Modern Italian Grammar: A Practical Guide

Description

This new edition of the Modern Italian Grammar is an innovative reference guide to Italian, combining traditional and function-based grammar in a single volume. With a strong emphasis on contemporary usage, all grammar points and functions are richly illustrated with examples. Implementing feedback from users of the first edition, this text includes clearer explanations, as well as a greater emphasis on areas of particular difficulty for learners of Italian. Divided into two sections, the book covers: • traditional grammatical categories such as word order, nouns, verbs and adjectives • language functions and notions such as giving and seeking information, describing processes and results, and expressing likes, dislikes and preferences. This is the ideal reference grammar for learners of Italian at all levels, from beginner to advanced. No prior knowledge of grammatical terminology is needed and a glossary of grammatical terms is provided. This Grammar is complemented by the Modern Italian Grammar Workbook Second Edition which features related exercises and activities. Cover Modern Italian Grammar Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Introduction How to use this book Glossary Part A Structures 1 The noun group 1.1 Introduction 1.2 The noun 1.3 The article 1.4 The adjective 1.5 Agreement of noun, article and adjective 2 Verbs 2.1 General features of verbs 2.2 Individual verb moods and tenses 3 Pronouns 3.1 What is a pronoun? 3.2 Personal pronouns: introduction 3.3 Stressed personal pronouns 3.4 Unstressed personal pronouns 3.5 Relative pronouns 3.6 Interrogative pronouns and adjectives 3.7 Possessive pronouns and adjectives 3.8 Demonstrative pronouns and adjectives 3.9 Indefinite pronouns and adjectives 3.10 Pronouns and adjectives of quantity 4 Prepositions 4.1 What is a preposition? 4.2 Combined prepositions and articles 4.3 Common prepositions used with nouns 4.4 Common prepositions used with verbs 4.5 Other prepositions 5 Conjunctions 5.1 What is a conjunction? 5.2 Coordinating conjunctions 5.3 Subordinating conjunctions 6 Adverbs 6.1 What is an adverb? 6.2 Formation of adverbs 6.3 Functions of adverbs 6.4 Comparative and superlative adverbs 7 Numbers 7.1 What is a number? 7.2 Cardinal numbers 7.3 Ordinal numbers 7.4 Calculations 7.5 Percentages 7.6 Collective and approximate numbers 7.7 Dates 7.8 Time 7.9 Weights and measures 7.10 Currency 7.11 Table of numbers Part B Functions I Giving and seeking factual information 8 Identification: giving personal information 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Tu or Lei? 8.3 Giving different kinds of personal information 8.4 Emphasising the person referred to 8.5 Eliciting personal information 8.6 Dialoghi 9 Specifying people or objects 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Specifying a known or particular person or object 9.3 Specifying a category or type 9.4 Specifying ownership 10 Describing people or things 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Physical characteristics 10.3 Non-physical characteristics 10.4 Position of adjectives 10.5 Intensifying the meaning of the adjective 10.6 Diminishing the intensity of the adjective 10.7 Essere, stare 10.8 Dialogo 11 Talking about existence, occurrence and availability 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Talking about existence and/or presence 11.3 Talking about occurrence 11.4 Talking about presence, attendance and participation at an event 11.5 Talking about availability 11.6 Expressing ‘some, any’ 11.7 Specifying the quantity available 11.8 Expressing ‘something/anything’, ‘someone/anyone’ 11.9 Specifying location, time or frequency 11.10 Expressing non-existence or non-availability 12 Talking about the present 12.1 Introduction 12.2 Describing present situations, actions and events 12.3 Expressing ongoing actions 12.4 Words and phrases indicating present time 12.5 Dialogo 13 Speaking and writing about the past 13.1 Introduction 13.2 Passato prossimo and passato remoto 13.3 Using the passato prossimo 13.4 Using the passato remoto 13.5 Using the imperfetto 13.6 Combinations of perfect and imperfect tenses 13.7 Present tense expressing past 13.8 Indicators of past time 14 Talking about the future 14.1 Introduction 14.2 Using the future tense 14.3 Using the present tense 14.4 Indicators of future time 14.5 Expressing the immediate or very near future 14.6 Expressing the English ‘going to’ 14.7 The ‘past in the future’ 14.8 The future seen from the past 14.9 Expressing intention and future plans 15 Asking questions 15.1 Introduction 15.2 Asking a question using interrogative intonation 15.3 Asking a question using interrogative words 15.4 Dialogo 16 Negative sentences 16.1 Introduction 16.2 Reinforcing a negative statement 16.3 Expressing negation using niente, nulla 16.4 Expressing negation using the pronoun nessuno/a 16.5 Expressing negation using the adjective nessun/o/a 16.6 Other negative elements non . . . mai, non . . . ancora, non . . . più 16.7 Expressing negation using né . . . né 16.8 Omitting non 16.9 Specifying negation with a che clause 17 Comparisons and degrees of intensity 17.1 Introduction 17.2 Using comparative adjectives and adverbs 17.3 Expressing ‘than’ 17.4 Expressing ‘which’ 17.5 Expressing different degrees of intensity 18 Referring to objects and people 18.1 Introduction 18.2 Using a pronoun to refer back 18.3 Using a pronoun: referring to the subject of the action 18.4 Using a pronoun: referring to the object of the action 18.5 Referring to someone or something using questo, quello 18.6 Using indefinite pronouns