UNIT 40

Simple inversion
Compound inversion
English finite forms
Aberdeen in Scotland was a
quiet
place. Never was a fight known to start
and seld.om did the
police need to use
the dusty
jail.
So great
was the fear that chairs were
overturned and bottles and glasses
smashed in the rush to get
out of the
bar.
ln came a huge
lnto the bar he
couple of
potted
his way.
716
man in a leather coat.
walked, smashing a
plants which were in
The barman was looking at the dirty,
unshaven man in awe. Under no cir-
cumstances would he have dared to
speak.
Uocabulary
BIG JRCH VISITS RBRDN
Aberdeen in Scotland was a
quiet place, although it was the headquarters of the
North Sea "oil
rush".
I
Scarcely ever had a single notable event disturbed the dull
collection of
granite
buildings.
2
Never was a fight known to start there and
seldom did the
police
need to use the dusty
jail.
Imagine the
general
consternation when the local newspaper editor
3
rushed into
the town's biggest hotel, puffing and shouting. Hardly ever had he been seen to
walk
quickly, let alone
a
to run.
It was his message, hbwever, which electrified the men sitting around the hotel
bar. "Big
Jack ii coming to town at twelve o'clock!" he shouted. 'tBig Jack is
coming at midday!"
So
great was the fear that chairs were overturned and bottles and
glasses smashed
in the rush to get out of the bar. Everybody knew that a man who stood in the
same room
"t
-nig
Jack was in moftai danger. Never did a saloon
t
9*PtV
to
q"i"tfy and neithJr would anyone return unti| nig Jack was well clear.
6
et ten to twelve an enormous rumbling was heard outside the hotel. A car drew
up
7
and
parked. In came a huge man in a leather coat. Into the bar he walked,
;
1. oll rush
=
la corsa al petrolio.2. granlte
['granit]
buildlngs
=
edifici in granito.3. news^papereditor
=
Oiretfore di giornale. 4.'let alone
=-
per non dire. S. Sa/oo termine americano
per bar.6. to be well
clar
=
esser ben lontano. 7. to drariv up
=
fermarsi, arrestarsi (di auto, accanto a marciapiede).
fight
lfait]
rissa, zutla to smash fracassare
iail [ei[
prigione
[smreJ]
rush
[rn"[]
frenesia, fretta
leather
['lee*]
cuoio
potted
['pctid]
in vaso
awe
[c:]
sgomento, timore unshaven non sbarbato
['nn'Jeivn]
717
smashing a couple of
potted plants whiph were in his way. He asked for some
whisky f tne trembling barman, staring at him with contempt. The barman could
hardly
pour the drink, so scared was he.
"There
goes half a bottle of whisky on the floor", said the big stranger. The bar-
man apologized. '\
can't do it properly with you staring at me like that", he said.
The big man
just
laughed, drank the tumbler full of whisky and asked for
another. He drank two more after that and then he
grabbed
an entire bottle and
drank it down. The barman was looking at the dirty, unshaven man in awe. Under
no circumstances
I
would he have dared to speak but the stranger looked at him
and asked rudely why he was staring at him.
"I
didn't mean to be impolite, sir",
he
quivered.
"Least
of all
2
would I stare at
you. I
just
wondered if there is
anything else
you would like".
"No,
thanks", the stranger answered.
"I'm
late. I've
got
to
get
out of town as
soon as
possible
because Big Jack is getting here at twelve o'clock".
Questions
l. What
2. What
3. Who
4. What
5. What
6. What
7. What
8. Who
9. What
10. What
11. What
12. What
13. What
14. What
15. What
16. What
was Aberdeen like?
was never known to start there?
caused general consternation?
was it, however, which electrified the men sitting around the hotel bar?
did the message cause? )
did everybody know?
was heard outside the hotel at ten to twelve?
came in?
did the huge man ask for?
could the barman hardly do?
did the barman say to apologize?
did the big man do then?
was the barman doing?
did the stranger rudely ask him?
did the barman say he
just
wondered?
did the stranger answer?
Uocabulary
headquarters
['hed'kuc:taz]
contempt
[kcn'tempt]
stranger
['strein$a*]
tumbler
['tnmble*J
notable
['nautab[
entire
[in'taia*]
quartier generale
disprezzo
forestiero,
sconosciuto
bicchiere (a fon-
do piatto)
notevole
intero
to electrify
[i'lektrifai]
to rumble
['rnmbl]
to stare (at)
[stea*]
to scare
[skea*]
to quiver
['kuiva*]
hardly ever
scarcely ever
elettrizzare
rombare
fissare (con
sguardo)
spaventare
rabbrividire
quasi mai
quasi mai
lo
1. under no Circumstances
=
in nessun caso. 2. Least
718
of all
=
Tanto meno.
