SPEAK ENGLISH!
MAGAZINE
NO.33 – JULY- AUGUST 2014
IN THIS NUMBER:
FIRST PAGE: THE
AMAZING MURALS IN
BORDANO
MONUMENTS OF
BRITAIN: HASTINGS
CASTLE
THE HISTORY OF
BRITAIN: HENRY VIII
(ENRICO 8°)
1
First Page
THE AMAZING1 MURALS IN BORDANO
A past number of Speak English! Magazine was already2
dedicated to Bordano, but treated the wonderful House of
Butterflies3. However4, Bordano is special also for another
characteristic: the fantastic murals painted on the external
walls of many houses.
Bordano had a particular climate which favoured the life and
proliferation of local and Italian butterflies. So in time5 they
organised conferences, local
celebrations and events all
based on butterflies. One of the
most beautiful initiatives of the
town was the Mural Competition organised in order to make
the town more colourful6, which attracted many artists who
painted their works7 on houses and walls. The result is that
up to8 today Bordano houses are decorated with murals
different from one another9 in colours, style and shape10.
The theme of all these murals is butterflies and in the town
there are dozens11. It is impossible to show them all in this
page, so here you can only
see some of the most
representative murals. The
good news12 is that next
year's calendar will be
dedicated completely to
Bordano murals, so you
will see some other
extraordinary
pictures
which will accompany you
for the rest of the following13 year.
So, if you want to spend14 a nice day out15, why not go to
Bordano for a nice walk among16 the houses of the town
in order to discover17 all the fantastic paintings? And if you
have enough18 time, you can also visit the House of
Butterflies, containing hundreds of species from all around
the world in their original habitat recreated in the various
parts of the House. You won't be disappointed19!
VOCABULARY
1 amazing: strabiliante
2 already: già
3 butterfly: farfalla
4 however: comunque
5 in time: col tempo
6 colourful: colorato
7 work: opera
8 up to: fino a (tempo)
2
9 one another: l'un l'altro
10 shape: forma
11 dozen: dozzina
12 news (solo sing.) notizia
13 following: successivo
14 to spend: trascorrere
15 day out: gita di un giorno
16 among: tra (più di due)
17 to discover: scoprire
18 enough: abbastanza
19 disappointed: deluso
MONUMENTS OF BRITAIN
Hastings Castle
Hastings is a town by1 the sea in the shire of Sussex, in the south of England. The town is part of the
historical heritage2 of England, because in 1066 AD an important battle took place3, which changed
the history of England for ever.
At the time, England was inhabited
by the Anglo-Saxons. The king
Edward the Confessor died without
children, so Harold, son of Godwin
Earl4 of Wessex, the most powerful
earl of King Edward's reign, was
elected king by the Witan (the
council of noblemen who had the
function of advising5 the king).
Meanwhile6, in France and more
precisely in Normandy, lived a very
ambitious man, William (who
became famous as “William the
Conqueror”
–
Guglielmo
il
Conquistatore), who was Edward’s
1 A general view of Hastings Castle
cousin. In fact, his mother, Emma,
was the sister of Richard II Duke of
Normandy, grandfather of William. After Edward's death, William saw the possibility of becoming
the new king of England, so he invaded it in 1066. The Normans of William landed7 at Pevensey in
Sussex on 28th September and erected a wooden8 castle at Hastings. Harold immediately advanced
to meet William, and fought9 at the Battle of Hastings on 14th October. After a series of Norman
attacks, in the evening the defence finally collapsed and Harold was killed. This is how England
was conquered by the Normans, changing its structure, language and history for ever.
History of the castle
The ruins10 that we see today are the remains11 of a stone12 fortress built
after William the Conqueror's coronation, which was practically
impregnable13 from three sides14. Less than15 half of the original
structure remains.
When William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066, he brought with
him prefabricated portions of simple castles. He constructed two of
these castles before his first battle: one at Pevensey, and the other at
Hastings. These basic fortresses were simple wooden walls around a
mound16. The fortress at Hastings is where William and his men spent
the night before the Battle of Hastings.
In 1070, William gave orders to reconstruct Hastings Castle in stone. He
gave the castle and the rest of the district of Hastings to Robert, Count
2
of Eu, who founded the Collegiate Church of St Mary in the Castle
The construction of Hastings
17
within the castle walls. The remains of this church are the bestcastle depicted in the Bayeux
preserved part of the ruins.. In 1148, Stephen confirmed the transference tapestry
3
of several churches and parcels of land18 in Hastings to the Bishops19 of Chichester, and this
probably included the castle.
At the end of the reign of King John (Giovanni Senzaterra) the rebellious barons invited the French
king's son Louis the Lion to take the throne. John ordered the destruction of Hastings Castle
because it could fall20 into Louis' hands. The damage21 to the castle was limited, and John's son
Henry III ordered to repair the castle in 1220.
In 1272 the Collegiate Church became the King's Free Chapel of Hastings and its Chapel of the
Holy Cross became a place22 of pilgrimage.
The savage23 storms24 of the 13th century brought chaos to Hastings: the harbour25 was destroyed
and large parts of the castle fell20 into the sea. The destruction of the harbour had a terrible impact
on Hastings: the port couldn't be used for military scopes, and so the town declined into a fishing26
village and the castle fell into decay27.
Henry VIII finally dissolved St Mary in the Castle at the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th
century (please refer to The History of Britain on page … of this number). In 1591 the ruins became
the property of the Pelham family and for centuries the site was used for farming28.
In 1824 the 6th Earl of Chichester, Thomas Pelham made a full excavation of the castle and during
Victorian times it became a tourist attraction. In 1951 the Pelham family sold29 the castle to the
Hastings Corporation for £3,000.
In 1966 a plaque was put to commemorate the Battle of
Hastings and every year on October 14th a replica of
William's flag30, the Gonfalon, waves31 from the castle. A
popular modern attraction at the castle today is “The
1066 Story”, a presentation on the history of the castle
and the battle with sounds and lights.
Remnants32 of the castle were rediscovered in 1824, and
portions were rebuilt33. The castle was damaged in World
War II, but the remains of the castle are still on the hill,
3 The wonderful view of Hastings and the English and they offer a breathtaking34 view35 of Hastings and the
Channel from the Castle
English Channel36.
