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NOTE LEGALI
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LESSON n 1
I VERBI DIFETTIVI MAY E CAN
Nella lingua inglese ci sono alcuni verbi che sono un poco strani e, per questo, si chiamano
difettivi. Questi verbi non hanno tutte le coniugazioni, alcuni hanno la forma del presente e del
passato, altri hanno una sola coniugazione. Tutti, per, si possono anche considerare dei verbi
ausiliari perch aiutano a costruire la frase e, per questo, quando facciamo una domanda
oppure facciamo una frase negativa (con il non), non vogliono l'uso del "do". Se poi sono
seguiti da un verbo all'infinito come per esempio mangiare, leggere ecc., l'infinito perde la
particella "to".
Vediamo intanto i primi due di questi verbi difettivi che sono May e Can. Entrambi traducono il
verbo "potere", ma May vuol dire "potere avere il permesso" e viene usato nelle domande
quando non sappiamo se la risposta sar positiva, mentre Can vuol dire "poter fare o essere in
grado di fare". Si dovr allora usare May quando si chiede un permesso e non si sa se si
potr ottenere ci che si chiede; comunque si usa nelle domande anche come forma di
educazione.
Si user invece Can quando si concede il permesso di fare una determinata cosa, oppure
quando si chiede una cosa che gi si sa di potere ottenere. Vediamo alcuni esempi pratici che
ci aiutano a capire meglio come si usano:
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NUMBERS
10 +
11 +
12 +
13 +
14 +
15 +
16 +
17 +
18 +
19 +
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LECTURE n 1
Anne is going home from school. In the park she meets Susy and she asks her to go home
with her. "Come in - says Anne - I show you my house". The two girls go to the sitting room
where Anne's mother is sitting in an arm-chair. "Hallo, Mrs. Brown" says Susy. "Hallo, mummy
- says Anne - May we have a drink?" "Yes, of course - answers Mrs. Brown - go to the kitchen.
There is a cake, too". The two girls go to the kitchen and drink a glass of coca cola, then Susy
asks: " May I have a piece of cake?" "Yes, of course - answers Anne - You can have a piece of
cake". Then, Anne takes Susy up-stairs to show her bed room and her toys. "I like your room says Susy - it is large an I like the coulor of your blanket. Pink is my favourite coulor." "How is
your bed-room, Susy?" asks Anne. " "Well, my bed room is large, but there are two beds, one
for me and one for my sister Muriel. She is five years old, but she is tall for her age". The girls
sit down on the floor and start playing with Anne's toys.
EXERCISES
A: fill in the right words.
We..................soup with a........... We...........the meat with a..................... We sleep in
a............. between two................ On the bed there is a pink....................
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LESSON 2
SOME NEW WORDS = ALCUNE NUOVE PAROLE
NOTA: Much e Many significano entrambi "molto", ma much si deve usare con le cose che non
si possono contare come: acqua, latte, vino, aria, tempo ecc.
Many, invece, si deve usare con le cose che si possono contare come: cane, fiori, bambini ecc.
Diciamo, infatti: un fiore un cane, un bambino, ma non possiamo dire un'acqua se non le
mettiamo davanti un'altra parola come: una bottiglia d'acqua, un quarto di vino, un'ora di
tempo ecc.
Little e Few significano entrambi "poco", ma little si usa con le cose che non si possono
contare, mentre few con quelle che si possono contare, proprio come abbiamo visto prima con
many e much.
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NOTA. Ci sono due plurali strani: Sheep che al plurale rimane invariato, e Goose che fa il
plurale con Geese.
THEESE e THOSE
These il plurale di this (questo / questi). Those il plurale di that (quello / quelli). In inglese
non vi un genere maschile o femminile, perci questi aggettivi dimostrativi rimangono
invariati. Vediamo alcuni esempi:
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LECTURE n 2
Every morning Mrs. Brown prepares breakfast for her children. Anne eats some biscuits, Mary
has an egg and some bread, while John eats a slice of bread with some chocolate. All of them
drink a glass of milk and eat some fruit. While they are having breakfast, Anne and Mary play
teacher and pupil. Anne asks her sister the mane of the week-days and Mary answers:
"Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thurday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday". "On Sundays mummy
always makes a cake - says John - and I am looking forward to eating it". After breakfast Mrs.
