Gramàtica Italiana

Modern

ITALIAN
Grammar Second Edition

1

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, SecondEdition

Modern
A practical guide

ITALIAN
Second Edition
Anna Proudfoot and Francesco Cardo

Grammar

1

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 & Francise-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)

Contents
Introduction How to usethis book Glossary xiii xv xvii

Part A

Structures
1 The noun group
1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 What is a noun? 3 The noun 3 The article 10 The adjective 14 Agreement of noun, article and adjective 20

3

1

2

Verbs
2.1 2.2 2.3 General features of verbs 22 Verb tables 31 Moods and tenses of verbs 39

22

3

Pronouns
3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 What is a pronoun? 65 Personalpronouns 65 Stressed personal pronouns 65 Unstressed personal pronouns 67 Relative pronouns 72 Interrogative pronouns and adjectives 74 Possessive pronouns and adjectives 75 Demonstrative pronouns and adjectives 77 Indefinite pronouns and adjectives 80

65

4

Prepositions
4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 What is a preposition? 84 Combined prepositions and articles 85 Use of prepositions with nouns 85 Useof prepositions with verbs 89 Other prepositions 91

84

v

CONTENTS

5

Conjunctions
5.1 5.2 5.3 What is a conjunction? 93 Coordinating conjunctions 93 Subordinating conjunctions 95

93

6

Adverbs
6.1 6.2 6.3 What is an adverb? 98 Types of adverbs 98 Comparative and superlative adverbs 101

98

7

Numbers
7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 7.10 7.11 What is a number?103 Cardinal numbers 103 Ordinal numbers 104 Calculations 106 Percentages 106 Collective and approximate numbers 106 Dates 107 Time 108 Weights and measures 108 Currency 109 Table of numbers 109

103

Part B
I

Functions
Giving and seeking factual information
8 Identification: giving personal information
8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Introduction 115 Tu or Lei? 115 Giving different kinds ofpersonal information 116 Emphasising the person referred to 120 Eliciting personal information 120 Dialoghi 121

115

9

Specifying people or objects
9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Introduction 123 Specifying a known or particular person or object 123 Specifying category or type 124 Specifying ownership 125

123

10

Describing people or things
10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 Introduction 127...