VOCABULARY
1 by: presso
11 remain: rimanenza
2 heritage: eredità
12 stone: pietra
3 to take place: aver luogo 13 impregnable: inespugnabile
4 earl: conte
14 side: lato
5 to advise: consigliare
15 less than: meno di
6 meanwhile: nel frattempo 16 mound: montagnola
7 to land: approdare
17 within: all'interno di
8 wooden: di legno
18 land: terra
9 to fight: combattere
19 bishop: vescovo
10 ruin: rovina
20 to fall: cadere
4
21 damage: danno
22 place: posto
23 savage: selvaggio
24 storm: tempesta
25 harbour: porto
26 fishing: di pescatori
27 decay: rovina
28 farming: agricoltura
29 to sell: vendere
30 flag: bandiera
31 to wave: sventolare
32 remnant: residuo
33 to rebuild: ricostruire
34 breathtaking: mozzafiato
35 view: vista
36 English Channel: La
Manica
ENGLISH GRAMMAR
Nota importante: questa sezione di grammatica contiene sia nozioni di base che nozioni avanzate.
Se avete ancora un livello base di inglese si consiglia di non prendere in considerazione le nozioni
avanzate per non creare confusione o aggiungere troppe nozioni. D'altra parte, se avete almeno un
livello pre-intermediate, nelle nozioni avanzate troverete interessanti informazioni anche se ritenete
di conoscere bene l'argomento presentato.
IL PAST SIMPLE (O SIMPLE PAST) - parte 1
- IL PAST SIMPLE DEL VERBO “TO BE” (ESSERE)
Nozioni di base
Il verbo “TO BE” al past simple ha due forme: WAS per le persone singolari I-HE-SHE-IT e WERE
per le persone plurali WE-YOU-THEY (si ricorda che “YOU” in inglese corrisponde a “VOI” e non
a “TU”, e pertanto si comporta come una persona plurale)
PAST SIMPLE “TO
BE”
FORMA AFFERMATIVA
PERSONE
SINGOLARI
I WAS (pronuncia: uos)
HE WAS
SHE WAS
IT WAS
PERSONE PLURALI WE WERE
YOU WERE
THEY WERE
FORMA NEGATIVA
FORMA INTERROGATIVA
I WASN'T (pronuncia: uos'nt)
HE WASN'T
SHE WASN'T
IT WASN'T
WAS I....?
WAS HE...?
WAS SHE...?
WAS IT...?
WE WEREN'T
YOU WEREN'T
THEY WEREN'T
WERE WE...?
WERE YOU...?
WERE THEY...?
− Essendo “TO BE” un verbo ausiliario, esso usa se stesso per creare la forma negativa e
quella interrogativa.
Nozioni avanzate
−
WAS e WERE hanno pronunce forti quando sono in finale di frase oppure in risposte brevi
(esempi: “you weren't tired but I was”, “yes, you were”). In tal caso la pronuncia di “WAS”
è “UOS” con la “S” di casa, mentre “WERE” si pronuncia “U3R”, dove il simbolo che
somiglia ad un “3” rappresenta una suono che è una via di mezzo tra una “E” e una “O”.
− WAS e WERE hanno pronunce deboli quando si trovano all'interno di una frase (esempi:
“she was at home”, “they were at school”). In tal case la pronuncia di “WAS” è “UƏS”,
dove la “E” rovesciata rappresenta un suono molto simile a “3” ma più aperto, mentre
“WERE” si pronuncia “UƏ”, e la “R” praticamente non si pronuncia.
− Per una corretta pronuncia si raccomanda di consultare un dizionario on-line come “WORD
REFERENCE”, che ha la pronuncia sonora, oppure di far riferimento alla vostra insegnante.
- IL PAST SIMPLE DEI VERBI REGOLARI
Nozioni di base
Il past simple in inglese corrisponde al nostro tempo verbale imperfetto indicativo (esempio: io
5
mangiavo) e al nostro passato remoto indicativo (io magiai). Dal momento che il passato remoto,
perlomeno nel nord Italia, non è un tempo molto usato ed al suo posto si tende ad usare il passato
prossimo, il past simple può essere tradotto con tale tempo verbale (esempio: io ho mangiato).
Tuttavia, è bene ricordare che il passato prossimo corrisponde più come struttura ed uso al present
perfect inglese (che verrà trattato in un futuro numero di questa rivista) che al past simple.
Il past simple è il tempo verbale inglese che esprime il concetto generale di un'azione che si è svolta
nel passato e non ha più nessun rapporto con il presente.
Per poter usare il past simple devono verificarsi contemporaneamente due condizioni:
1. l’azione deve essersi svolta nel passato ed essere finita nel momento in cui si parla
2. il tempo in cui l'azione si è svolta deve essere espresso nella frase o nel contesto (ad esempio
ieri, un'ora fa, lo scorso mese, due anni fa, ecc).
Il verbo è uguale per tutte le persone: I, you, he, she, it, we, they WORKED. Quindi, NON prende
la -S alla terza persona singolare come accade per il present simple.
