CONGRATULATIONS, YOUR MAJESTY

Today Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II becomes the longest-reigning monarch in British history. Previously, the record was held by her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria [1819 - 1901].

At London Town, Modica - Centro Linguistico Internazionale we've got cake to celebrate!

Here are some similarities and differences between Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Victoria:

1.  They were both very young when they came to the throne.  Queen Victoria was 18 and Queen Elizabeth II was 25.

2.  Queen Victoria was very much in love with her husband, Prince Albert and Queen Elizabeth II remains very much in love with her husband, Prince Philip.

3.  Queen Victoria had a lonely childhood and her mother was strict. Queen Elizabeth II and her sister, Princess Margaret, had a very happy childhood.

4.  Queen Victoria's only job was being Queen! Queen Elizabeth II, as Princess Elizabeth, served in the ATS [the then women's branch of the British Army] during World War II.

5.  Queen Victoria had nine children and Queen Elizabeth II has four.

6.  Both queens were educated at home.

7.  Both queens survived assassination attempts.

Queen Victoria

8.  Queen Victoria's reign saw the Industrial Revolution in Britain;  Queen Elizabeth's reign has seen the Technological and Digital Revolutions.

9.  During Queen Victoria's reign, the British Empire expanded. The reign of Queen Elizabeth II has seen its end but many of Britain's former colonies are now members of the Commonwealth of Nations.

10.  Queen Victoria only travelled in Europe and often these were private visits. Queen Elizabath II, however, has visited 126 countries, 116 of these on official trips.

11. Queen Victoria loved, and Queen Elizabeth II continues to love, Scotland.

12. Both queens celebrated diamond jubilees, Queen Victoria in 1897 and Queen Elizabeth II in 2012.

A DOGGY STORY

Some of you may be surprised to know that the talent show Britain's Got Talent was won, this year, not by a singer or rock group but by a dog and his trainer. If you watch the video of the winning performance, however, I think you'll see why!

Here is an exercise based on the story told in that performance.  Complete the text with the words listed underneath it. You will find the answers at the bottom of the page:

A DOGGY STORY

One day, a dog ______ some ______ from a ______ shop.  A policewoman ______ him.  She ______  him and ______ him to the police station but the dog ______ .  Then the dog ______  with a traffic cone and hid* in a ______ .  The dog _____ the _______  to the policewoman and called his ______ , a dog with three ______ .  The sausages were a ______ for his friend!  Now the policewoman ______ the dog.

searched

loves 

sausages [x2] 

legs 

gave

friend 

butcher’s  

saw

bin** 

escaped 

gift

took

stole

played

* hid - past simple of hide = nascondersi

** bin = contenitore per rifiuti

Click the space below to see the answers:

stole, sausages, butcher's, saw, searched, escaped, played, bin, gave, sausages, friend, legs, gift, loves.

A KING'S REBURIAL

This is a simplified version of the story of King Richard III of England. Can you put the verbs [in brackets] into the past simple tense? Answers are at the end of the post.

King Richard III

King Richard III [be] an English king who [live] from 1452 – 1485. He [become] King on 26^th June 1483.

The white rose of York

Richard [be] a brave soldier and he [take] part in the Wars of the Roses.  These [be] battles for the throne of England between the House of York, which [use] the white rose as its symbol and the House of Lancaster, which [have] the red rose as its symbol.  Richard [belong] to the House of York.

The red rose of Lancaster

Henry Tudor [defeat] Richard at the Battle of Bosworth and Richard [die]. He [be] the last king of England to die in battle.  Henry Tudor then [take] the throne as King Henry VII.

King Henry VII

William Shakespeare [write] a play about Richard III and [portray] him as an ugly, deformed and evil man who [kill] his own nephews to obtain the throne. But Shakespeare [write] for the court of Queen Elizabeth I, a Tudor, so this representation of Richard may not be true.

Willian Shakespeare 

In 2012 archaeologists [find] Richard's skeleton under a car park in Leicester. Scientists at the University of Leicester [test] the DNA and [match] it to the DNA of two of Richard’s descendants.They [confirm] that the body was Richard’s.

On Sunday 22^nd March 2015 a procession [carry] Richard’s remains from the University of Leicester past Bosworth Field to Leicester Cathedral.  People [throw] white roses on the coffin.  Richard [receive] the burial of an English king in Leicester Cathedral on 26th March 2015,  530 years after his death.

