Tag: English

  • IDIOMS PART II

    IDIOMS PART II

     

    A FLASH IN THE PAN: letteralmente un lampo in una padella a equivale all’Italiano essere una meteora, oppure fuoco di paglia.

    Meaning: a moment of fame that soon fails.

    Ex: He was named the best new director of 2000. But his career was a flash in the pan.

     

     

    A  PAIN IN THE NECK: un dolore al collo? No. Questo idioma significa una gran seccatura.

    Meaning: an annoying or tedious person.

    Ex: How is your sister with you, now? She is a pain in the neck. She always tells me to do this or to do that.

     

     

     

     

    ANTS IN YOUR PANTS: immaginiamo di avere le formiche nelle mutande. In verità l’idioma è abbastanza chiaro, esso significa non stare mai fermi un attimo, essere agitati.

    Meaning: To be unable to sit still, due to anxiety or excess of energy.

    Ex: Mary gets ants in her pants when she finishes working and goes home.

     

    BACK TO THE SQUARE ONE: tornare a quadro uno, cioè: punto e a capo.

    Meaning: back to the beginning.

    Ex: If they do not accept our proposal, we will be back to square one.

     

     

     

     

    BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA: letteralmente tra il diavolo e il profondo mare blu; più semplicemente: tra l’incudine e il martello.

    Meaning:  a dilemma because you have two choices that are both equally unpleasant.

    Ex: John is trying to please his boss and his mother in law so he is between the devil and the deep blue sea.

     

    To be continued

  • Meghan Markle’s public shocking confession: a denounciation or a publicity stunt?

    Meghan Markle’s public shocking confession: a denounciation or a publicity stunt?

    Meghan Markle made her name as an actress, campaigner and blogger before marrying Prince Harry in May 2018 and becoming the Duchess of Sussex.

    When she became a member of the Royal Family, she gave up her acting career – and immersed herself in the life of a working royal, using the platform to highlight the charities and causes close to her heart.

    She became a mother in May 2019 but within a year she and Prince Harry had stepped away as working members of the Royal Family and started a new life in North America.

    She is now living in California and expecting her second child.

    During these three years, she’s been pretty active with her Royal duties – but the public eye has been very much focused on her behaviour.
    Once, she wore dark nail polish. How very unduchess-like! Even worse, she also closed the door of her own car. That’s unheard- of!
    The list of occasions that Meghan Markle has broken Royal protocol goes on and on. Most of them are related to her bold fashion choices. For example, she wore black from head to toe when not in mourning. She also wore no stockings underneath a skirt. Bare legs in public! It doesn’t matter if it was the middle of August… this is certainly something that the Queen strongly disapproved of.
    The problem is that the list is getting longer…
    While often described as a Royal rule-breaker, she migrated to a life free from Royal commitments and duties overseas.

    But what happened some days ago when she together her husba nd Harry were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey, one of the most appreciate American talk show host? The interview was hold  in  Southern California, where they now live and where Meghan released shocking public confessions.

    She said her life as a British royal was so isolating and lonely at one point she “didn’t want to be alive anymore” — a stunning admission likely to rock the foundations of the centuries-old institution. Moreover, she confessed that a senior royal had “concerns and conversations” about how dark her son Archie’s skin would be.

    Queen Elizabeth II turns the tables and breaks the silence with a press release officer that leaves everyone speechless. As a great woman of power and a fine strategist (who in her long years of regency has seen all sorts of things), Queen Elizabeth was not caught unprepared and defined herself “saddened” by the suffering told by the two and the difficulties that Meghan had to deal, especially with regard to the “racial issues” brought to light by the Dukes of Sussex.

    Buckingham Palace, therefore, decided to immediately take a precise position, thus avoiding remaining in the shadows after the strong statements of Meghan and Harry.

    The situation is getting complicated if we also consider the delicate health conditions of Prince Philip, close to 100 years old and in hospital due to heart surgery. Many believe that Meghan goes down hard in the interview, but the Duchess seems to have suffered a lot and she has decided not to hide it anymore.