Brown sees them off to school. For lunch she cooks some steaks and she makes some green
salad. For supper she cooks a good soup for all the family.
NOTA. Nella lettura abbiamo incontrato la parola some che vuol dire "una parte di, alcuni".
Questa parola si chiama, appunto, "partitivo". Some viene usato nelle frasi affermative, mentre
nelle frasi interrogative o negative si deve usare any.
EXERCISES
Put Some or Any in the following phrases.
Every morning Mary eats..............bread for her breakfast.
Does Anne eat.............bread for her breakfast?
John does not have..............biscuits for his breakfast.
Mrs. Brown cooks.............steaks for lunch.
Mary does not eat..............biscuits for her breakfast.
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LESSON 3
IL FUTURO
Finora abbiamo imparato ad usare i verbi al presente indicativo, al presente continuato e
all'imperativo, ora impariamo ad usare il futuro. In Inglese il futuro si ottiene con l'impiego dei
verbi shall e will seguiti dal verbo principale che rimane invariato a tutte le persone. Si dovr
usare shall per la prima persona singolare e plurale (io, noi) e will per tutte le altre persone
(tu, egli, elle, esso, voi, essi). Per, quando vogliano esprimere la volont del soggetto di fare
una determinata azione, useremo will a tutte le persone. Facciamo alcuni esempi: coniughiamo
il futuro del verbo andare = to go, che in italiano "io andr, tu andrai, egli andr ecc."
CONVERSIAMO
Materiale prelevato dal sito http://www.amicopc.com
Realizzazione: Bina Battistella Fraquelli, responsabile dell'Ufficio Turistico di Cadenabbia di
Griante (http://www.cadenabbiadigriante.com)
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CONVERSATION
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LECTURE n 3
The Browns are planning to go to the countryside for two weeks. The children are excited
because they are going to see their grandparents. They ask Susy and Mark to go with them,
but Mrs. Brown thinks there will not be room enough for everybody, because there are not
many beds at their grandparent's country house. Mary tells her sister that if Mark does not go,
John will not have any other boy to play with. Then, she has a very good idea: if Mark and
John will sleep together, then there will be room enough for everybody. "Let us go and tell
mummy" says Mary. Now they are happy and they are looking forward to being in the country
together where they can see may animals they do not see in town.
EXERCISE
Fill in the dots with the right words and verbs.
"Tomorrw I ................go to see my.................... "says Anne. Susy asks: "...........do they
live?"
"They....................in the country and I................................ to being there."
Answers Anne. "How long.........you.............to stay?" asks Susy. "We........................there
for two weeks, why.............come with .....?" asks Anne. "I...............ask my mother"
anwsers
Susy
and
she..............home.
"............is
she
going?"
asks
Mary.
"She.....................home"
answers
Anne.
".........she...........with
us?"
asks
Mary.
"She.......................to aks her mother" anwers Anne. "........Mark............, too?" asks Mary.
"There.............not..............room
enough
for.................."
answers
Anne.
"But
John...............not have.................to play with" says Mary. "If they.................together
there.....................room enough" says Anne. ".........us.....and tell mummy" says Mary. "I
think we.................................to have a wonderful time together" says Anne. "Yes, and
we......................play all the day long" says Mary.
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LESSON 4
LET US GO TO THE COUNTRY SIDE
THE FARM
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CONVERSATION
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LECTURE n 4
Country life is very interesting for children, expecially for those who live in town. They can see
how animals live in a farm, and how vegetables and fruits grow and are picked from the trees
in the orchard or in a vegetable garden. John and Mark are very interested in the feeding of
the animals. They ask John's grandmother how many times a day she feeds the chickens.