The Queen [not attend] the funeral service.   She [send] Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

Highlight the space below to see the correct past simple tense forms:

was, lived, became, was, took, were, used, had, belonged, defeated, died, was, took, wrote, portrayed, killed, wrote, found, tested, matched, confirmed, carried, threw, received, did not / didn't attend, sent.

NEW CHRISTMAS BOOKLET - NUOVO LIBRETTO PER NATALE

We have a new Christmas booklet at London Town, Modica - Centro Linguistico Internazionale. It contains Christmas vocabulary, information about British Christmas and New Year traditions, a puzzle and a Christmas quiz:

Nel libretto troverete: un vocabolario natilizio inglese, informazioni sulle tradizioni natilizie britanniche, un gioco di parole nascoste e un quiz.  Chi s'iscrive avrà il libretto!

THE SCOTTISH REFERENDUM EXPLAINED IN 11 POINTS

The Scottish Independence Referendum

The Saltire

1.  What is it?

A referendum to decide whether Scotland will become an independent nation.

2.  When is it?

On Thursday, 18th September 2014.

3.  What will be the question in the referendum?

"Should Scotland be an independent country?"

People will have to vote "Yes" or "No".

4.  Why is there going to be a referendum?

Scotland has been in a parliamentary Union with England since 1707 but, although the country also has a devolved Parliament, many Scots think that Scotland should be able to make all its own decisions and control all its own wealth.

5.  Who can vote?

People aged 16 or over who live in Scotland and are British, EU or Commonwealth citizens with permission to remain in the UK. Therefore Scots who live in other parts of the UK cannot vote. Members of the UK armed forces and UK government personnel serving overseas and who are normally registered to vote in Scotland can also vote in the referendum but other Scots living abroad cannot.

6.  What will happen if the result is "Yes"?

There will be a timetable for independence.  Scottish Independence Day has been scheduled for 24th March 2016.

7.  What will happen if the result is "No"?

Scotland will remain part of the UK but the British government has promised to quickly grant more powers to the Scottish Parliament [greater devolution or "devo-max"].

8.  If the result is "Yes", will Scotland still have the Queen?

Alex Salmond, the First Minister of Scotland, has indicated that he would like the Queen to remain as head of state. Her title in Scotland may be changed to "Elizabeth, Queen of Scots".  But there may be another referendum at a later date to decide about the monarchy.

9.  If the result is "Yes", will Scotland still be in the EU?

Almost certainly yes, but Scotland will have to reapply for membership as an independent nation.

10.  If the result is "Yes", what will happen to the Union Jack [the UK flag]?

The Union Jack is made up of the Scottish Saltire [sometimes known as the cross of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland], the cross of St. George [the patron saint of England] and the Irish Saltire or cross of St Patrick [the patron saint of Ireland], so the flag will have to change if there is a"Yes" vote. We don't know in what way it would change.

11.  Who will win?

We don't know!

Update

On 18th September 2014 the people of Scotland voted "No" to independence.

NEW ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS FOR FOREIGN DOCTORS IN UK

From 25th June 2014 medical doctors from the EEA and Switzerland will have to prove that they have the necessary English language skills to be able to practise professionally in the UK. The GMC [General Medical Council] will have the right to ask the doctors to take an English language test.

Dal 25 giugno 2014 i medici  provenienti dalla AEE e la Svizzera e desiderosi di praticare la loro professione nel Regno Unito dovranno dimostrare che hanno le competenze necessarie nell'uso della lingua inglese. Il General Medical Council della Gran Bretagna potrebbe chiedere ai dottori di sostenere un esame di inglese.

In Sicilia, vi possiamo aiutare da London Town Modica - Centro Linguistico Internazionale.

From 18th June 2014 medical doctors from outside the EEA and Switzerland will have to take an English language test and pass both parts of the PLAB [Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board] test. This consists of a language test and a medical skills test. It is possible that the pass mark for these tests will be raised. In order to register with the GMC and be granted a licence to practise in the UK, doctors from outside the EEA and Switzerland will have to gain an overall score of 7.5 in the IELTS exam. [Exceptions may be made in certain circumstsnces, for example if the doctor attended an institution where the language of instruction was English.]

You can find more information here and here.

In Sicily,we can help doctors to improve their English language skills at London Town Modica - Centro Linguistico Internazionale.

WHICH WORD DO YOU PREFER?