CO\T\TER,SATION
Officer Now, madam, calm down. Never have I seen anyone so upset! It's not the
of the world. Hundreds of cars are stolen every day.
Woman It's not the end of the world for you, Officer. When my husband hears
Officer
Woman
Officer
Woman
Officer
Woman
Officer
Woman
Officer
Woman
make
lmeik]
pavement
['peivment]
motorist
['mauterist]
end
it's
been stolen there'll be all hell let loose.
I
Well, madam, we'll do our best to find it. Let's
just
have a few details and
then we'll circulate a description of the car. Your name and address, please.
Monica Fisher, 342, Jubilee Road, London. I'm a stranger to these parts.
2
I see. And now the car. What make is it?
It's a Rolls Royce, pink and brand-new,
3
My husband bought it for me
yesterday.
Hmm... Well, on no account
a
should you leave a car like that unattended!
But it's not as if there are hundreds of pink Rolls Royces about, it shouldn't
be too difficult to trace. Where was it parked?
Outside Samuels the
jewellers.
The one in High Street or the Old Road branch?
What! You mean there are two?
5
That's right. A large town like this...
Maybe I went back to the wrong one... . I wandered round the town for an
hour or so. When I was completely lost I asked a man the way to Samuels.
Perhaps he directed me to the other branch!
Olftcer That sounds very probable!
(In comes a constable with an angry expression)
Constable Excuse me, Sir. May we have permission to tow away
6
a car blocking the
traffic in Old Road?
Officer Parked outside Samuels the
jewellers,
by any chance?
7
Constable That's right, Sir. A strawberry
pink Rolls Royce parked
on a double yellow
line and half on the pavement!
Officer I thought as much. In no circumstances can motorists park there. Madam, a
policeman's life is a busy one, and
quite busy enough without wasting time on
incompetent drivers who can't even find their way back to their cars! What's
more, I'm afraid there'll be a fine for parking your
car illegally.
Woman There goes my idea of buying a new hat! How much is it going
to cost me?
Offtcer Twenty-five
pounds, madam.
Uocabulary
marca
marciapiede
automobilista
to calm down calmarsi
[ka:m]
to trace
ltreis]
rintracciare
to wander vagare
['ucnde*]
1. thers'll be all hell let loose
=
sara la fine del mondo. To lel loose
llu:sl
=
dare libero sfogo. 2. I'm a
3trangef to thsee
Fails
=
Non sono di queste parti. 3, brand.new_.l'brend'nju:]
=
nuovo di zecca. 4. on
no aci,ount
=
per nessun motivo, 5, You mean ther ar two?
-
Si osservl l'omissione di do, di uso collo-
quiale. 6, to tow ewlt
=
rimuovere
(forzatamente). 7. by any chance
[a:ns]
=
per caso.
720
BUT IS IT ART?
Prunella
Angela
Prunella
Angela
Prunella
Angela
Prunella
Angela
Tim
Angela
Tim
Never have I seen such a ridiculous thing in an art
gallery. I don't understand
how people can have the nerve
I
to call such a monstrosity art.
Neither do I. It's really awful. Look at if! I think it should be taken out of
here and thrown into the dustbin. Look how everybody is ignoring it.
I don't understand why the people who run
2
these galleries waste their time
with such things. Still less
'
do I think that they should put them on show.
You are quite right. Under no circumstances should things like this be allowed
into a famous and respectable art
gallery.
Should they decide to show anything ultra-modern, then I think they should
find a suitable place for such nonsense. I can't tell you how great my disgust is
at finding this rubbish in the same building where works by Rembrandt and
Raphael are on show.
Where's Tim? He will have a fit
4
if he sees this. He hates modern art of every
kind. Look! Here he comes now.
Let's see what he thinks of it. I bet he can't stand this sort of thing, he's got
strong opinions about what should appear in art galleries.
That's true. No sooner
5
does some outrageous
piece of nonsense go on show
than he writes to the
papers to complain about it.
Hello, girls! I'm sorry I'm late. Never will I travel by bus again at this time of
the day. What are
you looking at?
This horrible piece. What do you think of it? It looks dreadful. It's nothing
more than a pile
of sand in a wheelbarrow with a shovel stuck into it. Horri-
ble! It looks like something a workman has left behind.