Il past simple dei verbi regolari alla forma affermativa
Nozioni di base
Il past simple dei verbi regolari inglesi è molto semplice: generalmente si fa aggiungendo la
desinenza -ED alla forma infinita del verbo. Se il verbo termina per -E si aggiunge solo -D. Esempi:
WANT
=
WANTED
LIKE
=
LIKED
LOVE
=
LOVED
WORK
=
WORKED
- I verbi che terminano per Y preceduta da una consonante cambiano la Y in una I e aggiungono
-ED:
TRY
=
TRIED
STUDY
=
STUDIED
ACCOMPANY
=
ACCOMPANIED
- Ovviamente i verbi che terminano per Y preceduti da vocale fanno il passato come tutti gli altri
verbi:
PLAY
=
PLAYED
STAY
=
STAYED
Invece, i verbi che terminano per consonante-vocale-consonante, e l'accento cade sull'ultima vocale,
raddoppiano l'ultima consonante, anche se poi la doppia consonante non viene pronunciata. Esempi:
STOP
=
STOPPED
TRIM
=
TRIMMED
PERMIT
=
PERMITTED
REGRET
=
REGRETTED
- Se un verbo termina per consonante-vocale-consonante ma l'ultima vocale non è accentata,
l'ultima consonante non si raddoppia. Esempi (la vocale in rosso è quella dove cade l'accento):
OPEN
=
OPENED
DEVELOP
=
DEVELOPED
6
Nozioni avanzate
Esistono alcune eccezioni alla regola del raddoppiamento della consonante:
1) I verbi che terminano per -L raddoppiano sempre la L anche se l'accento non cade sull'ultima
vocale (TRAVEL-TRAVELLED, MODEL-MODELLED, CANCEL-CANCELLED)
2) I verbi che terminano per -X non raddoppiano mai la X
3) WORSHIP è l'unico verbo inglese che, pur non avendo l'accento sulla “I”, al past simple
diventa WORSHIPPED
4) DIAL e FUEL sono gli unici verbi inglesi che, pur avendo due vocali che precedono l'ultima
consonante, raddoppiano comunque l'ultima consonante (DIALLED, FUELLED)
Note sulla pronuncia dei verbi regolari al passato
1) Normalmente la “E” di “ED” non si pronuncia:
LOVED = LAVD
STUDIED = STADID
OBTAINED = OBTEIND
OPENED = OPEND
2) La “E” di “ED” si legge solo se il verbo termina per -T, -D, -TE e -DE perché non sarebbe
possibile pronunciare la sola “D”. In ogni caso la “E” si pronuncia “I”:
ADDED = ADID
WANTED = UONTID
UNITED = IUNAITID
DECIDED = DISAIDID
3) La “D” finale di “ED” si pronuncia “D” se il verbo termina per una consonante sonora,
ovvero pronunciata emettendo un suono con la gola (B, G, L, M, N, R, SE, V, W, Y o Z)
oppure per vocale. Esempi:
LOVED = LAVD
EXERCISED = EXESAISD
FLOWED = FLOUD
SCANNED = SCAND
PRAYED = PREID
ECHOED = ECƏUD
4) La “D” finale di “ED” si pronuncia invece “T” se il verbo termina per una consonante non
sonora, ovvero pronunciata solo in bocca senza emettere suoni con la gola (C, CH, F, K, P,
S, SS, SH, X, CE). Il motivo di ciò è che la “D” perde anch'essa la sua sonorità diventando
di fatto una “T” (si noti che la stessa corrispondenza si ha nelle seguenti coppie di
consonanti, dove la posizione in bocca è la stessa ma la cui pronuncia cambia a seconda
della sonorità o meno: C-G, F-V, P-B, S dolce-S sibilante, ecc.). Esempi:
PASSED = PAST
REACHED = RIICHT
LOOKED = LUKT
STOPPED = STOPT
DANCED = DANST
BOXED = BOXT
7
THE HISTORY OF BRITAIN
THE TUDOR PERIOD – HENRY VIII
FIRST PERIOD OF HIS REIGN
Henry VIII was born at Greenwich on 28 June 1491, the second son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of
York. He became king in 1509.
In his youth1 he was athletic and very intelligent. About him they said that he could speak good
French, Latin and Spanish, he was very religious, he was a good musician, poet and scholar2, a good
hunter3 and archer4. Henry's scholarly interests included writing both books and music: as the author
of a best-selling book (it went through some 20 editions in England and Europe) attacking Martin
Luther and supporting the Roman Catholic church, in 1521 Henry
was given the title 'Defender of the Faith' by the Pope. He was also a
great patron5 of the arts: in fact, at his court there were the poets
Skelton, Surrey and Wyatt, the German painter Holbein and the
famous writer Sir Thomas More (please refer to the “English
Literature and Poetry” page). In a word, Henry VIII was the ideal
king of Renaissance.
From his father, Henry VIII inherited6 a stable realm with the
finances in good surplus. However, England did not have the power
of France, Spain or the Holy7 Roman Emperor, so his aim8 was to
keep the balance of power between them as long as possible through
alliances (Henry was related by marriage to all three - his wife
Catherine was Ferdinand of Aragon's daughter, his sister Mary
married Louis XII of France in 1514, and the Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was Catherine's nephew). But Henry VIII was as
impetuous as his father had been cautious, and very ambitious, and
1 A picture of Henry VIII
trying to emulate the deeds9 of Henry V a hundred years before, he
invaded France. However, his unsuccessful Anglo-Spanish campaigns against France ended in
peace with France in 1520. Only with Scotland was Henry successful, in fact the invading Scots,
allies of France, were disastrously defeated10 at Flodden. After these campaigns, Henry prudently
decided to invest in the navy11, and increased its size from 5 to 53 ships.
Henry's many interests and lack of application to government business and administration increased
the influence of Thomas Wolsey, Lord Chancellor12 since 1515, who was the man who had
encouraged Henry's extravagant foreign adventures. Wolsey was also Archbishop13 of York and was
appointed14 Cardinal in 1515 and given papal legate powers which enabled15 him to by-pass the
Archbishop of Canterbury and 'govern' the Church in England. Wolsey became one of the most
powerful ministers in British history, but was also the most unpopular man in England, the kind of
prelate denounced by Thomas More. His limitless ambition and richness were symbolised by
building Hampton Court Palace, which was on a greater scale than anything the king possessed. He
also anticipated the king's foundation of Trinity College in Cambridge by building Cardinal College
in Oxford (now known as “Christ College”). However, his days of glory were numbered.
THE RELIGIOUS REFORMATION
The second half of Henry's reign was dominated by two issues16 very important for the later history
of England and the monarchy: the succession and the Protestant Reformation, which led17 to the
formation of the Church of England.
Henry had married his brother's widow18, Catherine of Aragon, in 1509. Catherine had produced
only one surviving child - a girl, Princess Mary (who later became the famous queen “Bloody
Mary”, Maria la Sanguinaria), born in 1516. By the end of the 1520s, Henry's wife was in her
8
forties19 and he was desperate for a son because the Tudor dynasty had been established by conquest
and Henry was only its second monarch, and England had never had a ruling20 queen.
Henry had anyway fallen in love with Anne Boleyn, and ordered Wolsey to persuade the Pope to
give him an annulment of his marriage on the basis that it had never been legal.
Royal divorces had happened before, but the Pope was in the power of the King of Spain,
Catherine's nephew, and so he didn't agree. In May 1529, Wolsey failed to gain the Pope's
agreement to resolve Henry's case in England, and this was his disgrace: he was dismissed21 and
arrested, but died in 1530 before he could be executed for high treason22.