They discover that animals eat twice a day: early in the morning and late in the afternoom
every day, including Christmas. They learn that pigs can eat everything you give them and
that chikens eat grains and corn. They pick up eggs from the hens' nests, fresh vegetable from
the garden and pick fruits from the trees. They watch grandfather feeding the pigs and say:
"Pigs stink, they are dirty". "They are dirty, they stink, but you like salami - answers
grandfather - let us go and feed the cows".
EXERCISE
Fill in the dots with the right words.
"Look, Mark, there is ...................... She..................the chikens." " ..................has she in
her............?"
"She has............grains and .............corn. Do you like to see
the...................of the chikens?" "............many ........... a day.........you............them?"
"..............a day. ...........in the morning and ................in the afternoon." "...................to
see the..............of the pigs. Look there is...................feeding them." ".................are you
giving them, grandfather? ..............do they eat? .................many times in a day do
you..........them?" " ......... are you going to do now?"
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LESSON 5
SOME NEW WORDS
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CONVERSATION
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CONVERSATION
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IL COMPARATIVO DI MAGGIORANZA
Il comparativo di maggioranza, che in Italiano si esprime con "pi di", in Inglese si ottiene
aggiungendo er alle parole corte e facendo precedere more alle parole lunghe, seguiti da than.
Sembra complicato, ma molto pi semplice se facciamo alcuni esempi. Prendiamo per
esempio la parola old, che vuol dire vecchio ed una parola corta.
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Ora facciamo degli esempi con delle parole pi lunghe come: interesting, important, exciting.
Ci sono per alcune eccezioni come per esempio good (buono) che diventa better (pi buono meglio) e bad (cattivo) che diventa worse (peggio).
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LECTURE n 5
At their grandparents' farm, the children are enjoying themselves very much. They always find
something new to do or to look at. One day, John has the idea to go to the swimming pool and
he asks Mark if he will go with him. Mark suggests to aks the girls, too. They go to the orchard
where Anne and Susy are playing with their ball, Mrs. Brown is sun bathing and Mary is
bringing her mother a glass of water. The children ask Mrs. Brown if they can go to the
swimming pool, but she says that they cannot because they are waiting for her sister Rosy and
her brother George to arrive. "How long are they going to stay with us?" ask the children
"They are staying here a whole week, but tomorrow we shall go to the swimming pool
together" answers Mrs. Brown, then she adds "if it does not rain, of course". The children are
happy and they are looking forward to the next day.
EXERCISE
Fill in the dots with the right words
..................go to the swimming pool? Why not...................tell the girls, too...............go
and find them. Yes, but........................go and ask your parents, first. Yes,....................go to
the orchard, mummy is there. Is your mother........................her brother George? No, she
is.................... him. Is John..............than Mark? No, Mark is one year...............than John.
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LESSON n 6
IL SUPERLATIVO RELATIVO
Quando diciamo: "il pi bello di questi vestiti" oppure "il migliore di tutti i ragazzi" facciamo un
superlativo relativo. In Inglese il superlativo si ottiene aggiungendo alla parola est per le
parole corte e the most seguito dall'aggettivo per le parole lunghe. Facciamo alcuni esempi:
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NOTA: Per dire l'ora intera si fa seguite al numero l'espressione o'clock. Per indicare i minuti
dopo l'ora (e fino alla prima mezz'ora): si dicono i minuti past e l'ora. Per indicare i minuti che
mancano all'ora successiva: si dicono i minuti to e l'ora successiva. La parola hour una delle
poche in cui non si deve pronunciare la lettera H
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THE TOWN
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CONVERSATION
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LECTURE n 6
Anne, Susy and John are in the park and they are talking about learning foreign languages
they are studying at school: "I find English very easy" says Anne. "I think you are right - says
Susy - as a matter of facts, I think French is more difficult than english because it has more
grammar rules to study". At this point, John very seriously says: " Chinese is the most difficult
of all languages to learn". The two girls laugh at him because, although it is true that Chinese
is one of the most difficult languages to learn, they do not study that language at school and
they also know that every language has its own difficulties. But John cannot know it because
he is very young and at school he does not study any language, yet.
