Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: Non l'ho capita.

Look this joke:
Little Johnny had a class about sexuality, and his new teacher gave him some
homework about it. 
Little Johnny writes his homework at the kitchen table, and stops suddenly, and
asks his father who happens to walk by:
Dad, do you write 'penis' with one 'n' or with two 'n's?
His father, quite surprised, thinks for a moment.
Son, just put three 'n's, it can't be long enough.
I haven't (perhaps) understood it.
To be precise I didn't understand very well the last father's sentence:
Son, just put three n's, it can't be long enough
I think the problems are "just" and "n's".
Why does he say "three n's" and not only "three n"?
Partial translation in Italian:
"Ragazzo, xxxxxxxxx, non può essere lungo abbastanza"
Lasciamo perdere che cosa :-))
Help me to understand this joke! :-)
p.s. 
As usually, I need your corrections.

 Help me to understand this joke! :-)
"Help me understand".
Bye, FB
-- 
Domanda: "Era il figlio di Iside e Osiride".
Risposta: "Thor".
(quiz televisivo)

 "Help me understand".
Si può dire tutt'e due, scrivere il 'to', o implicare il 'to' senza 
scriverlo.

Non sono molto d'accordo.
"Help me understand" e' sicuramente piu' giusto di "help me to understand".
Il "to" con "help" non e' sottointeso, semplicemente non si mette. Quando si
mette ha una sfumatura un po' diversa, tipo  proposizione finale "aiutami
per capire".


 per capire".
Tony happens to be a native English speaker. I would think he's right.
Bye, FB
-- 
In any case, if you say 'I gotta go' at an important job interview you're
contributing to being allowed just that privilege.
(Tony the ice man on it.cultura.linguistica.inglese)

 per capire".
It is correct to say 'to understand' but omitting the 'to' is so common a
practice that it's widely accepted. There is no difference in shade of
meaning that I can discern.

 Tony happens to be a native English speaker. I would think he's right.
Sometimes native speakers are too facile with their knowledge and don't
think things through. As I pondered this issue in the shower I began to
think that I'd jumped to the conclusion that the 'to' is implied. It may be
that the verb 'help' doesn't require 'to' between it and an infinitive verb
that follows it. In any case either usage is acceptable, but most people
omit the 'to'.

 that follows it.
Just like "to let".
Bye, FB
-- 
"The doctors found out that Bunbury could not live, that is what I mean—so
Bunbury died".
"He seems to have had great confidence in the opinion of his physicians".
("The Importance of Being Earnest", Oscar Wilde)

 Just like "to let".
I believe that would be different. 'To let' doesn't _allow_ 'to' between it
and an infinitive verb that follows it.
Just for grins, the results of Google searches:
"Help me understand" 92,900
"Help me to understand" 25,300

 "N's" is the plural form of "n".
Ah, ecco, la mia grammatica non dice niente a riguardo.
Quindi(parlando in generale) il plurale di singole lettere si ottiene aggiungendo l'apostrofo prima della "s"?(e io che mi scervellavo con il genitivo...)
Come sempre grazie a tutti.

 Quindi(parlando in generale) il plurale di singole lettere si ottiene aggiungendo l'apostrofo prima della "s"?(e io che mi scervellavo con il genitivo...)
È un'abitudine piuttosto diffusa.
Ciao, FB


 I had intuited, but the doubt was on the meaning of "just".
In questo contesto, significa "basta mettere tre "n".
-- 
Mary



Tante volte non sono cosě certo di essere italiano. Ci hai ragione, molto
meglio.
Ciao, FB


Tante volte non sono cosě certo di essere italiano
 Forse sia diventato inglese? :)
(suona giusto?)



"Forse sei diventato inglese?". Il congiuntivo č usato raramente in una
frase principale ("main clause").
No, non sono inglese. Scrivendo tanto in inglese, perň, sto perdendo la
mano * in italiano.
* you've got to find the idiom "perdere la mano" by yourself. (smiling
face)
Bye, FB
-- 
Locked from the inside. That can only mean one thing, and I don't know what
it is.
(Murder by Death)

face)
A occhio e croce direi che significa "to become rusty"?

I have another joke for you:  
This preacher was looking for a good used lawnmower one day. He found one at a
yard sale that Little Johnny happened to be manning.  This mower work, son? 
the preacher asked. Little Johnny said,  Sure does -- just pull on the cord
hard, though.  The preacher took the mower home and when he got ready to mow he
yanked and pulled and tugged on that cord. Nothing worked. It wouldn't start.
Thinking he'd been swindled, he took the mower back to Little Johnny's house. 
You said this would work if I pulled on the cord hard enough.   Well,  Johnny
said,  you need to cuss at it sometimes.  The preacher was aghast.  I've not
done that in years!   Just keep yanking on that cord, Preacher. It'll come back
to you. 
I understand all the text but the last sentence! :-)
What is the meaning of "it(the mower) will come back" in this case?
Thanks.

 What is the meaning of "it(the mower) will come back" in this case?
It isn't very funny.
It means "(how to swear) will come back to you", ie. you'll get so angry
that you'll remember a lot of swear words.
-- 
Mary



"It'll come back to you" => "you will remember" (how to curse)
un altro esempio:
"It's just come back to me!" => "I've just remembered!".

A occhio e croce direi che significa "to become rusty"?
Vero?


 Sebbene il significato sia lo stesso, to become rusty si traduce con *sono
arrugginito* nel fare qualcosa...
Piacerebbe anche a me conoscere l'equivalente preciso.
Ciao Jonny
Raudo
--------------------------------
Inviato via 
http://arianna.libero.it/usenet/

 Piacerebbe anche a me conoscere l'equivalente preciso.
To lose one's touch.
Anche se, in italiano, c'è anche "perdere il tocco", che può avere
significati anche diversi.
Sebastiano
-- 
Agent Jack Bristow : Your mother was sent to the United States to steal
secrets from a ranking officer of the C.I.A. How she and I happened to
meet, how she supposedly fell in love, I thought it was all true. But it
was just a set-up. 

Sebastiano
Grazie a te, e Raudio.