Since the attempts23 to obtain the divorce through pressure on the papacy had failed, Wolsey's
successor Thomas Cromwell turned24 to Parliament, using its powers and anti-clerical attitude
(encouraged by Wolsey's excesses) to decide the issue. The result was a series of Acts reducing
papal power and influence in England and bringing about25 the English Reformation. Henry's
religious ideas remained Catholic, despite26 the great number of people at court and in the nation
who had adopted Protestantism, but he was determined to escape from papal interference.
In 1532, Cranmer was promoted to Archbishop of Canterbury and, following the Pope's
confirmation of his appointment, in May 1533 Cranmer declared Henry's marriage invalid; Anne
Boleyn was crowned queen a week later. The Pope excommunicated Henry, and Parliament reacted
with an act stating27 that England was an empire, governed by one supreme head and king who
possessed 'whole28 and entire' authority within the realm, and that no judgements or
excommunications from Rome were valid. An Act of Submission of the Clergy and an Act of
Succession followed, together with an Act of Supremacy (1534) which recognised that the king was
the only supreme head of the Church of England called Anglicana Ecclesia. It is important to
remember that this stage of the Reformation was only political, and there were no changes to
doctrine. Henry was Defender of the Faith, and with his Act of Six Articles he impartially put to
death all Protestants who did not accept Catholic doctrines and also the Catholics who refused to
accept his Anglican revolution. Some of the things that he imposed were the service in English
instead29 of Latin and that every church had to have an English Bible. This was the “Great Bible” of
1539 made mainly30 by Miles Coverdale, who based his translation on the version of William
Tyndale, a reformer burned abroad as heretic. All of this encouraged a freedom of thought and
devotion to the Anglican Church that made the next stage of Reformation easier. The anticlericalism of a great part of England had been encouraged by many factors: Wolsey's abuses, the
teaching of Wycliff and the Lollard Movement, and the reading of the Bible. Many English people
respected religion, but did not like clerical predominance because the high clergy used to extort the
money in many ways and were often immoral and corrupt. All of this produced a great number of
laymen31 who were able to think for themselves and deny32 the absolute authority of the Church in
doctrine and moral. Also, Rome's interference seemed intolerable because of the new nationalistic
spirit which was developing33 in Tudor times.
The other effect of the English Protestant Reformation was the Dissolution of Monasteries, under
which monastic lands and possessions were sold. As a result, their enormous wealth34 was
transferred to the king, saving the finances.
Henry was also successful in uniting the Country: in 1535 he united Wales with England with the
first Act of Union of in the history of Britain.
HENRY'S MARRIAGES AND EXECUTIONS
However, power had corrupted Henry and had transformed him into a tyrant35 who killed everyone
who didn't satisfy his will: this happened with Thomas More, who was executed for treason in 1535
because he could not accept the Act of Supremacy, Ann Boleyn, his chancellor Cromwell, and other
people of his court.
Anne Boleyn was executed because she only produced a daughter, Princess Elizabeth (who later
became Queen Elisabeth I), but did not have any sons. Henry accused Anne of treason, which was
almost certainly false, and she was executed in 1536. In 1537 he married his third wife Jane
9
Seymour, who finally had a son, who later became Edward VI. Jane died as a consequence of this
birth in 1537.
Although36 Cromwell had proved an effective37 minister for the royal divorce and the English
Reformation, he was first dismissed because of the insurrection of the Pilgrimage of Grace in
Yorkshire, and then arrested and executed for treason because Henry's fourth marriage to German
Princess Anne of Cleves, promoted by Cromwell to establish a tie38 with the German Protestant
alliance, was a disaster (he divorced her few months later).
Henry executed another of his wives, the fifth, Katherine Howard on grounds39 of adultery in 1542.
He then married Catherine Parr, who survived Henry and died in 1548.
Neither Princess Ann, nor40 Katherine Howard, nor Catherine Parr produced any children, so Henry
made sure that his sole male heir41, Edward, was educated by people who believed in Protestantism
rather than42 Catholicism because he wanted the anti-papal nature of his reformation and his dynasty
to become more firmly established. To secure the succession and to unite Britain, Henry proposed
his sister to give her granddaughter, the infant Queen of Scotland, as wife to his son. But the
proposal was refused by the Scottish nobility. This caused another costly and futile war with France:
with an army of 40,000 men, only the town of Boulogne was captured and the French campaign
failed. The cost of the campaign was financed with currency43 depreciation, which contributed to
increase inflation, so adding another problem for his successor.
Henry died in London on 28 January 1547, a few days after he had sent the young poet Earl of
Surrey to the block.
MERITS OF A TYRANT KING
Henry VIII had good and bad merits: he was a strong and selfish44 tyrant, but he worked through
Parliament which, under his reign, regained much of its former45 importance. He forced the clergy
under his control, strengthening46 the Crown's position and acquiring the monasteries' wealth, but
the money was spent on wars and built up the economic strength of the aristocracy and other
families, which encouraged ambitious Tudor factions. He killed his opponents but he also loved his
Country, which became more united and confident than ever before.
One of Henry VIII's great merits was to follow the policy of his father, who had encouraged the
building of a mercantile fleet47. But Henry did more: he gave England a fighting fleet of modern,
long and slender48 vessels with heavy cannons. Years later, this fleet would save Elisabeth I and
England from the Catholic power of Spain.
TO TALK TOGETHER:
- How would you describe Henry VIII's character?
- What events in previous centuries must be considered as causes of the English Reformation?
- What are some of Henry VIII's merits?
