Festa della Toscana November 30, 2006

30 November 1786
first time a state soppressed the capital punishment and the torture in the world . It was in Tuscany by Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo ( from Asburgo-Lorena the Austrian family ). I’m proud because Tuscany it’s my place ( but it’s no longer a state, it’s currently an [...]

Justice, legality in words (English) and world (Italy) November 21, 2006

In a comment here I have said that justice can be unfair. therefore I have noticed that in italian we haven’t the word fair. In Italian there is a word less, relating to justice… but we have a word more for the opposite, I mean mafia, please don’t draw any conclusion!
It seems [...]

development of an exercise book November 12, 2006

I want to make this blog less selfish.
I have started this blog as an exercise book for learning English. But language is not neutral. When you are learning a language you have to face with contents not only form.
I have written a comment to a post of Alabaster , were I have used [...]

swearing in English November 11, 2006

This post is by Hellboy
(thank you Hellboy )

First of all different swearings are used in different parts of the states & honestly neither know all of them nor understand many of ‘em, so jus the things i can think of.
1. darn it: (american): mild swear used when angry or annoyed to avoid damn, [...]

swearing in Italian November 9, 2006

We have several way to translate “swear”(or curse) : “turpiloquio” (noun, formal) and “parolaccia” (noun, informal) or bestemmia (noun,less informal ) . Swearing means also “giurare”, but it is very different, it is not a so bad behaviour like a curse.
Obviously all those words you can define by the terms above, are [...]

The flood in Florence and the prisoners November 6, 2006

this post was written saturday 4th november, but I have published it only the 6th
Today is the 40th anniversary of the flood in Florence, my city. I was only 4 months at that time, I can’t remember anything, but I have seen a lots of photos and I have listen to a lot [...]

Exchanging probability in English and in Italian November 1, 2006

(13:38:28) Lee: you know you use the future tense as probability.
(13:38:44) Lee: for example:WHo’s that at the door? It might be Jane.
(13:38:52) Lee: Sarà Jane
(13:39:01) Cristina: yes, it’s correct
(13:39:35) Lee: You could also say ‘Uscirò stasera’ to mean ‘I might go out tonight’
(13:40:13) Lee: So how do you tell the difference between ‘I might do [...]