UNIT 25%t5mThe indefinite article

Have you ever been to St Albans?f 've ben there many a time. 1

rt\

2'I

I think that you ought to becomea novelist or a detective-storywriter, old man ! 2

-.u,1:rririr .5$$r-ft

t ff'

)g

Uo c a balar y nor',ij'u',1,,,r

1. many a time = pi di una volta. 2.

438

romanztere a great deal una grandeldi:ll quantit

old man = vecchio mio.

l/ocabulary ruin lruinlexcavation[akske'veiJen]

terrier ['teria*]rat [rret]fragment

['fragmantJsurface ['sa:fislflair [flee*Jdetective-story

[di'tektiv'stc:rilupon [a'pcn]

rovinaSCAVO

cane terrierrattof rammento

superf icieinclinazioneracconto

poliziesco

SU

to carve [ka:v] incidereto beware (of) guardarsi (da)

[bi'uea*]to spy [spai] sPiarearchaeological archeologico

[a:kia'lcikal]age-old vecchio di secoli

['eig-euld]curlous [kjuerias] curiosofaint lfeint] debole, indistintoreadable leggibile

['ri:dab[

Ouestions1. Who did Simon meet yesterday in the street?2. What does Douglas do, whenever he runs across Simon?3. Where had Douglas just come back from?4. What did he have to tell Simon?5. What kind of place is St Albans, in Douglas's opinion?6. How long ae the remains sometimes?7. What was Douglas watching?8. What Aia Duke, Douglas's terrier, begin to do?9. What did Douglas think at first?

10. What did he realize then?11. What did he do then?12. What words were carved on the surface of the wall?

qSEFqL NOTESn

Si osservino le seguenti espressioni verbali:

% to have a car avere l'automobilery, to have an appetite avere appetito7 to have a headache avere mal di capo7, to have a cough avere la tosse'4 to have t cold t avere it raffreddore7, to have s fever avere la febbrem to have a sore throat avere il mal di gola% to be in a huny aver fretta'n to be at a loss essere in imbarazzom to take a seat prendere posto (a sedere)% to smoke a pipe fumare la PiPa

% ry1. prcndere un raflreddore to catch a cold. To catch caught caught = prendere, acchiappare.

440

Jaguar. The car that whispers luxury.

CO\TVER,SATION

Mrs Bates

Mr JohnsonMr BatesMr JohnsonMrs BqtesMr fohnson

Mr BatesMr JohnsonMrs BatesMr JohnsonMr Bates

Hello. How are you? Please come in. I've heard a lot about you I from myhusband.I am always pleased to see Paul in Glasgow. Ah, here he is. Hello, Paul.Nice to see you. 2 ,Nice to see you, too. Have you just arrived, Bob?ir;l,;lt"lix come down to London, Mr JohnsonNo, not very often, I'm afraid. It's rather a long journey from Glasgow,and there is such a lot of traffic on the roads nowadays.You should take a train or fly here, then we could see more of you, Bob. 3I know that trains and planes are quite comfortable and safe, but I hatetravelling in them. I prefer driving my own car, you see.How long are you staying, Mr Johnson?Oh, just-a few-hours,-and then I'll drive back. aBob is always in a great hurry. Now let me get you a drink... Sherry,whisky, gin?

1. I've heard a lot about you = Ho sentito molto parlare di Lei.2. Nice to see you - Mi fa piacerevederti. 3. we could see mone of you, Bob - potremmo vederti di pi, Bob. 4. I'll drive back = me netorno in macchina.

441

A IEGAL DISCUSSIONMr Smith A lot of people have a very low opinion of lawyers.Mr Bll There's an element of truth in this statement, but I think it is a difficult one

to support with evidence. IMr Smth I don't know. I think you will find many a quotation in literature to support

it. Isn't there a line from Hamlet.which complains about "the law's delay"?And there is hardly a book by Dickens without a scheming lawyer somewhereat the heart of a person's misery. 2

Mr Btt You have to consider what might be called poetic licence. 3Mr Snth I'm sure that lawyers would like all of us to have a licence to breathe the air,

which they would supply.Mr Bll If that was a joke, it was rather a humourless one.Mr Smth Possibly, but at least you must agree that it isn't unusual for a lawyer to

spend as much time as possible over a case so that he can charge a very highfee.