VOCABULARY
1 youth: gioventù
14 to appoint: nominare
2 scholar: studioso
15 to enable: permettere
3 hunter: cacciatore
16 issue: questione
4 archer: arciere
17 to lead: condurre
5 patron: sostenitore
18 widow: vedova
6 to inherit: ereditare
19 in her forties: sulla quarantina
7 holy: sacro
20 ruling: governante
8 aim: scopo
21 to dismiss: licenziare
9 deed: azione
22 treason: tradimento
10 to defeat: sconfiggere 23 attempt: tentativo
11 navy: marina
24 to turn: rivolgersi
12 chancellor: cancelliere 25 to bring about: portare
13 archbishop: arcivescovo 26 despite: nonostante
10
27 to state: affermare
40 neither...nor: né...né
28 whole: intero, completo 41 male heir: erede maschio
29 instead: invece
42 rather than: piuttosto che
30 mainly: principalmente 43 currency: valuta, moneta
31 layman: laico
44 selfish: egoista
32 to deny: negare
45 former: precedente
33 to develop: sviluppare 46 to strengthen: rafforzare
34 wealth: ricchezza
47 fleet: flotta
35 tyrant: tiranno
48 slender: slanciato
36 although: benché
37 effective: efficace
38 tie: legame
39 ground: motivo
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VOCABULARY
1 page: paggio
2 archbishop: arcivescovo
3 chancellor: cancelliere
4 impressed: colpito
5 embassy: ambasciata
6 steward: amministratore
12
7 learned: colto
8 witty: arguto
9 within: interno
10 ruin: rovina
11 beheaded: decapitato
12 treason: tradimento
13 pamphlet: opuscolo
14 treatise: trattato
15 greediness: avidità
16 pasture: pascolo
17 luxury: opulenza
18 despise: disprezzare
19 hunting: caccia
20 accountable: tenuto a
rispondere
21 goodness: bontà
22 enlightenment: illuminismo
LET’S LAUGH TOGETHER!
JOKES
IF A MAN STEALS1 YOUR WIFE....
THERE IS NO BETTER REVENGE2 THAN LEAVING HER
TO HIM!
I'M NOT AFRAID OF TERRORISM:
MARRIED FOR TWENTY YEARS...
I'VE
BEEN
THERE'S A WAY3 TO TRANSFER MONEY WHICH IS
FASTER4 THAN THE BANK: IT'S CALLED MARRIAGE.
MY WIFE AND I WERE HAPPY FOR TWENTY-FIVE
YEARS. THEN, WE MET5......
A MAN PUT AND ADVERTISEMENT6 IN A NEWSPAPER:
"I'M LOOKING FOR7 A WIFE". THE FOLLOWING DAY
HE RECEIVED ABOUT A HUNDRED LETTERS. THEY
ALL SAID THE SAME THING: "I'LL GIVE YOU MINE8".
RECENTLY I'VE READ THAT LOVE IS A MATTER9 OF
CHEMISTRY10. THIS MUST BE THE REASON WHY MY
WIFE TREATS ME AS IF11 I WAS A TOXIC WASTE12.
VOCABULARY
1 to steal: rubare
2 revenge: vendetta
3 way: modo
4 faster: più veloce
13
5 to meet: incontrarsi
6 advertisement: annuncio
7 to look for: cercare
8 mine: mio (pronome)
9 matter: questione
10 chemistry: chimica
11 as if: come se
12 waste: rifiuto
YOUR SPACE!
Nella pagina Your Space! di questo numeri, com'è ormai tradizione da anni, vengono pubblicati I
lavori di fine anno di tutt gli studenti (ovvero tutti quelli che sono riusciti a presentare un lavoro).
Ringrazio tutti per il vostro impegno e la partecipazione ai corsi e alle lezioni di Speak English!
Incoraggio tutti gli studenti a buttare un occhio al lavoro degli altri, non per fare paragoni, ma per
imparare qualcosa di nuovo.
CORSI E LEZIONI DI LIVELLO ELEMENTARY
PATRIZIA CABBAI
Patrizia frequenta il corso di livello Elementary da soli tre mesi, ma ha già ottenuto, partendo
praticamente da zero, dei risultati che per mio conto sono sbalorditivi soprattutto nello scritto. Nel
suo lavoro doveva scrivere una lettera ad un amico parlando della sua scuola di inglese.
Praticamente non le ho dovuto fare nessuna correzione, e al tempo della stesura di questa lettera
aveva fatto solo tre o quattro lezioni.
A LETTER TO A FRIEND
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ROBERTA NOVELLO
Anche Roberta frequenta il corso di livello elementary, ma nonostante studi l'inglese da circa un
anno, è già in grado di scrivere con una buona proprietà di linguaggio. Nel seguente lavoro propone
la descrizione delle sue vacanze.
Friday, 5th July 2014
I and my husband with Silvana and Amedeo, our friends, went to the
airport in Milano to take the plane for Copenhagen. The ship “Costa
Luminosa” was in the harbour of Copenhagen. The ship left the harbour
at five o' clock p.m.
The cities visited were: Tallinn, Stockholm, Saint Petersburg and
Helsinki.
Tallinn is a lovely city; it is in Estonia. The people are very young.
Stockholm is a beautiful city. We visited : the Vasa museum where
there's the ship Vasa built in the 1628 and sunk during the first
inaugural speech.
The city's town hall is very interesting. Inside the town hall is made the
Nobel Prize's party. The view is wonderful. The islands have woods until
the sea. The houses are red with white windows. It is like Hansel and
Gretel's house.
Saint Petersburg is wonderful. The Winter's Palace is very very big. It
was Katharine's residence. The Hermitage's collections are over three
million pieces.
Helsinki is a fine city. It is a very cold city in the winter.
We visited Copenhagen the last day. It is a beautiful city. There are 5
million people, and there are 4.5 million bikes because cars are very
expensive!
Roberta
SONIA E MONICA ZANUTTA
Sonia e Monica sono due sorelle che frequentano insieme il corso di livello elementary. Hanno
deciso anche di presentare un lavoro insieme, la descrizione della loro famiglia.
OUR FAMILY
We are Monica and Sonia, two sisters of five children “club”. We were born and
grown up in a little town in the coast of Friuli near the sea and surrounded by
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fields and woods.
Four sisters with a different age: two years between one other and then the last
born, our brother, who is much younger than us.
We lived in a big house, with a big vegetable garden, a big garden a big hen
house all for a big family.
In summer, like for every child, was waited with impatience and joy. We woke up
early and we went in search of adventure between fields, ditches full of water
and much fantasy.
But we had to help our mother too, gather eggs, feed hens, lead the geese in
the vineyard, gather vegetables and water flowers. Works that we felt hard and
boring but we now do them with a lot of gratitude.
Now that we are older we work together conducting a family firm and also we
often meet togheter in the big house around a big old table.
