Lexis and Grammar for Translation

Dott. M. Gatto

Lingue e Culture per il Turismo

Lingua e Traduzione Inglese I

From FORM to FUNCTION

PRESENT SIMPLE vs

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

PAST SIMPLE vs

PAST CONTINUOUS

Tense/Aspect Time

SIMPLE

CONTINUOUS

PERFECT

PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Present I doI am doing

I have doneI have been doing

Past I didI was doing

I had doneI had been doing

Future I will doI will be doing

I will have doneI will have been doing

Tense/Aspect Time

SIMPLE

CONTINUOUS

PERFECT

PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Present I doI am doing

I have doneI have been doing

Past I didI was doing

I had doneI had been doing

Future I will doI will be doing

I will have doneI will have been doing

Tense/Aspect Time

SIMPLE

CONTINUOUS

PERFECT

PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Present I doI am doing

I have doneI have been doing

Past I didI was doing

I had doneI had been doing

Future I will doI will be doing

I will have doneI will have been doing

STRUCTURESimple > INF (+s)

I cry

Continuous > BE + INGI am crying

Perfect > HAVE + EDI have cried

Perfect continuous > HAVE BEEN + INGI have been crying

Present Perfect

• Past actions that have a connection with the present:I have lost my key Jim has gone to Canada………………________X…………………………….

• New information/ recent events:I’ve burnt myself!A new book has been published

Past actions referring to a period that continues up to the time of speaking:

We’ve never had a carThis is the first time I have driven a carIt’s the nicest thing I’ve ever seen

e.g. already, just,ever, never, the first (second, third…) time, recently, this morning...

Present Perfect vs Simple Past

• UNFINISHED TIMEI have smoked 10 cigarettes

today

Have you seen Ann in the past few days?

Tom has worked in a bank for three years

(He still works there)

• FINISHED TIME• I smoked 10 cigarettes

yesterday

• Did you see Ann yesterday

Tom worked in a bank for three years

(He no longer works there)

• Tom cerca la chiave. L’ha persa.• Tom is looking for is key. He has lost it.• Tom ha perso la chiave e la sta cercando.• Tom has lost his key and is looking for it.• Ieri Tom ha perso la chiave e la sta ancora

cercando.• Yesterday Tom lost his key and is still looking

for it.

• Hai visto Tom da qualche parte? Sì, l’ho appena visto uscire dalla biblioteca.

• Hai visto Tom di recente? Sì l’ho visto ieri sera

• Qualcuno ha letto l’Ulisse di Joyce? No non abbiamo letto nessuna delle opere di Joyce.

• Has anybody read Joyce’s Ulysses? No, we haven’t read any of Joyce’s works

• E’ la seconda volta che mi rompo una gamba, ma non sono mai stato in ospedale.

• It’s the second time I have broken a leg.

• Ieri è stato il giorno peggiore della mia vita.• Yesterday was

Present Perfect Continuous

• Actons which began in the past and have just stoppedIt has been raining (the ground is wet)

• Actons which began in the past and have not been finished

• She has been painting the ceiling (She is dirty/She has not finished)

Present perfect continuousvs

Present perfect• FOCUS ON THE ACTION

Tom’s hands are dirty. He has been repairing his car

Ann has been writing letters all day

• FOCUS ON THE RESULT

• Tom’s car is going again. He has repaired it.

• Ann has written ten letters today

How long?For… / Since…

Present Perfect/Present Perfect Continuous

We use the present perfect/present perfect continuous to say how long something has existed or has been happening.

HOW LONG?……. (2000) …..for 9 years…. (2009)……… (since 2000)

• Tom is waiting for Mary. > He started at 8.30> He started 2 hours ago

How long has he been waiting?> He has been waiting since 8.30> He has been waiting for 2 hours

Present perfect vs

Present Continuous

Some verbs are not used in the continuous:I have known him for three years NO!! I have been knowing him for three years

NO!! I know him from three years

Present perfect vs

Present Continuous

The present perfect is used for longer periods:He has lived in Italy since he was born

MA: He has been living/has lived in Italy for three yearsHe has been living in Italy since 2006

Present perfect vs

Present Continuous

The present perfect is used with negatives:I haven’t smoked for 2 years

NON: I haven’t been smoking for 2 years

Presente (Italian)

• Simple present• Present Continuous• Present Perfect Continuous

Passato Prossimo (Italian)

• Present Perfect• Present Perfect Continuous• Simple Past

Attenzione!

• E’ morto da due anni.He has been dying for two years?He has been dead for two years?!He died two years ago!!!

Attenzione!

• E’ tutto il giorno che lavoro.I have been working all day

NON:It’s all day that I work

• Mary ha lavorato per quindici anni come addetto alle vendite presso un’agenzia di viaggio, ma non le piaceva e alla fine ha rinunciato. Da un paio di anni ha aperto una libreria e ora il suo lavoro le piace.

Molly è di Dublino. E’ nata lì e ha vissuto lì per tutta la vita. Non è mai stata all’estero.

Conosco Molly da quando eravamo bambine, ma non la vedo da un paio di anni. Tu l’hai vista di recente? So che l’anno scorso è andata in Inghilterra per due mesi.

Mio nonno è morto prima che io nascessi. Non l’ho mai conosciuto.

Mio nonno è morto da trent’anni.

Mio nonno è morto trent’anni fa.

Homework

• Laviosa, Linking Wor(l)ds, UNIT 8• Thomson-Martinet, A Practical English

Grammar, UNIT 10; UNIT 17; UNIT 18 • Murphy, English Gramamr in Use, UNITS 1-2-

3; 11-21