Mr Bll This is an unfair picture that an'ignorant public likes to imagine about alawyer's behaviour.

Mr Smth I don't think that it is such an inaccurate view.Mr Bll A lawyer is usually a dedicated professional that does his work properly.Mr Smth Is that a reason for charging ten pounds to read a letter from another lawyer?Mr Bill A legal representative must read everything with a lot of care and a great deal

of attention.Mr Smith That sounds like quite a silly excuse to me.Mr Blt I think I have taken a dislike a to this conversation. May I remind you that

this is a legal consultation? Your idte talk 5 has already added a good tenpounds to your eventual bill.

Uocabulary lawyer ['lc:ja*] awocato to breathe respirarequotatlon citazione [bri:][kuou'teirfen] to supply fornirecase lkeis] causa (legale) Ise'plailfee [fi:] parcella to charge [ca:] fare pagarebehaviour comportamento to remind ricordare[bi'heivje*] tri'maindlprofessional professionista to add lred] aggiungere

[pre'feJen[representative rappresentante scheming intrigante[repri'zentativl I'ski:miq]

unfair ['ln'fm*1 slealehardly ['ha:dli] a stento dedicated impegnatoproperly correttamente ['dedikeitid]['prcpeli] eventual finale, conclusivo

[i'vencual]

1. to support with evldence ['evidans] = sostenere con prove.2, al lhe heart of a person's mlsery['mizeri] = alla base dell'infelicita di una persona. 3. potlc llcenc ['laisensl = licenza poetica. 4. I hayetaken a dlsllke ldis'laik] = mi venuta in uggia. 5. ldle l'aid[ talk = chiacchiere vane.

442

ORRL DRILS

Fifty-one btank spaces appear in the following passage. Fill them n with eithet lhe or a(an).

A I,IIN AT TTM POOffiln ..... noisy darkness of ..... bath-plug factory I it was ..... very common thing to-hear ..... mentalking about how they would spend their money if they won ..... football pools.' Life was .....boring affair for them, every day ..... replica of every other day.It was quite ..... well-paid job, but all ..... men dreamt of ..... time when they would rudely tell .....boss thal they did not need ..... job any more. 3 Every week they tried to pre.dict ..... results of..... selection of ..... English League football matches. aGeorge and Robert dreamt of winning lots of money all ..... time."lf I won ..... pools", George said many ..... time, "l would buy ..... Rolls Royce, ..... big housewith ..... swimming-pool and ..... villa in Spain".And Robert used tb say: "lf I had ..... piece of luck 5 like that, I would buy ..... Ferrari, it's fasterthan..... Rolls, it does 160 miles..... hour. After that lwould have..... servant or two and.....television in every room".And they kept talking while ..... factory machines w_ere clattering on. They spent ..... pound .....week on their coupons, but not ..... spark of luck' brightened their lives.Herbert had quite ..... different view of how he would spend his winnings on ..... pools if he everhad ..... opportunity to do so. "l would stay at ..... factory even if I won ,..,. awful lot of money. ltwould be ..... pity to lose all my friends. I've built such ..... nice life here, so I would put all thatmoney in ..... bank. "lt would be too easy ..... solution to go to ..... Bahamas or to Spain. I preferit here among ..... people I know". ..... day came when Herbert's words proved 8 to be .-.... pro-phecy. He won on ..... pools. But he could not prove his loyalty to his friends.It was only ..... few hundreds of pounds that he won and he ut ihem in ..... bank. He kept work-ing at ..... factory. At least nobody could say that Lady Luck had made ..... liar of him.

Uocabulary win [uin]darkness['da:knis]

swimming-pool['suimi13pu:U

servant['se:vant]

CoupOn ['ku:pcn]prophecy

['prcfisi]loyalty ['lcialti]llar ['laia*J

vincitaoscurit

piscina

servitore

schedinaprofezia

lealtbugiardo

to dreamdreamtdreamt[dri:m dremtJ

to predict[pri'dikt]

to brighten['braitn]

noisy ['nciziJrudely ['ru:dli]

sognare

predire

rawivare

rumoroso

scortesemente

1.