EXERCISE
Fill in the dots with the appropriate words.
Bread is ............, but bread with chocolate is...........................bread alone. A piece of cake
is...................of the three. A teacher is an ........................person, but a king
is........important..................a teacher. A mother is..........................important person in the
word. English is............easy, French is.............difficult............English, but Chinese
is..............difficult language to learn. To take a medicine is............, to be sick is.................,
but to be in hospital is......................of all. A king is.................important.............a mother.
Bread and chocolate is...................good...........a piece of cake.
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LESSON 7
IL TEMPO PASSATO DEI VERBI
Finora abbiamo imparato a coniugare i verbi al presente indicativo, al presente progressivo,
all'infinito, al futuro e all'imperativo. Ora impariamo a coniugarli al tempo passato. In Italiano
abbiamo due modi per esprimere il passato: l'imperfetto e il passato remoto, in inglese,
invece, ne abbiamo uno solo per tutti e due. Per esempio, se dobbiamo dire: giocavo
(imperfetto) o giocai (passato remoto) in Inglese diremo in entrambi i casi I played. Per
ottenere il passato dei verbi regolari baster aggiungere la desinenza ed al verbo all'infinito
senza il "to" e resta uguale a tutte le persone (non si aggiunge la "s" alla terza persona
singolare). Ci sono, per, alcune eccezioni che troveremo di volta in volta, ma la prima e pi
importante il verbo "essere" che dovremo imparare molto bene.
IL VERBO ESSERE
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NOTA: la parola too ha diversi significati. Quando messa in fondo alla frase significa "anche",
mentre quando messa prima di un aggettivo significa "molto, troppo".
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NOTA: a differenza del verbo essere (to be), il verbo avere (to have) nella coniugazione
all'indicativo passato resta usuale a tutte le persone.
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PAST
PAST PARTICIPLE
To be (essere)
was
been
To have (avere)
had
had
To see (vedere)
saw
seen
To come (venire)
came
come
To go (andare)
went
gone
To take (prendere)
took
taken
told
told
To say (dire)
said
said
To do (fare)
did
done
To speak (parlare)
spoke
spoken
To read (leggere)
read
read
To give (dare)
gave
given
brought
brought
To write (scrivere)
wrote
written
spent
spent
left
left
To send (spedire)
sent
sent
made
made
met
met
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LECTURE n 7
The Browns were going to the cinema to see the new cartoon, but it was raining too hard and
they decided not to go. Anne told Susy about that and Susy said that she was going to see the
same film with her elder sister. After a few days, Susy was proud to tell Anne she saw the new
cartoon and that she liked it very much. Anne was hoping to go to see it soon, then they went
to the park where they met Mary and John.
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LESSON 8
AVVERBI DI FREQUENZA
Gli avverbi sono quelle parole che accompagnano i verbi e li specificano o li modificano. In
Inglese si devono mettere prima del verbo, ad eccezione del verbo essere che li vuole dopo. Gli
avverbi di frequenza sono: ever (mai) never (non mai) always (sempre) seldom (raramente)
often (spesso). Vediamo come si usano con alcuni esempi di conversazione:
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EXERCISES
Fill in the dots with the right words.
A - I........................go to school by car because I like to walk. Do you...................go by
car? Oh no, I go by car but I ......................go to school by car. Mary....................goes to
school on foot, she goes by bus.
B - John ....................goes to school by car because his father takes him there.
Anne..................goes to school on foot because she likes to walk. Susy's sister ..................
goes to school by train because her school is far from home. Susy's father..................goes to
work by bicycle because he likes it. Anne's father .........................goes to work by car and
takes John to school.
C - Anne's mother..........................gives her chocolate because it is not good for her teeth.
Susy...................eats sweets for the same reason. Susy.....................goes to the theatre
because nobody takes her there. Anne....................goes to the cinema for the same reason.
