Intermediate Quiz 1
, Intermediate Quiz 1
Thursday 24th of october 2024
General knowledge, tenses, adjectives, adverbs,... Blackboard&online
Academic English: common errors In this doc
Vocabulary: legal English, British society, company law Quizlet
Reported Speech In this doc
Political and Legal landscape UK In this doc
Decline and legacy British Empire In this doc
Conditionals In this doc
The eighties In this doc
,Common errors in English
1. Assure – ensure – insure
Assure: To remove doubt or to give confidence to someone
Ensure: To make certain that something will happen or be the case
Insure: To protect against risk, usually through financial means, such as an insurance
policy.
2. To-infinitive or -ing form
To-infinitive: used after certain verbs adjectives and nouns, to express purpose,
Ing form: used when its the subject of object of the sentence, after certain verbs,
after prepositions,
3. Remember, remind, recall
4. As/like
As: to indicate the role or function of something or someone, to compare actions
that are done in the same way (she sings as my mother)
Like: to show resemblance between things, compares nouns or pronouns
5. Especially or specially
Especially: used to single something out as more important or more significant
Specially: refers to something done for a particular purpose, emphasizes uniqueness
6. Nouns and verbs ending in -ice
standard for a noun, in American English also for a verb form but in British English
the verb form is spelled with -ise
7. Compare to / with
Compared to: highlighting similarities
Compared with: examining similarities and differences
8. Used to / Usually / To be used to
,Reported Speech
Direct speech = what someone actually says (“I’ll call you!”)
Reported speech = report what someone said (He said he would call me.)
Reported speech: Changes to the sentence
Tense: “I am making cupcakes.”
“She said she was making cupcakes.”
-> General rule: move back one tense
! Some modals turn into another modal or don’t change at all: would, could, should, might
Pronouns: “We’ll phone later!”
“They said they would phone later!”
Possessive pronouns: “I gave her my book.”
“He said he gave her his book.”
Time & Place: “I went there yesterday.”
“She said she had been there the day before / on Monday / the 17th”
Reported speech: Questions
When did she finish her tasks? -> He asked when she had finished her tasks.
Do you like peanut butter? -> He asked me if I liked peanut butter.
Reported speech: Orders
Sit down! -> He told me to sit down.
Will you sit down, please? -> He asked me if I would sit down.
,Political and legal landscape UK
Wales, England, Scotland = Great Britain
Great Britain, Northern Ireland = United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland = Ireland
-> important with the current politically volatile situation, because of Brexit and the border
between Northern Ireland, and the renewed calls for Scottish Independence, even though
there was a referendum that just happened in 2016
1973: The UK entered the European Union but did not sign the Schengen Agreement of
1985, and therefore does not implement Schengen rules involving the elimination of
border controls with other Schengen members.
2016: A referendum was held in which 51.89 percent of the vote was in favor of Brexit,
which led to the government of the UK triggering Article 50 in March 2017
31 January 2020: the UK finally left the EU, officially and completely, after an extended
period of negotiations
Political System: The UK is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. The
monarch is symbolic, and the power to legislate resides with Parliament. The parliament
exists of the government department and civil service and have unlimited say on how it is
ruled.
Devolution: Some political powers (e.g., education, health) are devolved to the Scottish
Parliament, Welsh Assembly, and Northern Ireland Assembly.
Main Political Parties:
(for the past 150 years just two parties but now more are uprising as a result of the shifting
political landscape)
1. Labour Party:
-> Centre to center-left; emphasizes social justice, equality, state ownership over
industries and accessible healthcare.
-> Historically linked to trade unions and the working class.
-> Shifted economically to the center under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, but
moved left under Jeremy Corbyn.
-> Had one of its greatest successes in the 2024 election under PM Keir
Starmer.
2. Conservative Party (Tories):
-> Right-of-center, pro-free market, privatization, personal freedom and anti-Europe.
-> Appeals to business interests, middle/upper classes, and skilled workers.
-> Experienced a major defeat in the 2024 election.
3. Liberal Democrats (LibDems):
-> Centrist to centre-left; pro-Europe.
-> Focus on local government, constitutional reform, and civil liberties.
-> Made significant gains in the 2024 election, especially among young voters.
, 4. Scottish National Party (SNP):
-> left/center
-> Majority in the Scottish Parliament.