=

8.

bath.plug factory = fabbrica di tamponi da bagno. 2. football pools = totocalcio. 3. not ..... snymorenon ..... pi. 4. Engllsh League lootball malchos = incontri di calcio di campionato. 5. plece of luckcolpo di fortuna. 6. to clatter on = continuare a sferragliare. 7. spark of luck = sprazzo di fortuna.To prove lpru:v] significa qui dar prova, ilsultare. Pi avanti significa provarc, lornire una prova.

443

GRRft,IfVIRRARTICOLO IN DETERMINATIVO

u booka weeku yearr housea hatu unionu European

un librouna settimanaun announa casaun cappellouna unioneun Europeo

eggunclehourhonourheirheiresshonest man

un uovouno zioun'oraun onoreun eredeun'ereditieraun onest'uomo

ananananananan

1. L'articolo indeterminativo a si impiega dinanzi a consonante, ad h aspirata, ed avocale (o dittongo) il cui suono iu (a eu od ew).We bought a house Comprammo una casaThey formed a union Formarono una unioneHe has a European reputation Ha una reputazione europeaHe poured some water from a ewer Vers dell'acqua da una brocca

OSSERYAZIONE

Anche le vocali il cui suono urr richiedono l'articolo indeterminativo a.A one-legged man Un uomo con una gamba solaA once-popular song Una canzone una volta popolare2. L'articolo indeterminativo an si impiega dinanzi a vocale ed, h muta. Le parole che ininglese hanno lt h muta sono le seguenti:hour ora hourly orario (agg.)honour onore honourable onorevoleheir erede heiress ereditierahonest onesto honesty onest3. Oltre ad essere impiegato in inglese nei casi equivalenti all'uso italiano, l'articolo in-determinativo viene inoltre usato:

a) davanti a termini di tempo, misura e peso, nel senso di ogni o per.These apples cost thirty pence a pound Queste mele costano 30 pence alla libbraWe go to the pictures once a week Andiamo al cinema una volta alla

settimana

OSSERVAZIONE

L'articolo indeterminafivo pu in questo caso essere sostituito da per [pe:*] o every.He works seven hours per (every) day Lavora sette ore al giornoWe spent ten pounds per head Spendemmo dieci sterline a testa444

b) davanti a nomi indicanti professione o condizione sociale.Are you a doctor? Lei dottore?She is a countess contessaHe is a bachelor scapoloHe became a writer Divenne scrittorec) davanti alle apposizioni."As You Like It," a comedy by "Come vi piace", commedia diShakespeare ShakespeareLoch Lomond, a Scottish lake Loch Lomond, lago scozzesed) nel caso delle seguenti espressioni quantitative:e little un poco (po') a good many moltissimi (-e)r few alcuni, alcune a good deal (of)

.

molto, una grandeI lot (of) molto tquantit (di)e great many moltissimi (-e) a great deal (of) (idem)He smokes a lot Fuma moltoWe've got a few friends Abbiamo qualche amicoShe's got a good (great) many friends Ha moltissimi amiciWe spent a great Good) deal of money Spendemmo molto danaroe) dopo alcuni termini, a cui viene posposto:helf a mezzo (-a) quite a proprio un (una)such a un tale (una tale) rather a piuttosto un (una)what a c}l'e (esclamativo) many a pi d'un (pi d'una)It was quite a good film Fu proprio un buon filmIt was rather a boring play Fu piuttosto una commdia noiosaIt was such a boring film! Fu un film talmente noioso (cos noioso)!What a boring film! Che film noioso!I waited half an hour Aspettai mezz'otaI went there many a time Vi andai pi di una voltaf) nel caso di a hundred (one hundred) e a thousand (one thousand).He won a thousand pounds on the pools Vinse mille sterline al TotocalcioI've told him a hundred times Gliel'ho detto cento volteg) dopo to have seguito da parte del corpo singolare.She has a small head Ha la testa piccolaHe has a red nose Ha il naso rossoh) per tradurre un certo dinanzi a nome proprio.A Mr Smth phoned at five o'clock Un certo Signor Smith ha telefonato alle

cinque

OSSERVAZIONE

L'articolo indeterminativo pu essere usato davanti a nome proprio con volorecolloquiale.That rascal of e Bob did not turn up Quel furfante di Bob non si fece vivo

445

ORRL RND URITTN DRILS

Provide an indefinite article for each of trthe following nouns.' 1.