to refer to someone/something 18.7 Referring to something or someone mentioned 18.8 Referring to what has been said or will be said 19 Focusing on the action 19.1 Introduction 19.2 Focusing on the action using the passive 19.3 Situations when the passive is not used 19.4 Focusing on the action using si passivante (passive form with si) 19.5 Si impersonale (impersonal si) 19.6 Focusing on the object of the action II Actions affecting ourselves and others 20 Social interactions 20.1 Greeting, welcoming 20.2 Introducing oneself and others 20.3 Saying goodbye 20.4 Wishes 20.5 Expressing and receiving thanks, appreciation 20.6 Compliments and congratulations 20.7 Making and accepting excuses, apologies 20.8 Expressing commiseration, sympathy 20.9 Using titles, salutations 21 Getting other people to do things 21.1 Introduction 21.2 Giving orders and commands 21.3 Making negative requests and commands 21.4 Written instructions and recipes 21.5 Asking someone to do something 21.6 Giving an order using ‘command’ verbs 21.7 Far fare, lasciar fare 21.8 Using persuasion 21.9 Monologo 22 Permission and possibility 22.1 Asking or granting permission 22.2 Denying permission 22.3 Speaking about the ability or opportunity to do something 22.4 Making a request 23 Expressing need, obligation or desire 23.1 Introduction 23.2 Expressing wants 23.3 Expressing needs 24 Suggesting, proposing, advising and recommending 24.1 Giving advice 24.2 Making a suggestion 24.3 Choices 24.4 More expressions of advising or suggesting 24.5 Advising someone not to do something, giving a warning 24.6 Asking for advice III Expressing emotions, feelings, attitudes and opinions 25 Expressing emotions: positive, negative, other 25.1 Introduction 25.2 Interjections (positive, negative, other) 25.3 Expressing positive emotions 25.4 Expressing negative emotions 25.5 Expressing other emotions 26 Expressing emotions: hope, fear, doubt 26.1 Introduction 26.2 Expressing hope 26.3 Expressing fear, pessimism or regret 26.4 Expressing doubt 27 Expressing an opinion or belief, agreement or disagreement 27.1 Expressing or seeking an opinion or belief 27.2 Expressing agreement, disagreement 28 Indicating preference, likes and dislikes 28.1 Introduction 28.2 Expressing likes 28.3 Expressing dislikes 28.4 Expressing a preference 29 Expressing certainty and knowledge 29.1 Introduction 29.2 Sapere 29.3 Essere certo, sicuro, convinto 29.4 Non . . . certo, poco certo, incerto, poco sicuro 29.5 Pensare, credere, sembrare, parere 29.6 Ricordare, dimenticare IV Putting in context 30 Combining messages 30.1 Introduction 30.2 Combining statements of equal importance 30.3 Combining statements of unequal importance 30.4 Setting events in a time context 30.5 Sequence of tenses 30.6 Infinitives and gerunds 30.7 Relationship of tenses in complex texts 31 Quoting or reporting events and hearsay 31.1 Introduction 31.2 Quoting: direct speech 31.3 Reporting: indirect speech 31.4 Reporting information or quoting hearsay 32 Expressing possibility and probability 32.1 Introduction 32.2 Certainty, uncertainty 32.3 Knowing, not knowing 32.4 Possible or impossible, probable or improbable 32.5 Evident, obvious 33 Expressing purpose 33.1 Introduction 33.2 Purpose involving only the subject of the action 33.3 Purpose involving someone or something else 33.4 Purpose attached to a person or object 34 Expressing causes and reasons 34.1 Introduction 34.2 Specific people, factors or events responsible 34.3 General cause or reason 34.4 Il motivo, la causa, la ragione 34.5 Causare, provocare, suscitare 34.6 Dovere, dovuto 34.7 Asking why 34.8 Using the imperfect tense to give reasons 35 Expressing result, effect and consequence 35.1 Introduction 35.2 Coordinating conjunctions 35.3 Conclusive (result) conjunctions 35.4 Così, tale, tanto, troppo 35.5 Words expressing result, effect 36 Specifying time 36.1 Introduction 36.2 Expressing same time context 36.3 Sequences of events 36.4 Defining the limits of a period: ‘since’/‘until’ 36.5 Specifying repetition and frequency 36.6 Other expressions of time 37 Place and manner 37.1 Introduction 37.2 Place: adverbs 37.3 Place: prepositions 37.4 Manner 38 Expressing a condition or hypothesis 38.1 Introduction 38.2 A condition which is likely to be met (probable or highly possible) 38.3 A condition which is unlikely to be met (improbable) 38.4 A condition which can no longer be met (impossible) 38.5 Expressing conditions with other conjunctions 38.6 Expressing conditions with gerund, infinitive or participle 38.7 Unfinished conditional sentence 38.8 Other uses of se 39 Expressing reservation, exception and concession 39.1 Introduction 39.2 Expressing reservation or exception 39.3 Modifying a statement by concession V Expanding the horizons 40 Register and style 40.1 Introduction 40.2 Spoken and written discourse 40.3 Differences in lexis 40.4 Differences in syntax 40.5 Formal and informal registers 40.6 Word order 41 Oral communication and telephone skills 41.1 Introduction 41.2 The Lei form 41.3 Discourse markers 41.4 Techniques of oral communication 41.5 Spelling on the telephone 41.6 Telephone phrases 41.7 On the telephone 42 Written communication 42.1 Introduction 42.2 Business letters 42.3 Informal written communication 42.4 Extended writing: differences between English and Italian 42.5 Writing essays, making connections 42.6 Reports 42.7 Bureaucratic language 42.8 Scientific and technical language 42.9 Journalistic language Appendix I: Spelling and pronunciation Appendix II: Regular verb forms Appendix III: Irregular verb forms Appendix IV: Verbs and prepositions Appendix V: Sequence of tenses Index