Modern Italian Grammar: A Practical Guide - Readers StuffZ

433 Pages·2005·2.07 MB·English

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Routledge Modern Grammars
Series concept and development – Sarah Butler
Other books in series:
Modern German Grammar, Second Edition
Modern German Grammar Workbook, Second Edition
Modern Spanish Grammar, Second Edition
Modern Spanish Grammar Workbook, Second Edition
Modern French Grammar, Second Edition
Modern French Grammar Workbook, Second Edition
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First published 1997
by Routledge
Second edition published 2005
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
© 1997, 2005 Anna Proudfoot and Francesco Cardo
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Proudfoot, Anna.
Modern Italian grammar: a practical guide/Anna Proudfoot and
Francesco Cardo. – 2nd ed.
p. cm. – (Routledge modern grammars)
Includes index.
1. Italian language – Textbooks for foreign speakers – English.
2. Italian language – Grammar. I. Cardo, Francesco, 1951–
II. Title. III. Series.
PC1129.E5P76 2005
458.2′421 – dc22 2004026099
ISBN 0–415–33483–7 (hbk)
ISBN 0–415–33164–1 (pbk)
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9111 Contents
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4111 Introduction xiii
5 How to use this book xv
6 Glossary xvii
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20 Part A Structures
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2 1 The noun group 3
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4 1.1 What is a noun? 3
5 1.2 The noun 3
6 1.3 The article 10
7 1.4 The adjective 14
8 1.5 Agreement of noun, article and adjective 20
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30111 2 Verbs 22
1 2.1 General features of verbs 22
2 2.2 Verb tables 31
3 2.3 Moods and tenses of verbs 39
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5 3 Pronouns 65
6 3.1 What is a pronoun? 65
7 3.2 Personal pronouns 65
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3.3 Stressed personal pronouns 65
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3.4 Unstressed personal pronouns 67
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3.5 Relative pronouns 72
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3.6 Interrogative pronouns and adjectives 74
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3.7 Possessive pronouns and adjectives 75
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3.8 Demonstrative pronouns and adjectives 77
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5 3.9 Indefinite pronouns and adjectives 80
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7 4 Prepositions 84
8 4.1 What is a preposition? 84
50 4.2 Combined prepositions and articles 85
1 4.3 Use of prepositions with nouns 85
2 4.4 Use of prepositions with verbs 89
3111 4.5 Other prepositions 91
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CONTENTS
5 Conjunctions 93
5.1 What is a conjunction? 93
5.2 Coordinating conjunctions 93
5.3 Subordinating conjunctions 95
6 Adverbs 98
6.1 What is an adverb? 98
6.2 Types of adverbs 98
6.3 Comparative and superlative adverbs 101
7 Numbers 103
7.1 What is a number? 103
7.2 Cardinal numbers 103
7.3 Ordinal numbers 104
7.4 Calculations 106
7.5 Percentages 106
7.6 Collective and approximate numbers 106
7.7 Dates 107
7.8 Time 108
7.9 Weights and measures 108
7.10 Currency 109
7.11 Table of numbers 109
Part B Functions
I Giving and seeking factual information
8 Identification: giving personal information 115
8.1 Introduction 115
8.2 Tu or Lei? 115
8.3 Giving different kinds of personal information 116
8.4 Emphasising the person referred to 120
8.5 Eliciting personal information 120
8.6 Dialoghi 121
9 Specifying people or objects 123
9.1 Introduction 123
9.2 Specifying a known or particular person or object 123
9.3 Specifying category or type 124
9.4 Specifying ownership 125
10 Describing people or things 127
10.1 Introduction 127
10.2 Physical characteristics 127
10.3 Non-physical attributes 130
10.4 Intensifying the meaning of the adjective 133
10.5 Diminishing the strength of the adjective 134
10.6 Describing a physical state using stare 135
10.7 Dialogo 136
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Contents
1 11 Talking about existence, presence and availability 137
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11.1 Introduction 137
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11.2 Talking about existence and/or presence 138
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11.3 Talking about occurrence 139
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11.4 Talking about presence, attendance and participation
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at an event 141
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11.5 Talking about availability 141
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11.6 Expressing ‘some, any’ 142
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11.7 Specifying the quantity available 144
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11.8 Expressing ‘something, anything’, ‘someone, anyone’ 145
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11.9 Specifying location, time or frequency 145
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11.10 Expressing non-existence or non-availability 146
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12 Talking about the present 149
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12.1 Introduction 149
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12.2 Describing present situations, actions and events 149
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12.3 Expressing ongoing actions 151
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12.4 Words and phrases indicating present time 151
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12.5 Dialogo 152
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13 Speaking/writing about the past 154
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13.1 Introduction 154
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13.2 The perfect aspect 155
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13.3 Using the passato prossimo 156
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13.4 Using the passato remoto 157
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13.5 Expressing the imperfect aspect 158