E2.apple, apricot, egg, hat, home, job, ioy, year, g.word, work, window, university, union, 4.European, house, head, half, hour, heir, S.honour, heiress, honest boy, one-legged man, 6.once-popular song, ewot; T.

8.9.

10.

Can you lend me half a pound of sugar,John?We bought half a dozen eggs.I had never heard such a word.Lizzie is such a dear girl.What a funny boy you are !What a pity you weren't here!We talked about that many a time.She is quite a beauty.He is quite a good player at tennis!Fifty pounds is rather a lot for a pair ofshoes.

Read aloud: trA 1. Have you got a car?

1. lVe so to rhe pictures rwice a week. 3: 5l3Jlx%y:'!:iR:!l"a0oetite'2. That material cost me ten pounds a 4. Have you got a cough, John?-

ygrd. 5. Yes, ano l-atso hav a cold.9. I!''e speed limit is fify miles an hour. . fn'OOV ns a tever and a sore throat.4. These cigarette.s cost a pound a packet. 7. Are you'in a hurry, madam?3: ,',:.1;J,J,i"l"i"'ii"i" !. yee,'r'm in a srei hurrv.z. n is sril a bacheror. ',3: Wll'i:Y.tlT"1#e a seat' sir?8. That gentleman is a count.9. I want to be a lawyer. Answer the following questions:

10. He became a detective-story wriler.

Et o" you smoke a pipe?1. I'm a little tired today. 2. Does any member of your family smoke2. Do you want a little coffee, sir? a pipe?3. We ate and drank a lot last night. 3. Have you got an appetite now?4. She's got a lot of troubles, poor girl ! 4. Are you usually in a hurry when you5. Thank you a lot for your help, madam. leave school?6. There were a great many children in the 5. Do you know somebody who is alwayspark. in a hurry?7. A good many people were waiting for 6. Do you sometimes have a headache?

the train. 7. What do you do when yor; have a8. They talked a good deal. headache?9. They spent a good deal of money on 8. Have you had a cold this month?jewels. 9. Do you go to school when you have a

10. We spent a great deal of time over this sore throat?translation. 10. What do you do when you have a fever?Fitt in the blank spaces with either lhe or a (an):

lSome people pay constant visits I toweek and receive medical treatment 2 free.

1. to pay constant vlslls = visitare costantemente.2. medlcal tratmont ['tri:tm3nt] = cure mediche.447

..... great many people therefore go to ..... doctor's for medical advice when they are not ill atall...... Mr Smith I know sees his doctor as soon as he has ..... sore throat or ..... cough, while hewould do beiter to buy ..... woollen scarf and go to bed early. I find such ..... attitude silly andrather selfish...... doctor of my acquaintance, ..... general practitioner, I has ..... special mixture he calls "ac-qua tinta" for this sort of patient, and they feel cured after ..... few teaspoonfuls of the stuff.

Translate into English:

E1. Mi scusi, signore, Lei dottore?2. No, sono farmacista.3. Ho uno zio che awocato.4. Ha sposato un'ereditiera.5. Lei ancora scapolo, giovanotto? 26. lo sono pacifista, signore.7. Mio f ratello vuole diventare scrittore.8. Legge dieci libri al mese.9. Andiamo a teatro una volta alla

settimana.10. Mi scrive due volte al mese.

E1. Rimasi mezz'ora con lei.2. Camminammo mezzo miglio.3. Non mi aspettavo un tale guaio.4. Non avevo mai letto un libro cos noioso.5. Che bella serata!6. Che bel ragazzol7. Lo incontrai pi d'una volta al club.8. stata proprio una bella giornata.9. Sei proprio un noioso ! '

10. Vedemmo un film piuttosto brutto.

EMolta gente ha un'opinione molto bassa degliparlando con Mr Bill, awocato. Quest'ultimo 'mazione, ma difficile sostenerla con prove.C' un verso nell'Am/efo che lamenta il ritardo della legge, dice Mr Smith, ed anche Dickensparla di awocati intriganti. Licenza poetica, dice l'awocato. Mr Smith insiste. Dice che non in-solito per un awocato spendere il maggior tempo possibile-su una causa cosicch pu farpagare una parcella moHo aHa. E un quadro sleale, si affretta o a dire I'awocato. Un awocato solitamente un impegnato professionista che fa il suo lavoro correttamente. Ma questa non una ragione per far pagare dieci sterline per leggere una lettera di (from) un altro awocato, coR-tinua Mr Smith.A Mr Bill, I'awocato, venuta in uggia questa conversazione. Si affretta a ricordare a Mr Smithche l per una consultazione legale. Le sue chiacchiere vane hanno gia aggiunto un buon diecisterline al conto finale.

generaf practitionor = medico generico. 2. giovanotto __= you.ng mal. 3. noloso = bore [bc:r].poverina = poor thing. 5. Quest'ultimo = The latter. 6. affrcttarsi = to hasten ['heisn].