There are many things children like and.....................can do.
D - Anne's mother......................makes vegetable soup because her father likes it. Susy
................ must eat vegetable soup for the same reason. Anne's father...............takes her to
the dentist. Susy's father.................takes her to his club. Anne's mother.................. makes
her do the washing up although she does not like it. Children very...............must do things
they do not like.
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LESSON 9
CONVERSATION
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in
Inglese
si
ottiene
con
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LECTURE n 9
It was Mark's birthday and all the children of his school were invited to his birthday party. On
the table there was a big cake with six blue candle on top of it, but not all the children went to
the party. Anne was sick in bed and Susy had too much to study for the following day, but
both of them bought a present for him. Susy bought him a book and Anne bought him a new
ball. Mark was happy and glad to have so many friends and he thought it was a pity he had to
wait for another year before having a birthay party. It was a beautiful day and the sun was
shining in the blue sky. Mary was washing her hair when Anne went into the bath room. She
asked her sister what she was doing and if she rinsed her hair properly then told her to ask
mother to dry it for her, but Mary said she was going to dry it in the sun. "You will catch a
cold, the air outside is not as warm as in summer" said Anne, but Mary was determined to go
out in the sun. "If you will catch a cold, mother will be very cross with you" said Anne, knowing
that her sister was going out all the same.
EXERCISE
Fill in the dots with the right words.
...............you go to Mark's birthday party yesterday? No, I...........not go. I .........sick in bed.
I............too much to study. ...........you.......... Mark a present? No, I..........not..........him
any present. ............Mark ask you for a book? No, he.........not. I.................of it myself. I
........... him if he................something in particular and he............me for a ball. I already
.............it to him this morning.
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LESSON 10
IL PASSATO PROSSIMO
Abbiamo imparato il tempo passato dei verbi, e abbiamo visto che questo tempo verbale si usa
quando l'azione gi finita, anche se solo di un minuto, e che nella frase ci sono le espressioni
di tempo come: ieri, l'anno scorso due minuti fa ecc.. Quando, per, un'azione si fa o si
subisce in un tempo passato, ma non finita, il verbo che l'esprime si coniuga al passato
prossimo. In Italiano questo tempo si ottiene con il presente indicativo dei verbi essere o avere
seguiti dal participio passato del verbo principale. Per esempio diciamo: sono andato, ho fatto,
sono stato, ho bevuto ecc. In Inglese questo tempo verbale si ottiene coniugando sempre e
solo il verbo avere accompagnato dal participio passato del verbo principale. Diremo perci: I
have gone, I have done, I have been, I have drunk. Facciamo alcuni esempi.
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I NUMERI CARDINALI
Abbiamo imparato a contare con i numeri che si chiamano "ordinali", ora impariamo a contare
con i numeri che si chiamano "cardinali" e che sono: primo, secondo, terzo ecc. Questi numeri
in Inglese si ottengono aggiungendo la desinenza th al numero che gi conosciamo, facendolo
per precedere dall'articolo determinativo the. Come tutte le regole che si rispettano, anche
questa ha per delle eccezioni che sono: the first (il primo) the second (il secondo) the third (il
terzo) che si ripetono ad ogni decina. Per esempio diremo: the twenty first, the twenty second,
the twenty third.
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NOTA: mentre yet deve sempre essere posto in fondo alla frase, still posto prima dei verbi,
ma dopo il verbo essere, again viene messo dopo il complemento oggetto.
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LECTURE n 10
Mark and John are waiting for Paul in front of the pubblic garden. As Paul has not come yet,
John wants to go and buy a newspaper, but Mark tells him not to go because Paul will soon be
there. "Look at that dog - he says - it is still waiting for its owner". "Yes - answers John - it is
still sitting in the same place. It does not move". Then Mark asks John if he is still having his
guitar lessons, if Mary is still having her ballet lessons and if Anne is still playing the piano.
