hands were trembling (da to tremble=tremare) slightly. “These must be the people Hugo told me about.” He thought. He reached (allungò la mano) into a drawer (cassetto, si legge”droar”) and took up a pistol. This one was not an antique; it was a small, black, nasty (sgradevole) looking automatic.Episode 19 - SYNOPSIS: Kate has asked Masters to come to her fat. She has told himthat her father has some antique pistols he wants to sell. Masters is suspicious and has decided to take a small automatic pistol with him.Masters rang Hugo just before he left his shop. “You told me about an old man anda woman, well they’ve just phoned. They want me to go to their place and look at some antique pistols.” He said nervously. “Well, what do you want me to do about it?” Hugo asked sarcastically. “You have a pistol, haven’t you? There isn’t much than (non c’è molto di più che) an old blind man and a woman can do to you (che ti possono fare?)?” he added. Masters could not understand why Hugo was so casual about it. He got into his white Jaguar and drove off. “Perhaps the old man really does want me to look at his pistols.” He thought and patted (da to pat=dare un colpetto affettuoso) the pistol in his pocket. It made him feel safer. Masers felt even safer when Kate opened the door. She was slim, almost delicate-looking. “Good afternoon.” He said. “I’m Eric Masters, you rang my shop earlier.” She smiled and said pleasantly (piacevolmente, si legge “plesentli): “I hope I haven’t put you to any trouble. However, I’m sure you’ll decide that we haven’t made you come all this way for nothing.” Then she led him into the sitting-room. Masters glanced suspiciously at the old, blind man sitting on the sofa. At first he seemed harmless (innocuo) enough, but there was something familiar about the man’s face that made Masters look more carefully at him. “I’ll go and get the pistols.” Kate said. Masters stayed where he was, where he could see everything and where nobody could come in behind him. The old, blind man did not move. He simply sat there, his hands folded (da to fold=piegare/rsi) on his white walking-stick, his eyes behind the dark glasses staring blindly in front of him. “Are you a collector too?” Masters asked. The old man simply nodded. The woman came out of the bedroom with a large black case. “They’re all in here.” She said. “If you come over here, to the table, we can look at them. My father doesn’t really want anyone else to have them, but I’m afraid we have no choice. It’s a question of money.” Masters kept his eyes fastened (da to fasten= concentrare/rsi) on the old man’s face as he walked towards the table. He was halfway there when the old man raised his face slightly. The sudden (improvviso) movement made Masters stop. The more he looked at that face, the more suspicious he became. Suddenly it dawned (da to dawn=albegiare, sost.vo ”alba”) on him. He stared at both of them. They were both waiting expectantly (in attesa) for him to come nearer. It was the old man’s nose and lips (naso e labbra, si leggono “nos end lips”) that made Masters think of Coke. He reached for (da to reach for=all e labbra ungare la mano per prendere …) his pistol.Episode 20 - SYNOPSIS: Masters has come to Kate’s flat. He has just looked at Coke carefully and realized who he is. He has pulled out an automatic pistol.When Masters pulled out the automatic, Kate was standing between him and Coke. She could see that he was almost hysterical and was probably to shoot (da to shoot/shot/shot=sparare). “It’s you! Coke!” he burst (da to burst/burst/burts= scoppiare) out and came nearer. Kate was standing in his way now and he put out a hand to push her away. Coke could hardly believe his eyes. One moment Masters was pointing a pistol at him and the next he was lying on the floor, gasping for breath (da to gasp=ansimare, il senso è “respirando a fatica”). Kate had thrown (da to throw/threw/thrown=gettare) him over her shoulder. “I once played a policewoman in a film and I had to learn some judo.” She said rather causally and looked down at Masters. Coke did not simply stare in surprise, he gaped (da to gape (si legge “gheip”)=restare a bocca aperta per la meraviglia) at her. Then he picked up the automatic that Masters had dropped and gaped again. Masters groaned (da to groan=lamentarsi, si legge “groun”). He, too, could hardly believe what had happen. It all seemed incredible. He shook (da to shake (si legge “sceich”)/shook (si legge “scuch”)/shaken (si legge “schechen”)=scuotere/agitare liquidi) his head and decided that it was probably all a nightmare (incubo), a horrible dream. He was sure that he was going to wake up at any moment, safe in his own bed. He blinked (da to blink=battere le palpebre, sost.vo “occhiata/baleno”) his eyes several times, hoping that Kate and Coke were somehow going to disappear. He blinked again, but when he opened his eyes, they were still there. “And now that you’re here, perhaps wouldn’t mind answering some questions.” Coke said. Masters groaned (da to groan=gemere, sost.vo “gemito/lamento”, si legge “gron”) again. “Questions? What questions?” he mumbled (da to mumble=normorare, si legge “mambol”). He was still in a daze (da to daze=stordire, si legge “deis”). “I want you tell me everything that happened that evening you sent me to Epping Forest.” Coke said in low voice. Masters now realized that it was not a dream. For a moment he thought he was going to be sick. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Masters answered. “I think you do.” Coke said. Masters waited to see what Coke was going next. He could not take his eyes off the pistol in Coke’s hand. “I’ll give you five seconds to begin (began/begun=cominciare) answering my questions. Then I’ll shoot (shot/shot= sparare).” Was all Coke said. “You couldn’t shoot me like that, in cold blood (A sangue freddo, si legge “cold blad)!”- “Couldn’t I?” Coke answered and pulled back the safety-catch (sicura). The pistol was ready to fire and Coke began to count up.Episode 21 - SYNOPSIS: Kate has thrown Masters over her shoulder. Coke has grabbed Masters’ pistol and had told he will kill him if he does not answer his questions. Coke is going to count up to five before he shoots.“But I know nothing!” Masters protested. Coke had already raised the pistol andsimply said. ”One!” Masters said nothing. “Two!” Coke brought the pistol nearer. “You can’t frighten (spaverntare, si legge “fraiten”) me!” Masters shouted. “Three!” Masters saw Coke had taken aim (mira, si legge “eim”). “How can I tell you something I don’t know?” Masters demanded. “Four!” Masters watched Coke’s finger beginning to press the trigger (grilletto, si legge “trigar”). “All right, all right. I’ll tell you anything you want, but for God’s sake (per amor di Dio) put that pistol down!” Masters gasped. Coke’s mind went back to the time, five years earlier, when both he and Masters had been in the same Army Intelligence unit. Masters had been Coke’s superior. Several important military secrets had disappeared (erano scomarsi) and they were both trying to find out who had taken them. One evening, Coke had gone, on Masters’ order, to a lonely place in Epping Forest, Masters had told him he would meet a possible informer there. While he was waiting, three men had grabbed him from behind. They had poured (da to pour=versare, si legge “poar”) whisky all over him and down his throat (gola, si legge “throt”) and then hit him over the head. When he came to, he was back in his car, but it had crashed into a tree. The police had already arrived. It appeared that Coke had got drunk and lost control of his car. The police had found several files marked ‘Top Secret’ in his car. Coke swore (da to swear/swore/sworn=giurare/bestemmiare) he had never seen them before. The police also found Coke had apparently deposited more than ? 5.000 in his bank account a few weeks before. Coke had known nothing of the money. The bank said the checks had arrived by post drawn (emessi, da to draw (si legge “droa”)/drew (si legge “dru”)/drawn (si legge “droan”)=disegnare/tirare/ trarre) on a Swiss bank, with Coke’s countersignature. Nobody believed Coke’s story. It appeared he had sold secrets for money and was going to do so again the night he had crashed. Masters denied he had ever told Coke to go to Epping Forest. This is what Coke wanted to ask questions about now.Episode 22 - SYNOPSIS: Masters has agreed to tell Coke everything.For a moment Coke wanted to pull the trigger. He had never killed anyone in cool blood, but he found it difficult not to hate (odiare) Masters. Because of him, he had lost four years of his freedom. Because of him everybody thought he was a spy. Somehow, Coke got grip (stretta) on himself (il senso è “dominò se stesso”). Perhaps it was because he knew Masters was his only chance to prove he was innocent, and he knew if he killed him, he would lose that chance. “Let’s start at the beginning when you sent me to Epping Forest that night.” Coke said in a flat, cold voice.” – “That was Hugo’s idea. I had nothing to do with it.” – “And who is Hugo?” Coke demanded. “He sells government secrets to any foreign (straniero (ag.vo, si legge “forin”, diverso da “stranger (si legge “strenger”)=estraneo/forestiero/sconosciuto”) country that’s interested. He made me give him (il senso è “mi costrinse a dargli”) information. I didn’t want to!” – “Made you? How did he make you?” Coke asked. Masters stared down at the floor for several seconds before he answered: “He knew things about me. He said he would tell the police about them if I didn’t help him.” – “What sort of things?” Again Masters hesitated before answering. “What does it matter? (che importa?) The sort of things that would ruin any man if the police or anyone else found out about them.” There were only a few more things Coke wanted to know now. “Why did you involve me in all this?” – “The police suspected someone. We wanted to make them think (il senso è “indurre loro a pensare”) you were a spy. We knew they would, if they found your dead body in a car after a crash with all sorts of secrets in it.” – “My dead body?” – “Hugo thought the crash would kill you.” Masters said sarcastically. “A pity it didn’t. You’d still be safe if I were (NO “was”) dead!” Masters swallowed (da to swallow=inghiottire, si legge “suallou”) and stared at the floor. “And why aren’t you still in the army? You’d be a lot more useful to Hugo if you were.” Coke went on. “It became too dangerous. Anyway, he still uses me.” – “How?” Coke asked. “We hide (hid/hidden=nascondere) microfilms of secret documents in the antique weapons I send aboard. The people we send them to, pose (fingono di essere, si legge “pous”) as foreign collectors.” Coke had one last most important question: “Where’s Hugo now? Take me to him!”Episode 23 - SYNOPSIS: Masters has told Coke that Hugo had planned what had happened to Coke in Epping Forest. He thought Coke would be killed in the crash and that the police would think he was the spy when they found the documents in his car. Coke wants Masters to take him to Hugo.Masters told Coke that Hugo owned a large garage in the North of London. Cars that had been damaged (da to damage=danneggiare) were taken there to be repaired. It was also where the secret documents, Hugo sold, were kept (da to keep/kept/kept= tenere/conservare) before they were micro-filmed and sent aboard.They got into Masters’ white Jaguar and drove there. Coke sat (da to sit/sat/sat=sedere) in front with Masters. Kate sat behind. It was almost evening when they got to the garage. It was at the end of a street and was surrounded by shops and small houses. They parked at the end of the street. People were beginning to close their shops and go home. The garage stayed open until six. Coke sat (il senso è “restò seduto”) and watched the lights go off.When the last one had been turned off and the garage was completely dark, Coke turned to Masters again and said: “Now tell me exactly where the documents are kept before they’re sent off”. At first Masters did not answer. He had become a little braver (più coraggioso, si legge “breivar”) again. Coke pressed the pistol into his stomach and said: “Because of you I’ve been kept in prison for four years. Because of you my life has been ruined. I’ll kill you here and now if you don’t answer”. Masters looked at the pistol, went pale (pallido, si legge “peil”) and answered: “They’re kept in Hugo’s office in an ordinary file in his desk.” – “And the microfilms?” Coke answered. “They’re kept there, too.” – “Do you know if any documents have been sent off recently?” Masters said: “Some were sent last week. I know. I sent them myself.” Coke asked: “And will there be any others waiting to be sent off?”Again Masters hesitated. Coke pressed the pistol even harder into his stomach. “I don’t know. There might be (ci potrebbero essere). Hugo told me he was going to give me some soon.” He said. Coke gave Kate the pistol. She was still sitting behind Masters. “Keep him here until I get back.” He said. “But what are going to do?” she asked. “Break into the garage if I can. Perhaps I can find proof that Hugo sells these things. If I do, I’ll phone the police.” – “But what if you don’t? What if you’re seen and caught before you can find anything at all?” Kate asked. But Coke had already started walking towards the dark garage. In the dark winter evening it looked very much like a prison.Episode 24 - SYNOPSIS: Coke has gone to Hugo’s garage. He has told Kate he is going to try to going proof that Hugo is a spy.Once, a long time ago, someone had told Coke that an Army training was useful in many ways. Coke knew now that was true. There was a drainpipe (tubo di scarico, si legge “dreinpaip”) at the back of the garage that led (da to lead/led/led=condurre) to the roof. Coke managed to climb (arrampicarsi, si legge “claim”) up it; he had often done such things in the army. There was a window in the roof, or a sky-light, as it is called. It was closed, but not locked. Coke managed to get it open and then peered (da to peer=scrutare, si legge “piir”, sost.vo “pari”) down into the dark garage below. There was a lorry parked almost directly underneath (di sotto). He jumped down onto it. It was completely dark inside the garage itself. He wondered: “Masters told me the secrets were kept in the office, but where the office is?” Suddenly he heard (da to hear/heard/heard =udire) a sound behind him and realized he was not alone in the garage. Before he could turn around, someone grabbed him from behind and someone else shone (da to shine (si legge “sciain”)/shone/shone= brillare) a powerful (potente, si legge “pauerful”) light into his eyes. He was blinded. Then there was an explosion of pain (dolore, si legge “pein”) in his head. He realized, just before he lost consciousness, that what had happened in Epping Forest was happening to him all over again. When he came to again, he was lying (da to lie/lay/lain=distendere/rsi)on the floor of the garage. It was at least an hour later. He heard loud voices. When he opened his eyes, he saw Kate tied (da to tie=legare, si legge “tai”) to a chair. Four men were standing above him. One of them was Masters looking pale and frightened. He was listening (da to listen=ascoltare, si legge “lisen”) to a short blond man. Coke knew it must be Hugo himself. Hugo was shouting. “I told you were a fool and idiot! Do you believe me now?” he demanded. Masters tried to say something but could not. Hugo slapped (da to slap= schiaffeggiare) him across the face. “I asked you if you believed me now.” He shouted. “But … but Hugo … please listen to me!” Masters stammered (da to stammer=balbettare). “I told you someone had phoned me and had asked me to look at some pistols! I told you it was an old, blind man but you said there was something to worry about!” Masters said. Hugo roared (da to roar=ruggire/urlare): “No. I didn’t. I asked you what you wanted me to do about it, you idiot.” Suddenly, one of the other men interrupted: “What did you say we were going to do with the girl and Coke.” he asked. Hugo answered: “I said we were going to kill them! And I said we were going to do the job properly this time!”.Episode 25 - SYNOPSIS: When Coke broke in, Hugo and two men seized him and knocked him out. That was at least an hour ago.Hugo saw that Coke had come to (rinvenuto). Coke tried to get up, bur his handswere tied. His head hurt (da to hurt/hurt/hurt=ferire/fare(rsi) male) terribly. Hugo looked at him like a shark (squalo) inspecting (da to inspect=ispezionare/esaminare) his dinner. “We would never have become suspicious if you stupid hadn’t used Masters’ white Jaguar.” He said. “When we saw it parked halfway up the road, we decided to wait and see what would happen. Then after we got you, we went out and got your girl friend.” He continued. Coke knew he would never have made such an unintelligent mistake if he had not been so tired. He had not slept properly for days. He looked at Kate. “I’d never have got you into all this if I hadn’t asked you for help.” He said to her. He and Kate were trapped (da to trap=intrappolare, si legge “trep”). It seemed there was nothing he could do and nobody who could help them. Hugo took out a revolver. “You’d never have bothered (da to bother=seccare /annoiare/preoccupare) us again if I had used this gun (pistola, si legge “gan”) four years ago, but this time you won’t be as lucky as you were (fosti) in Epping Forest when I crashed your car into a tree and you remained alive.” He said and came closer to Coke and aimed the revolver carefully at his head. Abruptly (improvvisamente) there was a terrific crash as three policemen broke (da to break/ broke/broken=rompere) down the side door of the garage. Hugo turned round and gaped. “No. Hugo. Look up here!” A voice roared from the sky-light above. Suddenly everybody stopped. Nobody made a move. Then Baxter dropped though the sky-light, which was still open, and onto the lorry and finally to the ground. Three more policemen followed him. Baxter walked over to Hugo. “Your revolver, please.” He said simply. “I was only protecting my property.” Hugo answered. “This man broke in. That girl helped him. Send him back to prison!” Baxter listened and smiled. “Certainly, but only after you’ve given me that revolver.” He replied. Hugo handed (da to hand=porgere) it to him silently. The policemen around Baxter and at the door suddenly moved forward and seized (da to seize=afferrare, si legge “sis”) Hugo, Masters and the three men. “We’ve followed you everywhere for days; that’s why we’re here now.” Baxter told Masters. Then he turned to Hugo and said: “And I’ve been up there for half an hour. I’ve heard everything you’ve said. Also, I think you’d have phoned us an hour ago when Coke first broke in, if you only wanted to protect your property!” Before Hugo could protest, he and the others were led away. Baxter helped Coke to his feet (il senso è “ad alzarsi”). “What we know now already proves you were innocent.” he said. Finally Edward Coke was a free man again.Capitolo 6 ONE HUNDRED FOURTEEN ISSUES FROM BOOKS NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINESE-COMMERCE AND CHOICE.The Long Tail (coda, si legge “teil”). No, it's got nothing to do (non ha niente a che fare) with dogs, monkeys or elephants, it's actually a way of describing the business models of many online companies such as Amazon, Netflix and iTunes. The phrase was coined in 2004 by Chris Anderson, the editor in chief of Wired Magazine, an American technology magazine. Anderson observed that the majority of Amazon's sales didn't actually come from the most popular books that were sold, but rather from the ones that were considered least (il meno possible) popular. The top twenty percent of sales were actually eclipsed (da to eclipse=eclissare, nel seso “oscurare”) by the bottom (il più basso) eighty percent, the so-called Long Tail. Amazon's business model, storing (da to store=immagazzinare) stock in warehouses (magazzini) rather than in a traditional shop, allow it to stock (approvvigionare/fare provvista DI) many books that only a small number of people are interested in. But the sheer volume (puro volume, si legge”sciir volium”) of these niche (nicchia, si legge “niisc”) books (libri di nicchia) made available to purchase allowed Amazon to sell them in greater volume than the current best sellers. This idea has had a profound impact on how people see E-commerce. Businesses are able to offer products that they know are not very popular as long as (fin tanto che) the storage and distribution costs are low. Customers have a higher chance of finding products that interest them due to the much bigger choice available to them. They are also more likely to be prepared to pay more for a product that they value highly. The net result (risultato netto, si legge “net risalt”) of this, is that we are in the middle of a huge (enorme, si legge “hiug”) change in the way we experience (sperimentare/ constatare; sost.vo “esperienza”, si legge “espiriens”) culture and content (contenuto). Whereas (mentre) previously consumers were forced to accept the most popular TV shows, books and movies, the products that companies knew would sell in large enough quantities to cover their costs, now we are free to enjoy what we want, how we want it. Let's take TV as an example. Traditional TV stations broadcast (trasmettono) their most popular shows in prime time slots (nelle fissure (nel senso “momenti”) di maggiore ascolto) when they can be sure that the majority of viewers will tune in. These are very important for the stations as the advertising fees (spese di pubblicità, si legge “advetaising fiis”) they can charge (caricare/ imputare) are much higher than at other times. As a result, the shows broadcast tend to be the most mainstream (ag.vo tradizionali; sost.vo corrente principale, si legge “meinstrim”) shows with broad appeal (ampio ricorso), but not necessarily the most interesting ones. Cable TV and the Internet have changed all that. The Long Tail allows broadcasters (chi parla alla radio/TV) to show a higher volume of less popular shows in the knowledge that overall (nella consapevolezza/nel complesso), they will be as popular and profitable as the old prime time system. For businesses (enti produttori) that understand this, the possibilities are great, diversification of the products they offer, allow them to spread (spresd/spread=estendere/ripartire) their profits over a much larger area and there is less reliance (dipendenza, si legge “rilaiens”) on the success of a relatively small number of shows. For the consumers the benefits are great. We are no longer tied (da to tie=legare) to the restrictive TV schedules (limitati programmi TV, si legge “scheguls”) of the past. We can choose (chose/chosen=scegliere) whatever we want to watch, and certainly with streaming (da to stream=scorrere; sost.vo “corrente/corso d’acqua”) Internet video or download services, we are able to choose when we want to watch these shows. The effect of this on our culture as a whole (nel complesso=ALL TOLD) is a greater freedom of expression, more chances for smaller producers to get their work to the public and more choices for the consumer. And all of this is possible while making a great profit at the same time!AVOIDING IDENTITY THEFT (furto, si legge “theft”)Having my identity stolen (da to steal/stole/stolen=rubare) was one of the most (da to deal/dealt/dealt=elargire e anche “dare le carte”) traumatic experiences of my life. I received an email from a company I had dealt with previously asking me to confirm my payment and shipping information (le informazioni inviate). The email contained a link (collegamento) to a website that looked the same as the one I had previously used. I entered my information into the required fields (campi obbligatori) on the page and clicked 'submit' (invio). The next day I checked my bank account and found that five thousand dollars was missing. I checked my statement (estratto conto) and found that my card had been used to buy products and services around the world. You've guessed it (l’hai indovinato) I was yet another victim of a phishing (v. Nota) attempts (or scam=truffa; furti on line). Police estimate that American citizens are conned out (truffati, si legge “coond out”. V.a. to cheat= truffare, si legge “ciit”) of two hundred million dollars a year, it's becoming a really big problem! First, be very wary (cauto, si legge “ueri”) of which links you click on when you're sent an email. Banks and a commerce sites will never ask for your personal details by email. Whenever you get an email like this, delete (da to delete=eliminare, si legge “dilit”) it straight away (subito)! Second, be very wary of any emails coming from people claiming to be in possession of a large amount of money that they will share (dividere, si legge “sceer”) with you for a fee (onorario/ tassa d’iscrizione, si legge “fi”). These are known as “four one nine scams'' after (il senso è “questo codice prende il nome dal/alla maniera di”) the number of the crime in the Nigerian criminal code (codice, si legge “coud”); the country where many of these emails originate from. These emails appeal to the greed (si legge “grid”, fanno appello all’avidità) of those who receive them, promising a huge amount of money if the recipient (destinatario, si legge “risipient”) forwards (inoltra/invia) a relatively small amount of money to the sender (mittente). Of course, the money never arrives and the scam artist (l’artista della truffa) disappears with the money you sent him! You may also have seen ads (annunci) for “work at home” business opportunities offering you the means to set up your own business at home and make “thousands of dollars” a week. Don't get caught by this one (non lasciarti catturare da questo)! Once again, the scammers (truffatori) are trying to appeal to the greed of those reading the ads. It certainly looks enticing (seducente, si legge “entaising”) doesn't it - you get to stay in the comfort of your own home and make thousands (migliaia (sot.so) di soldi) a week while doing so. The problem is that you'll be asked to send a fee to these people in order to get the materials you need to set up your new business. Guess what (indovina un pò?)? These materials never arrive! You've just lost your money, and sometimes this could be a very large amount indeed. There are some people who are taking the fight to the scammers. These people are known as Internet Vigilantes. These people pretend (da to pretend=fingere, si legge “pritènd”) to be fooled (ingannati) by the scam artists, but in fact try to manipulate them into revealing personal information such as photographs. Some Vigilantes even claim (reclamano, si legge “cleim”) that they have been able to scam (raggirare) the scammers by convincing them to send money to them! The Internet can be a dangerous place if you don't keep your wits (ingegno/arguzia/intelligenza, si legge “uit”) about you. Stay careful out there (nel senso “stattene alla larga”), it’s the best way to avoid identity theft.Nota. Phishing è una variante di “fishing=pescare”. Lo spear (lancia) phishing è una truffa via e-mail finalizzata all’accesso non autorizzato ai “dati sensibi=details safe”. CHOOSING THE PERFECT CITYIf you were lucky enough to be able to choose any city in the world in which to live, which city would you choose, and what would be the deciding factors? As the planet becomes increasingly urban, it's getting more and more important and difficult, to find the perfect place to live. Everyone has a different idea of his or her perfect city. For example, a businessperson might view business opportunities as the most important factor. A family might value most of all the quality of the local schools. Pretty much everybody (quasi tutti) would put house prices near the top of the list. But these aren't the only factors to think about when choosing a city. Cost of living is a huge factor. Just how much is it for a meal in a restaurant, or a week's groceries (generi alimentari (sot.so “necessary”) per una settimana)? How about architecture and design? How important is it to you to live in a city that looks good? Do you like lots of parks and trees, or are sparkling high-rise skyscrapers more to your taste (gusto, si legge “teist”)? Then, of course, there are other major issues such as pollution (inquinamento), crime, the public transport system, local amenities (servizi, si legge “amenetis”) such as swimming pools and libraries (pl.le di “library= blibloteca”, si legge “laibrai”) and so much more. In addition, one thing never to forget is the city of your choice fun? I mean, can you go out dancing, see interesting plays at the theatre, go to art museums or find cool shops (bei negozi) and great places to eat? There are so many things to have to take into account (da tenere in considerazione) before deciding on your perfect place to live. To help you, here are some of the international cities that top my list (che sono in cima alla mia lista). Copenhagen is full of wonderful architecture and design, a radical and forward-looking approach to environmental issues (un approccio radicale e lungimirante alle tematiche ambientali), a convenient and affordable transport system, and great restaurants. Munich has more art galleries than just about any other city in the world, wonderful architecture and, of course, great beer. If it's shopping you want, the burgeoning (fiorente, si legge “bèrgening” da to burgeon=germogliare, si legge “bergen”) Japanese cities of Fukuoka and Tokyo have some of the best boutiques and malls (centri commerciali, si legge “mols”) on the planet, as well as exciting street life and a fascinating mixture of popular and ancient culture. I guess it all depends on what you want from life, and what you want from a city.There's something out there for everyone (il senso è “ce n’è per tutti i gusti”).ESCAPING SANTYTOWNSThe United Nations estimates that over one billion people - that's one third of the world's urban population - live in shantytowns (baraccopoli) or slums (bassifondi). And by 2030, it'll have doubled. Shantytowns can be found in many poor or developing countries (paesi in via di sviluppo). They're settlements (insediamenti) built on land at the outskirts (periferie. V.a. OUTSKIRTS OF TOPEKA (capitale del Kansas)=un posto provinciale e sperduto) of cities, or within cities on poor land the developers (sviluppatori, nel senso “costruttori”) don't want. The houses, or shacks (baracche, si legge “sciachs”), are often made from discarded materials such as wood, corrugated iron (ferro corrugato, si legge “corùghetd airon”), plastic and cloth (stoffa). In the shantytowns there are often no street signs, no running water (acqua corrente), no electricity and no emergency or medical services. It's believed that, every day, in outskirts (sobborghi, si legge “autscherts”) about 200,000 people around the world move from the countryside to cities. They're motivated by two opposing factors, “the push and the pull”. They're “pushed” to leave their rural homes and look for work in the cities due to harsh weather conditions (a dure/averse condizioni climatiche), poor crops (colture) and poverty. And the cities “pull” them in due to (a causa di) a perceived (percepita) abundance of housing (alloggiamento), employment, food and education. In many cases, it's just swapping (da to swap=scambiare) rural poverty for urban poverty. Shantytowns can be a dangerous place to live. Drugs, murders and thefts (omicidi e furti, si leggono “marders end defts”) are endemic and the shacks burn down regularly in huge shantytown fires, and the lack of clean water and medical care leaves the people vulnerable to disease. Furthermore, during a natural disaster like an earthquake (terremoto) or a cyclone (cyclone, si legge “saiclon”), it's the shantytowns that collapse first. However, it's not all doom and gloom (destino e oscurità, il senso è “non vedere tutto nero”). Governments are beginning to realize that shantytowns are here to stay (rimanere. V.a. “TO STAY IN TOUCH=restare in cottatto”, il senso è “sentiamoci quanto prima”. N.B. Se il contatto è telefonico si usa “HOLD ON=resta in linea”) and can, in fact, with the right help, contribute a lot to today's modern urban society. For example, twenty per cent of India's GDP (Gross Domestic Product=PIL= prodotto interno lordo) comes from the city of Mumbai, where over six million people - or half the city's total population - live in slums. In Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, some shantytowns, or favelas, as they're called, are beginning to be regenerated both by the government and by local residents. People are upgrading (da to upgrade=promuovere/incrementare/rivalutare) their shacks from wood and plastic to brick and mortar (malta e anche “mortaio”), and in return the governments are widening (da to widen=allargare) the roads so ambulances and fire trucks can get in, building pipelines (condutture e anche “oleodotti”, si legge “paiplains”) to provide clean running water, and supplying (fornitura) electricity. These are both urban planning and humanitarian solutions to the escalating (da to escalate=aumentare, si legge “èscaleit”) problem of shantytowns. In Sao Paulo alone, around twenty per cent of the population lives in the favelas. The government can't just evict (sfrattare) everyone, can they? Instead, why not make the slums safe, clean, and encourage the local people to contribute to the economy? In that way, everybody wins, and the urban poor of the future is given a chance.BRIGHT LIGHT CITY SEEKERSTwenty-two of China's fifty-six ethnic minority tribes (tribù delle minoranze, si legge “minoriti traibs”) live in the southeast province of Yunnan. Every tribe has its own form of language, history, food, colorful clothing and traditions, each distinct from the other, and all of them different from the majority Han Chinese (gruppo etnico cinese). I spent some time trekking (da to trek=fare trekking/escursioni) in the mountains there, and found that, although the people don't want to lose their unique and ancient traditions, the modern world is unfortunately endangering (da to endanger=mettere in pericolo, si legge “endeinger”) them. I traveled to the southeast corner of Yunnan, called Xishuangbanna, on the border of Myanmar and Laos, and spent two weeks in the mountains, staying with the local minority people (minoranza, si legge “mainoriti pipol”). What struck me most (ciò che mi ha colpito di più), first of all, were the houses themselves. These wooden, three storey constructions (costruzioni a tre piani) have an earthen (di terra) ground floor, with no walls. This is where the animals as pigs/hogs (maiali), ducks, chickens and cows live. The 'living room', where the people cook, eat and relax, is on the first floor (V.a. “TOP FLOOR=ultimo piano”). There's no front door. To get there you have to climb up a ladder (scala a piuoli, si legge “ladar”) and go through a hole in the floor. At night, the family sleeps on the second floor, in the roof (tetto, si legge “ruf”) compartment. The largest ethnic group in Xishuangbanna is the Dai people. The Dai minority language and traditions are closely related (correlate/collegati, si legge “riletd”) to those in nearby Thailand. The people are Buddhists, and it's traditional for young boys of around eight to twelve years old to spend two or three years in a monastery and learn the ancient traditions and beliefs (credenze) of Buddhism. Another interesting tradition is the Water Splashing Festival. According to Dai tradition, the New Year occurs (si verifica/cade, “ochèrs”) falls tween (cade tra due (sot.so) date) April the twelfth and the eighteenth. To celebrate, the people splash (spruzzano) water over each other (uno sopra l’altro) to drive away evil spirits. And I mean splash! If you're outside during the day at this time, you'll get absolutely soaked (bagnato, da to soak=immergere, si legge “souch”)!In Xishuangbanna, there are around one hundred thousand hectares (ettari, si legge “hechters”) of virgin forest and over five thousand different kinds of plant. However, landowners (proprietari terrieri) are cutting down the indigenous forests to replace them with rubber trees (alberi della gomma), which produce a quick and regular profit. Without proper regulation, the villages could find that the land they've lived on for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, could be destroyed. Another danger to their way of life is rural migration. It's not uncommon to enter a village in the mountains and see only old people, young children and dogs, most of the village youths having left for the bright lights of the city to seek (sought/sought=cercare) their fortune. You can't blame young people for wanting to better (migliorare) their lives, but the village elders worry who's going to carry on their ancient (antiche, si legge “eincent”) traditions in the future. This isn't a problem that affects (influenza) only the minority tribes of China, it's something every country has to deal with the modern age. Leaving home to look for a job in the city is one thing, but forgetting (da to forget/forgot/forgotten=dimenticare) our culture and history is another. Like a tree in the rainforest, it's human nature to reach as high as we can but, just like that tree, we should never forget our roots (radici, si legge “ruts”).PLANNING TO AVOID CRIMECrime. Vandalism. Anti-social behavior. We've all seen, or been a victim of, at least one of these at some point (a un certo punto) in our lives, Vandalism. But what are the root causes of these social problems? Is it just that some people are bad and some are good? Or do the causes go deeper (più profondo, si legge “dipar”) than that, to how our society treats (tratta, si legge “trits”) its people? Basically, the three main causes of crime are: poverty, family environment and living conditions. Poverty, to a greater or lesser extent (estensione), is often a cause of crime. Your family, their social and financial position and how they bring you up also has a huge influence. But the third major factor and the one that's often neglected (trascurato) is: living conditions. In urban areas nowadays, we seem to live on top of each other rather than beside each other (uno acconto all’altro). Many inner city areas (aree urbane interne) are run down (da to run/ran/run down=colare giù) and deprived (da to deprive=privare, si legge “dipraiv”). Broken windows and graffiti are the everyday decorations to people's living environment. If you think about it, it's no wonder that people begin (began/begun=cominciare) to disrespect their environment and disrespect each other. So, here's a question for you. If the living conditions in the poorest areas of our cities were improved (da to improve=migliarare, si legge “impruv”), would there be an increase or a decrease in crime? If communities had wide-open spaces where people could relax and talk to each other, not dark alleyways (vicoli) and high rise living spaces (ampi spazi vivibili). If we used every available space to plant (piantare/seminare) trees and flowers, instead of using every available space to lay down (mettere giù/deporre) more concrete things. If play areas, parks and affordable (a prezzi accessibili, si legge “afordibol”)sports facilities were provided (da to provide=provvedere, si legge “provaid”) for communities, giving people something healthy (salutare) to do. Do you really think crime would rise? Of course, causes of crime are not simplistic (semplicistico), they are inter-connected and deep-rooted (radicato). However, the way people behave (si comportano) in their environment has a lot to do with how their environment behaves towards them. If I love and respect where I live, then I may just love and respect others and myself that bit more (un poco di più).QUIET TIMESometimes modern life can be stressful! Scientists have estimated that, if we live to an average age of seventy-eight, we'll have spent seven years of our lives at work, nine months commuting (da to commute=commutare ed anche “viaggiare per andare al lavoro”, si legge “comiut”) to and from work and a total of six months stuck (to stick/stuck/stuck=conficcare) in traffic jams (ingorghi). Nowadays we work so hard, sometimes it feels like there's no time to actually live (per vivere davvero). I mean, look at me. I mean, don't get me wrong (non fraintendetemi), I love my job.It was just that, it didn't matter how many cars, gold watches, paintings or expensive espresso machines I bought, I was working sixteen hours a day and didn't have any time to enjoy them! Anyway, a friend suggested I go on a retreat (vado in un ritiro). You know a quiet place in the middle of nowhere where you live a simple life and forget about the stresses of the outside world. So that's how I found myself in a monastery. It took me some time to get used to the lifestyle. We got up at five thirty a.m., no one spoke, we were completely silent. We meditated for an hour then ate (da to eat/ate/eaten=mangiare) a simple breakfast of bread and milk. Then came the work. Every day we had a different duty: feeding the pigs and cows, gardening, gathering (raccogliendo) apples from the trees in the orchard (frutteto, si legge “orcerd”), cleaning or mending (da to mend=rammendare ed anche “riparare”) the monastery building, cooking, washing up. At night, we studied and meditated. From nine until ten p.m. was 'Quiet Time' when no one spoke and then it was 'lights out'. After about six weeks I began to feel calm, centered (concentrato) and relaxed. My life was much simpler, healthier and more focused on the how it had been for many years. But, in the end, time is money. I just had to get back to work and, actually I feel great. I feel motivated again. Batteries recharged. The difference is, these days I try not to work more than ten hours a day and I have at least one day off every week. We all need a break sometimes.There's more to life than just work (il senso è “c’è altro nella vita oltre al lavoro”)!JUGGLING WORK AND PLAYTo juggle (fare giochi (in genere con le palline) di destrezza/giostrare/destregiarsi tra, si legge “giagol”) work and play can be very important. What are the things in life you value most? Family? Friends? Free time (tempo libero=LEISURE (ozio/svago, si legge “lig-iar”) TIME)? Your job? Life's too short to spend every minute of it working. When you're old and looking back on your life, what kind of memories do you want to have? Memories of your computer screen and office? Well, today I'm going to give you a few tips (suggerimenti) on how to make your life that little bit more special. I want you to close your eyes and visualize where you work: your office, your workspace (area/ambito di lavoro). Is it big or small? How much space do you, personally, have in this area? Of course having a comfortable workspace is important, with an ergonomic chair and keyboard (tastiera del computer), but let's think outside the box a little. What about adding some color to your office - nice pictures, photos, plants and what about something that smells nice - flowers, for example, or pot-pourri (una loro (sot.so) mescolanza). All these things stimulate the senses and help you feel calm and relaxed. And, when it all gets too much, go outside! Have lunch in the park or take a twenty-minute walk along a quiet tree lined street (una tranquilla strada alberata). Now, let's go home. Close your eyes and imagine you are opening the front door of your house or apartment. Where is the furniture (moblilio,“ferniciar”) situated? Where are the windows? What does the energy of the room feel like (funziona bene)? Try arranging your house according to the principles of “feng shui” (let. (in cinese) vento e acqua. Regole e colori per l’arredamento) according to the kitchen is the heart of the home because it’s the room of fire and nurture (nutrimento, si legge “ner-cer”). Red is the best color. Be careful (or “Keep your eye ON=stare attento A) with your bathroom as it can drain away (defluire, si legge “drein”) energy. Blue is a good color for the bathroom. But the bedroom, as it is the place to rest and relax, is the most important. Take the TV and computer out, open the window to let in (fare entrare) fresh air, light candles at night to help you relax and make the bed the most important piece of furniture (mobilia, si legge “fèrniciar”) in the room. Skin (pelle) colors are the best colors for your bedroom - white, light brown, dark brown. And finally, you. Find ways to keep your body and your mind healthy and relaxed. These things are generally common sense, but life can be so busy and stressful that it's easy to forget all about them. Spend time with friends, make new ones (fai cose nuove), eat well, take up a new hobby, smile more and, perhaps most importantly, do good (fare del bene). Give your seat on the bus to a mom (diminuitivo di “mother”) with a small child. Help an old person across the road. It's amazing how good it makes you feel!STRAIGHT OUT OF THE TAP (direttamente dal rubinetto)We can't live without water, but have you ever actually thought about/of (da to think/tought/tought=pensare) what kind of water you drink, and the effect it could be having on the environment? Every year, in the USA alone, consumers spend over fifteen million dollars on bottled water. That's more than one billion plastic bottles every week. And, despite the fact that plastic bottles are made from a totally recyclable chemical called PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate=poletilene tereftalato, si legge “polietlin tereftleit”), more than seventy per cent of the plastic bottles we use are just thrown (da to throw/threw/thrown=gettare) away. That's a total of seventy million plastic bottles every week. In addition, the crazy thing is, in the USA, as in most developed countries, there's hardly any (quasi nessuna) difference between the water we drink in a plastic bottle with a designer label (etichetta, si legge “leibol”), and tap water (acqua di rubinetto) which is a lot cheaper! What's wrong with us? Why do we spend fifteen million dollars a year on something we can get out of (uscire DA) the tap? Seriously, I have no idea. It may be good for the economy, but it certainly isn't good for the environment. But what if the tap water where you are isn't safe to drink? Invest in a water machine. Every canister (scatola metallica) of water can hold up to ten or eleven liters of water. All you need do is to fill up a jug (brocca, si legge “giagh”), put it in the fridge with a slice of lemon, and hey (presto/oplà/subito), you have iced water without any waste (spreco, si legge “ueist”). Speaking of waste, when you do have things to recycle, make sure you know where the recycling depots (depositi) near your home are, and also which materials can be recycled there: tin cans (lattine), plastics, paper, different colors of glass, and so on. Take all your recyclable garbage (immondizia) to the depot (deposito) every week or month and you'll drastically reduce your waste. This is a lifestyle choice. People drink (drank/drunk=bere) this water because it's fashionable (alla moda. V.a. “ALL THE RANGE=di gran moda e AVANT-GRADE=all’ultima moda”), not because it's better than tap water. We need to change the way we think and the way we do things. We need to change our lifestyles. Reuse (riutilizzo), recycle, don't throw perfectly good water bottles into the trash (spazzatura) when you could simply fill (riempire) them up again from the tap. If we don't do this, the future for our children might be something like this.GETTING PERSONAL WITH CUSTOMERSGetting personal (ricercare le esigenze di/avere confidenza con) is a good strategy either in business or in private relationship. The key word for the future isn't 'internet' or 'technology' or 'space travel', it's “personalization”. The future's going to be all about us (il senso è “sempre più importante per noi”). Technology's moving (in movimento; ag.vo, “emozionante/commovente”. Eg. A moving experience) so fast the world and our lifestyles can't keep up (tenere il passo). Do we actually have what we need now to live the life of the future? It's just that our governments, our industries and our bosses, haven't yet got with the program. For example, recent surveys (sondaggi, “servèis”) indicate (indicano, si legge “ìndicheit”) that somewhere between ten and fifteen percent of people are already telecommuting, which means they work away from the office using the Internet. This suggests that, in the future, we'll be working where we want, how we want and when we want. We'll have the perfect work life balance because we'll decide (decidere, si legge “disaid”) at what time of the day or night we want to work. It'll be so much easier (molto più facile) than getting up at 7 am every morning, commuting (pendolarismo, da to commute=commutare e anche “fare il pendolare”) hours to work and sitting in a boring old office! But now it’s possible that if you like surfing (fare surf, si legge “serf”), you can live in Hawaii and work from there and if you prefer snowboarding, then you can live in the Rocky Mountains or the Alps. Video conferencing and fast Internet connections have already made this possible; the trouble is, not many of us (non tutti noi) actually live like this now. Well, I predict, in the future, we will. Can you imagine going for surf in the morning, working, going for surf at lunch, meeting your boss online in the afternoon, and then going for another surf in the evening? Satellites (satellite, si legge “sàtelaits”) and GPS will be used much more for personal, rather than national or international reasons. Wherever you are, whatever time of day or night, you'll be able to listen to, eat, drink, read, watch or play anything you want at the touch (si legge “tac”, CON il tocco) of a button on your satellite cell phone. Take travel, for example. No more waiting in long lines at the airport, no more searching for the right hotel, no getting lost in strange countries and you won't even need to take your passport. You're gonna (abr.ne di “going to”) know exactly how late the plane's gonna be and go to the airport when you want to. You'll program your satellite cell phone with exactly what you want to do, where you want to stay and how you're going to get there, and it'll all be planned for you. And, on buying your electronic ticket, your eyeball (bulbo oculare) will be scanned (analizzato/esaminato) and the authorities will know exactly who you are, so no need for any other kind of ID (si legge ai d”, abr.ne di “Identify Document= documento identificativo”, si legge “aidentifichescioni dochiument”). In the near future, our lives are gonna be much more organized, better balanced and a heck (dianime, si legge “hech”) of a lot more fun (il senso è “e sarà qualcosa di molto più divertente”). And it'll all be about you.STANDING BEHIND THE FLAGFlags are potent symbols of a nation's identity. We use them to identify countries, the people who come from them and the ideas they stand (stood/stood=stare in piedi) for (to stand for=rappresentare). Most flags are rectangular, have different colors and different symbols. Common colors in the Western world are red, white and blue. Green and black are often seen on flags from the Arab world. Red, green, black and yellow are often used on African flags. There are some flags that are different to all the others. The flags for Switzerland and the Vatican City are the only two flags that are perfect squares, but one of my favorite flags, the Nepalese flag, is completely different to all of the others - it's not rectangular at all! The color red signifies victory in war, and the blue border (frontiera e anche “orlo”) symbolizes peace. Different international organizations also have flags. The UN (si legge “iu n”, abr.ne di United Nations=Nazioni Unite, si legge “iunaitd neiscions”) flag shows the whole world but focuses on the North Pole so that no one country is seen to be dominant. It was adopted in 1947. An older flag than the UN flag is the Olympic flag, which was created in 1914. The five circles (cerchi, si legge “sercols”) symbolize the five inhabited continents and the six colors appeared on all the national flags of the world at the time. This flag is very so simple but it really brings across (nel senso “attraverso se stessa”) the feeling of unity and togetherness (solidarietà, si legge “tughedernes”) throughout the earth.UNIVERSAL SYMBOLS AND MEANINGSI had a crazy dream last night. It seemed to be trying to tell me something about my life. I remember that I saw a snake (serpent, si legge “sneich”) moving through the grass. It grew (da to grow/grew/grown=crescere/farsi crescere. Il termine “Grown-up= diventato adulto” (adult, si legge “adòlt”) si usa per un bimbo) wings (ali) and began flying through the air like a dragon. It seemed to be changing color while it moved like a rainbow (arcobaleno). I reached up to (arrivai a) try and touch it but it moved away. I think I chased after (da to chas=inseguire, si legge “ceis”) it for a while until it changed into a river. And I swam (da to swim/swam/swum=nuotare) along the river until I reached the sea. That was about the time I woke up. I looked in my dream dictionary (vocabolario) and I think I found some explanations for what my dream was trying to tell me. The snake is supposed to symbolize high intellectual power but the fact that it grew wings seems to be saying that I've overcome (superato) a negative habit (abitudine). I quit (da to quit/quit/quit= abbandonare/ rinunciare=to renpunce/to give up) smoking recently so maybe that's the reason for it. Rainbows might mean that I'm hoping for good things in the future. But, as I was unable to touch the rainbow snake, maybe it will be difficult for me. Rivers sometimes mean peace and prosperity. In addition, as I was swimming in the river, maybe I'm on my way to reaching my dreams. The sea sometimes means that you should reassure (rassicurare, si legge “riascuar”) yourself everything will be okay. I believe that my dream is trying to tell me that my decision to quit smoking was the right one, and that it will be good for me in future. I just need to stick (stuck/stuck=conficcare). SCIENCE BREAKING THROUGHAround eight hundred million people on the planet don't have enough food. Every minute ten children under the age of six will die of hunger (fame). A solution to this problem has (NO “is”) existed since the end of the twentieth century, but the solution has been highly controversial in some parts of the world. Is genetically modified, or GM (abr.ne di “Genetic Modification”) food a solution to world hunger? We think no. To end world hunger, First World countries like America, Britain, France and Germany have to consume less and give the surplus to Third World countries. GM on the other hand (d’altronde) presents so many dangers that, if we're not careful, it could destroy the world as we know it. By modifying a plant or animal's genomes, genetic engineers can increase or decrease qualities already inherent in the DNA (abr.ne di “Deoxyribonucleic Acid=acido desossiribonucleico”, sostanza fondamentale del gene responsabile della trasmissione dei caratteri ereditari). Crops (colture/raccolti) for example can be altered to become more resistant to drought (siccità, si legge “draut”) or more resistant to attack from insect thereby (in tal modo) reducing the need for pesticides. GM crops could be useful in the fight against world hunger, but the issue is: are these ”Frankenstein foods” safe? If you alter the genetic makeup (trucco nel senso “composizione”) of a plant, how do you know that it's safe to eat? There is absolutely no proof to say that genetically modified foods are dangerous. In fact, ninety per cent of soya sold in the US, for example, is genetically modified. Another issue of concern (preoccupazione, si legge “consern”) is that of the impact a genetically modified plant or animal could have on our environment. Consider this: what if the GM plant or animal - bigger and stronger than its non GM rivals (rivali, si legge “raivals”) - escapes into the wild (fuggono in libertà)? Some governments already permit GM crops (colture) to be grown and are carefully controlled and monitored, genetically modified animals or plants should therefore (perciò/quindi) pose (porre/presentare, si legge “pous”) little problem. Some years ago, over a hundred thousand genetically modified salmon (salmone/i (SEMPRE al sing.re), si legge “semon”) escaped from a fish farm in the US. Can you imagine these “Super Salmon”? Bigger, faster, stronger, eating everything and destroying all the natural animal and plant life in the rivers. GM technology allows us to produce cheaper and better food. Furthermore, we can produce food in greater quantities than ever before. GM foods provide us with a viable (praticabile, si legge “vàiebol”) solution to deal with the demand of climate change and population growth. Tinkering (da to tinker=armeggiare) with nature and unleashing (da to unleash=sguinzagliare/scatenare) super weeds (erbacce) and super salmon onto the planet may ultimately lead to one of the biggest manmade disasters ever (il senso è “mai compiuto dall’uomo”).FUTURE SHAPING (da to shape=modellare/dare forma) INVENTIONSYou know, in the future, there's gonna (“going to”) be some really cool stuff (robaforte/cose importanti”). I'm gonna tell you about five things that I think we'll be seeing sometime soon. Invention “Number one”, the musical yo-yo. It's small, portable and easy to use. The really cool thing is you power (alimenti, nel senso di “motorizzare”) it by playing with it! Just move the yo-yo up and down and it produces all the power you need to listen (ascoltare, si legge “lisn”) to your favorite tunes. And don't worry, your listening won't be disrupted (interrotto) by the movement of the yo-yo: wireless earphones (auricolari) will ensure a smooth, enjoyable listen.Invention “Number two” is the foldable (pieghevole) movie player. Have you ever seen a foldable bike? Well, the foldable movie player is kind of the same thing. It's a TV screen made of a paper attached to a small machine that downloads (scarica/memorizza), stores (negozi) and plays all your favorite movies. Now, the beauty of this invention is that it can be adapted to how much space you have. If you're on a busy subway train, just fold open a small screen. If you're in the comfort of your living room, fold it right out so it's the same size as a regular TV.Invention “Number three” isn't likely to happen quite soon (abbastanza presto). It's the Weather (meteo) Wand (bacchetta magica, si legge “uand”). Imagine you could control the weather! Just wave (onda, si legge “ueiv”. TO WAVE=fare un cenno/ saluto con la mano) a magic wand and turn rain into sunshine. We're already learning how to control the weather by using huge mirrors floating (da to float=galleggiare, si legge “flout”) in space, so this invention really is possible. Of course, not everyone will be able to decide what the weather will be like on any given day (in qualsiasi giorno. V.a. “ANY DAY NOW=da un giorno all’altro”). Can you imagine the arguments (dispute)? A farmer needs rain for his crops but a hill walker wants fine weather for his day's walk? Probably only the government will have control over the weather like this. It could still be controversial, though.According to Chaos Theory, we shouldn't fool around (perdere tempo) with the natural patterns (modelli) of nature.Invention “Number four” will make the word “house” redundant (ridondante, si legge “ridandent”). In the future, we won't live in houses we'll have Personalized Living Spaces. Imagine a house that's programmed to take care of your every need? It wakes you up, starts your shower at the exact temperature you like, it makes yourbreakfast, and then does the washing up too and when you leave for work, it swit- ches itself off.Invention “Number five” is my favorite: the Virtual Mirror. Ever wondered (ti sei mai chiesto) what you'll look like five years in the future?Well, the Virtual Mirror can tell you. All you have to do is program it with your daily habits-diet, exercise regime, working hours, daily commute (pendolarismo quotidiano) and so on, and the mirror will give you a “reflection” (riflessione/ riflesso) of what you'll look like in five years! But don't worry. It doesn't stop there. The Virtual Mirror will also tell you exactly what you need to do to look better in the future! Imagine not just looking into the future, but seeing yourself in it! Now that's really cool.JUMPING OVER THE RED TAPE"Here at our sea washed, sunset gates shall stand a mighty woman with a torch, whose flame is the imprisoned lightening, and her name Mother of Exiles (esiliati, si legge “ech-sails”). From her beacon hand (lancetta (si legge “bicon”=segnale) del faro) glows (da to glow=splendere, sost.vo “splendore”) worldwide welcome”.Qui nel nostro mare pulito i cancelli del tramonto sorreggeranno una donna potente con una torcia la cui fiamma è il fulmine imprigionato e il suo nome è Madre degli Esuli. Dalla sua mano (come) faro arde in tutto il mondo il benvenuto.These words appear at the base of the Statue of Liberty and, over the years, have welcomed countless (innumerevoli) immigrants to America's shores. However, nowadays, the USA is just about the hardest country to become a permanent resident of. In one respect (sotto un certo aspetto), its immigration laws are similar to those of most other countries, in that it's not what the country can do for you it's what you can do for the country. In other words, if you have a special skill (abilità) the US needs, you'll find it much easier to get a green card. To do this, you need an employer (datore di lavoro, si legge “employer”) in the US to sponsor you. That means the employer fills in the necessary documents to prove that you'll be coming to the US to work for them. Interestingly, as people are now living longer, the US is beginning to need more and more nurses to cope with (far fronte) its ageing society (società che invecchia). So if you're a nurse, you may have a better chance of getting a green card than, say (diciamo), an engineer or a teacher. The second way to get a green card is through a relative already granted (da to grant=concedere, (sost.vo “borsa di studio”) citizenship or residency in the US. But be aware, if your relative only has permanent residency, but not citizenship, he or she will only be able to invite a husband, wife or an unmarried child. If your relative has citizenship, however, he or she can invite a wider range of family members. For some people, getting a green card is like winning the lottery, literally, in fact. Every year, the US allows fifty thousand people residency through its “Diversity Lottery” scheme (progetto). This is open to countries with a historically low rate (tasso, si legge “reit”) of immigration into the US. Application is free, and all you need is a high school diploma or suitable (adeguata, si legge “sut-eibol”) work experience. Getting a green card is a tricky process (difficile processo/procedura). It's not the same as citizenship, which takes an additional five years, and it's not even green. Still, America invites the world to "Give me your tiredness (stanchezza/noia), your poor huddled (da to huddle=accalcarsi, si legge “hadol”) masses yearning (bramosi, si legge “ierning”) to breathe free" (respirare liberi, nel senso “vivere in libertà”) but that promise is only fulfilled (da to fulfill=compiere/adempiere) after a lot of red tape (nastro, il senso è “burocrazia”) and good luck.PITCHING (da to pitch=montare, si legge “pic”) HYPOTHETICALSEthical philosophers often come up with hypothetical (ipotetiche, si legge “haipoteticol”) situations to test their ethical theories. These situations are commonly called 'ethical dilemmas'. One of the most famous dilemmas tests utilitarian (utilitari, si legge “iutiliterian”) ethics and is called the trolley problem. Imagine a trolley car (tram), like the kind they have in San Francisco. It's moving along the tracks, heading downhill (che avanzano (sot.so) in discesa). Further downhill there's a junction (più a valle c’è un bivio). The trolley is heading straight downhill (sta andando dritto in discesa), towards five people who have been tied to the track by a mad (pazzo) professor. The trolley will surely hit them soon. On the section of track leading (sul tratto del bianario guida) from the junction there is one person tied to the track, you have the junction switch (interruttore di giunzione). If you push it, you will save the five people, but the person on the other track will be killed, if you don't push it, that person will be saved, but the other five will die. What would you do? Jeremy Bentham and the Utilitarian's would say that it makes perfect sense (ha perfettamente senso) to kill the one person in order to save the five. Other people may say that not pushing the switch is the better option, in order to avoid being partly to blame for something that is morally wrong (onde evitare di essere in parte responsabile di qualcosa che è moralmente sbagliato). It's certainly a very tricky (difficile) decision to make. What would you do? Would you kill five people to save one or one person to save five?THE QUESTION OF PHILANTROPYAndrew Carnegie (Carneghi) was born into a poor family of weavers (tessitori, si legge “uivers”) in a small town in Scotland, in 1835. After emigrating (N.B. TO EMIGRATE=emigrare, but IMMIGRAT or EMIGRANT=emigrante) with his family to America in 1848, he