CHIARA GIACOMELLI
Chiara ha frequentato il corso di livello Elementary insieme a suo marito Carmelo e altre quattro
persone. Come lavoro di fine anno ha deciso di presentare la descrizione della sua casa, uno degli
argomenti di produzione scritta affrontati durante l'anno scolastico.
WHERE I LIVE
I live in a terraced house near the centre of Udine. It was built up in 1993 and my
husband Carmelo and I like it very much.
There's a sunny living room, a kitchen, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a sunny
mansard, a lovelybasement game room, a garage and a small laundry.
The living room has a big window and a nice comfortable sofa in front of it. There's a
garden around the house and so in Summer my husband and I often go our to eat, read
and relax.
I love my house for many reasons: the sunny living room, the good times with my husband
Carmelo and my oarents and best of all because it is my first home (it's true!).
STEFANO CAGNATO
Stefano è un altro degli studenti del corso serale Elementary. Il lavoro che ha presentato è davvero
notevole, e anche se nel testo ha scherzato sul fatto che avrei trovato molti errori, in effetti ne ho
trovati davvero pochissimi, nonostante il testo sia molto elaborato. SI tratta della descrizione di un
evento, in questo caso il suo primo giorno di scuola a Speak English!.
MY FIRST SCHOOL DAY IN ENGLISH
My first day of school of English was on November 8, 2013. So it began my new adventure in
resuming my studies of English abandoned after 30 years...
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In the courtroom located in a private home in Udine Viale Palmanova tha I had already
followed a few hours of individual English with the teacher, but I was more excited to be
with other stdents... Those two hours spent applying myself as I could remember those vague
memories of my past English youth have flown...
The following lessons were not as exciting as the first but I must say it has been very
interesting and useful to restart the “English neurons”... In fact, the first foreign language
that I studied was French. And during an intense summer lived in Paris I learned and
perfected French, which made me forget ...English!
During the school year I have had many intense lessons and also delicious coffee breaks... In
fact we have tried and tasted a great coffe and great infusions of English tea...
The saddest moment was that he we received a message from the teacher of English in which
it reported that her poor husband had died in a bad car accident between a motorcycle and a
car...
After this discouraging fact I recognised that the teacher had a relly strong character and
decided (I think due to her religious faith) and has faced and (hopefully) passed the sad
bereavement...
In the group I was immediately comfortable with my dear desk (and snack) friend Roberto,
who runs the well-known Bowling 71...
I hope to have some experience abroad this summer...
I wish I could spend a long weekend at a resort in the UK, not in London, because my wife
(she also used to teach) has been there several times...
At this point I do not want to bore the teacher to correct the many errors in this essay... But
I hope that we can review all of the next English Course...
See you in September... from Stefano
CORSI DI LIVELLO PRE-INTERMEDIATE E INTERMEDIATE
MILVIA ANTONUTTI
Milvia frequenta ormai da anni il corso di conversazione in lingua inglese. Generalmente la
conversazione si basa su un audiolibro e su una serie di argomenti di conversazione. Anche il suo
lavoro di fine anno si incentra su uno degli argomenti di conversazione trattati.
In this year with my English teacher we got to know the dishes and customs in different countries
of the world.
The kitchen that most intrigued me is the Chinese one. The Chinese kitchen is the best in the
world.
The various ingredients used to cook must be all important, none of them must prevail on the
other. The Chinese kitchen is rich in rise, vegetables and foods of marine origin.
The tools used to cook are the wok and skillet Chinese knife. At the table each companion has a
bowl for soup, a bowl for wine, a little dishes for the soy sauce and the sticks.
The shark fin soup and swallow nests are the most requested foods because they are an
aphrodisiac.
Swallow nets are collected in the caves and these are made only with the saliva of these beards that
air solidifies.
The Chinese are very noisy is the way they appreciate the meal.
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ENRICO CONTIN
Enrico ha frequentato delle lezioni individuali durante l'estate. Chiaramente, essendo uno studente,
studia già l'inglese a scuola, e lo scopo delle lezioni era di migliorare nel parlato e nello scritto. Uno
degli argomenti trattati durante le lezioni è stata la lettura di “Il Conte di Montecristo”, di cui Enrico
propone un riassunto.
REVIEW OF CHAPTER FOUR OF “THE COUNT OF MONTECRISTO”
Dantes escaped from the prison andhe swam in the see until an island. When he woke up, he saw
four sailors in a boat that hit the rocks and they died.
When Dantes saw a big boat that probably was a smugglers' ship he decided to go onto it and
became a sailor of the captain.
For three months he worked with the smugglers, but one day the ship arrived at the island of
Montecristo. Dantes could stay there only for few hours, so Dantes prepared a plan, so he had more
time to search for the treasure.
So, he looked at the map of Father Faria and found the caves where there were gold coins, jewels
and silver.
Dantes was now one of the richest men in the world.
ALESSIA VALLE
Di Alessia non so più che dire, se non che è bravissima. Ormai legge, parla e scrive come una
scheggia. Come lavoro di fine anno ha proposto la descrizione di una cantante che a lei piace.
Lana Del Rey
Elisabeth Woolridge Greant (New York, 21st June 1986), known as Lana Del Rey,
is a very famous singer and a strange songwriter.
Her kind of music is similar to soul genre.
She began singing when she was a child, she sang in a choir.
When she was 18 her uncle gave her a guitar and he taught her how to play it.
She suddenly understood that with those few notes she knew she could write
even a million songs, so she spent the next two years writing.
She started her career performing in clubs.
"I wanted to be part of a high-class scene of musicians. It was half-inspired
because I didn't have many friends, and I was hoping that I would meet people
and fall in love and start a community around me, the way they used to do in
the '60s" says Lana.
Unfortunately her first record did not have any success but she continued
singing and recording anyway.
In 2011 she uploaded some of her songs on You Tube and some important record
companies found her music interesting.
So, she uploaded her first successful record, Born To Die, that went at the
top of the classifications worldwide. She won twelve awards thanks to the
record.
I really admire her because she has followed her dreams even if it got tough
sometimes (she had been recording for more than five years before she
obtained success) and she realized them, she got up again after every bad
episode (she lost a lot of beloved people) and she went to any lengths (she was
alcohol addicted and she suffered from depression for a while).
I think she is a fantastic and beautiful woman.
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MARTA BUGANZA
Marta è ormai al suo quarto corso di inglese. Nello scritto è una degli studenti più corretta e
produttiva, e anche nel suo lavoro di fine anno non si è smentita.