That's exactly what it is. They've been repairing some of the brickwork
6
just
here and the wheelbarrow belongs to the builders.
dustbin
['dnstbin]
rubbish
['rnbirf]
wheelbarrow
['ui:l'bareu]
shovl
['Jnvl]
pattumiera
immon dizia
carriola
badile
to stick stuck
(con)ficcare
stuck
[stik
st^kI
outrageous oltraggioso
Iaut'reiges]
1. to have the nerve
[no:v]
=
avere il coraggio. 2.
ancor meno. 4. to have a fit
=
avere un colpo
6. brickwork
=
muratura in mattoni.
To run significa
qui dirigere, organizzare.3. still less
(un accidente). 5. No sooller ... than
=
Non appena
Uocabulary
FROM TI{E COI\NTERSATION TO THE PASSAGE
While Prunella and Angela are visiting an art gallery, they are shocked at seeing an ex-
hibit that everybody is apparently ignoring. An outrageous
piece of nonsense, as Angela
defines it. Tim, a friend, arrives, and the two girls ask his opinion about the horrible
piece in front of them: a pile of sand in a wheelbarrow with a shovel stuck in it. That is
exactly what it is, says Tim. They have been repairing some of the brickwork
just
there
and the wheelbarrow belongs to the builders.
721
ORRL DRILLS
Make a summary of the lollowing passage. As concse as possi/e.
LolE rs BLil{D, NOT DUMB
I often go to my club to enjoy some quiet and read my favourite paper.
Scarcely has Peter seen
me when he draws up
I
his chair beside mine and begins a conversation in this way: "l may be
right or I may be wrong, but I think that Mary must be the prettiest girl in the world, Never have
I known a woman like her. Whatl You have never met her? lt surprises me to think that a person
of her charms can be unknown to anyone. You must meet her. So must all the othsr members
of the club. I am going to tell you something about her, if I may".
Seldom does he spare me this ordeal of listening tg him. Nor will he take a hint,
2
I couid snub
him, of course. But I don't usually have the heart' to do that. lt is useless to try to
get
rid of
him, anyway. Never has there been a man as thick-skinned
a
as he.
Why does tre keep harping on
5
the subject of that woman? There really seems to be no way of
stopping him. Need he really talk so much about her? He should remember that there is a limit
to the privileges
of friendship: and that friends should not turn themselves into interminable
bores. Personally, if I have to sit and listen to him for hours, there is only,one thing lcan do. I
must change my club. After all, I am not interested in that woman. Still less am I in love with
her. They say that love is blind. I suppose that is true. And I have good
reason to think that it is
a
pity
that it cannot be dumb as well. Even if one is in love, one need not shout it to the skies.
6
Under no circumstances should one wear one's heart on one's sleeve.
?
According to one of the rules of the club, members must not discuss politics
there. Hrdly ever
has there been any violation of this rule, in the history of the club. And I think that someone
should suggest an amendment saying that members may not talk about women either. Then we
may have some
peace.
Uocabulary
charm
[ca:m]
incanto, fascino
ordeal
[c:'di:l]
prova, travaglio
hint
lhint]
cenno, allusione
violation violazione
[vaie'leirfen]
amendment emendamento
[e'mendmentJ
to spare
[spea*]
risparmiare
to snub
[snnb]
snobbare,
maltrattare
blind
[blaind]
cieco
dumb
[dnm]
muto
1. to draw up
=
accostare, awicinare. 2. to take a
heart (to)
=
avere il coraggio (di). 4. thick.skinned
su. 6. to shout it to the skies
=
urlarlo ai quatto
rivelare facilmente i propri
segreti.
722
hint
=
raccogliere un cenno, capirla. 3. to have the
=
insensibile, tetragono. 5. to harp on
=
dilungarsi
venti. 7. to wear one's heart on one's sleeve
=
GRRMfVIRR
INVERSIONE SEMPLICE
Per inversione semplice si intende la posposizione del soggetto alla
forma
verbale
(in
frase
non interrogativa). L'inversione usata in inglese a scopo di enfasi, ed resa possibile da
avverbi, aggettivi o complementi.
INVERSIONE COMPOSTA
She cannot sing, and neither can I
Non so cantore, e neanch'io
Never will she do such a thing
Mai
lar
uno coso simile
No sooner did he see her than he ran away
Non appeno la vide corse vis
Should
you decide to leave, please let me know
Se tu dovessi decidere di partire, ti prego di
formelo
sapere
L'inversione composta, anch'essa usata per dare enfasi alla frase, richiede sempre l'im-
piego di un ausiliare (to do in assenza di altri ausiliari).