started his first job at the age of only thirteen, working in a cotton mill (cotonificio) as a 'bobbin (bobina) boy', his task (compito) being to change the spools of thread (rocchetti di filo, si legge “spuls ov thred”) on the machines. For this, he earned one dollar twenty a week. Despite his poor beginnings, a little over fifty years later (dopo poco più di (BARELY MORE THAN) 50 anni), Carnegie would retire from business as the second richest man in the world, and spend the rest of his life as a philanthropist, helping those less fortunate than himself. By the time of the American Civil War in 1861, Carnegie had been a telegraph operator and a railroad worker (ferroviere). Realizing that the future of the world was in iron and steel, he began investing in these industries, combining (da to combine=combinare/congiungere, si legge “combain”) an instinctive business skill with a self-taught education to become extremely successful. In fact, by the late 1880s, Carnegie was the biggest single manufacturer of iron and steel in the whole world, and well on the way (sulla buona strada) to becoming a multimillionaire. However, as Carnegie wrote in a number of different essays (saggi, si legge èseis”) and publications, money was not the only motivating factor in his life. He said “I propose to take an income no greater than fifty thousand dollars per annum. Beyond this (inoltre) I need ever earn but spend the surplus each year for benevolent purposes! Let us cast aside (da to cast/cast/cast aside=mettere da parte) business forever, except for others”. In other words, Carnegie didn't believe that his only role in life was to make money, but that, after becoming rich, his money should be used to help other people. In 1901, Carnegie was bought out (da to bring/ brought/brought out=rilevare, in senso “acquistato”) by another steel company and netted (da to net=pescare con la rete e anche “guadagnare al netto”) over two hundred million US dollars from the deal. Deciding there and then (lì per lì) to retire, he embarked (si imbarcò) on a philanthropic journey which saw him donate (donare (SENZA “to”), si legge “doneit”) hundreds of millions of dollars to build libraries, swimming pools, university institutions and concert halls in America, Canada and the UK. Perhaps due to his own desire for books and learning when he was young and poor, he devoted a lot of his time and money to children and their education. However, as with all famous philanthropists, no matter how much money Carnegie donated, it did not change the fact that the life he was living was like night and day (il sensio è “dalle stalle alle stele”) compared to that of the poor people of the world. This, to me, is the fascinating, and controversial, thing about philanthropists. The question always remains: are these rich and famous people donating their millions simply to help the poor, sick and hungry of the world, or do they in fact feel guilty (colpevole, si legge ghilti”) for the huge amount of wealth they've got, compared to those less fortunate than themselves? When Andrew Carnegie died of pneumonia (polmonite, si legge “nimonia”) 1919 at the age of 84, his estate was estimated to be worth in the region (regione e anche “misura/valore/ragione”, si legge “rigion”) of five hundred million US dollars, and his philanthropic donations up until his death totaled an amazing 359,695,650 dollars.CREATIVE WRITING TECHINIQUESHow do writers write well? They use a variety of techniques to create a personal style and vision. Let's look at few of them. Metaphor, from the Greek 'metaphora' or transference is used to give a unique perspective (prospettiva) on a familiar topic (argomento) by comparing seemingly (apparentemente, si legge “simingli”) diverse subjects or concepts and so illuminating our understanding of the world. Shakespeare's famous metaphor from 'As You Like It'. But what is he saying? This is a common theme in Shakespeare: the transience (transitorietà, si legge “tranziens”) and impermanence (impermanenza, si legge “imparminens”) of life, as short lived (come di breve durata. V.a. “LONG RUNNING=di lunga durata) as a play upon the stage. To continue with our Shakespearian theme, he was also a master of the hyperbole (iperbole, si legge ”haiperboli”). This means excess or exaggeration and is used to create emphasis. "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?" (pulirà tutto il grande oceano di Nettuno il sangue dalle mie mani?). So says Macbeth after he has murdered the King. The exaggerated language here emphasizes his terrible guilt (copla, si legge “ghilt”) and the enormity of his crime. The heightened (accresciuto, si legge “haitend”) tone of the language serves to add dramatic impact. In Xanadu did Kubla Khan, a stately pleasure dome decree (un maestoso decreto sulla cupola del piacere, si legge “a steitli plegiar dom dicrì”): “Where Alph, the sacred (sacro, si legge seicred”) river, ran through caverns measureless (smisurato, si legge “megiar-les”) to man Down to a sunless sea (per scendere in un mare senza sole)”. So begins Samuel Taylor Coleridge's most famous poem, 'Kubla Khan' which he claimed came to him in a dream. There are various definitions of symbolism but the one I favor is that which reveals the mystery which surrounds reality and I think this works for Coleridge's magical poem. Since it was written, there have been many theories as to what (da ciò) the poem actually means. I think the poem is about the creative process. The sunless sea and the deep caverns symbolize the mind, whilst (mentre, si legge “uailst”) the Arcadian imagery (immagine/i (SEMPRE al sing.re)/immaginario, si legge “ìmigeri”, è una forma poetica, più comunemente imagine=image) of 'fertile grounds' and 'gardens bright', represent the artist's imagination. However, there can be peril (pericolo; to peril= rischiare e anche “mettere a repentaglio”) in unleashing (nello scatenare) the unconscious as implied (implicito, si legge “implaid”) in such imagery. Yet, like all artists, there is an idyllic (idilliaco, si legge “aidillich”) release (uscita/liberazione, si legge “rilìs”) when the restless (irrequieta) imagination brings to the surface (superfice, si legge “serfis”) as the finished work of art: "It was a miracle of rare device (dispositivo, si legge “divais”), a sunny pleasure dome with caves (grotte, si legge “cheivs”) of ice". But the poet remains an outsider (fuori dagli schemi e anche “estraneo”), as he must, according to Coleridge, doomed (destinato, da to doom =condannare, si legge “dum”) to see what others cannot: "And close your eyes with holy (santo) dread (terrore, si legge “dred”), he on honey dew (rugiada, si legge “diu”) hath (si è, poetico) fed (da to feed/fed/fed=nutrire) and drunk (da to drink/ drank/drunk=bere) the milk of Paradise". For many artists the creative impulse is a blessing (benedizione) and a curse (maledizione, si legge “cars”, come imprecazione =DAMN IT ALL!) and Coleridge describes this ambivalence in the vivid (vivido) symbolism of his poetry.DREAM-INSPIRED CREATIVITYWe live in an age of innovation, when creativity is of increasing value. Not only is creativity important for artists and writers, but also for those who work in professions such as science, architecture, and business. Creative thinkers change the world, and for those who want to make their mark (lasciare un segno), finding new methods of being creative can be the key to success. Some say that dreams are one place to find inspiration for creativity. According to research, people who are creative and imaginative are more likely to have vivid dreams at night and to remember them when they wake up. These dreams can serve as the inspiration for creative activities such as art, poetry, music and even science. In fact, dreams have been directly responsible for some very famous artistic works and scientific innovations. Have you heard of Frankenstein? Well, in 1816, Mary Shelley, the author of this famous horror story, visited the poet Lord Byron at his villa beside Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Rain and wind kept them indoors most of the time (la maggior parte delle volte), so they amused (da to amuse=divertire, si legge “amius”) themselves by reading an old book of ghost (fantasma, si legge “gost”) stories. One evening, Byron challenged his guests to write one themselves. According to Shelley, she had a vivid dream about a character that later became the monster in her book Frankenstein, she said: "When I placed my head upon my pillow, I couldn’t either sleep or think. I saw with shut eyes (occhi chiusi), but acute (acuta, si legge “achiut”) mental vision. I saw the pale (pallido, si legge “peil”) student of unhallowed (non consacrate, si legge “an-alloud”) arts kneeling (da to kneel=inginocchiarsi, si legge “niil”) beside the thing he had put together (insieme). I saw the hideous (orrendo, si legge “hidios”) phantasm of a man stretched out (da to stretch out=allungare), and then, on the working of some powerful engine (sul lavoro/funzionamento di qualche potente motore), show signs of life, and stir (agitare/si, si legge “steer”) with an uneasy, half vital motion (movimento, si legge “moscion”)". Nineteenth century chemist Dimitri Mendeleyev also was inspired by a dream. He fell (da to fall/fell/ fallen=cadere) asleep (addormentato) as music was being played in the next room. As he dreamed, it became understood to him that the basic chemical elements are all related (correlate, si legge “releitd”) to each other in a manner similar to the themes and phrases in music. He awoke (da to awake/awoke /awoke=svegliare/rsi) and he was able to write out (trascrivere) for the first time the entire periodic table (tavola periodica, si legge “piriod teibol”) which forms the basis of modern chemistry. Paul McCartney, famous songwriter and member of one of the most popular bands of all time, the Beatles, wrote the song “Yesterday” after hearing it in a dream, he said: "I woke up with a lovely tune (melodia, si legge “tiun”) in my head. I thought: That's great, I wonder what that is (mi chiedo di cosa si tratta). There was an upright (verticale) piano next to me, to the right of the bed by the window. I got out of bed, sat at the piano, found G, found F sharp minor seventh and that leads you through then to B to E minor, and finally back to E. It all leads forward logically. I liked the melody a lot, but because I'd dreamed it, I couldn't believe I'd written it. I thought: No, I've never written anything like this before. But I had the tune, which was the most magical thing”. There are many other instances (casi, si legge “in-stensis”) of dreams inspiring creativity. Albert Einstein worked out his principle of relativity after dreaming about sledding (da to sled=andare in slitta) on a mountainside (versante). Elias Howe found the solution to a problem he was having with his invention, the sewing machine (maccina da cucire, si legge “souingh”, da to sew/sewed/sewn=cucire) in a dream. Golfer Jack Nicklaus found a new way to hold his golf club in a dream, which he used to improve his golf game. Samuel Taylor Coleridge claimed to have visualized his famous poem, Kubla Kahn, in a dream, but was interrupted by a visitor from Porlock while in the process of writing it. Kubla Khan, only fifty four lines long, was never completed. And, on a side note (in una nota a margine), 'Person from Porlock', is today a literary reference to unwanted intruders (indesiderati intrusi). Kubla Kahn may not be the complete version that Coleridge had dreamed about, but it is one of the most famous poems in literature (letteratura, si legge “lìtricia”). You see, dreams can inspire creativity, which leads to greatness (grandezza, si legge “greitnes”). Anyone can learn to use them for inspiration. Try keeping a dream journal. Write down the dreams you remember as soon as you wake up. You might find something that sparks (scintilla) a creative idea or save the writings for later. Then come back to them and see how they inspire you. Over time (col tempo) you'll learn how to find interesting answers in your dreams and you'll be on your way to a more creative mode (modalità, si legge “moud”) of expressing yourself.SURVIVING THE “AFFLUENZA” VIRUSWould you like to be rich and famous? Do you dream of owning the hottest car or wearing the latest fashion? Do you secretly hope that you're the envy (invidia) of all your friends? If you answered “Yes” to most of these questions, then you run a high risk of contracting the Affluenza Virus (vaiures)! Affluenza is an epidemic sweeping (da to sweep/swept/swept=scopare/spazzare, in questo caso “che spinge”) the world of the upwardly (verso l’alto/in su) mobile (si legge “moibail”, nel senso “alta tecnologia”), primarily affecting (da to affect=avere effetto SU) those who are obsessed with impressing others and accumulating vast amounts of money and possessions. How do you know if you've been stricken (da to strike/struck/struck or stricken=scioperare e anche “colpire”) by this 'disease’ (malattia, si legge “disis”)? Some symptoms include depression, anxiety, and addiction (dipendenza). But, as is the case with most diseases, a change in lifestyle could hold the key to your recovery (guarigione). The first change to make is to realize that success is not necessarily measured by how much cash you have in the bank. The second change is to find ways to lead a simpler, more rewarding (gratificante, di legge “rivurding”) life. Living frugally can help you free up time to pursue (perseguire, silegge “parsiu”) what's truly important to you, like spending more time with friends and family. Here are a couple of ideas: Take up free cycling, get friends and colleagues to bring (brought/brought=portare) in unused and unwanted items (articoli/notizie. V.a. “THE ITEMS OF BALANCE SHEET (foglio/lenzuolo, si legge “sciit”)=le poste di bilancio) from home. Put everything on a table and let people take the things they want - it's free stuff (roba gratis) and it's recycling! It also happens to be a great way to spend time with people, too. Eat seasonally buying produce which is in season not only means you get more bang (scoppio) for your buck (il senso è “più successo per i tuoi $”) but more taste on your plate. Better yet, try growing your own small garden. You can save money and share the surplus with your friends. Eating communally (comunitariamente, si legge “comìunali”) is another great way to share costs and spend time with friends and family. Use your time profitably rather than shopping or working late, sign up for a night class at a local college or university. Sometimes you can get a lot more than you bargained for (prevedevi, si legge “barghend for”. V.a. “to bargain=fare un contratto/negoziare”); many universities offer discounted rates or free admissions to their fitness center, sporting events, guest lectures, performances and art exhibits. Last but not least (ultimo ma non per importanza): work out (calcola) what your priorities are, what do you really want? What do you really need? Cut out unnecessary expenses, save time for what you really want to do. As the old saying goes, 'Prevention is the best medicine'. Living a life which is (che è) outwardly (esternamente) simple but inwardly (all’interno) rich is one of the best ways to ward off (parare un colpo/schivare) Affluenza.REDUCING STRESSThere are a wide range of (V.a. “FULL RANGE OF=ogni genere di …) activities you can do to reduce your stress. Do an Internet search and you'll find hundreds of different websites (siti, si legge “uebsaits”) promising you a magic cure (cura, si legge “chiur”). But sometimes, when it all gets too much, it doesn't matter how many breathing exercises, back stretches or yoga postures you do, sometimes you just have to get away from it all. If you don't have the time or money to go on (NO “in”) vacation, how about taking up a new sport or hobby, something that gets the adrenalin pumping and keeps the brain active. Although the feeling of excitement fades (sbiadisce, si legge “feids”) some time after you've finished, the sense of pride and fulfillment (compimento) you get from mastering a difficult new skill stays with you for a long time. This is one of the reasons why people do sports such as skydiving (paracadutismo, si legge “scaidaivingh”), rock climbing, snowboarding or jumping. It adds not just excitement, but balance, to their lives. Listen to what Gav has to say about it. “I took up rock climbing ten years ago. A friend introduced me to it and, like, even after only my first time, I knew I was gonna be a rock climber all my life. I had this amazing feeling. I know it sounds like a cliché but when I got to the top of the rock, I felt like I was on top of the world”. Every ounce (oncia, si legge “auns”) of stress and worry in my body had (NO “is”) just faded away (svanita). It was incredible. And it didn't end there. I had a smile on my face all week at work. I was more productive, more focused, happier! Of course, you don't have to confront danger to feel a sense of achievement (realizzazione, si legge “acivment”). Learning any new skill, especially a new skill you've always wanted to learn, can boost (aumentare e anche “tirare su (es. la fiducia/il morale)”, si legge “bust”) your self esteem and exercise your brain, both of which help reduce stress. But what if even this isn't enough? What if you need a real break? Well, here's what Lily did and now said: “I'd just finished a major project at work, and really needed a break. So, I decided to go somewhere quiet, somewhere beautiful, somewhere serene (sereno, si legge “serìn”). After doing some research online, I found this small village in the north of Finland where, at night, you could watch the Northern Lights. I'd always wanted to see them, and the closer you get to the North Pole, the easier it is to it. Unfortunately, for the first two nights, the visibility was bad, and we couldn't see anything! However, on the third night, the sky was clear and there it was! The Aurora Borealis! It was beautiful”! The point is to be aware (essere al corrente/ informato) that you feel stressed and then do something about it. You don't necessarily need to go on an expensive holiday do de-stress (rilessare/rsi) yourself. Find something that's suitable, and affordable (a prezzi accessibili, si legge “efordbol”) to you, preferably something you've never done before, something that stimulates both your body and your mind, and feel that stress fade away.TECHNOLOGY AND STRESSDo you ever feel that, instead of using machines to make your life easier, it’s machines that are actually using you? Think about traffic jams (ingorghi stradali), subway trains, computers, cell phones, text messages and TV advertisements. All of these things, every day, contribute to our stress levels. Human beings are social animals. We need to be around other people, but the fact is we probably spend much more time every day staring at a screen that we do looking into our loved one’s eyes. Crazy, isn’t it? How did life get like this? Is modern technology really to blame? What can we do to redress the balance (ristabilire l’equilibrio) between technology and people in our lives, so we’re happier and less stressed out? What’s the first thing you do when you arrive at work every morning? Switch on your computer? Check your emails? Make a call phone? Before you do any of these, why not go for a walk around the office and actually talk to people? Perhaps you can make that half hour of the morning easer if you take control of how you start your working day. Even just (appena/solo, si legge “giast”) a short chat, a smile or a joke reduces stress levels, and when you do sit down in front of your computer how do you use it? It’s easy to fall into the trap of using messaging services and social networking sites as a substitute for real (V.a. “Is this for real?=sul serio?”) friendship. I sometimes find myself sitting at the computer and typing madly away (follemente via) for hours on end, although I’m having lots of different conversations, I’m not actually saying a word. Why not use these communication networks to organize a real social life rather than just a virtual one? Enhance (da to enhance=aumentare/ valorizzare/incrementare, si legge”inhans”) you social life with a computer by using online networking services to send out invitations to friends, so you can all meet (met/met=incontrare) for dinner or coffee. And what about your cell phone? How long do you spend every day taking calls, making calls, sending and replying (da to replay=rispondere) to text messages? Or, and this is a big stressor in many people’s life, do you find that your boss, your mother or your partner use it as a tracking device (dispositivo di localizzazione) to find out where you are and what you’re doing? Does a ringing cell phone constantly interrupt you conversations, disrupt (reduce/rompe) your concentration on a task (compito) or waken (to waken=to weak/woke/woken=svegliare/rsi) you up from a peaceful nap? In the age of cell phones is there any privacy anymore? Well, there are a number of things you can do to make cell phones a positive rather a negative in your life. Start by setting your ring tone to vibrate, it’s less stressful to answer a buzzing (ronzio, da to buzz= ronzare, si legge “bas”. V.a. “GIVE ME A BUZZ=fammi uno squillo”) rather a ringing phone. If it’s the weekend or the evening and you’re going out, why not leave your cell phone at home or, if you simply have to take it, why not switch it off when you’re spending time with friends? You can always check for messages or missed calls (chiamate perse) later. That way you are in control of your cell phone rather than your cell phone being in control of you. No doubt about it, modern life can be stressful, we should all re-evaluate the positive and negative influences technology has in our lives and try to make more time every day for people instead of machines.STRESS AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEMPicture this situation. You might recognize (riconoscere, si legge “rècoghnais”) it. It’s exam time. You’ve been cramming (to cram=prepararsi a un esame) for weeks. You’re ready. You walk confidently into the exam hall, two ballpoint pens (penne a sfera) and a sharpened pencil at the ready (affilata matita pronta per l’uso). You feel confident; in fact you’re not stressed out at all. Your body and mind are one hundred per cent focused on passing this exam, and you sail (navighi, met.co) through it. Three hours later, you walk out of the exam hall on cloud nine (al settimo cielo) absolutely sure you’re gonna (abr.ne di “going to”) get an “A”. Even better (perfino meglio), tomorrow you’ll be lying (da “to lie/lay/lain/laying (part. pres.) =distendere/rsi”; diverso da “to lay (si legge “lei”)/laid/laid=stendere/posare”, da cui “lay-off=licenziamento”) on a beach on a tropical island, your gift to yourself for all the hard work you’ve just done. And then what happens? The next day, instead of lying on a tropical beach you’re lying in bed with a fever. Suddenly, out of nowhere (dal nulla nel senso “senza alcun preavviso”), you got sick. Isn’t that just typical? After all that hard work, now, when it’s time to relax, you’ve caught (NOT “taken”) the flu (influenza)! Why does this happen? Well, it doesn’t just affect students who’ve been studying hard for an exam. If you’ve just completed a big project at work, competed in a sports event after training for months, got married or even just moved house, you’re possibly at risk. What happens is when you’re really busy for a period of time, your immune system steps up (migliora) to help get through it. However, after you’ve finished whatever it was you were doing, and you’re now getting ready to take a break, does your immune system go on holiday? A part of your brain called the hypothalamus sends a signal to your immune system. Something like “Okay guys, work’s done here, take a break”. So, just as you want to relax and have a good time, your immune system disappears for a while. And that leaves you at risk of catching whatever viruses (virus, si legge “vàriuses”) or illness is going around. So what can we do about it? Well, it’s believed that what causes the immune system to disappear is the force of the change that takes place. Thinking about it, your body is working at maximum capacity for months and then, suddenly, stops. One way to deal with this sudden (improvviso) lifestyle change is to make the change less sudden (improvviso, si legge “sadn”). In other words, just wind down (“to wind/wound/wound=prendersa alla larga/comoda” ed anche “avvolgere/ concludere=to wrap up”, eg. I’ll wrap up my visit to China on Thursday. N.B. Wind si legge “uaind” se è usato come verbo e “uind” se significa “vento”. Wound (si legge “vuund”)=sost.vo “ferita”; verbo “ferire”). Instead of going from flat out (con tutte le forze, nel senso “strenuamente”) busy to vegging out (a vegetare, slang met.co) on the beach, slow down in stages (rallenta nelle fasi (sot.so) del lavoro). Don’t be afraid to catch up (recuperare) on your sleep after months of hard work, but don’t lie around all day. It’s believed that both physical and mental exercise can help the winding (tortuoso) down process, so go for a jog (passeggiata, si legge “giogh”) or do the crossword to keep (kept/kept=(man)tenere) body and mind stimulated. And when you do go on vacation, don’t just go to the beach to sunbathe (prendere il sole, si legge “sanbeid”). Be active! Do stuff (fai cose, nel senso “sii attivo”)! Then step-by-step slow down (a poco a poco rallenta) a little bit more. There are wide ranges of activities you can do to reduce your stress. Do an Internet search and you’ll find hundreds of different websites promising you a magic cure. But sometimes, when it all gets too much, it doesn’t matter how many breathing exercises or yoga postures (posizioni) you do, sometimes you just have to get away from it all (staccare la spina (met.co), il senso è “prendersi una vacanza”). If you don’t have the time or money to go on vacation how about taking up a new sport or hobby, something that gets the adrenalin pumping and keeps the brain active. Although the feeling of excitement (eccitazione) fades (svanisce) sometime after you have finished, the sense of pride and fulfillment (esecuzione) you get from mastering a difficult new skill stays with you for a long time. This is one the reason why people do sports such as skydiving, rock climbing, snowboarding or jumping. It adds not just excitement, but balance to their lives. Learning any new skill, especially a new skill you’ve always wanted to learn can boost your self esteem and exercise your brain both of which help reduce stress. The point is to be aware that you feel stressed and then do something about it. Find something that’s suitable and affordable, preferably something you’ve never done before, something that stimulates both your body and your mind and feel that stress fade away. Amazingly (sorprendentemente), when we’re under pressure, our body reacts the same way it did thousands of years ago when our early ancestors were in danger: “Fight or Flight” (combatti o scappa) response. This is when our brain releases chemicals that give us extra strength and speed, so that, in any dangerous situation, we can either stay and fight or run away. This is called a “stress response” and it can be pretty useful. It doesn’t just help you escape from dangerous situations, it also comes in handy (tornare utile) if you competing in a sporting event, have an important deadline (scadenza) to meet at work or are taking an exam. However, the problem is when we find ourselves in a situation that causes us stress on a regular basis, for example worrying about our job, money, family or relationship, our brain still produces these “Fight or Flight” chemicals. Our heart beats fast, our blood flows more quickly, we feel hot, we sweat (sudiamo, si legge “suet”) and, to save energy, we even stop digesting our food. This, of course, can be bad for our health. In fact, if we suffer from this kind of low levels stress over a long period of time, we can make us seriously ill. So, how can you tell if you or someone you know is suffering from stress? Well, there are a number of physical and behavioral symptoms you look out for. Physical symptoms of stress can include high blood pressure, shortness of breath, chest pains, and allergies. Behavioral symptoms can vary (variare), but any change in someone’s normal personality, such as greater anxiety, sudden mood swing (sbalzi di umore) or an unusually negative outlook (prospettiva) of life, can be signs that the person is stressed. Stress can also make existing behavioral problems, like alcohol or, worse (peggio), substance abuse. Being stressed also means you don’t look after yourself. If you are stressed out, it’s important to make sure you get enough sleep, take regular breaks, eat and drink healthily and get regular exercise. Conversely (viceversa/invece/AL contrario=BY CONTRAST), falling into a cycle of negative lifestyle habits, just makes things worse. Despite an increasing number of scientific studies, the link between stress and serious illness is still a controversial one. Nor all scientists agree that stress in itself causes illness or disease. However, stress has been linked to high cholesterol levels in the blood, gastrointestinal problems and even diabetes (diabete, si legge “daiabitis”).Stress many also put people at greater risk of heart attacks and strikes (battiti (sot.so) accelerate, si legge “straichs” da to strike/struck/struck=battere e anche “scioperare”), but don’t start getting too stressed out about stress! The most important thing to remember is: if you live a well-balanced life, and that means work life and house life, you can manage your stress levels independently, without any cause of concern (ansietà).IDUSTRIAL ESPIONAGESpying is one of the most glamorous (affascinante) and dangerous jobs in the world. But not all spies work for the national governments. Some of them are out there trying to improve their companies’ chances in the business world. Industrial espionage is the term used to describe the activities some companies use to get ahead (andare avanti/superare) in business. Of course it can be illegal, but all’s fair in love and in business. Industrial spies sometimes use the simplest methods to get information about their rivals’ products. In fact, they simply buy one of the products and take it apart in order to (lo smontano al fine di) see how it works. This process is known as “reverse engineering” (ingegneria invertita). Once they’ve done that, they can try to make a similar product they hope will be able to make them some money. This is fine if you’re not worried about trying to be the first company to release (liberare, si legge “rilis”) a product. But some companies have pushed the limits of industrial espionage by using methods similar to their counterparts (controparti) in national espionage organizations in order to get their products to the marketplace before the competitors. Sometimes companies steal the plans for new products and reverse engineer (il senso è “progettano al contrario”) the plans so that they can release their products first. Can these methods ever be used ethically? Opposite “value engineering” (ingegneria del valore) is used by companies who want to cut costs and improve their products. A company’s existing product is reverse engineered and examined by company employees. They try to find parts of the product that can be modified in order to reduce costs or improve performance (realizzazione). The basic function of the product should be retained (mantenuta) but extra parts of the design that don’t add to its functionality or which cost too much are analyzed and, if necessary, are removed. As they say “Knowledge is everything” and this maxim applies (da to apply=applicare/rsi, si legge “aplai”) as much as (tanto quanto, nel senso “così com’è”) to any other part of life.THE MYTH OF PROMETHEUSFrom Prometheus to Frankenstein, Dr. Faust to Oppenheimer, the idea that the quest (ricerca) of knowledge is somehow forbidden (to forbid/forbade/forbidden= proibire=to prohibit) and to seek (sought/sought=andare alla ricerca) it, therefore (perciò), destructive, has been a constant theme in literature (letteratura, si legge “liter-acuar”). The myth of Prometheus has influenced western literature for over two thousand years, why? In Greek myth, Prometheus created Man (Man scritto con la lettera maiuscola indica il “capo=boss”) from clay (argilla) against the wishes (desideri) of Zeus. He further angered /(irritò) the Father of Gods by stealing and lighting a torch from the Chariot (carro) of the Sun and taking (da to take/took/ taken=prendere), hot coals (carboni ardenti, si legge “hot cols”) to Man. Writers and painters throughout history have used the Promethean (notare la differenza con Prometheus) myth as an allusion to make two distinct points: the quest for forbidden (da to forbid/forbade/forbidden=proibire=to prohibit) knowledge and the strength (forza) to resist oppression. Let’s consider a few writers who took Prometheus as a theme to discuss the pursuit (inseguimento) of knowledge and where it can lead (led/led=condurre). The myth first appeared in Greek epic poem Theogony writer by Hesiod around 700 BC where Prometheus appears as an upstart (venuto dal nulla) trickster (raggiratore) who steals fire from the Gods. (Nota: La Teogonia racconta l’origine mitologica e la discendenza degli Dei che, se pur immortali, hanno una nascita e, quindi, una genealogia). Prometheus means foresight (prevegenza/lungimiranza, si legge “forsait”) and in Hesiod’s account this is doomed (destinata) to get the better of Heaven and so, to punish his insolence, he is chained to a rock where his liver (fegato) is plucked out (tirato fuori/strappato) and eaten daily by an eagle for all eternity. In Hesiod, the story reinforces the common belief that Zeus is wise and just, whilst (mentre) Prometheus, in over reaching for knowledge that wasn’t his to take, is blamed (or “to blame”=incolpare, si legge “bleim”) for humanity’s sorry condition. Aeschylus, 5th century Greek tragedian, while telling the same story, has a different angle (angolo/punto di vista, si legge “engol”). For him Prometheus, as well as the bringer (portatore, da to bring/ brought/brought =portare da lontano a vicino) of fire and civilization to Man, is also their preserver (da to preserve=preservare/proteggere, si legge “priservar”), in fact Zeus had intended to destroy humanity and create a new race. In this version, Prometheus symbolizes resistance to oppression. Frankenstein, the modern Prometheus, was written by Mary Shelley and published in 1818. Victor Frankenstein was the scientist who creates the monster and, just like Prometheus, arrogantly assumed the power to act as a Creator with no regard for the potential consequences. In his quest for knowledge he over reaches the limitations of human wisdom (saggezza) and like Prometheus, is punished. Prometheus and Victor rebel (rebelled/rebelled=ribellarsi) against the laws of nature and are punished with the loss of life and liberty whilst (mentre, silegge “uailst”) Frankenstein’s creation rails (da to rail=inveire, sost.vo “rotaia”, si legge “real”) against his own existence. Mary Shelly’s reworking (rielaborazione) of Prometheus myth can be interpreted as an allusion to the heedlessness (imprudenza) and irresponsibility of Man’s pursuit (ricerca) of knowledge at the expense of wisdom. The Promethean myth retains (mantiene) its power as an allusion, in our technological age, because the point being made (il senso è “il punto centrale”) is an ethical one and the question is: in our quest for knowledge, are we forgetting our moral obligations to also use the knowledge wisely (saggiamente, si legge “uaseli”)?EUREKA!Throughout history, scientists have contributed to the furthering (sviluppo) of human knowledge and understanding of universe. But one man is considered one of the most important of all time (di tutti i tempi, notare l’uso del singolare). Archimedes born (da to bear/bore/borne=(tras)portare/partorire) over two thousand years ago in Sicily, which was, at that time, part of Greek world, came up with many ideas and inventions. But how did he do it? Many discoveries come about (accadono) because of a scientist’s dedication to a problem and long hours of research and experimentation. Sometimes though (talvolta anche se) an idea comes quickly and without warning (avviso) and may be inspired by something that seems completely unrelated (senza alcun rapporto). We call these moments “Eureka moments” and we have Archimedes to thank for this phrase. Hiero (Gerone) II, to celebrate a success, commissioned (SENZA “to”) a goldsmith (orafo) a golden crown (corona) and gave him the necessary amount in gold. When the work was finished, the weight of the crown was exactly equal to that of the gold the King had given. Nevertheless (tuttavia=ALL THE SAME), the King had the doubt (dubbio, si legge “daut”) that the crown wasn’t all in gold, but a part of it could’ve been replaced with silver (argento) or copper (rame) and so, he asked Archimedes to find out the suspected fraud (frode, si legge “frood”). Archimedes knew that two different metals even though of equal weight do not have the same volume (eg. 1 lb of iron and 1 lb of paper, as well 1 lb of gold and 1 lb of silver or copper) and then discovered that if you put them into water, they receive a different push (spinta) based on their volume not their weight. In particular, because of the gold’s thick mass (per l’elevata densità dell’oro), the push on a silver or cooper crown is stronger than on a golden one. Archimedes used a balance and put the crown in an arm (braccio) and in the other arm a bar of the same weight and of pure gold; he then put under those arms two bowls (bacinelle) full of water and filled the crown and the gold bar into them. The crown received a stronger push than (che/di) the gold bar because that crown was in part made by a metal unlike (diverso di/del) gold, of equal weight, but with more volume. The trick was discovered and the goldsmith lost his head. Archimedes found the answer to the problem while taking a bath. (mentre faceva il bagno in vasca. V.a. TO BATHE (si legge “beid”)=fare il bagno a mare/in piscine) He realized that if the crown was (era) put into water (notare l’uso di “was” e non di “were” poiché non si tratta di una supposizione (if the crown were=se la corona fosse) ma dell’effettiva immersione della corona nell’acqua), its volume could be worked out (calcolato) by measuring the amount of water that was displaced (spostata) and so he would then be able to determine if the gold was pure or impure (Principio di Archimede: Un corpo immerso in un fluido riceve una spinta dal basso verso l’alto pari al peso del volume del fluido spostato).Archimedes was so excited about his discovery that he jumped out of the bath, forgot to get dressed and ran through the streets shouting “Eureka”. Since then this word, which in Greek means: “I have found it”, has been used whenever someone comes up with a great idea when they are least (meno, si legge “list”) expecting it. Here’s an example, in 1968 Dr. Spencer Silver invented a type of weak glue (let. colla debole), but was not able to convince other people that it would be useful in daily life. This all changed in 1974. One of Silver’s co-workers, Art Fray, was a singer (cantante, si legge “singar”) in his church choir (coro, si legge “cuaiar”) and was frustrated by the way his paper bookmark (segnalibro) kept falling out of his hymn (canto religioso) book. He realized that the glue would be perfect for sticking (per fare aderire) pieces of paper together. The glue was strong enough to hold the paper together, but weak enough that separating the pieces wouldn’t cause any damage. In that Eureka moment the “Post it Note” was born. Blue jeans were created in a similar Eureka moment, as were band aids (come (lo) furono i cerotti) and microwave ovens (forni a microonde).Sometimes the best ideas come when you least expect them (quando meno te li aspetti), like a flash of lighting. Archimedes may have been the first scientist to shout “Eureka”, but he won’t be the last.DISCOVERING ORIGINSWe’re living in an exciting time, things are changing all around us and there’s never been a better time to be alive! I’d like to talk about one really wild (selvaggio, si legge “uaield”) and cutting edge (all’avanguardia) scientific experiment. The Large Hadrons (gli adroni sono particelle subatomiche) Collider/LHC (collisionatore, si legge “colaider”, da to collide=entrare in rotta di collisione. LHC è l’acronimo di Large Hadron Collider=acceleratore di particelle) was opened in Switzerland. This huge machine has been designed to try and find out some really tiny (piccolo, si legge “taini”) particles that scientists believe will answer some really big questions. One of the particles that the scientists are looking for is called the Higgs Boson (il bosone di Higgs, noto come “la particella di Dio”). This theoretical particle would explain how everything has a mass, which is a problem that has troubled scientists for many years. The scientists are also going to try to find out the origins of the universe using the LHC. They plan (planned/planned=progettare) to accelerate particles called protons to speed close to the speed of light, which is what they believe happen during the “Big Bang” when the universe was formed. By doing this (così facendo), they should be able to recreate the conditions under which the universe was created, bringing us more knowledge and understanding of how the universe came to be formed. Of course, some people believe that this experiment could create a black hole (buco nero=corpo celeste più veloce della luce che causa unn collasso gravitazionale) or a global catastrophe, but most scientists trust (confidare, diverso da to thrust/thrust/thrust=conficcare) it will completely safe. Either way (in entrambi i casi) this will be the end of the world as we know it.THE BIG DEPRESSIONAll started in a day known as “Black Tuesday” (il martedì nero). The biggest crash and subsequent economic depression of the 20th Century began on October the 29th 1929. Shares (si legge “sceers”) value (il valore delle azioni) across the world dropped hugely and people began selling them in a desperate bid (offerta) to avoid losing the money they had invested. This only served to force shares prices (i prezzi delle azioni) even lower. The banks had been investing the savings of their account holders (clienti investitori) in the stock market (mercato azionario). When the crash hit (hit/hit=colpire), millions of ordinary people found (da to find/found/found= trovare) their savings were now worthless, as the banks no longer (non più) had the money. As a reaction to this, a series (serie, SEMPRE al sing.re) of banks was in trouble. Members of the public tried to withdraw (withdrew/withdrawn=prelevare/ ritirare) their money from their accounts before there was none left (prina che non ce ne fossero più). America was affected greatly by the crisis. Within the first two months after the crash, stockholders (azionisti) had lost more than forty billion dollars. Seven hundred forty four US banks failed in the first ten months of 1930. A total of nine thousand banks failed during the entire decade. Consumer spending reduced dramatically and prices fell (da to fall/fell/fallen=cadere) accordingly (di conseguenza). Business went bankrupt (falliti) and unemployment soared (da to soar (si legge “soar”) crescere/volare rapidamete). House prices have (NO “are”) soared a further (ulteriore) twenty per cent rising (da to rise/rose/risen=alzare/rsi) to 25% during the depression and, of course, all the people who were out of work were unable to spend much money causing the depression to get even worse. U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt initiated a policy, which came to be known as “The New Deal” in an attempt to restart the economy through a sequence of programs including the creation of four million construction jobs in poor rural areas and smaller communities. Eventually (finalmente) the depression ended as the countries began preparing for the Second World War and millions of jobs were created in the munitions (munizioni, si legge “miuniscens”) industries and national militaries. What can we learn from this? Firstly, excessive public debt (debito, si legge “det”. V.a. “Debt card”=bancomat (si legge “deBt card”) e “Credit card”=carta di credito) causes huge problems both for the individual and for society. Secondly, banks need to be responsible and take good care of the money they have been entrusted (affidati) with. And last (e per ultimo), despite it seems counter intuitive (contro intuitivo nel senso “un assurdo/una contro indicazione”), the best thing we can do to get the economy going again (let. andare di nuovo) is spend and invest.TAKING CONTROL OF DEBTLevels of personal debt across the world are rising. For most people debts come in the form of credit cards, student loans (prestiti), car-financing schemes (piani di finanziamento) and mortgages (mutui, si legge “morgheges”) to buy homes. Debts can allow people to live at a much higher standard than their salaries would otherwise (altrimenti) permit, but it can also bring worry and misery to those who have lost (da to lose/lost/lost=perdere) control and are unable to pay back the money they owe (devono/di cui sono debitori). If this is you, don’t despair. I’m telling you how to reclaim control of your financial situation. It’s easy to obtain credit in the form of credit cards and other loans (prestiti), but the continual use of credit cards to pay for everything can be cause to lose track (traccia) of what you are spending. Therefore (perciò), it’s better to pay for everything with cash or debit cards rather than credit cards. That way you’ll be able to keep track of how much you have spent. Use the credit cards only when you need to pay for something unexpected like medical emergency or a repair to your car. The best way to freeze (congelare, si legge “friis”) your debt is to freeze your spending. Before you are going to buy something, think about whether or not you really need it. Tighten (stringi, si legge “taiten”) your belt (cinta) and reduce your spending to only those things that you actually need and can afford. There’s an old saying: “If you fail (failed/failed=fallire) your plan, you plan (planned/planned=progettare/pianificare) to fail” (let. Se fallisci il tuo piano prevedi (sot.so “la possibilità”) di fallire). Sit (sat/sat=sedere) down and list all of the money coming in and out and then see (saw/seen=vedere) how you can reduce the amount of money you’re spending. Doing this will allow you to see where you can shrink (shrank/ shrunk=ridurre), where most of your money goes and where you can cut (cut/cut=tagliare) overall expenditure (spesa complessiva, si legge “overol echspèndiciar”). There’s no point in creating a budget unless you’re prepared to stick to it (let. conficcarsi in esso, nel senso “attenersi strettamente ad esso”). It’s tough (è difficile/duro, si legge “taf”), but the benefits of living debt free are huge, so it’s definitely worth it. Paying credit card bills later means that you end up paying much more interest than you would otherwise (altrimenti). Late payments can also affect (intaccare, nel senso “influire su”) your credit raiting (valutazione del credito concedibile) and that might mean you’ll end up paying more for a mortgage or other large loan in the future. Credit cards allow you to pay a minimum amount each month, but the interest will keep (kept/kept=mantenere) adding up on your overall balance (bilancio complessivo) and the debt will keep growing. The only way to reduce credit card debt is to actually pay it off (to pay off=saldare/liquidare), as much as you can afford each month. Interest rates (tassi d’interesse) on credit card are usually much higher than those on bank overdrafts (scoperture) or other loans, so pay off the ones (quelli) that are costing you the most money first. You can deal with the others late when you’ve got rid (rid/rid=liberare/rsi) of the loans that are the highest drain (prosciugamento, si legge “drein”) on your resources. Following these guidelines, should give you a start in the right direction and don’t forget that the best way to be debt free is not to get into (mettere) it in the first place.SMART INVESTINGWarren Buffett is highly respected and admired as one of the most successful investors of all time. He began his career in 1956 with an initial fund of $ 105,000 and by investing wisely (saggiamente, si legge “uasily”); he managed to make more money than anyone could’ve dreamed. So wanna (abbr.e di “you want to”. Notare che la frase è interrogativa, ma l’uso informale di “wanna” (da usare nelle frasi affermative) sostituisce la più corretta forma “do you want to ..?) know how you can make a fortune like Buffett? First, look at the whole business when you decide which stock (fondo/investimento) to buy. Rather than (piuttosto che/invece di) making decisions based on the tips (punte, nel senso “pareri”) of advisors, friends or on line articles (let. articoli di linea, il senso è “articoli sulla materia”), put in the time (non porre tempo in mezzo) and effort (sforzati) to diligently research the right company. Stick with what you know (attieniti a quello che sai). Buffett never invested in rapidly evolving business for the simple reason that he didn’t know enough about them and couldn’t evaluate whether the investment would be successful or not. So, whenever (tutte le volte che) you’re presented with (ti si presenta; notare la particolare costruzione dovuta al verbo “to present with”) the opportunity to invest money in the “next big” thing, it’s better to be “safe than sorry” (meglio prevenire che curare). Be ready to go the distance (sii pronto ad andare lontano). In 1973, Buffett invested ten million dollars in Washington Post Company and by 2003 this investment had grown to more than one billion dollars. He managed to do this by researching the company thoroughly (accuratamente) and stick with his investment, even when the company’s share prices dropped. Because he had such a solid understanding of the business, he was able to ignore (ignorare, si legge “igh-noar”) short term losses and patiently waited for long term gains. Don’t play the stock market (non giocare in borsa) was his piece of advice. Some investors think it wise (sia (sot.so) saggio) to actively (attivamente) trade (commerciare) their stock without considering the hidden (nascosti) costs of brokerage fees (commissioni per intermediazione) and taxation. Other investors believe that they shouldn’t put all their eggs into one basket (mettere tutte le loro uova in un solo paniere, met.co), so they spread their investments out over as many companies as possible (il senso è “frazionare i rischi”). However, consider this. If you have fifty stocks in your portfolio and one of them appreciates (apprezzato, nel senso “capace di produrre”) by one hundred percent, how much has your net worth grown by (quanto è cresciuto il tuo patrimonio netto)? By two percent, but, if only you have ten stocks in your portfolio and one of them appreciates by one hundred percent your net worth will have grown by ten percent. That’s a big difference! If we truly (veramente/davvero) want to follow Buffett’s example, we would invest not only in business, but in our fellow (nel nostro prossimo).In 2006, he donated thirty billion dollars to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation a charitable organization set up (fondata) by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife that aims (mira) to improve education, health care and end poverty throughout the world. Now that sounds us like we can all profit from (da cui tutti possiamo trarre profitto)!ENHANCING CREATIVITY (migliorare la creatività, si legge “inansingh crieitiviti”)Creativity is important, for not only artists and writers, but also for people who work in professions such as business, architecture, science, engineering, etc. The world we live in today is driven (da to drive/drove/driven=guidare) by innovation and in order to have innovation, you need creativity. It is not something that only a lucky few are born with (con cui sono nati pochi fortunati). In fact, it can be developed (sviluppato, si legge “divelopd”). Here are some ways you can inspire (ispirare, si legge “inspaiar”), refresh and enhance (ravvivare e aumentare, si legge “enhens”) your creativity. Routines send (sent/sent=inviare) you brain into a comfort zone. When you do the same things every day, go to work the same way, eat the same food and read the same newspaper, your brain goes on autopilot (si legge “otopailot”) and stops being stimulated by fresh perspectives (prospettive). Try to keep things fresh, do things differently and take a different route (ordine di marcia/percorso) to work. (V.a. ”WHAT’S THE QUICKEST (più veloce) ROUTE HOME FROM HERE? – TAKE THAT STREET AND THEN …”). The freshness will stimulate your mind, keeping it active leading (da to lead/led/led=condurre/guidare) to more creativity that happens when the brain is stimulated. It can mean “A new environment (ambiente, si legge “invarioment”) in the most stimulating environment”. Think of the babies, everything around them is new, they are filled with curiosity and they love explore everything. See the area around you as a tourist would see it. You might see something new and it might spark (fare scintillare) a new idea. Mind maps (mappe mentali, si legge “maind maps”) are used to generate and visualize ideas. They are brainstorming (da “brain=cervello” e “storming=in tempesta”. V.a. “BRAIN DRAIN (drenagio)=fuga di cervelli”) technique which helps to show connections between concepts, often leading to new and creative ideas. Write a central concept on your paper, add branches (rami, nel senso “annotazioni”) writing words which are related to the central concept. Use line, colors, arrows (frecce), branches (rami, nel senso “annotazioni”) or some other ways of showing connections between the ideas generated on your mind map. Write quickly, tying (da to tie/tied/tied/tying=legare. V.a. TO TIE IN=combaciare) not to limit yourself. Leave (left/left=lasciare) lots of space so you can come back later and add more ideas. You’ll be surprised at how a mind map can move you towards that great idea. Talk to people you wouldn’t normally to talk to. Explore yourself to new perspectives and to different point of view (punti di vista). Imagine how someone totally different from yourself would deal with a challenge (sfida, si legge “cialeng”). Creativity arises (da to arise/arose/arisen=sorgere) from the differences of opinions and perspectives between people! Children see the world differently and often say (said/said=dire) the most surprising and creative things. Put yourself in that world, spend your time with children or just do something you used to do when you were a kid. Ride a bike, color with crayons (matite colorate) and play on swings (gioca sulle altalene). Find a way to bring out the child in you (il senso è “torna bambino”)! What if questions can take you on creative and conceptual journey? Who knows what crazy (pazzo, si legge “creisi”) you might come up with (venirne fuori)? For example, what if twelve year olds could drive cars or what if skateboards (tavole da pattinaggio) could fly? What if toasters (tostapani) could make cheeseburgers? Did you know that Leonardo da Vinci always carried (da to carry=(tras)portare un peso) a notebook around with him? Writing something daily will exercise your brain and help develop its ability to produce new thoughts. You might not find value in it immediately, but sometimes when you come back to your writing, you can be inspirited to have new and fresh ideas. Incorporate new words into your writing and not only will you learn (learnt/learnt=imparare) something, but you’ll also avoid falling into that monotonous routine. Take care of your body and mind will stay sharp (let. starai acuto, il senso è “mens sana in corpore sano”). Exercise to keep the blood (sangue, si legge “blad”) flowing (da to flow=fluire/scorrere, si legge “flou”) to your brain, get enough sleep and dream to bring creative results. Many creative thinkers have claimed to come up with their best ideas because they were inspired by a dream! So get all the sleep you need. Creativity has helped us into the society we are today strengthening (fortificando) your creative muscles in something that can help you in all aspects of your life. Try these things and see if you can get those creative juices (succhi di frutta, si legge “giusis”) of life following (il senso è “inseguire le creative essenze della vita”). You might have the next great idea that changes the world.THE BEAT GENERATIONThe Beats (battiti/palpiti) were a generation of writers, poets and artists in the 1950s who chanced authority, rejected (da to reject=respingere/rifiutare, si legge “rigect”) mainstream class American values (i valori tradizionali della classe media Americana) and advocated (sostennero, si legge “advochetd”) a life of spontaneity. They thrived (crebbero/posperarono, si legge “thraivd”) on creativity and, so, they thrived on life. For the Beats, it was about jazz, free love, drinking, radical politics and words, poetry and prose. They lived life to its fullest (vissero la vita al suo massimo/alla grande) in constant pursuit (inseguimento) of the next crazy, eye opening and worldly experience. Their soundtrack (colonna sonora) was jazz, which they used as a backdrop (fondale=scena di fondo nei teatri) for reading of their work and an inspiration for their style of poetry. Their spokesperson (portavoce) was Jack Kerouac, the novelist, writer, poet and artist who is famous for his novel “On the road”. He called his style “spontaneous prose”. The goal (obbiettivo, si legge “gool”) was to express thoughts without holding back (let. pensieri senza trattenere, nel senso “liberi”), without stopping to consider how something might be said better but just letting the words come out. This is often called “stream of consciousness” (ruscello/flusso di coscienza) when the writer abandons control of his words and, instead, expresses his innermost thoughts (più intimi pensieri) in an interrupted flow of words as they come to him. Words represent fragmentary the thought and the rhythm takes on (assume) a musical or poetic quality. Kerouac’s writing resembled (da to resemble=(as)somigliare) jazz in that and it was improvisational= improvvisazione, si legge “improvaisescional”). Sentences flowed together without stops and the words could take on a certain rhythm. He used dashes and commas (trattini e virgole. V.a. “To dash=correre (eg. I must dash=devo proprio scappare) e Jogging”, si legge “gioghingh”=correre non velocemente, da to jog= trotterellare) to signify a rhetorical breath similar to a jazz musician taking a breath in between musical phrases. Kerouac was so committed (impegnato) to his style of writing, that he wrote his novel “On the road” in just three weeks, typing one hundred words a minute in marathon sessions. To avoid having to replace (sostituire, si legge “ripleis”) sheets of paper in his typewriter page by page, Kerouac wrote his novel on 120-foot roll of paper which was made up of pieces he taped (spillò, si legge “tapd”) together. This gave him the freedom to write in an interrupted flow (flusso). The manuscript is now famously knows as “The Scroll” (il rotolo di carta) and it was purchased (acquistato. V.a. “PURCHAISING POWER=potere d’acquisto”) for 2.4 million dollars. “On the road” is today considered the testament of that generation all over the world known as “The Beat Generation” (la gioventù bruciata). Kerouac and his peers (pari, nel senso “conterranei”) most only influenced later generations of writers, but also influenced western culture more broadly (ampiamente). The cultural impact of this generation of non-conformists would pave (to pave= preparare) the way for the hippies in the 1960s, inspire rock n’ roll musicians such as The Beatles (scarafaggi) an Bob Dylan and challenge the “intelligentsia” and prestigious intellectuals to accept more self expressive (la propria espessività) in freer (più libere) forms of poetry and prose. The creativity of the beat generation continues to inspire and surely, it will inspire creativity in the generations to come.SCANDALOUS AFFAIRSFame and infamy (celebrità e scelleratezza, si leggono “feim and infimi”) have been around longer (più a lungo, nel senso “da più tempo”, sot.so “esistenti”) than the (sot.so “il termine”) paparazzi and the tabloid gossip sheets (scandalosi fogli sul pettegolezzo). However, the two go hand in hand and are especially interesting when the famous and infamous individual is blessed with great talent. George Gordon Byron, sixth Baron Byron, fits (adatta) this description perfectly; he was a British poet, born in 1787 and died at only 37 years of age in 1824 in Greece whilst (mentre, si legge “uailst”) taking part in the struggle (lotta, si legge “stragol”) for Greek independence against the Ottoman Empire. He was famous for his poetry and courage, but also infamous for his love affairs (avventure gallanti). In a quote (in una citazione) that has endured (E’ tollerata, nel senso “ancora resiste/non smentita”, si legge “ingiurd”) into the 21st Century, Lady Caroline Lamb described him as “mad, bad and dangerous to know”. So, does he deserve (merita) his reputation? Without doubt, he does. Byron was, to say the least (per non dire altro), emotionally precocious. He developed a passion for Mary Duff when he was a mere boy of eight and this was to set (set/set=fondare/avviare) the tone of his sentimental education. Nevertheless (ciò non di meno/tuttavia), it was the affair with Lady Caroline Lamb that earned (da to earn=guadagnare, si legge “ern”) him his scandalous reputation. A part from the fact that she was already married, their affair was well publicized and the flamboyance (fiammeggiamza, nel senso “notorietà”) of their indiscretion shocked (da to shock=scandalizzare/offendere, si legge “scioch”) the strait (stretto) laced (allacciato, nel senso “puritan”) British public. Lady Caroline was emotionally disturbed and even after he was tired of her, she publicly pursued (da to pursue=indeguire, si legge “persìu”) him calling at his home dressed as pageboy (paggio, si legge “peigboi”). 