    To tell her truth, she chose the dangerous mechanisms of television, aware of the boomerang effect that could come. Mayb

    e she is lying to make herself a victim or she is using the race card to gain sympathy.

    What is sure is that soon Twitterati empathised with the former royal couple and their interview.

    What we can understand is that Meghan like Diana, married into a family that did not understand her and believed she would conform, without complaint, to royal customs and protocol. As with Diana, proved unable or unwilling to tow the family line, and like Diana, Meghan found herself hounded by the tabloids, the same intrusive media that has forced her to move and live a normal life away from England.

    Anyway, Prince William has declared:” “We’re very much not a racist family”, and to be honest: We believe him!

     

    -Giulia Franchini,

    -Davide Palumbo.

  • The way to Zero Waste

    The way to Zero Waste

    Every day the media outlets report on the ever-growing pollution, the impact on the environment of the carbon footprint, the emission of gases that

    contribute to global warming.

    So, what can we do as individuals to stop harming the environment? The first step and the possible right answer towards switching to a more sustainable lifestyle can be  Zero Waste. Mr Rossano Ercolini, an elementary school teacher, has begun a public education campaign in the waste field and is a leading name of the zero waste movement in Italy. As a result of his efforts, his home-town Capannori (LU) was the first European city to declare the goal of zero waste by 2020. He has helped the Zero Waste movement grow beyond the Italian borders into what is now the Zero Waste Europe movement. In 2013 Mr Rossano was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize, considered the “Green Nobel PrizePol” for his contributions to the Zero Waste movement in Italy. I had the pleasure and for that, I want to thanks the headteacher of the Lyceeum I attend because, this morning students and of course me were invited to a meetup and to have a talk with   Mr Ercolini who, with his oratory skill, has told us about his great campaigns and his famous books to promote a zero-waste philosophy and to share insights. The meeting was broadcasted in live streaming on youtube.

    According to Mr Ercolini waste is one of the most important problems of our society, even if it is often overlooked.

    Here are a few measures, to be precise ten  steps if you want to be part of the solution:

    • source separation,
    • door-to-door collection,
    • composting,
    • recycling,
    • waste reduction,
    • reuse and repair,
    • punctual pricing,
    • waste recovery,
    • research and redesign centre,
    • waste zeroing.

    In addition to these suggestions we can implement the 7 RS:

    • Refuse the things you don’t need.
    • Reduce consumption and purchasing and try to just by stuff that is really indispensable.
    • Reuse and Restore, and try to repair, as many things as possible. Give them a second life.
    • Recycle everything you can.
    • Rot, meaning “recycle” all organic materials, turning them into compost you can use fertiliser.
    • Revive a green technology to re-use and produce sustainable alternatives to products such as coffee grounds, palm oil and so on.

    In addition to these tips, we must try to reduce packaging and plastic consumption to save the world.

  • False friends: a real language trap

    False friends: a real language trap

    Uno degli errori più comun per noi studenti di Inglese è di cadere nella trappola dei false friends (lett.falsi amici) perché questi termini vengono spesso tradotti letteralmente adattando per somiglianza ed assonanza l’Inglese all’Italiano e creando invece difficoltà di comprensione perché non hanno niente a che fare con la giusta traduzione del termine e  a dire il vero ci provocano a volte imbarazzo.

    Analizziamo in questa rubrica tra i più comuni false friends di cui alcuni già saprai e altri potrebbero esserti sfuggiti.