Every year we, who are students, have to make a little composition to prove our level of attained knowledge.
I'm thinking of what to do again. Our teahcer Susanna has given us the highest freedom: we can do something
of the homework produced during the year , an e-mail, tale of a trip or a book, brief description of one person or
one situation.
Since this was a particular year, I have decided to look at a crystal sphere and to make some forecasts a bit in
joke, taking care of zodiac signs.
Aries 21/3 to 20/4
Like a centre forward, you are going to rise above the thick of the fight and to hit the ball on a galactic goal.
Devote yourself every now and then at more peaceful duties.
Taurus 21/4 to 20/5
You are firm and entrusting, sometimes too hard towards the ones who want to come in your personal country.
Pay attention to someone who knows the loving technique of crashing your protecting wall.
Gemini 21/5 to 21/6
you are running all the time, leaving embarassed husbands or adoring fiancés. Sit down to feel your heart.
Cancer 22/6 to 22/7
In a world of competing people you love a relaxed peace and don't like fighting; you have to get ready for some
upset.
Leo 23/7 to 23/8
You like meaning, distributing tasks and deep philosophic advice, but the people will love you because you will be
ready to undertake your responsibility in the difficult moment.
Virgin 23/8 to 22/9
Like in a geometric theorem, you make yourself lead by your rationality in life questions. It's time for good
work opportunities andnew friendly meetings.
Libra 23/9 to 22/10
You keep your balance also in the most involved situations and this will allow you to get on with a lot of people.
The period will come out rich of work situations, too.
Scorpio 23/10 to 21/11
You are always fighting with bravery and without tiredness, even in love field.The ones who are near you will be
on the alert in every moment.
Sagittarius 22/11 to 21/12
You are going to be exuberant and solar andready for every new love-affair. It could be a propitious moment to
change work, if you want to.
Capricorn 22/12 to 20/1
You have an iron will and granite temperament,you are and entrusting certainty; sometimes you will become a
hard wall for the ones who are next to you.
Aquarius 21/1 to 19/2
You love being free and independent, so you keep near you in your life only the ones you like. There will soon be
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changes in your life.
Pisces 20/2 to 20/3
Sometimes you become invisible, because of life worries, but you will be over it and could programme a beautiful
journey.
Good luck to you all!
EMANUELE TAGLIERI
Emanuele ha terminato il quinto anno di liceo. Ho deciso di pubblicare questo suo componimento
benché non lo avesse espressamente fatto come lavoro di fine anno, ma essendo molto ben fatto ho
deciso di inserirlo ugualmente
“If this is a man” is a work by the Italian writer Primo Levi. It describes his arrest as a
member of the Italian anti-fascist resistance during the Second World War, and his
incarceration in Auschwitz concentration camp from February 1944. This book describes
the life of a prisoner of the concentration camps. The book's author was deported in a
camp because he was Jewish and a partisan. In his book he explains step by step each
procedure of arrival in the concentration camp. The terms were pitiful. The deportees were
mistreated by German soldiers as if they were pieces of wood. A lot of people died or were
carried in the gas-room or in the oven. The book is very beautiful and emotional. According
to me thanks to Levi's story, the readers can understand the suffering and the horrors of
that dark period.
PLOT
Immediately after their arrival, the Germans were at work, humiliating, making the
prisoners work hard and forcing them to submit to the orders, aimed at transforming the
men who were into the beast they saw in them. This is also the reason why they applied
laws that governed the life of the camp, which were apparently silly, but transgression
involved severe punishment. One can therefore understand why the only way to survive
was to be smart, steal and barter what was stolen with shirts, knives or any other kind of
necessities, what yo needed you could also buy with “money” which was mainly our
rations: a piece of stale bread and half a ration of watery soup of potatoes. In so doing, the
little amount of food remained did not allow to recover the energy consumed during the
work, so often the prisoners deteriorated and became ill.
CORSI DI LIVELLO UPPER INTERMEDIATE E ADVANCED
ILARIA ROSSO
Ilaria è la studentessa con il livello di inglese più alto, e di fatto frequenta le lezioni per mantenere il
suo livello di inglese. Uno degli esercizi proposti dal suo libro di testo era la discussione dei pro e
dei contro di un argomento. Ha scelto di trattare il lavoro all'estero.
WORKING ABROAD: DISCUSSING PROS AND CONS
Finding
a job in Italy is becoming more and more difficult, due to the
economic crisis that has effected almost all western countries in the last decade.
Even talented and graduate people are often unemployed. Buying a new home
or building a family is therefore becoming more and more challenging.
That is why an increasing number of people try to look for job opportunities
abroad.
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Germany, France and England are the European countries with the largest
number of Italian immigrants, but USA, South America, Australia, and even
the Middle East in the last few years have also been chosen as favourite
countries to settle in. But what are the advantages and disadvantages of working
and living abroad?
First of all it is well known that working abroad exposes you to a new culture
and a new way of life, thus opening one's mind. You learn to be more flexible
and tolerant, which is always a good thing. It is true that this helps meeting
new friends. But at the same time, you might miss your family and your old
friends. Sometimes it is difficult or very expensive to communicate with them
and friendships and relationships are not always easy to maintain.
High salaries are often the main reason for emigrating abroad. Being well-paid
for your job makes you happier and keen on working better. On the other hand,
the cost of life, especially in big and beautiful capitals like London, is higher
than expected and you might not be able to spare as much money as you
wished.
Finally, working abroad is a wonderful opportunity to learn a new language. It
is absolutely clear that learning a language from native speakers is the best.
Nevertheless, it can be really difficult, especially in the beginning, when you
have problems in integrating with locals and you would most need a person
that understands you.
To conclude, I personally think that, despite all the obvious difficulties, having
the opportunity to work and live abroad for a short period of time is positive
and important, especially nowadays that globalisation is becoming widespread.
ELIANA BEVILACQUA
Eliana frequenta, oltre ad un corso intermedio, un corso di arte in inglese entrambi con Speak
English!. Dal momento che fa un doppio lavoro sull'inglese, è riuscita a produrre un testo – una
lettera ad una amica – di una certa complessità
A LETTER TO MY FRIEND MARY
Dear Mary,
in your letter you ask me to tell you all about the party I went to last week.