19th Century British society was rigid and conventional and this type of behavior could’ve destroyed them both. As if this wasn’t enough (come se ciò non fosse (già) abbastanza), there were rumors of licentiousness (scoscumatezza, si legge “laisensciuasnes”), and so in 1816 Byron left England to escape the censure of British society and never returned. He lived in Switzerland and Italy and continued writing prolifically, in particular “Childe Harold” and “Don Juan”. In 1823, he joined the Greek independence movement and sailed (salpò) from Genoa on the ship “Hercules” arriving at Cephalonia in the Ionian Islands on the 4th of August before sailing to Messalonghi to join the rebel army under Alexandros Mavrokordotos. Byron died of fever on the 19th of April 1824, his charisma, wild public image and physical beauty made him a 19th Century rock star. His fame is considered a pre cursor of modern celebrity. His wife Annabelle described the hysteria (isterismo, si legge “histeria”) surrounding him as “Byromania” and the term “Byronic” is still used to describe a heroic type who is flawed (imperfetto, si legge “flood”) but possesses great talent, who is passionate, rebellious, arrogant and ultimately (fondamentalmente=BASICALLY) self-destructive and this became the blueprint (planimetria/modello) for modern anti heroes and bad boys whose image adorn magazine covers and tabloids (copertine di riviste e giornali scandalistici).A WELL-TRAVELED PATHWhen Sarath Babu at the age of 27 graduated as a top student from the Indian Institute of Management in the city Ahmadabad, he stunned (da to stun (si legge “stan”)=assordare, nel senso “sbalordire”) the business world by turning down (to turn down=rifiutare) a number of job offers that would have made him a wealthy man. Instead (invece), he took a risk by starting his own catering (da to cater to= soddisfare/rivolgersi a) company. At one/some point (a un certo punto), he even employed twenty other children. A young businessperson taking a risk might not seem so surprising; Sarath Babu, however, has come from a life of poverty. He was born and brought up (allevato/cresciuto) in a slum (quartiere povero, si legge “slam”) in the city of Chennai, South East India, with two older sisters and two younger brothers. Their mother was their only support. Every day she held down (da to hold/held/held down=sopportare, il senso è “fare con fatica”) three jobs: selling breakfast on the streets in the morning, working as a dinner woman at school in the afternoon and teaching adults in the evening. She made just one rupee (rupia, si legge “riupei”) a day for six people. Every morning, Sarath Babu helped his mother sell breakfast on the streets of Chennai and every evening he did his homework in the dark. He got a good score in the tenth standard exam, but the fees for the eleventh grade were as much as three thousand rupees. To save for these tuition fees (tasse universitarie, si legge “tuiscion fiis”), Sarath took a book binding (si legge “baindingh”) job (un lavoro di rilegatoria) for the summer. It could be said (si potrebbe dire che) this was his first entrepreneurial (imprenditoriale, si legge “entrapenurial”) experience. On finishing school, Sarath was accepted in an engineering course at local college. Money, however, again proved (da to prove= provare/dimostrare, si legge “priuv”) to be the main problem. The fees were around twenty eight thousand rupees, so one of his sisters had to pawn (impegnare, si legge “poon”) her jewelry (gioielleria, si legge “giuvolri”) to lend (lent/lent=prestare denaro) him the money he needed. Later, he got a scholarship (borsa di studio) and thus was able to pay her back, but still even simple things like soap or toothpaste were a big expense. Looking at the other students, most of them came from well off families; Sarath Babu realized how different their lives were from his. While studying for his university entrance exams (esami d’ammissione), he read that thirty per cent of India’s population didn’t have enough money to eat two meals a day. He remembered how it felt to be hungry and wondered what he could do to help poor people. He dreamed of starting his own business and, first of all (per prima cosa), he provided a good standard of living for his employees. Yet here he was borrowing (da to borrow=prendere a prestito) money to pay for his studies. He worked at a software company for thirty months to clear (pulire, nel senso “estinguere”) his debts. After that, he passed the college entrance exams and got a place at the Indian Institute Management in Ahmadabad. He studied with great determination and two years later, although he was getting many good job offers from some famous companies, he never forgot his dream. After graduation, Sarath Babu took his biggest gamble (gioco d’azzardo, si legge “gambol”): turning down (rifiutare qualcosa che non si ha, diverso da “giving up=rifiutare qualcosa che si ha”) the big job offers and starting his own catering company with a bank loan (prestito bancario). His catering business began with one small office and three employees. His first order was selling snack and tea to a local software company. In the first month, he made thirty five thousand rupees. Now the company has annual revenue (fatturato annuo) of six million rupees. However, money and fame are not the most important things in Sarath’s life who said: “A happy man has family and friends and knows them in his heart; he lives his life with kindness and honesty. This is how I tried to live when I was poor and it is still how I try to live now”.THE CULT OF CELEBRITYBeing famous isn’t everything. We envy (invidiamo) stars, their looks and their lifestyles but, really would you want to be so famous that you couldn’t even stop at your local supermarket? There is a weird psychology (strana psicologia, si legge “uiird saicologi”) around the whole idea of fame. I mean, why do we look up to these people as heroes? They are just ordinary people like you and me, except they are more beautiful and handsome (ben proporzionato/gradevole a vedersi), better at sports or just plain (sost.vo=pianura; ag.vo=semplice/evidente/ovvio (it’s plain that … = è chiaro che …); av.bio=semplicemente) richer. Some experts believe we’re all susceptible (suscettibili, si legge “sasseptbol”) to the fame game (let. gioco di (diventare) famosi, si legge “feim gheim”) because that is in our DNA (molecola depositaria dell’informazione genetica, è l’acronimo di Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid). People are biologically (biolodicamente, si legge “bailogicali”) programmed to respect and follow the leader of the pack (pacco/confezione; il senso è “che ci sembra essere il migliore”), the Alfa Male or Female. Others believe that being obsessed with (NO “by”) the lives of famous people is rather a symptom of something within our own psychology (psicologia, si legge “saicòlogi”), a sign that we are not happy with our own lives and achievements (realizzazioni, si legge “acivments”). Whatever the causes, the cult of celebrity is growing out of proportion, aided (aiutato, si legge “eidd”) by the rapid advances (progressi) in media/average (media, si leggono “midia/averg”). However, what is it like to be famous (cosa si prova ad essere famosi) and would you really want to live that kind of life? First of all, if you were (fossi) famous you’d have very little privacy. Your every move would be followed by gossip columnists (cronistri) and celebrity magazines, your every relationship break up, speeding tickets (multe per eccesso di velocità), etc. would be broadcasted (trasmesse) and analyzed by media (mezzo/i di comunicazione, SEMPRE al sing.re). Not only that, but everyone in your family would be subjected to this treatment from the press (stampa). Your life wouldn’t be yours anymore, it would be public property. Specialists’ star-hunting photographers called “paparazzi” would snap photos (scattare istantanee) of you without asking your permission and reporters would go through your trash (intimità e anche “porcate”) to find anything they might be able to turn into a story. So, do you still want to be a star? Not so sure? In this case, you must pay attention to other problems you might face (affrontare, si legge “feis”) after becoming famous. First of all, achieving (l’avere conseguito) your dream doesn’t necessarily make you happy even though you make a movie, publish your book or win the race, and then is that it (e allora/e con questo)? Some stars actually feel a sense of anti climax (fastidio) on achieving stardom (celebrità). Realizing their dream and becoming famous just wasn’t as amazing (incredibile) as they thought it would be. Others, however, get so carried away (da to carry away=lasciarsi trascinare da impulsi/emozioni), they begin (began/ begun=cominciare) to believe their hype (montatura, si legge haip, il senso è “si montano la testa”) and become totally arrogant, thinking that they really are super human. A third kind of psychological problem is called “imposter syndrome (syndrome dell’impostore)”. Some celebrities think they don’t deserve (meritare, si legge “diserv”) their success, that they are an impostor or a fake (articolo falso/ contraffatto). Needless (inutile) to say, each of these problems can have a negative effect on the star’s psychological, emotional and physical health. These are reasons why famous people sometimes become paranoid, reclusive (solitario/isolato), insecure or depressed. In fact, statistics show that famous people are four times likely (probabilmente) to commit suicide (suicidio, si legge “suisaid”) than the average (media) person. That, not to say, (non si vuole dire che) every star is depressed and a paranoiac fruitcake (eccentrico/pazzo), but it’s worth remembering that, as the saying goes (come dice il proverbio) “Beauty is only skin deep (la bellezza esteriore è effimera)” and that loving and respecting yourself and others is far more important than loving one’s image (imagine, si legge “imig”), no matter how seemingly perfect (non importa quanto possa sembrare perfetta). However, in spite of it all (nonostante tutto) many people continue dreaming richness, fame, success and celebrity.ETHICS DON’T SELL PAPERSA great story can make or break a journalist’s career. But how far (ma fino a che punto) should we go to get that story? What kind of journalism is ethically sound? What are the limits? In addition, are there any? (ce ne sono?). Journalists have to consider the ethics (etica/morale) of the many of the stories that they want to cover (raccontare; la traduzione è giornalistica) and weigh up (considerare/valutare) their desire (desiderio, si legge “disaiar”) to realize with what the BBC (acronimo di British Broadcasting Corporation) refers to us whether or not there is a “Clear Public Interest”. However, how do the journalists decide (decidono, si legge “disaid”) if there is a clear public interest and what does it mean? If an issue is deemed (da to deem=giudicare/considerare, si legge “diim”) to be in the public interest, it should be of benefit to the majority of the people of an area or country. Journalists need to consider which issues are important for the public to know and which ones are not. Besides, they should have to report on only issues that are popular simply because they are popular. A high profile case that highlighted (da to highlight=dare rilievo; the highlight=la parte migliore, si legge “hailait”, eg. The highlight of the … is ...) this dilemma was that of Diana, Princess of Wales. She was followed by paparazzi photographers in order to take candid pictures (esplicite immagini) of her with Dodi Al Fayed, a man with whom she was romantically linked. In the early (agli inizi DI/DEL) morning of August 31st 1997, Diana and Al Fayed were driving across Paris to an apartment owned by Dodi’s father, Mohammed. They were followed by paparazzi photographers on motorbikes attempting (con l’intento=attempt, da “to attempt=tentare/provare”) to take photographs of the pair (coppia/paio, si legge “peer”). As the car entered (SENZA “in”) a tunnel the driver lost control and the car crashed killing himself, Diana and Dodi. Only the security guard, who was with them, survived although he was seriously injured. Even as (sebbene) Diana was dying (morente, da to die=morire) in the car the photographers continued to take pictures, hoping to be able to sell (sold/sold=vendere) them for large sums of money. Her last words before passing away were: leave me alone. Was this in “the public interest”? Many people around the world had a great interest in Diana due to her personal history as wife of Prince Charles, the heir (erede, si legge “ear”. N.B. Poichè la “h” è muta un erede si traduce A (NO “an”) heir) to the British throne and their subsequent divorce. It could be argued that the paparazzi photographers were simply responding to the interest of the public in (NO “for”) Diana. Clearly though (però) on the night she died, the photographers pushed too hard with tragic consequences. Is this kind of ethical dilemma that journalists have to deal with regularly as they try to balance their desire to make money and pursue (perseguire) their career, agree with the need to respect people’s privacy? Knowing where to draw (drew/drowm=disegnare/tirare) the line (il senso è “fermarsi”) can be difficult at times (alle volte), but since Diana’s death (morte, di legge “deth”) the British newspapers have become more ethical in their treatment (trattamento, si legge “tritment”) of people. The Press Complaints Commission, a self-regulatory group that governs British media practices, announced at the end of 1997 that newspapers would no/any longer (non più) be able to “persistently pursue” (persistentemente inseguire) people in order to get a story. The new code of conduct (codice di comportamneto) also banned newspapers from taking photographs of the children of famous people. This has reduced the level of harassment (fastidio) that Diana suffered and has become more/fully aware (del tutto consapevole) that/of how it should treat journalism more ethically with famous or common people’s privacy. We all hope that the industry has learned from Diana’s tragic death and that we will never see such unethical journalism again.FREEDOM THROUGH DISOBEDIENCEHow would you deal with living in a country where the government created a situation that you found ethically intolerable? Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Martin Luther King both lived in a situation like this and both managed to change it through non-violent (si legge “vaiolent”) campaigns of non-cooperation. The first is also known as “Mahatma” (in English “Venerable”) and the second is also famous for his motto “I have a dream”. Gandhi lived in South Africa and India at a time when both countries were part of the British Empire. At this time, Indians were treated assecond-class citizens and institutional racism (razzismo, si legge “reisisam”) abounded. Gandhi fought (da to fight/fought/fought=combattere) against this system but was deeply opposed to violence and so followed the policy of civil disobedience (si legge “disobìdiens”). His followers (seguaci) adopted a policy of resisting demands (richieste) from the British to comply (si legge “complai”) with (per accondiscendere/ottemperare agli) orders. The intention of Gandhi’s civil disobedience campaign was to make the task of governing India so difficult (V.a. A difficult task=un arduo compito) that the British would eventually (finalmente) choose (chose/chosen=scegliere) to leave. It really worked, but not without thousands of Indians being killed by the British as they tried to keep (kept/kept= (man)tenere) control of the country. Economically crippled (da to cripple (si legge “cripol”)=danneggiare; sost.vo “storpio”) after the Second World War and unable to continue trying to keep India in submission (sottomissione, si legge “sabmiscion”), Britain chose to grant (concedere a, SENZA “to”) India independence. Thus, Gandhi’s campaign had succeeded. Martin Luther King achieved (conseguì) a similar ethical victory with the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s. He led (da to lead/led/led=condurre/guidare) the campaign to end racial segregation and electoral disenfranchisement (privazione dei diritti civili, si legge “disenfracaisment”. Il senso è “eliminare la franchigia per la quale il voto non era concesso ai neri”) in the USA using very similar methods to Gandhi in India. Segregation in the south of the States, resulted in (ebbe come risultato che) African Americans being systematically separated from white Americans. The black people received poor schooling (scarsa istruzione), kept away from white people in all areas of life even on buses and in restaurants, and banned to marry whites. King, like Gandhi, opposed violence and used Gandhi’s methods of civil disobedience in his campaign for equal rights. One of the most successful examples of this policy was the Greensboro sit ins (a form of protest in which demonstrators occupy a place, refusing to leave it until their demands are met=accolte) which began (da to begin/began/begun= cominciare) on February the 1st 1960. In that day four African American students sat (da to sit/sat/sat=sedere/rsi) in a “whites only” food counter (banco alimentare) in a Woolworth store in Greensboro. They were refused service (notare la forma inglese di “fu loro rifiutato il servizio”), but were allowed to stay. The next day twenty-eight students arrived to sit at the counter and on the third day three hundred arrived. The sit ins spread (spread/spread=estendere/rsi, propagare/ rsi) throughout the country as African American people sat at other “whites only” counters, park benches (panchine), cinemas and museums among other places. When arrested, they never fought back (da to fight/fought/fought back=reprimere/ contrastare) and brought (da to bring/brought/brought=portare qualcosa verso altri; to take/ took/taken=portare qualcosa da vicino a lontano (eg.take it away) da noi; to take significa anche “prendere”) attention to their cause through their non-violence. The campaign led on (proseguì) to other non-violent attempts to gain (guadagnare, si legge “ghein”) civil rights. “The march in Washington” took place on (NO “in”) August the 28th 1963. Over two hundred thousand black and white people marched and heard (da to hear (si legge “hiar”) /heard (si legge, “herd”)/heard=ascoltare) King’s famous speech in which he said: “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but the content of their character (il contenuto/la natura del loro carattere)”. King’s campaign succeeded (da succeed=avere successo, si legge “sichsid”) and in 1964 the US government passed (lasciò passare) the Civil Rights Act which put an end to segregation throughout the country. It was followed in 1965 by the National Voting Rights Act that lifted (tolse) restrictions on Afro-Americans. Despite (nonostante) all this, the blacks are still, especially in some south areas of the States, noted (da to note=notare (nel senso “relegare”), si legge “nout”) in the margin, out of the white society and considered as second-class people. In addition, native red American people, the Indians, have been fought, imprisoned and killed even though they are the only real Americans. Both Gandhi and Martin Luther King were assassinated shortly after (poco dopo. V.a “SHORTLY BEFORE=poco prima e SHORTLY=tra poco/ breve”, eg: See you shortly. I’ll be there shortly) the end of their campaign, but they proved all over the world that non-violent resistance and civil disobedience were effective (efficaci) in challenging (da to challenge=sfidare, si legge “cialeng”) per sfidare) immoral social conditions without needing to resort (senza bisogno di ricorrere) to the ethically questionable tactic (eticamente discutibile tattica, si legge “ethicali question-eibol tatich”) of violent resistance.FOLLOWING THE GOLDEN RULEWhat is right and what is wrong? How do we decide? Philosophers have tried to answer these questions throughout history by studying ethics. In the Nineteenth Century, John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham developed (da to develop= sviluppare, si legge “divelop”) the ethical theory of Utilitarianism. Utilitarian’s (è il pl.le di “utilitarian”, non un genitivo sassone) seek (da to seek/sought/sought= cercare) the greatest happiness of the largest number of people rather than the self (l’io/se stesso), which hedonists are concerned (da to concern=interessare/ riguardare, si legge “consern”) with (il senso è “del quale gli edonisti (seguaci della dottrina morale che identifica la virtù con il piacere) si sono interessati”). Humanism is different from Utilitarianism in which it states (nel quale si afferma) that all human beings have the right to give meaning and shape (forma, si legge “sceip”) to their own lives. Humanists believe that all people have the right to happiness and should be allowed to pursue (perseguire) their dreams individually. In order to examine the differences between Utilitarianism and Humanism, let’s look at a major controversy: the death (SENZA “of”) penalty eliminates dangerous individual from society and so people will be able to live safer and happier lives. In their view, the death penalty benefits the majority through the punishment of the minority. Humanists generally oppose the death penalty. They argue that killing a person is always a violation (violazione, si legge “vaiolescion”) of his human rights and point out (puntualizzano) that establishing (stabilendo/fissando) guilt beyond doubt (al di là di ogni ragionevole dubbio) is extremely difficult even if we are facing a confession. In addition, Humanists emphasize (enfatizzare/dare rilievo, si legge “enfsais”) that many innocent people are, as result, executed wrongly. As evidence of this, they state that a lot of people have been found, too late, not guilty after their deaths by many courts (tribunali). As with most discussions about ethics, both sides have points that some agree with, and, of course, that others disagree with, so the debate about the death penalty continues. Some countries have abolished it by law (PER legge), others have stopped using it without banning it, while others continue executing criminals or people regarded as such (ritenuti tali). The discussion is likely to continue for many years to come. One of the most endearing (accattivante) ethical ideas known as “The Golden Rule” which states: “Treat others only in the same way that you are willing (da to will=volere) to be treated in the exact same situation”. This ethical theory is present in all the major religions and philosophies for good reason. It is the essential basis for our modern concept of human rights throughout the debate about whether the utilitarian or humanist view is correct and lays (da to lay/laid/laid=stendere, nel senso “collocare”) the responsibility for behaving (comportarsi) in an ethical way with the individual. We have the possibility to practice this every day. Let’s take (prendiamo/cogliamo) that opportunity!THE EXTRA TWENTY-ONEPubs have been the cornerstone (pietra angolare/fondamento) of British Society for hundreds of years. Pubs provided (fornirono, si legge “provaidd”, da to provide; come congiunzione significa “purchè a patto che=SO LONG AS”) a location for people to socialize and have developed many traditions. If you had visited a pub in the 1990s, you have certainly seen: people doing quizzes, playing darts (freccette), eating fish (pesci, NO “fishs”) and chips (patatine fritte, si legge “cips”) and, often most interesting for visitors, ringing (da to ring/rang/rung=suonare (in genere) campanelli; ring (sost.vo)=anello/quadrato dove lottano i pugili) of the bell (campana) around 11 pm signaling (segnalazione, si legge “sigh-nalìngh”) that the pub was about to close (stava per chiudere). How did this come about? (Come è successo?). We need to rewind (riavvolgere, si legge “riuaind”, il senso è “riferirsi”) to 1915 during the First World War. Before that year, pubs were only required (da to require=domandare esigere/avere bisogno, si legge “riquaiar”) to have a license to trade and designate one person responsible. With Britain at war, the success of War Effort (sforzo di guerra) relied upon (to rely (si legge “rilai”) on/upon=fare assegnamento su, eg. I’m relying on you=conto su di te/voi) an active and unhampered workforce (forza di lavoro senza ostacoli/non impedita) especially those working in munitions (munizioni, si legge “miuniscions”) and artillery factories (fabbriche di artiglieria). The Government decided to minimize the risk of tired (stanco, si legge “taierd”) workers and potential loss in productivity. It was decided that pubs close at nine thirty, later at 11 pm, ringing a bell as a clear signal to let everyone know that the pub was about to close, thus the visitors could drink up the “one for the road” (il bicchiere della staffa=l’ultimo prima di andare via). In 2003, however, there was a major shake (scossa, da to shake/shook/shaken=scuotere/ agitare. V.a. “TRAINERS AND MOVERS=persone capaci di portare innovazione e progresso) in the licensing laws. Prior (prima, si legge “praiar”) to (NO “of the”) 2003, depending on what kind of entertainment (divertimento) a place offered, there was a different license; for example, a cinema needed a different license from theatre, a pub from a night café or club and so on (e così via). The six different licenses that existed at the time were merged (fuse/incorporate, da to merge= unire/fondere/rsi) into one. Additionally, every three years the person responsible for the pub had to renew (rinnovare, si legge “riniu”) the license, which was valid for only a location. The period of validity of the license was extended to ten years and also the licensee (titolare della licenza, si legge “laisensi”) was able to transfer from one location to another without having to go through the hassle (il senso è “senza avere il fastidio”) of re-registering. Having only one license, registering only once every ten year, meant (da to mean/meant/meant=volere dire che) that a considerable amount of bureaucracy was swept away (da to sweep/swept/swept= scoparare (anche con volgare riferimento sessuale)/spazzare via). Not only did it (notare l’inverso ordine tra soggetto e verbo) become easier to apply for (fare domanda) and process applications (esaminare le richieste), but it became much easier and cheaper for venues (luoghi di riunione) to put on an entertainment (mettere su uno spettacolo) they might not normally have offered, for example, music bands. Cutting down on paperwork (lavoro d’ufficio) was reckoned (da to reckon=contare/calcolare, si legge “rècon”) to save 1.97 billion pounds over ten years. One of the biggest effects, however, was the fact that ninety years after the “11 pm closing time” was introduced, pubs and other entertainment establishments (locali di intrattenimento) were able to decide (decidere, si legge “disaid”) when they would close and thereby (così/in questo modo) offer more flexibility to their customers especially in terms of opening hours. A report released (da to release=rendere noto/pubblicare, si legge “rilìs”) in 2008 said that while pubs across England were making use (stavano facendo uso) of the new licensing laws, ON average (IN media, si legge “àvreg”) pubs only closed 21 minutes later than 11 pm. Some might say that there was an awful (spaventoso) lot of paperwork (pratiche d’ufficio/ burocratiche) involved in reducing the paperwork needed, so people could leave a pub 21 minutes later, but others might not agree.HONORABLE BUREAUCRACYConfucius was a man known around the world for his philosophies and teachings (da to teach (si legge “tiic”)/taught (si legge “tot”)/taught=insegnare), he may also be credited (essere accreditato nel senso “accoppiato”) with the way many countries operate (agiscono). The Confucian attitude (atteggiamento) towards education was that there were no class distinctions. The rule was “Education for all”. This fundamental belief of fairness (credenza di equità) for all, paved (da to pave= pavimentare/preparare, si legge “peiv”) the way for the revolutionary idea of meritocracy. In ancient China, following periods of wars, the need of governance was crucial. Thousands of bureaucrats (burocrati, si legge “biuricrats”) were needed to carry out (svolgere/eseguire) administrative duties (compiti). It was at this point that the Imperial Exam was set up (da to set/set/set=fondare/avviare) to identify (identificare, si legge “aidentifai”) those who could read, write and carry out administrative duties and best suited (da to suit=soddisfare, si legge “sut”, come sost.vo=abito per uomo) to a better life in the civil service. At its peak (al suo apice) the highest level Imperial Exam was a nine day and night ordeal (il senso è “durò nove giorni e notti di calvario”, si legge “ordìl”), examining candidates on their understanding of the Chinese Classic, Confucian values (valori) and strict (severo) writing styles. Because of the demands (richieste) of the exam, those who sat (da to sit/sat/sat=sedere) it (il senso è “partecipavano”) were held (da to hold/held/held= tenere) in high regard (alta considerazione) and were awarded (gratificati, da to award=conferire/assegnare) with a certain degree (grado/laurea) of power. In the reign of Emperor Kang, candidates questioned (interrogavano) examiners (esaminatori) on their selections methods and on how impartial they have been. The Emperor became dissatisfied (scontento, si legge “disàtisfaid”) with the Chiefs Examiner’s methods and assigned Prince Yong Zhen to assist. This led to the reinstatement of rigorous methods insuring (da to insure=assicurare, si legge “insciuar”) against favoritisms. Once completed, a bureaucrat was assigned to write an ID number (numero di identificazione) on the exam paper. Another number was attributed with the task (compito) of sticking (da to stick=attaccare) paper over the candidate’s name. Once copied word for word in red ink, another bureaucrat had to check that the two exam papers were identical (identici, si legge “aidenticol”). If it was certain that the papers were identical, the original copy was filed (da to file=archiviare, si legge “fail”) and the red ink version was given to one of two examiners (esaminatori). That’s quite a lot of work, but the effect of the exam on Chinese society was huge, encouraging cultural conformity at many levels of society. Various countries, including Korea, Japan, England, France and United States adopted this system in different forms trying to reduce the consequent mass of paperwork. From 1646 until 1904, more than 26700 candidates sat (il senso é “sostennero”) the very highest level exam and some records show that around a million people sat the different level exam held every three years. If you multiply (moltiplicare, si legge “maltiplai”) these numbers by the people required to administer (amministrare, si legge “administar”) the exam, as well as the paperwork involved, the number of men needed for the selection of civil servants (dipendenti pubblici) really begins (da to begin/began/begun=cominciare) to escalate (crescere). It is a matter of debate as to how (su come) beneficial bureaucratic process is. However, under the mass of paperwork in the example of the Imperial Exam, it can be easy to forget (forgot/ forgotten=dimenticare) that there was an honorable intent behind it all: one of fairness (equità per tutti). Would Confucius agree?THE GLOBAL IDENTITYDuring the Twentieth Century, the world underwent (da to undergo/underwent/undergone=affrontare/essere sottoposto) continuous changes as empires (imperi, si legge “empairs”) crumbled (da to crumble=crollaresbriciolare/si, sgretolare/rsi, si legge “crambol”) and small nations asserted (da to assert=rivendicare) their independence. In the twenty first century, however, we’re faced with a different kind of change and with them comes a different and controversial question: As our world becomes increasingly globalized (sempre più globalizzato) can a country still maintain some kind of “National Identity” and can it keep its rituals, traditions and beliefs? (usi/credenze, si legge “bilifs). However, as the demographics of the countries change due (per effetto) of immigration and emigration, the concept (concetto, si legge “cònsept”) of national identity has itself seen a complex change. On the one hand (da un lato), those who leave their home and move to another country have well established (da to establish=fondare/stabilire) their identity based on race, language, religion, history, food, clothing and music which they bring to their new country. On the other hand (dall’altro lato) residents of a country feel (felt/felt=sentire/percepire) their nation’s identity changing due to the different customs and beliefs of emigrants. The mixing up (miscuglio) of the different kinds of people living in the same country is called “multiculturalism”. The topic of debate in many multicultural societies is on the national identity when so many cultures do exist side by side (fianco a fianco). Think of the country where you live or in which you were born, what you can say about things to define that identity? Language, tradition, food? Yet (e ancora), is there anything deeper than these factors that could bring people together? Is there a way of looking at different cultures, different kinds of people and seeing the similarities (analogie) instead of differences? The French national flag is made up of red, white and blue colors, which represent these values: liberty, equality and fraternity. If these are truly heartfelt (realmente presi a cuore/sul serio), then we can see how different people with different lifestyles and behaviors can begin to exist. Think about the nation where we live, what are the values that bind (leggesi “baind” bound/bound=attaccare/unire) everyone together?Are they changing? What values would you like to include in your country’s identify?THE MIND OF MACHINESCan machines really think? The idea of an artificial intelligence, as computers that think like human beings, can be for many of us unbelievably scary (incredibilmente spaventosa, si legge “anbilivibli scheri”). Is building (da to build/built/built= costruire) a machine that thinks like a person possible? We are ever closer to build a super computer that thinks like a human, but many people doubting the likelihood of this happening (probabilità che questo accada), need only think about the technological advances (progressi) that have been made in computing (informatica) over the last year. Truth is (la verità è che) computers have been used in air traffic control centers, in automobile fuel injection systems, to perform surgery (per eseguire un intervento chirurgico, si legge “sergeri”) and to route (instradare) every text message and email you send (sent/sent=spedire). In fact, artificial intelligences are everywhere. What does “intelligence” mean? If you can solve a math equation or learn a language you are cultured (colto, si legge “colcird”) and perhaps also intelligent. But, what about emotional intelligence? How do we explain feelings such as sadness, fear, love and hate? It seems that although we can teach (taught/taught =insegnare a) a computer how to play chess, we’ll never be able to teach it to feel happy when it wins. “Intelligence” is all about problem solving or making and achieving goals (raggiungere gli obiettivi, si legge “ecivingh gols”). In the not too distant future, scientists will discover how to program machines with human traits (tratti/caratteristiche, si legge “treits”) such as reason, planning skill (capacità di pianificare), communication, perception and ability to learn. If a machine can exhibit (esibire/mostrare. V.a. “ON SHOW=IN mostra”) all these skills (abilità) at once (subito/impovvisamente e anche “nello stesso tempo”), then it can surely be said to be intelligent. Nevertheless (pur non di meno), the question is: Does a computer well programmed to imitate and solve human problems really mean that it’s intelligent? Copying something doesn’t mean you understand it. In fact, say some words to me in a language I don’t know and I can probably say them back to you, but it doesn’t mean I understand what I’m saying. In the early years of its life, a child learns everything it knows about the world by copying. Right now, like a child, a computer is in its infancy. Nevertheless, as the industry grows, intelligent machines won’t just copy humans, they’ll totally outsmart (superare in astuzia/mettere nel sacco) them. Think of it this way, two of the major differences between humans and computers are:a) humans have emotions, but computers don’t.b) humans make mistakes, computers don’t.Imagine a machine in the future that has the intelligence of the cleverest (l’intelligenza del più intelligente), but makes none of the mistakes! In this way, computers in the future could be far superior to us. If that happened, all of us would be out of a job and computers really will have taken over the world. I think it all will depend on how we reshape (riforgiare/dare nuova forma) our society if we want to include computers in our lives in that way. They can do all the rotten (sgradevole) jobs we hate, for example defusing a ticking bomb (disinnescare una bomba a orologeria), then perhaps our world will be a better one. In addition, if computers will learn to feel emotions like love and hate, maybe they will make us take out (portare fuori) the trash (spazzatura), while they sit on the sofa and watch (NO “see”) TV (SENZA “the”). V.a. “TO SEE … OUT=accompagnare … alla porta”.WALK AROUND THE MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES OF NEW YORKNew York has been the acknowledged (riconosciuto) center of the world of art for many years. The MoMA, the Met, the Guggenheim are the most famous and frequent of the over 100 museums scattered (da to scatter=spargere/rsi, si legge “scatar”, eg. The police scattered (disperse) the crowd) throughout the city’s five districts. Painting, sculpture (sculture, si legge “scòlpiciar”), photography, science, mathematics, history, in New York there’s an exhibition space for every passion (passione/interesse, si legge “pascion”) or intellectual curiosity. In addition to some of the world’s most famous museums, the Big Apple boasts (vanta, si legge “boust”) the highest number of art galleries on the planet and this sheer variety (pura varietà, si legge “sciar varaiti”) of places where every form of art is accessible, free, to millions of people every year, make New York a truly unique place. The Museum of Modern Art, more commonly known as the MoMA, is in Midtown Manhattan and boasts one the best collections and exhibitions of modern and contemporary art in the world. Born from an idea of the wife of billionaire Rockerfeller in the late twenties, the MoMA receives around 2.5 million visitors each year. Among the protagonists of the museum’s exhibition we have Andy Warhol, Martin Scorsese, Gustav Klimt and Picasso. It’s open every day and though (sebbene) entry is a little expensive, on Fridays between four in the afternoon and eight in the evening, it’s free. For a lunch or a quick snack, Le Pain Quotidian (7E 53rd St.) is always a great choice, but if you’re looking for something more sophisticated and expensive there’s the French restaurant La Grenoulle, classic and chic which is a Midtown institution since 1962. One of the stops on the Museum Mile is the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum housed in a building that is a work of art in its own right, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1943. The Guggenheim is modern and contemporary with an exhibition area of extremely high visual impact: a spiral (si legge “spairal”) ramp that rises from the ground floor to the top of building. The art works (opera d’arte) are exhibited in the building’s internal galleries as well as along the walls of the spiral. On Saturdays only from 5.45 pm., like at the Met, entry is by free donation. At the end of this long immersion in modern art, you could take a nice cool walk (bella passeggiata) around the nearby Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in Central Park, a huge expanse of water (distesa d’acqua) offering breathtaking views of the city to commemorate her contributions to the city and because she enjoyed jogging around in that area. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, popularly known as the Met, set in the heart of Central Park, is one of the largest and most prestigious museums in the world and forms part of the Museum Mile, the section of Fifth Avenue on which many of Manhattan’s most famous museums are concentrated. Inaugurated in 1862, the Met offers exhibitions of Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Asian art plus a great collection of European art with works by Monet, Cezame, Van Gogh, as well modern art with works by Picasso and Pollock. Like the MoMA, the Met is open every day but entry is by free donation. A visit to the Met takes a good deal of energy, so what better excuse for enjoying a generous American breakfast at the Bocado Café (1293 Lexington Av.). Scrambled eggs, omelets, French toast and huge mugs (boccali si legge “mags”) of hot coffee are just what you need to tackle (afferrare, si legge “tacol”, il senso è “ben trascorrere”) a day around the museums of the Upper East Side. The Whitney Museum of American Art, known as the Whitney, is a modern art museum dedicated mainly to Nord American artists. Founded in the thirties by sculptress (scultrice, si legge “scolptres”) Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, this museum has changed address; indeed (infatti), on the 1st of May 2015 the new premises (edificio/ci con terreni) designed by Renzo Piano were inaugurated close by the beautiful park built atop (in cima) a former elevated railway, the now celebrated High Line Park. Coming out of the Whitney, you can reach the High Line Park and after walking through it you could lunch at the nearby Chelsea Market, the famous food and everything else market frequented by both tourists and New Yorkers in search of quality produce (prodotti/produzione di qualità; al sing.re “quality product”. Notare il differente uso tra “produce” e “product”). The New Museum of Contemporary Art has become the reference point of contemporary art lovers. Open since the seventies (anni settanta) the New Museum’s vocation is to exhibit emerging artists from all over the world. Located on the Lower East Side, this museum is in a part of the city buzzing with artistic and cultural ferment, and a walk around Allen Street, as well as its surroundings, offers the chance to visit a whole load (intero carico, il senso è “tutto il numero”) of little galleries, most of which are free entry. If you’re there in the evening, you’ll certainly be tempted to experience the underground atmosphere of the night life in this quarter (quarta parte e anche “trimestre”) of the city. With its music clubs as Bowery Ballroom, Mercury Lounge, Cake Shop and great cocktail bars as Barramundi on Clinton Street or Motor City on Ludlow Street. This is the perfect place for young and curious people, not to mention older adventurers (avventurieri, “advencerers”). The Chelsea district is the fulcrum of the city’s art galleries, with over two hundred galleries between 17st Street – 27st Street and 10th – 11th Avenue to the north. The Lower East Side, too, with its nine blocks between East Village and Chinatown, is another perfect place for discovering galleries of every kind, with sculptures, paintings and performance art on every street of this neighborhood full of shops, little restaurants and famous highly populated nightlife. Over the last years Brooklyn has become home to (NO “for”) many young artists who can’t afford the exorbitant rents of Manhattan and is now the center of cutting-edge (all’avanguardia) experimental art. Brooklyn is energy and the desire to explore a part of New York a little off (un pò fuori) the beaten (da to beat/beat/beaten=battere) tourist track (pista) but equally fascinating especially for its art. Facing onto the splendid Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Museum is one of the country’s (non è un genitivo sassone, ma indica “appartenenza”) largest. Its permanent collection is made up (costituita) of more than a million and half works from ancient Egypt to modern and contemporary art. Try not to miss the events held on the first Saturday of each month, Target First Saturday including concerts, screenings (proiezioni) and much more from five o’clock to ten in the evening, not to mention that entrance is free. Being there it’s worth to dedicate some time to the park that’s home to the Prospect Park Museum, the nearby Botanical Garden, especially in the spring or fall when nature (natura, si legge “neicer”) and the trees are truly spectacular with their wonderful colors. Brooklyn has one of greatest concentrations of artists in the world, and the hundred or so galleries scattered (sparpagliate, si legge “scaterd”) throughout the quarter are proof. You simply have to start out from Williamsberg; here we’re really close to the Pierogi Gallery and its annex The Boiler, a former boiler (caldaia) room with forty foot ceilings (soffitti) where performances, readings and other events are held. There is also the new explosion of galleries in Bushwick and the Dumbo district, where you can visit the Dumbo Arts Center open since 1997 close by (vicino a) the bridge. This district holds lots of surprises and has a (NO “an”, è un’eccezione davanti a unique) unique energy, so take an afternoon for a walk through the streets of Williamsberg, Bedford Ave to the Minimall and its splendid art library Spoonbill & Sugartown and for the music lovers the great club Rough Trade (North 9th Street). Thousands of concerts and events associated with this celebrated label (celebre/ famosa etichetta, si legge “selebretd leibol”) and then on to Grand Street up the East River for all the shops, bars and restaurants where you can get a feel of New York’s young and creative energy. Even Queens has a constantly growing artistic and cultural side and thanks to its increasing popular museums, more tourists are finally discovering this great neighborhood that was just houses and industry. A fantastic experiment turned into a veritable (autentica, si legge “vèritbol”) institution for contemporary art, is an old public school hence (da quì/da cui) the name PS, Public School converted into a beautiful museum at the outset (sin dall’inizio) independent but since 1999 an affiliate of the MoMA. Contemporary arts screenings (proiezioni), concerts and festivals, this is a place just waiting to be discovered in this changing quarter of Long Island City on the East River. The PS also has a renowned restaurant, the M Wells Dinette, perfect for lunch or a snack. For a drink, as the sun goes down, the nearby Dutch Kills is becoming increasingly (sempre più) well-known for its cocktails, not to mention that it is one of the best bars in Queens. Almost all of New York’s museums are very popular with (il senso è “molto noti alle”) families and children. It’s worth checking the websites of individual museums for the activities and workshop (seminari) that run practically every day, and free for small children, at the MoMA, the Guggenheim and the New Museum, to name but a few (per citarne solo alcuni). There are also some museums specifically for families and children like the Children’s Museum on Manhattan’s Upper West Side or the Brooklyn Children’s Museum at Crown Heights, Brooklyn, but above all (ma soprattutto/i) the fantastic American Museum of Natural History alongside Central Park with its animals, space exhibits, dinosaurs and science. A visit to this wonderful museum will leave an indelible (indelebile, si legge “indelibol”) memory for all the family. Una delle tante caratteristiche di New York City è costituita dal fatto che tutte le vie sono tra loro perpendicolari e contrassegnate da un numero ordinale. Eg: Fifth Avenue (viale che va da nord a sud). Forty Second Street (via che va da est a ovest).POLITICS IN THE TELEVISION ERAIn the United States television dominates political campaigns. Voters turn on the TV and are presented with constant news coverage (copertura, si legge “caver-ig”) of campaigns, negative and positive advertisements (annunci, si legge “advertsments”) by candidates, interviews with political experts about the election and debates. Television emphasizes the visual (visuale, si legge “vigiuol”), so on TV it’s important that a politician looks good. But, are “looks” really the most reliable (affidabile, si legge “rilaibol”) way to choose the leader of a country? Should television have such a strong influence on the decisions we make about political leaders? In the US the presidential debates are one of the most important events of the campaigns. Electors can be won or lost based (sulla base, si legge “beisd”) on these debates. Remember the “Great debate” in 1960 between R. Nixon, a Republican with years of experience, and J. F. Kennedy the Democrat candidate criticized by many as being (per essere) too young and inexperienced. 1960 was the first year the debates were televised (teletrasmessi, si legge “televaisd”). The debate drew over (accostò/ coinvolse) 66 million viewers out of (su di) a population of about 170 million, making it one of the most watched broadcasts (trasmissioni, si legge “brodcasts”) in US television history. Nixon was champion debater (oratore, si legge “dibeitar”) and welcomed (accolse, si legge “uelcomd”) the opportunity to debate with his opponent on national TV, but, unfortunately for him, television can be unflattering (poco lusinghiera, si legge “unflateringh”) to the “average looking” person (persona dall’aspetto normale). Kennedy had a handsome face, and his recent campaigning in California had given him a healthy tan (sana abbronzatura, si legge “helti tan”). Nixon was pale (pallido, si legge “peal”) and still recovering from a recent flu (influenza, si legge “flu”). He appeared thin and sickly (malaticcio) and arrived at the debate in a gray suit and refused makeup to improve his color. The TV audience watched Nixon looking sweaty (sudato, si legge “sueti”), while Kennedy appeared young and handsome. Polls taken (sondaggi presi) after the first debate showed that most people who listened to it on the radio felt that Nixon had won, while most who watched it on TV thought Kennedy the winner. In fact, the debates had made Kennedy look like the winner. The “Great Debate” between those two candidates forced people to rethink how politics would work in the television era. Not only did they push on unlikely candidate to victory, but they also brought in an era in which television dominated the electoral process.MACCHIAVELLI TYRANT OR REALISTThe history of man is one of power (potere, si legge “pauer”) and ambition (ambizione, legge “amiscion”). The famous leaders of the past were often cruel (crudele, si legge “crul”), trying to gather (raccogliere, si legge “gadar”) as a large number of people as possible to rule (governare/dominare; sost.vo=regola. V.a. “THE RULING CLASS=la classe dirigente”). Some were called tyrants (tiranni, si legge “tairents”), but many were called great and realists (realisti, si legge “rìalists”) leaders. But they all shared (da to share=condividere, si legge “scear”) that ability to achieve (raggiungere/conquistare, si legge “ecìv”) power and fought (da to fight/fought/fought=combattere) to keep it. Niccolò Macchiavelli, famous writer and political philosopher from the Italian Renaissance (rinascimento, si legge “rènasans”) wrote one of the most well known guidance (guida/regola, si legge “gaidans”) on how to achieve power to be a successful chief (capo, si legge “cif”). His ideas have inspired debate for centuries, because he claimed that, in order for a man to achieve power and hold on (restare aggrappato) to that power, he must be ready (pronto, si legge “redi”) to use whatever methods necessary (il fine giustifica i mezzi=the end justifies (si legge “gestifais”) the means). Since his book “The Price” was first published, the name Macchiavelli has been associated with ruthless (spietato/a) politics, manipulation (manipolazione, si legge “maneipulescion”) and the achievement (raggiungimento, si legge “accivment”) of power by any means (con ogni mezzo). According Macciavelli’s thought, a Prince (principe, si legge “prins”), in order to maintain his state, is often forced to act (agire) in defiance (sfida, si legge “difaiens” (da non confondere con “defence=difesa”, si legge “difens”), il senso è “aggire in barba a/senza tenere conto di/a dispetto di”) of good faith (fede, si legge “feith”. V.a. “IN BAD FAITH=in mala fede”), of charity (carità, si legge “ciariti”), of kindness (gentilezza, si legge “chàindnes”) and of religion. He should not deviate (deviare, si legge “diviet”) from what is good if that is possible, but he should know how to do evil (male, si legge “ivol”; il senso è “fare del male”) if it is necessary. Today the word “Machiavellian” is often a negative term used to describe someone deceitful (disonesto, si legge “disìtful”) manipulative (manipolativo, si legge “manìpiulativ”) and who will do whatever it takes (tutto il necessario) to achieve his political goals. But did Macchiavelli really have such a cynical (cinico, si legge “sinicol”) view of power and politics? He lived during a time when Italy was tormented by vicious (vizioso, si legge “viscs”) leaders and power struggles (lotte di potere, si legge “pauer stragols) and had seen Italy during years of political chaos. Macchivelli believed that what his country needed was stability, so “The Price” was written as a guide (guida, si legge “gaid”) for how an ambitious price could achieve power and maintain that power in order to bring (brought/brought=portare da lontano a vicino; diverso da to take/took/taken=portare da vicino a lontano) stability to his country. He believed a strong leader was necessary to bring about (causare/determinare) that stability and, in addition, he believed that any actions to protect the country’s stability, even actions which were (che fossero) cruel and tyrannical, were justified. The twenty six chapters of “The Price” discuss the qualities a leader should have in order to keep (kept/kept=(man)tenere) his power. Macchiavelli offers this advice (consiglio/gli, SEMPRE al sing.re, si legge “advais”): “Power”; have a strong military, to be willing to (essere disposti) act fearlessly (senza paura). “Reputation”; don’t be concerned with (non essere interessato a) having a good reputation because stability and strength are most important, not whether the prince is loved by his people. “Generosity”; it’s better to be stingy (avaro, si legge “stingi”) than generous. People who are ruled by generous prince will only become greedy (avido, si legge “gridi”) for more (per più, il senso “nella maggior parte dei casi”). “Fear”; it’s more powerful (potente) than love, Macchiavelli explains: “It would be best to be both loved and feared (temuto, si legge “fiard”), but since the two rarely come together, anyone compelled (da to compel=costringere) to choose will find greater security in being feared than in being love”. ”Avoid hatred” (odio, si legge “heitrid); a leader who is respected by his people will have stronger protection than from having a stronger army. The prince who avoids (da to avoid=evitare, si legge “evoid”) hatred from nobles is less likely to be challenged (sfidato; il senso è “con minore probabilità di essere accusato”) by conspirators. “Be a fox and a lion”; be clever like the fox that is able to discover a trap, but show the courage of the lion that is able to drive (drove/driven=guidare) off (to drive off=portare via, il senso è “scacciare”) the wolves (lupi, sing.re “wolf”). Were Macchiavelli’s ideas a “how to” (come, il senso “modello di”) guide for tyrants or a realistic portrayal (rapprentazione, si legge “portreil”) of politics? Well, maybe a little of both. Whatever the case (in ogni caso), Macchiavelli’s ideas have had a profound influence on leaders throughout history. The word “Machiavellian” is an expression that will be part of our vocabulary for a long time.UNDERSTANDING SPIN TACTICSPoliticians (abr.ne slang “POLS”) have tough (duro/difficile, si legge “taf”) job. They must convince the public that their position on the issues (problemi/questioni, si legge “isciuss”) is the correct one. They have to be persuasive (convincente, si legge “persuesiv”); they have to get the public to believe that they are trustworthy (affidabile) and know exactly what they are talking about. How do they do this? Some use this strategy: “Spin” (rotazione, da to spin/span/spun=filare/far girare). Many politicians are experts at spinning (manipolare) the facts in a way that makes them look better. I’m not saying they all do it, but if you want to get the public on your side, it’s good to have some communication strategies. It’s not, okay, some people think spin techniques (tecniche di rotazione, il senso è “giare i fatti (sot.so) a proprio vantaggio”) are deceptive (ingannevole, si legge “diseptiv”). My advice? Learn how to recognize these techniques. Then you’ll know when the politicians are spinning the facts, and you’ll be able to make a more intelligent decision about what they’re saying. Here are the spin tracts (tratti, il senso è “ambigui giri di parole”) you should learn to recognize.Spin Tactic Number 1: “Ambiguous speech”. An ambiguous sentence (frase e anche “condanna”, si legge “sentens”) is one which would have two different meanings. Now politicians use ambiguous language to avoid having to say something that some people might not want to hear. Image (si legge “imig”) that a politician says this: ”I oppose (mi impongo, si legge “opous”) taxes which are bad for economy”. There are two ways to interpret that sentence. Either (o) he opposes all taxes, since they are bad for the economy, or (o) he opposes only taxes that are bad for the economy. Get it? (prendilo, il senso è “ci credi?”) It’s pretty (piuttosto) clear. And a politician knows that people, who are listening, will interpret the statement the way (nel modo in cui) they want to hear it.Spin Tactic Number 2: “Cheery picking” (let. e met.co “raccogliere ciliege”, il senso è “sapere scegliere”). Just as a farmer will pick the best cherries from the tree, a politician will select only the facts and quotes (citazioni) which support his argument. Cigarette companies in the past used to love this strategy, they would carefully select doctors would say cigarettes were not bad for you. But, of course, all the other hundreds of doctors were of a different opinion. Here’s an example of how politicians use this strategy. Politician number one says: “I admire Mr. Brown, but he has made a terrible mistake”. Politician number two says: “Ms. Green said today that she admires Mr. Brown”. See how Mr. Brown carefully selected only the part of the quote (citazione, si legge “quout”) which he wanted people to know about? Of course, it’s much harder to do this in the age of the Internet when everyone could easily look up Ms. Green’s quote to find out what she really said.Spin Tactic Number 3: “Non denial-denial”(rifiuto, si legge “dinail”, il senso è “nego senza negare”). It is a term for a way of denying something without actually denying anything. It’s a very tricky (furbo/astuto) strategy. Here’s an example: “I have no plans to raise the taxes”. If a politician says: “I won’t raise taxes”, he could get in trouble later when he does raise taxes. But if he says: “I have no plans to raise the taxes” well, later he could just say that, at that point in time, he didn’t plan to raise taxes, therefore he didn’t break any promises.Spin Tactic Number 4: “Speak in the passive”. A politician can avoid taking (assumere) direct responsibility for an error by cleverly using the passive voice. Politicians don’t like to admit their mistakes and hate to use expressions like: “I made a mistakes” or “I really messed up (mi sono incasinato, ta to mess=pasticciare; sost.vo “pasticcio/disordine”)” and “I’m sorry, it’s my entire fault (si legge “folt”; è mia intera colpa). Instead, they’ll say: “Mistakes were made”. The passive form takes out (desponzabilizza) the person, so you don’t actually say who performed (eseguì) the action. Instead of saying: “I made a mistake”, the politician can say: “Mistakes were made”. This way, he doesn’t actually have to accept the blame (colpa, si legge “bleim”) for these mistakes. That’s a really clever way to spin the information, so it doesn’t reflect so badly on him.Politicians will always use communication strategies to help them “Spinning” the facts in their favor, so it’s very important learning how they do it. That way you can recognize when the truth is being manipulated to a politician’s advantage. Or, if you have political aspirations (aspirazioni, si legge “aspirescions”), you could even learn to it yourself.THE WORLD’S TALLEST BUILDINGIt’s a race (gara, si legge “reis”) for the sky. Around the world cities are getting taller as architects design buildings they hope can compete (competere, si legge “compìt”) for that converted (da to convert=trasformare/rsi e anche “appropriarsi di qualcosa indebitamente”) title of “Tallest building in the world”. But it isn’t always easy to determine (determinare, si legge “ditermen”) which building is the tallest. Some buildings have tall spires (guglie, si legge “spaiers”) that reach up into the sky, some have long antennas used to send and receive radio waves (onde, si legge “ueivs”). If a building has a tall antenna at the top of it, should that count in the measurement (misurazione, si legge “megeuarment”) and a spire? When the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia were built, controversy had (NO “was”) arisen (da to arise/arose/arisen=sorgere) because the spire extended nine meters higher than the roof of the Sears Tower, which until then (fino allora) had been considered the tallest building in the world. So how do we determine which building is the tallest? Well, it depends on the criteria (criteri, si legge “craitiria”, il sing.re è “criterion”) you use to measure (misurare, si legge “megiar”) the building. There are four categories which are currently used by the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. ”Height (altezza, si legge “hait”) to Architectural Top”. Height is measured from sidewalk (marciapiede) level of the main entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spire, but not including antennas, signs (segni, si legge “sains”) of flag poles (pali, si legge pools”). This is the measurement which is most widely used. “Highest Occupied Floor”. Height is measured from sidewalk level of the main entrance to the highest continually occupied (da to occupy=occupare, si legge “occhiupai”) floor within the building. This measurement doesn’t count spires and it only measures up to the floor where people can be. “Height to Top of Floor”. Height is measured from sidewalk level of the main entrance to the highest point of the building’s main roof level, not including spires or antennas. “Height Tip” (tip= punta/cima ed anche “mancia”. V.a. “THE TIP (punta) OF THE ICEBERG”). Height is measured from sidewalk level of the main entrance to the highest point of the building, whatever that might be (qualunque essa sia), thus including antennas, flagpoles (pennoni, si legge “flaghpols”) and signs. Which do you think should be used to decide (decidere, si legge “disaid”)? Nobody can agree, but “Height to Architectural Top” is the most common. In addition, there is one thing that everyone can agree on, a building can only be recognized as the “World’s Tallest Building” if, at least, fifty per cent of its height is made up (costituito) of floors which can be occupied by people. Structures such as the CN Tower in Toronto or the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai are not in the running to be considered for the “World’s Tallest Building”. So, which building is the tallest in the world? Well, every year or two, it seems that there’s a new winner, and it’s a race that’ll probably never end. The record has been held by the Empire State Building, built in New York in 1932, the Sears Tower, Chicago, completed in 1974 and the Taipei 101 in Taiwan built in 2004. We can’t forget the World Trade Center, also known as the “Twin Towers”, built in 1973 and collapsed in 9/11/2001 because of a cruel terrorist attact. This race to sky is so serious and competitive that in 2009, as the Bury Dubai skyscraper was under construction in Dubai, its final height was kept secret due to fear (a causa della paura) of competition from other buildings which were under construction at the time. The developers (da to devolop=sviluppare, si legge “divelop”) of this skyscraper were aiming (da to aim=mirare, si legge “eim”) for the title (titolo, si legge “taitol”) “Worlds’ Tallest Building”, but didn’t want any other construction company to find out the exact height their building would be, in case their rivals (rivali, si legge “raivols”) built a new building just that little bit higher and stole (da to steal/stole/ stolen=rubare) the record. It just goes to show there will always be new contenders (contendenti, si legge “contendars”) in the race to build the tallest building in the world.OFFICE POLICSIn the real world, if you want to get to the top, you've got to know how to play the game. Sure (sicuro ag.vo; sicuramente av.bio, si legge “scuar”), you'd like to think that people are promoted based on their abilities and their talent. And sometimes they are (il senso è “talvolta quanto sopra detto succede”), but if you've worked for a big company, you know that there's another piece to this puzzle (enigma, si legge “pazl”) and it's called “office politics”. Maybe you’re thinking: “Aren't we more evolved than having to play political games to get where we want to”? Perhaps you are right but pay attention to (NO “on”) the fact that the office is the modern jungle (giungla, si legge “giangol”) and it's survival (sopravvivenza, si legge “survaivol”) of the fittest (più forte/in forma, si legge “fitst”)! But, since you have a conscience (coscienza, nel senso “consapevolezza/sensibilità”, si legge “cònscens”), I'm going to tell you how you to play in a way that is respectful, while still moving you in the direction you want to go. To the top! You see, in office politics, you can act properly or you can play like Machiavelli. But if you want to go home at night feeling good about yourself, it's better to play nicely (piacevolmente, si legge “naisli”). Here's my advice to you for how to succeed (avere successo, si legge “sachsiid”) at office politics without becoming a backstabber (chi pugnala alle spalle/traditore, si legge “bachstaber”). Don't keep your head in the sand (sabbia). Office politics is a reality and it's better to participate than to pretend (far finta, si legge “pritend”) it doesn't exist. But remember, keep it positive (sii positivo/fiducioso). If you're respectful to your colleagues and everyone likes you, you're less likely to get stabbed in the back (essere pugnalato alle spalle). Develop good relationships with your co-workers. You never know when you will need someone on your side. Do nice things for people when the opportunity comes up. Be supportive (sii di supporto) of your co-workers, and they will support you. Also, develop good relationships with higher ups (coloro che stanno più in alto/superiori). Seek (sought/sought=cercare) their advice and they'll appreciate your desire (desiderio, si legge “disaiar”) to grow as an employee. If possible find a mentor. A more experienced colleague (collega, si legge “coligh”) who can offer you valuable advice. He or she can also advocate (difendere/perorare una causa, si legge “àdvocheit”) for you when you are being considered for a promotion. Notice how things get done, think about the values of the company, and gain (guadagnare, si legge “ghein”) an understanding (comprensione) of the culture of the organization. If you show that you like the way the company works, your boss and your boss's bosses will be happier to make you an important part of it. Also, get to know your co-workers. If you seek to understand your co-workers, you may avoid potential