How do you "shut the lights"? Why Italians speak English the way they do.

I met a guy at school from Toronto who once asked me why Italian kids used to say "shut the lights" and "shut the TV".  I didn't get the question or why he was laughing.  Maybe his family was wealthy and could afford the higher electricity bill? Who knows ...

It turned out he was making fun of me, and Italians.  For a bit of background, I could barely speak English until I was four years old because my mom stayed at home and I was with her.

I grew up in a very Italian and French neighbourhood in Welland, ON, Canada.  You were either French, Italian or lost.  All of our parents speak/spoke English the same way and it didn't hold anybody back.

I have a very good understanding of the grammatical structure of French and Italian .  Those who claim French or Italian as their first language have similar patterns in their English.   For the most part I knew what their English derived from, but actually learning the grammar puts it all into better view.