The party was organised by a foundation which helps ill children. An ancient castle
lodged hundreds of important people such as: actors, reporters, journalists, lawyers and
so on...
The theme of the party was Hollywood. For such a reason I wore a shiny outfit, a long
white dress covered with pearls.
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We were sat on a round table covered by a long tablecloth and ornate with silver cutlery,
crystal glasses, old china dishes and beautiful flowers: roses, orchids and fern. The
name of our table was: Sofia Loren!
In our table we had a famous surgeon, an Italian journalist with his wife, a singer
form Naples and the Hungarian Prime Minister with his sister I was embarrassed but
happy.
The dinner was amazing. We ate oysters, lobsters and caviar by candlelight.
During the dinner the Foundation organised a charity auction. Old vases, paintings
and sculptures were sold for millions of euros.
After the auction there was an opera performance and a ball. I danced all night and I
met important people. I came home at four o'clock, very very tired but excited.
Greetings and email me soon.
Eliana
GABRIELLA BUCCO
Gabriella, di livello Upper-intermediate, è sicuramente una degli studenti più preparati ed accurati.
E anche il suo lavoro, incentrato sulla discussione dei pro e I contro dei telefoni cellulari, rispecchia
la sua preparazione.
DISCUSSING PROS AND CONS OF MOBILE PHONES
The mobile phone has become a useful means of communication. Now it has
become like a computer: you may use it not only to ring up somebody, you can
receive and send emails, you can surf on the internet and have a lot of useful
applicationsLike most things, it has advantages and disadvantages.
On the plus side:
- first of all, the mobile phone is useful, it can help you in danger and saves
your time. You can send texts and reach anybody you want.
- Also, when you are in a new city or place, you use an application and you'll find
the right road.
- Last but not least, everybody uses it.
On the minus sides:
the mobile telephones can be very expensive, if you use it very often.
Another point is that sometimes the phone is boring. Everybody can reach you
everywhere, even when you are occupied.
A final and very important point is that the mobile phone can survey your life:
everybody knows where you are.
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CORSI E LEZIONI PER BAMBINI
SEBASTIANO PAOLINI
Sebastiano quest'anno è stato il più giovane studente di Speak English! A soli quattro anni si è già
dimostrato un bravissimo studente. Nel lavoro qui riportato, a parte colorare gli animaletti del
colore giusto che è relativamente facile, doveva riconoscere il nome degli animali scritti su strisce
di carta e incollarli al posto giusto. Visto che ha solo quattro anni e che i nomi degli animali sono in
inglese, e soprattutto che a parte per un animale non l'ho aiutato, il lavoro è svolto è davvero
notevole.
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LORENZA TEDESCHI
Lorenza ha cominciato a studiare l'inglese quando aveva solo tre anni. Ora che ne ha 9 è in grado di
fare già tante cose, ma soprattutto è in grado di parlare con buona scioltezza e proprietà di
linguaggio. Gli esercizi qui riportati sono basati sul video “Wallace & Gromit – The Wrong
Trousers”.
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EDI POPOVICH
Edi è sicuramente uno degli studenti più giovani di Speak English!: ha solo sette anni e ha
cominciato questa estate a studiare l'inglese in un corso estivo. I seguenti esercizi, che
rappresentano una parte del compito di ripasso, mostrano la sua abilità acquisita in soli
due mesi.
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EVELINA RACHIMCINC
Evelina ha frequentato il corso estivo per bambini insieme a Edi e Beatrice. Anche lei ha
ottenuto buoni risultati grazie allo studio e all'impegno dimostrato, come si può vedere dal
compito di ripasso qui riportato.
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BEATRICE RINSA
Anche Beatrice ha frequentato il corso estivo e si è dimostrata davvero motivata. I risultati
ottenuti sono sicuramente soddisfacenti, come dimostra questa serie di esercizi svolta con
pochissimi errori.
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GIORGIA PIANO
Giorgia è la studentessa più giovane dopo Sebastiano, solo cinque anni, ed è ormai al suo
terzo corso di inglese estivo. Nella serie di esercizi proposti, tratti dal compito di ripasso,
doveva collegare i nomi degli oggetti alle figure e ordinare la sequenza della storia.
THOMAS MICHELOTTI
Thomas frequenta i corsi estivi di Speak English! da tre anni con ottimi risultati. Il compito
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di ripasso si incentrava sul programma svolto durante il primo mese di corso, e come si
può notare Thomas si è rimostrato molto accurato nella compilazione.
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REBECCA PIANO
Anche Rebecca ha frequentato il corso estivo di inglese insieme a Thomas. Anche lei si è
sempre dimostrata una appassionata studiosa della lingua inglese, e anche in questo
compito di ripasso non ha smentito le sue conoscenze acquisite.
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BIBLIOGRAFIA
FIRST PAGE: http://www.diarioinviaggio.it/2012/11/murales-bordano/
Fotografie personali di Susanna Tagliavini
MONUMENTS OF BRITAIN: articolo adattato tratto dal sito ufficiale dei parchi di Londra
http://historymedren.about.com/od/castlesinbritain/ss/Hastings-Castle.htm
http://www.visit1066country.com/attractions/history/castles
Fotografie tratte da internet.
GRAMMAR: schede prodotte da Susanna Tagliavini
THE HISTORY OF BRITAIN:
http://www.royal.gov.uk/historyofthemonarchy/kingsandqueensofengland/thetudors/henryvi
ii.aspx
- A Mirror of the Times, Rosa Marinoni Mingazzini & Luciana Salmoiraghi, 1989, Morano
Editore S.p.A, Napoli, pagg. 81 e 82
- A concise history of England from Stonehenge to the Atomic Age, F. E. Halliday,1980
Thames & Hudson Ltd, London, pagg. 86-92
ENGLISH LITERATURE AND POETRY: adattamento degli articoli sul sito:
- http://www.gradesaver.com/author/thomas-more/
- http://www.gradesaver.com/utopia/e-text/
- A Mirror of the Times, Rosa Marinoni Mingazzini & Luciana Salmoiraghi, 1989, Morano
Editore S.p.A, Napoli.
LET'S LAUGH TOGETHER: da una serie di barzellette inglesi fatte circolare in Internet
YOUR SPACE: lavori degli studenti dei corsi e delle lezioni
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