    A few false friends to be aware of:

    Accident: it seems like accidente but it means incidente

    Actually: it means in realtà while it seems attualmente che si traduce currently

    Agenda: it doesn’t refer to a diary or agenda but ordine del giorno

    Annoy: it is a verb and you translate it annoiare istinctively but it means infastidire, irritare

    Argument: it is not argomento but litigio

    Apology: it is not apologia or defense like the Italian meanin: it means scusa

    To abuse: it seems like abusare but it means approfittare

    Brave: bravo as translation is completely wrong it means coraggioso

    Candid: sincero and not candido is its meaning

    Cartoon: Don’t translate cartone please because cartone is in English cardboard. The right translation is vignetta

    Casual: it means informale instead of casuale

    Chest: it’s not cesto but petto

    Cold: it’s one of the most misunderstood, it means freddo but we often translate caldo

    College: Collegio is completely wrong; this word means università

     

    To be continued

  • Idioms

    Idioms

     

    Questa sezione nasce dal bisogno di prendere confidenza con espressioni idiomatiche che gli inglesi amano utilizzare nelle conversazioni quotidiane, e che spesso si trovano nei libri, nelle serie TV e nei film. Poiché il significato corrisponde a modi di dire che non sono sempre letteralmente comprensibili, è necessario familiarizzare con il loro significato e imparare ad utilizzarli correttamente. Anche se questo potrebbe sembrare molto difficoltoso, non fatevi spaventare: imparare le espressioni idiomatiche inglesi può essere molto divertente, soprattutto se si confrontano con quelle italiane.

    Let’s start then!

     

     

    All hell broke loose: tutto l’inferno si è liberato? Equivale all’italiano: è successo un finimondo. E’ successo qualcosa di veramente grave.

    Meaning: to refer to violent and destructive situation that suddenly begins.

    Ex: The policeman shouted but the robber started shooting and all hell broke loose.

     

     

     

    Ants in your pants: formiche nelle mutande. Equivale all’italiano non stare mai fermi un attimo, essere agitati.

    Meaning: be extremely resteless or excited.

    Ex: I think John likes him. He has annts in hir pants when he meets her.

     

     

    Apple of my eye: mela del mio occhio? Noooo. Luce dei miei occhi.

    Meaning: when a person is very important for you.

    Ex: My Husband is the apple of my eye.

     

     

     

    A bad egg: un uovo cattivo? Equivale all’italiano: persona inaffidabile

    Meaning: To refer to someone as a bad egg means that they cannot be trusted.

    Ex: His boyfriend was a bad egg and she lost all her money.

     

     

     

    A flash in the pan: un lampo nella padella. Equivale all’italiano: essere una meteora.

    Meaning: something that happens once and only for a short time.

    Ex: That singer was just a flash in the pan with his hit in 2001.

     

     

    A piece of cake: un pezzo di torta? Equivale all’italiano un gioco da ragazzi. Una cosa facile.

    Meaning: a very easy task.

    Ex: Don’t worry! Your exam will be a piece of cake.

     

     

     

    A pain in the neck: un dolore nel collo. Equivale all’italiano: una gran seccatura.

    Meaning: something or someone that is very annoying.

    Ex: My son is sometimes a real pain in the neck.

     

     

    A cash cow: una mucca da soldi. Equivale all’italiano: essere una mucca da mungere

    Meaning: a person or a business that generates a consistent profit.

    Ex: Rob loves gambling and his friends think he is a real cash cow.

  • Spreading love is what Valentine’s Day is all about.

    Spreading love is what Valentine’s Day is all about.

    Valentine’s Day is a celebration of that feeling called Love. Love between lovers (man and his woman, but nowadays between two people who love each other, no matter their sex), in a word love of all kind, is beautiful and thus, needs to be celebrated. However, Valentine’s Day is celebrated to pay a tribute to Saint Valentine who gave away his life for the cause of love. If you do not have a girlfriend or a boyfriend or someone to love, do not start to feel sad. Instead, search out your life and find people who truly loved, in any form and in any way,

    If you are a wife, express your love to your husband and vice-versa. However, do not forget to express your love to those other people who are also important in your life. This is the day to thank people, whosoever they are, for being there in your life and being there with you when you needed them. To start with, thank your parents for the love that they have given you is above every other kind of love in the world. Thank them for making you the person that you are. Buy them gifts and write messages to them that would make them feel happy.