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13.6 Combinations of perfect and imperfect aspect 161
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13.7 Present tense expressing past 165
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13.8 Indicators of time 165
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14 Talking about the future 167
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14.1 Introduction 167
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14.2 Using the future tense 167
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14.3 Using the present tense 167
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14.4 Expressing the immediate or very near future 168
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14.5 Expressing the English ‘going to’ 168
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14.6 The ‘past in the future’ 169
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14.7 The future seen from the past 169
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14.8 Some expressions of time in the future 170
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14.9 Expressing intention and future plans 172
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15 Asking questions 173
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4 15.1 Introduction 173
5 15.2 Asking a question using interrogative intonation 173
6 15.3 Asking a question using interrogative words 173
7 15.4 Dialogo 176
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16 Negative sentences 178
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1 16.1 Introduction 178
2 16.2 Reinforcing a negative statement 178
3111 16.3 Expressing negation and time non . . . più, non . . . mai 179
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CONTENTS
16.4 Expressing negation using né . . . né 179
16.5 Expressing negation using niente, nulla 180
16.6 Expressing negation using the adjective nessun/o/a 180
16.7 Expressing negation using the pronoun nessuno/a 181
16.8 Reinforcing negation 181
17 Comparisons and degrees of intensity 183
17.1 Introduction 183
17.2 Using comparative adjectives and adverbs 183
17.3 Expressing ‘than’ 184
17.4 Expressing ‘which’ 186
17.5 Expressing different degrees of intensity 186
18 Referring to objects and people 188
18.1 Introduction 188
18.2 Using a pronoun to refer back 188
18.3 Using a pronoun: referring to the subject of an action 188
18.4 Using a pronoun: referring to someone other than
the subject 188
18.5 Referring to someone or something using questo, quello 192
18.6 Using indefinites to refer to ‘someone/something’ 192
18.7 Referring to something or someone mentioned 193
18.8 Referring to what has been said or will be said 193
19 Focusing on the action 194
19.1 Introduction 194
19.2 Focusing on the action using the passive 194
19.3 Situations when the passive is not used 197
19.4 Focusing on the action using si passivante (passive form
with si) 199
19.5 Si impersonale (impersonal si) 200
19.6 Focusing on the object of the action 200
II Actions affecting ourselves and others
20 Social interactions 203
20.1 Greeting, welcoming 203
20.2 Introducing oneself and others 204
20.3 Saying goodbye 205
20.4 Wishes 206
20.5 Expressing and receiving thanks, appreciation 206
20.6 Compliments 207
20.7 Making and accepting excuses, apologies 207
20.8 Expressing commiseration, sympathy 208
20.9 Using titles, salutations 208
21 Getting other people to do things 211
21.1 Introduction 211
21.2 Giving orders and commands 211
21.3 Making negative requests and commands 213
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1 21.4 Written instructions and recipes 213
2 21.5 Asking someone to do something 216
3 21.6 Giving an order using ‘command’ verbs 217
4 21.7 Far fare, lasciar fare construction 217
5111 21.8 Using persuasion 218
6 21.9 Monologo 219
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8 22 Permission and possibility 221
9111 22.1 Asking or granting permission 221
10 22.2 Denying permission 222
1 22.3 Speaking about the ability or opportunity to do something 222
2 22.4 Making a request 223
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23.1 Need or want 225
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23.2 Expressing wants 225
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23.3 Expressing needs 227
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24.1 Giving advice 229
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24.2 Making or receiving a suggestion 230
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24.3 More expressions of advising or suggesting 232
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24.4 Advising someone not to do something, giving a warning 233
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24.5 Asking for advice 233
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24.6 Other ways of making suggestions 234
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III Expressing emotions, feelings, attitudes and opinions
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25 Expressing emotions: positive, negative, neutral 237
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25.1 Introduction 237
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25.2 Interjections (positive, negative, neutral) 237
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25.3 Expressing positive emotions 238
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25.4 Expressing negative emotions 241
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25.5 Expressing neutral emotions 245
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25.6 Expressing positive and/or negative emotions 247
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26 Expressing emotions: hope, fear, doubt 248
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1 26.2 Expressing hope 248
2 26.3 Expressing fear, pessimism or regret 249
3 26.4 Expressing doubt 251
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27 Expressing an opinion or belief, agreement
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or disagreement 253
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8 27.2 Expressing agreement, disagreement 255
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28 Indicating preference, likes and dislikes 258
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3111 28.2 Expressing likes 258
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