Nowhere else can
you
find such a
good
In nessuna altro luogo si
pu trovare un
hotel cos buon albergo
Not only does he drink, but he takes Non solo beve, ma si droga anche
drugs, too
Least of all would I like to hurt her feel- Meno che meno vorrei ferire i-suoi
ingq sentimenti
Seldom have I happened to see him so Raramente mi accaduto di vederlo cos
sad triste
OSSERVAZIONE
Una forma di inyersione (composto) pu essere introdotta anche nelle
frasi
ipotetiche. La
congiunzione
f
viene omessa. Tale forma applicabile
quando nella frase sono
presenti
should, had o were.
Should anyone
phone, please let me know Se qualcuno dovesse telefonare, fatemelo
sapere
Were he rich, I'd marry him Se fosse ricco, lo sposerei
Had
I known the truth, I'd have inter- Se avessi conosciuto la verit, sarei
vened
intervenuto
723
Here comes John
Ecco che viene John
In came the stranger
Dentro venne Io sconosciuto
There goes the last bus !
Ecco che se ne vo I'ultimo autobus!
Great was my surprise
Grande
fu
la mis sorpreso
I'm sorry I'm late
Mi spiace di essere in ritardo
She knew
.she
was in danger
Sopeva di essere in pericolo
I know I work too little
So di lavorare troppo poco
She feels she can do that
Sente di porterlo
fare
I feel I can't do it
Sento di non poterlo
fare
He says he knows her
Dice di conoscerla
He dreamt he was flying
Sogn di volare
He thinks he is a genius
Pensa (Crede) di essere un genio
FORME FINITE INGLESI
Taluni verbi italiani seguiti da di + infinito sono seguiti, nelle corrispondenti forme in-
glesi, da una
forma finita.
I pi
comuni di tali verbi sono:
to know
to say
to feel
to think
to show
to dream
sapere
dire
sentire
credere
(di)mostrare
sognare
to suppose supporre
to imagine immaginare
to be sorry essere spiacente
to be sure essere sicuro
to be afraid temere, aver paura
to be glad essere contento
(lieto)
OSSERVAZIONI
l. Le
forme
inftnitive vengono mantenute dopo taluni di questi
verbi (lo
be sorry, to be
glad,
ecc.) quando l'azione espressa dall'infinito italiano ha carattere di
futuro.
I'm sorry to go
Mi spiace di andare
I'm very glad to leave Sono molto lieta di partire
2. Nei due esempi seguenti to think seguito da of + ing
form.
To think (qui
usato con
il significato di pensare
o progettore mentalmente) seguito da azione prevista
nel
futuro.
What are you thinking of doing? Che cosa pensi di fare?
I'm thinking of leaving soon Penso di partire presto
3. To be afraid, nel caso di azioni previste nel
futuro,
segito da of + ing
form.
Solo nel
caso di frasi che esprimano cortesia seguito da
forme
infinitive.
He was afraid of making a mistake Temeva di fare un errore
Don't be afraid to ask for help Non temere di (esitare
a) chiedere aiuto
721
ORRL RND URITIN DBILLS
Reword the following sentences as
suggesfed;
Ir
1. lf I were you, I'd act immediately.
Were I you, l'd act immediately.
2. lf lwere rich, I'd do a lot for poor
people.
3. lf the weather were fine, we'd go into
the country.
4. lf it should rain, we wouldn't go out.
5. lf you should succeed, l'd be very
happy.
lf he should get well, it would be
wonderful.
lf I had your luck, my life would be
different.
8. lf you had studied harder, you'd have
passed your exams.
9. lf you had talked to him, you'd have
convinced him
10. lf I had met you before, things would
have been ciifferent.
"|
smoke a lot"
"Me
too"
"l
smoke a lot" "So do I"
"l'm
very busy"
"Me
too"
"l'm
very thirsty"
"Me
too"
"l've got a lot to do"
"Me
too"
"l'm going out"
"Me
too"
"l
can play cricket"
"Me
too"
"f
like
jazz" "Me
too"
"l
speak French"
"Me
too"
"l
saw that film"
"Me
too"
"l
enjoyed it" "Me too"
E
1.
"l
don't smoke"
"l don't smoke either"
"l
don't smoke"
"Neither do l"
2.
"l
don't drink"
III
don't drink either"
3.
"l'm
not very busy these days"
"f 'm
not
either"
4.
"1'm not hungry"
"l'm
not either"
5.
"l
haven't seen that film"
"l haven't
either"
6.