disagreements (disaccordi, “dìs-agriments”). Top managers know that the key to management is being a good listener (ascoltatore, si legge “lis-nar”) and taking the time to understand the needs of the people around them. No matter how much you don't like someone, don't let your anger (rabbia, si legge “engar”) or annoyance show. Don't humiliate (umiliare, si legge “iumilieit”) them, attack them, or insult them. What goes around comes around (il senso è “ciò che semini raccogli”). Your personal attack may seem justified, but by doing this, you will gain an enemy for later (per dopo/in avvenire). Update (aggiorna) your skills (abilità) to be relevant to the company's plans and initiatives (iniziative, si legge “inìsciativs”). This will make you a value to the company and will open doors to more opportunities and responsibilities. This advice may seem straightforward (lineare/ ovvio, si legge “streitforword”), but you would be surprised at how many people think office politics is more about manipulation than respect. But I don't think it has to be! Just remember, for any situation, you have the ability to choose how you will react and the choice you make now could have important repercussions later.CREATING GREEN BUILDINGSSome would say that we are facing a global environmental crisis (crisi, si legge “craisis”). We are using our earth's resources faster than nature can replace them. Coal (carbone, si legge “cool”), petroleum and natural gas. These resources take millions of years to form (il senso è “sono ritenute da sempre capaci di (ri)formarsi”) naturally (naturalmente, si legge “naciuli”). We just can't replace them at the rate (tasso, si legge “reit”) we are consuming them. But there is something we can do. Buildings account for forty percent of our energy use. Heating them, cooling them, lighting them, the water they use, the electricity. All of this (tutto questo) uses energy. And the way our buildings are designed now, they're using this energy very inefficiently. But there is a way to construct buildings which would save energy and even help the environment. It's a “green building'' and it's based on a model for sustainable (sostenibile, si legge “sosteinibol”) design which is one that aims to design things so that they are more similar to the natural environment; they use natural resources efficiently and they produce less waste (spreco, si legge “ueist”). Green buildings are less dependent on non-renewable resources such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas. They use renewable energy like water and wind as power sources. Some of these buildings even have a green roof! A green roof isn't just a roof that's painted green; it's a roof which is designed so that it is covered with soil (terra) and grass. It can reduce heat loss (perdita di calore) and energy consumption in winter. It can soak up (assobire da to soak=bagnare/immergere, si legge “souk”) rainwater to be used for gardening and washing. It can even serve as a home for animals such as birds and insects. You see, a green building doesn't just exist in the environment; it becomes a part of the environment. The BedZed (acronimo di Beddington Zero Energy Development), is a housing development (sviluppo abitativo) in England which was built using green design principles. The ninety-nine homes in BedZed are zero energy buildings, which means they have a net energy consumption (consumo, si legge “cansampscion”) of zero over a year. They get their energy from solar panels and tree waste (rifiuti di alberi).FENG SHUI AT HOME“Feng shui” is a system of aesthetics (estetica, si legge “astetichs”) which was developed in China over three thousand years ago. By understanding the theories of “feng shui”, you can design a home which is balanced and which brings health and good fortune (fortuna, si legge “fòrciun”) to its inhabitants. The most fundamental concept (concetto, si legge “cònsept”) of feng shui is “chi”. “Chi” means energy. It's the energy which can be found in everything: inside your body, inside and outside buildings, everywhere. By following the ideas of “feng shui”, you can create a good flow (flusso, si legge “flou”. V.a. “TO GO WITH THE FLOW=prendere le cose così come vengono”) of “chi” in your home, which in turn (a sua volta) can create a good flow of “chi” in your body. Here are some tips (suggerimenti) for using “feng shui” principles as you design the rooms in your home. The living room is where people come together to communicate and relax. It should be comfortable and inviting so inhabitants feel happy and at ease (a proprio agio. V.a. “TO WIN (WITH) EASE= vincere con facilità” e It (solo per un vestito) hangs with ease=cade/ti sta bene)”. Chairs and couches (divani, si legge “caucs”) should face the door so people have a clear view of newly arriving family members and guests (ospiti, si legge “ghests”). Also, don't design the living room so it's centered around the television; a “feng shui” living room should encourage conversation. Colors of the living room should be warm and welcoming. Earth tones such as light yellow and beige will help create stability, nourishment (nutrimento (anche fig.vo), si legge “nòriscment”) and protection for all your relationships. You can also incorporate one bold (audace/ brioso=RACY, si legge “reisi”. N.B. BOLD e BALD (calvo) si leggono “bold”), lively (vivace, si legge “laivl”) color. A bold color sparks (scintilla, nel senso “provoca”) conversation, which is great when you are guests. The kitchen is the heart of the home; it is where food is prepared and where family members get together to chat. It should be designed so cooking can happen efficiently and with ease, so make sure that chairs, tables, and cabinets (armadietti) are placed in a way which allows for easy movement around the kitchen. The stove (stufa, si legge “stouv”) should be positioned so a person using it doesn't have their back facing a doorway (vano della porta). The chef (cuoco, si legge “scef”) needs to be able to focus and not be surprised. Avoid clutter (confusione, si legge “clatar”) because it interferes (interferisce, si legge “intfiers”) with the flow of “chi” in your home and brings its energy levels down. Countertops (piani di lavoro) should be clear of appliances (elettrodomestici, si legge “aplaienss”), even the toaster (tostapane, si legge “toustar”). Have a place to put these things when they are not in use. Color is important. This is the room for cooking, so fire colors such as red, pink, or bright yellow work best. The bedroom should be planned so that it promotes sleep, relaxation, and love. Do not put too many pieces of furniture or extra items (articoli in senso generico, si legge “aitms”) in the bedroom, as it is the place to relax and the place to escape from the world. It is not a place for work or living (viverci, si legge “livingh”), so televisions and computers are more appropriate in other rooms. The bed is the most important piece of furniture, so carefully plan its location and colors. It is good for part of the bed to be touching the wall because this promotes (promuove, nel senso “assicura”, si legge “promouts”) stability and security, but the bed should be accessible from both sides so that “chi” can easily flow (fluibile) above and below. Finally, since the bedroom is a personal space, the colors should reflect your inner personality. But since the bedroom is the place of sleep, relaxing colors are recommended. Vibrant (vibrante, si legge “vaibrant”) colors can be distracting in a room that is meant (intesa, nel senso “destinata”) to be relaxing. Remember, everything in a “feng shui” home should be designed to promote a smooth (liscio, nel senso “regolare”, si legge “smuud”) flow of “chi” throughout the home, so you live a healthier, wealthier, happier and fortunate life.ANTICIPATING FUTURE TRENDSCompanies would pay millions to know for sure how the market's going to develop in the future. The trouble is, of course, this isn't possible. What they can do though, is employ (impiegare) people to analyze the market and “project”, or make “informed guesses” (infondate congetture, si legge “ghessis”), as to what might happen. These people are called futurologists. How do futurologists make their predictions? They try to predict the future by a method called 'triangulation’ (tringolazione, si legge “traiangulescion”). So, how would a futurologist use triangulation to analyze the possible future market developments of this product (prodotto, si legge “pradact”)? The first stage (fase, si legge “steig”) is research which involves asking the consumer questions. The futurologists hold (held/held= tenere) focus groups (let. gruppi messi a fuoco, cioè “opportunamente selezionati”), send out questionnaires and speak to “key consumers” (selezionato campione di consumatori chiave), those people most likely to purchase (acquistare, si legge “perces”) the product. For example, they'd talk to a range (gamma, si legge “reing”) of different marathon runners, joggers, sprinters (velocisti, si legge “sprinters”) in order to find out what they want from a running shoe and what kind of changes they'd suggest making. In addition, they might also talk to various other demographic groups, housewives (casalinghe, si legge haus-uaivs), for example, or businessmen, in the hope that their product is reaching (da to reach=raggiungere, si legge “ric”) a wider (più ampio, si legge “uader”) market. From this research, the futurologists can find out not only what consumers think about the product, but also get ideas for new design initiatives (iniziative, si legge “inìsciativs”). For example, perhaps they notice that a certain group of key consumers like exercising both in a gym and in a park or on a road. This might lead (led/led=condurre/indurre) them to think of a new design that would be popular with this demographic (demografia, si legge “dèmografich”). Or they might observe that, due to today's smaller (oggi più piccolo), more convenient listening devices (dispositivi, si legge “divaiss”), more and more people are listening to music while running. Or that certain “key consumers” increasingly want to know how many calories they've burned (da to burn/burnt/ burnt=bruciare=to burn/burned/burned). Once (una volta che, si legge “uans”) the futurologists have gathered information about how the consumer uses their product, and what they'd like in the future, they then move onto the second stage: observation. The futurologists analyze the consumer habits of different groups of people then guess (indovinano, si legge “ghes”) how trends will develop in the future. For example, they might notice that the housewife demographic is becoming (sta diventando) an increasingly important core customer (let. centro cliente) or that the company is losing their market share (quota di mercato) in the businessman demographic. Or they might discover that a certain design of shoe is proving (si sta dimostrando, si legge “pruvingh”) more and more popular with one of the key demographics. In other words, it's only when the futurologists know who is buying what, and how these trends are developing, that they're able to project the future direction of the market. So, this takes us to the final part of the triangulation process: making a projection. To do this, futurologists don't just need the facts, they need their intuition. This is where futurologists really earn their money. Anyone with basic market research skills can collect and analyze data (dati, SEMPRE al sing.re, si legge “deita”). However, what futurologists do is use this data to make accurate projections of the future product. To do this, they come up with a number of “What if …?'' questions. For example: What if we design a new kind of easily washed material, to make a new kind of running shoe that's convenient both for the gym and the road? What if we invent a small machine in the shoe that controls the speed of the music, so that when a runner slows down (rallenta), the music slows down too, and when the runner speeds up, the music speeds up too? What if we put a calorie counter (contatore delle calorie, si legge “calori caunter”) just like the ones you see on running machines in gyms, but inside the shoe, so that after a run, the runner could take their shoes off and be able to count how many calories they'd burned?. Of course, these are just ideas. The futurologists now have to give these ideas to the board (bordo e anche “consiglio/comitato”, si legge “boord”) of directors and the CEO (acronimo di Chief Executice Officer) and they're the ones who will decide on the future direction of the product. However, due to this combination of research, analysis and intuition, futurologists can help companies anticipate future trends, predict how people will be using a product in the future, and make it the market leader (let. mercato capo nel senso “mercato guida”).FINDING “COOL”What is cool? There have been dozens of slang terms to express the concept, but in the end, they all mean the same thing. “Cool”. In marketing, cool is IT (Information Technology). Companies, advertisers, they all want to know what's cool. Cool is the key to success. Cool is that desired quality which gives a brand (marca/marchio), a person, an idea, the power to rise (rose/risen=sorgere, alzarsi) above it all (essere superiore a tutto) and stand (stood/stood=stare in piedi) out from the crowd (il senso è “risaltare/distinguersi dalla folla/massa”). If a company can identify what's cool, they can use it to make their product stand out from the crowd. But, how do they figure out (risolvere, si legge “figher aut”) what's cool? In the past, what was cool used to be defined by the big advertisers (inserzionisti, si legge “àdvertaisers”) and elite fashion designers (stilisti, si legge “fascion disainers”). They came up with the styles, they promoted these fashions (mode) to the masses, and trends would trickle down to (let. gocciolare giù verso, si legge “tricol daun tu”, il senso è “le tendenze si sarebbero divulgate a …”) the common people. Media set the trends, but today, what's cool could come from anywhere. People don't like to be told (da to tell/told/told=dire, il senso è ”alla gente non piace avere detto”) by advertisers what's cool, they like to discover it for themselves. In fact, a lot of what's cool comes from a very creative demographic: the youth demographic as teenagers and young adults. The youth demographic is a tricky (difficile/complicato, si legge “trichi”) one to market to (da indurre verso il mercato). They don't fall (fell/fallen=cadere) for the normal advertising strategies (strategie pubblicitarie). They are rebellious, creative, and innovative. They start the trends. Well, a few of them do. These are the trendsetters (coloro che orientano le tendenze). The trendsetters define what's cool and the rest of the kids follow. This is where the cool hunter (cacciatore, si legge “hantar”) comes in. More and more companies are hiring (da to hire=assumere, si legge “haier”) them. They hunt for the newest pioneering styles, trends, and innovations. Often they were the trendsetters of their generation and they know how to spot (individuare/riconoscere) the trendsetters of the next generation. Cool hunters find what's cool and they present this information to their clients, the big brands that are hoping to sell their products by making them seem (da to see/saw/ seen=vedere) cooler. The cool hunter brings in what's cool from the streets and the big brands repackage (riconfezionare, si legge “ripacheg”) this “cool'' to sell it back to the mainstream (corrente principale). Therefore, instead of styles trickling down (da to trickle=gocciolare) from the top, they trickle up from the streets. Then get sold (da to sell/sold/sold=vendere) right back to the masses. Take, for example, Hush Puppies, the famous brand of shoe. In 1994, Hush Puppies were basically a thing of the past. Only 30,000 pairs were sold in the USA in 1993. The brand was dying (da to die=morire. V.a. “LATE=defunto”); then, cool hunters noticed that teenagers in New York's East Village were going to thrift (parsimonia/economia, di legge “thrift”) shops (negozi di articoli usati), looking for classic, vintage (vendemmia/annata, si legge “vintg”) Hush Puppies styles. For some reason, the trendsetters had latched (da to latch=chiudere con il chiavistello, si legge “lach”) on to this style; they loved it. Hush Puppies were totally cool, at least with the hip (alla moda) trendsetters. After the cool hunters reported this information to fashion designers, the most elite designers started demanding a line of Hush Puppies that looked like the classic styles. The company rushed to come out with the shoes that had suddenly become so cool. Fashion designers started having their models wear (wore/worn=indossare) them in fashion shows, and the shoes started popping up (da to pop/popped/popped up=balzare su nel senso “riscuotere successo”) in shops. By 1996, Hush Puppies were selling over 1.6 million pairs in the USA per (NO “for”) year. If the cool hunters hadn't seen those teenagers in New York sporting (da to sport=giocare/divertirsi) those classic Hush Puppies, the company may never have found out that all they needed to do (tutto che bisognava fare) was release (uscita/ pubblicazione, si legge “rilis”, nel senso “riproporre”) the classic designs again. Hush Puppies might have just been a brand from history. Now, it's one of the most popular shoes brands in the world. It’s worth to know what is “cool”!EXAMINING CLICK BEHAVIORMarketing (da to market=introdurre nel mercato) is about selling, and it's about delivering quality and value to the customer (cliente, si legge “castmar”). If a business (azienda e anche “affari”) wants to succeed (avere successo, si legge “sachsid”) at marketing a product or service, they have to know the customer. That's why businesses do market research. Traditionally, companies have done market research by conducting focus groups, surveys (indagini, si legge “sèrveis”), field tests (prove sul campo, si legge “fild tests”) and observations. But, we live in the age of technology, and as you might imagine, businesses have found that the internet can be a very useful tool (attrezzo) for conducting research about their customers. In fact, businesses who don't use the internet as a tool for market research could find themselves left behind. However, customers are very sensitive about their privacy. Businesses can and should use the internet to conduct (condurre, si legge “condacht”) market research, but they should also be aware (consapevole/al corrente) that customers don't like people spying on them; they don't like it when companies know too much. A business has to be responsible when using the internet to do market research; otherwise (altrimenti/diversamente, si legge “aderuais”) it’s possible to lose customers. It's becoming more and more common for companies to examine their customers “Click Behavior” (un comportamento finalizzato ad uno scopo). This is when they use software to keep track (traccia) of the websites a customer visits. Businesses can use this information to determine (determinare, si legge “ditermn”) how many people have looked at a particular advertising campaign (campagna pubblicitaria). They can also sell this information to other companies who are interested. More often than not though (più spesso però. V.a. “INCREASINGLY=sempre più spesso”) they use this information to determine which ads (annunci, è l’abreviazione di “advertisements”, si legge “advertaisemts”) they should target (da to target=selezionare per trasmettere, si legge “targhet”) at a particular customer. Google does this. If you search for information about hotels in Beijing (Pechino, si legge “Beigìn”), the ads you're presented with (da to present=offrire, si legge “present”) in the sidebar (riunione privata) will certainly be ads for hotels in Beijing! But, the fact that companies can keep track of what you're looking at on the internet bothers (preoccupa/disturba) some people. Sure, this kind of tracking (puntamento, nel senso “osservazione/indagine”) can make sure (assicurare, si legge “meich sciuar”) that coffee drinkers only get ads about coffee, and cigarette ads only get sent to those who smoke. But, what if a company provides (fornisce, si legge “provaids”) information to insurance companies about people that have researched the term “cancer” (cancro, di legge”canser”)? That (il fatto che) companies could share their information with anyone scares (impaurisce, si legge “schears”) a lot of people and some politicians are even recommending laws be put in place (mettere in atto) to make sure the privacy rights of internet users are protected. Many companies also keep track of the purchases (acquisti, si legge “pèrcisis”) customers make. Amazon uses this information to help them recommend other items (articoli/ prodotti, si legge “aitms”) a customer may want to buy. There can be problems with this strategy, though. Customer Erik Jensen explains: “I know Amazon keeps track of the stuff I buy. I don't mind that, but a few months ago I bought (da to buy/bought/ bought=comprare) a book about flower gardening for my grandma’s birthday. I'm not interested in gardening, no way (per nulla), but now, every time I go on Amazon, they recommend me books about flowers and planting gardens and stuff (robba, si legge “staf”) like that. I'm a twenty two year old guy. Why would I wanna (abr.e di “want to”) know how to plant a vegetable garden?” Fortunately, the technology is improving. By combining (da to combine=combinare, si legge “combain”) keyword search information with information about the customer demographic (such as age, sex, occupation), Amazon will be able to be more precise (preciso, si legge “prisais”) in the recommendations they make to their customers. Social networking sites like Face book and MySpace also use technology like this. On these sites, users actually fill out (riempiono) profiles about themselves; they voluntarily enter (inseriscono) information into the site! In addition, of course, Face book and MySpace can use this information about the customer to target (prendere di mira) specific ads at them. Becky Johns explains her experience: “My face book page called me fat (grasso)! I guess they use my profile to determine which ads I see well, I kept getting ads about losing weight. Is it because of my age? Is it because I'm engaged? I logged (si legge “loghed” da to log=accedere/entrare) into my profile and there's a big ad on the sidebar (barra laterale) that says: Do you be a fat bride (sposa, si legge “braid”)? In addition there’s a picture of a chubby tummy (let. paffuta pancia, il senso è “pacchionello”, si legge “ciabi tami”). I don't want to be feeling bad about myself right now, I mean, I just got engaged! Do they think insulting me is going to get me to buy their product”? Clearly, this ad did not make Becky happy. Sure, doing market research and knowing about the customer can help businesses figure out (calcolare) how to advertise (pubblicizzare, si legge “àdvertais”) to them. Moreover (inoltre), advertising experts have always known that by making customers feel like they are inadequate (inadeguati, si legge “ìnadequet”) or that they are missing something from their life is one way to get (per indurre) them to buy a product. But, when we have technology as advanced as this, that can directly target an individual according (concordanza) to their demographic and personal information, well, then we run the risk of knowing too much or making them feel like we know too much. The technology is advanced, it's intelligent even, but so is the customer. If a business knows too much, the customer will probably catch (caught/caught=afferrare) on (capire). Remember, it's good to know who your customer is.EVOLUTION OF CURRENCYHas is it ever happened to you (ti è mai successo)? You're out somewhere and you need something, but you find (found/found=trovare/scoprire) that you've got no cash on you, not even (neanche) a dime (10 cents, si legge “daim”). In this day and age (let. in questo giorno e età, il senso è “in/di questi tempi”. V.a. “BACK THEN (a inizio frase)=a quei tempi”), it's increasingly likely (sempre più probabile) that you can't even exchange (scambiare) what you have for what you want. In olden times (in tempi antichi), it was commonplace (luogo commune, si legge “comonpleis”) to barter (barattare, si legge “bartar”) for what you wanted. Say (diciamo, nel senso “supponiamo”) you needed some sheep (percora/e SEMPRE al sing.re, si legge “sciip”, da non confondere con “ship=nave”, si legge “scip”), but all you have is a cow (mucca, si legge “cau”). Well, if you find a person with some sheep who wants your cow, you can exchange goods. It seems easy (sembra facile), but are you really sure? At some point in history, some bright spark (let. scintilla luminosa (met.co), si legge “brait sparch”, il senso è “persona d’ingegno”) had the idea of attributing value to certain objects which you could use to buy things. For example, found (da to find/ found/found=trovare) along the shores (rive) of the Indian Ocean, Cowries shells (conchiglie di ciprea (mollusco marino), si legge “cauri scels”) were used as a form of currency (moneta/valuta, si legge “carensi”) in parts of Middle East, India and China. In western Africa, shell money was tender (offerta, si legge “tendar”) up (to be tender up=avere corso legale) until the middle of the nineteenth century. If you wanted to purchase something in Ghana, quartz stones would come in handy (tornare/essere utile) to get you the goods (merci) you needed and if you found yourself in the south Pacific's Papua New Guinea (ghini), teeth of dogs or whales (balene, si legge “ueils”) and sharks would have been useful if you needed to carry out (concludere) any financial transactions. In the sixth century AD (anno domini), coins first came into use in ancient Greece being made from materials such as tin (stagno, si legge “tin”), gold and silver, they were generally harder than shells. What all these forms of currency had in common was that the actual object, or the materials they were made from, were not easy to find or get hold of case in point (entrare in possesso del caso in questione) being the Cowry shells their value was, naturally, significantly lower in coastal areas where the shells came from. While these forms of money had currency in the areas and they were used, it wasn't exactly convenient to carry around (portare in giro). Bank notes (banconote) were seen as a solution to this problem. Then, as now (adesso), bank notes were really a receipt (ricevuta, si legge “risit”. V.a. “RECIPE=ricetta/prescrizione, si legge “resipi”) just like a promise. The bank looked after (ebbero cura SENZA “of”) your money and promised to pay you back the value stated (dichiarata, si legge “steitid”) on the receipt or note. However, it wasn't until only about two hundred years ago that bank notes became common currency. Looked at in this way (guardala in questo modo), money is just an abstract idea (idea, si legge “aidia”) about how much something is worth. In the electronic age, money continues to become even more (ancor più=ALL THE MORE) abstract. Salaries are usually paid directly into bank accounts and money seen as numbers on a computer screen. When we buy something, we often use a credit card rather than actual notes and coins. In fact, perhaps the future of money is that it will disappear altogether (del/in tutto). And it sure beats (da to beat/beat/bearen=battere, nel senso “è sicuramente meglio che”) having to carry a cow in your pocket.FREE TRADE AND PROTECTIONISMThe theory on Free Trade was born in 1776 when Adam Smith, a Scottish economistand philosopher, published a book called 'The Wealth of Nations=La ricchezza delle nazioni'. Remarkably (notoriamente, si legge “rimarchabili”, simile a “OVERTLY= palesemente”), more than 200 years later, this book is still one of the biggest influences on the way we do business today. In his book, Smith came up with three major and very modern ideas: “the division of labor” (lavoro, si legge “leibar”), “self-interest” (interesse personale) and “free trade” (libero scambio). To illustrate his theory on the division of labor, he used the example of pin (perno) making. At the time (ai nostri giorni), the process of making pins involved one man or woman making each pin from start to finish (dall’inizio alla fine). Smith suggested instead that the labor be divided (si legge “divaidd”, dovrebbe essere diviso) between more different people (gente, SEMPRE al pl.re), each of them completing (da to complete= completare, si legge “complit”) one small part of the process. With this division of labor, Smith calculated that productivity could be increased by 240 times. Consequently, the division of labor was a precursor to today's “mass production” (produzione di massa, si legge “mas prodachschion”) and “assembly lines” (catene di montaggio, si legge “assembli lains”), that are used in modern manufacturing worldwide (in tutto il mondo, si legge “uorduaild”). Smith's second idea was “the pursuit (ricerca, si legge “persùt”) of self-interest”. He believed that self-interest could be a powerful economic force. To highlight (evidenziare, si legge”hailait”) this, he writes of a butcher (macellaio, si legge “bucer”), a baker (panettiere, si legge “becher”) and a brewer (birraio, si legge “bruer”). Smith pointed out (da to point out=indicare/mostrare) that each of these individuals were in business not to help each other, but to help themselves. For example, the butcher sells his meat to the baker and the brewer. He makes a profit, and therefore (quindi) spends some of this money in the shops of the baker and the brewer. It's as if (è come se), although (sebbene, si legge “oldou”) working for themselves, they're also benefiting the society around them. Smith believed that due in part to (in parte dovuto a) this “self-interest”, prices would regulate themselves. Look at it this way: if the butcher overcharges (da to overcharge=fare pagare un prezzo troppo caro A) the baker and the brewer, they won't come back to his shop, so it's in his own self-interest to be honest and charge (caricare) a fair price. Smith likened (paragonò) this idea to an “invisible hand” that controlled the market, so that all producers would charge a fair price for their product. This led (da to lead/led/led=condurre) Smith to his third main idea, that of (quella di/del/dei) free trade. Smith believed that a free market, left (da to leave/left/left=lascire) alone by government, would benefit everyone. In other words, it was when governments started making rules to control trade, when trade suffered. Critics of a free market, however, argue that if people do business in a world with no rules, their self-interest encourages them to act unwisely (incautamente, si legge “anuasli”) or dishonestly, and this can lead to a market crash, such as that of 2008. One thing, though, is clear, since its publication in 1776, Smith's “The Wealth of Nations'' has proved to be an accurate prediction of the way we do business in the modern world. Another theory opposing that already examined is “Protectionism” built on individual interest. For example, a sandwich is the perfect thing when you're hungry and its pretty cheap as it was a time in the early part of the 19th Century when many people in Britain couldn't afford even this staple (di base/prima necessità, si legge “steipol”) food and ended up getting poorer and left hungrier. In 1815, the British Government introduced the Corn (mais) Laws. They issued (emanarono) these laws as a way to prevent import of cheap foreign (straniero, si legge “foren”) grain from bringing the price of British grain down and risking British farmers and their incomes. Until 1815, Britain freely traded with neighboring countries and the poor people of Britain relied (da to rely=fare affidamento/confidare, si legge “rilai”) on cheap imported grain rather than the more expensive domestically produced grain. In the end, many couldn't afford to buy any grain and went hungry. Simply put (in poche parole), when given the choice, consumers bought the cheaper, imported goods, and, as a consequence, the national industry suffered. It couldn't compete (competere, si legge “compit”). The government's decision to increase taxes on imports from other countries, in order to protect the goods and products made in its own country, had a seriously negative effect on Britain. This bad economic situation was largely (per la maggior parte/ largamente) diffused in many countries, so a lot of them, still sometimes (ancora una volta), turn to (si orientano verso il) Protectionism, at the expense of Free Trade, because the first one was considered a better safeguard (salvaguardia) of the livelihoods (mezzi di sussistenza, si legge “laivli-huds”) for their people. But, in the case of Britain, The Corn Laws were eventually (alla fine, si legge “ivencuali”) overturned (capovolti, nel senso “abrogate=abrogated/revoked”), Britain went back to a Free Trade economy and they traded without restrictions. Nevertheless (tuttavia, simile a EVEN SO=comunque), Protectionism needn't always have negative consequences. An interesting example of positive Protectionism was in Japan where cars are still manufactured and exported around the world. When exporting to the USA, the Japanese government decided to do something very interesting. They decided to limit the number of cars they exported to the USA. Thus, instead of the States protecting (il senso è “invece che indurre l’America a proteggere”) their car industry by imposing high tariffs (tariffe) on Japanese cars, Japan made a key decision. Rather than flooding (da to flood=inondare, si legge “flad”) the USA market with Japanese cars, Japan decided to control the number of cars they were going to export to the States. Japan not only avoided higher tariffs, but, due to the relatively small numbers of Japanese cars in the USA, they were able to raise the price of the product resulting from higher demand. This example of Protectionism did not hurt (hurt/hurt=ferire/danneggiare, si legge “hert”) the Japanese government's own people; in fact, it made their country money (il senso è “il paese ci ha guadagnato”)! It seems that discussions to have Free Trade or Protectionism will always rage (infuriare, si legge “reig”, il senso è “sarà sempre oggetto di dispute”) between economists and governments. Before a recession, some economists call for (invocano/protendono per il) Protectionism, some plead (perorano/si schierano e anche “supplicare”, si legge “pliid”. V.a. “TO PLEAD=dichiararsi, eg. guilty/innocent, eg. He denaid the obligations=egli negò le accuse”) for Freer Trade. After a recession, some governments consider Protectionism to improve national production and raise the price of their commodities (merci). But, in between (tra (sot.so) le due suindicate teorie economiche), Free Trade still dominates the world market. Protectionism or Free Trade, which of the two is the best? The answer doesn’t stop to be food for thought (let. cibo per pensiero, il senso è “materia di riflessione e studio)!THE SINGLE MARKETIn the 90's, any travels (viaggi) around Europe would have meant (da to mean/ meant/meant=intendere) dealing with (da to deal/deal/dealt=elargire/ distribuire le carte; to deal with=avere rapporti con) different currencies (valute, si legge “càrensis”), finding Francs in France, dealing in Drachma in Greece, paying with Peseta in Spain, making purchases with Marks in Germany. Different coins with different sizes and values. Different notes of different denominations each saying something unique about the country's culture and traditions. Do you think a nation's coins and bank notes are a part of its culture, tradition and heritage? From January 2002, the fifteen European countries who had agreed to form the 'Eurozone', gave up (rinunciarono) their old currency and adopted a new one. There was a transition period where citizens could use both their old and their new currencies, but nevertheless, adopting a single currency was a big step to take.For example, over eighty billion coins had to be made and distributed. But what was the reason for this change? Why did strong centers of finance such as France and Germany decide to use a single currency? Well, look at it this way, the existing “member states'' at the time, had already made an important trade agreement (accordo commerciale) known as the 'Single Market'.The Single Market allowed member states to do business under the protection of the “four freedoms”, they are: the freedom of movement of goods, capital, people and services within (entro) the EU. In other words, if you're from an EU country, you can do business with, or travel to or move money into or out of, any EU country, just as easily as if it were (NO “was”) your own country.You can imagine how much easier business between these countries became (da to become/became/become= diventare). Another advantage was that in doing so (così facendo), the EU parliament in Brussels, Belgium, brought in laws (introdussero leggi) to improve the profitability of trade with the outside world. For example, when goods are imported into an EU country, a tariff, of course, must be paid. However, for those goods to then go (per poi andate) from that EU country to another EU country, no more tariffs have to be paid. Therefore (perciò), using a single currency, the Euro, seemed the next logical step. Now, not only can the EU play hardball (giocare duro, met.co) with any country in the world, including the USA, India, China or Russia, simply because of its strength (forza) in numbers, but the “Eurozone'' states can also do business with each other using the same currency, therefore saving time and money. That's great for Europe, but what about the rest of the world?HELPING LOCALLYThe World Health Organization estimates that one-third of the world is well-fed (bennutriti, da to feed/fed/fed), one third is under-fed and one-third is starving (da to starve=morire di fame, si legge “starv”). That's over two billion people dying from hunger. In a recent (recente, si legge “rìsent”), done in the year 2000, it was found that about 860 million adults in the world were illiterate (analfabeti, si legge “illiteret”). Figures (figure, nel senso di “persone”, si legge “figars”. V.a. TO FIGURE= raffigurare e anche “apparire”) suggest that around 100 million people worldwide (in tutto il mondo) are homeless (senza casa/tetto). These problems don't just manifest in a country far away from where you are. They occur (si verificano) in every single country all over the world. For example, in the USA, up to (più DI) three and a half million people become homeless each year. Every day, one hundred thousand people sleep (slept/slept=dormire. V.a. “TO SNORE=russare”, si legge “snoor”) on the streets of Australian towns and cities.The World Food Program estimates that more than ten per cent of the starving people it helps, live in urban areas. This is caused primarily by rural people migrating to cities in search (si legge “serc”, alla ricerca) of a better life. So what can we, as individuals, do to help? Well, there are two things: you can donate your money or your time. Sponsoring a child (bambino/a, si legge “ciaild; il pl.re è “children”), that is, paying a little money each month to help with their food, clothing and education or donating a sum of money regularly to charity (carità, si legge “ciariti”), is a worthwhile (utile/che vale la pena) thing to do.However, if you want to see, and feel (felt/felt=sentire nel senso “percepire”), that you're doing something good, if you want to see the results of your charitable (caritatevole, si legge “cìariteibol”) actions, then why not volunteer (offrirsi volontario, si legge “volontier”; è anche sost.vo) in your local community? The first thing to do is decide (decidere, si legge “disaid”) on an issue (questione, si legge “isciu”) you feel strongly about.Do you want to help children, the homeless or the elderly (anziano, il pl.re è “elders”)? Do you feel strongly about the environment (ambiente, si legge invaiarment”), education or abandoned animals?Once you have thought about this, research the different charitable initiatives (iniziative, legge “iniscisatvs”) in your local area. Find one you think your (trova quello che pensi DALLA tua) experience, skills and enthusiasm will be suitable (adatto, si legge “siutbol”) for (allo scopo) and contact them. These organizations, whether (se, da non confondere con “weather=tempo atmosferico”, entrambi si leggono “uedar”) they're registered charities or just groups of people helping out in their community, are always looking for new volunteers, and they'll let you know how, and when you can help. In addition, there are all kinds of things you could do! You could help deliver meals (consegnare pasti, si legge “diliver miols”. V.a. “TO DEILVER RESULTS=mantenere la parola promessa”, simile a “TO DELIVER ON ONE’S PROMISES”) to the elderly unable (incapaci a) to leave their house. In the UK, this is called 'Meals on Wheels', (pasti su ruote) but every country has this kind of charitable organization. You could work in a care center for disadvantaged children. Imagine the joy you could bring to these kids, and the sense of satisfaction you'd feel to know that you'd helped make a child happy. Whatever you do, it doesn't have to be a huge commitment (grande impegno). Even just helping out somewhere once or twice a week makes a difference. We all have such busy lives, but how often (ogni quanto tempo) do we take the time to help make the lives of other people better? How often do we get the feeling that we have done something good?BEING A GOOD SAMARITANHave you ever heard of the term 'Good Samaritan'? It's what we call a person who does a good turn (favore) for someone else, and for no personal gain. But, how did this term come about (accadere/succedere)? Who was the 'Good Samaritan'? It's the first century AD, ancient Judea. During a night, a man is walking from Jerusalem to Jericho when he is attacked, robbed and badly beaten (da to beat/beat/beaten= battere) by thieves (ladri, sing.re “thief”). The man is left to die in a ditch (fosso, si legge “dic”). A priest passes and doesn't stop to help the man, another man passes and doesn't stop to help. Then, a Samaritan passes. At that time, Samaritans and Judeans were not on friendly terms (rapporti/condizioni). In fact, they really didn't like each other. However, the Samaritan stopped, picked up the injured man, carried him on his donkey (asino, si legge “donchi”) to an inn (locanda), and took care of him. The next day, the Samaritan paid the innkeeper (oste, si legge “in-chipar”) two silver coins to look after the injured man and left. Why did the Samaritan help the man, when their people were enemies?Los Angeles, 1984. Neighbors have been complaining about a child crying. Apartment manager Leon T. Graves, an African American, opens the door and finds a seven-month old Korean boy, just hours away from (a poche ore di distanza dalla ... . V.a. “JUST OFF/STEPS/FEET AWAY=a poca distanza da”) death, abandoned in the empty apartment. Graves took the child to hospital. Then, two weeks later, took the little boy home and looked after him. Graves couldn't bear (bore/borne=portare un grosso peso (anche met.co), anche “partorire”) to see (il senso è “non potendo sopportare di vedere”) the orphaned boy, put into (mettere dentro, il senso è “coinvolgere”) the state adoption system. He decided to bring (brought/brought) the child up himself (portare il ragazzo con se). He even learned to cook Korean food and started taking the boy, whose name was Roy Chung, to a Korean church. At the time, the sight (vista, si legge “sait”) of an old black African American carrying a little Korean boy amazed (stupì, si legge “ameisd”) both the black and the Korean communities of Los Angeles. What force made Leon T. Graves pick up that little Korean baby and take care of him? What force made the Good Samaritan help the Judean? Was it the force of human kindness? Many scientists and philosophers would say humans are naturally selfish/egoist (egoisti=SELFSERVING) and that everything we do is to help ourselves. Maybe the Good Samaritan thought he would go to heaven (paradiso, si legge “heven”) if he were kind. Maybe Leon T. Graves was just lonely (solo, si legge “lounli”). On the other hand, is it that we show kindness (gentilezza, si legge “caindnes”) to others because, if we were (fossimo) in the same situation, we'd hope others would do the same for us? It’s difficult to reply (rispondere, si legge riplai”) for the reason that any answers can be right.CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITYC-S-R, it's not some kind of TV crime show. Actually, it stands for (sta per=is the acronym of) Corporate Social Responsibility. It means companies taking responsibility for the impact their actions have upon their workforce, their community and the world. Let's begin by looking at CSR in the workplace. I believe we have a moral responsibility not to harm (danneggiare) the environment. After all, we use up nature's resources without giving much back. Make it office policy to (il senso è “fallo diventare una politica/regola d’ufficio per”) recycle (riciclare, si legge “risaicol”) paper, use ceramic cups, and save electricity. A company ought to pay even its lowest employees a fair salary. This isn't just a human issue; a happy worker is a good worker and it makes sound business sense (buon senso degli affari) to pay your employees well. Similarly, supporting your local community by donating money to schools, planting trees, building new parks and sponsoring local initiatives such as children's sport, is good for your community and your company. After all, local people are not just your nearest customers? They're also your workforce. Now, let's look at how CSR can work in an international context. A global company ought to take responsibility for all its employees all over the world and keep away from outsourcing (stare lontano/evitare di ricorrere a risorse esterne verso, da to outsorce=esternalizzare, si legge “autsors”) to countries where things like child labor or unsafe (pericoloso) working conditions are allowed. Not only is it unfair (sleale, si legge “unfear”) to make people work in these kind of conditions, but it's also bad for a company's image. But CSR is a divisive (divisivo, si legge “divaisiv”) issue. On the one hand, critics say it's just a marketing device (dispositivo, si legge “divais”), a public relation trick (trucco di relazione), to make companies look good. On the other hand, some business leaders think CSR is a waste of money, and that a company's only responsibility is to itself and its shareholders (azionisti). Well, I don't agree with either of them. Let me give you an example of how CSR can be a force for good (una forza per il bene) in the world, and also benefit a company. Recently, a local computer technology company needed to upgrade (aggiornare) its office hardware. Instead of throwing (da to throw/threw/thrown=gettare) away or selling (da to sell/sold/sold=vendere) all the old computer terminals, they decided to donate them to schools in the poorer areas of the city. Naturally, they made sure the local media were there to report the company's kind and caring gesture (gesto premuroso, si legge “cheringh gestiar”), and who can blame (incolpare/biasimare, si legge “bleim”) them? You see, in this way, everyone was a winner. The kids got computers, and the company got a lot of good, free publicity. In fact, in business it's what you call a “win-win situation” (vincente in ogni caso, il senso è ”vincono tutti”. V.a. “STAND-OFF=alla pari/nè vinti nè vincitori”). Gone are the days (il senso è “sono finiti i tempi”) when a company simply gave a wedge (quantità, si legge “ueg”) of money to charity. Everyone now sees that as a cynical (cinica, si legge “sinicol”) publicity stunt (bravata/ (acrobazia, si legge “stant”). I mean, what's a million dollars when the company's annual turnover (giro d’affari. V.a. “TO BILL=fatturare”) is 150 billion about? However, consistent application of Corporate Social Responsibility can both help your company and people in need (bisognoso) in your local community and around the world.HELPING ABOARDDuring our interview with Dr. (anche M.D. che, diversamente da Dr., si scrive dopo il nome del medico) Mark Stover, he said: “I honestly think I have the coolest (let. freddissimo, ma anche “eccezionale”) job in the world. I get up at 6.15 a.m., shower (faccio la doccia, si legge “sciauar”), have breakfast and drink some coffee. Coffee is grown (da to grow/grew/grown=crescere, in questo caso “migliorato”) here in Malawi, so it's possible to get some half-decent stuff (il senso è “che è possible bere una roba quasi decente”). Mornings are when the clinic is busiest. Most patients either come from far away or live nearby but want to get back to work, so they come early. We're generally finished by 12.30. The people here are amazing (sorprendente, si legge “ameising”), so uncomplaining (pazienti), so self-reliant (autosufficienti, si legge “self-rilaint), and so hopeful (speranzosi). In 2008, Mark Stover decided not to pursue (proseguire, si legge “persiù”) a career in medicine in his home country, the US, and instead joined Medecins Sans Frontieres or, as it's translated into English, Doctors Without Borders (medici senza frontiere). This institution was formed in France in 1971 by a group of concerned (interessato, si legge “consernd”) doctors and journalists, who wanted to give their time, skills and effort to help the people most in need (più bisognosi) around the world. Today, the organization helps people in more than 60 countries, people who are suffering in terrible conditions due to natural disasters, war, famine (carestia, si legge “famin”), poverty and drought (siccità, si legge “draut”). But why would someone give up what would have been a well-paid job, to travel and work in a faraway (lontana) country? Stover’s answer was: “The best thing about this job is seeing people get better. The average life-expectancy in Malawi is around 40, due in large part to diseases such as TB (tuberculosis), HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and meningitis (meningite, si legge ”menengiatis”). Every day Doctor Stover meets people who have been on medicines provided by a team of doctors working hard and looking after their families. Stover maintains (sostiene, si legge “meintèins”) that to feel you've played a part in improving their lives is the best feeling in the world. Medecins Sans Frontieres is an international organization, so the medical teams often have a multi-national make-up (trucco e anche “composizione”). The coordination team is French, there's a doctor from Colombia, a nurse from Japan, a Kenyan lab technician (tecnico, si legge “tecniscian”), four Americans and our Ugandan lab supervisor (supervisore, si legge “siupervaisar”). Stover added: “All in all (tutto sommato=overall), it's a mixture (miscela, si legge “mixcia”) of languages, a wide range of cultures and experiences, brought together by the desire (desiderio, si legge “disaiar”) to help people less fortunate than ourselves”. So what about the rest of Stover's day? He answered: “After lunch I usually review my cases then visit the patients in the TB ward (reparto, si legge “uord”). All being well (se tutto va bene), I'm out of the clinic by 6 p.m. We eat dinner around seven. Unfortunately, there's often a power-cut (mancanza di corrente elettrica) at this time, so we quite often have to eat in the dark. Still, I guess that's all part of the adventure! By 9 p. m., I'm exhausted. I crawl (strisciare/andare carponi, si legge “crool”) under the mosquito net (zanzariera, anche “rete nel campo da tennis”) and fall fast asleep (V.a. “TO BE FAST ASLEEP=essere profondamente addormentato”). You know, instead of worrying about bills, contracts, bosses or deadlines (scadenze), when your work is concerned with real life or death issues, you need your sleep”.FOUND ARTHow do we define (definire, si legge “difain”) art? What is art? Everyone has a different idea of what art is. What we consider to be art today may be very different from what our ancestors (antenati, si legge “ansesters”) considered to be art. Take for example the pottery (ceramica) from ancient (antica, si legge “eincnt”) Greece. Today, there are art historians who are experts in Greek pottery. To us, this pottery is ancient art; in fact, if you visit the Louvre in France, the most famous art museum in the world, you can view an incredible collection of ancient Greek pottery. But to the ancient Greeks, was it art? Maybe, but not sure (av.bio=sicuramente; ag.vo= sicuro, si legge “scuar”). They used pottery to store (immagazzinare) and move (trasportare) things, and to mix liquids. But today, these utilitarian pieces are kept in our finest art museums. Is it art? For example, there is a urinal (orinale, si legge “iurinol”) known as 'Fountain'. It is a major landmark (punto di riferimento) in twentieth century art. In 1917, Marcel Duchamp purchased this urinal. He took it home, turned it around and wrote 'R. Mutt 1917' on it. He called it the 'Fountain' even though (nonostante) it is a urinal. Duchamp submitted (presentò, si legge “sabmitd”) his 'Fountain'' to an exhibition hosted (mostra ospitata) by the Society of Independent Artists in New York City. This society had claimed (richiesto) that all work submitted (lavori presentati, da to submit (si legge “sabmit”)=sottomettere/ rsi) would be displayed in the exibition (visualizzata in mostra). But when they saw that this piece was a urinal, they were shocked. They debated for hours over whether or not it was art. In the end, the 'Fountain'' was hidden (da to hide/hid/ hiden=nascondere/rsi) from view during the show. This started quite a controversy. Artists everywhere spoke out (parlarono francamente= IN ALL HONESTY), angry that Duchamp's piece had been hidden from view. Duchamp himself claimed he had had a very important reason for submitting the piece, which was that he wanted people to stop seeing art as only those things, which are created by hands. He wanted art to be about 'intellectual interpretation'. He wanted art to be about more than just a beautiful thing, which you see in front of you. He wanted to stimulate the mind, to make you think (farti pensare). He got people thinking. Duchamp had found the urinal and turned it into a piece of art. In fact, he started a movement called 'Found Art'. Artists all over the world create art like this, now. They find utilitarian objects, place them in an art museum or gallery, and present them as art. I can think of other utilitarian objects, which have been found and then placed in an art museum. Remember that Greek pottery? So, is it art?CRITIQUING A PAINTINGDo you want to impress people with your profound understanding of art? If so, learn how to critique (fare una critica (analysis), si legge “critìch”). To analyze (analizzare, si legge”analais”) a painting, all you have to do is remember these four simple steps: “description”, “analysis”, “interpretation” and “judgment (giudizio, si legge “giag-ment)”. For example, there’s a painting called 'The Scream' (urlo, si legge “scrim”), it was created with tempera paint and pastel (pastello, si legge “pastèl”) by the expressionist artist Edvard Munch. The subject is a single, solitary figure (personaggio, si legge “figar”) standing on a bridge, his hands raised to his face, his mouth is open and he stares (da to stare=fissare, si legge “steer”) directly at the viewer (spettatore, si legge “viuar”) with a look of terror. You can comment on the portrait using the suggested four steps in the following way.Description; if you want people to think you're an expert, you have to at least (almeno) know the basics (elementi di base, si legge “beisich”) of the painting. Thus, you should state (dichiarare, si legge “steit”) the name of the work, the artist, the medium (mezzo, si legge “midiem”).Next, say what it looks like, but don't use opinion words like “beautiful or nice”. You want to sound objective and intelligent. For colors, line and shape, give an articulate description of everything you see. Analysis; this is an important part of the critique. For the analysis, you should tell how the elements in the painting are organized, how they complement (si integrano, si legge “còmplement”, diverso da “compliment=complimento”, si legge “còmpliment”) one another. Is there movement, variety, balance and contrast? What does the artist emphasize (enfatizza, si legge “ènfisais)? The painting evokes such intense emotion because of two things: line and color. The wavy (ondulato, si legge “vuevi”) lines of the sky and the landscape (paesaggio, si legge “lendscheip”) contrast intensely with the straight lines of the bridge. The bold streaks (audaci striature) of yellow and red stand out (to stand/stood/stood out=risaltare) against the deep hues (tonalità, si legge “hiuus”) of blue and green. The strong diagonal (diagonale, si legge “daiaganol”) of the bridge moving out towards the viewer, the rapid swirling motion (vorticoso movimento, si legge “suerlingh moscion”) of the landscape, and the wild (selvaggi, si legge “uaild”) colors all combine to create an image of chaos (cheios) and anxiety. The motion and chaos of the colors and lines create (creano, si legge “crieit”) an image of noise (rumore, si legge “nois”), emotion (emozione, si legge “emoscion”) and panic. Interpretation; you should describe what you think the artist was trying to say with the work. The subject, the terrified (terrorizzato, si legge “terifaid”) person, is alone on the bridge and consumed by panic and fear. The vastness (vastità) of the sky and the bridge, which surround the person, give this painting a feeling of alienation (alienazione, si legge “elienescion”) and loneliness (solitudine, si legge “lonlines”) while, at the same time, conveying (da to convey=trasmettere, si legge “convei”) chaos and emotional intensity. Although ‘The Scream’ was painted in 1893, it suggests stress and anxiety felt in the modern world. The author may be trying to express the idea of loneliness in a crazy, stressful and chaotic world. The figure is totally alone and totally consumed by fear. Judgment (giudizio, si legge “giagment”) is the last step in our critique. This is when you say whether it is a success or failure (fallimento, si legge “feiliar“) in your opinion. This is your opportunity to really express your estimation of the painting. The painting evokes feelings of fear, loneliness and despair (disperazione, si legge “dispear”). Looking at it and you are overwhelmed (sopraffatto, si legge “over-uelmd”) by this man's terror, his panic, the overwhelming (travolgente/irresistible. L’opposto è UNDERWHELMING=poco rilevante) feeling of stress, terror and loneliness. It’s possible to feel what the man is feeling, although there is a frightening feeling, you can admire (ammirare, si legge “admaier”) the skill of the artist to evoke such an emotional response.The painting is fascinating to look at. Munch has successfully created a composition, which conveys (trasmette) a universal emotion, a feeling that can be recognized and understood by all. You can almost hear that terrifying scream, and there you have it! Next time, when you're admiring art at a gallery or museum, just remember: description, analysis, interpretation and judgment.After your remarks, you'll wow (to wow=sorprendere, si legge “uao”. V.a. “Wow=ohibò”) your friends with your deep understanding of art and, in addition, you might even enjoy yourself!HUMAN WILDLIFE CONFLICT'Human Wildlife Conflict’ has two main causes: the destruction of animal’s natural habitat by humans, and the out-of-control population explosion of humans. Did you know that by (entro) the year two thousand and forty two, the population of the world is expected to reach nine billion about? That's a lot of people! Where are they all going to live? Even now (anche adesso), with the population around seven billion about, humans and animals are finding it increasingly (sempre più, si legge “incrisngli”) difficult to live together. Humans are taking over (stanno invadendo) habitats once (una volta) inhabited (abitati, si legge “inàbitd”) mainly by wild animals, mountains, rainforests, jungles and deserts and this is making 'Human Wildlife Conflict' a bigger and bigger problem. It’s significant to hear what Tarak said about this issue: “Our village lies on the border (confine, si legge “bodar”) between India and Bangladesh. Recently, there have been many cyclones (cicloni, si legge “saiclons”), which have caused terrible floods. Even the village elders (anziani) have never seen such crazy weather before. They believe climate change is to blame (incolpare, si legge “bleim”). The bad weather has increasingly forced the villagers to go deep into the forests to find food. Of course, the tigers (tigri, si legge “taighers”) don't like this. My father was coming home one evening after fishing all day, he was carrying a large net (rete) full of fish and was unable to protect himself. The tiger must have followed him by swimming across the river. It was old, thin and hungry. It attacked my father”. Tarak's father had a lucky escape, but he was badly injured, the tiger jumping onto his back and knocking him to the ground. Although hungry, however, the tiger didn't kill or eat Tarak's father. The big cat growled (da to growl= ringhiare, si legge “graul”) and then just walked off, as if having made his point (to made one’s point=farsi intendere)! Experts still don't agree on why tigers are attacking humans. Is it really because they're hungry? If so, why is Tarak's father still alive? Perhaps it's because the tigers are angry at humans for taking over their territory. Is it war? If there really is a war going on between humans and animals, then we should admit that humans are the cause of it. We're the ones eating all the food, we're the ones taking up all the space. Finding a dead hunter killed by a tiger or a dead tiger killed by a hunter is a scary experience, but ask yourself this question “Who was the first murderer (assassino, si legge “merdera”)”?IMPORTANCE OF INSECTSWhen you think of endangered (in via di estinzione, si legge “endeingerd”) species (specie, si legge “spisis”), which animals do you think of? The tiger? The elephant? The panda? Ah, I get it (capisco). You like the rock stars of the animal world, the famous, good looking ones, in one word “the celebrities”. Me too (anch’ìo). I mean, which animals do you prefer: the lion or the beetle (scarafaggio, si legge “bitol”)? It's just not easy to like ugly animals, is it? Especially insects, which are everywhere! You know, there are more than a million known species of insect, and maybe as many as thirty million species that we don't even know about yet! That's a lot of bugs (inzetti, si legge “baghs”)! But what good do insects do for us? Well, you like honey (miele, si legge “hani”), don't you? What about that nice silk shirt (camicia di seta, si legge “silk scert”)? Both are made by bugs and, can you imagine, if there were no spiders (ragni, si legge “spaidars”), how many flies (mosche, si legge flais”) there'd be (ci sarebbero)? We need insects to eat other insects! In addition, some insects are delicious! Full of protein (proteina, si legge “pro-tin”) and perhaps the most valuable thing insects do for us is the pollination (impollinazione, si legge “polineiscion”). Insects help make it possible for flowers and grasses to reproduce. We all agree that flowers are beautiful, but if there were no insects, there would be a lot less flowers. Furthermore (inoltre), all the animal as at the top of the food chain (catena alimentare) depend on animals and insects at the bottom of the food chain. Think about it. If there were no insects, there might be no lions, no tigers, no elephants and no humans.THE THEORY OF EVOLUTIONBiologists estimate there are between 5 and 15 million species of plants, animals, and microorganisms (microrganismi, si legge “maicro-organisms”) living on (SENZA “the”) Earth today, of which only about 1.5 million have been discovered and named. More than 150 years ago, biologists had only just begun (da to begin/ began/begun=cominciare) to thoroughly (a fondo, si legge “thorouli”) explore the planet, in order to find and name these species (specie, si legge “spisiis”). In 1848, the English naturalist and explorer Alfred Russel Wallace sailed for the Amazon, hoping to make his fame and fortune by discovering new species of animals. Unfortunately, after four years of hard work, on the way back to England, his ship sank (da to sink/sank/sunk=affondare) and he lost everything. But he never gave up. Two years later, he sailed to the islands of the Malay Archipelago, now modern Indonesia. There, Wallace caught (da to catch/caught caught=afferrare/prendere) malaria and almost died. It was when he was feverish (febbricitante, si legge “fìvirisc”) in bed he had this big idea: the strongest survive and the weak die (i forti sopravvivono e i deboli muoiono). Wallace had hit (hit/hit=colpire) upon (to hit upon (or “on”)=scoprire/ imbattersi IN) the theory of evolution which claims that, over millions of years, all animals, including man, have evolved to suit (soddisfare, si legge “siut”) the habitat or environment in which they live. And, due to the process of natural selection, only the biggest, tallest and strongest of those animals survived, to pass on their genes (geni, si legge “giins”) to their children.Unfortunately for Wallace, another, much more famous naturalist, Charles Darwin, was at the exact same time, working on the same theory. Even more unfortunate for Wallace, when he had finished his work describing his theory of evolution, the man who he sent his work to, was Charles Darwin. Can you imagine Darwin, who had been working on his theory for twenty years, suddenly finds out some young naturalist has had the same idea. Darwin must have been furious! Darwin quickly went to work on his book 'On The Origin of Species', which was published the following year, 1859. Wallace, on the other hand, has almost been forgotten (da to forget/forgot/forgotten=dimenticare/rsi) and Darwin won the fight to make sure that he was the one who was remembered. In science, as in nature, only the strongest survive.MOTIVATING YOUR STAFFEvery manager wants to be in charge (essere a capo) of an effective (efficace/ effettivo, si legge “efectiv”, simile a efficient=efficente, si legge “iffiscint”), hard working and motivated team. However, teams only perform (to perform=eseguire) like this if their managers are motivating them effectively. An increasingly popular way in business to increase both a workforce's productivity, and their motivation, is a three-point plan of action called 'ABR' the acronym of: Analyze (analisi, si legge “ànalais”), Benchmark (segno di riferimento, nel senso “risultati da perseguire e valutare”) Reward (ricompensa).First, a manager has to sit down with each of their staff to analyze the skills (abilità) they need to complete their daily work, and what are their most common mistakes. This is done in a collaborative way because it gives employees a chance to tell (SENZA “to”) their manager the problems they have and feel they've got a say in their future objectives, both of these increase staff motivation. It's a big job, but when it's done, the managers can set realistic benchmarks for their employees. In other words, just how much of a realistic improvement (progresso/ miglioramento, si legge “impriuviment”) can each team member make during, for example, a three-month period? How can their manager help them do this?Again, because the employees are involved in setting these benchmarks, they feel more motivated to reach them.After three months, or so, their performance (prestazione, si legge “performans”) will be assessed (da to assess=valutare), and those who have reached or surpassed their targets (obiettivi) are rewarded (da to reward=premiare, si legge “riuord”). High achievers (coloro che conseguono questi risultati, si legge “ecivers”) don't necessarily have to be rewarded with cash. They can be rewarded with vouchers (buoni, si legge “vaucers”) that allow them to buy your company's product cheaply. Or, if they're not interested in this, they can be given vouchers that add up to extra holiday days. In this way, they're not working just for the money, but also for something more substantial (sostanziale, si legge “sabstanscial”). To keep things fair (equo (ag.vo)/fiera (sost.vo), si legge “fear”), the reward system should be graded (graduato, si legge “greidid”), so that the harder (più difficile) the individual (individuo (sost.vo); individuale (ag.vo), si legge “indivigiuol”) works, the more (più) he will be rewarded. The truth is that everyone, absolutely everyone, wants to be given a chance to succeed (avere successo, si legge “sachsiid”, simile a “TO MAKE A BREAKTHROUGH (met.co)=riuscire a sfondare”), and be rewarded when they do achieve (raggiungere, si legge “eciv”) one’s goal. In addition, a successful workforce makes a successful company. If employees are incentivized (incentivati, si legge “insentivaisd”) to improve their performance, in so doing (così facendo) they'll also increase company profits. Thus, the buzzwords (parole d’ordine, si legge “bazuords”) are: analyze, benchmark and reward, because a motivated workforce is a productive workforce.VISUALIZING SUCCESS'Practice makes perfect' (la pratica rende perfetti). That's a phrase we hear often when we learn a new skill, and especially when we play a sport. And it makes sense (HA senso); the more often (più spesso) you practice something, the better (meglio) you'll get at it. But would you believe me if I said practicing a sport in your mind would improve your performance during the game? Well, that's what happened to soccer (calcio, si legge “sacar”) star Mark Hunt who says: “I'd been playing at the top level for almost eight years, and I thought I had seen everything. I was playing in a successful team, but one day, during a match, my team got a penalty kick (calcio di rigore). I don't know what happened, but I stepped up to take it (tirarlo) and suddenly I just felt like I was gonna (abr.ne di “going to”) miss (stavo per perdere). In fact, I just knew I was gonna miss and things went from bad to worse (di male in peggio). I missed the next three penalty kicks. I quickly began to lose (lost/lost= perdere) confidence, until eventually (fino alla fine), so I was dropped from (da to drop=fare/lasciare cadere, il senso è “fui cacciato dal”) the team. It was then my coach recommended that I’d talk to a sports psychologist who introduced me to the idea of visualization. I learned that the only way to get my confidence back was to practice, in my head, what might happen in a match. Then, when I had to do it in a match, I'd be ready. I learned to visualize (visualizzare, si legge “vigiuolais”), or imagine in my mind, situations like taking a penalty kick, scoring a goal (segnare un gol), even celebrating a goal, until I regained (da to reganin=riguadagnare, si legge “righein”) my confidence. So, it was one month later, when I had to take another penalty kick in front of 50,000 screaming fans, I was okay because I've visualized and imagined this scene in my mind so many times and I knew exactly what to do. I felt supremely confident”. Many sports stars now value the mental exercise of visualization as an essential part of their preparation before a game. It can make the difference between winning and losing. However, its use isn't just confined (da to confine=limitare, si legge “confain”) to sports. You might find that by experiencing and visualizing in your mind a situation before it happens, gives you the confidence (fiducia, si legge “cònfidens”) to succeed when you’ll live it in reality.ACHIEVING SELF-ACTUALIZATIONIn the 1940's, a psychologist named Abraham Maslow challenged old ideas of psy-chology with a revolutionary claim (rivendicazione, “cleim”). He claimed that all humans are inherently (intrinsecamente, si legge “inhèrently”) good. Sure, it doesn't seem (sembrare) like that crazy of an idea (sicuramente non sembra un’idea così folle), but it was for his time. Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of human psychology, such as Freud did, Maslow focused (focalizza, si legge “fochesd”) more on the positive. He focused on the potential of each person. He claimed that humans are motivated to reach their fullest potential. In fact, he believed that the ultimate goal of living is to grow (grew/grown=crescere) as a person and to become the best person one can be. He called this 'self- actualization' that means to reach one's fullest potential, to live the life one wants to live, and to live a meaningful (significativa, si legge “mining-ful”) life. Maslow believed that humans can grow to become the best they can be as long as (fin tanto che) their personal needs were met (da to meet/met/ met=incontrare/affrontare. V.a. “TO MEET REQUIREMENTS= rispondere ai requisiti, si legge “riquaiarmens”) and they were given opportunities and support along the way. In his writings, he described a hierarchy (gerarchia, si legge “hàiarchii”) of needs that every human experiences as they are working towards reaching their highest potential. This “Hierarchy of Needs'' provides (fornisce) a theory of human motivation and is Maslow's best-known contribution to psychology. It's represented as a pyramid (piramide, si legge pìramed”), and each level of the pyramid represents the different needs of humans as they develop (sviluppano). At the top, is self-actualization, the fullest potential, which a human will reach only if the other needs below (bisogni sottostanti) are met first.Maslow's “Hierarchy of Needs'' is based on five levels:1.Physiological needs - Every human has the most basic needs of oxygen, food, water, and sleep. They're the strongest needs, and according to this theory, if these needs are not met, then higher needs will not be recognized.2.Safety needs - Once physiological needs are met, a person feels the need for safety and security. Such needs might be fulfilled (soddisfatti) by living in a safe area, being a citizen of a country with a stable government, having medical insurance, obtaining job security, and having a savings account (conti di risparmio) and financial stability.3.Needs of love, affection and friendship - The third layer (strato, si legge “leiar”) of human needs is social needs, such as love, affection and a feeling of belonging (sentimento di appartenenza). Maslow states (afferma, si legge “steits”) that humans need to feel accepted and part of a group; they need to love and to be loved. Otherwise, they may feel lonely and alienated (alienati, si legge “elienetd”). 4.Needs for esteem - Humans have a need for self respect, and respect from others. When these needs are satisfied, the person feels a healthy confidence and valued for their contribution to their community.5.Self-actualization (auto attualizzazione, si legge “self-achtualisescion”) - When the bottom four levels of needs are satisfied, then, and only then, does a person experience their needs for self-actualization. Maslow describes self-actualization as a person's need to be and do that which the person was 'born to do?’ It's the quest (ricerca) of reaching one's full potential as a person. Unlike lower level needs, this need is never fully satisfied; as one grows psychologically, there are always new opportunities to continue to grow. Maslow claims that a person who has reached self-actualization will encompass (circondare, nel senso “comprendere”, si legge “incompas”) some of the following qualities: They look for those opportunities which help them grow as a person; they act in a way which is true (vero/a, si legge “tru”) to themselves; they embrace (abbracciano, si legge “embreis”) reality and facts rather than denying truth (verità, si legge “triuth”); they experience what he calls 'peak experiences', moments when they are more aware (consapevole/i, si legge “àuear”) of themselves and the world. During such times they think, act, and feel most clearly and accurately, they are more loving and accepting of others, have less inner conflict and anxiety, and are better able to put their energies to constructive use; they are accepting of themselves and others and lack prejudice (mancano di pregiudizio, si legge “lech prègiuds”). Self-actualization is the ultimate goal. A person who has reached this level has achieved complete understanding of the self (di sè stesso). To be self-actualized means to truly (veramente) know who you are, where you belong in the greater society, and to feel like you are accomplishing (stai realizzando) all that you're meant to be. It means to no longer feel shame or guilt, or even hate, but to accept the world and see human nature as inherently (intrensicamente) good. According to Maslow, many people reach this level, but very few (pochissimi), if anybody (let. se (il senso è “forse”) nessuno), ever master (dominare) it. Think about your needs. Where do you stand according to the (rispetto alla) pyramid? Are all your personal needs being met? Everyone has the potential to be the best they can be. Figure out (calcola) what's standing in your way, and soon you'll be able to reach your highest potential.UNDERSTANTING GLOBAL MARKETGlobalization has brought (to bring/brought/brought=portare) great opportunities to expand business into other markets. Companies have seen their profits and business areas (zone di affari) soar (elevare/rsi, si legge “soar”). But it's not all been plain sailing (let. vendita semplice, il senso è “ma non è stato tutto semplice”) develop (sviluppare, si legge “divelop”) after they move into a new market. There have been some big, and often quite funny, examples of companies that have not fully researched their target markets. Many of these mistakes have been made when trying to translate English slogans and product names into other languages. In the nineteen twenty's, Coca Cola Company had what may have been among the earliest translation gaffes for a global brand. Shopkeepers (negozianti) in China tried to come up with Chinese equivalent that sounded like the word Coke. Depending on the dialect (dialetto, si legge “dailect”), the literal translations ranged (da to range= variare, si legge “reing”) from “bite the wax tadpole'' (mordere il girino di cera) to “female horse stuffed with wax'' (cavallo femmina farcito con cera). Even something as simple as pizza can run (ran/run=correre/gestire) into (to run into= imbattersi in) problems. One advertiser (inserzionista, si legge “advertaisar”) started marketing his folded (da to fold=piegare/chiudere) pizza, called a “calzone”, to Spanish speakers. It didn't work out (calcolare/tornare di conto) too well because to Spanish speakers, calzone means underwear. Going local and using proficient (competente, si legge “profiscnt”) translators who are native speakers of the language as well as being sensitive to cultural factors would have been one way to avoid these problems. An ad campaign (campagna pubblicitaria. V.a. “ADS (abr.e di advertisement)=annunci pubblicitari”) for a toothpaste company ran aground (in secca/arenato, si legge “egraund”, il senso è “fallì”) when they found out that a product promising to whiten (imbiancare, si legge “uaitn”) teeth was not popular with the target audience (pubblico di destinazione, si legge “targhet odiens”). Traditionally, the target audience favored something different: they chewed (da to chew=masticare, si legge “ciu”) on a special nut (noce, si legge “nat”), which blackens (annerisce, si legge “blachens”) teeth. The world is a big place and there are many opportunities for success in business, as long as (fintanto che) you think carefully about the people you're trying to sell to! Advertising (pubblicità) can have negative connotations (connotazioni, si legge “conetescions”).REGULATING ADVETISINGAdvertising is everywhere nowadays. It's on TV, radio, billboards (cartelloni pubblicitari), the Internet and even in movies. Advertising regulations are in place (to be in place=essere sul posto, il senso è “ci sono norme proprie per ciascun posto”), so most countries have agencies that monitor (controllano, si legge “monitar”) advertising and make sure that adverts (annunci, si legge “adverts”) conform (si adeguano) to national laws and guidelines (line guida, si legge “gaidlains” ). Advertising regulations are in place to make sure that the ads we see are legal, decent (decente, si legge “dìssent”), honest and truthful (veritiero, si legge“triuthful”). One organization who aims to ensure that ads are legal, decent, honest and truthful is the ASA. The Advertising Standards Authority is a UK based non-government organization paid for by (il senso è “che si assume le spese grazie a”) a tax on advertising companies. It investigates and complaints (denuncia, si legge “compleints”) from the public and can request companies to modify their advertising in order to comply (soddisfare uniformarsi, si legge “complai”. V.a. “TO FULLY COMPLY=adeguarsi del tutto/ completamente”) with advertising regulations. In (SENZA “the”) 2004, the ASA investigated a claim (richiesta, si legge “cleim”) about a computer. The ad stated that the computer was 'the world's fastest computer'. The ASA found that this claim could not be substantiated by testing and was therefore misleading (ingannevole). The ASA advised (consigliò) the company to discontinue (interrompere, si legge “dis-contìniu”) the ads. The key point here is that it advised the company. The ASA is a non-government organization it can't actually make laws to regulate advertising. But some forms of advertising are considered so important that governments step in (to step in=salire in un mezzo ed anche “intervenire”. V.a. “TO STEP INTO THE SPOTLIGHT=mettersi in mostra, TO BE IN THE SPOTLIGHT=essere al centro dell’attenzione e TO STEP ON SOMEONE’S FOOT (met.co)=(cal)pestare i piedi a qualcuno ”) to regulate their use. In the past, cigarette advertising was everywhere. Tobacco companies thought (da to think (of/about)/thought/tought=pensare; to think up=escogitare/inventare) up new ways to attract customers, from including collectable (collezionabile, si legge “collectbol”) cigarette cards in packs of cigarettes to recognizable (riconoscible, si legge “recogh-naisbol”) mascots (portafortuna). All of this has changed now. In 1965, television advertisements for cigarettes were banned by the British government. In 1971, health warnings (avvertenza sanitarie) were included on all packs of cigarettes and in 1986 all other ads on billboards (cartelloni) and in print media (mezzi di stampa) were subject to further regulation. Tobacco ads were no longer allowed to show images of people smoking, leading the tobacco advertisers to come up with abstract ways to advertise (pubblicizzare) their products. Given that (let. dato ciò, il senso è “in conseguenza di quanto sopra”), tobacco advertising is now almost completely banned in the UK. This is also the case in Canada and Australia. Advertising laws and regulations serve to protect the public from false claims (falsi reclami, si legge “fols cleims”) and advertisements of dangerous products. Given the amount of advertising we see every day it's good to know that someone's looking out (to look out=guardare fuori, il senso è “si preoccupa”) for us!POSITIVE ADVERTISINGWe are surrounded, bombarded and encouraged to buy this and that. But there are some instances (casi, si legge “ìnstanses”) where advertising is used not to sell a product or a service but for something else. Depending where you are from in the world you will interpret some images as well as the associations of some colors differently. You might not think there would be many potential hazards (pericoli, si legge “hàsards”), for example white might be perfect for a Western style wedding, but using white in advertising, might not go down too well (let. non andare giù troppo bene, nel senso “non essere gradito”) in parts of Asia where it's associated also with funerals even though everyone loves white teeth. In the 1970s, the Keep America Beautiful organization launched a campaign to encourage people to stop littering (da litter=sporcare, si legge “littar”) the cities and countryside. The advert (annuncio) consisted of a Native American paddling (da to paddle=remare, si legge “padol”) down a river surrounded by beautiful mountains and trees. As the ad goes on, we see more and more refuse (rifiuto, si legge “refius”) and man made debris (detrito/i SEMPRE al sing.re, si legge “debri” SENZA la “s”) littering (sporcando) the landscape. The final shot shows the Native American looking out at the spoilt (da to spoil/spoiled/spoilt=guastare/rovinare) landscape with a tear falling from his eye. The public awareness (consapevolezza) had an enormous effect on US citizens and is said to be one of the most significant public awareness ads (annunci di sensibilizzazione) in US history. Charities (carità/beneficenze, si legge “cìaretis”; sing.le “Charity”) also make good use of advertising. Sometimes charities use adverts (annunci, si legge “averts”) to raise (aumentare, si legge “reis”) funds and awareness (consapevolezza) of their causes and also to recruit (reclutare, si legge “ricrut”) volunteers. One charity ran a successful campaign targeting (da to target= rivolgersi A) commuters (pendolari) on the London Underground. They wanted to reach out to an audience who would likely be bored (annoiato) with the daily grind (fatica, si legge “graind”). Following the 2004 Tsunami (si legge “ziunami” in Asia, the charity ran a series of ads aiming to recruit volunteers who would help with the reconstruction of the affected areas. The title of the posters (manifesti) was 'Who will be there after the cameras have gone'' This was followed up later with another poster campaign, again targeting a captive audience (pubblico passivo/indifferente) of commuters. The poster campaign tried to focus on how life-transforming volunteering with them would be. The appeal (appello, si legge “apiil”) was effective at driving up numbers of volunteer application (richiesta) by over (DI/DA oltre) 30% percent. Bombarded at every turn, being encouraged to buy this and that. What all these examples have in common is the way they are encouraging us to accept a new idea, a new habit (abitudine) and a new way of life.ONLINE CASINO GAMESWhen you enter a casino (casinò), you obviously have the intention to play the best of everything on offer. Whether it is a game of poker, video slots or any other, your priority (priorità, si legge “praioriti”) is to have a good time at the casino and make the most of your visit. Today, almost everybody in the world has sampled free (da to sample (campione)=assaggiare/campionare, si legge “sampol”; il senso è “avere avuto un campione gratuito/una somma da giocare”) or paid casino games in some form or other (in un modo o nell’altro=ONE WAY OR ANOTHER). They have either played in a live casino, or have enjoyed the free games at an online one. Most players from everywhere in the world, first come to a casino without knowing the number and types of games available. Often, they are disoriented and need to get an idea of what they are dealing with. The best thing about any internet casino is that gaming is very convenient due to the software used. For a new player, there is a host (moltitudine, e anche “ospite/padrone di casa/anfitrione/ oste”) of free games to choose from and play, including a number of slot machines. These are the best of all games, made accessible to you so that you can try your hand (tentare la tua mano, nel senso “fortuna”) at gaming (al gioca) in a casino. The greatest thing in the world is that when you are gambling free of cost, you also get a bonus to do it. You get a bonus the first time you sign up, then another bonus when you make a deposit, and then subsequent bonuses every time you add money to your casino account. Casinos usually have a special gaming software that make it easy for you to play the games you want, such as slots. Once you download (scarichi, si legge “danloud”) this software to your computer, you get a one-point access to all your games, which works best for those who have a lot of accounts. Banking is done through this software and all your gambling activities are commanded by it as well. If you like, you can begin with the free games and slowly graduate to wagering (da to wager=scommettere, si legge “uegiar”. V.a. “To bet/bet/bet=scommettere”) with money. The software lets you play free games such as poker, slots, roulette, craps (gioco d’azzardo con i dadi), baccarat or anything else you may fancy (fantasia/capriccio; il senso è “ciò che suggerisce la fantasia/che preferisci”).If you crave (bramare, si legge “creiv”) fast-paced gaming (gioco veloce), video slots may be best for you. With the software, the interface is even more enjoyable and the bonuses come flowing (da to flow=fluire/scorrere; il senso è “arrivano velocemente”). Video slots are highly fast paced (da to pace=camminare, si legge “peis”, sost.vo “ritmo”; il senso è “sono visibili a ritmo molto veloce”. V.a “AT A GOOD, QUICK PACE=a tutta velocità”) and as a bonus, let you play a lot in a very short time. If time is a constraint (costrizione, si legge “constreint”, il senso è “se vuoi un gioco vincolato”), you could also play blackjack, one of the fastest and best games in any casino. Poker is for those who are more inclined (incline/portato, si legge “inclaind”) towards skill. Since (dato che) it is very slow as well, and bonuses are often very few, many turn their backs (schiene; il senso è “preferiscono non giocare a”) on poker and play free slots, which are a lot more fun and easy to make cash with. Still, poker has a rather large following around the world and there are world poker tournaments in which people from all over the world participate. Poker is the best game for those who enjoy strategizing (nella strategia, si legge “strategiaisingh”), unlike slots. It is largely a game of skill that can even make the worst hand turn into gold (oro; il senso è “anche la peggiore delle mani può farti vincere”). If you know how to bluff (bleffare, si legge “blaf”) your way around a poker table, this game is certainly for you. The game almost requires you to play stone faced (let. faccia di pietra, il senso è “avere una espressione impenetrabile”), so you may have to practice your expressions a little too if you are new to it. The term poker face surely originated from this game. You could play a free version of the game and then when your skills are sharp enough, begin placing (da to place= mettere, sost.vo “posto”) real bets (let. essere messo per vere scommesse, il senso è “puoi giocare seriamente”).THE GUILLEMOTSome biologists monitoring a colony of seabirds on the east coast of Scotland noticed a strange and terrible thing: infanticide (infanticidio, si legge “infantisaid”). The guillemot (uria (è un uccello marino), si legge “ghilmot”) is one of the toughest (più duro/difficile, si legge “tafest”) seabirds in the world. However, due to the changing environment in which they live, they now can’t find enough fish to feed their family. The birds only have one chick (pulcino, si legge “cich”) every year. Usually, one of the parents hunts for fish, while the other stays on the cliff (scogliera) to protect the chick. However, due to the lack of fish increasingly (in aumento), both parents have had to go out looking for food. Consequently, the hungry baby has no parents to look after it. The chick goes to other families to look for food. The other birds, who don’t have enough food themselves, then attack and kill the chick. Biologists have never seen this kind of behavior before, and are extremely worried (da to worry= preoccupare/rsi) about this total breakdown (guasto/avaria) in the community of these birds. But the real question is: what’s causing the birds to commit infanticide? The birds are reacting to the changes in their ecosystem. An ecosystem is all the living things in an area and the way in which they affect (interessare/influenzare) each other. In an ecosystem, everything is connected. The life or death of the smallest insect has an effect on the life of the biggest mammal (mammifero, si legge “mamol”). Looking at it this way, we can see the problem that the hungry seabirds are facing (stanno affrontando): their ecosystem has changed, and there just aren’t enough fish in the sea. For decades, the numbers of fish in the North Sea have been declining (da to decline=diminuire/rifiutare, si legge “diclain”) due to overfishing (pesca eccessiva). As you can see, over a ten-year period, the numbers of different fish in the North Sea have fluctuated (da to fluctuate= fluttuare/oscillare, si legge “flach-ciueitd”), but the overall (ag.vo=globale; av.bio=complessivamente) trend is downwards (verso il basso). Look at ‘cod’ (sost.vo=merluzzo; verbo=ingannare) for example. In 1998, fishermen were allowed to catch almost 60.000 tons; only ten years later this has fallen (da to fall/fell/fallen=cadere) dramatically to under (al di sotto di) 10.000, why? Because there’s hardly any left (quasi nessuno è rimasto). The second problem is that, not only are we taking too many fish from the sea, our methods are wrong. Every year, in the North Sea, over 7000 dolphins and porpoises (focene, si legge porpsis”) are caught and die in fishing nets? Soon, this sight (vista/spettacolo, si legge “sait”) will no longer be seen in the North Sea due to the way we catch fish. As a result of human consumption (consume umano, si legge “hiuman consampition”), the numbers of fish in the sea are decreasing (da to decrease=diminuire, si legge “dicris”) alarmingly. If we don’t readdress (reindirizzare, si legge “riedres”, il senso è “riprogrammare”) this issue, there may come a time when there are no fish left in the sea whatsoever (qualsiasi). If we don’t look after our environment, then our environment will no longer look after us. We’ve seen what the destruction of their ecosystem has done to the society of guillemots; what will happen to our society if we continue to destroy our own?FINDHORM ECO-VILLAGEImagine living in a place powered (motorizzato) by the sun and wind, where your waste (sprechi/rifiuti, si legge “ueist”; SEMPRE al pl.le) are recycled (da to recycle=riciclare, si legge “risaicol”), and you live in harmony with the natural world. This is the dream coming true (diventato realtà) at Findhorn eco-village. Among other things, the village has its own kind of green architecture, its own electric power grid (griglia/grata), and even its own waste recycling plant (pianta).There are over forty-five eco-buildings in Findhorn. Many of the buildings are equipped (da to equip=attrezzare/equipaggiare, si legge “iquip”) with solar panels on the roofs to store (immagazzinare) the natural power of the sun. Four wind turbines (turbine, si legge “terbains”) located just outside the village provide the rest of the electricity. The villagers are constantly looking into other kinds of renewable (rinnovabile, si legge “rinìuebol”) or recycled resources to create power.In fact, Findhorn often creates more power than it actually needs to maintain (mantenere, si legge “meintein”) the whole village. Whenever there's a surplus, the extra power is sold to the local government! The eco-houses employ (impiegano) a wide range (gamma) of recycling (raccolta differenziata si legge “risaichlingh”) and energy-saving (risparmio energetico) techniques. Water from baths and showers is recycled and walls are insulated using old newspapers and sheep's wool (lana di pecora). Even the sewage (liquame/immondiziE/acquE di scolo, si legge “sùig”) is recycled! The “Living Machine'' is a natural machine, made from plants, animals and microorganisms, that copies (da to copy=copiare, sost.vo “copia”, si legge “copi”) nature's own way of recycling its waste. Opened in 1995, the “Living Machine'' is a 75 meter long, 30 meter wide greenhouse (serra) where all the sewage from all the houses in the village is cleaned and recycled. The sewage moves from one natural, non-chemical stage (stadio) to the next, each time being treated, or cleaned, by natural algae (alghe, si legge “alghi”), plants and microorganisms. This is exactly how Mother Nature has cleaned her waste for millions of years. Findhorn eco-village has been built specifically to produce as little waste and pollution (inquinamento, si legge “poluscion”) as possible. Are there any other principles (principi/norme, si legge “prìnsipols”) its citizens adhere (aderire, si legge “ad-hiar”) to? The residents of Findhorn believe in respecting not just the environment, but everything living in it too. In addition, that includes each other. Their harmony with nature is mirrored (da to mirror= rispecchiare) by the harmony of their small community, where people live and work peacefully together on all levels (a tutti i livelli, nel senso “REGARDESS OF=a prescindere DAL grado sociale”). The story of Findhorn eco-village shows you that, if you have a dream and follow it as positively and honestly as you can, you can change the world, even just a little bit, and make it a better place for our children.REDUCING YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINTWhat do you do, in your daily life, that's bad for the environment? What are your “environmentally unfriendly'' actions? Do you drive a car? Are you a frequent flyer (pilota abituale, si legge “friquent flaiar”)? Do you buy imported stuff you don't really need and then throw away the packaging (imballaggio, si legge “paching)? I mean, I know sometimes we do. In this age of consumerism (consumismo, si legge “consumerisam”) everyone does! But we do have a choice (scelta, si legge “ciois”). One way to work out (calcolare/ risolvere) and then reduce the impact you personally have on the environment is to calculate your carbon footprint (emissione di anitride carbonica). Your carbon footprint is the total carbon sum (somma e anche sommare (to add), si legge “sam”) of your actions, be it when you travel, when you shop, when you eat, when you bathe (fare il bagno, si legge beid”) and any action that uses up fossil fuels (combustibili fossili, si legge “fossil fiuls”) such as oil, coal (carbone, si legge “coul”) or gas. And just as we have two feet, we also have two carbon footprints: the primary and the secondary. Your primary carbon footprint measures your direct use of fossil fuels. That is, the amount of gas, oil or coal you use every day by commuting (fare il pendolare) to work, cooking your dinner or watching TV. Think, for example, about where you live. How much electricity and gas do you use to keep (kept/kept= (man)tenere) your home warm in the winter or cool in the summer? Do you use low-energy light bulbs (bulbi/lampadine, si legge “balbs”)? How many electrical appliances (elettrodomestici, si legge “aplaienss”) do you have on at the same time when you're at home? Now, think about all these and write them down. Go on, it's important! Next, think about how you travel. Do you drive a car? Do you take the bus, subway or train to work? Or do you cycle or walk? How often do you fly? Write these down too. Now let's think about your secondary carbon footprint; that is, how you use up fossil fuels indirectly. Think about the difference between buying a shirt made locally, and a shirt imported from a faraway foreign country. Which one do you think uses up (consuma/utitlizza) the most fossil fuels? That's right, the imported shirt; it has to travel hundreds or even thousands of miles on a ship or in an airplane to reach your local shop. And that uses up a lot of carbon. So, think about the things you buy. Do you buy locally grown vegetables or fancy (stravagante) foreign imported ones? What kind of clothes do you wear? Are they locally made? Do you like German cars, American computers and Japanese DVD players? Now, write it all down. And be honest! Remember, everything you do and everything you buy contributes to your carbon footprint. Now, finally, do you recycle or reuse when you're finished with something, or do you just throw it away? Make a list of all the environmentally friendly things you do, and all the unfriendly ones. Use this list to help you become more environmentally aware (consapevole). Think of it this way: every day you can save the world, even if it's just a little bit. Doesn't that make you feel good?TELLING A STORYThe world of journalism is populated with hungry (affamato, diverso da “angry=arrabbiato”) investigative reporters looking to uncover (scoprire) the latest scandals and hard-nosed (a muso duro, si legge “hard nousd”) correspondents, some of whom twist (torcere/stravolgere; sost.vo “sviluppo imprevisto”. V.a. “A TWIST OF FATE=uno scherzo del destino”) the words of the rich and famous and push them into making contradictory statements? So, it's no wonder that when the newscasters (giornalisti) are presented with so much negative press (stampa), an uplifting (edificante) human interest story can feel like a breath of fresh air. Lukas Hadorn, a Swiss born (nato svizzero. N.B. “born” è un ag.vo (eg: He is a born idiot=è un perfetto idiota. In all my born days=da quando sono nato/in tutta la mia vita) diverso da “borne” participio passato di to bear/bore/borne=portare/trasportare e anche “partorire”) foreign correspondent, began working as a journalist in 2003, he says: “To tell you the truth, from day one I felt as if I wanted to take the side (essere dalla parte) of the people. I'm not interested in pulling them out of obscurity and thrusting (da to thrust/thrust/thrust=spingere/conficcare, si legge “thrast”(eg. The news was thrust by paper=la notizia fu divulgata dai giornali), diverso da to trust (si legge “trast”=confidare. Eg. In God we trust!) them into the limelight (ribalta, il senso è “spingerli dall’oscurità alla conoscenza”), but I try to respect and maintain each person's dignity (dignità, si legge “dighniti”)”. Stuck in an angle (angolo, si legge “engol”) for a story, Lukas took himself out onto (si è tirato fuori) the streets and let himself be inspired by the people and things around him. Out on the streets meeting and interacting with people is where you can find Lukas today. Not in Switzerland but in China. He came to China as a foreign (straniero (agg.vo), si legge “foren”) correspondent for a Swiss publication. Later, he decided that he wanted to know more about the people, and to do that, he needed to get more Chinese under his belt. (let. sotto la sua cinta, il senso è “sotto osservazione/ controllo”) As a student of Mandarin, he keeps up his passion for people and understanding the world through photography. Mr. Hadom adds: ”I was with a friend of mine, when we came across (trovammo per caso) these old Shanghai cameras from the seventies and eighties. At first it was just a bit of fun but little did I know (ne sapevo poco) when I bought (da to buy/bought/ bought=comprare) it that it would take such great quality pictures. There's another plus (vantaggio, si legge “plas”) to this camera too being an object that a lot of Chinese people know. It makes a great conversation starter (conversazione iniziale). People here are always asking me about the camera and why I, as a foreigner (straniero, si legge “forenar”), am using such an old camera instead of a new digital one. It's a great way to break the ice (rompere il ghiaccio, met.co). It's quite a privilege to have people tell you their story. I get really caught up (da catch/caught/caught=afferrare “up” con rapidità) with the people I write about. There's nothing more interesting than people's stories and it's not something to abuse (abusare DI, si legge “abius”). To be perfectly honest, the stories of everyday people are the most interesting thing in the world”. It seems that there are stories all around us and as Lukas says: "All you have to do is step outside (uscire DA/al di fuori) your front door".WITNESSING A CRIMESuppose that three persons have seen a robbery (furto), which is unfortunately (sfortunatamente, si legge “anforcunetli”) a common occurrence (evento, si legge “ocàrens”) these days. Most car thieves aren't caught but, when they are, it's because there's been an eyewitness (testimone oculare, si legge “ai-uitnes”) to the crime. But just how reliable (affidabili, si legge “relaibol”) are eyewitnesses? For example, the first person says: “The thief was black. No, no, no he was white, tall and thin. Oh and he was carrying a knife. Although he was about 300 meters away, I was really scared”. The second one tells: “I was on my bike, and I saw the thief as I cycled (da to cycle=andare in bicicletta, si legge “saicol”) past. It was quite dark, but I could tell he was old, at least 35, with blonde hair. He was wearing jeans and a hoodie (felpa con cappuccio, legge “hudi”)”. And the third adds: ”Yeah, I saw the thief. He stole that BMW. He was short and fat and he had brown hair. He was wearing black sweats (nera tuta, si legge “suets”). If I hadn't been driving my car, I would've stopped him”. The single biggest factor in suspects being wrongly convicted (condannato da to convict=condannare. V.a. “CONVICTED IN ABSENTA=condannato in contunacia e LIFE SENTENCE=ergastolo”) is eyewitness error. What we see, how we perceive (to perceive=percepire, si legge “persiiv”) and what we remember are totally different things. And, to complicate matters, everyone has their own memory of the same event. Memory doesn't form an accurate photographic image in your mind, rather (piuttosto) it creates a story that we reinvent when we tell it to someone. As in every story, what happens depends on the person telling it. If we take the three eyewitness statements from earlier (di prima/sopra indicate), we can see that they're complicated by personality, attitude (atteggiamento, si legge “attitiud”), prejudice, age and exaggeration. That's not to say that the people were lying (da to lie/lay/lain=mentire (si leggono “lai/lei/lein”), sost.vo “bugia”), they simply remember the crime in the way that suits (soddisfa) them best. What makes things more complicated are the three stages of memory an eyewitness has to go through (passare attraverso). The first stage is the perception of the crime. In other words, how the witness sees and processes (da to processe=elaborare, si legge “pròses”) it. If the crime happens really fast, or at a distance, the eyewitness is more likely to get it wrong. Secondly, there's the period of time between the crime happening and the eyewitness giving evidence (prova). If the gap is longer, giving evidence becomes more difficult. When the time comes for the eyewitness to give evidence, not only might they have forgotten (da to forget/forgot/ forgotten=dimenticare) the important details of the crime, they can also be confused by the nature (natura/carattere, si legge “neiciar”. V.a. (ONE’S) NEVER-SAY-DIE NATURE=termine riferito a chi per natura mai si dispera/arrende) of the questions asked them by the police. For example, if the police officer asks: ”What kind of weapon (arma, si legge “uepen”) was the suspect carrying?”, this suggests to the eyewitness that the suspect was carrying a weapon. The eyewitness might become convinced that the suspect was carrying a knife, even if that wasn’t the case. The human brain is a complex machine (macchina, si legge “mescin”) that has a life of its own (una vita sua propria) underneath our conscious understanding of it (sotto il nostro subconscio). If you're ever a witness to a crime, remember that what you saw (da to see/saw/ seen=vedere), what you tell (told/told=raccontare) the police and what actually happened might be three different things!However, don't worry. All that's expected of (NO “by”) you is to tell the truth.BREAKING UPAs the song says: "Breaking up (da to break/broke/broken=rompere) is hard to do". But, believe it or not (che ci si creda o no), breaking up (rottura in genere sentimentale) is an important time in any relationship. A thoughtful (rilessiva), mature break up leaves you feeling optimistic about the future, while an angry or tearful (lacrimosa, si legge “tirful”) end leaves only negativity and regret (rammaricato (ag.vo)/rammarico (sost.vo), si legge “rigrèt”). So, if you want to dump (scaricare/abbandonare, si legge “damp”) your boyfriend or girlfriend, how do you do it? The first thing to do is decide (to decide=decidere, si legge “disaid”) where you're going to do it. It has (il senso è “si può scegliere tra”) to be face to face, a phone call, text message or “Dear John or Ann'' letter, but these are cowardly (vigliaccamente, si legge “càuordli”) ways out (il senso è “modi vili da evitare”) because a breaking up should be somewhere private (private, si legge “praivt”). Secondly, don't be fake (falso, si legge “feich”). Classic break up phrases such as: "It's not you, it's me", or: "It just wasn't meant to be" (non era destino)” make you sound shallow (superficiale, si legge “scalou”). And don't tell him or her that you can still be friends or you just want to take a break if you never want to see them again! That just gives them false (falsa, si legge “fols”) hope. Instead, tell the truth. Tell him or her you want to break up, and tell them why. Be fair, but not cruel. Use words as 'think', 'feel' and 'honesty' a lot to show him or her that you're sincere (sincero, si legge “sinsìar”) about your feelings and this really is the end. You can use phrases as: "The reason I'm breaking up with you is because you're not dependable (affidabile, si legge “dipendbol”) enough" or "I honestly feel our relationship isn't working out" (nel senso “non funziona”) or "I think we should break up". And once you've broken the news (hai dato la notizia), beware OF the aftermath (fai attenzione ALLE conseguenze. V.a. “BEWARE OF THE STEP/DOG=attenti AL gradino/cane”)! You don't know how your ex is going to react, so be ready for anything as: anger, tears, screaming, or maybe just a cold, blank (bianca/in bianco (es. foglio), si legge “blank”, nel senso “indifferente”) face. Just be sure not to comfort them or change your mind; if you really have decided it's time to break up, then be strong (forte, nel senso “deciso”) and do it. If you're not sure what you want, then you shouldn't yet be talking about breaking up! An end of a relationship needs closure (chiusura, si legge “clougiar”). Both you and your ex should get things off your chests (petti, si legge “cests”, il senso è “liberarsi del passato”. V.a. “Breast=seno, si legge “brest”. Tits=tette”). Just make sure it's not hurtful or nasty (offensivo/sgradevole), and then? Leave. Don't hang (hung/hung= appendere e anche “impiccare”) around (il senso è “non girarci attorno”). You've made that, thus it's time to start a new part of your life. And sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind, so get out of there (il senso è “escitene comunque=IN ANY CASE/AT ANY RATE=tasso, si legge “reit”)! After you've broken up with someone, it's important to cheer (rallegrare, si legge “ciar”) yourself up (il senso è “darti coraggio”). Hang out (stai) with your friends. Have fun. Buy (SENZA “for”) yourself something nice. But don't contact your ex for at least two or three weeks and definitely (decisamente) do not jump right into a new relationship. "Rebound" (da to rebound= rimbalzare, si legge “ribaund”) relationships (il senso è “nuove relazioni di rimpiazzo”) are never a good idea. In the end, if one person in the relationship wants out (nel senso “vuole uscirsene”), breaking up is often the best thing for both people, but your ending it is an important part of the recovery (recupero, si legge “ricaveri”) process. Try to make it as painless (indolore) as possible.LISTENING TO “SPECIAL ENGLISH”As a student learning English, I'm sure people are always telling you to listen to the radio, watch TV and surf (to surf (si legge “serf”=navigare IN) the Internet in English to improve your listening, reading and vocabulary. This isn't always easy, however. Have you ever started watching or listening to news broadcast (notizie trasmesse) in English, only to lose (lost/lost=perdere. V.a. “TO MISS=perdere un mezzo di trasporto”) the thread (filo, si legge “thred”) of what the presenter's saying due to how fast they're talking and the difficulty of their language? Believe me, even native speakers sometimes have trouble following complex ideas, delivered in long (let. consegnato a lungo, il senso è “idee esposte per lungo tempo”), quickly spoken sentences. Wouldn't it be nice if there were a news broadcaster that took their time and delivered the news in clear, simple English? Well, there is. The Voice of America, or VOA, first came on the air (venne in onda) in 1942, and its mission was to deliver reliable (affidabili, si legge “rilaibol”) news to war torn (da to tear/tore/torn=spezzare/stracciare. V.a. “Tear (si legge “tiar”)=lacrima e To weep (si legge “uip”)=piangere”) countries (il senso è “nazioni distrutte dalla guerra”) around the world. Today, through the mediums (mezzi, si legge “midiums”) of radio, television and the Internet, VOA broadcasts (trasmette, sost.vo “trasmissioni”) around 1,250 hours of news every week to around 134 million people internationally, in more than forty different languages. In 1959, VOA broadcasted its first “Special English'' news show, and these broadcasts went on to become the most popular of them all. “Special English'' broadcasts are “special'' in that they use a style of clear, simple English. The writers use a stock of only 1500 core vocabulary (vocabolario di base). The sentences are kept short, with only one subject, with no idioms, and delivered at two thirds (2/3) of the natural speed of a native speaker. Furthermore (inoltre/per di più) not the passive, but the active tense (tempo attivo), is used. So, for example, you won't hear a sentence like this: 'It is believed by some (da alcuni) that the senator had been involved in the events which, it has been suggested (da to suggest=suggerire/proporre e anche “insinuare”), are the major factors behind his indictment (incriminazione, si legge “indaitment”)”. In VOA “Special English”, it would sound more like this much easier statement: “People believe that the senator took part in the events that led to his indictment”. But it's not about “dumbing down (istupidimento, da to dumb=ammutolire; sost.vo “muto”, si legge “dam”)'' English, or simplifying it unnecessarily (inutilmente). What “Special English'' does is deliver the news in as clear and comprehensible way as possible. This makes it accessible to millions of people around the world who might not generally listen to the news in English, and it also makes it a fun, interesting and up to the minute way (modo minuto, nel senso “semplice”) to learn the language.PRACTICING TAI CHIWhen we think of martial arts (arti marziali, si legge “marscial arts”), we imagine Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies and lots of kicking, punching and screaming (da to scream=urlare, si legge “scrim”). Tai chi, however, although a martial art, is more about conditioning (da to condition=condizionare/ dominare, si legge “condiscion”, sost.vo “condizione”) your body and mind than fighting another person. It's thought (si ritiene che) tai chi could date as far back as (sin dal/i lontano/i) 2,500 years. It involves a series of slow, meditative body movements that were originally designed for self-defense and relaxation (rilassamento, si legge “rilachsescion”). Tai chi is a “soft'' martial art. But don't be fooled (da to fool=ingannare); it's not as soft as it looks. Tai chi experts believe in using a small amount of energy to counter (neutralizzare /contrapporre; contatore (sost.vo); contro (av.bio), si legge “caunter”) the greater force of their attacker (aggressore, si legge “attàcar”). Meeting (da to meet/met/met=incontrare/affronare) offence with defense reflects the principle of Yin and Yang, a belief related (credenza relativa, si legge “bilif riletd”) to both Taoism and Buddhism. Using a tai chi move, a smaller and older person can knock a larger and younger attacker flat (piatto (ag.vo); (sost.vo) appartamento) on their back. Of course, most people don't practice tai chi in order to fight or even to defend themselves; they practice it to stay healthy. In China, it's believed practicing tai chi prolongs your life by keeping the body strong and the mind active but calm; it's also believed that tai chi helps defend the body against heart disease, arthritis (artrite, si legge “artraisis”), high blood pressure, stress and depression. Western medical experts aren't yet convinced by these claims, and studies are ongoing (in corso) to find out exactly what the medical benefits of tai chi are. However, if you practice tai chi regularly, your body will be more flexible, your balance (equilibrio, si legge “balans”) will be better, your heart and lungs (polmoni, si legge “langs”) will be stronger and your general energy levels will rise. So, if you're young and healthy and do regular exercise, tai chi may not be for you, yet. But perhaps you should get down to the library or the DVD store and get some information for your grandmother or grandfather. It is likely tai chi could make them stronger, healthier and happier.GETTING RID OF STRESSStress is bad for your health. I know, because I used to get stressed a lot. I couldn't sleep, didn't eat regularly, my immune system would suffer (to suffer=soffrire, si legge “safer”) and I'd become ill/sick (ammalato). I'd also get these aches (dolori, si legge “eichs”) and pains (sofferenze) in certain parts of my body, especially my neck and my back. My doctor told me these pains were psychosomatic (psicosomatici, si legge ”saicosomatich”).In other words, the problem wasn't in my body, it was in my mind. He said if I didn't let my stress out, it would just build up and up because the stress wasn't released (rilasciato/liberato, si legge “rilisd”), it was attacking the weakest (più deboli) parts of my body - my neck and my back - and this caused terrible pain. So, how do you get rid (liberarsi) of stress, and avoid psychosomatic pain?Firstly, talking about it helps a lot. Talk to your partner or a good friend, or join a support group so you can share your problems with others. Believe me, a problem shared is a problem halved (da to halve=dimezzare, si legge “hav”). If you're worried about work, take a break!Everyone needs to recharge their batteries now and again (di tanto in tanto), and your mind and your emotions are just as important as your body. Get away (scappa) from it all for a few days! And one more thing, be nice to yourself. Retail (al dettaglio/minuto, si legge “rìteel”) therapy (terapia dello shopping) is an underrated (da to underrate=sottovalutare, si legge “underreit”) cure (cura, si legge “chiuar”, il senso è “una saltuaria terapia è come una cura sottovalutata”). Go on and, for example, buy those new shoes you've been wanting for months. Do nice things, like going out to the movies and eating good food with some friends of yours. Remember, one of the biggest stressors (fattori di stress) in your life is yourself.LEARNING TO MEDITATEIf you wanted to learn to meditate (meditare, si legge “mediteit”) on a hundred years ago, you'd have to climb up a mountain, find a holy man and ask him to be your guru (santone). But these days, it's much simpler. There are books, DVDs and websites to walk you through the basics (basi, si legge “beisichs”). And it would be well worth your time. The long term benefits of meditating daily include a drop in cholesterol levels, improved blood pressure and lowered levels of cortisol (cortisolo, è l’ormone dello stress) and lactate (acido latico, si legge “lachteit”), two chemicals (sostanze chimiche) associated with stress. It can also lead to greater creativity, emotional stability and improved memory and concentration. To meditate, find a quiet place where you won't be interrupted. Sit down on the floor. Begin (began/begun= cominciare) by listening to your breathing “in and out=dentro e fuori”. This helps clear the clutter (confusione (sost.vo); (verbo) ingonbrare/mettere in disordine, si legge “clatar”) and avoid jumble (miscuglio (sost.vo); (verbo) mescolare, si legge “giambol”) from your mind. Let your mind empty (vuoto) as if it were (fosse) a jug (caraffa, si legge “giagh”) pouring out (da to pour= versare, si legge “poar”) water. Let out the outside sounds of the street; that barking dog (cane che abbaia) that drives (da to drive/drove/driven=guidare/ condurre) you crazy or your noisy neighbors. Now, you're completely calm and centered (concentrato, si legge “senterd”). Sit like this as long as you like, as long as it takes. You might even fall asleep, but that's okay! One possible effect of meditation is that you feel as if you're floating (galleggianate, si legge “floutin”) outside of your own body. Sometimes you'll smile with contentment (contentezza) or you may even cry; but don't worry, it's just you letting go of your emotions. Then, at some point, you'll just naturally wake up. You'll feel happy, relaxed calm without a care (cura/preoccupazione, si legge “chear”) in the world.FIGHT OR FLIGHTIf your heart beats (battiti, si legge “biits”) three times faster than normal. Your blood pressure rises. Your mouth goes dry. Your brain's hypothalamus (ipotalamo, si legge “haipoutalames”) triggers (da to trigger=innescare/ sprigionare, sost.vo “grilletto”, si legge trigar”) the production of massive amounts of adrenalin and cortisol. The pupils of your eyes dilate (si dilatano, si legge “daileit”). Your hands shake (shook/shaken=agitare/scuotere). What is happening? You are experiencing a physical reaction as old as the human race itself: the Fight or Flight Response. The Fight or Flight Response is what happens to our body and mind when we are in danger (siamo in pericolo). Our brain releases chemicals that give our body extra strength and speed, and this helps us get ready for the snap (improvvisa) decision we're about to make: to stay and fight or to run away. During the last ice age, which was around 20,000 years ago, when huge prehistoric (priherstorich) animals roamed (da to roam=vagare, si legge “roum”) around (or over) the planet and the human brain was around the same size as a chimpanzee's, the flight or fight response came in useful (utile, si legge “iusful”). In fact, it probably helped save (contribuì a salvare) the human race. And incredibly, thousands of years later, when you or I are in dangerous situations, we have the exact same biological (biologico, si legge “baialogicol”) response as our early ancestors. But the question is: Why do human beings, whose instinct is to be safe, sometimes do such dangerous things? In the early twentieth century, psychoanalysts such as Sigmund Freud believed people who took risks or did extreme activities were crazy. Freud believed it just wasn't natural to enjoy being in danger, so people who did dangerous things must have a death wish (desiderio di morte) or some other kind of serious mental problem.However, modern psychologists tend to disagree with Freud. In fact, if you think about it, risk taking (l’assunzione di rischi) is a just as natural as part of life as the “Fight or Flight” response.On a more mundane (banale/mondano, si legge “mandein”) level, we face many different kinds of risks every day.For example: Should we change our job or invest all of our money in starting our own business? Should we go on a date? Should we get married and buy that house? Do we take a chance, or not? Do we fight, or do we run away? Same principle (principio, si legge “prìinsipol”), same instinct.Now, imagine it's 20000 years ago. You're hungry and to eat meat, you're gonna (abr.ne di “going to”) have to catch and kill an animal but some of these animals are dangerous.Perhaps it's only by taking the risk of hunting and killing an animal that you'll get to eat meat and manage to survive. And perhaps that's why, as humans, we need both safety and danger in our lives.OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDEROCD is a very common illness, as you can understand reading the following dialogue between Ms. Lisa and a newscaster (giornalista, si legge nius-castar):LISA: I used to work as a teacher. I never thought of myself as a worrier, at least no more than the next person. However, I gradually started to find myself worrying about the silliest (la più sciocca) of things or, at least, they might seem silly to you, but to me they were deadly (mortalmente e anche “da morire”, eg: It was deadly cold. A deadly (noiosissimo) party) serious.NEWSCASTER: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, affects three in eve-ry one hundred people, regardless (indipendentemente) of age, sex or race. And nobody quite knows why.LISA: At first, on my way to work in the morning, I'd worry that I'd forgotten to lock (chiudere a chiave) the front door, or that I'd left a window open. I simply had to go back and check. Of course, when I got home again, the door was locked and all the windows were closed.NEWSCASTER: At first, OCD sufferers experience repeated, unwelcome and upsetting (scraditi e sconcolgenti) thoughts. Actually, we all have doubts (dubbi, si legge “dauts”) about forgetting (da to foreget/forgot/forfotten= dimenticare) to lock a door or close a window sometimes. However, the difference between a person who suffers from OCD and someone who doesn't, is that the person with OCD has to check and recheck these things again.LISA: A few months later, I started worrying about germs (germi). If I touched a door handle (maniglia), or a telephone, or if I picked up a knife or a fork, I'd immediately have to wash my hands. In one day, perhaps I'd wash my hands over 50 times.NEWSCASTER: Repeated actions such as checking, hand washing and putting objects in a certain order are the 'compulsions' part of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. They're called compulsions because the sufferer knows they shouldn't do them again and again, but can't stop.LISA: One day, when I was driving to work, I felt a bump (urto, si legge “bamp”). I thought I'd run something over (to run over=investire), maybe a child or a dog. I panicked (fui presa dal panico). At the bottom of the street, I turned around and drove back. I was terrified. I really thought I'd killed someone. Of course, when I got to the same spot, there was nothing there. I turned the car around and headed for work but, as I was driving, I began (da to begin/began/begun=cominciare) to worry that I had actually hit something but I just hadn't checked carefully enough. Maybe the injured child was lying behind a bush or a tree and I hadn't seen it. Therefore, I drove back again, and this time I got out of the car and looked carefully about, but still I couldn't find anything. There was nothing to find. And yet I couldn't get it out of my mind. I had to return two more times to the same spot before I was satisfied I hadn't hit anything. I was more than an hour late for work.NEWSCASTER: OCD can affect the sufferer's job, study, and their relation-ships with family members, friends and partners. In fact, if it isn't diagnoseds(si legge “daigh-nousd”) and treated, it can ruin a life.LISA: My work suffered as my OCD got worse. I was constantly late; I kept worrying that I'd made mistakes, so I had to check everything I did again and again, so that it took me twice as long as my colleagues to finish my work. Eventually (infine, si legge “evenciuali”), I was fired.After this interview Lisa went to her local doctor and asked for help. At first, the doctor didn't know what was wrong with her. By the time she was eventually diagnosed with OCD, she was unemployed (disoccupata), had broken up with her boyfriend and was living the life of a recluse (eremita, si legge “riclìus”), terrified of the outside world. In the end, Lisa says: “I'm now seeing a psychiatrist three times a week and I'm getting better. He's also put me on a course of meditation, which helps. You know, when my OCD was bad, people used to look at me and think I was crazy. My boyfriend left me. My friends stopped calling me. No one seemed to realize that I wasn't crazy, I was sick”. (V.a. “TO CALL IN SICK=darsi ammalato”).ANALAYZING COSTS AND BENEFITSMaking an investment is always a risky business (affare rischioso). A company can never be sure if spending money now will definitely (senza dubbio/decisamente, si legge “dèfintli”=NO DOUBT) lead to profits in the future. However, companies can make an informed decision about an investment by calculating the cost of the investment, comparing it to the potential profit, then factoring in the amount of time (il senso è “considerare i fattori che intervengono sul (necessario) periodo di tempo”) it could take to make that profit. This is called 'Cost Benefit Analysis', or 'CBA'. Let me give you an example. Say a company wants to install new cutting edge (let. bordo tagliente, il senso è “innovativo”=innovative, si legge “ìnovetiv”) sales software in every computer in each of their offices nationwide (a livello nazionale, si legge “nescion-uaid”), and the software costs a hundred million dollars. What they then have to do is work out (calcolare) all the other potential costs related to installing the software. CBA only gives a realistic figure if all the costs are analyzed realistically and honestly. The analysts (analisti, si legge “ànalists”. V.a. “AT THE END OF THE DAY=in ultima analisi”) know that the software costs a hundred million dollars and extra costs might include installation and staff training. The amount of IT engineers (ingegneri informatici) needed to install the software, and their working hours has to be calculated, then how long it would take and how much it would cost to train the sales staff to use it. So, say the projected costs come to five million dollars for installation and ten million dollars for training that makes a total projected cost of 115 million dollars. Now you can work out the potential profits. Say (diciamo/supponiamo CHE) the company makes a profit of ten million dollars each month, but the new software will allow the sales staff to do their job at least twice as (più. V.a. “TWICE AS LONG=il doppio del tempo) efficiently (efficente, si legge “eficientli”). This would mean an extra ten million dollars a month and a twenty million dollar a month profit. Now the 'payback time' (tempo di ritorno/reintegrazione dei costi) needs to be taken into consideration. To do this, the total cost is simply divided by the projected monthly profit. This can give a company some idea of how long they might have to wait before they start making an overall (globale (ag.vo); (av.bio) complessivamente) profit on their investment. 