Itr1. Hai un po' di tempo per me?2. Sono un poco stanca, caro.3. Ti ho portato alcuni libri inglesi.4. Leggi sempre molto?5. Quell'uomo ha un sacco di guai.6. Abbiamo moltissimi amici in quella citt.7. C'erano moltissime ragazze che

aspettavano il cantante.8. Spendemmo molto danaro.9. Passammo molto tempo con loro.

10. Parlammo moltissimo di voi.

Itr1. Avete la macchina?2. Siete in (in a) macchina?3. Susan ha il mal di capo, poverina. 44. John aveva la tosse.5. Prese un brutto raffreddore al parco.6. Se hai [a febbre, perch non vai a letto?7. Ho anche il mal di gola.8. Avete molta fretta?9. Si metta a sedere, prego.

10. Lei furma sempre la pipa?

avvocati. Questa I'opinione di Mr Smith che stadice che c' un elemento di verit in questa affer-

1.4.

448

The loltowlng passage is for dictation and comprehension. P/ease notice the use of thelndefinlte artlcle.

ETTIE BRITISH MONARC}IYBritain has a monarch. The monarch is the head of state in the same way that an ltalian or anArnerican president is the head of state. A British mcinarch's function is, however, a moreceremonial than a political one.The British monarch has an heir, a son or a daughter. Their appointment I as a king or a queenb an apolitical one. Republican presidents have, normally, no hereditary heirs; their successorsare appointed by political parties.The British monarchy is noi fixed to a time-table. 2 As monarchs die, their successors inherit thelitle. There has been only one abdication from the British monarchy. On the death of a king, thepeople shout aThe King is dead. Long live the King!r, Political presidents rule for a few years. lnsome cases, however

-

in the rbanana republicsr (where the economy is based on one pro-drct)

-

there may be three or four presidents a year. ln more dictatorial regimes there may bedrly one or two presidents each half-century!Nearly a thousand years have passed since Britain was invaded for the last time. A number ofdynasties have come and gone, Many a king lived to die a brutal death, and a good manymonarchs spent their lives in prison. A few are remembered for their good or evil ways. ' A kingsuch as Henry Vlll or a queen such as Victoria (upon whose empire (the sun never set>) a can-not be forgotten. There was a period when Britain became a republican Protectorate whenOliver Cromwell ruled, complete with a wart on his nose. Scandals have touched the monarchy.The most recent was when a British king, Edward Vlll, wished to marry an American divorcee,a certain Mrs Simpson, He did so, and abdicated.The British monarchy has an atmosphere of timeless ritual; 5 it is never in a hurry, never at aloss. The British people have a respect for an institution which is above the battlefield of politics,a respqct shared by members of the Commonwealth and by people all around the fast-changingworld. 6

Ouestionsl. What is a British monarch's function?2. What happens when monarchs die?3. How many abdications have there been in the British monarchy?4. Virhat do the people shout on the death of a king?5. How many presidents a year may there be in the ?6. How many years have passed since Britain was invaded for the last time?7. When did Britain become a republican Protectorate?8. Who did Edward VIII wish to marry?9. What is the British monarchy above?

l/ocabulary title ['taitilrgime[rei'gi:m]

wart [uc:t]divorcee

ldivc:'si:]

titoloregime

bitorzolodivorziato (-a)

to appoint[a'pcint]to inherit[in'herit]

nomlnare

ereditare

governarecondividere

toto

rule [ru:l]share Uee*J

1. appolntment = nomina. 2. tlme.table = scadenza di tempo. 3.inique.4. ath sun ngver sgtu = ail sole non tramontava mair. 5.po. 6. fast.changlng world = mondo in rapido mutamento.

good or evll ways = qualit buone otimeless rltual = rituale fuori dal tem'

449