    Next, say thank you to your partner for being there with you in times of highs and lows. If they have stood by you through thick and thin and have always been on your side and made efforts to make you happy, it only means that they love you a lot and thus, their love needs to be cherished and appreciated. A good way to appreciate everything that they have done for you is to buy them something that they would love and cherish. Also, you can tell them how you feel about them by simply telling them how you feel.

    On Valentine’s Day, one should also thank their friends. Friends are people who keep their faith in us even when everyone else seems to be losing theirs in us. Friends are those people who understand those problems of ours that our family, parents or partners do not understand. Thus, every Valentine’s Day every person should thank their friends. Do things for them that they would like and appreciate and would make them feel good.

    Lastly, since Valentine’s Day is all about love, one should make it a point to spread love around them. On this Valentine’s Day, do something that would make people around you feel happy. Do something for the little kids around you who do not have anyone to take care of them. Similarly, a person can go to an old age home and do something for the old people who also do have anybody left in the world to call their own. Valentine’s Day is all about showing and expressing your love and doing things that would make someone feel that they are loved. Spreading love is what Valentine’s Day is all about and don’t think too expensive gifts and sometimes impossible to find. A flower, a good deed, a word of consolation may be the most tangible way you love and never forget to peek into the best love poems of all time. Here my help to draw from and show your qualities of a true poet.

    https://classicalpoets.org/2016/10/27/10-greatest-love-poems-ever-written/draw

  • Safe Internet day, together for a better Internet!

    Safe Internet day, together for a better Internet!

    This is the motto of the World Day for Network Security known as the Safer Internet Day established and promoted by the European Commission. which is celebrated on the second Tuesday of February simultaneously in over 150 countries including Italy. This year the appointment will be on 9 February This year the event will be held exclusively online due to the pandemic. Schools, students and parents can access the event by connecting to www.generazioniconnesse.it

    This day is becoming more and more important as the Internet is no longer just an aid for communication but it has become a real pivot in the life of each of us: just think that digital purchases exceed those in physical stores, billions of users have an exclusively online bank account, almost all the bureaucratic aspects are carried out on the internet; for this reason, all types of scams must be prevented; but this is only one of the “dark” aspects of the web: think of all the teenagers who have lost their lives due to cyberbullying or sadistic and twisted sites like the blue whale.

    This Safer Internet Day is a campaign that focuses on how young people can know what to trust online.   It explores how influence, persuasion and manipulation can impact young people’s decisions, opinions and what they share online.

    So the day’s goal is to make students reflect on the conscious use of technological tools and the active role they can have by using the network in a safe and positive way.

    It promotes the safety of the web and tools such as smartphones and tablets, video games, especially among children and young people all over the world.

    Anyway, how much do you understand about consent in a digital world?

    Try this quiz below to explore reliability in the online world, I did it and assure it’s really helpful.

    https://d1afx9quaogywf.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/Safer%20Internet%20Day%202021/SID2021%20-%20Quiz.pdf

  • A new profession: Youtube

    A new profession: Youtube

    The generation-z have replaced the famous millenials or generation-y that is a generation born in the early 1980s and the early 2000s  both are defined digital natives who spend most of their free time playing video games and commentating them on  YouTube. You just need a webcam and confidence when speaking and gaming skills of course. However, this pass time is becoming more and more productive. Let’s players (LPs)- gamers as commentators are usually called are setting up a real business thanks to the huge rewards they are gaining from their millions of followers.

    Youtubers become famous for the pranks they pull on their friends, sports challenges or scientific experiments and making videos of all kinds, but being a famous youtuber also means having a great business: you can earn from $ 0.5 to $ 2 for every 1000 views! Most of it comes from advertising revenue. The more views a video gets, the more ad money the youtuber receives. He can also promote themselves off-screen too, with tours and events.

    Youtubers are very important because the followers can pick up useful tips for their own games and they boost the sales of videogames.

    A youtuber can also be considered as a true friend by fans thanks to daily and live videos, but being a youtuber also comes with responsibilities: he must lead by example and always be fair.

