Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: simple exercise, mystifying sentence

This is the exercise:
"Yes, I know what you mean that's when you'd like to smash it to ..........
(a) pieces
(b) piece
(c) peace
(d) peaces
"
Ok, the answer is obviously (a), but what the heck does that sentence mean?
Kiuhnm

 mean?
Il computer non va e l'utonto si lamenta. Il tecnico comprensivo gli fa:
Si', so cosa si prova quando ti viene voglia si spaccarlo in tanti
pezzettini.


Maybe we are staring at two different sentences, because the one I'm 
looking at doesn't even seem to be correct.
Kiuhnm

 pezzettini.
Si', so cosa si prova quando ti viene voglia _di_ spaccarlo in tanti
pezzettini.
Nell'originale IMHO mancava una virgola
Si potrrebbe dire smash INTO pieces?
 

 Nell'originale IMHO mancava una virgola
A comma isn't enough. You need a semicolon or a full stop.
Kiuhnm

"Kiuhnm" <kiuhnm03_NO@SPAM_yahoo.it> wrote in message 
news:fd2sgn$qi6$1...@aioe.org...

Strictly speaking , you're right , but it's an informal speech pattern , and 
99 times out of a hundred it'd be written with just a comma nowadays (though 
I might use a colon !)
Mike 

 (though I might use a colon !)
I suspect that that's because few people understands punctuation 
nowadays. At least that's what happens with Italian.
Any (serious) grammar I've seen agrees with me. I don't say it's wrong 
because I know it's wrong. I say it's wrong because it *sounds* wrong to 
me. Because it is also wrong according to grammars, I think I should, at 
least on this ng, point out such errors.
I'm a conservative factor so I shall act accordingly ;-)
Kiuhnm

I'm a conservative factor so 
I'm a conservative advocate so ...

 I'm a conservative advocate so ...
Once again, you changed the meaning of the sentence.
Kiuhnm

 Once again, you changed the meaning of the sentence.
Allora non ho capito cosa volevi dire. 
Un "conservative factor" per me e' un "coefficiente prudenziale" (termine
tecnico progettuale). Sei un coefficiente?
Ho ipotizzato che volessi dire che eri un fautore della tradizione. Non vedo
come una persona possa definire se stessa un "factor" che mi risulta una
entita' inanimata. Se sbaglio corìgeme, addirittura azzardo che se parli
italiano forse ti capisco prima.
ciao
 

 italiano forse ti capisco prima.
Sorry, but my English will have to suffice.
Anyway, never mind. Sometimes I forget I'm not among mathematicians and 
what I say sounds weird rather that amusing.
Kiuhnm


Va bene - ma 'factor' e' sbagliato .
Mike 


"fattore: elemento che determina o contribuisce a determinare un 
effetto, un risultato: la democrazia č un f. di civiltŕ, fattori 
economici, sociali, politici, tenere conto del f. emotivo".
That's exactly what I meant. The actual grammar is determined by many 
factors. I'm a conservative factor.
It sounds strange? Well, that's what I call style.
Language is not blind uniformity of expression. As I always say, 
ultimately it's only you who can decide if something you said/done is 
right or wrong.
What I'm saying is that I already knew the expression "conservative 
advocate" but I prefer "conservative factor", because it reflects my 
mathematical idea of life. Every correction is very appreciated, but I 
will never take any of them as "prescriptions".
Kiuhnm


I think the reason it sounds odd, or even 'sbagliato' to some is because
'factor' usually refers to 'elements', not people. And it's even stranger to
use it to refer to oneself. Typically in this kind of situation, I would say
"I'm a conservative influence". However, I would not say that 'factor' is
wrong. I might even say something like 'I'm a conservative factor in this
equation'. At times there's advantage being an inevitable mathematical
element because it brings with it some freedom from social responsibility.
 In my opinion, if you are content to speak English in a way that pleases
you rather than in the way that is most accepted, then you are not
conservative. Personally, I think that's fine. I know people who are content
to use the passato perfetto without essere or avere. It irritates me but
they argue that it gets the idea across. The only thing I think one should
be careful of is the temptation to use language more to establish one's 
unique personality than to communicate. Such people quickly become bores.

 unique personality than to communicate. Such people quickly become bores.
It always depends on what kind of audience you're referring to.
Kiuhnm

 stop buying his cds. He just begin to sound like all the others.
No, that's not what I meant.
"What happens when an artist starts tying to please more and more people?"
Ok, that's more likely.
Kiuhnm
P.S. Because of or thanks to you, I'm beginning to use more and more 
"because" and less and less "since". I can be quite resistant at first, 
but that doesn't mean I've been unaffected.

 What happens when an artist starts pleasing his fans?
Tu fai ingegneria?

 Tu fai ingegneria?
No.
Kiuhnm

 For example?
Ieri, andato al negozio. And, if the context isn't clear, they may add an 
'io'. They typically are Italian-Americans who learned only some Italian 
from their parents or grandparents without the fussy instrusion of books and 
grammar.

 but that doesn't mean I've been unaffected.
Yes. Insidious, isn't it? I hate having that knowledge, too.

 bondage is illegal unless nudity is involved.
OMG! These days I'm so tired I could misspell even my first name.
Kiuhnm

 Ieri, andato al negozio.
Sometimes, we use that minimalistic style in brief reports, annotations, 
etc...
For instance,
   "trovato errore in alg. principale",
   "comprare frutta e verdura",
   "trovare ragazza meno esigente",
and so on.
I bet the English do the same.
I wouldn't speak of "passato perfetto". It resembles your "past perfect" 
which is (more or less) equivalent to my "trapassato remoto": "Io ebbi 
fatto".
I say "Ieri(,) sono andato al negozio" or, according to 
no-one-cares-anymore-about-them grammars also "Ieri andai al negozio" 
because the action concluded in the past. This last tense is called 
"passato remoto", as you will probably already know.
Kiuhnm

 "passato remoto", as you will probably already know.
I forgot: "sono andato" is a "passato prossimo".
Kiuhnm


So did I forget. 

> "passato remoto", as you will probably already know.
Is that last "will" really passable?
Kiuhnm


I would rate it a little high in verbose factor, but it's fine. 

 because the action concluded in the past.
Ok, ma la Sicilia non fa nazione ancora.
:-)
At salùt,
Enrico il Pentolaio.
-- 
I amuse you? I make you laugh, I'm here to fucking amuse you? 

 :-)
http://forum.accademiadellacrusca.it/forum_7/interventi/2111.shtml
Kiuhnm