John tells him that to learn music he has to play the same piece again and again. Mark tells
John that his brother did not pass his exams and so he was trying it again. "Well - says John it is better to study now than to do the same exams again".
EXERCISE
Is Paul not here...........? no, he has not come......... As he has not come ........, I shall go and
buy a newspaper. Paul is not here..........., but he will be here soon. That dog
is.............waiting for its owner. It is............sitting in the same place. John, are
you.........fond of music? Yes, and to learn music you must play the same piece ............ and
.................... If Anne does not pass her exams, she will not do it................ If I do not pass
my exams, I shall do it...............
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LESSON 11
IL CONDIZIONALE
Conosciamo ora un nuovo tempo verbale: il condizionale. In Italiano questo tempo si coniuga
cos: io andrei, io sarei, io avrei ecc. In Inglese questo tempo verbale si ottiene con l'impiego
di should, per la prima persona singolare e plurale (io, noi), e con would per le altre persone,
facendoli seguire dall'infinito del verbo principale senza il to. La costruzione della frase
uguale a quella che abbiamo gi visto per il futuro dei verbi. Ecco come tradurremo gli esempi
che abbiamo fatto prima: I should go (io andrei), I should be (io sarei) I should have (io
avrei). Facciamo alcuni esempi concreti:
NOTA: se si vuole esprimere l'idea di "dovere" si user should anche alle prime persone,
mentre per le frasi di cortesia o per esprimere "volere" si user would a tutte le persone.
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CONVERSATION
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LECTURE n 11
Mary wished to go to the cinema to see a new cartoon, so she asked her father if he would
take her to the cinema. "I would like to take you, but I cannot" said her father "ask mummy".
Then he asked Mary if she knew where and till when it was on and when Mary said it would be
on for a long time at the cinema round the corner, he said: "In that case I would be pleased to
take you next week-end". Mary was happy and she asked her sister Anne if she wanted to go
with them. "Of course I shall come. Why don't we ask John? I am sure he would like to come,
too." They went to John's bedroom where he was playing guitar. They asked him if he wanted
to be of the party, but he said he could not go with them because on Saturdays he always
plays football with his team. "Would it be better for you if we shall go on Sunday?" they asked.
"In that case I would be only happy to come with you and Mark will come, too" said John. Now
the children were happily looking forward to going to the cinema.
EXERCISE. Fill in the dots with the right words.
.............you like a cup of tea? Yes, please. I..................like to go to the cinema.
.............you like to go with us, Anne? Yes, I..................like to come. Let us ask John if he
..................like to come, too. I..................like to come, but I cannot. .............it be better if
we go on Sunday? In that case I..................be pleased to join the party.
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LESSON 12
I PRONOMI RELATIVI
I pronomi relativi sono quelle parole come: "chi, che, il quale, la quale" che in inglese si
traducono con who o whom o whose (per la persone) which (per le cose) e that (per tutti con i
complementi diretti). Ora vediamo con gli esempi come si usano.
WHO - CHI
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THAT
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EXERCISES
Fill in the dots with the right words.
A- ...............is he? He is the boy .............. lives next door. ...............is coming to John's
party? I do not know ..........is coming, but mummy invited the boy ..............lives next door.
B - ................book is this? It belongs to the girl .................... sister studies with John. The
girl ..............father works in the bank? No, the girl ...................father is a police man. The
girl ...............brother plays foot ball? No, the girl..............mother is a teacher at your school.
C - .................of those books is yours? I do not know............. of those book is mine. They
look all alike and I don't know ............... is ...............Is it the book ...............has many
pictures? No, it is the book .............. has many exercises.
D - The boy .................you met at John's party is from London. Is he the boy to ........... You
sent a postcard? No, he is the boy of ............. I am speaking is my next door. And ......... is
the boy to............. you sent a postcard? The boy to..............I sent a postcard is my cousin.
E - The book ........... I am reading is very interesting. Is it the book ............. you bought
yesterday? No, it is the book............... I took at the library yesterday. What about the book
............you bought yesterday? Is it the book ........... Mary wanted to buy?