115 million divided by twenty million, that's 5.75. In other words, if all goes to plan (come programmato), the total investment should be paid off (saldato/liquidato) after five and three quarter months. By the six month mark (let. il marchio di 6 mesi, il senso è “trascorsi 6 mesi”), the company should be making a profit. 'Cost Benefit Analysis', if done carefully and honestly, can mean the difference between win or bust (busto ed anche “fallimento/rovina”, si legge “bast”) for a company. It is, however, never a 100 percent accurate forecast (accurate previsione, si legge “àchiuret forcast”), because in business, as in life, any investment is always a risk.TAKING RISKWe didn't get to be where we are (non siamo arrivati dove siamo) today without taking some risks. And, sometimes, to get where we wanna (abr.ne di “want to …”) be (vogliamo essere), we have to think outside the box (pensare fuori (let. la scatola) dagli schemi). The thing about making life-changing decisions is that it usually involves an element of risk, and who knows where that might take us. On this issue, we interviewed a woman and she told us the following story. “When I was young, my parents were experts at putting the pressure on me to be just like them. They wanted me to turn into a clone (clone, si legge “cloun”) of them (il senso è “mi volevano (clonata) come loro”). Sure, they did it because they thought it would give me security. I'll give you an example. My mom just loves making lists, not just shopping lists, but lists about the pros and cons (i pro e i contro=pluses and minuses. V.a. “TO WEIGHT THE PROS AND CONS=soppesare/valutare vantaggi e svantaggi”) of every important decision, and she expected me to do the same. I reckon (faccio i conti) I must have been on her “to do'' list before I was born. Well, anyway, I had to make lists about schools, prioritizing (da to prioritize= dare precedenza, si legge “praioritais”. V.a. “RIGHT OF WAY=diritto di precedenza) my time suitable (adatto, si legge “siutbol”. V.a. “SUITABLY= opportunamente”) for boyfriends and everything. Somewhere in the back of my mind I felt uneasy (inquieta/preoccupata) about all of this, but I was becoming resigned (rassegnata, si legge “risaind”) to a life of dull (ottusa/ noiosa, si legge “dal”) predictability (prevedibilità, si legge “pridicht-abiliti”). I was even beginning to convince myself that this was really what I wanted and the biggest emotional risk I'd ever taken was changing my hairstyle (acconciatura/pettinatura) until a guy burst (burst/burst=scoppiare, si legge “berst”) into (to burst into=irrompere) my life, dragging (da to drag= trascinare) me out of my comfort zone. He was totally different from any other guy I'd ever dated. He so wasn't what I was looking for. So, I always figured (mi ero sempre immaginata) that I'd settle down (mi sarei accasata) with some easy going (qualcuno accomondante/affabile) and clean cut (perbene) all American boy next door (tutto (come) un classico Americano) even dull but dependable (affidabile, si legge “dipendbol”), just like my dad. You know someone who wouldn't upset (sconvolgere e anche disturbare) the neighbors or rock (roccia (sost.vo); (verbo) cullare e anche ondeggiare, si legge “rach”) the boat (barca; il senso è “agitare le acque”). One day, I was in a very chic (elegante, si legge “scich”) cafe with my girlfriend. We were discussing how we'd decorate and furnish (ammobiliare) our spousal (sponsale, si legge “spausol”) home and how to accessorize (accessoriare, si legge “achsèsorais”) these ideal (ideale/irreale, si legge “aidial”) home with the ideal husband when, out of the blue (all’improvviso), a guy came straight over to our table and without preamble (preambolo, si legge “priambol”), asked me out (mi invitò fuori, nel senso “a pranzo, cena o simili”). So, if you'd been in my shoes (scarpe; il senso è “al mio posto”), would you have gone? I guess it was my anarchic spirit doing the talking (a farmi parlare) because I said yes! But why did I say yes? After all, he was all the things that weren't on my rational list of requirements (requisiti, sui legge riquairimens”). But I think that was it (era stato (proprio) per questo). His spontaneity and the excitement and buzz (ronzio, si legge “baz”) I felt, just because he was so different. It was like being swept (da to sweep/swept/swept=scopare/ spazzare via) off your feet (let. lontano (dai) tuoi piedi, il senso è “essere travolto”) and that felt just great. I think it was my thirst (sete, si legge “therst”) for adventure and something that wasn't on any list. He represented freedom and risk. Our first date? He wanted to show me how to skateboard (andare su un pattino). I'd never had so much fun, nor laughed (da to laugh=ridere, si legge “laf”) so much. It was a kind of release (uscita, si legge “rilis”, il senso è “una specie di liberazione”). V.a. “SOON-TO-BE RELEASED =di prossima uscita”). We're still together. It's not the future I'd anticipated (da to anticipate=anticipare leggesi “antisipeit”) but I'm happy instead of merely (invece di/anzichè semplicemente, si legge “insted of mirli”) secure”.MANAGING PERSONAL RISKIn business, companies use “Risk Management” methods to calculate the potential risks, the uncertainties (incertezze, si legge “ansertentìs”) involved (coinvolte) in a project, in order to make sure of the best possible chance of success. But what if you could use “Risk Management” in your personal life? What if you could calculate the potential risks of anything you do, to give yourself the best chance possible? What if we could apply (applicare, si legge “aplai”) a business solution to a personal problem? Let's say (diciamo/ supponiamo CHE) you work in a company. You've been working there for five years now and you want a promotion. How do you use “Risk Management” methods to make sure you have the best chance of getting that promotion? Well, the first rule in “Risk Management” is: define your objective which is, we supposed, to get a promotion! Next, you have to identify (identificare, si legge “aidentifai”) the risks. Well, some potential risks of going for a promotion are: rivals (rivali, si legge “raivals), colleagues (colleghi, si legge “colighs”) who also want that promotion and the boss. Does your boss trust and value you? In addition other risks are: qualifications. Are you qualified for the position? And experience.How long have you worked in the company and how many years have you worked in this field? That's quite a lot of risks. Let's see how we can use “Risk Management” to deal with them. The next step is to assess (valutare, si legge “assès”) the risks.Imagine your boss likes you and you have a Masters degree and “five years” experience. That means it's only your colleagues, your rivals, who present a problem (il senso è “ciò significa che il solo problema riguarda colleghi e rivali”). Colleague “C” has only “two years” experience and a post graduate degree. He is low risk. Colleague “B” has a better university degree than you, but only “three years” experience. He is medium to high risk (egli è un rischio medio-alto). Colleague “A” has a similar university degree to yours, but “two more years” experience. He is high risk. Now, we develop a response (let. sviluppiamo una risposta).Your response should be to improve your qualifications to counter the threat (contrastare la minaccia) of “Colleague B” and gain more experience in your job to narrow the gap (ridurre il divario) between you and “Colleague A”. But how? Well, perhaps you could go to night school, or enroll (iscriversi, si legge “enroul”) in a distance learning course. This would improve your qualifications and show your boss that you're serious (serio, si legge “sirias”, nel senso “interessato”) about the promotion. To gain more experience, volunteer to lead projects (proporsi (sot.so) volontario per condurre progetti), learn (learnt/learnt=imparare) new skills (abilità), go on workshops (laboratori) and seminars and, furthermore (inoltre/per di più), make sure your boss knows you're doing this.In this way, you can use “Risk Management” to work out (calcolare) the potential risks in going for that promotion, and give yourself the best possible chance of success.You can't predict (predire) your boss's decision, but you can predict what might go wrong and be better able to deal with the problems when they occur (si verificano e anche “venire in mente”, si legge “ochàr”. Eg. I didn’t occur to call her=non mi venne in mente di chiamarla).THE RIGHT OF EDUCATION1948 was a pivotal point (punto cardine, si legge “pivitol point”) in the history of education. It was in this year that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations. Article 26 of the Declaration stated that 'everyone has the right to education' (formazione scolastica/istruzione, si legge “ediuchescion”). The people of the world united together to declare that everyone should receive education no matter which country they come from. Education has always been very important throughout history, but ideas about education have changed over time (col/ nel tempo e anche: ag.vo=(lavoro) straordinario; av.bio=fuori orario; sost.vo= tempo supplementare). Education in early hunter communities (comunità di cacciatori primitivi) was based on stories and songs. Writing had not yet been invented so everyone needed to be able to remember the information that was passed down to them from past generations. Education was mainly used to pass on traditions and practical knowledge about the world. After writing was invented by Sumerians about 6000 years ago and began to be used, education changed. Whereas before information had to be passed on orally, it could now be recorded and referred to future generations easily. Of course, in order to be able to understand (understood/understood=capire) and learn from this new way of using information, people had to be taught (da to teach/taught/taught =insegnare) how to read (read/read=leggere) and write (wrote/written= scrivere). In ancient Greece from around three thousand to two thousand years ago students were educated in “teachers homes”. Boys learned how to read, write and quote (citare, si legge “quout”) literature (letteratura, si legge ”lìtericiar”). Many also learned how to play sports and would go (andrebbero) to the army for one or two years after the age of eighteen. Girls also learned to read, write and do simple arithmetic. Whereas in ancient Greece the focus of education was to prepare children to become model citizens, the education system in ancient China was quite different. Students studied poetry and classic texts in order to take part in the Imperial Examinations and if they succeeded (da to succeed=avere successo, si legge “sachsiid”) in getting a high mark in the examination, they would be able to get good jobs in government. Many poor people were able to move up in society as a result of doing well in the examinations. Even those who didn't pass the examination were able to benefit from their studies as they took on positions as teachers and managers of local projects. The examination system lasted (da to last=durare) for 1300 years until 1905. In the past, education was used for a variety of different reasons, to pass on traditions (trasmettere le tradizioni. V.a. (IT’S TIME) TO PASS THE TORCH (torcia)=(é tempo di) passare il testimone, met.co), to educate people about the society they lived in or to prepare people for work in government. In the modern world, education is a necessity (necessità) for all people due to our evolving technology and the more complex lives we lead.APPROACHES TO EDUCATIONWhen did you begin studying at school? What subjects did you study? When did you finish school and what qualifications did you get when you finished? Education in different countries is approached (da to approach=accostare (rsi)/avvicinare(rsi), si legge “aprouc”. V.a. “TO PULL OVER=accostare con l’auto”), in different ways. Education policies are decided by local and national governments and have a big effect on the way that people are educated. For example, look at approaches to education in three different countries, the UK, the USA and China. Most children in the UK start at primary school at the age of four, whereas in the USA children typically begin elementary school at the age of five or six. Children in China usually start primary school at the age of seven. While children in the UK and USA have fairly (abbastanza) similar class sizes of (il senso è “classi formate DA”) twenty to thirty. Chinese class sizes are usually between thirty and forty students; however some classes have even more students than this! British students are taught (da to teach/taught/taught=insegnare, il senso è “studiano”) a wide range of subjects including English, Math, Science, Design Technology, History, Music and Religious Education. American students follow a basic curriculum including Science, Mathematics, English, History and Physical Education but they also choose elective subjects (materie elettive nel senso “da loro scelte”) which contribute to their final grades (gradi, si legge “greids”) and could include a foreign language, performing arts and computing courses (arti dello spettacolo e corsi di informatica). Chinese students study a wide range of subjects including Chinese, chemistry, physics, biology, history, politics and art. Students are tested regularly throughout their time (durante il loro tempo (sot.so) trascorso) at middle and senior schools. The education is tackled (da to tackle=affrontare, si legge “tacol”) differently by people in different countries, but one thing remains the same, it is the importance of education in the lives of people around the world!PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONSIf you've finished school and university and come out with a load (carico, si legge “loud”) of academic knowledge, you're ready to start making some serious money in the business world, but how much will your academic qualifications help you? Unfortunately (V.a. “HAPPILY=per fortuna”) the answers to that question can sometimes be not a lot (non essere molte). Academic qualifications are all well and good but without professional qualifications you might find yourself making theoretically sound but practically disastrous decisions. Professional qualifications can help you prepare for and deal with specific aspects of your job. One of the most popular professional qualifications is the MBA. This stands for Masters Degree in Business Administration. It's usually a two year course that focuses on a wide range of business related subjects including economics, marketing and finance. The course can cost quite a bit (un bel pò), however, in comparison with the benefits received after completion (completamento, si legge “compliscion”), it can be quite (abbastanza) reasonable (ragionevole, si legge “rìsonabol”). Higher salary, easier to get work visas (visti (si legge “visas”) di lavoro), easier to get top jobs, higher awareness (consapevolezza) of management approaches. These are all things that can really help you achieve (raggiungere) your dreams of business success (successo, si legge “sachses”). So, is it worth it? Sure. If you've got the cash available (liquidità disponibile) it could be great for your career (carriera, si legge “cariar”). On the other hand you should make sure that you really need the qualification before you go spending such a lot of money! There are other kinds of professional qualifications though. With English, as a global language, it can be really useful to be able to prove your proficiency (competenza, si legge “profiscinsi”) in using it. There are tons of different tests and qualifications out there that you can take to show how great your English is: IELTS, TOEIC, TOEFL, Cambridge exams like the FCE, CAE, and CPE. But which ones should you take? It's important to remember the purposes (scopi, si legge “pèrpeses”) of these tests. Are you a doctor or a nurse or a student? If you want to go to these countries, IELTS is the exam for you. How about the USA? If you want to work there the TOEIC will help you. If you want to study there, take the TOEFL. The Cambridge exams are accepted worldwide but are intended for people going to the UK - after all, Cambridge is in the UK, right? They have a range of exams that test general English, business English and academic English so they'll probably have the right exam for you, whatever you want to do. Overall (nel complesso (av.bio)/ (ag.vo) complessivo/(sost.vo) tuta da lavoro), the different exams could be very useful for you, as long as you choose the right one. There are many other professional qualifications out there that could be useful for you in your specific field. Check with your company to see whether you need to take them or not. Most of them should bring you financial rewards (ricompense, si legge “rivuords”) but you should always make sure the investment is worth it. Don’t forget this piece of advice: “Do the calculations beforehand (fatti i conti in anticipo)”!IDENTIFYING LEARNING STYLESI find (found/found=trovare) that when I'm trying to study it helps (mi aiuta) to have music playing. I've found that my brain responds well to music and rhythm and approaching (da to approach=avvicinare, si legge “approuc”) my studies in this way helps me to maximize (massimizzare, si legge “maxmais”) my study time. The theory of Multiple (si legge “moltipol”) Intelligences was developed by Howard Gardner in the early nineteen eighties. Gardner's theory states that each person is “intelligent” in different ways. There are eight major areas of intelligence and different people are stronger in some areas than others. If we know what kind of intelligences we are stronger in, we can make our study time more productive. Let's have a look at Gardner's Categories of Intelligence. You can learn the bodily kinesthetic (cinestetica corporale) through movement and doing things. You might find it difficult to learn something by reading or hearing about it. You'll probably find drama (dramma) and following presentations (rappresentazioni e anche “omaggi”, si legge “presentescions”) can be useful when studying. The interpersonal learners (allievi), you're probably extroverts (estroversi) and work well as part of a group. You usually learn best by working with others and often enjoy discussion and debate. Role plays (il gioco dei ruoli) are great for you. The verbal linguistic learners, you are typically good at reading, writing and telling stories. You probably find it very easy to learn foreign languages. The logical mathematical learners, you guys love numbers! You will often learn best when using puzzles and number games. You're good at learning grammar and benefit from working with charts, graphs and tables. The intrapersonal learners, you are typically introverts (introversi) and prefer to work alone. You learn best when you are allowed to concentrate on a subject by yourselves and like to get things right. You should look for a quiet place to study. Spatial (spaziale, si legge “special”) learners are typically very good at visualizing and mentally manipulating objects. You usually learn best by using images and moving them. Flashcards (cartelli dimostrativi), drawing and visualization activities are great for you. Musical learners, of course, work best when they are working with music and rhythm. We often find it very easy to play musical instruments and some of us even have perfect pitch (intonazione, si legge “pic”). We find pronunciation work useful, and enjoy learning using chants (canti, si legge “ciants”) and music. It's very useful for you to find out what kinds of intelligence you're strongest in. If you know how your brain works you'll be able to learn better and much faster.EARLY WRITINGOn the twelfth (dodicesimo) of September 1940, four teenage (adolescente, si legge “tineig”) boys were exploring caves (grotte, si legge “cheivs”) near the village of Montignac in central France, when they noticed the walls (pareti) were covered with (NO “of”) pictures of bulls, horses and antelopes (antilopi, si legge “àntilops”). They had discovered the oldest known story ever told. The cave paintings of Lascaux (località francese) are thought to be around sixteen thousand years old, and are the earliest evidence that our ancestors told stories. Our ability to talk, however, is thought to have developed as far back (nel/i lontano/i) as two hundred thousand years ago from a mutation in our brains. This power (energia, si legge “pauar”) of speech is largely responsible for the civilizations and technology we have today. Before people could write, telling stories was, how history, mainly passed down from generation to generation. This made the “homo sapiens” the only mammal (mammifero) able to recreate and remember their past, and to learn from it and build upon it. It's amazing (stupefacente, si legge “ameisingh”) to think how much we take it for granted (diamo per buono/scontato). The earliest written story ever discovered is Gilgamesh (Re sumero per 2/3 dio e 1/3 uomo), which is believed to have been written around two thousand BC. The most complete version of this story was found written on clay tablets in the remains (resti, si legge “rimeins”) of the library (bibloteca, si legge “laibrari”) of the ancient Assyrian King, Ashurbanipal, in what is now modern Iraq. Written in the ancient language of Sumerian, Gilgamesh tells of a superhuman king, and his epic battles to defeat (sconfiggere, sost.vo “sconfitta”, si legge “defit”) his enemies. It contains a lot of themes still explored in literature today: friendship, love, family, mortality, kingdom, war and, of course, good and evil (il bene e il male). The most interesting thing about the story of Gilgamesh is that it's an example of an early (precedente), but quite sophisticated, civilization using the power of stories to build a shared identity (identità condivisa, si legge “scerd aidentiti”). It's thought Gilgamesh might actually have been a real, living king, who ruled (da to rule=governare) around that time. If this is so (se è così), then it shows that the author intentionally mixed reality and mythology to tell a story of the hopes, fears and dreams of a people which is exactly what we still do today. We tell stories both about the reality of our life - what we dream of, worry about and fear - and of our community and the wider (più ampio, si legge “uaidar”) world. Although we rarely (raramente si legge “rearli”) sit around campfires (fuohi di bivacco) telling stories of our ancestors, we do tell our stories through news programs, movies, TV shows, radio shows and, on a daily basis (su base giornaliera, il senso è “giornalmente”), in conversation at work and at home. And, instead of carving (intagliate) words onto clay tablets, we record, debate and evaluate (valutare, si legge “ivàliueit”) our shared history through novels, academic papers, newspapers, magazines (riviste), essays (saggi) and personal diaries (diari, si legge “dairis”). And, in another significant advance (anticipo/ progresso) for the power of speech, the Internet is changing once more (ancora una volta) the way we communicate with each other. In fact, publishing your personal experiences and beliefs (credenze, si legge “bilifs”) on a blog isn't that different (non è poi così diverso) from painting your hunting adventures on a cave wall or writing them on a clay tablet. Only the format has changed. What it shows is that telling stories is as natural to us as breathing (da to breathe=respirare, si legge “briith”) oxygen.GIVING A SPEECHAt some stage in life (a un certo punto della vita), everyone has to make a speech. But even if you're not a politician or a business leader, and your speech is only in front of family and friends, it can be a nerve-wracking (snervante) experience. It may be as the best man (compare d’anello) at a wedding, where you'll tell a few funny stories about the bride (sposa, si legge “braid”) and groom (sposo (abr.ne di “bridegroom”), si legge grum”), before getting (diventare) serious and wishing them the best of luck. Or it may be on your birthday, perhaps a significant one like your eighteenth, twenty first, fortieth or sixtieth, and you stand up to thank all your friends and family for being there, then invite them to have a good time. Or, and this may be a few years away yet for most of you, it may be on the day of your retirement (pensionamento/pensione, si legge “ritaiarment”). Imagine you've worked for a company for, say (diciamo), thirty years, and it's time for you to step down (dare le dimissioni) and take life easy (let. prendere la vita facile, il senso è “goderti la libertà”). There's been a big dinner, your boss has just made a speech, and now it's your turn. You get up onto the stage (palcoscenico e anche “scena”, si legge “steig”), holding your retirement gift and face the audience. Every kind of speech has its own special conventions. It's best to follow these conventions, and rely (fare assegnamento, si legge “rilai”) on your own personal experiences. Start with some humor, about getting old, your job or your boss. For example, a one liner (let. uno di linea, si legge “lainar”; il senso è “uno dei possibili argomenti”) is: the best time to think about your retirement is before your boss does. Good, that's got them relaxed. Next, let's take a walk down memory lane (let. fare una passeggiata sulla corsia (lane, si legge “lein”) della memoria, il senso è “rievocare il passato”. V.a. “TO DELVE (scavare) INTO THE PAST=rinvangare il passato”). Tell your younger colleagues about how much has changed since you first started. Change is a good theme (tema, si legge “thim”) for a retirement speech but keep it light (tieniti leggero/non eccedere) because this is no time for tears (lacrime, si legge “tiers”). Describe some of the challenges your company has overcome over (superato durante) the years. Talking about milestones (pietre miliari, si legge “mailstons”) and achievements (successi) makes everyone feel involved and positive, and it also shows how hard you worked for the company without making you seem arrogant. Then, it's time to talk about the future, both the company's and yours. Start with the company; mention some of the younger employees make them feel special. Then, tell the audience a little of what you're going to be doing in the next few years. This will give them a sense that, although you're sad (triste) to be leaving, you're also looking forward to the next exciting stage in your life. Now all that remains is the toast (brindisi). Don't forget to thank them for your retirement gift. Then you could conclude like this: Ladies and gentlemen, raise your glasses, to wish me a fond farewell (caro addio) and a happy retirement.USING THE HUMOR IN A SPEECHUsing humor when you're making a speech is a dangerous business. If you're not careful, you can fall flat on your face (let. puoi cadere piatto sulla tua faccia, il senso è “puoi perdere la faccia”). I can't tell you how to be funny, especially because what's funny in one country, or culture, isn't necessarily funny in another, but what I can tell you, are the do's and the don'ts (le cose da fare e da non fare) about using humor when you're making a speech. Number one: Practice (esercitarsi, si legge “prachts”) ahead of time (let. praticare prima del tempo, il senso è “fai una prova prima di parlare”). The easiest way to find out if your speech is funny is to practice on people before you make it. If it's not funny, you'll soon know. But if it is, you'll get a laugh. If it's a small laugh, like a tee hee (da to teehee=ridacchiare=to titter, si legge “titar”; sost.vo “risolino”), then maybe they're just being polite (gentile, si legge “polait”). If it's a proper belly laugh (una vera e propria risata di pancia), then you know your joke really is funny. My second point is: Know your audience. Every situation is different, every speech is different, and every audience is different. You gotta (abr.e di “have got to”) know what you're walking into (a cosa vai incontro) when you go on that stage. A wedding speech is going to have different kinds of jokes in it from a business presentation, thus beware (diffidare/stare attenti, si legge “bivuear”) of making rude or offensive jokes. Steer clear of (evitare/stare alla larga da, si legge “stiar clear”) anything (qualunque cosa) that could be interpreted as sexist, racist, discriminatory or just generally rude. For example, if you were (NO “was”) talking to an audience of women you wouldn't tell a joke about how bad women drivers are. But all this doesn't mean you shouldn't add some humor into your speech. In fact, having a joke or two up your sleeve (manica, il senso è “di riserva/pronte”), for those times when your audience are losing interest, is important. For example you can ask: Which day of the week does fish hate (odiare)? The answer is: FRYDAY (venerdi, ma per i pesci sarebbe il “giorno (day) della frittura (fry)”. So, what do you do if you make a joke and it bombs (da to bomb=bombardare, si legge “boom”, il senso è “risulta un fallimento”)? Nobody laughs! Well, what you don't do is run away crying, get angry or look as if your feelings are hurt, but the best thing to do is to make a joke out of your bad joke (il senso è “prenditi in giro riferendoti alla cattiva barzelletta”) saying: “Oh my God that was my best joke”. The best advice is to aim for balance (puntare sul bilanciamento).If there's too much humor in your speech, the audience won't take you seriously. If your speech is long, dry (asciutto, nel senso “non spiritoso”) and boring (noioso), your audience will just be waiting for it all to be over (sarà in attesa che tutto finisca). So next time you have to give a speech, don't be afraid of making a few jokes.THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESSDuring the American Civil War, the small Pennsylvanian town of Gettysburghad been the site of a horrific battle in which over 7,500 soldiers had (NO “were”) died. It was out of these sad (tristi) circumstances that one of the most famous speeches in American history was conceived (da to conceive= concepire, si legge consiiv), it is “The Gettysburg Address (indirizzo ed anche “discorso”)”. The story behind the speech is a fascinating one. Despite being the president of the US, Lincoln was not asked to make the keynote speech (punto fondamentale del discoso, si legge “chinout”) at the ceremony. That honor belonged (da to belong=appartenere/spettare, si legge “bilongh”) instead to a man called Edward Everett who had, in his time, been the Secretary of State and the president of Harvard University. The organizers wanted to open the cemetery (cimitero, si legge “semeteri”) on October twenty third, but Everett complained, asking for more time to prepare his speech. It was agreed that (fu concordato che) it would be delayed (da to delay=ritardare/rimandare (si legge “dilei”), sost.vo “ritardo”, eg. I delayed my departure (partenza, si legge “diparciar”) because of the bad weather) until November nineteenth. The organizers decided, almost as (quasi come) an afterthought (ripensamento), to invite the President of the country to say a few words. The invitation reached (da to reach=arrivare/raggiungere) Abraham Lincoln only seventeen days before he was due to make a speech, and forty days after Everett had been invited. Even in those days, this was incredibly rude! Giving the President of your country only seventeen days' notice before making a speech, especially as he wasn't top of the bill (come se lui non fosse in cima alla lista), would be unthinkable (impensabile, si legge “antinchbol”) today! So, the day arrived, and Everett, well prepared, displayed (da to display=mostrare) his oratorical skills in a speech which lasted over two hours. Lincoln, on the other hand, spoke for just over two minutes. And yet it is Lincoln's two minute Gettysburg Address which is so fondly (affettuosamente) remembered and referenced (da to reference=fare riferimento, si legge “riferens”) in political speeches throughout the years. The President first said: “Four (4) score (20 anni) and seven years (7 anni) ago (4 x 20 + 7=87 anni or sono) our fathers brought forth (portarono avanti) on this continent a new nation dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal”. The opening line became one of the most famous in western speech making history. At once (subito), it asks the audience (si chiede al pubblico) to think back to the birth (nascita, si legge “berth”) of the US, and, it echoes (evoca/richiama) the famous lines from the Declaration of Independence, 'that all men are created equal'. The speech then suggests that the men who died in the battle were fighting for just that equality and freedom. Only ten sentences later, the speech ends with the immortal lines: “This nation shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish (non muoia) from the earth”. Notice that he was talking about the birth of the nation rather than the death of the soldiers. He emphasized the role the American people would need to take in rebuilding their country after the war, in the famous phrase, 'a government of the people, by the people, for the people'. In two minutes, Lincoln had got to the heart of the matter more effectively than Everett had in over two hours! Indeed (infatti), the speech was so short that only one of the groups of photographers managed to set up his camera in time to take a picture. But despite its brevity (brevità/ concisione), the speech proved to be one of the turning points of the civil war. It helped the north remember what they were fighting for freedom and equality for all people, black and white and strengthened (da to strengthen=rafforzare, si legge “strenchten”) Lincoln's personal position as their leader remembered to this day as one of the greatest American Presidents of all time.WHAT’S SO FUNNY? undefinedb5ed39da-e54e-47eb-9065-6e3bd4fc8dff.mp3undefined570707e2-a64d-4b4b-932e-98c46704854c.mp3There are two different kinds of laugh. undefined016cd6d0-28f4-48d4-93ce-dd5967fc221a.mp3 The first one lasts only a few seconds. undefinede5e8f65c-f863-4d07-adef-a8204176e515.mp3 It could be a chuckle (risatina, si legge “ciacol”) or a giggle (burla, si legge “ghigol”) or a cackle (schiamazzo, si legge “cacol”) or a snigger (risolino malizioso, si legge “snigar”).undefined4bfb7b2f-26cc-4913-8192-b853b6396e82.mp3 The second kind of laugh makes your face go red (il senso è “ti fa arrossire dal ridere”).undefinedf16807e7-4164-491b-8a52-722235442d08.mp3 Your diaphragm moves up and down, your heart rate quickens (la frequenza cardiaca accelera), tears come to your eyes, and your body releases (rilascia, si legge “riliss”) a cocktail of chemicals (sostanze chimiche) that makes you feel good.undefined84e72c8f-c0e5-49ff-b0fd-361c65d27ad0.mp3 This is often called the belly laugh (risata di pancia). undefined41cf657a-2ec0-4ef2-86d3-a74e6f346af3.mp3The reasons behind why we laugh are complex. undefined6275968a-dc4f-4e94-a35a-e77b913c59b6.mp3Firstly, that old proverb, “Laughter (risata, si legge “laftar”) is the best medicine” is quite true as “undefined9165a996-3cd4-4942-8b6c-c3d87549beae.mp3Laughing is good for your health”. undefinedebaf6e75-4775-4949-aec1-916efd8f2f27.mp3The chemicals released when you laugh can reduce stress and boost (incrementano) the immune system and lower blood pressure.3undefinedb51bf4a9-75dd-4289-bc18-0654e63b8afb.mp3 Secondly, laughter acts (agisce) as a kind of social signal (segnale, si legge “sigh-nol”).undefined9435eda3-0743-4220-96c1-50c61ab28c3e.mp3 Every day, we use laughter in different ways to help communicate our feelings to other people. undefined62227e79-3de2-44c7-8627-6d2bcfba139c.mp3For example, laughing can signal agreement, pleasure, understanding, friendship or attraction. undefinedcdaf305d-9cfb-4887-8369-67e8be112320.mp3 That's why women like men who make them laugh, and men like women who laugh at their jokes. undefined695cb61e-43a5-4f43-8eb3-7cbb1776a1b5.mp3Men and women laugh in different ways.undefined652ece61-a439-47c6-98eb-14fdb0ab5f17.mp3 Laughter, especially in young men, is related (collegato, si legge “releitd”) to the chemical testosterone, which means men laugh in a more aggressive manner. undefinedb6953490-563e-4f06-86bf-a82dabf7e32e.mp3 It's believed women are more prone (dispose, si legge “proun”) to laugh with, whereas (mentre) men are more likely/arguably (più probabilmente) to laugh at. undefineda98f6025-fa2f-4050-a579-a803613b1a7d.mp3Furthermore, just as laughter cements (da to cement=cementare, sost.vo “cement”, si legge “semènt”) social relationships between people, it also helps cement our hierarchies (gerarchie, si legge “hàirachis”). undefinedd855ef20-9f82-4f18-ab99-4f7389101e89.mp3 One study found that employers actually make more jokes on a daily basis (su base giornaliera) than their employees. undefineded4c8902-3e87-4d2e-82e8-ffbbf9127dc7.mp3 It could be that humor is used to show people who's boss. undefined25ea10b9-5987-475e-ac47-ccededf403af.mp3The flipside (il rovescio della medaglia. V.a. “TO FLIP (girare molto rapidamente) A COIN/AN OMELETTE=lanciare una moneta a testa o croce/rivoltare un’omelette”) of this, is that every time you laugh at your boss's jokes, you're strengthening (da to strengthen=rafforzare) his or her dominant position. undefined292300a1-1acc-4af3-abf2-ccbdab8c3560.mp3But be careful: if you don't laugh, you might not get that promotion! undefined9ef80d49-5a96-40c3-b952-678b4c867704.mp3 There are various theories to explain what makes us laugh. undefined463b587e-4ce3-4a36-9ad6-87ce8b6e5c28.mp3 Perhaps you laughed at Charlie Chaplin getting hit in the face (essendo colpito in faccia) because of felling of superiority, seeing someone repeatedly (ripetutamente) make a mistake is funny because they seem so stupid, it makes you glad because you're not like them! undefineda6dc9e8a-8df3-418b-94b9-5690bca90f31.mp3Another theory is that humans laugh because of a feeling of relief (sollievo/conforto, si legge “rilif”).undefined4f01ca65-a9d7-47f5-bda6-07999f66a3a6.mp3Perhaps our ancestors, after escaping from a dangerous situation, laughed to release (rilasciare (si legge “rilis”), nel senso “liberasi della”) their fear. undefined37b88641-c70d-4ce0-95d3-aaa4c1131458.mp3In the funniest slapstick comedy (farsa grossolana) moments, we laugh because, although we've just watched someone get hurt (si fanno male), we know they'll get up again, rub (rubbed/rubbed=strofinare) their head and walk away. undefinedd0ba6023-3270-4cd7-a17e-76e745a5a886.mp3A third theory concerns the incongruity (incongruenza) of the situation. undefined4b7a420d-fb2d-4447-84c8-591d63667c6e.mp3To see a seemingly respectable (persona apparentemente rispettabile, si legge “siminghli rispetbol”), well dressed, educated man doing something extremely silly (sciocco) is unexpected and strange, and this makes us laugh. undefinedcbf4e080-c1bf-4407-bda9-32deea1d574b.mp3 Humor, of course, differs (da to differ=differire/ essere diverso, si legge “difèr”) from the culture (cultura, si legge “colciar”).undefined89571c47-74f5-4a66-b283-582ff72b3d95.mp3 What might be funny to me might not be at all funny to you, and vice versa (viceversa, si legge “vais versa”).undefined48a71c68-543c-43ff-b7ca-17cca3f1aea1.mp3What (che) definitely (decisamente, si legge “definintli”) is the case, though, is that explaining why something is funny tends to remove (rimuovere, si legge “rimuv”) all the humor from it.APRIL FOOLSOn April 1st, 1957, the British Broadcasting Corporation, better known as the BBC,broadcast (trasmette/trasmissione) a program about a bumper (sost.vo paraurti; ag.voundefined6e52130e-6c11-4186-8258-f572119e4d4b.mp3eccezionale/abbondante) spaghetti crop (raccolto) in a small village in Switzerland. undefineda146b795-5ce5-4344-9771-3a629ab509ed.mp3The program then showed local village women picking strands (fili, si legge “strans”) of spaghetti from the branches (rami/filiali) of trees. undefined263c7417-f71e-4afc-a5fd-38faeaf7f421.mp3This, of course, was an April Fool's joke (pesce d’aprile) actuallyundefined25cca8c3-eeb8-4f6c-9577-3d2a9e7d1b6e.mp3 spaghetti doesn't grow on trees! undefined4da35e08-c5ac-4794-abab-6cfe6a4c1bd8.mp3However, in 1957, not all that long after the end (non molto tempo dopo la fine) of World War Two, many people in the UK had little or no experience of what spaghetti was, and were completely fooled (da to fool=ingannare) by the joke broadcast.undefineda24fc32e-36fd-4b6e-892c-796315d1e8ff.mp3 Husbands and wives (mogli,“uaivs”; sing.le “wife”) reargued (da to argue= discutere, si legge “arghiu”) in their living rooms, angry or confused viewers (spettartori) phoned the BBC to ask them if this was really true, undefined595b12a8-df8c-42a6-9555-903d610e6b39.mp3 and some, excited by the idea of having their own spaghetti tree, actually called in asking the BBC how to grow one! undefinedc516c21d-7fe7-42f9-8df3-91e37f236eb4.mp3This was the first televised (teletrasmesso, si legge “televaisd”) April Fool's joke, and still one of the best. undefinedece00116-5a89-40ba-805b-a2fea131f39a.mp3It worked because the program appeared on the BBC's most serious and respected news program, called Panorama,undefined39fdfda5-bd8c-47c9-b4b6-b5fb2ac59a0b.mp3 and that the presenter, Richard Dimbleby, was well known for his no nonsense style. undefined5d0278d1-439d-4520-aca3-67736d075b41.mp3Also, I guess, because at that time the Brits didn't know much about spaghetti!undefined7b804c91-d42c-41fb-b60a-a591c9dac010.mp3This was in the days when TV's were black and white and, five years later, in 1962, a Swedish TV channel used this fact to their advantage in another hilarious April Fool's hoax (beffa/inganno del pesce d’aprile, si legge “houx”). undefined5c1225b6-6087-4143-b05b-d10b095631ba.mp3The presenter welcomed an esteemed scientist onto the show, who told the viewers that he had discovered how they could turn their black and white televisions into color ones.undefined6be452c7-9e56-476a-96bb-45c056cec6dc.mp3 Simply by putting anylon stocking (calza) over the screen!undefined56f3be8b-b184-49a3-84ff-9bd09e8ced9b.mpThis was made more believable (cedibile, si legge“biliv-ebol”) by the scientist talking at great length (lungamente), in complex technical terms, about how the stocking would refract the light beams (fasci luminosi) in such a way that their black and white TV screens would become color! undefined542259ab-a12c-4030-b79a-43ef58926db9.mpCan you imagine thousands of husbands running to their wives and cutting up a pair, to put it over the TV, only to be disappointed (solo per essere/restare delusi)! undefined01beb7cb-f7a0-4ea6-8b15-b5086f96e9c3.mp3In 1976, this time on radio in the UK, the English astronomer Patrick Moore played what must be one of the silliest (più sciocco) April Fool's jokes wundefined16356f4a-1a7b-4c44-bf80-777d63fb39hen he told his viewers that, at exactly 9.47 a.m. that day, Pluto, the smallest planet in the solar system, would move behind the largest, Jupiter undefinedbecab088-042c-4d14-88e4-728d3573049c.mp3 (Giove) and this would cause a unique gravitational effect whereby (per cui), if the viewers jumped in the air at that exact moment, they would feel themselves float (galleggiare, si legge “flout”) up into the air, as if they were in zero (si legge “ziro”) gravity!undefineddec4adad-b6df-4252-a65d-60ed54e6139b.mp3Moore presented this so believably, that many people across the UK tried (da to try=provare/tentare, si legge “trai”) it. undefined7b11b556-89d5-48c0-894d-9085a048dea0.mp3One woman even called in later to say that she and her eleven friends had floated up into the air and around the room! undefined4c38f2b9-e2a7-4e42-8f96-b771998bf235.mp3It just goes to show (ciò dimostra) that we can convince ourselves of anything, if we're excited enough about it.A GOOD COME-BACKCome-back (botta e risposta/battuta pronta), put-down (commento gradevole) andone-liner (risposta (sot.so) sopra le righe/battuta arguta, si legge “uanlainer”) are a kind of sharp declarations or answers against impolite (scortese, si legge “impolait”) sentences. Don't you just hate (odiare, si legge “heit”) it when someone insults or makes fun of you (si prende gioco di te), and you can't think of a witty (spiritoso) come-back to reply with? And then, suddenly, three hours later, you think of something funny and cutting (tagliente, si legge “catingh”; to cut/cut/cut= tagliare) to say? And you think, I wish I'd thought of that at the time (al momento giusto). The art of a good put down (compromesso), a sharp come back, a funny one liner, or indeed any off the cuff (polsino, si legge “caf” e anche discorso come in “to speak off the cuff=improvvisare un discorso”) witty remark (il senso è “o addirittura avere (fuori dal polsino) una pronta risposta spiritosa”) ), is hard to learn and may even just be a natural gift in the meaning that you either have it, or you don't (o l’hai o non l’hai). You may not believe it to look at him, but Winston Churchill was just as famous for his sharp come-backs and one-liners as he was for making war time speeches. It got to the point that (è arrivato al punto che) no one dared (da to dare= osare, si legge “dear”) insult him. As they knew he would hit them with an instant, cutting, hilarious and often nasty (cattivo) come-back. Take this one for an example when a woman called Lady Astor said to him: “If I were (NO “was”) married to you, I'd poison (avvelenare, sost.vo “veleno”) your coffee”. Churchill replied: “If you were (fossi) my wife, I'd drink (drank/drunk (ubriaco)=bere.) it.” Another famous example is when the renowned playwright (rinomato/famoso drammaturco, si legge “rinaund pleirait”) George Bernard Shaw left Churchill the following note, inviting him to the opening of his new play. “I’m reserving two tickets for you for my premiere (prima, si legge “premìar”). Come and bring a friend if you have one”. Churchill wrote back (rispose per iscritto): “Impossible (diverso da “impassable= invalicabile/impraticabile”) to be present for the first performance. I’ll attend second (parteciperò alla replica), if there is one”. Not bad, huh? The effective “come-back'' is a bit like fighting fire with fire. The structure and the content (contenuto; verbo “accontentare”) of the come-back reflect the structure and the content of the original insult, only funnier, and often nastier (più brutto/ sgradevole). The 'come- back', or its close cousin, the 'put-down', are two of the nastier forms of wit (spirito/arguzia) that is, however, not just about being nasty, or even funny, it's about being clever (intelligente). The wittiest (più spiritoso) man in the English language is generally held to be Oscar Wilde the famous Irish writer living in nineteenth century England, became renowned for his witty (spiritose) one-liners. His witticisms (arguzie, si legge “uitsisams”) were famous for their blend of truth (caratteristica (sot.so) di mescolare/ manipolare la verità), humor and a paradoxical nature (natura, si legge “neiciar”), meaning that, through seeming to contradict himself he often hit (hit/hit=colpire/ picchiare) upon something funny or profound. Take this Wilde’s sentence as example: “I always pass on (passare su nel senso ”non ascoltare”) good advice. It is the only thing to do with it. It is never of any use (non è mai di alcuna utilità) to oneself. We love to give advice, but we never enjoy following it”. And Wilde managed to put this in such a way that it was both funny and deep (profondo) as what he wrote on the subject of romance: “Men always want to be a woman's first love and women like to be a man's last romance (idillio, si legge “romens”)''. Wilde went to the US to do a lecture tour (giro di conferenze, si legge “lech-cìuar tuar”) and, on arriving at Customs (dogana) he was asked if he had anything to declare. He replied, completely off the cuff (polsino, si legge “caf”, il senso è “a braccio/senza esitare”), that he had nothing to declare but (salvo che) his genius. Even when dying penniless (morendo senza un soldo) in a cheap French hotel, Wilde was still able to make a smart remark (acuta osservazione). Looking up at the badly decorated room, his last words were: ”My wallpaper (carta da parati) and I are in a battle to the death (combattiamo fino alla morte), one or the other must go”. Even in his last moments, it was in Wilde's nature to be witty (spiritoso). Perhaps some people are just born that way (sono proprio nati in questo modo).NEWS THROUGH TIMEundefinedd054abb9-3f1b-40a8-9027-fb5d7ab9150d.mp3How do you get the news? undefined3c0acb73-493a-4502-8b1a-d5fce9c8d52d.mp3Do you watch it on TV or listen to it on the radio? undefinede854c8de-8561-4340-9ddf-954ccb211abf.mp3Do you read online newspapers or news blogs? undefined4cbee9f9-82c6-4766-b03b-f62eb136d172.mp3Or do you get a pod cast (let. guscio lanciato; audio digitale su Internet) delivered to your email inbox (posta in arrivo)? undefined45485791-af98-4533-815a-3d520e4b8539.mp3News has never before been available to so many people in so many different forms and so convenient, so immediate.undefined7dad2ff6-72c3-43f1-baa7-9504896a82b0.mp3 However, getting the news didn't always use to be so easy. undefinedd22d914c-a1c9-4b98-b103-e2ca1fee53a7.mp3On these questions a newscaster (giornalista) answered. “undefined6b0d489e-e627-46bf-9145-7a7656252397In medieval times, many town councils (consigli di città, si legge “taun caunsils”) and governments relied on (fecero assegnmento su, da to relay=fornire, si legge “rilei”) a man with a loud voice to deliver news to the general public. undefinedd555e3b9-d51c-4718-958c-eae09fbad768.mp3This person was called the 'Town Crier' (banditore (si legge “craiar”) cittadino) who called out, “Oyez Oyez”undefined74d777bc-e176-487d-b1ee-e1270086e520.mp3 which doesn't actually mean 'Oh yes', but derives (da to derive=derivare, si legge“deraiv”) from the Anglo Norman word for 'listen'. undefined51e9d8e7-0b92-47a6-afdd-54d84d8e1Of course, this method of delivering the news had its drawbacks (inconvenienti)”. undefinedf04639ab-4939-4b30-94f2-cd9811bf36b9.mp3The main thing was lacking (fu la mancanza) of a wide (larga, si legge “uaid”) audience. undefined8bb04233-c229-43d2-8d45-199ac02563d7.mp3Furthermore, the information delivered was strictly (rigorosamente) controlled by the local council or government. undefined771e1852-3d9b-4c29-9248-932bThis all changed with the advent of the newspaper. undefinedc46fa799-00f2-4ffd-9a0f-a7eac3a32Around the beginning of the seventeenth century, the first mass printed newspapers appeared in northern European countries such as Germany and Holland. undefinedcb1017f5-f724-4004-bc0d-76bda8f213a1.mp3Newspapers were in many ways revolutionary (rivoluzionarie, si legge “revoluscionari”). undefined7424a6ad-8ff3-40ca-a347-114ed653d9bb.mp3They could reach a huge audience. undefined8ddf813d-0887-4197-88ff-294cb1dded1a.mp3They could be written and printed by anyone, as long as (fin tanto che) they had access to a printing press and enough money to fund (finanziare, si legge “fand”.V.a. “FUNDS=soldi”) the publication. undefinede20247b1-2e23-4c38-a8f9-0265c60cc40d.mp3And what they didn't necessarily have to do was reflect (rispecchiare) the government opinion of the day. undefined1cf8e943-6518-4020-a0f6-388d218f45bf.mpIn other words, to some extent (in qualche misura. V.a. “IN THE EXTENT TO WHICH=nella misura in cui”), newspapers and freedom of thought, opinion and expression went hand in hand (di pari passo). undefinedfd4ed5ef-7509-4ef8-aef5-4698fdc9f59d.mFast forward to the twentieth century, newspaper sales have fallen drastically because of the undefined7d5e2fd5-edb4-4d79-bfc5-eef3f9722television. undefined7bb3506b-68f7-4fdb-b182-63e31bf8b39d.mp3In some ways, television has much more in common with the Town Crier than it does with newspapers. undefined8a84a661-5be3-4aeb-a30e-6a60c2089a40.mp3News reports are shorter, more visual, and delivered orally rather than via the written word. undefined4ba390bd-9a24-4cbb-8612-af779fbfb256.mp3 Furthermore, in most countries, television news channels are controlled by a small number of powerful people whichundefinedbd760b6a-2444-4f5f-8da7-0cf6998ba7f4.mp3 tell us what they want. undefined12f78753-3947-4d92-b905-66e9d4ea2d05.mp3Think about it. undefined560d6154-ba50-4f26-a09d-5b04a3fb9ce4.mp3How many people have the money and influence to be able to buy all the necessary equipment (attrezzatura) and start their own television news channel? undefineda8e6654b-918d-42b2-91be-560f615b07a4.mp3Unless you're a millionaire with the right contacts, it's almost impossible. undefined53cef86b-12ac-4cc2-827a-3eb42bd01eb7.mp3Of course, the Internet has changed all that.undefined333a245a-4488-4535-8faa-8f46c0723b50.mp3 In this new era of instant information, anyone with a computer and online access can write a news report and publish it online to a potential audience of billions. undefinedf5c2bfa2-0613-4dc6-8150-d43bf292a157.mp3Indeed (in effetti/infatti, si legge “indid”), you can even video yourself and broadcast your own news report by posting (da to post=inviare, si legge “poust”) it on a video sharing website! undefinedc872d174-9d49-481f-88bb-618e558b42c4.mp3Like never before (mai come prima), ordinary people are now able to report what's really going on in their area, and enter into discussion and debate about it. undefined8c54844f-0adb-4daa-b317-4853d5366f9e.mp3From the Town Crier, to the printed newspaper, to TV broadcast news, and now the Internet, the history of news has swung (da to swing/swang/swung=oscillare, nel senso “portare a termine”) full circle a number of times (let. un ciclo completo un numero di volte). undefined10aa7f7f-185a-4421-a926-8ace66e4f0aa.mp3 Right now, though, perhaps we're witnessing (da to witness=testimoniare; sost.vo “testimone/testimonianza”) the beginning of a new age.NEWSPAPERS UP CLOSEIn Britain, it used to be (let. usato per essere, il senso è “era consueto”) that you could tell the quality of a newspaper by the size (dimensione, si legge “sais”) of its pages. There was the tabloid (conciso) newspaper with its smaller pages, huge headlines (grandi titoli) and short sensationalized articles. And then there was the broadsheet (manifesto) with its larger pages, smaller headlines and longer, denser (più densi, si legge “densar”) articles. Then, the broadsheets decided to become environmentally friendly (amici dell’ambiente, si legge “invariomentli frendly”). To save paper, they switched (da to switch=frustare ed anche “cambiare”) to the smaller, tabloid size. At first, readers worried (da to worry=preoccupare/rsi, si legge “uari”, sost.vo “preoccupazione”) that the broadsheets, in terms of quality, would become similar to the tabloids (giornali scandalistici). To their relief, this never happened. However, if the tabloids and the broadsheets are now the same size, how else can (in che modo) we tell them apart (to tell apart=distinguere)? Well, first of all, you just have to look at the headlines. For example, in a headline you might see in a broadsheet newspaper reporting on a military campaign. Notice, first of all, that the letters are lower case (minuscule), not capitals (maiuscole). This makes the tone more serious. Also, apart from missing out the article 'the', which is a standard headline device (un dispositivo di titolo standard), it's a full sentence (frase completa). Also, it's in a neutral style, presenting only the facts. Compare this to its tabloid equivalent. First of all, the headline is certainly not neutral. It's “us against them (noi contro loro)”. It's also a lot shorter, written in dramatic capital letters, and it uses colloquial language - language of the way we usually speak - to grab (grabbed/grabbed= afferrare) the attention of the reader. Now, let's look at other ways newspaper headlines have of grabbing (da to grab=afferrare con violenza, si legge “greeb”) our attention. This headline uses alliterations (alliterazioni =ripetizioni spontanee) as the repetition of a consonant, to introduce the story in an eye catching (nel senso “capace di catturare l’attenzione tramite l’occhio”), or should I say, ear catching way (nel senso “capace di catturare l’attenzione tramite l’orecchio”). In every newspaper, the style of headline reflects the content of the news report underneath (sottostanti). Want the latest (ultimissime (sot.so) notizie) on the pretty young pop star and her football player boyfriend? Go to the tabloids. Want an in depth (dettagliato, si legge “depth) review of the global economy or the latest political reports? Go to the broadsheets. The one thing that tabloids and broadsheets do have in common, however, is: they both need to sell, and this means attracting readers. Editors know (knew/known= sapere/conoscere) that providing (da to provide=fornire, si legge “provaid”) variety and maintaining (da to maintain=mantenere) reader interest is the most important thing for the survival of their newspaper. Thus most tabloids have a little bit of (uno poco di) the broadsheet in them, and most broadsheets, though they might not admit it, have a little bit of the tabloid.POLITICAL CORRECTNESSundefinedf1a3c7bc-953c-4276-b102-98dabc28926f.mp3In the US, it's no longer (non è più) a policeman or policewoman who protects and serves our citizens, iundefinedeead269e-1fe9-4b7d-98a0-0e99dbbda729.nstead (anzichè, si legge“insted”), it's a police officer. undefined5ce404a3-81f2-468d-86c9-0e118fcd416d.mp3In the same way, letters aren't delivered by a postman anymore (più. V.a. NOT ANYMORE =non più), but by a postal worker.undefined0712355a-0006-4947-819b-a8e2326f20c0.mp3 In flight, meals and drinks are no longer served by a stewardess (hostes), but by a flight attendant (guardiano). undefined3eb907dd-fb0c-4480-b116-dd58c0651ef4.And a woman who stays at home to look after the children isn't referred to as a housewife, but as a homemaker. undefinedc438294e-19b5-4c68-bb4b-c68f700afe9b.mp3Why? undefined7668ebf1-7256-4023-af62-aa6c57040fd4.mp3Well, it's thought that by referring to a person's job using gender terms such as “man and woman”, or the suffixes “er and ess”, a person's job is being defined by the nature of their sex, not by their performance (prestazione). undefined076c79fa-d329-4e3d-9791-62bb968d6847.mpSuppose, for example, that undefined6b49f66d-2b7b-49c6-bbd0-f335d2330459.mp3I’d be a politician. undefined6d76d878-09ec-453a-9e2f-9f42a86e40f3.mp3Now, does it matter to you that I'm a man or a woman? undefinedc6398ae4-d99b-4b6f-b51c-0d0f84bb791a.mp3 Or, does it matter that I'm good at my job? undefinedd46f5666-9972-46ab-8ebd-4f6940881327.mpIf your answer was: "I don't care if you're a man or a woman, just make the economy better, lower my taxes, and improve my standard of living", then you're well on the way to becoming a 'politically correct', or “PC” person. undefined4e686517-62a7-4688-a638-a8a0f0f5119e.mpPolitical correctness (correttezza politica) addresses the issue (affronta il problema) of equal rights, in other words, the fair treatment of people no matter what race, skin color, shape, belief, religion, nationality or sex they are, because all people were born free and equal.undefinedd33ede75-3f35-4d3a-ad88-ac4c4a4ff2bf.mp3 Here's an example of someone being 'politically incorrect'. undefined6a564cc9-125d-48e8-abd3-41b5dc79881f.mA schoolteacher got into trouble for saying: "We need to encourage fat children to eat healthily and do more exerciseundefinedc06e8ab8-62e4-43f7-b17c-0ab86aa5241f.mp3". Indeed (infatti) the term “fat” is politically incorrect because tundefined74319870-025b-4e28-a70f-3a6c9cc209e8.mp3he better PC term for it is 'overweight'. undefinedcd9e0321-6a20-4fab-9bc7-c99e318675da.mp3However, do you think being “PC” can sometimes be taken too far (nel senso “essere una esagerazione”)? undefined715624ee-87a9-4477-bfa7-1b48f79e2064.mp3In some classrooms in the UK, students are now no longer passing or failing exams. undefined54ef3c4d-1b91-4161-a90e-e8083c07333d.mp3Afraid that (temuto che) a lack of success might harm (devastare/danneggiare=TO RAVAGE, sost.vo=danno, si legge “raveg”) the children's self esteem, they are now being given a “Deferred Success” (successo differito, si legge ”difer sechsèss”) grade, rather than an F for “Fail”. undefined24ded891-db60-4d6a-97da-ab1c0ad2bd79.mp3In fact, so worried are schools about the damage that failure can do to a child, in soccer (gioco del calcio, si legge “sacar”) there are now no winners or losers. undefined4e131b93-96c5-4cef-8444-3be56dc94ba9.mAll children are simply called participants.undefined307fec57-4d79-41ce-b52c-fe2e369cbb75.mp3 What do you think? undefined3533712e-70f0-42cd-a4e8-d1818d03260c.mp3 Should exams be passed and failed? undefined049cebc3-abcb-459a-9aee-6bdc2a86f55a.mp3 Should soccer games be won and lost? undefinedfa676b78-71f6-4cc5-a996-f5108c81f299.mp3Or should we all just be 'participants'? undefined9797f569-3584-4ba9-9181-b7e5f77e0d3a.mp3Sometimes, the unvarnished truth (verità nuda e cruda) is “you won or you lost”.HEADLINES WITH A PUNCHundefinedfd373a13-e1f2-4bb6-8654-35e0dde8f954.mp3If you're a copy editor (redattore) for a newspaper, or even just someone who has to write a lot for their job or studies, one of the trickier (più complicate/difficili), si legge “trichiar”) things to spot (da indiviuare) is when a word or sentence means one thing to you, but something completely different to somebody else. undefined48accd98-919b-4d14-a3d5-66db52cc09e5.mp3This is especially tricky (difficile) in newspaper headlines (titoli), because the number of words is so limited. undefined9e97bd89-47ef-46c1-9975-f3d39be66fe8.mp3For this headline to make more sense, extra words would have to be added, or the tense (tempo grammaticale) changed, bundefined121a6b2b-4196-45b0-8c3e-bbec4039b14a.mp3ut headlines need to be short and punchy (incisive, si legge “panci”). undefinedd55b2159-f3c1-4362-aeed-6e847e02c167.mp3Sometimes the double (doppio, si legge “dabol”) meanings that occur (accadono, si legge “ochèr”) in badly written headlines can be hilarious (divertente, si legge “hilarios”). For example, aundefined17a61a32-0296-49e7-ac08-f47e6d67c3c0.m headline from a report (da un rapporto) shows the dangers of bouncy (rimbalzante, si legge “baunzi”. V.a. “To bounce (sost.vo “rimbalzo”) the ball=fare rimbalzare la palla”, si legge “bauns the bol”, è il gesto tipico di un tennista prima di “servire”) castles. undefined1fff6d74-fb21-4e50-8bdb-65a6e676697d.mpBut, according to the headline, it's not the play equipment (giocattolo) that's inflatable (gonfiabile, si legge “infleitbol”), it's the children! undefined88e1ba2e-dff5-4bd2-9e40-989b15d7817a.mp3If you're trying to write something serious, the last thing you want to be is an unintentional comedian (comico involontario)!COMMUNICATION AND GENDERundefined031150d0-be63-4fbe-bc5a-a37d97b19673.mp3Have you ever seen one of those where you see males (maschi, si legge “meils”) fighting in order to gain the upper hand (il sopravvento) or more simply gain a mate (acquisire un compagno) and where the female (femmina, si legge “fimeil”) of the species is lookingundefined43a154a4-6efa-4207-b8b7-8e80fb41f6e5.mp3 after (da to look after=sorvegliare/avere cura) the young?undefined0b22b955-0a58-4339-823e-ca8642253319.mp3 While many would acknowledge (ammettere. V.a.: “TO ACKNOWLEDGE ONE’S MISTAKES= riconoscere i propri errori e TO SPOT (individare) A Mistake=scoprire un errore”) that every person is different, some suggest that this basic pattern (modello di base) seems to carry over (riportare, nel senso “sembra essere applicabile”) into the human species. undefined8a972c39-3578-4aac-badf-366f8241376b.mp3Men would compete against each other to win (won/won=vincere e anche “conquistare”) the women, and compete against nature to win their dinner. undefined492b3684-c581-463a-9bd2-f1031611be75.mp3For men, winning meant (da to mean/meamt/meant=volere dire/intendere/significare) staying alive.undefinedad2e1b1c-0944-4f7d-8f16-505f24626349.mp3 Women, on the other hand, were often in the role of taking care of the families and encouraging cooperation. undefinedfa65a4f1-0fa9-4681-980e-86346097f5ec.mp3For women, avoiding fights meant staying alive. undefined18b30cd8-059f-46cf-960b-b8e2c3b0dfaa.mpLinguists have noticed that men and women tend to carry over (or forward) these basic traits (tratti fonfamentali, si legge “beisich treits”) into how they communicate even today. undefined118af169-7870-4056-a835-67e327e1b0ff.mp3Women's speech seems to demonstrate a desire (desiderio, si legge “disaiar”) to avoid a conflict. undefineda5cc78fa-9495-4caa-bfc4-df28744024c9.mpFor example a woman, suspecting her man of taking her hairbrush (spazzola per capelli, si legge “herbrasc”), rather than accuse her man outright (completamente) saying: “undefined763414a6-0fb7-424f-a909-90f3c387a6ee.mp3You borrowed (da to borrow=prendere in prestito. V.a. “to lend/lent/lent=dare in prestito”) my hairbrush without asking permission”, undefined39653732-6c87-4cc0-bad4-515d162e0f0d.mwill use a tag (etichetta) question as a way to bring the other person into the conversation, and soften (ammorbidire/attenuare, si legge “sofen”) a remark so as (in modo da) to sound less accusatory.undefined94e6c424-94d1-4f54-af08-e48bb6829bb2.mp3 So she’ll ask: “You didn't take my hairbrush, did you”? undefinedb2e057f5-96b1-43f1-82c3-562e33145d16.mp3In a similar vein (let. vena; il senso è “allo stesso modo”), it's suggested that women are more likely (più propensi/disponibili) to use what linguists call “hedges” (siepi, si legge “hegs”) which are words like 'perhaps', 'seem' etcetera so as to turn a direct statement into a softer one jundefined8132ffbd-a6a5-4ae3-a7d7-a3a2205e1a76.mp3ust