Image: WP Clipart

Did you know that autumn is often called fall in American English?  This is probably because the leaves fall from the trees in autumn.  Which word do you prefer?

When writing English, remember that days and months are written with a capital first letter but seasons are not [unless they come at the beginning of a sentence or are part of a title]:

Monday; Tuesday; October; November; autumn; fall; summer.

James Taylor - You've got a Friend

Cheryl Wheeler - When Fall Comes to New England

KATE AND WILL QUIZ

Kate and William have been in the news a lot recently [sometimes in ways they would not have chosen].  Take the quiz to see how much you know about them and learn some new vocabulary as well! You'll find the answers at the end of the quiz.

KATE AND WILL QUIZ

1.  Kate's maiden name is - - - - - - - - - .

2.  Kate's sister's name is - - - - - .

3.  William and Kate are the Duke and Duchess of - - - - - - - - - .

4.  William is also known as Prince William of - - - - - .

5.  William's father is the - - - - to the throne.

6.  William and Kate got married in Westminster - - - - - .

7.  William is first / second / third in line to the throne.

8.  The emblems on Kate's wedding dress included the thistle for Scotland, the daffodil for Wales, the rose for England and the shamrock for Northern Ireland.  They were made of - - - - .

9.  The Queen is William's - - - - - - - - - - - .

10. William is a search and rescue - - - - - for the RAF.

11. William and Kate live on the Island of - - - - - - - - in Wales.

12. Kate has to look good at all times so she always travels with her - - - - - - - - - - - .

13.  William and Kate sometimes represent the Queen on royal - - - - - .

14. William and Kate met at St Andrews University in - - - - - - - - .

15. Before William and Kate's engagement was announced, Kate's nickname was
 "- - - - - - Katie" because she had been so patient with William!

To see the answers, highlight the space below:

1. Middleton 2. Pippa 3. Cambridge 4. heir 5. Wales 6. Abbey 7. second 8. lace 9. grandmother 10. pilot 11. Anglesey 12. hairdresser 13. tours 14. Scotland 15. Waitey

BACK TO SCHOOL WORDSEARCH

Hogwarts School crest
Image: Wikipedia

In Britain, the new school year started at the beginning of September but here in Sicily the summer is longer and pupils went back to school last Friday.  In Italy, the school year has two terms, whereas in Britain we have three.

Pupils in most secondary schools and some primary schools in Britain wear a uniform and they may have the school crest or badge on their jumper, sweatshirt or blazer. Pupils usually have a school lunch or take a packed lunch to school with them. The school day in Britain finishes between 3 and 4 pm.

In British state schools the school is responsible for providing textbooks and exercise books.  Textbooks are  increasingly available in digital versions.

See if you can find the hidden words in our BACK TO SCHOOL wordsearch:

S K H N B S S K P T Q A Y F T

T H O O M N O E I V J C R E F

E Q A O M O O M S K S E A G M

R M T R B E E S R Q W C I L N

M S B E P T W H S N H M D T R

F H T R A E X O Y E L W C O T

K O B B E A N E R H L H L X U

N G L W C A K E T K P C A O N

R E S A R E K C R E F D S B I

A S S E M B L Y N D U B S H F

V I L O B J U I K P H G R C O

S U S P O R T S W E A R O N R

R T A W K C A P K C A B O U M

K F B M P O O W E W P A M L D

B D K D Y F I C R E S T H W H

ASSEMBLY

BACKPACK

BREAK

CLASSROOM

CREST

DIARY

ERASER

HOMEWORK

LESSON

LUNCHBOX

NOTEBOOK

PEN

RULER

SHARPENER

SPORTSWEAR

TEACHER

TERM

TEXTBOOK

TIMETABLE

UNIFORM

WELCOME TO "ENGLISH MATTERS WITH PAT"!

Caerphilly Castle, Wales, UK

Hello and welcome to this new blog about the English language and the culture of English-speaking countries.

My name is Pat and I come from Cardiff, Wales in the UK. I'm a qualified and experienced teacher of English, French and Italian.  As "Welshcakes Limoncello" I'm the author of Sicily Scene , a blog in English about my life in Sicily.

On this blog I'll be posting about many aspects of the English language. I hope I'll be able to make learning English easier for you and that you'll have some fun along the way!  I'll also tell you about life and culture in English-speaking countries, mostly in Britain as that is the place I know best.

See you here soon!