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.

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.

TEN FACTS ABOUT 2014

TEN FACTS ABOUT 2014

1.  2014 sees the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, or Great War. Official commemorations will be held in many countries.

2.  In Wales, the centenary of the birth of the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas  [27th October 1914 - 9th November 1953] will be celebrated.

Statue of Dylan Thomas
in his hometown of Swansea

3.  On 1st January 2014 Latvia adopted the euro and became the 18th eurozone country.

4.  The Winter Olympics will be held in Sochi, Russia from 7th - 23rd February 2014.

5.  The FIFA World Cup will be held from 12th June - 13th July 2014 in Brazil.

6.  The Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow, Scotland from 23rd July - 3rd August 2014.  This will be the largest multi-sport event ever held in Scotland.

7.  On 18th September 2014 a referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom will be held in Scotland.

8.  The United Nations has designated 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming and of Crystallography.

9. The 25th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall [1989] is on 9th November 2014.

10. The 300th anniversary of the accession of the House of Hanover to the British throne is on 1st August 2014.

King George III of the United Kingdom
by Allan Ramsay

BABY IDIOMS

Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the birth of their son, His Royal Highness, Prince of Cambridge. The baby is third in the line of succession to the British throne, after his grandfather, Prince Charles, and father, Prince William [the Duke of Cambridge].

As everybody's thinking of babies this week, here are some baby idioms [1 - 6] for you to match up with their meanings [a - f].  You can see the answers at the end of the quiz:;

1.  as soft as a baby's bottom

2.  leave someone holding the baby

3.  sleep like a baby

4.  a baby boomer

5.  throw the baby out with the bathwater

6.  wet the baby's head

Image: WP Clipart

a.   Someone born between 1945 and 1965, the Postwar Era when a lot of babies were born.

b.  to discard something useful with something useless

c.  to sleep very well

d.  very smooth to touch

e.  [In British English]:  to celebrate the arrival of a baby by drinking alcohol [usually quite a lot!]

f.  To let someone else take the blame for a problem you have caused or for something you have done wrong.

To see the answers, please highlight the space below:

1. d  2. f  3. c  4.a  5. b  6. e

BONE IDIOMS

Richard lll

With no offence intended to England's last Plantagenet king, Richard lll, whose skeleton, it has been confirmed, was found under a Leicester car park, here are some bone idioms for you to match with their meanings:

1.  bone dry

2.  to make no bones about it

3.  to be all skin and bone

4.  to be bone idle

5.  to bone up on something

6.  to have a bone to pick with someone

7.  [to say something that is] close to the bone

8.  to be like a dog with a bone

a.  to stubbornly refuse to stop talking about something

b.  to study or revise [ripassare] something quickly, possibly for a test

c.  to say something that hurts or offends someone because the person is particularly sensitive about it

d.  to be absolutely clear and insistent about what you think

e.  to need to speak to someone about something they have done which has made you angry

f.  not wet at all

g.  to be very thin

h.  to be very lazy

To see the answers, highlight the space below:

1f, 2d, 3g, 4h, 5b, 6e, 7c, 8a.

REMEMBER, REMEMBER.....

Guy Fawkes

The 5th November is not a holiday in the UK but it is the day of an important celebration known as Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire Night.

In 1605 a man called Guy Fawkes and other conspirators tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament by placing gunpowder in the cellars. The plot was discovered in time and Guy Fawkes and the other conspirators were tried and put to death.

On Bonfire Night we light bonfires and we have fireworks. We make an effigy of Guy Fawkes and put it on the top of our bonfire to be burned. In the past, in the days leading up to Bonfire Night, children used to display their guy [effigy] in the street and ask people for “a penny for the guy.” This tradition is not practised much now, as people think it is begging and they don’t want the children to try to buy fireworks with the money. [In the UK you are not allowed to buy fireworks if you are under 18.]

It is very cold in the UK in November so when we go outside to watch the fireworks and the bonfires we wrap up warmly and we eat hot food like jacket potatoes, sausages, pumpkin soup, toffee apples and a cake called ginger parkin.

To this day, the Yeomen of the Guard or Beefeaters [soldiers who form the Queen's bodyguard] search the cellars of the Houses of Parliament before the State Opening of Parliament every year in November.

All children learn this rhyme:

Remember, remember the fifth of November,

gunpowder, treason and plot,

I see no reason

why gunpowder treason

should ever be forgot.

Vocabulary

blow up = destroy by explosion

gunpowder = powder which can cause an explosion

cellar = storage space under a building

plot = conspiracy

tried = to have your case heard in a court of law

put to death = executed

bonfire = a big, outdoor fire

days leading up to = the days before

beg = to ask for money in the street

wrap up warmly = to wear warm clothing

search = to try to find something

treason = a plot against the king or queen

FROM MY POSTCARD ALBUM

Royal family on balcony of Buckingham Palace after Coronation of King George VI, 12th May 1937.
Front row, left to right:  Queen Elizabeth, Queen Consort of King George VI [ later known as
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother], Princess Elizabeth [later Queen Elizabeth II], Princess Margaret
and King George VI.

Wishing all friends of this blog a happy Jubilee weekend,

 wherever you are.

QUIZ: WHICH QUEEN?

On the eve of the Jubilee weekend in the UK, here is a quiz to test your knowledge of queens.  Not all the queens in this quiz were real or were people!  You'll find the answers at the end of the quiz.

1.  Which queen reigned for 63 years and seven months?

2.  Which queen was able to carry 1,957 people?

3.  Which queen reigned for only nine days?

4.  Which queen's favourite phrase was "Off with their heads"?

5.  Which queen led a major uprising against the Romans and, with her warriors, defeated the Roman Ninth Legion?

6.  Which queen was known throughout Europe as Gloriana?

7.  Which queen was locked out of Westminster Abbey on the day of her husband's coronation?

8.  Which queen was executed at Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire on 8th February 1587?

9.  Which queen lived to the age of 101?

10. Which queen is thought to have been instrumental in causing the Wars of the Roses?

The Red Rose of Lancaster

The White Rose of York

Highlight the space below for answers:

1. Queen Victoria  2. RMS Queen Mary, a ship  3. Lady Jane Grey  4. The Queen of Hearts in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll  5. Queen Boudica [Boudicca / Boadicea]  6. Queen Elizabeth I  7. Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Queen Consort of King George IV  8. Mary, Queen of Scots  9. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Queen Consort of King George VI and mother of Queen Elizabeth II  10. Margaret of Anjou, Queen Consort of King Henry VI.