in case the listener has a different take (un diverso approccio) on (NO “of”) the situation.undefined6696b464-4d9d-449b-8993-464417b68d75.mp3 Suppose that the fridge is broken and pundefined33b8a200-0ee3-4655-863c-4ec801786d1a.mp3erhaps we should call a repair man (riparatore). undefinedbe53311c-35cd-4c8b-acfa-024c87114438.mpWhile the woman may just want to flag up (mettere in risalto) the fact the fridge is broken,undefined76972bf2-c967-4743-8d9d-c2607ce04487.mp3 the man may infer (può dedurre) something else and say: “undefined41de2ece-c0a0-4a5b-9014-9266751a674e.mp3Why don't you just ask me directly to get the fridge fixed”? undefinedfb61f425-6e19-4370-82d3-401a7ab37973.mp3Linguists have noticed that men show a preference for more directness (immediatezza) in conversation, calling a spade (vanga, si legge “speid”=?) a spade (il senso è “chiamando le cose con il loro nome”) and get the job done (completare il lavoro). undefined60dd4951-3857-4e61-a572-d3d8b1ef9Linguists have also noticed that women see communication as a way of developing (da to develop=sviluppare/acquisire) close relationships. undefineda89800c9-a521-4b8b-be82-8a0e2547f01c.mpTalking about their problems is one way to help develop this bond (legame). undefined28f1d4ff-2678-4f50-b03a-6ce1fbf53042.mp3Sharing problems has less to do with the need to find a solution and more to do with establishing a kind of intimacy (intimità, si legge “ìntimasi”). For example, if a woman says: “undefined6e4a7fe5-543f-489a-bd28-b089316fcb4d.mp3 I'm so exhausted. undefineddbeec61a-00d5-4589-87ec-3aa653b785c6.mp3My boss is giving me so many assignments (compiti, si legge “assainmens”) but I never get any recognition (riconoscimento, si legge “recoghniscion”) on the work I do”. undefined51ed7f39-8bb3-4d0b-9483-476f1a05e202.mpThe man, however, hears (da to hear/heard /heard=udire e anche “giudicare/percepire”) the problem as a request for advice and responds as such: “undefinedceb56b4e-e229-4d5a-8f94-6575590c190f.mp3You should take a vacation!” and sometimes the woman replies: “undefined0d29a7e9-98b2-4bf6-9553-2ea6f325186b.mp3It's not that simple (non è così semplice)”! undefined3c9d43f0-a69b-4658-ad54-8bb1e95bd61d.mp3The woman feels hurt (si sente male), assuming that the man is uninterested, wanting only to offer a quick solution. undefined01b95415-6516-4a78-b2b9-1a0a67ab2636.mp3He, on the other hand, is left confused (rimane confuso) by his failure to help her feel better.undefined91e040ed-8216-4ff9-96bb-0f1f9a8fd26c.mp3 Thankfully (per fortuna), understanding how people communicate is a skill which we can develop throughout our lives and it's good to remember that life would be pretty boring if we were all the same.WORDS ARE NOT NECESSARYNon-verbal communication is “silent (silenziosa, si legge “sailent”) communication”undefined7cb0838e-0458-42c0-ba8d-64529d61296c.mp3and it includes the use of gestures (gesti/mimica, si legge “gesturs”), eye contact, facial (facciale, si legge “feiscal”) expressions, conversational distance, and intonation. undefinedf550aeab-e7f6-47f6-952e-b30751390d69.mp3Non-verbal communication can communicate an idea without saying anything at all!undefineda7c5d32e-b07f-4164-a0de-38072e43c8b8.mp3 But a non-verbal communication can lead to miscommunication (problemi di comunicazione). undefinedbdfd2b80-cc45-41b3-97ce-970863bf091f.mpSome gestures have very different meanings in different cultures (culture, si legge “colcirs”). undefined41b647ad-b4ef-4559-89d0-63288b8edc16.mpWhen visiting another country, it’s important to brush up (rivedere/fare un ripasso) on our non-verbal communication in addition to our basic conversational skills!undefined29359020-42c4-47fa-be47-4995b365365f.mp3 Some identical (identico, si legge “aidenticol”) gestures might cause problems if used in different countries.THE ART OF COMUNICATIONundefined9601a53e-d143-45d9-bab1-60c125822722.mp3The art of effective communication doesn't begin (non comincia) with talking, it begins with listening. undefined15d16709-798d-4b46-8fc1-d47e885ba8How often (quante volte), during a conversation, have you realized that the person you're talking to isn't really listening to what you say, but instead just waiting for you to stop talking, so that they can start talking? undefined808e4218-39f9-4b3b-b316-60cb126fc06d.mp3Do you know what I'm talking about? undefinedcd4171cb-145f-4753-b8fa-b6f0b6a77b1f.mp3They don't make much eye contact (contatto visivo), they fidget (si agitano, si legge “figit”), their body language is cold and uninterested, in fact it seems they've got something else on their mind. undefinedae30e8e0-20ae-41a6-bbdb-142bebd73b0f.mp3You see, listening isn't just something you do with your ears it's something you do with your mind, your body and your soul (anima).undefined211ebdcf-1aca-4690-949f-3d461fc95177.mp3 If someone wants to talk to you about a problem, first of all make sure you have enough time to listen. undefined2055f18d-8e04-462f-91f9-3c3d8e01d349.mpListening takes time, sometimes lots of it, and you're not really helping your friend if you have to rush off (precipitarsi fuori) after ten minutes. undefined910439bc-6de6-4926-9b14-230446f8d850.mp3This, in a way, makes listening (rende l’asolto) an act of kindness (gentilezza, si legge “caindnes”) because you're giving your time to someone, and asking for nothing in return (e senza chiedere nulla in cambio). undefined5384e1c9-0ace-4204-a8e9-2b2cb530767a.mp3Use your natural body language and expression to show your friend that you really want to listen. undefined8e9099aa-8db9-4487-89a8-e88ba170220e.mpLean (leant/leant=appoggiare/piegare) in (appoggiati, nel senso “rimani”), nod (nodded/ nodded=annuire/fare un cenno con il capo), make eye contact.undefined2eaf9550-dcba-49b8-b055-f87f6d6705c6.mp3 As your friend gets things off his or her chest (petto, il senso è “togliersi un peso dallo stomanco”), make interested noises (rumori) at appropriate moments as:undefined8036d7dd-1f96-4565-b219-2f1f02b3dfe8.mp3 Hmm?undefined41d226ca-dcbd-4982-836e-8b063b9b3d73.mp3 Mmm andundefined4ee6442f-09fd-465a-a063-f7f5f6150d89.mp3 Mmhmm? undefineda3de1c15-62d9-4410-ac51-6eb89407986c.mp3If your friend pauses (da to pause=fernarsi; (sost.vo) pausa, di legge “poos”), or stops talking for a while (per un pò), don't be afraid to wait for him or her to continue. undefined0b01ef55-652e-462e-9a56-f4934e39adc5.mp3Be patient. undefinedceb56aff-85ca-4010-b12e-e1892bcec62d.mLet your friend think, and don't interrupt impatiently. undefinedc10ed3aa-13cc-475e-b185-b9a91b941a87.mpIf your friends do need help to express themselves (hanno bisogno di aiuto per esprimere se stessi), try to summarize (riassumere/ricapitolare, si legge “samarais”) what they have been saying using phrases like: “So, what you're saying is …” or undefined548547c9-2d50-4657-b090-db3d6c782835.mp3“In other words, you feel that ...” In this way, you can encourage your friend to continue talking with a few quiet (tranquillizzanti, si legge “quaiet”) or considerate (premurose, si legge “consideret”) phrases as “Go on. Tell me more. And then what happened?” undefined3e49aa61-4c6d-4588-ba22-44809279f358.mp3Listening to someone's problems isn't like being a doctor.undefinedffb72eaa-bef1-42a3-99b5-1d7507ae30e4.mp3 A doctor listens, makes a diagnosis (diagnosi, si legge “daigh-noisis”), then dispenses (dispensa, nel senso “prescrive”) medicines (farmaci, si legge “medsins”) and advice (consigli SEMPRE al sing.re).undefined06bec383-7c6e-4503-b775-997946f9504d.mpSometimes your friend might not want advice; sometimes he or she might just want to 'think out loud' (pensare ad alta voce), in other words, to talk about the problem to a listener. undefined27a517ba-982a-46a5-8a8c-532eda863fd7.mThis can help them make their own diagnosis. undefined30c277bd-a6bf-4637-a052-0f61821aa77f.mp3And you can help your friend to do this not just by listening, but by empathizing (da to empathize=empatizzare/identificarsi con, si legge “empitais”), so you can say: “undefinedb7c62bc7-bd67-4104-9324-a9a36aacc34a.mI know how you must feel.undefined07f249d3-45eb-4070-8e38-319ddea7c461.mp3 It must have been awful (terribile, si legge “ouful”). Oh, poor you! undefineda9605604-9b2c-4a76-9303-bd655030f367.mp3What a shame (che peccato, si legge “uot a sceim”)”! undefinedffc5c871-6545-4fce-9106-6310a330f46a.mp3 In fact, it's often better not to give advice, unless your friend asks for it directly.undefinede36a9511-3eaa-4188-bf03-c970ce2474d3.mpSometimes just listening is enough to both make them feel better and help them make the right decision. undefinedec18c769-9dc4-4cfc-91df-67d70443bdfa.mp3One other thing you can do is this.undefinedd8b784a0-da7f-4be7-902f-3151892f4a80.mp3 Every conversation has a subtext (sottinteso, nel senso “qualcosa che non si dice”). undefineda1239e0b-bc4b-461f-8bef-a3582787e62d.mpAsk yourself: What is my friend really trying to say? undefined236f42be-4374-41a7-b3fe-257cae3cc5c5.mp3What's the real reason for this conversation? undefineda9ea5191-6f1b-4d64-bb7a-05f4d7c809c1.mpundefinedbe46ebc7-0df8-4222-b681-6498be113bed.mp3 Sometimes what isn't said is more important than what is.A LINGUISTIC VIEW OF THE WORLDundefined292e30f0-5210-4618-9e1f-20ebe5cbea2b.mp3People possess (posseggono, si legge “posès”) the same physical organs for sensing (da to sense=percepire) the world: we have eyes for seeing, ears for hearing, noses for smelling. undefined96996344-9eb4-4da9-a6d8-bccae2d54d8d.mp3But does everyone really sense the world in exactly the same way? undefined8fe2f1f3-0570-4781-bbb1-b6e39aa635cf.mp3Two linguists, Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf, didn't think so. undefinedade0bd90-67a1-4af5-8274-4d2cc825f886.mp3Sapir and Whorf believed that people's perception of the world depends very much on the language they speak. undefined220fb29c-10f9-4e55-ae61-d15df9363501.mp3It's called the Sapir Whorf Hypothesis (ipotesi, si legge haipotesis”).undefined34bbabc7-119d-4180-89ca-6cef9ccc78fe.mp3 Think about the bands of a rainbow (le bande di un arcobaleno). undefined33013239-477d-4878-9921-3257e40a5f43.mpHow many colors do you see? undefined9141b38c-cd60-4f35-8c0e-f21c9f9a1361.mp3Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple (viola, si legge perpol”). We can undefined5691c782-359f-41d1-be12-5ba7902f5f29.mp3see six colors.undefined2a631541-aef7-4ef8-90ad-44eec7f81518.mp3 Is that all of them? undefinedeccadd6c-3dd6-443b-9320-f6457353bf4e.mp3Do you see any others? undefined95120621-2eb5-4e53-9211-e8c3c2980e98.mp3In many cultures, speakers of different languages might tell you there are more than six colors. undefinedf5448442-20d5-4bde-890c-87faf9b2cb36.mp3Or they might tell you there are less! undefined04721f2d-da67-45dc-8c99-ac2b378a89b9.mp3Two linguists went to Mexico to investigate this perception of color, comparing the difference between English speakers and the indigenous people/natives (indigeni, si leggono “indigenes pipol/neitvs”) in Mexico.undefined04274799-7b71-40ba-a39f-f7a529b97804.mp3 The Tarahumara use one word for the two words English uses for blue and green. undefineddfea92ae-9693-409f-90b2-a7be4e06d087.mp3They label (etichettano, si legge “leibol”) blue and green as one color.undefined588657c0-7c71-47c0-b8e0-779a4a9ae79c.mp3 If you give English speakers blue and green chips (patatine fritte=FRENCH FRIES. Eg. When the chips are down=alla resa dei conti e ULTIMATELY=in fin dei conti/in fine”. V.a. “POKER CHIPS=fiches), they are more likely to separate the two colors (hanno maggiore probabilità di separare due colori). undefined0f4086e1-8228-42c3-bc4a-b8cfd6b89ae4.mpThe Tarahumara will push them together because they perceive (percepiscono, si legge “perssiv”) them as very similar. undefinede7f30782-a4ca-4708-8f55-1185a7cfda8b.mp3So the Tarahumara would say that green and blue are not two separate colors of the rainbow, but rather one and the same.undefinedb77bcef3-c8b6-43d0-9390-5f5ed2f99d1e.mp3 In fact, rainbows are actually a continuity (continuità, si legge “continìuiti”) of color; there are no actual stripes (attuali strisce, si legge “achciuol straips”) or bands (bande/gruppi) yet (ancora, nel senso “per quanto”) people see the bands for which their language has color words. undefinedbdf56b72-cff9-4e78-8730-96cce3908c1f.mp3Another famous example demonstrates (dimostra, si legge “demonstreits”) how language can be a reflection of concepts important to a particular culture (cultura, si legge “colciar”. V.a. “BREADTH (si legge “breth”) OF VISION (apertura mentale si legge “vigion”). undefined692e247d-558f-43bc-8bd8-5b65bf348d4c.mp3Americans and the British use only a few terms to describe snow: snow, sleet (nevischio, si legge “slit”), freezing rain, and a few others. undefined93b58622-70ac-469e-8191-6df12ffc6c58.mp3Eskimos (eschimesi), on the other hand, have many words to describe snow. undefined933f6d90-aaa9-4f9f-9ec3-2a41a4227545.mp3Snow that is falling, snow on the ground, snow in blocks, and snow that makes wavy patterns (motivi ondulati, si legge “uevi paterns”) which are explained through the use of separate words.undefined7a18b42a-e74f-4599-9812-4ab8ecfde1b6.mp3 Snow is an important part of Eskimo life and its culture, thus it is necessary that Eskimos have the vocabulary to specifically describe it. undefined2485af2b-e310-4928-bc82-9c45b58656da.mp3But does this mean that because a language doesn't have a word, the speakers of that language will not be able to understand the concept? undefined2e006e84-247f-4510-8d67-902f235aa873.mpToday, many linguists say that although the Sapir Whorf Hypothesis is thought provoking (provocante) and probably holds much truth, it cannot be totally accepted in its extreme form. undefined73c9635c-f524-4001-bd51-c64b85473ba3.mp3Yes, language influences thought, but it doesn't determine (determinare/definire, si legge “ditermen”) what concepts we're able to think of. undefined763a239e-d662-4f35-87a3-79ce66d333d8.mp3It influences how we perceive the world, but if we don't have a particular word in our language, it just takes more time and more words for us to describe that concept.undefinedfc458ff1-6e57-4501-b036-40742178d1e5.mp3 It is a problem of translation; not of our ability to be able to imagine the concept. undefined02631003-6b0c-4202-ae75-511fc83964a3.mpI might not have a word for this kind of snow, but I can communicate the idea to you. undefined4acabd42-ca55-4f73-a7c1-37609bc12e2a.mp3It looks to me like shiny (brillante, si legge “scaini”) glimmering (scintillante=GLITTERING da TO GLITTER=brillare, si legge “glitar”. Eg. All that glitters is not gold=non è tutto oro quello che luccica) tree crystals melting (da to melt=sciogliere/rsi) delicately upon the branch (ramo). undefined9927a6e5-1219-4f9c-b624-a1f4f3c64701.mp3If a language doesn't have a particular word, it doesn't mean (significa CHE) a person who speaks that language can't imagine the concept it's just a little trickier (più complicato, si legge “trichiar”) to do the translation.PROOF OF EXSTENCEundefined5d8d8576-5351-4d41-a249-598ed87395ed.mp3How can we know what is real and what is imagined (immaginario/immaginato, si legge “imagind)? undefined0086e4ea-047d-4e6a-8c2b-bc2f3d0805b6.mp3Here we have a ruler (righello, si legge “rular”). undefined4aa46139-765d-463b-8b6b-1071921a0b8c.mp3But what is a ruler? undefinedc8f9060f-d62d-4f0b-96c5-dd480b446147.mp3How can we define a ruler? undefinedd0cda7d7-ec64-4378-b70c-6cd199259f67.mp3By what it's made of, by its purpose (scopo, si legge “perpas”), by any of its other qualities? undefined7f9acc06-6488-48dc-bfc7-a5f4c37751e6.mp3Most of us would agree that a ruler is straight (dritto, si legge “streit”). undefinedd1aa85a5-5a97-4ad1-a304-a35c669fffa2Right? undefined012b670a-10f5-4a86-abb2-f5d83d9476b8.mp3But look what happens when I put the ruler into the water. undefinedf59dbcd8-08e8-452f-bfb3-8e1c0fd3f11b.mp3It no longer (esso non piò) appears straight, but bent (da to bend/bent/bent=piegare). undefineddf23cd4a-95ba-49f1-abfc-99c89002b76e.mp3If our senses can deceive (ingannare, si legge “disiv”) us about this then is it also possible that when you look at yourself in a mirror, you might not be seeing your real self (il tuo vero te stesso, nel senso “come sei effettivamente fatto”)? undefinedff9ab1de-219c-4ad0-acf5-3bee87d22393.mp3What is the Self (se stesso)? undefined07bfe1c0-49c5-40f3-a5b1-81537f22dc2c.mp3Is the Self your legs, feet, fingers, toes (dita dei piedi) or face? undefined0a5b9afa-dd2e-45bf-b6dc-ca7577af8780.mp3Many people who have lost their legs complained of feeling pain in the leg which had been amputated, so, are our senses playing tricks (facendo scherzi) on us? undefined89e42df5-ff41-4a8a-93d9-79ef6974cbea.mp3Are we dreaming our existence? undefinedb7bb3b49-33ba-45c2-8541-be1b14379317.mp3This was the question René Descartes asked himself.undefinedb82e7b8c-c277-4634-b73d-d296c3817011.mp3 René Descartes was a seventeenth century French Meta physicist (fisico, si legge “fisisist”). undefinedcc0a9eb5-4fe3-444a-bf1e-45f8ba858b6d.mp3He is regarded (riconosciuto) as the first modern philosopher because of his work on the relationship between mind and body. undefined25c854d7-5aaf-43e3-97f5-f14639fd75da.mp3In order to answer his own question, his starting point (punto di partenza) was to doubt (dubitare, si legge “daut”) the existence of everything. undefined208d4212-4447-4ca2-b944-ae7e5163c22e.mp3However, he concluded that if “my” senses can deceive (ingannare, si legge “disiv”) “me”', there must be a “me” that can be deceived into sensing (da to sense=percepire) pain in an amputated leg.undefined7e00adfd-70c6-4643-924f-22e69a2e7237.mp3This “I” can doubt and, for Descartes, doubting is a proof of thinking and this in turn (a sua volta) is a proof of existence "I think, therefore I am".undefined6951b23c-d2e4-46ac-8473-4059ec2a5128.mp3 If nothing else is known, at least “I” know “I” am a thinking substance (sostanza pensante, si legge “thinking sabstans”), but for everything else, doubt remains.PHYSICAL LIMITATIONSundefineda1ea0b2f-8e35-44dd-96e0-19ff23c06a00.mp3The Arctic, with its icebergs and glaciers (ghiacciai, si legge “gleisciars”) and sub zero temperatures (temperature, si legge “tèmperacers”), mundefined483d1bce-cbc7-4b1f-8fcf-fea4900d87e3.mpakes you feel (ti fa sentire) cold just looking at it, doesn't it (non è così)? undefined322f8477-3d5d-4d4d-b046-6f48754a69c7.mp3So, who could've ever imagined someone going for a swim (nuotata, da to swim/swam/swum=nuotare) there? undefined809a3784-5288-4c13-8014-cc3026850070.mp3But Lewis Pugh did just that, to alert the world to the reality of global warming (riscaldamento globale). undefinedbb58f7b9-2929-4802-be35-c23a38b24170.mpundefined34bc93e4-a39e-4e6b-8d75-0098817ad2de.mpThis guy swam, for just over a kilometer wearing (da to wear/wore/worn=indossare) only swimming trunks (costume da bagno si legge “suimin tranchs”; trunks=trochi), goggles (occhiali da protezione, si legge “gagols”) and a swim cap (cuffia da nuoto), in water that, had it been one degree colder, even a Polar bear (orso, si legge “beer”) couldn't have handled (da to handle/to manage= gestire, nel senso “affontare la situazione”) it. undefinedf1b1d4f9-e086-4229-9730-a6e6ee4b929e.mp3How do these athletes push their bodies beyond their physical limits? undefined4520f66a-b0c7-4f32-b6ae-8e209e29d1d2.mp3What intrigued (da to intrigue=affascinare, si legge“intrigh”) me is what Pugh said: “That once (let. quello una volta, il senso è “una volta/quando sei”) in the water, mental strength (forza mentale, si legge “mental strenth”) is the key. undefined026eda34-4cf8-462a-acb8-cbdf6b39762f.mp3The temperature in the Arctic Ocean was three degrees centigrade (centigrade, si legge “sentgreid”) which would probably kill most people”. undefined01c1c365-ce63-40da-bdf8-f93377fd49c6.mp3Pugh claims he is able to increase his body temperature by will power alone (con la sola forza di volontà.).undefined78290c67-63c8-4d6f-8dff-14be884e09d9.mp3 He says he controls the response which tells the brain to get out of the freezing water and, that apart from cold water training (a parte l’allenamento in acqua fredda), he did four hours of mind training every day. undefined1b844cbc-33ac-4aed-9723-800fab6eb9df.mpIn the1960s and 70s, Apollo astronauts used a technique called Visual Rehearsal (prova visiva, si legge “vigual rièrsol”) and Visualization to help them train to perform dangerous and complex maneuvers (manovre, si legge “maniuvers”) in space. undefined3a0a4507-ba20-4907-a6d7-745c9f73e676.mpDrawing (da to draw/dew/drawn=disegnare e anche attrarre) from this (attingendo da questa), American Olympic Athletes started a training program incorporating this technique. undefined1cb126f6-978b-45c8-93ea-da0d68d7c780.mp3Athletes were asked to run their races (gare, si legge “reisis”) just in their minds. undefined8ff2e232-615e-47bf-a88b-d1ddad2fb008.mpThey were then hooked up (collegati) to biofeedback (training autogeno (che si produce da se), si legge “baiofidbech”) machine which showed that the same muscles fired (da to fire=bruciare/scaldare) as when they were running on the track. undefined515eca2c-317a-4c28-b4cf-19bd00b93ebc.mp3The results were significant in that (nel senso che) they revealed that the Mind cannot distinguish between the real world and the imagined one. undefined0b40d548-a455-4280-b1a6-ce14e0d8c624.mpSo that using Visual Rehearsal and Visualization as part of a training program, the end result is an increase in physical efficiency (efficcienza fisica, si legge “fisicol efficinsi”). undefined5247c861-1d69-4204-a496-667c25867a89.mpThe athlete should visualize and kinesthetically (cinesteticamente, si legge “chinesteticali”) feel the image. undefined9f3f890c-efff-4f0d-bc6d-a86850a5dc73.mp3So, if a sprinter (velocista, si legge “sprinter”) is visualizing his race he should also sense his feet against the starting blocks, feel the texture (struttura, si legge “tech-sciar”) of the track (pista), hear the anticipation of the spectators as they wait for the starting pistol. undefined57c43c3a-c7dd-4d80-90f6-58414550f1c9.mpThe more real the visualization becomes, the more the mind finds it difficult to distinguish between the images and the real world.undefineda665e7e1-d51d-44a8-a51f-2ea93ed9f4f6.mp3 The theory is that effective visualization leads (da to lead/led/led=condurre/guidare) to real world success. undefinedbd9cf515-3cda-49bd-8bac-ed4dc794c4d6.mp3 Can you train (allenare, si legge “trein”) the body to overcome (overcame/overcome= superare) normal physical limitations? undefined90b7d248-a9a4-47fb-9b92-b470feffa9b7.mp3 Give it a go (provaci).THE POWER OF THE MINDWhen I was young my mom used to say: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away", but undefineddd4390b6-8e07-431c-8687-d1149ad5baf8.mp3does it (ma è proprio così)? undefineda7d93ad0-f1dd-491a-bb6a-4fdfe9cb83d3.mp3A lot of research has been carried out (effettuate) concerning (in merito A) how our minds can influence the state of our health and how our beliefs (credenze/opinioni, si legge bilifs”) about healing (guarigione) can mend (riparare) an ailing (malaticcio, si legge “eilingh”) body. undefinedaa379bb3-b18f-4b0b-8508-4d87412ff64a.mpTake, for example, the Placebo (plasiba) Effect. undefineda7f2ee5c-33df-4dfd-bddb-7a1c56ba1b4e.mp3Placebos were first used as part of experimental drug trials (sperimentazione di farmaci, si legge “drag trails”) in 1863 when Austin Flint directly compared the efficiency of a real treatment with that of a fake (falso, silegge “feich”) one. undefined0ca33167-89b6-4c22-b2b9-f54d8bcccb87.mpHe was interested in finding out if his chosen (da to choose/chose/ chosen=scegliere) treatment was any more (più) effective than what nature and time could do on their own (da soli). undefined02a2452a-7c5d-426e-9302-41f84ddc5f02.mp3In Flint's research paper he refers to this “fake treatment” as a 'Placebo'. undefinedc223a75e-7a80-4693-8561-f9bac2e3efbb.mpSubsequent placebo controlled medical studies have confirmed Flint's findings (risultati, silegge “faindinghs”). undefinedc9ee3a19-b893-456f-9c8c-56c0ee9d9e3e.mp3Time and time again (di volta in volta/ogni tanto=FROM TIME TO TIME), patients who have been given Placebos, frequently show improvements, despite having been given a fake treatment designed (progettato, si legge “disaind”) to have no effect. undefined08da10db-0873-4b30-a1a4-bc5570ea9817.mp3In the twenty first century, Placebos have come to be used as medical treatments in their own right (a pieno diritto). undefined0ffec2c1-35ac-414b-ad43-38f67b22afa3.mp3Many doctors now prescribe (prescrivono, si legge “priscraib”) placebos because they feel that the patient's desire for relief (sollievo, si legge “rilif”) from pain and the expectation of relief increases the effect of a placebo. undefinedd1fe5b3e-3f87-4d13-b0ea-d3d1624fbd26.mp3This can be a very useful treatment, especially in cases where the recommended drugs cannot be used. undefinedca8015bf-a9b5-411e-996d-a8e8e2fbd485.mp3Burn (ustionati, da to burn/burnt/burnt= bruciare) patients who experience (provare/ subire, si legge “echspiriens”) respiratory problems often cannot be given opioids (oppioidi=medicine per ridurre il dolore) like morphine or opioid derivatives like pethidine (petidina), as they can cause respiratory problems. undefined97e51712-f5fb-4dc3-8583-f425c4181c8a.mp3In these cases placebo injections (iniezioni, si legge “ingechscions”) like normal saline (salino, si legge “seilain”) can provide real pain relief (sollievo dal dolore) to burnt patients if they are told (se si dice loro CHE) they are being given painkillers (antidolorifici). undefined0f0c7468-39f5-4e4c-a899-5a8649cb0fa2.mp3Placebos aren't always effective (efficaci); pundefined04d157fe-a4dc-48ae-b592-c0e81c020a69.mp3eople with Alzheimer's disease are less influenced by them.undefined5ac4e7aa-dd86-4288-9b93-65d5b3c2aa07.mp3 This is attributed (attribuito, si legge “etribiutd”) to the loss (perdita. V.a. “TO LOSE/LOST/LOST=perdere”) of the part of the brain which determines their capacity to have expectations. undefined47b96f75-ec26-4e23-804c-9e8efc440685.mpSo, does an apple a day keep the doctor away? undefined3fef5e0c-c1df-4a1e-9d07-f26b60a31550.mp3 Maybe mom was right, after all.CONCEPTION INTO ARTundefined33fdd30b-d10c-4cbb-8435-28a23243e354.mp3"A man paints (dipinge) with his brains and not with his hands", this was said by one of the greatest artists of all time, Michelangelo. undefinedd1ca9b98-dcb3-4a3e-b953-f0921eac9207.mp3Now what did he mean by this? undefined9b9a2827-d5ff-47b4-90e6-1ebe15dbb493.mp3We are all acquainted with (a conoscenza DI; da to acquainte=informare, si legge “equeint”) the image of a painter at his easel (cavalletto, si legge “isel”), brush in hand (pennello in mano) in front of a canvas (tela, si legge“canvs”). undefined4829da32-f5c3-4041-be04-8f40ccf323f6.mBut how do artists get the idea in the first place (innanzitutto=FOREMOST)? undefinedb99cffe1-d1d8-48a3-8f9c-89e0d189834a.mp3And then how do artists move from the images in their mind to the object which exists in time and space?undefinedfa5e64bc-6524-478d-963c-f1b963c3879c.mp3 What's the creative process? undefined5edecec5-ee26-4cf9-9369-c2a28a05c006.mp3This is a question which has provoked much research and debate (dibattito/discussione, si legge “dibeit”), going all the way back to the (il senso “andando indietro fino ai”) Greeks.undefined54d9ff2b-48d5-46c9-8c07-cd8bae6ccdd8.mp3Plato and Aristotle wrote about “Forms”. undefinedd5d62fe9-9a4f-4351-9e96-09f98d7180be.mpDid you know the word 'information' is derived (derivata, si legge “diraivd”) from their philosophies? undefined3e8940d4-5dc1-4276-99c5-410036008f0b.mp3It literally means taking the form of something into the mind and letting (da to let/let/let=permettere) that form shape (to shape= modellare/dare forma, si legge “sceip”) the mind.undefined6eb630c0-6a05-4966-aa01-75e19fefc432.mp3 So, lately, I've been wondering, have I been spending too much time, painting with my hands and not my brains? undefinede79ef983-f7e1-4896-8143-b20e72a4d4b9.mp3And so I turned to Carl Jung to help me understand the cycle (ciclo, si legge “saicol”) of the creative process. undefined4d2d8c14-e245-46fc-9e1e-4b6cd5648fba.mpCarl Jung, born in 1875, was a Swiss psychiatrist and founder of Analytical Psychology.undefined9f2d195a-9817-4da3-8ff2-3b0c5d1ea010.mpHe believed that the mysteries of the human psyche (psiche, si legge “saichi”) could be unlocked (sbloccata) through exploring the world of dreams, art, mythology, religion and philosophy. undefined5c6da0a8-0db8-4f1c-b99a-50f89f7801f4.mp3In what (in ciò che) Jung called the 'Collective Unconscious', he believed we all store (accumuliamo) primordial images (immagini primordiali, si legge “praimodial imgs”) or archetypes (archetipi/prototipi si legge “archtaips”). undefineda75e95ac-1b31-40f3-b815-17eaa75d6fae.mp3Now, mankind (il genere umano) is unaware (ignaro, si legge “an-auear”) of the collective unconscious, but what the artist does is to draw archetypal images (archetipiche (forme primitive) immagini, si legge “archetipol imgs”) from the unconscious and shape (modellere; (sost.vo) forma, si legge “sceip”) them into works of art. undefined6cb59e8f-f5f7-4387-9c54-c8c6b45a8f97.mp3It strikes (colpisce, da to strick/struck/struck=colpire/ scioperare) me that Jung was saying something very similar to what Plato and Aristotle had been saying over two thousand years ago: Forms or Images shape how Mankind experiences (da to experience=sperimentare, si legge “exspiriens”) the World. undefined758f8664-8bb2-4a42-81fc-a8ae31897263.mp3Each of these thinkers sought (da to seek/sougt/sougt =cercare) to analyze the artist and his art, from the creative process which begins in the artist's mind to the finished product. undefined5392c7bf-1e3a-49e7-a338-e0ea721cc0d5.mThe great Michelangelo said: "I saw the angel in the marble and carved (scolpì) until I set (set/set= mettere/collocare) him free".THE ART OF MOVIE MAKINGundefined66ec8271-6bb0-408d-96f2-cb1e06343a56.mp3Do you wanna (abr.ne di “want to”) make a movie? undefined0a2e991b-edea-48ec-9e24-482e691a0c00.mp3You have a passion for the cinema and dream of putting your vision on the big screen? undefinededcba072-f2ab-4e5d-883d-4dcdccaf0c58.mp3Well, believe it or not, actually (in realtà) shooting the movie (girando un film), the “production phase”, is only one small part of a much larger movie making process. undefined8549d6d3-8c64-4171-b822-9d0917ef0b8e.mpPreproduction (si legge “pri-prodachscion”) can take up a lot more time than the actual shoot (l’effettiva ripresa) and undefined595b9644-9806-4e25-8493-244d6aacde11.mp3 includes things like: script writing (sceneggiatura), budgeting (fare il bilancio preventivo), casting (assegnazione delle parti), scheduling (programmazione) location (si legge “lochescion”) scouting (sopraluoghi, da to scout=esplorare, di legge “scaut”), rehearsing and renting (prove e noleggio) or making costumes, props (oggetti di scena) and sets (parti).undefined4b37108e-922d-4894-945b-10d10ab67f7b.mp3 But before any preproduction can start, you'll need a script (copione). undefined270a349d-e35d-4dd7-8642-ba0e21e0d443.mp3Hollywood scripts go through countless (innumerevoli) revisions and spend (da to spend/spent/spent=spendere, il senso è “necessitano”) on average five years in development (sviluppo). undefined261a32e7-816a-4c04-9067-bf18ea632c08.mp3But if you haven't got that kind of time, you'll need to make sure that you cover (coprire, nel senso “assicurarsi di avere”) at least these basics: First, decide on the genre (genere, si legge “genra”) and develop the premise (sviluppare la premessa), characters (personaggi), plot (trama) and dialogue until you're happy with them. undefinedb536945b-5ac9-4d0c-8d27-60d26545528e.mp3Making storyboards (cartelloni rappresentativi del film) can also help you see how the story will unfold visually (spiegata, nel senso “svelata”, visivamente). undefined138cb846-9073-4611-a216-cd827a545fac.mp3Then you'll need to find enough cash to fund (denaro per finanziare, si legge “casc to fand”) your project, anything less than (niente che sia meno di) fifteen thousand dollars simply won't be enough, and even that won't stretch very far (let. allungare molto lontano, il senso è “potrebbero non bastare/farti andare lontano”).undefined336f3766-a667-40a6-afa5-ab201112b08f.mp3 Robert Rodriguez got the money for his low budget classic El Mariachi by taking part in medical experiments!undefinedd815d6e5-247e-4f58-9cfa-658bd7cb5fc9.mp3Not that I advise doing that, but it just goes to show the measures (misure/quanto, si legge “megers”) young filmmakers are willing to take (sono disposti a prendere) to get their films made. undefined121435dd-429a-4f18-b3d0-e21c959e8433.mp3Ask everyone you know to invest in your project, including family, friends and local businesses. undefined53fc12d4-8cdd-4509-82ee-cec0eecb25d9.mp3If you are thinking of shooting (da to shoot/shot/shot=lanciare e anche “girare un film”) 'on location' (sul posto), you'll require permission. undefined84eea670-0087-496d-bcfb-1cfe75629f6d.mp3Film crews (equipaggi, si legge “crus”) can't simply shoot anywhere they like.undefined2681533c-3003-4d93-83b8-bde48a3c03c5.mp3 If it's a public place, you'll usually need to purchase (acquistare; (sost.vo) acquisto, si legge “perces”) a permit from the local authorities. undefined0220eb71-e583-4d10-8c7d-b2550beba6bb.mp3These costs can add up so, if you can, use the homes of family and friends. undefined0ecfff12-8b93-457f-ac2a-bf4789ec3aaa.mAnd don't forget: the actors! undefinedabcc0a28-3350-43b2-b11f-4af137b1464f.mp3Advertise (pubblicizza, si legge “advertais”) in drama schools (scuole di recitazione) and local amateur theatres or use your friends.undefined65f4019d-623d-4250-b90b-156613f9a4a2.mp3Find actors who are looking to get their show reels (bobine/video dimostrativi) together. undefinedfc84a5d0-a6c0-41f1-aeed-d54579e34200.mp3Show reels are like “artists portfolios” (portafoglio/archivio/raccolta di artisti) in that they show the quality and breadth (ampiezza) of an actor's work so far. undefined650975cb-7eed-411e-9dab-4b654fd05648.mp3The fact that your movie might give the actors the exposure (esposizione si legge “echspogiar”) they need to get their first big break (prima grande occasione) is more motivating to them than money at this stage (in questa fase) in their careers. undefined8ca14b15-2554-4342-a97d-4462eef90291.mp3To make the best use of your locations, cast and crew, be sure to rehearse (provare, si legge “rehers”) as much as possible before shooting. undefined5b25c685-ede7-43c0-99bc-e5ce8f4aefda.mp3After the preproduction process is over (finito), you're ready to shoot. undefined2568609f-715d-414d-b7d8-ca22c43d6911.mp3If you're making a movie on a tight (stretto, nel senso “modesto”) budget, it's important to get every bit of the planning (ogni piccola parte della programmazione) right before even thinking of turning the camera on and shouting: “Action”.SUCCESS IN THE ACTING WORLDIf you were (fossi) an actor, what kind of movies would you make? undefined41f996b0-a84b-4382-8dd1-0b515e5a44ed.mp3Actually, when itcomes (or involves) to (quando si tratta DI) being cast (cast/cast=assegnare una parteundefined8fc84888-9cd8-4b85-80eb-4ae47deb3860.mp3e anche “gettare/lanciare”) for a part in a movie, it's not so much about which part the actor wants, but more about which part the casting director thinks they're suitable for. undefined1a997f53-8157-48a9-bcdd-5c2a7a70267e.mp3Before you even get an audition, you have to send (sent/sent=inviare, SENZA “to”) a casting director your headshots (primi piani) whichundefined66b74e7f-ce5f-4b67-a76b-9cb7c7a4d530.mp3 are photographs that show you off in your best light (ti mettono in risalto (to show off) nella tua luce migliore). undefined528ac01a-99e2-40f2-ab03-a4e7039cb538.mp3undefined6d618fbf-6ddc-4150-af02-26284824fab8.mpWhat roles do you think these actors could play in a film? undefined8bf1ead8-4ebd-429a-8bc6-c92e092da824.mp3A leading man (protagonista)? undefined1efa8469-4724-48fd-b7db-5933bae4e7bd.mp3A femme fatale? undefined25a4d300-cfab-4789-94bf-3e5134d7d38a.mp3A villain? undefined269725b0-cfa5-4772-8eaf-f58a818f6fcf.mp3A housewife?undefineddc31013d-5a20-4582-b1f2-2052a21982bf.mp3 An action hero? undefined344fdfcf-106d-452d-a52c-9054f142ac0e.mp3If you have serious ambitions to be an actor, think first about what kinds of roles you could possibly play. undefined229f7b12-1fa1-4fd2-9a3c-46439cdba84f.mpLook at your face in the mirror. undefinedf7d30812-ef63-4234-9715-ac0b5e4399c1.mp3Look carefully and honestly. undefineda412b241-7a00-4c59-876f-b48ab3a85177.mp3Could you play the role of the sexy male or female?undefined448a7ff2-d9cd-4eb0-aec6-cbfb11831b25.mp3 Or are your looks more suitable for the part of the best friend, parent, bad guy or housewife (casalinga)? undefined62f18a9c-3193-415e-a438-e46e34d0e9e3.mp3You might actually be suitable for a number of different roles, and this is something you can suggest in your headshots by altering your hair, facial expression, clothes and pose (posa/atteggiamento, si legge “pous”) in each photo, giving yourself the widest (più ampia, si legge “uaidest”) possible chance of playing different kinds of characters. undefined788fc925-ec2c-4e1b-aea6-f4ba4458e146.mpTake Tom Hanks, for example. undefined23eb54cf-bd6c-440a-9028-aaf9245f2ad1.mp3Some people think he has a funny, or interesting face, suitable for the crazy but lovable (amabile, si legge “lovbol”) character in a comedy (commedia comica) or romcom (commedia romantica); some think he's got the right looks for the handsome leading male role in a love story; some think he has an intensity of expression just right for a serious, hard hitting “issue” movie (il senso è “film che trattano argomenti violenti per colpire (to hit/hit/hit) duro”). undefined34932fc3-d811-4185-8836-3bfbba21eff1.mpIn fact, he has all three.undefinedfe218af7-452c-47b7-a89b-9cd1baa6f8e3.mp3 Tom Hanks is a good example of an actor who can alter his image for different roles, but still keep that independence of character that marks him out (to mark out=distinguere) as a major star. undefined8110548e-2cf0-44e8-ab9d-0442a94e2ae0.mp3If you're invited for an audition, be sure to appear as you do in the headshots. undefined27ba7e5c-af61-4618-a63f-2620dca82d97.mp3Casting directors hate (odiano) it when you turn up for an audition and look nothing like your photos! undefinedc824230a-dfb3-4dc2-828d-e5768f7ba54a.mp3If this happens, it's extremely unlikely you'll get the part. undefineda3fb4695-61a3-4910-9366-5c484a83e311.mp3Every time you get a haircut (taglio di capelli), change your style, or even just get older, you'll have to get new headshots.undefined4a3f28d4-edaf-4257-9833-ff65370973dd.mp3 Also, it goes without saying (va da se), but if you're going for, say, the girl next door part, and you send (sent/sent= inviare/spedire) headshots of you looking like a girl next door, make sure, on the day of the audition, you dress and look just like the girl next door. undefinedb2ed0de1-af98-44f7-8ba7-185e9e024cdb.mp3Finally, don't worry if you don't look like Julia Roberts or Tom Cruise. undefined5d1f1655-394f-407f-9923-ea93f341e7eb.mpIn fact, casting directors aren't always looking for the most stunningly (incredibilmente) beautiful or amazingly handsome actor, there are many of those around as it is (così come, il senso è “con queste qualità”). undefinedca256cc8-f32c-43de-adf0-2fa2afa81c84.mThey're looking for a face that has character, personality, and something just a little bit different. undefinede4d14de4-c5a0-4c7c-b228-af1e37fdc528.mp3They have a physical image of the kind of person they're looking for in their mind, but this image is often blurred (sfocata/confusa, si legge “bleerd”; da to blur=annebbiare/fare confusione) at the edges (bordi, si legge “egis”).undefined136f97d1-5519-4ed1-a522-cfd011ea27d9.mp3 More certain (più certo), however, is the kind of personality the part requires, so your headshots shouldn't just show how good looking you are, they should be able to bring (brought/brought=portare da là a quà, diverso da to take/took/ taken=portare da quà a là) out (determinare) your character. undefinedbf91818f-d579-456b-b9f8-c4cb22f38f6b.mpIt's nice to know that there are parts out there for everyone, all ages, races, shapes and sizes.TRADE THROUGHOUT CIVILIZATIONThese days, buying and selling seems so easy and convenient (comodo/conveniente, si legge “convinient”) - maybe too easy and convenient. We can go online and select whatever we want from anywhere, order it and pay with E money (€). We need never leave the comfort of our own homes, but it wasn't always this way (ma non è stato sempre così). Not only was trade not easy, it was dangerous and exciting. It opened up the world to unknown civilizations and cultures. Trade must be in our genes (geni, si legge giins”) because historians believe it has been going on throughout and recorded (registrò) human history. Trade routes (rotte commerciali) first appeared over five thousand years ago when the Sumerians in Mesopotamia traded with the Harappan civilization of the Indus valley. The Phoenicians (Fenici) were sea traders who traveled across the Mediterranean and even ventured (si avventurarono, si legge “vencird”) as far as (fino a) north Britain looking for tin (stagno e anche “lattina”). Through this trade, the native people (gente del posto, si legge “neitiv pipol”) learnt how to melt (fondere) tin and copper (rame, si legge “capar”) - a procedure whereby (per cui) the two ores (metalli, si legge “ors”) are melted together to form a bronze alloy (lega di bronzo) - thus ushering in (da to usher=introdurre (si legge “asciar”) the Bronze Age. Around the second century AD the three great civilizations: Roman, Indian and Chinese were connected by commercial and diplomatic exchanges which fostered (si legge “fosterd”, da to foster=favorire) greater knowledge of each others cultures. Using the Silk Road (via della seta) in Parthia, Han Emperor Wu Ti opened trade with Rome, exchanging Chinese silk for goods (merci) like Indian cotton and Roman gemstones (pietre preziose). The Parthians (Parti) allowed Western merchants to cross their land and this enabled (permise, si legge “eneibold”, da to enable=consentire) exchange of views (scambi culturali) among Roman and Egyptian mathematicians, astronomers, geographers and astrologers. Ptolemy (Tolomeo) used the information they brought back (da to bring/ brought/brought back= riportare/ restituire) on the Chinese to construct his map of the world. By exchanging goods and services, civilizations swapped (da to swap= scambiare) ideas and knowledge. In this way, not only were goods exchanged, but also information on how they were made. The West learnt (da to learn/learnt (or learned)/learnt (or learned)=imparare) how to make paper, gunpowder (polvere da sdparo) and weave (tessere (si legge “uiv”) e anche “inserire”, eg. To weave (tessere) through the traffic=insinuarsi nel traffico) silk and the Chinese learnt the art of glass making (lavorazione del vetro) from the Mediterranean countries. Much later, in the thirteenth century, the Venetian traveler, Marco Polo, brought (da to bring/brought/ brought=portare da lontano a vicino) to the West information on the variety of Asian culture, including climate (clima, si legge “claimet”), cuisine, traditions, customs (usanze) and culture. So, the next time you go to an online store to buy an obscure musical instrument or rare book, remember it wasn’t this easy for the ancient traders who risked their life to bring strange and exotic treasures from mysterious lands.21ST CENTURY TRADEHow do most traditional companies sell things? Most sell their products through brick-and-mortar stores (negozi di mattoni e malta), physical places where people can go and buy things. Since the dawn (alba, so legge “doon”) of the Internet though, companies have tried to harness (imbrigliare/sfruttare) the power of this new method of communication to sell their products. Some have failed, but there have been some incredible success stories. In the 21st Century, E-commerce (E sta per “European”) is definitely one of the hottest ways of doing business! One of the biggest E-Commerce success stories started as an online bookstore and now offers consumers the choice of a wide range (vasta gamma, si legge “uaid reng”) of products including CDs, DVDs, clothing (capi di abbigliamento) and musical instruments. It is now the world's largest online retailer (rivenditore, si legge “ritelar”). These online stores offer customers an enticing blend (seducente miscela, si legge “entaising blend”) of benefits. Users of these websites find them very convenient to use. They can easily browse (sfogliare, si legge “braus” e anche “dare un’occhiata (es. in un negozio)/curiosare/gironzolare) the inventory (inventario, si legge “ìnvintori”: V.a. “WITH RESERVATION=con beneficio d’inventario”) of products and purchase (acquistare, si legge “perces”) using a valid credit or debit card (carta di credito o bancomat). Their chosen products are then delivered (consegnati) to them when they are ready. Many popular products are ready to be shipped within (spediti entro) 24 hours. Furthermore (per di più), due to the intuitive nature of these websites, users are able to find what they are looking for quickly (in modo rapido). The retailers (rivenditori) can benefit by recommending other similar products to users, thereby (in tal modo) drawing (attirando) attention to products that may otherwise (altrimenti) sell poorly (male, nel senso “difficilmente”). One of the biggest benefits for users of E-commerce sites is the sheer (puro/ semplice/trasparente, si legge “sciar”) amount of products available. As the E-commerce business model does not rely (fare assegnamento/ fidarsi, si legge “rilai”) on keeping stock in store for customers to browse, they are able to utilize large warehouses (magazzini) and keep large amounts of stock stored, ready to be shipped (spediti, si legge “scipt”) if a customer orders it. In this whay, it is possible to keep (kept/kept=(man)tenere) overheads (i costi generali) to a minimum while also giving customers a greater choice when selecting their purchases. Of course, as with everything (come PER ogni cosa), there are negative sides to look at. Some customers may be worried about the safety (sicurezza) of using these services. Cases of identity fraud (frode di identità, si legge “aidentiti frood”) and the theft (furto, si legge “theft”) of credit card details (dettagli) are often reported (segnalati). Companies need to take great care to ensure that the process is not only easy to use, but also safe. Reputable (rispettabili, si legge “rèpiutabol”) companies always keep customers’ “details safe”, but users need to be aware of (essere a conoscenza di (sot.so) queste frodi) and to suspect phishing (vedi Nota) attempts by email (tentativi di furti online). These emails claim to be from real companies, asking users to confirm their usernames, passwords or credit card details, so the user is fooled (da to fool=ingannare) by some criminals which are able to use the information to make fraudulent purchases using the user's credit card. E-commerce companies warn (avvertono, si legge “uorn”) users against this practice, but unfortunately it continues. As matter of fact (in realtà), thousands phishing attempts are still reported every year and the number is growing. But, honestly it should be said that (va detto che) overall (nel complesso) E-commerce has great benefits for most people as long as (fin tanto che) they stay safe and protect their private information .Nota. Phishing è una variante di “fishing=pescare”. Lo spear (lancia) phishing è una truffa via e-mail finalizzata all’accesso non autorizzato ai “dati sensibi=details safe”.undefined8fc84888-9cd8-4b85-80eb-4ae47deb3860.mp3Capitolo 7ENGLISH PROVERBS AND COMMON SAYINGSPROVERBS- All roads lead to Rome = tutte le strade portano a Roma.- Beggars can’t be choosers = i mendicanti/“poveri”) non hanno scelte.- Better late than never = meglio tardi che mai.- Birds of a feather (penna d’uccello) flock together = ciascuno si accoppia/unisce con il suo simile.- Business before pleasure = prima il dovere poi il piacere.- Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth = a caval donato non si guarda in bocca.- Familiarity breeds contempt = troppa familiarità genera mancanza di rispetto.- Fast-departing youth = la gioventù se ne va e non torna più.- For want of a nail the shoe is lost = per mancanza di un chiodo si perde la scarpa.- Grasp all lose all = chi troppo vuole nulla stringe.- If you can’t beat them, join them = se non puoi batterli unisciti a loro. Il senso è “il nemico o lo uccidi o lo sposi”.- Where there is a will (volontà) there is a way = volere e potere.- Time flies when you are having fun = il tempo vola quando ci si diverte.- It’s too good to be true = troppo bello per essere vero.- Scratch where itches = (let. grattati dove ti prude) chi cerca trova.- The worst deaf is who doesn’t want to hear = il peggiore sordo e colui che non vuole sentire.- Make or break = o la va o la spacca.- Many slips (molte scivolate) between cup (tazza) and lip (labro) = tra il dire e il fare c’è di mezzo il mare.- Money talks = moneta canta (nel senso “con i soldi si ottiene molto”).- Nothing ventured (da to venture=avventurarsi) nothing gained = chi non risica non rosica.- One thing leads to another = da cosa nasce cosa.- There’s never a free lunch = nulla è dato gratis.- Better safe than sorry = meglio prevenire che curare. Il senso è ”la prudenza non è mai troppa”.- The grass is always greener on the other side=l’erba del vicino è sempre più verde. - Those who make themselves sheep will be eaten by the wolf = chi pecora si fa il lupo se la mangia. - A little can go along way = con poco si può andare lontano (nel senso “fare molto”).- When in Rome, do as the Romans do = se sei all’estero comportati come la gente del luogo.- To kill two birds with one stone = prendere due piccioni (pigeons) con una fava (board bean).- Barking dogs don’t bite = can che abbaia (barks) non morde (bites).- Things can’t always be expected to turn out well = non tutte le ciambelle (donuts) riescono col buco.- You made your bed, now lie in it = chi è causa del suo mal pianga se stesso.- You can take a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink = puoi portare un cavallo ad abbeverarsi (to go to water) ma non puoi costringerlo a bere.- The early (avv.=presto; ag.vo=precoce) bird catches the worm (let. Il primo uccello afferra un verme) = chi primo arriva bene alloggia = First come, first served (let. 1° venuto, 1° servito). “Early birds” sono anche le persone che si alzano presto.- If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall (fell/fallen=cadere) for anything = se non hai una tua convinzione, crederai in qualunque cosa.- Look before your leap (saltare, sost.vo “salto/balzo”) = pensa la cosa prima che la fai che la cosa pensata e bella assai.- Those who sow wind reap tempest = che semina vento raccoglie tempesta. Simile a: You reap (mietere/raccogliere, si legge “rip”) what you sow.- Variety is the spice of life = la vita è bella perchè è varia.- When the cat is away the mice (topi sing.re “mouse”) will play = quando il gatto non c’è i topi ballano.- More haste (fretta, si legge “heist”) less speed=la gatta frettolosa fa i gattini ciechi.- There’s safety (sicurezza, si legge“sefiti”) in numbers = l’unione fa la forza.- Half a loaf is better than no bread = meglio l’uovo oggi che la gallina MON SAYINGS- IT’S NOT THE COWL (cappuccio, si legge “caul”) THAT MAKES THE MONK = non è l’abito che fa il monaco.- A LIVE (vivente, si legge “laiv”) DOG IS BETTER THAN A DEAD DOCTOR = meglio un asino vivo che un dottore morto.- BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER (spettatore/osservatore) = non è bello quel che è bello, ma è bello quel che piace.- BETTER AND BETTER = di bene in meglio (anche sarc.co). L’opposto è “WORSE AND WORSE=FROM BAD TO WORSE. V.a. WORSE THAN EVER=peggio che andar di notte.- TO BE SAFE ON ALL SIDES = essere in una botte di ferro/al sicuro.- TO LOOK DEATH (morte, si legge “deth”) IN THE FACE = vedersela brutta.- JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED = come il cacio sui maccheroni.- TO BE FED (da to feed/fed/fed=nutrire) UP WITH … = averne fin sopra i capelli DI sot.vo/ger.dio.- TO SPLIT (split/split) HAIRS = spaccare un pelo/capello in quattro.- YOU MADE YOUR BED, NOW LIE IN IT = chi è causa del suo male pianga se stesso (il senso è “l’hai voluta la bicicletta, ora pedala”).- THINGS CAN’T ALWAYS BE EXPECTED TO TURN OUT WELL = non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco.- TO RUN WITH THE HARE (lepre, si legge “hear”) AND HUNT (cacciare) WITH THE HOUND (cane da caccia, si legge “haund”)=dare un colpo al cerchio e uno alla botte.- TO HAVE THE UPPER (superiore) HAND = avere il coltello dalla parte del manico.- DON’T TALK ABOUT ROPE IN THE HANGED MAN’S HOUSE = non parlare di corda in casa dell’impiccato.- TO HAVE NO EXTRA MONEY = avere il denaro contato (il senso è “non potere pagare di più”).- BY DINT (si legge “dint”) OF = a forza/furia di (eg. hearing (da to hear/heard/heard= ascoltare) English I have learned it). - TO HAVE MANY CHOICES = avere l’imbarazzo della scelta.- TO PLAY THE ODD MAN OUT = fare da terzo incomodo.- TO CHANGE ONE’S TRADE (commercio, si legge “treid”) = darsi all’ippica (sarc.co).- THE TONGUE (si legge “tangh”) ALWAYS TURNS THE ACHING (dolorante, si legge “eichin”) TOOTH = la lingua batte dove il dente duole.- BETWEEN TWO PARTIES THE THIRD PROFITS = tra due litiganti il terzo gode.- TO BE OUT-OF-THE-WAY = essere fuori mano (es. casa).- FACTS ARE FACTS = la matematica non è un’opinione.- LET’S GO FIFTY-FIFTY = fare a metà (può seguire “and settle (sistemiamo) it once and for all=e non parliamone più”).- PEOPLE ARE THE SAME ALL OVER THE WORLD = tutto il mondo è paese.- NOT TO SEE BEYOND THE END OF ONE’S NOSE=non vedere al di là del proprio naso- THE DAY OF RECKONING (da to reckon=fare i conti, si legge “rècon”) WILL COME = tutti i nodi vengono al pettine.- TO LOSE (lost/lost=perdere) ONE’S SHIRT (camicia, si legge “scert”) = rimetterci l’osso del collo.- TO TAKE THE FIRST THING THAT COMES ALONG = fermarsi alla prima taverna.- TO JUMP OUT OF THE FRYING PAN (padella, si legge “peen”) INTO THE FIRE = cadere dalla padella alla brace.- DON’T COUNT YOUR CHICKENS BEFORE THEY ARE HATCHED (da to hatch= schiudere, si legge “hac”) = non vendere la pelle dell’orso prima d’averlo ucciso.- TO BE TAKEN IT = cascarci come una mela cotta (nel senso “essere un credulone”).- TO BITE (bit/bitten=nordere) THE HAND THAT FEEDS (da to feed=nutrire/rsi, si legge “fid”) YOU = sputare nel piatto dove si mangia/essere irriconoscenti.- TWO MINDS WORK BETTER THAN ONE = quattro occhi vedono meglio di due.- MY TURN NEXT TIME! = a buon rendere!- THERE’S NO ROSE (si legge “ros”) WITHOUT A THORN = non c’è rosa senza spina.- TO BE A FIFTH WHEEL (si legge “huil”) = essere l’ultima ruota del carro.- A STEAK (bistecca, si legge “stech”) CAN BE RARE (al sangue, si legge “rear”), MEDIUM (media cottura, si legge “midiam”) or WELL DONE (ben cotta).- HINDSIGHT (senno di poi, si legge “haindsait”) IS BETTER THAN FORESIGHT (previsione, si legge “forsait”) = del senno di poi sono piene le fosse.- BY NO MEANS (da to mean/meant/meant=voler dire)! = (ma) neanche per sogno!- BETTER ALONE THAN IN BAD COMPANY = meglio solo che male accompagnato.- IT’S ALL OR NOTHING = o la va o la spacca.- TO PUT (put/put=mettere) ONE’S FOOT IN ONE’S MOUTH = parlare a sproposito.- TO MAKE AN EXCEPTION = fare uno strappo alla regola.- SILENCE GIVES (da to give/gave/given=dare) CONSENT = chi tace acconsente.- MORE THAN ENOUGH (abbastanza, si legge “inaf”) IS TOO MUCH! = il troppo è troppo!- TO USE THE INFORMAL ADDRESS = darsi del tu.- STRICTLY (rigorosamente) OFF THE RECORD = in via del tutto confidenziale.- NOT TO CHANGE A SINGLE WORD = non cambiare una virgola.- TO HAVE A SAY IN THE MATTER = avere voce in capitolo.- TO RUIN (rovinare/rsi) THINGS FOR ONESELF = darsi la zappa sui piedi.- BY ALL ACCOUNTS = a detta di tutti.- ANYTHING BUT … = tutt’altro (quite the contrary) CHE … .- TO ASK FOR IT = cercarsela (eg. He asked for it=se l’é cercata).- TO THROW (threw/thrown=gettare) THE BABY WITH THE BATH WATER = gettare il bambino con l’acqua sporca (il senso è “fare di tutta l’erba un fascio”).- TO BE ON THE BALL (palla/globo e anche “ballo”) = essere in gamba.- ,AS IT WERE (NO “was”), = ,per così dire, (da usare come incidentale).- TO MISS THE BOAT (barca, si legge “bot”) = perdere l’occasione giusta.- BY AND LARGE = nel complesso.- TO HIT (hit/hit=colpire) THE CEILING (soffitto interno (soffitto esterno/tetto=roof), si legge “silingh”) = andare su tutte le furie.- TO CHICKEN OUT = calarsi le brache (nel senso “rinunciare=to give up”).- TO BE OF NO CONSEQUENCE = essere di poca importanza.- CROCODILE (si legge “crocodail”) TEARS = lacrime di coccodrillo.- EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY = prima o poi/alla fine arriva la fortuna.- TO COME (came/come=venire) RIGHT DOWN TO IT = venire al dunque.- TO RUN (ran/run=correre/gestire) ERRANDS = fare delle commissioni.- TO MAKE EYES AT (NO “to”) … = fare gli occhi dolci A … .- TO TURN A BLIND (cieco, si legge “blaind”) EYE = fare finta di niente.- TO BE ON THE FENCE (recinto/staccionata, si legge “fens”) = essere indeciso.- FIRST AND LAST = in tutto e per tutto.- SMALL FRY (friggere, si legge ”frai”) = pesci piccoli/persone di poco conto).- TO HAVE THE GALL (fiele, si legge “gool”) TO … = avere la faccia tosta DI + verbo.- TO GET BACK AT … = rendere pan per focaccia A … . = TO GIVE TIT (tetta) FOR TAT (abr.ne di “tattoo=tatuaggio”, si legge “tatu”) = AN EYE FOR AN EYE, A TOOTH FOR A THOOT = occhio per occhio, dente per dente.- TO BE AS GOOD AS ONE’S WORD = essere di parola = TO DELIVER THE GOODS.- TO GRIN (sogghignare) AND BEAR (bore/born=(tras)portare/partorire) IT = fare buon viso a cattiva sorte/cattivo gioco.- TO HANG (hung/hung=appendere/impiccare) IN THERE = tenere duro = TO HOLD (held/held=tenere) ONE’S OWN. V.a. TO HANG BACK=esitare. Eg. Don’t hang back, help yourself=non fare complimenti, serviti.- WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? = che diavolo/cavolo stai dacendo?- TO TAKE (took/taken=prendere) THE HIT (da to hit/hit/hit=colpire)= capire al volo.- DON’T LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH=a caval donato non si guarda in bocca.- TO SELL/GO LIKE HOTCAKES (frittelle) = andare a ruba.- HOW COME … ? = come mai (eg. “you are (SENZA “in”) late = sei in ritardo”)?- BY HEART = a memoria = INSIDE AND OUT.- STRIKE (struck/struck or stricken=colpire/scioperare) WHILE THE IRON IS HOT = batti il ferro mentre/finchè è caldo.- TO HAVE TOO MANY IRONS (ferri, si legge “airons”) IN THE FIRE = avere troppa carne al fuoco.- A TRAFFIC JAM (marmellata, si legge “geem”) = un ingorgo stradale.- TO TAKE A JOKE (barzelletta/scherzo, si legge “gioch”) = stare allo scherzo.- TO KNOW WHAT’S WHAT = sapere il fatto proprio/avere le idee chiare.- IN THE LAP (grembo) OF GOD = nelle mani di Dio.- LAUGHS (si legge “lafs”) BEST WHO LAUGHS LAST = ride bene chi ride ultimo.- A LEOPARD (leopardo) NEVER CHANGES HIS SPOTS (macche) = il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio.- IN LESS THAN NO TIME = in men che non si dica.- THAT’S THE LIMIT! = è il colmo! = IT’S THE LAST STRAW (paglia/cannucia)!- HALF A LOAF (pagnotta, si legge “lof”) IS BETTER THAN NONE = meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani.- TO MAKE UP WITH … = fare pace con … .- A PERSON OF NO ACCOUNT = una persona di poco conto/una mezza cartuccia.- TO MEET (met/met=incontrare) ONE’S MATCH (gara, si legge “mec”) = trovare pane per i propri denti.- ON THE MEND (rammendo) = IN via di guarigione.- TO MY MIND = a mio avviso/secondo me.- TO SAVE ONE’S NECK (collo) = cavarsela per il rotto della cuffia.- IN THE NICK (tacca) OF TIME = appena in tempo/all’ultimo momento.- BY A NOSE (naso) = per un pelo, eg. I won (da to win/won/won=vincere) by a nose.- TO RISE (rose/risen=sorgere) TO THE OCCASION=essere all’altezza della situazione.- TO GO ALL OUT FOR … = fare di tutto per sot.vo/ger.dio.- TO GET THE PICTURE (immagine, si legge “picciar”) = capire la situazione.- A PIG IN A POKE (let. un maiale in un sacco) = a scatola chiusa = SIGHT UNSEEN.Eg. Be careful not to buy a pig in a poke.- TO PAY OUT OF THE POCKET = pagare di tasca propria.- POINT-BLANK = di punto in bianco/a bruciapelo/chiaro e tondo.- TO HAVE A POINT (THERE) = non avere tutti i torti (meno forte di “avere ragione= to be right”).- A WATHCED POT NEVER BOLLS = una pentola guardata non bolle mai.- IT’S HE POT CALLING THE KETTLE (bollitore) BACK!=da che pulpito viene la predica!- PULL (tirare, l’opposto è “push=spingere”) OVER! = accosta e ferma la macchina! (può seguire: I think we have a flat tire=gomma bucata, si legge “flat taiar”).N.B. Appartamento = flat (in English language)/apartment (in American language),- ROOM (stanza) AND BOARD (pensione, si legge “bord”) = vitto e alloggio.- TO RUB (strofinare, si legge “rab”) SALT (sale, si legge “solt”) INTO SOMEONE’S WOUND (ferita, si legge “vuund”) = girare il coltello nella piaga.- BEYOND THE SHADOW OF A DOUBT = senza ombra di dubbio.- TO SINK (sank/sunk=affondare) OR SWIM (swam/swum=nuotare) = o bere/nuotare o affogare (notare che in inglese il detto è inverso rispetto a quello in italiano).- IN STEP (gradino) WITH … = al passo con … (eg. “the times”).- TO TAKE ON … AT … = sfidare … a … (es. tennis).- TO LEAVE (left/left) IT AT THAT = lasciare le cose come stanno.- TO ASK (chiedere) FOR TROUBLE (si legge “trabol”) = andare in cerca di guai.- TO MAKE A VIRTUE (si legge “verciu”) OF NECESSITY = fare di necessità virtù.- A WORD TO THE WISE (saggio, si legge “uais”) IS SUFFICIENT = a buon intenditore poche parole.- EVEN THE WORM (verme, si legge “uerm”) CAN TURN = anche/perfino la pazienza ha un limite.- CHALK (gesso, si legge “cioch”) IT UP TO EXPERIENCE = tienilo a mente per la prossima vola. V.a. TO CHALK UP = segnare col gesso (nel senso “prendere nota”).- EVERY SO OFTEN = di quando in quando.- TO DROP (dropped/dropped=versare) EVERYTHING = piantare baracche e burattini.- BEAUTY IS ONLY SKIN-DEEP (superficiale) = l’apparenza inganna.- A NOBODY = un morto di fame.- TO BE BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BUE SEA = essere tra l’incudine e il martello (nel senso “non sapere cosa fare/scegliere”).- TO REPAY SOMEONE IN HIS/HER OWN COIN=ripagare … CON la sua stessa moneta.- ALL THAT GLITTERS (brilla, si legge “gliters”) IS NOT GOLD = non è tutto oro quel che luce.- CANDLE IN THE WIND = something vulnerable, weak, fragile and likely to fail, perish or be eliminated at any moment. Eg. We all like to think we’ll live forever, but we are really just candles in the wind.Capitolo 8O D D S A N D E N D SI due termini singolarmente si traducono “probabilità” e “estremità”, ma insieme assumono il significato di “cianfrusaglie/avanzi di ogni genere, citazioni (quotes) detti e/o espressioni tratte da articoli” come i seguenti:THERE IS NOTHING SO ANNOYING (seccante) AS TO HAVE TWO PEOPLE GO RIGHT ON TALKING WHILE YOU’RE INTERRUPTING.IT’S SAD TO GROW OLD, BUT NICE TO RIPEN (maturare) IF WE HAVE A BIT OF LIFE IN US YET (se non siamo ancora decrepiti)BLESSED ARE THE YOUNG (NO “youngs”=i giovani; la gioventù=youth) FOR (perché) THEY SHALL INHERIT (erediteranno) THE NATIONAL DEBT.THE BAD THING ABOUT A GOOD SONG IS THAT IT MAKES A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THEY CAN SING.GREAT MINDS DISCUSS IDEAS, AVERAGE MINDS DISCUSS EVENTS,SMALL MINDS DISCUSS PEOPLELe grandi menti discutono di idee, le menti ordinarie discutono di avvenimenti, le piccole menti discutono di persone – Eleanor Roosevelt.THEY SAY (dicono che) HARD WORK NEVER HURT ANYBODY, BUT I FIGURE (dico) WHY TAKE THE CHANCE (rischiare – Ronald Regan former US President).A CELEBRITY IS A PERSON WHO WORKS FLAT OUT (a tutto spiano) ALL HIS LIFE TO BECOME KNOWN AND TO CLIMB THE LADDER (salire la scala del successo).AND THEN WEARS DARK GLASSES (occhiali scuri) TO AVOID BEING RECOGNIZED.A BUDGET IS WHAT YOU STAY WITHIN IF YOU GO WITHOUTIl budget è qualcosa in cui riesci a “stare dentro” se “fai a meno di tutto”.IF SOMEONE TELLS YOU TO DO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING=qualunque delle seguenti seguenti, IT MEANS YOU SHOULD KEEP CALM: HANG LOOSE (let.=appenditi sciolto); KEEP COOL/CHILL OUT (raffeddati); TAKE IT EASY (prenditela con calma).MAN IS A TWO EGGED ANIMAL (un animale a due gambe) WITHOUT FEATHERS (piume) – Platone who was a downright (ag.vo=vero; av.bio=decisamente) progressive=progressista=forward thinking.IF YOUR TIME HASN’T COME NOT EVEN A DOCTOR CAN KILL YOU.HE WHO (colui che) BUYS WHAT HE DOESN’T NEED STEALS FROM HIMSELF AND WASTES HIS LIFE-SAVINGS (spreca i risparmi di una vita).LOVE IS THE DELUSION (delusione/illusione) THAT A WOMAN DIFFERS (sia diversa) FROM ANOTHER.THERE IS NOTHING THAT WILL KILL A MAN SO SOON (tanto rapidamente) AS HAVING NOBODY TO FIND FAULT WITH (da criticare).THE LOGEST ENGAGEMENT ON RECORD WAS BETWEEN OCTAVIO GUILLEN AND ANDRIANI MARTINEZ WHEN AT AGE 82 THEY FINALLY WERE FINISHED WITH (si stuffarono DI) 67 YEARS OF ENGAGEMENT AND DECIDED TO TAKE THE PLUNGE (met.co: di saltare il fosso (di sposarsi); plunge=tuffo) IN MEXICO CITTY.YOU WILL BE JUDGED BECAUSE OF PUNCTUALITY AND RELIABILITY (affidabilità).IN MANY FAMILIES THE BASIC RULE OF THUMB (la regola di base; thumb=police) IS THAT THE WIVES CONTROL (controlled/controlled) THE PURSE STRINGS(i cordoni della borsa).THE PLAY WAS A REAL LEMON (limone) = lo spettacolo fu una vera bidonata.IF YOU ARE DETERMINATED TO MAKE A GO OF IT (se sei deciso a mettercerla tutta) YOU MUST BE SURE YOU HAVE GOT WHAT IT TAKES (devi essere sicuro di averne la stoffa) AND THE RIGHT ATTITUDE (e il giusto atteggiamento).A YOUNG MAN WILL UNDERSTAND MANY THINGS BETTER WHEN HE IS OLDER.