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LESSON 13
LA FORMA PASSIVA
In una frase normale abbiamo il soggetto (chi fa l'azione) il verbo (che esprime l'azione) e il
complemento (che specifica l'azione) per esempio diciamo: "Mio padre costru la casa" che in
inglese si dice My father built the house. Per vi anche un modo diverso per costruire la
frase; questo modo si chiama "forma passiva", quando, cio, diciamo: "La casa stata
costruita da mio padre". Come si vede, nella forma passiva, il complemento diventa il soggetto
della frase seguito dal verbo, mentre il soggetto diventa il complemento. Anche nella lingua
inglese la forma passiva si ottiene allo stesso modo, ma il complemento (che in questo caso si
dice d'agente) preceduto dalla preposizione by. Facciamo alcuni esempi per capire meglio:
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IL CONGIUNTIVO
Il tempo verbale del congiuntivo presente (io sia, io abbia ecc.) nella lingua inglese si ottiene
con l'impiego del tempo infinito dei verbi senza il "to". ATTENZIONE: la terza persona singolare
non prende la "s" e il verbo essere (to be) sar be a tutte le persone. Il congiuntivo presente,
come nella lingua italiana, poco usato e viene utilizzato principalmente nelle poesie, nelle
preghiere e in alcune espressioni particolari.
Facciamo alcuni esempi:
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IL CONGIUNTIVO PASSATO
Questo tempo verbale (Io fossi, io avessi, egli sapesse ecc.), come in italiano, il pi usato e
in inglese si ottiene con l'impiego del passato dei verbi. Naturalmente, fa eccezione il verbo
essere (to be) che si tradurr con were a tutte le persone. Normalmente introdotto da if (se),
as if (come se) ecc. Vediamo alcuni esempi:
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LECTURE
CANDYGOOSE AND THE HEDGEHOG - part one
Candygoose became a close friend to a hedgehog who used to come to the farm very often in
search of insects. They were always together sitting side by side, talking and chatting for hours
on end. They made an odd pair, indeed, and their friendship became famous all over the
farmland. One day the pigeons came back to the farm and spread an extraodinary piece of
news: Mr. Wolf Wood had become as meek as a lamb! In his good days, Mr. Wolf was the
ferocious leader of his pack, but as he had grown too old for hunting, he was left by himself.
He lived in a den in the woods that covered the hills not far trom the Geese Farm. The pigeons
reported that the old beast, once so fierce, had becone gentle and friendly with all the animals:
anyone could witness that formidable change by going up the hill and meet the wolf at his
cave. The animals of the farm were very pleased about the incredible event, nevertheless no
one was willing to personally verify it. Life in the farm went on as usual until, one day, a
blackbird came to nest in the orchard. He politely introduced himself to the other animals then,
as a matter of conversation, he said that the old wolf, who had become as meek as a lamb,
was sick in bed and was in need of something that would keep his swallen joints warm, as they
were aching with arthritis.
- "The poor, old beast says that some wool or some soft feathers would be perfect for
releaving his pain. I payed him a visit just before coming here and offered him my plumage,
but he refused it because it is not fit for the purpose" said the blackbird.
Now, Candygoose had her name after the sweetness of her heart and the kindenss and
simplicity of her mind. When she heard that the wolf was in such an agony, she volutaried to
go and offer him her plumage for, after all, the old beast had become meek and gentle. The
hedgehog tried to refrain her from going, but seeing the stubborness of the goose, he decided
to go with her. They went through fields and woods until they reached the wolf's lair. As he
saw them entering his den, he heartily welcomed them, apologizing for not being able to get
off his bed because of his great pain, but he said he was surprised to see a hedghog escorting
the goose:
-"You look an odd coulple, indeed. You are welcome, of course - he said to the hedgehog - but
you have no feathers nor wool to fulfil my needs, you know.."
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-"Oh, Mr. Wolf, he is my best friend and he came to keep me company and to wish you a
prompt recovery - said the goose - I came to give you my feathers to keep you warm, so if
you please, you can help yourself".