    This work, however, must not be done only to be hungry and money but it must put a lot of passion, sacrifice and a good dose of laughter.

    But never forget, in a society with diminishing social contact Youtube is a hobby and also a job but for guys only hanging out with friends can be the best way to socialize.

  • Don’t let Blue Monday get you down!

    Don’t let Blue Monday get you down!

     

    Do you ever feel “blue”?  No, I don’t mean if you listen to blues music or if you have blue skin or if you look like a smurf.  “Feel blue” means feeling melancholic, sad or depressed

    So we all feel “blue” after Christmas holidays, the gifts, the family’s board games and the start of school.

    The Blue Monday is the third Monday in January. It falls on January 18th this year and the least upbeat day on the calendar has taken on new meaning in 2021due to Coronavirus with the stress and uncertainty that comes along with it.

    The psychologist Dr Cliff Arnall calculated the date using a formula with many factors like levels of debt, motivation and time since Christmas.

    While some people happen to feel “blue”, others think it’s ridiculous. In fact, many people argue that there are no valid reasons or authentic scientific basis for Blue Monday.

    But what can we do to give yourself a necessary dose of positivity as we kick off 2021?

    Here some easy ways you can add some lightness and positivity to your life to boost your mood on Blue Monday or any day.

    • Encourage your friends to have a virtual drink, staying connected and have a chat;
    • Listen to your favourite songs, a podcast or watch something fun on TV;
    • Read a self-care book;
    • Wear something colourful ;
    • Buy some flowers;
    • Have a hair makeover
    • Indulge in aromatherapy, right down to your fragrance.

    By the way! Don’t worry! There isn’t only ‘The saddest day of the year’ but also the happiest: the new formula of Dr Arnall says that “The Happiest day of the year” will be around June 20th, when the days are longer and there is sun and holiday are getting a little closer.

  • WHAT TO GIVE A QUEEN? THE STRANGEST GIFTS THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND RECEIVED

    WHAT TO GIVE A QUEEN? THE STRANGEST GIFTS THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND RECEIVED

    Despite the difficult situation we are facing due to the pandemic, no one has forgotten the Christmas spirit, not even Queen Elizabeth II.

    The Queen is forced to spend Christmas away from her family without sacrificing her Christmas speech and her traditional gift exchange to which she is very fond, all strictly by video call on the Zoom platform.

    But what gifts do you give to Queen? In her 67 years as Queen, Elizabeth II were given every kind of gift to amaze her. People just send stuff to the Queen: milk bottles, cakes, biscuits. They think she looks a bit hungry, so they send her some cake or boxes of chocolate.

    Remembering her passion for horses and horse riding, in 1991 the United States government honored her with a pair of cowboy boots and, last year, a 24 carat gold-plated for horse from Slovenia’s President Borut Pahor. As a company for her horses there is an elephant of the African forest, a gift received in 1972 by the government of Cameroon (Africa).

    Who would give 500 cans of pineapple to Queen? It was a gift received in honor of his marriage by the Australian government, given to the neediest.

    As we give lucky charms, even the Queen needs it: the Fiji Islands gave her the Sperm Whale’s lucky teeth and the Virgin Islands (or Salt Islands) gave her one kilo of salt.

    Don’t worry, if you are stuck for ideas about what to give a Queen, consider that her son, Prince Harry, and his wife Meghan Markle gave her a shower cap with the sentence: “Ain’t life a Bitch?” and a singing toy hamster, both very popular.

    Sometimes I think:  what should I give her if I had the possibility? Not a precious item because I know she likes simple things and cheap presents. So I’d give her as a gift her handicraft miniature figure made by the famous Neapolitan artisans from  San Gregorio Armeno in Naples and an invitation to visit the famous market with its endless shops dedicated to the Christmas Nativity tradition famous all over the world. Of course she could enjoy a magical Christmas atmosphere together with a special guide: “ME”.