Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: Recommended books, websites

Can anyone here recommend some good books and/or sites dealing with Italian
grammar and idioms?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Phil


I can offer you advice based on my wise and not-so-wise purchases over the
last couple of years!  What I've given you below is a few gems from a
bookcase filled with bad books and courses and terrible wastes of money.  If
you follow these pointers, you'll avoid spending money on half measures.
Firstly, I'll tell you that any Italian I've learned has come from these
books / courses only - I've never had a single Italian lesson or had a
teacher in my life.  And I though I'm by no means fluent yet, I can write
and communicate effectively.  Here we go... (click on the Amazon links for a
better description of each)
* Grammar:
1. Beginner: Teach Yourself Beginners' Italian Grammar:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0340712171/qid=1035251884/sr=1-3/re
f=sr_1_0_3/202-7241465-3216630
2. Advanced: A Reference Grammar of Modern Italian (the best & most concise
you'll find)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/034067637X/qid=1035251946/sr=1-8/re
f=sr_1_3_8/202-7241465-3216630
3. Living Language Italian Verbs Skills Builder (with 4 tapes):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0609804278/qid=1035252360/sr=1-1/re
f=sr_1_0_1/202-7241465-3216630
* Idioms:
I've always had the same problem here - if what you mean is trying to find a
'dictionary of expressions' - is that what you're looking for?  I study
French as well and there is an excellent series called "Word-for-Word" -
which comes for students of Spanish, German and French - but not Italian
unfortunately.  After much trawling through online bookshops, I finally
conceded that no such similar book existed in the English language.  I did
however find an even better book (with about 10 times more content than the
excellent Word-for-Word books) made in Italy for students of English.  It's
just as useful for English-speaking students of Italian.  It has 44 thematic
chapters, with subchapters, under headings like "Complaining and
Protesting", "Admitting and Denying" and a list of possible expressions.
I'll give you a couple of examples from it:
to have a say (in something) = avere la propria da dire (su qualcosa)
to get on like a house on fire = intendersi a meraviglia
If this is what you're after you'll find thousands of such entries in this
book.  I have been unable to find a single other book like it and, like I
said, I've spent hundreds of pounds on lots of books!
You'll have to buy it from an Italian online bookstore as I did (because I
was unable to find it on Amazon, BOL etc) but it's worth all 16 euros:
Take my Word (Zanichelli)
http://www.ita-bol.com/bol/main.jsp;jsessionid=2531%3A3db4b664%3A8e2dcf843ab
4f2?action=bolscheda&ean=978880808942
Good luck!
Jo@nna

 grammar and idioms?
Ho trovato questi:
http://www.accademiadellacrusca.it/
http://www.units.it/~nirital/texel/studit/grhome.htm
http://www.iluss.it/index.html
http://www.lang.soton.ac.uk/students/it.htm
Hope it helps!
-- 
Ciao,
Anna

 wrote in message
news:Pc%s9.2920$Ak3....@read1.cgocable.net...

From 
www.amazon.co.uk
:
  2001 Italian and English Idioms
~Gobetti, D.R. Hall
Barron's Educational Series
Paperback - 1996
Usually dispatched within 2 to 3 days
List Price: £8.99
Our Price: £7.19
You Save: £1.80 (20%)
Or buy new: £6.74
2.     Italian Idioms
~Daniela. Gobetti
Barron's Educational Series
Paperback - 1997
Usually dispatched within 24 hours
List Price: £5.99
Our Price: £4.79
You Save: £1.20 (20%)
Or buy new: £3.97