(N.B. Dopo “when”, preceduto da un futuro, si deve usare sempre il present tense).IT’S GOING TO BE TOUGH (sarà dura), BUT I FEEL I CAN COPE(ma sento di potercela fare).OK I’LL BE RIGHT THERE (arrivo subito), BUT I’HAVE HAD IT (ma ne ho abbastanza)!IT MATTERS NOT HOW A MAN DIES, BUT HOW HE LIVES.IT IS COMFORTING TO THINK WE ARE ALL GETTING RICHER BY CHARGING EACHOTHER MORE. E’ rassicurante pensare che stiamo diventando tutti più ricchi chiedendo più soldi l’uno all’altro.THREE FAITHFUL (fedeli) FRIENDS ARE: AN OLD WIFE, AN OLD DOG AND READYMOMEY (soldi in contanti).PROCASTINATION IS PUTTING OFF UNTIL TOMORROW WHAT YOU PUTT OFFYESTERDAY UNTIL TODAY.Procastinare significa rimandare a domani quello che ieri hai rimandato a oggi.BEFORE YOU REACT, THINK. BEFORE YOU SPEND, EARN.BEFORE YOU CRITICIZE, WAIT. BEFORE YOU QUIT, TRY.ETCETERA IS A WORLD THAT MAKES PEOPLE THINKS I KNOW MORE THAN I DO.THERE IS NO ROSE WITHOUT THORNS (spine), BUT THERE ARE MANY THORNS WITHOUT ROSERS - Schopenhauer.IT IS NOT ENOUGH THAT I SUCCEED, OTHERS MUST FAIL.Non è abbastanza avere successo, è necessario che gli altri falliscano – Oscar Wilde.THE CYNIC KNOWS THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING AND THE VALUE OF NOTHING.Il cinico conosce il prezzo di ogni cosa e il valore di nessuna – Oscar Wilde.FOLLIES ARE THE ONLY THINGS YOU’LL NEVER REGRET.Le follie sono le uniche cose che non rimpiangono mai – Oscar Wilde.THE TRUE SIGN OF INTELLIGENCE IS NOT KNOWLEDGE BUT IMMAGINATIONIl vero segno dell’intelligenza non è la conoscenza, ma l’immaginazione.Albert EinsteinTHERE ISN’T NO FAVORABLE WIND FOR THE SAILOR WHO DOESN’T KNOW WHERE TO GONon essiste vento favorevole per il marinaio che non sa dove andare - Seneca.HOPE IS A WAKING DREAM = La speranza è un sogno a occhi aperti – Aristotele.MEN BUILD TOO MANY WALLS AND NOT ENOUGH BRIDGESGli uomini costruiscono troppi muri e non abbastanza ponti – Isaac Newton.I never could have done what I have done, without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one object at a time - Charles Dickens.I can stand brute force, but brute reason is quite unbearable. There is something unfair about its use. It is hitting below the intellect - Oscar Wilde.What a man really has is what is in him. What is outside of him should be a matter of no importance - Oscar Wilde.The very essence of an instinct is that it is followed independently of reason. Charles Darwin.Every man desires to live long, but no man would be old - Jonathan Swift.A man who does not think for himself does not think at all - Oscar Wilde.In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it - Oscar Wilde.I love good sense above all, perhaps because I have none.Gustave Flaubert.The goal of education is the advancement of knowledge and the dissemination of truth - John F. Kennedy.Sometimes it is better to keep one’s mouth shut risking to appear stupid or ignorant than open it and remove all doubt – Mark Twaine io sommessamente aggiungo“NON FATE DOMANDE SE NON SIETE IN GRADO DI CAPIRE LE RISPOSTE”.VERBI IRREGOLARI TO ABIDE ABODE (abided) ABODE (abided) = dimorare, rimanere; to abide by ... = attenersi A.. .TO ARISE AROSE ARISEN = sorgere=to rise rose risen=salire vuole l’ausiliare “avere”).TO AWAKE AWOKE AWOKE (awaked) = svegliare(rsi) = TO AWAKEN (anche fig.vo).TO BACKBITE BACKBIT BACKBITTEN (backbit) = sparlare, denigrare, calunniare.TO BACKSLIDE BLACKSLID BLACKSLID = ricadere nel peccato, errore, vizio.TO BE WAS BEEN = essere (v. Nota 1); it is being = si sta facendo; it is being done = sta per farsi.TO BEAR BORE BORNE = (tras)portare, partorire, generare (v. Nota 2).TO BEAT BEAT BEATEN (beat) = battere (significa anche “vincere”) (v. Nota 3).TO BECOME BECAME BECOME=diventare; to become head of…= diventare capo di… TO BEFALL BEFELL BEFALLEN = accadere = to happen.TO BEG BEGGED BEGGED = chiedere, elemosinare, mendicare; to beg off = disdire un impegno. V.a. I beg your pardon = scusa e anche “prego ripeti” (molto formale).TO BEGET BEGOT BEGOTTEN (begot) = generare, causare = to cause.TO BEGIN BEGAN BEGUN = cominciare; beginner = principiante; beginning = origine, principio.TO BEGIRD BEGIRDED BEGIRT = cingere, circondare, accerchiare.TO BEHOLD BEHELD BEHELD = contemplare = to admire.TO BEND BENT BENT = piegare; to bend over = piegarsi (anche fig.vo), fare di tutto, farsi in quattro.TO BEREAVE BEREFT (bereaved) BEREFT (bereaved) = privare; bereft of hope = senza speranza = hopeless.TO BESEECH BESOUGHT BESOUGHT = supplicare = to implore.TO BESET BESET BESET = assalire, assediare = to besiege (anche fig.vo).TO BESPEAK BESPOKE BESPOKEN = rivelare (nel senso di “mostrare”).TO BESTRIDE BESTRODE BESTRIDEN = stare a cavalcioni.TO BET BET BET = scommettere; to back (NO “to bet”) a horse = scommettere SU DI un cavallo.TO BETAKE BETOOK BETAKEN = recarsi, portarsi.TO BETHINK BETHOUGHT BETHOUGHT = riflettere = to reflect = rispecchiare.TO BID BID (bade) BID (bidden) = offrire; to bid in = far salire l’offerta; to bid up =rilanciare.TO BIDE BODE BIDEN = aspettare il momento buono, sopportare.TO BIND BOUND BOUND = legare, rilegare (libri); to bind over = obbligare a fare qualcosa.TO BITE BIT BITTEN (bit) = mordere; to bite back = fermarsi in tempo dal dire qualcosa.TO BLEED BLED BLED = sanguinare, dissanguarsi (anche fig.vo); to bleed to death = morire dissanguato.TO BLEND BLENT (blended) BLENT (blended) = mescolare (rsi).TO BLESS BLESSED (blest) BLESSED (blest) = benedire; God bless you = Dio ti/vi benedica.TO BLOW BLEW BLOWN = soffiare, sperperare denaro (v. Nota 4).TO BREAK BROKE BROKEN = rompere (v. Nota 5); breakdown = rottura, collasso, guasto.TO BREED BRED BRED = procreare, allevare.TO BRING BROUGHT BROUGHT = portare (v. Nota 6).TO BROADCAST BROADCAST (broadcasted) BROADCAST (broadcasted)=trasmettere.TO BROWBEAT BROWBEAT BROWBEATEN = intimorire/intimidire (con sguardi/ parole).TO BUILD BUILT BUILT = costruire; to build up = edificare.TO BURN BURNT (burned) BURNT (burned) = bruciare (v. Nota 7).TO BURST BURST BURST = scoppiare (v. Nota 8).TO BUY BOUGHT BOUGHT = comprare; to buy in=accaparrare, fare incetta di… . V.a.:TO BUY….OUTRIGHT (agg.= franco; avv.= francamente) = pagare…in contanti.TO BUY WHOLE-SALE = comprare all’ingrosso. TO BUY A PIG IN A POKE = comprare ad occhi chiusi (pig=maiale; poke=sacco). TO BUY SOME TIME SO…/TO..= avere più tempo COSI’(es. I can…)/PER (verbo).Nota 1 (to be was been = essere).TO BE (to feel) UNDER THE WEATHER = essere/sentirsi giù di corda.TO BE ABLE TO…= essere capace DI… .TO BE ABOUT TO…= essere sul punto DI… .TO BE AFRAID = avere paura.TO BE AGAINST = essere contrario.TO BE ALLOWED = essere permesso.TO BE ANGRY AT/WITH...= essere adirato CON ... = TO BE MAD AT... (NO “with”).TO BE ASHAMED = avere vergogna (shame, si legge “sceim”), vergognarsi.TO BE ASKING FOR TROUBLE = cercare guai; no trouble = nessun problema/disturbo.TO BE AT HAND = essere a portata di mano = AT ONE’S FINGERTIPS = punta delle dita)/disponibile (per “cose”; per “persone” to be helpful).TO BE AT LOGGER HEADS OVER…= essere ai ferri corti CON… (log = tronco di legno).TO BE AT ODDS WITH… = essere in disaccordo/ai ferri corti con… .TO BE AWARE = essere conscio/consapevole/rendersi conto = TO REALIZE or realise.TO BE AWAY = essere lontano.TO BE BACK = essere di ritorno.TO BE BESIDE ONESELF WITH ANGER/JOY = essere fuori di se dalla rabbia/gioia.TO BE BROKE = essere al verde, senza un soldo.TO BE COLD = avere freddo (NO “to have” cold).TO BE DELAYED = essere in ritardo (di aereo e simili).TO BE DUE = essere dovuto/atteso (in arrivo), dovere arrivare (di aerei, treni etc.). TO BE EARLY = essere in anticipo.TO BE ENGAGED=essere fidanzato e anche to be engaged (impegnato) in an activity.TO BE FAILED = essere bocciato.TO BE FAIR… = per essere obiettivo… .TO BE FOND OF = essere affezionato/volere bene A/essere appassionato di.TO BE FOR = essere favorevole.TO BE FORCED/COMPELLED TO…= essere costretto a…; (to compel = costringere).TO BE FUN = essere divertente.TO BE GIDDY = avere le vertigini, essere incostante.TO BE GONE FOR GOOD = finire per sempre.TO BE GOOD AT… = essere bravo (abile) a… .TO BE HOT = avere molto caldo (NO “to have” hot), essere sensuale.TO BE HUNGRY = avere fame (NO “to have” hungry).TO BE IN = essere in casa, essere arrivato, avere successo, essere in voga.TO BE IN A (GREAT) HURRY = avere (molta) fretta.TO BE IN A DAZE = essere stordito (to daze = stordire).TO BE IN A GOOD/BAD TEMPER/MOOD = essere di buono/cattivo umore.TO BE IN CHARGE OF = essere il responsabile/al comando di = to head = colpire con la testa. TO BE IN IT FOR… = essere pronti per… .TO BE IN LOVE WITH… = essere innamorato DI… .TO BE IN NEED/WANT OF = avere bisogno di = to need.TO BE IN PROGRESS = essere in corso di realizzazione o evoluzione.TO BE IN TROUBLE = essere nei guai = TO BE IN A MESS (confusione/pasticcio/guai) = to be on the hook (l’opposto è: to be off the hook).TO BE KEEN IN… = essere appassionato DI… . V.a. KEENLY = con molto interesse.TO BE KEEN ON…= essere interessato A… (eg. skiing = sciare).TO BE KEPT UNDER WRAPS = tenere nascosto (wrap = mantello).TO BE (SENZA “in”) LATE = essere in ritardo.TO BE LEFT = essere lasciato (es. indietro, dal coniuge); I want to be left alone = lasciatemi solo.TO BE LIKE/ALIKE = rassomigliare.TO BE LIKELY = essere probabile.TO BE MISTAKEN = essere in errore; to botch (si legge “bac”)=sbagliare clamo- rosamente (botch = pasticcio).TO BE NOWHERE = fallire, fare fiasco, non trovarsi.TO BE OBLIGED TO… = essere obbligato a… .TO BE OFF = andarsene, allontanarsi, tagliare la corda (slang.).TO BE ON A ROLL (rotolo) = TO BE ON THE UP AND UP = andare a gonfie vele (“roll” significa anche panino/ciambella = bun, si legge “ban”).TO BE ON BOARD = essere d’accordo.TO BE ON CLOUD NINE (lett: nuvola 9) = essere al settimo cielo.TO BE ON FIRST NAME = darsi del tu.TO BE ON… = essere interessato A…; to be on edge = essere nervoso; edge = bordo.TO BE OUT = essere fuori, essere spento (di luci)TO BE PATIENT = avere pazienza (NO “to have” patient).TO BE PAYING OFF = portare vantaggi/buoni risultati.TO BE PLEASED/HAPPY = essere lieto/felice (l’opposto è TO BE BLUE = essere triste).TO BE REBUFFED = essere respinti, ricevere un netto rifiuto.TO BE RIGHT = avere ragione = to have a point (nel senso “avere una buona idea”).TO BE SEEKING TO… = cercare DI… .TO BE SET UP = essere messi in ridicolo o presi in giro; to be set = essere pronti (ad iniziare qualcosa).TO BE SICK or ILL = essere ammalato; da non confondere con hill = collina.TO BE SLEEPY = avere sonno.TO BE SORRY = essere dispiaciuto.TO BE STUCK = restare bloccato (to stick stuck stuck = fissare, conficcare).TO BE SUCH AN ACE = essere un campione.TO BE THIRSTY = avere sete.TO BE THRILLED or EXCITED = essere eccitato.TO BE TIGHT = essere avaro/tirchio, avere pochi soldi; tight = aderente/stretto.TO BE UNDER A CLOUD = essere (lett: sotto una nuvola) malvisto, sospettato di… .TO BE UNDER THE IMPRESSION… = avere l’impressione che… .TO BE UP AND RUNNING = essere in attività, operante.TO BE UP IN THE CLOUDS = essere con la testa TRA le nuvole.TO BE UP TO THE JOB = essere all’altezza dell’inarico/compito ricevuto.TO BE UP TO… = essere in grado/all’altezza DI…, avere in mente di… .TO BE USED TO = essere abituato a.TO BE WARM = avere caldo.TO BE WELL LOOKED AFTER = essere ben curati (da un malessere).TO BE WITTY = essere/fare lo spiritoso.TO BE WORTH = valere/valerne la pena; worthy of = degno/meritevole di + ger.dio. V.a. “NOT WORTH + ger.dio = non vale la pena di … e WORTH A LOT = di gran valore.TO BE WRONG = avere torto.TO BEHEAD = decapitare.I’M BEGINNING TO LIKE ... (indicare chi/cosa inizia a piacere) = … comincia a piacermi. V.a. I’m crazy about it = ne vado pazzo.THAT MAY BE SO = può darsi, forse (ad inizio di frase). Per la forma negativa si usa “may not”, eg. You may not find (SENZA “to”) accomodation (alloggio) in New York.WHAT’S UP? = che succede? = WHAT’S GOING ON? = come và? = WHAT’S NEW?I‘M OUT OF… = mi è finito il… (indicare una cosa).WHETHER IT BE (IN) … OR… = sia che sia (in)…che (in)…; whether…or…= sia…che… .Nota 2 (to bear bore borne = portare).TO BEAR AWAY = portare via, deviare dalla propria rotta.TO BEAR DOWN = vincere, superare, premere, gravare.TO BEAR ON/UPON = avere relazioni o rapporti CON.TO BEAR OUT = avvalorare, confermare, dimostrare, testimoniare = to testify.TO BEAR UP = resistere, tenere duro. V.a. “HOLD FAST! = tieni duro!”TO BEAR WITH = avere pazienza con…, sopportare qualcosa o qualcuno.Nota 3 (to beat beat beaten = battere).TO BEAT ABOUT = cercare affannosamente (es. la via d’uscita).TO BEAT BACK = respingere/allontanare = TO FEND (difendersi) OFF.TO BEAT DOWN = colpire duramente (di sole, pioggia, ecc.), (far) abbassare il prezzo.TO BEAT IN = rompere, sfondare.TO BEAT OFF = respingere (es. assalto, nemici, ecc.).TO BEAT OUT = suonare con uno strumento a percussione.TO BEAT UP = picchiare selvaggiamente, sbattere le uova.Nota 4 (to blow blew blown = soffiare).TO BLOW AWAY/OFF = (far) volare via, essere portato dal vento.TO BLOW DOWN = abbattersi del vento.TO BLOW IT OFF = fallire, mancare, trascurare.TO BLOW THE MIND (mente/senno) = stupire (I have a lot in my mind = ho molte preoccupazioni).TO BLOW OUT = spegnere, cessare (di temporale), scoppiare (di pneumatico).TO BLOW OVER = esaurirsi.TO BLOW PAST = superare.TO BLOW UP = (far) scoppiare (to go off), ingrandire (es. foto), rimproverare o arrabbiarsi CON… .Nota 5 (to break broke broken = rompere).TO BREAK AWAY = scappar via, allontanarsi da, rompere i rapporti con (opposto “to deal with”).TO BREAK DOWN = abbattere (anche fig.vo), avere un guasto, crollare, avere un collasso.TO BREAK IN/INTO = entrare con forza, irrompere = to get in/into something.TO BREAK OFF = (di)staccare(rsi), interrompere(rsi).TO BREAK OUT = scoppiare (es. di guerre), esplodere, liberarsi DA… (es. routine quotidiana).TO BREAK THROUGH = aprirsi un varco, penetrare attraverso, sfondare, superare.TO BREAK UP = fare/andare a/in pezzi (anche fig.vo) = to split up (to split = dividere).TO BREAK (UP) WITH = rompere con (es. il passato, la famiglia, un amore).Nota 6 (to bring brought brought = portare).TO BRING ABOUT = causare, determinare.TO BRING ALONG = condurre con sé.TO BRING AROUND/ROUND = convincere, fare rinvenire.TO BRING BACK = restituire, riportare.TO BRING DOWN = far cadere o crollare, abbattere.TO BRING FORTH = avanzare, proporre.TO BRING FORWARD = anticipare (es. un avvenimento, l’ora dell’orologio). TO BRING IN/INTO = incorporare, introdurre, tirare dentro, incassare.TO BRING IN = varare una legge = to enact a law.TO BRING IN LINE WITH… = essere adeguato A… .TO BRING OFF = portare a buon fine o in salvo.TO BRING ON = aggiungere, fare entrare, procurare un disturbo o una malattia.TO BRING OUT = mettere sul mercato un prodotto.TO BRING OVER = portare con sé, convincere a cambiare parere.TO BRING TO = fare rinvenire o tornare IN sé.TO BRING UP = allevare, crescere (to raise), educare = to look after ... = to grow up. TO BRING UP/ON = fondare, basare su… .Nota 7 (to burn burnt (burned) burnt (burned) = bruciare).TO BURN AWAY = bruciare(rsi), consumare(rsi).TO BURN DOWN = dare alle fiamme, essere distrutto dal fuoco.TO BURN IN = incidere con il fuoco, imprimere indelebilmente (fig.vo).TO BURN OFF = distruggere o togliere con il fuoco.TO BURN OUT=estinguersi di fuoco (anche fig.vo, es. consumarsi per troppo lavoro).TO BURN UP = divampare.Nota 8 (to burst burst burst = scoppiare).TO BURST IN = interrompere = to interrupt a speech or somebody speaking.TO BURST INTO LAUGHTER/TEARS = scoppiare a ridere/piangere (to be in tears = piangere). V.a. “LAUGH IT UP, BUT ... = ridi quanto ti pare, ma ... .”TO BURST OUT = apparire (del sole o della luna).TO BURST WITH/INTO LAUGHTER = ridere a crepapelle = to shake with laughter.TO CAST CAST CAST = distribuire o assegnare la parte agli attori (v. Nota 9)TO CATCH CAUGHT CAUGHT = afferrare (v. Nota 10) to catch sight of = vedere all’improvviso.TO CHIDE CHIDED (chid) CHIDED (chid) = sgridare, rimproverare.TO CHOOSE CHOSE CHOSEN = scegliere, preferire = to prefer = to like.TO CLEAVE CLOVE (cleaved or cleft) CLOVEN (cleaved or cleft) = fendere (cloven = fesso).TO CLIMB CLIMBED (clomb) CLIMBED (clomb) = arrampicarsi; to climb down = scendere.TO CLING CLUNG CLUNG = essere fedele A…, avvinghiarsi, tenersi stretto.TO CLOTHE CLOTHED (clad) CLOTHED (clad) = rivestire, ricoprire.TO COME CAME COME=venire; come off it!=smettila! outcome=risultato (v. Nota 11)TO COST COST COST = costare.TO CREEP CREPT CREPT = strisciare, insinuarsi (v. Nota 12).TO CUT CUT CUT = tagliare (v. Nota 13).Nota 9 (to cast cast cast = distribuire).TO CAST ABOUT/AROUND = guardarsi in giro per cercare qualcosa o qualcuno.TO CAST AN EYE ON…= mettere gli occhi su… .TO CAST ASIDE = mettere da parte, gettare via, disfarsi DI… .TO CAST AWAY = buttare via, far naufragare (castaway = naufrago, respinto).TO CAST DOWN = buttare giù o abbattere (anche fig.vo).TO CAST OFF = liberarsi DI…, buttare fuori.TO CAST ONE’S VOTE = dare il proprio voto.Nota 10 (to catch caught caught = afferrare).TO CATCH AT = afferrare(rsi).TO CATCH ON = afferrare, capire, diffondersi, prendere piede.TO CATCH OUT = cogliere in fallo.TO CATCH UP = raggiungere, recuperare, catturare.Nota 11 (to come came come = venire).TO COME ABOUT = accadere, succedere = to happen.TO COME ACROSS/UPON = trovare o incontrare per caso.TO COME ALONG=venire, avanzare, progredire, presentare (di occasione o persona).TO COME APPART = cadere a pezzi.TO COME AROUND = venire a trovare (fare un salto nel senso di “visita”)=to drop in.TO COME AT = giungere, assalire, pervenire.TO COME AWAY = venire via, staccarsi.TO COME BACK = ritornare.TO COME BEFORE = precedere, comparire davanti A = FACED WITH ... .TO COME BETWEEN/AMONG(ST) = interporsi tra DUE persone o cose/PIU’ di DUE persone, cose.TO COME BY = andare a trovare, ottenere, procurarsi = to obtain = to get = to gain.TO COME CLEAN = essere chiari.TO COME DOWN = scendere, venire giù = to go down = to get down.TO COME FOR = venire a prendere, ritirare.TO COME FORTH = venire fuori.TO COME FORWARD = farsi avanti.TO COME IN = entrare, comparire, arrivare = to go in = to get in.TO COME INTO = entrare in… .TO COME INTO MONEY = ereditare.TO COME NEAR = avvicinarsi, mancare per poco.TO COME OF AGE = diventare maggiorenne.TO COME OFF = venir via, staccarsi, cadere, scendere DA… (anche fig.vo).TO COME ON = venire avanti; come on = puoi entrare.TO COME OUT = uscire, venire fuori = to get out (of).TO COME OVER = venire da lontano, venire a trovare, succedere, accadere = to come (a)round.TO COME ROUND = venire a trovare (nel senso “fare un salto”).TO COME THROUGH = attraversare, superare, cavarsela.TO COME TO = rinvenire, riprendere conoscenza, venire per/a prendere UN…, eg. He is coming to (NO “for”) tea.TO COME TO MIND = venire in mente, ricordarsi = to come into one’s mind=to occur.TO COME UP = salire, comparire, sorgereTO COME UP AGAINST = cozzare contro.TO COME UP WITH = venire fuori con una nuova idea (o simile), inventare, scoprire.TO COME UPON = incontrare, invadere.Nota 12 (to creep crept crept = strisciare).TO CREEP ALONG = avanzare strisciando furtivamente.TO CREEP AWAY = allontanarsi strisciando furtivamente.TO CREEP DOWN = scendere lentamente o furtivamente.TO CREEP IN = avanzare di idee, costumi ecc.TO CREEP ON = avanzare lentamente.TO CREEP UP = salire lentamente.Nota 13 (to cut cut cut= tagliare).TO CUT ACROSS = andare contro, contraddire = to contradict.TO CUT AT = tagliare, ferire con arma da taglio.TO CUT AWAY = tagliare via.TO CUT BACK/DOWN = ridurre; to cut back costs = ridurre i costi.TO CUT HIS/HER TEETH = farsi le ossa (fig.vo) (tooth = dente; teeth = denti).TO CUT IN = intervenire in una discussione, tagliare la strada (anche fig.vo.TO CUT OFF = tagliare via, isolare (to isolate), sospendere una fornitura, impedire una via d’uscita.TO CUT OUT=(ri)tagliare un articolo da un giornale/rami secchi; cut it out! = finiscila!TO CUT UP = tagliare a pezzetti, sdradicare piante.TO DIG DUG DUG = scavare, tirare fuori; people dig it = alla gente piace.TO DRAW DREW DRAWN=disegnare/tirare/attrarre; to draw up=preparare. V.a. “TODRAW UP A CONTRACT = redigere un contratto ed anche: pareggiare il risultato di una gara, trarre le conclusioni = to draw conclusions”.TO DREAM DREAMED (dreamt) DREAMED (dreamt) = sognare.TO DRINK DRANK DRUNK (druncken) = bere; drunk = ubriaco.TO DRIVE DROVE DRIVEN = guidare veicoli (v. Nota 14); to drive the trend = fare tendenza. V.a. “TURNROUND = inversione di tendenza”.TO DEAL DEALT DEALT = elargire, dare in dono, distribuire le carte (V.a. “DECK (ponte di nave) OF CARDS = mazzo di carte”); to deal with = trattare con … .TO DARE DARED DARED (durst) = osare. V.a. DAREDAVIL = audace/temerario.TO DO DID DONE = fare (v. Nota 15); that doesn’t follow = questo (che stai dicendo) non c’entra.TO DWELL DWELLED (dwelt) DWELLED (dwelt)=risiedere/soggiornare=to stay=to liveNota 14 (to drive drove driven = guidare).TO DRIVE AT = tendere o mirare a qualcosa, lavorare assiduamente, lanciarsi verso persona o cosa.TO DRIVE AWAY = scacciare, respingere, fare allontanare.TO DRIVE IN = spingere dentro, introdurre.TO DRIVE OUT = (s)cacciare via.TO DRIVE UNDER = reprimere un sentimento.TO DRIVE UP = accostarsi o avvicinarsi o arrivare in un luogo con un veicolo.Nota 15 (to do did done = fare).TO DO AN EXERCISE = fare un esercizio fisico o mentale.TO DO A FAVOUR = TO DO SOMEONE A GOOD TURN = fare un favore a qualcuno.TO DO A GOOD JOB = fare un buon lavoro (anche fig.vo); to do odd jobs = fare lavori saltuari/occasionali.TO DO A WASHING UP = lavare i piatti.TO DO AN EXAMINATION = fare un esameTO DO BUSINESS = fare affair.TO DO HARM = fare male, arrecare danno.TO DO HOMEWORK = fare i compiti.TO DO ONE’S BEST = TO GIVE IT ONE’S ALL = fare del proprio meglio.TO DO ONE’S DUTY/BIT = fare il proprio dovere.TO DO ONE’S HAIR = farsi i capelli.TO DO REPAIRS = fare riparazioni.TO DO SOMEONE IN = uccidere (slang).TO DO THE GARDEN = fare giardinaggio.TO DO THE SHOPPING = fare spese. V.a. TO GO FOR SHOPPING =andare a far spese, simile a “To go ON errands = andare per commissioni”.TO DO + infinito SENZA ”to” efatizza detto verbo, eg. I do like her = lei mi piace veramente.N.B. To do indica “fare” in generale e senza alcuna specificazione si usa parlando di lavoro, di studi o di un compito da svolgere. Es:- Those who do good, will have their reward = coloro che fanno del bene saranno ricompensati.- I shall do or die = o la va o la spacca.TO EAT ATE EATEN = mangiare; to eat out = mangiare al ristorante.TO FALL FELL FALLEN = cadere (v. Nota 16); to fall ill/short = ammalarsi, mancare l’obiettivo.TO FEED FED FED = nutrire (v. Nota 17); I’m fed up with…= sono stufo DI… .TO FEEL FELT FELT = sentire (nel senso “percepire”); to feel uneasy = sentirsi in imbarazzo (v. Nota 18).TO FIGHT FOUGHT FOUGHT=combattere, lottare; to fight off=respingere un nemico.TO FIND FOUND FOUND=trovare; to find out=scoprire; to find one’s way=orientarsi.TO FIT FIT (fitted) FIT (fitted) = andare bene, essere adatto; to fit well with = andare d’accordo con ... .TO FLEE FLED FLED = fuggire, scappare, sparire = to disappear.TO FLING FLUNG FLUNG = scagliare (v. Nota 19); to fling away = sperperare.TO FLY FLEW FLOWN = volare; to fly at = scagliarsi contro/assalire; to fly over= invader.TO FORBEAR FORBORE FORBORNE = astenersi DA, fare a meno DI.TO FORBID FORBADE FORBIDDEN = proibire = to prohibit (God forbid! = Dio ce ne guardi).TO FORECAST FORECAST FORECAST = predire; weather forcast = previoni del tempo.TO FOREGO FOREWENT FOREGONE = venire prima, precedere.TO FOREKNOW FOREKNEW FOREKNOWN = sapere prima, prevedere.TO FORESEE FORESAW FORESEEN = prevedere, presentire.TO FORETELL FORETOLD FORETOLD = predire, pronosticare.TO FORGET FORGOT FORGOTTEN = dimenticare; forget about it! = (ma si) non ci pensare più!TO FORGIVE FORGAVE FORGIVEN = perdonare.TO FORGO FORWENT FOGONE = rinunciare A.., privarsi DI …TO FORSAKE FORSOOK FORSAKEN = abbandonare; forsake (ag.vo) = abbandonato, desolato.TO FORSWEAR FORSWORE FORSWORN = abiurare, rinnegare, giurare il falso.TO FREEZE FROZE FROZEN = (con) gelare; to freeze off = raggelare ql.no; to freeze out = escludere.Nota 16 (to fall fell fallen = cadere).TO FALL ABOUT = divertirsi molto.TO FALL AWAY = diminuire, scendere.TO FALL BACK = ritirarsi, ribassare i prezzi.TO FALL BEHIND = rimanere indietro (anche con i pagamenti).TO FALL BELOW = scendere al di sotto DI… .TO FALL DOWN = cadere a terra; to fall down on it = non fare bene il proprio lavoro.TO FALL FOR = abboccare, cascarci, innamorarsi DI…= to fall in love WITH… .TO FALL IN = cadere, crollare, essere coinvolto.TO FALL IN/INTO = cadere accidentalmente dentro… .TO FALL OFF = cadere DA… .TO FALL ON = cadere di date, es. Christmas falls on a Tuesday this year.TO FALL ON/UPON = attaccare, assalire, buttarsi o avventarsi su… .TO FALL OUT = litigare = to quarrel.TO FALL OUTSIDE = uscire DA…, non far parte DI…, non rientrare IN… .TO FALL THROUGH=fallire, andare a monte=TO GO BUST (fallimento, si legge “bast”)TO FALL TO = (ri/in) cominciare = to start = to begin/began/begun.TO FALL UNDER = rientrare in una categoria o gruppo, cadere o finire sotto.TO FALL WITHIN = rientrare, essere di competenza.Nota 17 (to feed fed fed = nutrire).TO FEED OFF = alimentarsi o prendere il cibo DA… .TO FEED ON = nutrire CON… .TO FEED UP = (fare) ingrassare = to fatten.Nota 18 (to feel felt felt = sentire, percepire).TO FEEL AT EASE = sentirsi a proprio agio; to ease = alleviare, alleggerire.TO FEEL FOR = cercare tastoni, sentire pena per… .TO FEEL UP TO = sentirsi in grado DI… .TO FEEL (or to be) UNDER THE WEATHER = sentirsi giù di corda.Nota 19 (to fling flung flung = scagliare).TO FLING OFF = gettare via, sbarazzarsi DI… .TO FLING ON = indossare precipitosamente.TO FLING OUT = gettare fuori, mettere alla porta, insultare.TO FLING UP=gettare in aria; to toss the coin=gettare una moneta e fare testa/croce.TO GAINSAY GAINSAID GAINSAID = negare, contraddire = to contradict.TO GET GOT GOT (gotten) = ottenere in molti significati, es: comprare, ricevere, ecc. (v. Nota 20).TO GILD GILLED (gilt) GILLED (gilt) = indorare; to gild (or to sugar) the pill = indorare la pillola (met.co).TO GIRD GIRDED (girt) GIRED (girt)=circondare/cingere; to gird up=mettersi all’operaTO GIVE GAVE GIVEN = dare; to give birth to a… = partorire un/una… (v. Nota 21).TO GO WENT GONE = andare; to go missing=scomparire = to disappear (v. Nota 22).TO GRAVE GRAVED GRAVED (graven) = seppellire; grave = tomba; coffin = bara.TO GRIND GROUND GROUND = macinare, frantumare (v. Nota 23).TO GROW GREW GROWN = crescere; to grow up (si usa solo per le persone) = diventare adulto.Nota 20 (to get got got (gotten) = ottenere ecc.).TO GET ABOARD = salire abordo.TO GET ABOUT = andare in giro, essere attivo, muoversi.TO GET ABOVE = superare; to get above oneself = montarsi la testa.TO GET ACROSS = attraversare = to cross = to pass through (a place).TO GET AHEAD = superare, andare avanti, farsi strada (anche fig.vo).TO GET ALONG = fare progressi, avanzare.TO GET ANGRY = arrabbiarsi.TO GET AROUND = andare in giro, superare un ostacolo.TO GET AT = raggiungere = to reach = to arrive at (a place).TO GET AWAY = allontanarsi (getaway = fuga/evasione, neno forte di “escape”).TO GET AWAY WITH IT = farla franca.TO GET BACK = riprendere, ritornare.TO GET BAD = andare a male, guastarsi.TO GET BEHIND = rimanere indietro.TO GET BETTER = migliorare, stare meglio.TO GET BY = (riuscire a) passare, vivere con semplicità, esistere, sbarcare il lunario.TO GET CROSS WITH… = arrabbiarsi con… .TO GET DARK = farsi buio per il venire della notte.TO GET DOWN = (far) scendere = to come down = to go down; (to go down with = ammalarsi DI).TO GET DOWN TO BUSINESS = occuparsi di cose serie.TO GET DRESSED = vestirsi = to dress; to put on = indossare.TO GET DRUNK = ubriacarsi = to booze (boozer = bevitore di alcolici; booze = sbornia, alcolico).TO GET HOLD OF = afferrare = to grab/grabbed = to seize = to catch/caught/caught.TO GET HOT UNDER THE COLLAR (let. sentire caldo sotto il colletto) = indignarsi.TO GET ILL/SICK = ammalarsiTO GET IN = salire/entrare (in mezzi di trasporto), arrivare = to come in = to go in.TO GET IN THE WAY = ostacolare/intralciare la strada (anche fig.vo); this is the way I am = sono fatto così.TO GET IN TUNE (motivo/melodia) = sintonizzarsi.TO GET INTO = infilarsi, (riuscire a) entrare, penetrare.TO GET INVOLVED WITH = farsi coinvolgere.TO GET KNOWN=venire a sapere/imparare a conoscere (TO GET IT=capire, cogliere).TO GET MARRIED = sposarsi.TO GET OFF = scendere da auto, bus, ecc.., andarsene.TO GET OFF SCOT-FREE = farla franca (“scot” proviene da sceot tassa imposta nel medio evo).TO GET OLD = invecchiare.TO GET ON = salire su auto, bus, ecc.., fare progressi, andare d’accordo.TO GET ON ONE’S NERVES = fare innervosireTO GET ON WELL WITH…= andare molto d’accordo con… .TO GET ON WITH = andare avanti con un lavoro/progetto.TO GET ONE’S FACTS WRONG = confondere i fatti.TO GET OUT = uscire, prendere aria (nel senso “fare una passeggiata”), scacciare qualcuno fuori.TO GET OUT OF = uscire DA… .TO GET OVER = scavalcare, vincere, riaversi, superare (difficoltà/ostacoli ecc.).TO GET PALE = impallidire.TO GET READY = preparare(rsi).TO GET RID OF… = sbarazzarsi/liberarsi di…= TO FREE ONESELF OF… .TO GET (A)ROUND = superare/aggirare un ostacolo, girare intorno.TO GET ROUND TO + ger.dio = trovare il tempo per fare qualcosa.TO GET SETTLED = sistemarsi, stabilirsi; to settle = stabilire, decidere, saldare un conto, risolvere.TO GET/START THE BALL ROLLING = dare inizio; who got the ball rolling? = chi comincia?TO GET THE UPPER HAND = prendere il sopravvento, farsi valere.TO GET THERE = arrivare, giungere là.TO GET THIN = dimagrire.TO GET THROUGH = portare a termine = to finish off.TO GET TIRED = stancarsi.TO GET TO = giungere/arrivare in un luogo, pervenire.TO GET TO BE = diventare = to become became become.TO GET TO KNOW = venire a sapere, imparare a conoscere, fare la conoscenza.TO GET TO THE BOTTOM (fondo/parte inferiore) OF = scoprire tutto di… .TO GET TOGETHER = radunare(rsi).TO GET UNDER THE COLLAR = to incense = irritare(rsi)/ incensare (anche fig.vo).TO GET UNDER WAY = essere operarativo; under way = in corso (es. lavori).TO GET UP = alzarsi DAL letto; negli altri casi si usa to stand up = alzarsi IN piedi.TO GET UP TO MONKEY (scimmia) BUSINESS = non perdere tempo. V.a. “To play fortime = temporeggiare in scherzi/buffonate”.TO GET USED TO (seguito dal verbo al “participio presente”) = abituarsi a… .TO GET WELL = guarire.TO GET WIND OF = scoprire = to discover = to find out.TO GET WITHIN = arrivare A, raggiungere.TO GET WORSE = peggiorare.TO GET.….sost.vo.….UNDER = domare; to get a fire under = domare un incendio.TO GET A JOB = trovare un lavoro.TO GET A TOOTH-ACHE = avere mal di denti; ache = dolore fisico.TO GET BACK ON ONE’S FEET = rimettersi IN piedi, ritrovare il proprio equilibrio.DON’T GET EXCITED = non ti arrabbiare.GET A LIFE! = cerca di maturare/crescere/farti i fatti tuoi! (in tono di rimprovero).GETTING WELL/BETTER TANKS (abr.ne di “thank you”) = va bene/meglio grazie.Nota 21 (to give gave given = dare).TO GIVE A LEG (gamba, coscia) UP = dare una mano, aiutare.TO GIVE AWAY = dare via, regalare.TO GIVE BACK = restituire.TO GIVE HIM/HER THE SACK (sacco) = licenziare (slang).TO GIVE IN = consegnare; (to give in something before…= consegnare qualcosa ENTRO.…).TO GIVE OFF = emettere, mandare fuori.TO GIVE OUT = esaurirsi/finire.TO GIVE OVER = smettere di fare qualcosa.TO GIVE UP=rinunciare/cedere/arrendersi = to cut down=to cut down on something.TO GIVE WAY = cedere, dare la precedenza.TO NOT GIVE A HOOT = fregarsene; to hoot = suonare il clacson.GIVE-AND-TAKE = compromesso, concessione reciproca.Nota 22 (to go went gone = andare).TO GO ABOUT = gironzolare.TO GO ACROSS = attraversare = to cross = to pass through (a place).TO GO AFTER = andare dietro, inseguire.TO GO AGAINST = opporsi (a), essere contrario (a), risultare sfavorevole (a/per).TO GO AHEAD = andare avanti/precedere qualcuno.TO GO ALONG = andare avanti, avanzare.TO GO ALONG WITH = accompagnare, essere d’accordo con.TO GO AROUND = andare in giro.TO GO ASIDE = tirarsi da parte, allontanarsi, deviare (anche fig.vo).TO GO AT = attaccare, assalire = to attach; attaccare, legare to fasten = to tie (up).TO GO AWAY = andare via; to go away with something = portarsi via qualcosa.TO GO BACK = ritornare.TO GO BATHING = andare a fare il bagno AL MARE; to have a bath = fare il bagno. TO GO BEHIND = ritornare su, riesaminare, rivedere.TO GO BEYOND = andare oltre, oltrepassare.TO GO BY = passare (di tempo), andare oltre, superare.TO GO + COLOUR = cambiare un colore con un altro (da indicare).TO GO DOWN = tramontare (di astri), colare a picco, scendere = to come down = toget down.TO GO FAR = andare lontano, fare carriera.TO GO FOR = andare a prendere o chiamare, assalire/essere interessato, eg. He goes for tall bondes; to fetch = andare a prendere/cercare.TO GO FOR IT = buttarsi, nel senso di “Ok fallo tu/buttati!”TO GO FOR NOTHING = non essere tenuto in alcuna considerazione.TO GO FORTH = essere pubblicato/emanato/diffondersi di voci (forth avv.bio = (in) avanti).TO GO FORWARD = avanzare/fare progressi (forward: avv.bio=forth, ag.vo=spinto).TO GO HOME WITH = da portare a casa, eg. Those are the sweets to go home with.TO GO IN = entrare, arrivare = to come in = to get in.TO GO INTO = entrare; to go into labor/reverse = avere le doglie.TO GO OFF = scappare, andare via; it went off fairly well = è andata piuttosto bene.TO GO ON = accadere, andare avanti, continuare, cominciare a funzionare. V.a.: TO GO ON HOLIDAY/VACATION = andare IN vacanza. TO GO INTO THE RED = subire un deficit, essere in passivo=to be in the red. WHAT’S GOING ON? = che succede?TO GO ON + TO DO SOMETHING = fare una cosa dopo averne completata un’altra.TO GO OUT = andare fuori, diffondere/rsi, emigrare, dimettersi = to step down.TO GO OVER = esaminare, controllare, passare dall’altra parte, trasferirsiTO GO OVER TO…= passare a…, disertare.TO GO ROUND = fare una capatina o breve visita = TO POP IN=entrare per un attimo.TO GO THROUGH = passare attraverso, attraversare.TO GO TO = andare nel senso di frequentare (es. Università) = to go with.TO GO TO LAW = adire le vie legali = TO GO TO COURT (tribunale, si legge “coort”).TO GO TO THE POLLS = andare a votare; polls = urne.TO GO TOGETHER = stare bene insieme.TO GO UNDER = addormentarsi per effetto di anestesia.TO GO UP = avvicinarsi, salire.TO GO/DO WITHOUT = astenersi DA, fare a meno DI.Nota 23 (to grind ground ground = macinare).TO GRIND AWAY = lavorare molto; grind = lavoro faticoso, sgobbone.TO GRIND DOWN = domare, vincere, opprimere.TO GRIND INTO = schiacciare, premere con forza.TO GRIND UP = sminuzzare, sbriciolare.TO HANG HUNG HUNG = appendere impiccare; hangover = sbornia (v. Nota 24).TO HAVE HAD HAD = avere (v. Nota 25); don’t have a clue=non essere a conoscenza.TO HEAR HEARD HEARD = udire; unheard of = inaudito; to mishear = fraintendere, udire male.TO HEAVE HEAVED (hove) HEAVED = sollevare(rsi) o alzare(rsi) con sforzo.TO HEW HID HID (hidden) = spaccare/menare fendenti; to hew to = aderire.TO HIDE HID HIDDEN = nascondere(rsi).TO HIT HIT HIT = picchiare, colpire; to hit back/at = contrattaccare, ribattere.TO HOLD HELD HELD = tenere/trattenere; to hold out = resistere/tenere duro.V.a. To hold a rank (classifica) = ricoprire una carica.TO HUM HUMMED HUMMED = canticchiare a bocca chiusa.TO HURT HURT HURT = ferire, farsi male. TO HOLD OFF = bloccare, eliminare.TO HOLD UP=reggersi (es. di una teoria), resistere; the roof held up during the storm. TO HOLD NERVE = mantenere i nervi saldi.Nota 24 (to hang hung hung = appendere e anche “impiccare”).TO HANG ABOUT/AROUND = stare ad aspettare qualcuno o qualcosa.TO HANG BACK/BEHIND = restare o trattenersi indietroTO HANG IN THERE = perseverare (Hang in there! = non mollare!).TO HANG ON = aggrapparsi A…, attendere in linea (telefono).TO HANG OUT = stendere il bucato, sporgere(rsi), frequentare, ciondolare(rsi).TO HANG OVER = incombere su… (anche fig.vo).TO HANG UP = riattaccare il telefono.Nota 25 (to have had had = avere; to lack = non avere nel senso di “mancare/ bisognare di”).TO HAVE A CHANGE OF HEART=avere un ripensamento, fare marcia indietro (fig.vo).TO HAVE A FLUTTER (movimento rapido, agitazione) ON = scommettere su.TO HAVE A LOOK AT = dare una occhiata = to glance at.TO HAVE A RIDE = fare un giro con un veicolo, avere un passaggio=to have/get a lift.TO HAVE A SMOKE/COFFEE = farsi una fumatina/ prendere un caffè.TO HAVE A SOFT (morbido) SPOT FOR…= avere un debole per… .TO HAVE A TEMPERATURE = avere la febbre.TO HAVE ABOUT = avere con sé.TO HAVE BACK = riavere, riprendere.TO HAVE COPPED OUT=squagliarsela=to cop out = svignarsela; to cop = acchiappare.TO HAVE DONE WITH…= non volerne più sapere DI… .TO HAVE GOOD VIBRES (vibrazioni) = avere una piacevole sensazione.TO HAVE GOT OFF = essere rilasciati, eg. He had got off WITH caution = fu rilasciato SU cauzione.TO HAVE IN = avere in casa, essere forniti DI… .TO HAVE ON = portare, indossare = to wear/wore/worn.TO HAVE OUT = farsi togliere (es. un dente).TO HAVE OVER = invitare a casa propria = to put up.TO HAVE PAID OFF = avere successo.TO HAVE SECOND THOUGHTS = avere ripensamenti.TO HAVE SWUM = attraversare a nuoto (to swim swam swum = nuotare).TO HAVE THE NERVE TO…= avere il coraggio DI… .TO HAVE VOICED = diffondere = to spread/spread/spread.N.B. Il verbo to have è seguito da got/gotten (to get got got/gotten) se:- significa possedere (es. I have got a new car)- ci si riferisce a caratteristiche fisiche (es. She has got blew eyes)- si parla di un familiare (es. I have got two sisters)- si parla dello stato di salute (es. I have got a headache)- ci si riferisce ad una necessità (es. I have got to go). TO INLAY INLAID INLAID = intarsiare.TO KEEP KEPT KEPT=(man)tenere (v. Nota 26); to keep fit = mantenersi in forma. V.a. TO KEEP A VERY CLOSE EYE ON…= osservare, analizzare, controllare. TO KEEP A THING HANDY/CLOSE BY = tenere una cosa a portata di mano. TO KEEP AFTER = inseguire. TO KEEP AWAY = tenere lontano (es. Drugs should be kept away from children). TO KEEP ONE’S WITS/HEAD=mantenere la calma/lucidità; wit=spirit/brio, arguzia. TO KEEP PACE WITH… = stare al passo con… . TO KEEP SOMEONE WAITING = fare aspettare qualcuno.TO KNEEL KNELT KNELT = inginocchiarsi, genuflettersi.TO KNIT KNIT KNIT = lavorare a maglia.TO KNOW KNEW KNOWN = conoscere, sapere. V.a. TO KNOW…LIKE THE BACK OF ONE’S HANDS=conoscere…come le proprie tasche. KNOW-HOW = conoscenza specifica di un settore.Nota 26 (to keep kept kept = (man)tenere).TO KEEP AFTER = stare dietro, inseguire.TO KEEP AT = continuare o persistere in qualcosa.TO KEEP BACK = tenere indietro, respingere.TO KEEP DOWN = stare o tenere giù, reprimere, opprimere.TO KEEP FROM = sottrarre, nascondere.TO KEEP IN = stare dentro o in casa.TO KEEP IN TOUCH = tenersi in contatto; to get in touch = mettersi in contatto.TO KEEP MUM = restare in silenzio, non rilevare un segreto; mum = zitto e anche mamma = mom.TO KEEP OFF = tenere/stare lontano.TO KEEP ON = continuare a tenere.TO KEEP OUT = tenere fuori, non fare entrare.TO KEEP TOGETHER = tenere insieme, essere uniti.TO KEEP UNDER = tenere sotto (es. controllo = to keep in check), sottomettere.TO KEEP UP = tenere su (es. a galla), tenere il passo.TO KEEP UP WITH = seguire attentamente.TO LADE LADED LADEN = caricare/imbarcare (es. merci).TO LAY LAID LAID = stendere, posare, deporre; lay-off = licenziamento.V.a. TO LAY EMPHASIS ON…= porre l’accento su…, dare importanza A… .TO LEAD LED LED = condurre, guidare; to lead on = ingannare, prendere in giro; lead = piomboTO LEAD LED LED = condurre, guidare; to lead on = ingannare, prendere in giro; lead = piomboTO LEAN LEANT (leaned) LEANT = appoggiare, piegare (v. Nota 27)TO LEAP LEAPT (leaped) LEAPT (leaped) = saltare; to leap at = accettare al volo e senza indugiTO LEARN LEARNT (learned) LEARNT (learned) = imparare; to learn by heart = memorizzareTO LEAVE LEFT LEFT = lasciare, partire (v. Nota 28); left significa anche (a) sinistra, mancinoTO LEND LENT LENT = to loan = prestare soldi o cose (l’opposto è to borrow = farsi prestare)TO LET LET LET = permettere; let me know if = fammi sapere se; I’ll let you know = ti farò sapere. V.a. To let the cat out of the bag = lasciare trapelare un segreto. V.a.”TO LET DOWN = deludere/lasciare nei pasticci; to let one’s hair down = lasciarsi andare,TO LET GO/OFF = rilassarsi, lasciare andare.TO LIE LAY LAIN LYING (part. pres) = distendere (rsi) (v. Nota 29).TO LIGHT LIT (lighted) LIT (lighted)=accendere; to light up=illuminare(rsi)/accendere(es. pipa). V.a. “TO SPARK (scatenare/provocare e scintilla) OFF A DEBATE (si legge “dibeit”) = accendere una dispusta/discussione”.TO LOSE LOST LOST = perdere/smarrire (Perdere un mezzo di trasporto = to miss).Nota 27 (to lean leant (leaned) leant = appoggiare).TO LEAN ON/UPON = dipendere DA…, = affidarsi per un consiglio, aiuto.TO LEAN OUT = sporgersi.TO LEAN TOWARDS = tendere A (nel senso di “verso”)…, propendere PER… .Nota 28 (to leave left left = lasciare).TO LEAVE ABOUT/AROUND = lasciare in giro.TO LEAVE ASIDE = lasciare da parte, trascurare.TO LEAVE BEHIND = lasciare(rsi) dietro, lasciare a casa, dimenticare.TO LEAVE IN = lasciare una cosa/persona dove sta (leave it there! = lascialo dov’è!).TO LEAVE OFF = smettere, cessare.TO LEAVE ON = lasciare acceso o in funzione.TO LEAVE SOMEONE IN THE DARK = lasciare qualcuno all’oscuro di qualcosa.Nota 29 (to lie lay lain (lying part. pres) = distendere).TO LIE ABOUT = essere sparso in disordine, oziare.TO LIE BEHIND = essere (in) dietro (anche fig.vo).TO LIE DOWN = coricarsi, distendersi.TO LIE IN = partorire = to give birth to.TO LIE UP = nascondersi.TO MAKE MADE MADE = fare, costruire ecc. V.a.TO MAKE A BARGAIN = fare un accordo (v. Nota 30).TO MEAN MEANT MEANT = volere dire, intendere.TO MEET MET MET = incontrare, affrontare (es. difficoltà); to meet up/with = incontrare per caso. V.a. “TO MEET GOALS = raggiungere gli obiettivi”.TO MIMIC MIMICKED MIMICKED = imitare, scimmiottare; mimicher = imitatore.TO MISDEAL MISDEALT MISDEALT = distribuire male le carte da gioco.TO MISGIVE MISGAVE MISGIVEN = avere un sospetto o presentimento.TO MISLAY MISLAID MISLAID = mettere in un posto sbagliato, smarrire qualcosa.TO MISLEAD MISLED MISLED = sviare, forviare, portare fuori strada (fig.vo).TO MISTAKE MISTOOK MISTAKEN = sbagliare, fraintendere, scambiare qualcuno conun altro.TO MISUNDERSTAND MISUNDERSTOOD MISUNDERSTOOD=fraintendere=to mishearTO MOW MOWED MOWN = falciare; to mow down=fare secco/uccidere/buttare a terra.Nota 30 (to make made made = fare).TO MAKE AFTER = inseguire, dare la caccia.TO MAKE AGAINST = essere sfavorevole, pregiudicare.TO MAKE AT = minacciare con gesti, atti o cose.TO MAKE AWAY WITH = prendere indebitamente, filarsela con qualcosa.TO MAKE FOR = dirigersi per (nel senso di “verso”).TO MAKE INTO = trasformare(rsi) in.TO MAKE OF = dedurre DA.TO MAKE OFF = fuggire, svignarsela.TO MAKE OFF WITH = fuggire con.TO MAKE OUT = compilare un modulo, scorgere, decifrare, capire, interpretare.TO MAKE OVER = rimodernare, rinnovare, cedere il possesso DI.TO MAKE UP=completare/integrare/confezionare/truccare/fare pace/costituire, ecc.TO MAKE UP FOR = risarcire, indennizzare, compensare.Espressioni comuni:TO MAKE A BID = fare un’offerta (nel senso di “proposta”), scommettere.TO MAKE A CHOICE = fare una scelta.TO MAKE A COFFEE = preparare IL caffè.TO MAKE A COMPLAINT=presentare una lagnanza; to complain=lagnarsi, lamentarsi.TO MAKE A CONFESSION = fare una confessione.TO MAKE A FUSS = fare trambusto o baccano.TO MAKE A JOURNEY = fare un viaggio.TO MAKE A LIST = fare una lista.TO MAKE A MISTAKE = fare uno sbaglio.TO MAKE A NOISE = fare rumore.TO MAKE A NUISANCE = essere fastidioso. TO MAKE A PHONE CALL = fare una telefonata.TO MAKE A PRESENT = fare un regalo.TO MAKE A PROFIT/SALARY = conseguire un guadagno o profitto/salario.TO MAKE A REMARK/POINT = fare una osservazione.TO MAKE A REQUEST = fare una richiesta.TO MAKE A SPEECH = fare un discorso.TO MAKE A TOAST = fare un brindisi. V.a. To make toast = preparare il pane tostato.TO MAKE A WILL = fare testamento.TO MAKE AN AGREEMENT = fare un accordo.TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT = fissare un appuntamento.TO MAKE AN EFFORT = fare uno sforzo, sforzarsi.TO MAKE AN EXCUSE = prendere una scusa.TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION = fare impressione.TO MAKE AN OFFER = fare un’offerta.TO MAKE AN OBJECTION = fare un’obiezione.TO MAKE CERTAIN = accertarsi.TO MAKE ENDS MEET = sbarcare il lunario.TO MAKE FUN OF…=prendere in giro (nel senso di “prendersi gioco di…”)=TO TEASE.TO MAKE MONEY/A FORTUNE = fare denaro/una fortuna.TO MAKE PEACE/WAR = fare la pace/guerra.TO MAKE PROGRESS (or head ways) = fare progressi, migliorare.TO MAKE REPAIRS = fare riparazioni.TO MAKE ROOM (or way) = fare posto, lasciare spazio.TO MAKE SURE = assicurarsi, eg. Just to make sure = tanto per essere sicuri.TO MAKE THE BED = rifare il letto.TO MAKE UP ONE’S MIND = decider(rsi) = to decide = to settle nel senso di “concludere”, eg. Make up your mind! = deciditi!TO MAKE (or create) WAVES = creare problemi/scompiglio; wave = onda.DON’T MAKE ME LAUGH = non farmi ridere (anche sarc.co).MAKE A RIGHT/LEFT = vai a destra/sinistra (indicazioni).N.B. To make significa “fare” nel senso di “produrre, creare, preparare”- to make from…= essere fatto CON… (es. wine is made from grapes)- to make of…= essere fatto di…(es.: my cardigan is made of cotton).TO OUTBID OUTBID (outbade) OUTBID (outbidden)=rilanciare/offrire un prezzo alto.TO OUTDO OUTDID OUTDONE = strafare, superare, esagerare = to exaggerate.TO OUTGO OUTWENT OUTGONE = sorpassare, superare = to go over.TO OUTGROW OUTGREW OUTGROWN = crescere più DI…, diventare troppo grande.TO OUTRIDE OUTRODE OUTRIDDEN = cavalcare velocemente, invadere, infestare.TO OUTRUN OUTRAN OUTRUN = correre più velocemente, oltrepassare.TO OUTSHINE OUTSHONE OUTSHONE = brillare di più (anche “essere migliore”).TO OUTSPREAD OUTSPREAD OUTSPREAD = estendere(rsi).TO OUTWEAR OUTWORE OUTWORN = durare o vivere più a lungo.TO OVERBEAR OVERBORE OVERBORNE = sopraffare, opprimere.TO OVERCAST OVERCAST OVERCAST = oscurare(rsi), offuscare(rsi).TO OVERCOME OVERCAME OVERCOME = superare, sopraffare.TO OVERDRAW OVERDREW OVERDRAWN = esagerare nel descrivere (anche “andare in rosso sul conto corrente”).TO OVEREAT OVERATE OVEREATEN = mangiare troppo, abbuffarsi.TO OVERFEED OVERFED OVERFED = nutrire(rsi) troppo.TO OVERGROW OVERGREW OVERGROWN = crescere troppo in fretta.TO OVERHANG OVERHUNG OVERHUNG = sporgere SU, sovrastare, pendere.TO OVERHEAR OVERHEARD OVERHEARD = sentire per caso, origliare.TO OVERLAY OVERLAID OVERLAID = coprire, opprimere = to oppress (anche fig.vo).TO OVERLEAP OVERLEAPT (overleaped) OVERLEAPT (overleaped) = omettere.TO OVERLIE OVERLAY OVERLAIN (overlaying part. pres.) = coprire, giacere sopra.TO OVERRIDE OVERRODE OVERRIDDEN = scorazzare a cavallo.TO OVERRUN OVERRAN OVERRUN = invadere, infestare.TO OVERSEE OVERSAW OVERSEEN = sovraintendere, ispezionare.TO OVERSET OVERSET OVERSET = capovolgere, rovesciare.TO OVERSHOOT OVERSHOT OVERSHOT = sbagliare la mira.TO OVERSLEEP OVERSLEPT OVERSLEPT = dormire troppo, svegliarsi tardi.TO OVERSPREAD OVERSPREAD OVERSPREAD = spargere, diffondere.TO OVERTAKE OVERTOOK OVERTAKEN = raggiungere, superare, invadere=to invade.TO OVERTHROW OVERTHREW OVERTHROWN = sconfiggere, abbattere.TO PARTAKE PARTOOK PARTAKEN = partecipare = to participate.TO PAY PAID PAID = pagare; to pay off = saldare, liquidare, avere successo.TO PICNIC PICNICKED PICNICKED = fare un picnic, eg. We are going picnicking.TO PLEAD PLEADED PLED = perorare o difendere una causa (k) (to plead guilty = cofessarsi reo). V.a.TO PLEAD GUILTY/UNGUILTY = dichiararsi colpevole/non colpevole TO PLEAD FOR MERCY = implorare pieta.TO PUT PUT PUT = mettere (v. Nota 31); to put in place = porre in essere.Nota 31 (to put put put = mettere).TO PUT ABOUT = mettere in giro notizie ecc.TO PUT ACROSS = comunicare ad altri (es. una idea).TO PUT ASIDE = mettere giù o da parte.TO PUT AWAY = mettere via, riporre, risparmiare = to save.TO PUT BACK = mettere a posto, mettere indietro l’ora dell’orologio.TO PUT BEFORE = presentare (es. un progetto).TO PUT BY = riesaminare, mettere da parte (es. denaro).TO PUT DOWN = posare, mettere giù, umiliare, mortificare.TO PUT FORWARD = proporre, suggerire, mettere avanti l’ora dell’orologio.TO PUT IN = intromettersi, interrompere, interloquire, inserire.TO PUT/HOLD OFF = rimandare, rinviare, differire, aggiornare = to update.TO PUT ON = vestirsi, indossare, mettere su (es. uno spettacolo), accendere luci ecc.TO PUT OUR HEADS TOGETHER = trovare insiene una soluzione.TO PUT OUT = spegnere, salpare, emettere (es. suoni, onde magnetiche); output = dati d’uscita.TO PUT OVER = rifilare, affibbiare, appioppare.TO PUT THROUGH = completare, realizzare.TO PUT TOGETHER = mettere insieme, riunire, assemblare.TO PUT UP=alzare/sollevare/ospitare a casa propria, mettere su/installare=to set up.TO PUT UP WITH = sopportare, rassegnarsi.TO QUIT QUIT (quitted) QUIT (quitted) = lasciare, abbandonare, rinunciare = to renounce.TO READ READ READ = leggere; to read out = leggere a voce alta; to read about = informarsi.TO REBUILD REBUILT REBUILT = ricostruire (rebuilding=ricostruzione, riedificazione).TO RECAST RECAST RECAST = ricomporre/riscrivere/allestire nuovi spettacoli.TO RELAY RELAID RELAID = dare il cambio A… .TO REPAY REPAID REPAID = ripagare, ricambiare, rimborsare.TO RESET RESET RESET = rimettere a posto, commettere il reato di ricettazione.TO RETELL RETOLD RETOLD = dire o raccontare ancora una volta, ripetere.TO RID RID (ridded) RID = sbarazzare, liberare = to free nel senso di “dare la libertà”.TO RIDE RODE RIDDEN = cavalcare, andare in bici/moto; to ride down = travolgere,calpestare. V.a. “Can you ride? = sai andare a cavallo? e To ride out = superare un brutto periodo o una difficoltà”.TO RING RANG RUNG = suonare campanelli (v. Nota 32).TO (a)RISE (a)ROSE (a)RISEN = sorgere/alzarsi; to rise above = essere superiore a (es. meschinità).TO RIVE RIVED RIVED (riven) = spaccare(rsi), spezzare(rsi).TO RUB RUBBED RUBBED = grattare, strofinare (v. Nota 33). TO RUN RAN RUN = correre, gestire un’attività (v. Nota 34).Nota 32 (to ring rang rung = suonare).TO RING AROUND/ROUND = fare un giro di telefonate.TO RING BACK = ritelefonare.TO RING OFF = riattaccare il telefono = to hang up.TO RING UP…= telefonare A…= to call up = chiamare alle armi.Nota 33 (to rub rubbed rubbed = grattare).TO RUB ALONG = andare d’accordo.TO RUB AWAY = logorare, consumare = to consume.TO RUB IN/INTO = ricordare o ripetere continuamente (ENDLESSLY), eg. Don’t rub it in, I know it = basta, lo so già.TO RUB OFF = cancellare = to cancel.TO RUB UP = pulire, lucidare = to polish.Nota 34 (to run ran run = correre).TO RUN ACROSS = incontrare = to meet/met/met.TO RUN AFTER = rincorrere, correre dietro A… .TO RUN ALONG = andare via; run along! = go out = vattene!TO RUN AT = assalire = to attack.TO RUN AWAY = scappare, andare via.TO RUN DOWN = sparlare DI… .TO RUN FOR…= candidarsi per… .TO RUN INTO = incontrare per caso, imbattersi CON.TO RUN OUT (OF) = esaurire(rsi) (di qualcosa), scarseggiareTO RUN OVER = investire (con auto ecc.), ripassare (dallo stesso posto)TO RUN THROUGH = scorrere (nel senso di “leggere frettolosamente lettere, giornali, ecc.”).TO SAW SAWED SAWN (sawed) = segare.TO SAY SAID SAID = dire; say when = dì quanto basta (versando da bere).TO SEE SAW SEEN = vedere; to see to = badare/avere cura DI; to see that = fare in modo che.TO SEEK SOUGHT SOUGHT = cercare, andare alla ricerca.TO SEETHE SOD (seethed) SODDEN = (ri)bollire (fig.vo); to seethe with anger = bollire di rabbia.TO SELL SOLD SOLD=vendere; to sell off/up=liquidare, svendere; to sell out=esaurirsi.TO SEND SENT SENT = mandare, spedire (v. Nota 35).TO SET SET SET = fondare, avviare, collocare (v. Nota 36); to set a date = fissare una data; to set a clock = regolare un orologio all’ora giusta. V.a.:LET US SET ASIDE ALL FORMALITY = mettiamo da parte ogni formalità. TO SET A RUMOR ABOUT = fare circolare una voce. TO SET ABOUT ONE’S TASK (compito/incarico) = mettersi a lavorare.TO SEW SEWED SEWN = cucire; to sew on = attaccare (es. bottoni); to sew up = rammendare.TO SHAKE SHOOK SHAKEN = scuotere, agitare; to shake off = liberarsi di un problema/persona.TO SHEAR SHORE (sheared) SHORN (sheared) = tranciare, recidere (shore = riva, lido,spiaggia). V.a. “SEABOARD = costa/litorale”.TO SHED SHED SHED = versare, spargere; to shed light on a matter = far luce su una questione.TO SHINE SHONE (shined) SHONE (shined) = brillare.TO SHOE SHOD (shoed) SHOD (shoed) = mettere(rsi) le scarpe; shod = ferrato (riferito a un cavallo).TO SHOOT SHOT SHOT = sparare, girare un film; to shoot down = abbattere.TO SHOW SHOWED SHOWN (showed) = mostrare; to show off = mettersi troppo in mostra/sfoggiare.TO SHRINK SHRANK SHRUNK = restringere(rsi),accorciare(rsi); shrinking violet = timido/dimesso, eg. Our profits are shrinking = i nostri utili si stanno riducendo.TO SHRIVE SHROVE SHRIVEN = confessare, assolvere.TO SHUT SHUT SHUT = chiudere; to shut down = chiudere o cessare un’attività.TO SING SANG SUNG = cantare; to sing out = cantare a squarciagola.TO SINK SANK SUNK = affondare; sink (affonda) or swim (nuota) = o la va o la spacca.TO SIT SAT SAT = sedere; to sit back = rilassarsi; to sit on one’s hands = lavarsene le mani. V.a. TO SIT ON THE…= fare parte DI/DELLA… (es. giuria = jury).TO SLAY SLEW SLAIN = assassinare, trucidare.TO SLEEP SLEPT SLEPT = dormire; to sleep like a dog = dormire come un sasso.TO SLIDE SLID SLID = scivolare; to slide into unconsciousness = addormentarsi.TO SLINK SLUNK SLUNK = sgattaiolare, svignarsela = to cop out.TO SLIT SLIT SLIT = fendere, spaccare, incidere, tagliare in senso longitudinale.TO SMELL SMELLED SMELT = odorare; to smell out = scovare.TO SMITE SMOTE SMITTEN = colpire, percuotere; God smites the bad = Dio punisce i cattivi.TO SOB SOBBED SOBBED = singhiozzare (SOB è acronimo di “Son Of Bitch = figlio di puttana, meglio “hooker = prostituta”. V.a. “CALL GIRLS = ragazze squillo”).TO SOW SOWED SOWN (sowed) = seminare.TO SPEAK SPOKE SPOKEN=parlare (to drone on=parlare noiosamente su) (v. Nota 37)TO SPEED SPED (speeded) SPED (speeded) = accelerare, affrettarsi.TO SPELL SPELT (spelled) SPELT (spelled)=pronunciare ogni lettera, fare lo “spelling”.TO SPEND SPENT SPENT = spendere, sborsare, impegare il tempo.TO SPILL SPILT (spilled) SPILT (spilled) = versare; to spill over = (e)spandersi.TO SPIN SPAN (spun) SPUN = (far) girare; to spin (or TO FLIP = capovolgere/girare, eg. an omelette). V.a. To fip a coin = lanciare una moneta per testa/croce.TO SPIT SPAT SPAT = sputare; spit it out! = sputa il rospo!TO SPLIT SPLIT SPLIT = dividere le spese, fare alla romana; to split with = rompere i rapporti con … .TO SPOIL SPOILED SPOILT (spoiled) = rovinare, viziare (figli, ecc.).TO SPREAD SPREAD SPREAD = estendersi, propagarsi.TO SPRING SPRANG SPRUNG=sgorgare/zampillare (di acqua), spuntare (di germogli).TO STAND STOOD STOOD = stare in piedi (v. Nota 38)TO STAVE STOVE (staved) STOVE (staved) = rinforzare es. una botte cambiando le doghe.TO STEAL STOLE STOLEN = rubare = to pull a job (slang); stolen goods = oggetti rubati, refurtiva.TO STICK STUCK STUCK = conficcare; to stick out of = sporgere o fuoriuscire DA… .TO STING STUNG STUNG = pungere, eg. He is stung WITH remorse = è tormentato DAL rimorso.TO STINK STANK STUNK = puzzare; to stink out = appestare, impuzzolire.TO STREW STREWED STREWED (strewn) = spargere, disseminare.TO STRIDE STRODE STRIDDEN = camminare a gran passi.TO STRIKE STRUCK STRUCK (strichen) = colpire, scioperare; to strike up=fare amicizia.TO STRING STRUNG STRUNG = legare; string = corda; to pull the strings = manovrare una persona (nel senso “indurla a …).TO STRIVE STROVE STRIVEN = sforzare(rsi); strife = lotta, conflitto = struggle (è anche verbo = lottare/combattere).TO SUNBURN SUNBURNT SUNBURNT = abbronzarsi; tan = abbronzatura.TO SWEAR SWORE SWORN = giurare, bestemmiare.TO SWEEP SWEPT SWEPT = scopare (p), spazzare via (fig.vo), trasferire denaro (cash sweep). “Scopare” nel volgare senso sessuale o di “fottere” = to screw = avvitare. TO SWELL SWELLED SWOLLEN = gonfiare(rsi), tumefare(rsi).TO SWIM SWAM SWUM = nuotare; to swim with the tide (marea) = seguire la corrente (fig.vo).TO SWING SWANG SWUNG = oscillare, dondolare(rsi); to swing round=girarsi, anchevoltarsi di scatto.Nota 35 (to send sent sent = mandare).TO SEND AFTER = far seguire o rincorrere qualcuno.TO SEND AHEAD = mandare avanti.TO SEND AWAY = scacciare, congedare; to send…about his/her business = mandare … al diavolo.TO SEND BACK = restituire, rimandare A… (nel senso di “indietro”).TO SEND DOWN = fare scendere (es. i prezzi).TO SEND FOR = mandare a chiamare, far venire.TO SEND OFF = spedire, espellere (es. da un campo di gioco).TO SEND UP = fare salire (es. i prezzi).Nota 36 (to set set set = fondare ecc.).TO SET ABOUT = affrontare, incominciare A…, diffondere, mettere voci in giro.TO SET AGAINST = mettersi contro, aizzare, opporsi.TO SET APART = mettere da parte, separare.TO SET ASIDE = mettere da parte, scartare.TO SET BACK = mettere indietro (es. l’orologio), ostacolare.TO SET BY = mettere da parte, raggranellareTO SET DOWN = mettere giù, annotare, scaricare.TO SET FORTH = dichiarare, esporre, avviarsi, partire PER… (nel senso di “verso”) sottolineare (to stress/underline). Eg. He stressed the importance of bettere pubblic realtions. TO SET FORWARD = dichiarare, enunciare, sostenere.TO SET IN = incominciare, venire, prendere piede, eg. It sets in to rain = comincia a piovere.TO SET OFF = fare esplodere o saltare, partire, muoversi, avviarsi.TO SET ON = andare avanti, attaccare, assalire, scagliare(rsi) CONTRO.TO SET OUT = partire, avviarsi, incominciare o esporre qualcosa.TO SET TO = mettersi all’opera/venire alle mani = to come to blows (colpi).TO SET UP = mettere su, organizzare, fondare, partire, inalzare, erigere, installare = to put up.TO SET UPON = attaccare, intraprendere; to set upon begin a…= decidere di fare…Nota 37 (to speak spoke spoken = parlare).TO SPEAK ABOUT = discutere, parlare DI… .TO SPEAK AGAINST = parlare o esprimersi contro.TO SPEAK FOR = parlare a nome DI… (come portavoce).TO SPEAK ON = parlare DI…o tenere una conferenza su… .TO SPEAK OUT = parlare francamente chiaro e tondo.TO SPEAK TO = rivolgere la parola a… .TO SPEAK UP = parlare ad alta voce.Nota 38 (to stand stood stood = stare in piedi).TO STAND ASIDE = farsi/mettersi/stare in disparte.TO STAND BY = stare accanto/sostenere/mantenere promesse/tenersi pronto.TO STAND IN FOR SOMEONE = sostituire qualcuno; stand-in = controfigura.TO STAND OUT = risaltare, spiccare.TO STAND TO = stare all’erta.TO STAND UP = alzarsi in piedi.TO TAKE TOOK TAKEN=prendere; to take charge = prendere il comando (v. Nota 39)TO TEACH TAUGHT TAUGHT = insegnare; to teach (SENZA “at”) school = insegnare a scuola.TO TEAR TORE TORN = stracciare; to tear down = abbattere; to tear up = fare a pezzi.TO TELL TOLD TOLD = dire, raccontare; to tell on = fare la spia.TO THINK (OF/ABOUT) THOUGHT THOUGHT = pensare; to think up = escogitare, inventare.TO THRIVE THROVE (thrived) THRIVEN (thrived) = prosperare.TO THROW THREW THROWN = gettare; to throw away=buttare via, liberarsi DI… .V.a. “TO THROW OUT = buttare/cacciare fuori qualcuno o qualcosa, TO THROW UP = vomitare=to vomit e TO THROW ONE’S HANDS IN THE AIR=impallidire=to get pale.TO THRUST THRUST THRUST = conficcare, piantare (da non confondere con to trust = confidare).TO TIE TIED TIED (tying part. pres.) = legare(rsi), attaccare(rsi); to tie in=combaciare.TO TREAD TROD TRODDEN = camminare o passare sopra, calpestare.Nota 39 (to take took taken = prendere).TO TAKE A BATH = fare il bagno nella vasca (se al mare = to have a bath).TO TAKE A CHANCE/FLYER = assumersi un rischio (anche economico).TO TAKE A DEGREE = laurearsi.TO TAKE/HAVE A PEEK = dare uno sguardo di sfuggita = to glance at.TO TAKE A POLL = effettuare un sondaggio.TO TAKE ABACK = sorprendere(rsi), sbalordire(rsi).TO TAKE ABOARD = prendere a bordo (solo per: aereo, nave e treno).TO TAKE ABOUT = condurre, portare in giro.TO TAKE ACROSS = fare attraversare.TO TAKE AFTER = prendere DA… (nel senso di “somigliare A…”).TO TAKE APART = smontare=to dismantle/demolish nel senso smallentare/demolire.TO TAKE AROUND = portare, accompagnare in giro.TO TAKE ASIDE = prendere da parte (es. una persona).TO TAKE AWAY = portare via, togliere.TO TAKE BACK = riportare, riprendere qualcosa, ritrattare quanto già detto.TO TAKE BEFORE = portare DA… o davanti A… .TO TAKE CENTER STAGE (palcoscenico) = essere al centro dell’attenzione.TO TAKE DOWN = tirare giù, abbassare, annotare.TO TAKE FOR = prendere, scambiare per, eg. What do you take me for? = per chi mi prendi?TO TAKE FOR GRANTED = dare per scontato (to grant = assegnare, concedere, conferire, ammettere).TO TAKE FROM = prendere da, estrarre, sottrarre.TO TAKE HEART = avere coraggio.TO TAKE HOLD/OFF = prendere piede (fig.vo).TO TAKE IN/INTO = portare dentro, accogliere, offrire ospitalità; to take pride IN = essere fieri DI … .TO TAKE NO ACCOUNT OF…= non dare alcuna importanza A…, non tenere conto di…TO TAKE NOTICE = fare/prestare attenzione = to pay attention.TO TAKE OFF = togliere(rsi), spogliare(rsi), decollare, rimuovere (to remove).TO TAKE OFF IN WRONG DIRECTION = prendere la strada bagliata (anche fig.vo).TO TAKE OFFICE (FOR…) = essere/rimanere in carica (per X tempo).TO TAKE ON = intraprendere (to set out on), imbarcare, affrontare, sfidare in senso sportivo, assumere personale.TO TAKE OUT = togliere, tirare fuori, stipulare.TO TAKE OUT ON… = prendersela CON (qualcuno).TO TAKE OVER = prendere il controllo, subentrare in un lavoro (you take over! =pensaci tu!). V.a. “Take over the country = colpo di stato, To take steps = prendere provvedimenti/decisioni e Handover = trasferimento di poteri e simili”.TO TAKE PLACE = avere luogo.TO TAKE ROOT = mettere radici (fig.vo).TO TAKE SHAPE = prendere forma.TO TAKE THE BLAME = assumersi la colpa.TO TAKE THE HELM (barra del timone) = assumere la guida.TO TAKE TIME OFF = fare una pausa, prendersi un periodo di riposo/libertà.TO TAKE TO = fuggire verso, prendere in simpatia.TO TAKE UP = raccogliere, prendere, intraprendere un hobby/professione, ritirare una valigia ecc.TO TAKE UP ON = sollevare un’obiezione.TO TAKE UP WITH = fare comunella con… .TO TAKE THE LEAD = andare al primo posto durante una gara; lead = guida; to lead/led/led = condurre.TO TAKE THE STAND = testimoniare = to testify = to witness.N.B. To take è equivalente a “to bring” con la differenza che to take indica il portare avvicinando a chi parla o ad una destinazione, to bring indica il portare allontanando da chi parla o da un luogo.TO UNBEND UNBENT UNBENT = raddrizzare(rsi), rilassare(rsi).TO UNBIND UNBOUND UNBOUND = slegare.TO UNDERBID UNDERBID (underbade) UNDERBID (underbidden) = fare un’offerta inferior.TO UNDERCUT UNDERCUT UNDERCUT = danneggiare, tagliare sotto, offrire a minor prezzo.TO UNDERGO UNDERWENT UNDERGONE = subire, sopportare.TO UNDERSELL UNDERSOLD UNDERSOLD = svendere, vendere sottocosto.TO UNDERSTAND UNDERSTOOD UNDERSTOOD=capire;to figure out=riuscire a capir.TO UNDERTAKE UNDERTOOK UNDERTAKEN = intraprendere/iniziare (es.un lavoro).TO UNDERWRITE UNDERWROTE UNDERWRITTEN = sottoscrivere.TO UNDO UNDID UNDONE = slegare, disfare, annullare, rovinare, distruggere.TO UPSET UPSET UPSET = capovolgere; to upset a plot = sventare un complotto.TO WAKE WOKE (waked) WOKEN (waked) = svegliare(rsi).TO WAYLAY WAYLAID WAYLAID = tendere un agguato.TO WEAR WORE WORN = indossare = to don donned donned.TO WEAVE WOVE WOVEN = tessere; to weave a plot = ordire un complotto.TO WED WED (wedded) WED (wedded) = accoppiare, unire(rsi) (es. in matrimonio). TO WEEP WEPT WEPT = piangere, lacrimare = to shed/shed/shed tears = to cry.TO WIN WON WON = vincere; you win = ok hai vinto/mi hai convinto.TO WIND WOUND WOUND = avvolgere=to wrap (up), prendersela alla larga (fig.vo).TO WITHDRAW WITHDREW WITHDRAWN = ritirare(rsi), prelevare (es. denaro).TO WITHHOLD WITHHELD WITHHELD = rifiutare, negare = to deny.TO WITHSTAND WITHSTOOD WITHSTOOD = resistere, fare fronte A… .TO WRING WRUNG WUNG = torcere, strizzare = to squeeze (eg. a lemon).TO WRITE WROTE WRITTEN = scrivere; to scraw = scrivere in modo illeggibile, scarabocchiare.Caro LettoreTerminano qui le mie ricerche e la selezione degli argomenti che ho ritenuto i più utili per tentare di migliorare la conoscenza della lingua inglese mia e di quanti ad essa sono interessati. E’ verosimile supporre che coloro che spero mostreranno curiosità per le presenti note saranno giovani studenti, lavoratori e professionisti. A tutti loro porgo l’augurio di un avvenire colmo di successi e li invito a fare propria questa mia riflessione dettatami da una lunga esperienza di vita, di studio e di lavoro: “Ciascuno di noi vale più per i sentimenti che nutre e meno per le fattezze che mostra”. Concludo riconoscendo che le presenti note sono certamente incomplete ed è per tale ragione che auspico da parte dei benvenuti un più qualificato approfondimento grazie anche a quel tipo di studio che sin da giovane ho inteso come “un serio diletto senza soluzione di continuità”. Buon lavoro! Benedetto Remo Ingrassia ................
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