At these words, the wolf jumped off his bed and didn't look in pain any longer. He hurriedly
started plucking the goose's feathers off and to the two friends it seemed that a miracle had
occurred to the old beast. When he was half way through his job, he asked the goose if she
felt a little cold and said:
-"Do not worry, my dear, I'm going to warm you up in a moment. You know, because of my
arthritis, I always keep a burning stove alight".
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LESSON 14
I PRONOMI RIFLESSIVI
I pronomi riflessivi sono quelle parole che accompagnano il verbo per indicare che l'azione
ritorna su chi la fa. Per esempio diciamo "mi lavo" dove "mi" sta ad indicare "me stesso". Allo
stesso modo diciamo "lavati" dove il "ti" significa "te stesso", e cos via per tutte le persone.
Ora vediamo come queste paroline si traducono in inglese:
myself (mi, me stesso), yourself (ti, te stesso), herself (ella stessa), himself (egli stesso), itself
(esso stesso), ourself (noi stessi), yourselves (voi stessi), themselves (loro stessi).
NOTA: nei pronomi riflessivi si differenziano le seconde persone (tu, voi)
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CONVERSATION
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The statement warried the hedgehog, who in the first place did not trust the wolf having
become gentle and meek. When Candygoose had her plumage completely plucked off, the two
friends got ready to leave, but the old rascal, with a sudden jump, put himself in front of the
door-way, opened his mouth showing his teeth and said:
"You fools! Did you really believed to the story I spread about? My dear stupid goose, now I'll
show you where I intend to keep you warm; come here, I'll put you into my belly".
But as the wolf was about to seize Candygoose, the hedgehog started laughing at him:
"I don't know who is the stupidest between you two " said the hedgehog.
The wolf stopped and looked at him in amazement:
"Why are you laughing at me ?" he asked.
"Because you are appreciating the goose's meat and you don't know how tasteful an hedgehog
can be! It may be because our meat is only for kings and not for commoners like you, of
course".
The old wolf didn't know what to think about the very strange behaviour of the hedgehog, but
the last statement tickled his pride: if a hedgehog's meet was good for a king, he tought, it
sure would be good enough for him, too. Hoping to taste a new flavour, the hungry wolf tried
to engulf he small animal in one gulp, but when he tried to close his jows, the hedgehog's
prickles stuck into his mouth. Now the wolf was really in agony. He started yelling and
hopping, trying to get rid of the horrible mouthful, which in the end he succeeded. But some
prickles had stuck in his gums and while the old wolf was howling in great pain, not knowing
how to pluck the prickles off, the two friends rushed out the lair and ran down the hill as fast
as they could. When they stopped to get their breath back, the goose said:
"I must thank you, my friend, for having saved my life".
"Don't thank me, that is what a friend is for. Besides, I'm glad I had the opportunity to give a
lesson to that old rascal! But remember, my friend, never trust any sudden change in
character, it might hide a subtle trick" said the hedgehog.
Materiale prelevato dal sito http://www.amicopc.com
Realizzazione: Bina Battistella Fraquelli, responsabile dell'Ufficio Turistico di Cadenabbia di
Griante (http://www.cadenabbiadigriante.com)
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The two friends were approaching the farm which never looked so beautiful, safe and
comfortable to them.
THE END
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COMPREHENSION
CANDYGOOSE AND THE HEDGEHOG
A - Answer the following questions:
1. Who spread the news about the wolf's change of character the first and the second
time?
2. Why did Candygoose wish to go and see the wolf?
3. Why was the wolf surprised to see the hedgehog?
4. Why it seemed a miracle what occurred to the wolf?
5. Where did the wolf intended to keep the goose warm?
6. What did the hedgehog do to save his friend?
7. What do you think of the hedgehog's statement about a sudden change of character?
B - Give a word opposit to the following:
end, old, meek, happy, interested, true, good, sweet, gentle warm.
THE END