"l hadn't thought of that"
"l hadn't
either"
726
7.
"l
can't play tennis"
'tl
can't either"
8.
"l
can't speak French" "l
can't either"
9.
"l
didn't go out yesterday" "l
didn't
either"
10.
"l
didn't do anything yesterday" 'rI
didn't
either"
Reword starting the sentence with the
word in italics or the expression given:
A
1. He will never do such a thing.
Never will he do such a thing.
2. I had never seen such a beautiful film.
3. As soon as he saw the girl he ran away
(no sooner).
4. As soon as he heard my voice he turned
pale (no sooner).
5. He does not only drink but he takes
drugs, too.
6. He does not only cook but does the
washing up too.
7. I have seldom happened to feel like this.
8. I had seldom seen that girl so happy.
9. He had hardly drunk his beer when he
felt sick.
10. She had scarce/y gone out when they
phoned her.
Translate into English:
E
1.
"A
me piace quel ragazzo" "Anche a
mg"
2. "lo voglio diventare dottore" "Anch'io"
3. "Vorrei una birra" "Anch'io"
4. "1o parto domani"
"Anch'io"
5.
"Sono
molto occupata"
"Anch'io"
6. "lo non bevo whisky" "Neanch'io"
7. "lo non credo a quel ragazzo"
''Neanch'io' '
8.
"A me non
piace quella ragazza"
"Neanche a me"
"lo non fumo molto" "Neanch'io"
"lo non penso al futuro" "Neanch'io"
6.
7.
a
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
o
/r
10.
9.
10.
tr
1. "A me piacciono i film polizieschi"
"Anche a me"
2. Lizzie va matta per quell'attore, ed
. anch'io.
3. Lui sa parlare inglese, ed anche lei.
4. "1o non fumo" "Neanch'io"
5. "Non so guidare" "Neanch'io"
6. Se fossi stato a casa, sarebbe stato
meglio.
7. Se dovessi dirti che cosa vidi, non mi
crederesti.
8. Se avessi saputo che eri in citt, ti avrei
telefonato.
9. Mai ci slamo trovati in una situazione
cos difficile.
10. Raramente potemmo
contare su veri
amici.
z
1. Se fossi (in) te, non partirei.
2. Se tu dovessi
partire, famme(lo) sapere.
3. Se tu
.avessi
studiato, avresti
passato
l'esame.
4. Mai avevo incontrato una
persona simile.
5. Mai avevo visto una
Pioggia
cos
violenta.
6. Raramente mi accaduto di trovarmi in
una situazione cos difficile.
7. Non solo ha pagato
Per
noi, ma ci ha
accompagnato a casa.
8. Non appena and a letto dorm come un
ghiro.
I
9. John era appena uscito che arrivarono i
suoi amici.
10. Meno che meno ho intenzione di vedere
quella persona.
Translate the ltalian
E
ORGAI{TZING A
fragmenfs in brackets:
PARTY
Simon I'm sure Mother will help us. She can really cook! Her trifle2 is definitely special I
Lizzie I can make trifle myself, if necessary. That's not difficult. The best idea is to have a
buffet.
Simon Yes, we don't really want a si-down meal.
3
Anyway, that's impossible if we want to
invite all the gang. There'll be at least twenty of us.
Lizzie You aren't
going
to invite Cedric, are
you?
Simon Heavens no! (Non solo beve) vast quantities of wine, but he gets violent when he's
drunk, tool
Lizzie I know. I remember Mary's
party
and what happened there.
Simon
(Anch'io). Who could ever forget il? (Mai avevo visto) anyone so drunk.
Lizzie (Non appena ebbe finito) the wine than he started on the beer.
Simon With disastrous consequences. He himself said the day after that he would never
touch wine or beer again.
Lizzie That's why he drinks whisky now! (Baramente ho conosciuto) a sponge like him.
Simon By the way, where shall we have the bar for the
party?
Lizzie ln the kitchen, I think. We'll have food and drink in the kitchen and dancing in the
sitting-room.
Simon I can borrow some records from somebody.
Lizzie (Anch'io). And a tape-recorder if you want it, but I don't really think it's necessary.
Simon
(Neanch'io). The record-player will do.
Lizzie Good, then. That's settled.
4
Saturday night at 8 o'clock?
Simon O.K. I'll ring everybody up and lei them know.
Lizzie Fine.
1. comeunghro
=
likealog.2. triflel'traifll
=
zuppainglese(dolce).3. aslt.downmeal
=
unpastoda
fare'seduti. 4. That's settled
=
Tutto a
posto.
727