The complete Italian master

The complete Italian master; containing the best and easiest rules for attaining that language. By Signor Veneroni, Italian secretary to the late French King, translated into English, and compared with the last Lyons edition. A new edition,

with considerable additions and improvements by the translator, London, printed for J. Nourse, bookseller in ordinary to his Majesty, 1772.

Fatta salva la parte introduttiva, i due testi risultano identici. Nell’edizione del 1763 compare The translator’s preface, mentre in quella del 1772 The author’s preface e The translator’s preface, to this new edition.

The contents

An introduction to the Italian tongue, for the use of those who do not understand Latin p. 1

PART I.

Of the Italian pronunciation p. 25

Of the pronunciation of the vowels p. 26

Of the pronunciation of consonants p. 27

A collection of words and syllables, the most difficult to be pronounced p. 31

A recapitulation of the Italian pronunciation p. 34

Chap. I. Of the articles in general p. 34

Of the definite article p. 36

Of the indefinite article p. 39

Remarks on the articles p. 41

Chap. II Of nouns p. 44

Of nouns ending in a p. 44

Of nouns ending in e p. 45

Of the nouns in i p. 47

Of the nouns in o p. 48

Of the nouns in u p. 50

Of the augmentatives p. 51

Of the diminutives p. 52

Of nouns adjective p. 53

Of the comparatives p. 53

Of the superlatives p. 56

Observations on some nouns p. 56

Of numeral nouns p. 57

Ordinal nouns p. 57

A method (for those who understand French) to learn a great many Italian words in a short time p. 58

Chap. III Of pronouns personal p. 61

Of pronouns conjunctives p. 64

Of the pronouns possessive p. 66

Of the pronouns demonstrative p. 68

Of the pronouns interrogative p. 70

Of the pronouns relative p. 70

Of the improper pronouns p. 72

Chap. IV. Of the verbs p. 74

The conjugation of the auxiliary verb avere, to have p. 74

The conjugation of the auxiliary verbs essere, to be p. 79

Of conjugations p. 83

An easy method of learning to conjugate the verbs p. 84

The first conjugation of the verbs in are p. 86

The conjugation of the verb passive, essere amato, to be loved p. 91

The second conjugation of the verbs in ere p. 93

The third conjugation of the verbs in ire p. 97

Of the irregular verbs in are p. 102

Observations on the four irregolar verbs, andare, dare, fare, stare p. 108

Of the irregular verbs in ere p. 109

The conjugation of the irregular verbs in ere, long p. 110

Remarks on the verbs terminated in ere, long p. 113

Of the verbs in ere, short p. 122

A new and general rule to learn, in a moment, all the irregular verbs in ere, short p. 122

Terminations of the verbs in ere, short p. 123

Of the verbs terminated in cere p. 125

Of the verbs in dere p. 128

Of the verbs in endere p. 129

Of the verbs in gere p. 129

Of the verbs in gliere p. 130

Of the verbs in here p. 131

Of the verbs in lere p. 132

Of the verbs in mere p. 132

Of the verbs in nere p. 132

Of the verbs in ondere p. 133

Of the verbs in pere p. 134

Of the verbs in rere p. 134

Of the verbs in tere p. 135

Of the verbs in ucere p. 135

Of the verbs in vere p. 136

Irregulars of the third conjugation p. 136

Of the verbs in isco p. 140

Of verbs neutre p. 143

Of reciprocal verbs p. 144

Of impersonal verbs p. 145

How to express, there is, there was p. 147

The conjugation of the impersonal verb essere p. 148

The conjugation of the verb impersonal, there is of it, when it marks the place, through all its tenses p. 150

Chap. V. Of the participles p. 152

Chap. VI. Of the adverbs p. 154

Chap. VII. Of the prepositions p. 163

Chap. VIII. Of the conjunctions p. 165

Chap. IX. Of the interjections p. 166

PART II.

The first treatise p. 169

Chap. I. Of orthography p. 169

Chap. II. Of the apostrophe p. 173

Chap. III. Of the words that must be retrenched p. 174

Chap. IV. Of the words that must not be retrenched p. 176

The second treatise p. 178

Of the Italian accent p. 178

Chap. I. Of the grave accent p. 178

Chap. II. Of the pronunciation of nouns p. 181

Chap. III. Of the pronunciations of verbs and adverbs p. 194

The third treatise p. 199

Of the Italian syntax p. 199

Chap. I. Of the division of syntax p. 199

Chap. II. Of the syntax of articles p. 202

Chap. III. Of the syntax of nouns p. 204

Chap. IV. Of the syntax of pronouns p. 205

Chap. V. Of the syntax of verbs p. 207

Chap. VI. Of the syntax of participles p. 214

Chap. VII. Of the syntax of the adverbs and prepositions p. 216

Important remarks on the participle si, it is, or they, &c. p. 218

The fourth treatise p. 224

Of remarks on some verbs and prepositions that have different significations p. 224

The fifth treatise p. 255

Of composition, and the rules of writing and speaking Italian, contained in a few themes p. 255

The sixth treatise p. 266

Of the poetical licences, and the divers synonymous names of the Gods p. 266

The seventh treatise p. 275

Of improper and obsolete words p. 275

The eighth treatise p. 281

Of expletives, compound words, capitals, and stops p. 281

PART III.

A vocabulary of words necessary to be known p. 289

A collection of verbs to be first learnt p. 331

Familiar dialogues p. 342

A collection of Italian phrases, or idioms, which constitute the peculiar delicacy of that language p. 371

A collection of jests, several diverting stories, sentences, and the choicest of Italian proverbs p. 384

Costumi de’ Franzesi, Tedeschi, Italiani, Spagnoli, ed Inglesi p. 399

Epitetti, delle città più principali d’Italia p. 402

A collection of Italian proverbs p. 404

A short introduction to the Italian poetry p. 410

A collection of beautiful expressions in the most famous Italian poets p. 418

A collection of inscriptions of Italian letters p. 433

Of titles and honourable appellations used in Italian letters p. 435

Different forms of concluding letters p. 445

Lettere mercantili p. 447

The Italian and English, and English and Italian dictionaries p. 463