-> Advocates for an independent Scotland within the EU and has gained
popularity post-Brexit.
5. Reform UK:
-> Populist, right-wing, anti-Europe, and anti-immigration.
-> Formerly the Brexit Party.
-> Gained 14.3% of the vote in the 2024 election, but secured only 5
seats.
6. Sinn Féin:
-> Left-wing Irish republican party; largest in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
-> Its leader, Michelle O’Neill, became the first Irish nationalist First Minister
of Northern Ireland in 2024.
7. Democratic Unionist Party (DUP):
-> Right-wing, socially conservative, and Eurosceptic.
-> Opposes Irish nationalism, same-sex marriage, and abortion.
Parliament:
1. House of Commons: 650 elected MPs. The Speaker of the House (elected by MP’s)
presides over debates.
-> The debates can begin in two ways, with a Green Card (to debate a policy without
committing any specific action) or a White Card (a more authoritative report, is seen
as a statement of government policy)
2. House of Lords: 783 peers, reviews and amends bills from the Commons but cannot
veto them.
Legislation: Laws are passed through bills, which, once approved by the house of
lords, become Acts of Parliament. It is then sent to the monarch for royal assent.
Another synonym for a law is a statue.
The Prime Minister (PM) appoints about 20 members to their cabinet. They include the
chancellor of the exchequer, who is in charge of financial matters and the economy, the
foreign secretary, and the home secretary.
Elections:
-> The UK uses the First Past the Post system, where the candidate with the most votes in
each constituency wins.
Separation of powers:
Parliament, legislative branch, judicial independence
Judiciary:
,-> Judicial independence ensures the courts interpret laws without interference from
Parliament, but Acts of Parliament override common law.
Voting system:
On election day, voters receive a ballot paper with a list of candidates. As only one MP will
represent the area, each party has only one candidate to choose from.
Voters put a cross next to their favorite candidate. But if they think their favorite has a low
chance of winning, they may put a cross next to one they like with a better chance of
winning.
As there is only one candidate from each party, voters who support that party but don’t like
their candidate have to either vote for a party they don’t support or a candidate they don’t
like.
=> Two large parties, single party governments, swing seats and safe seats
Disadvantages:
- Low overall support
- Penalises dispersed parties
- Lost votes
Advantages:
- Quick to count
- Single-party governments
Redistribution
-> Change electoral districts to prevent malapportionment
-> Every 10 years in U.S. & Every 5 years in U.K.
-> U.S. 435 electoral districts & U.K.: 650 constituencies
Politicians:
Keir Starmer, became leader of the Labour Party after the leadership election in
Labour Party April 2020, after Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader failed in four
subsequent elections. Sir Keir has unified the party by retaining a
tax-and-spend agenda. He also represents a break with the past.
There is no resonant phrase, or signature policy, that one can decode
to understand the incipient Starmer project. This makes it hard to
define what Sir Keir stands for politically. But it is clear what he is
not: a populist.
,Corbyn, Old Labour has two wings, as it says in your syllabus as well. There is Old
Labour Party Labour, which Corbyn represents strongly tied to the unions.
Tony Blair, And there are the Blairites which have severed ties with the unions,
Blairites and are very much advocating a centrist position. Tony Blair, still the
(Labour most influential Labour MP in recent history. Though a very
Party) controversial figure.
Rishi Sunak, Was prime minister for two years
Conservative
Party
Theresa May She was the prime minister, her economic policies have defined
(Iron Lady), modern Britain, she oversaw the Falkland War
Conservative
Party
Ed Davey, Ed Davey is the leader of the Liberal Democrats in the UK, having
Liberal taken over in 2020. Under his leadership, the party has focused on
democrat progressive policies, especially regarding climate change and social
justice, and made significant gains in the 2024 election, positioning
the LibDems as a strong alternative to the two major parties. Davey’s
leadership has been pivotal in appealing to younger, pro-European
voters and advocating for electoral reform.
John The Prime minister of Scotland played a key role in advancing the
Swinney, party’s push for Scottish independence (Stay campaign) the SNP has
Scottish clear policies on all of these topics, making them quite a unique
National party, even in the entire European context.
Party
,Nigel Farage, Farage was a key figurehead in the Brexit campaign of 2016, which,
Reform UK with 52 per cent of the vote, won.
Michelle First Minister of Northern Ireland and head of Sinn Fein
O’Neill, Sinn
Fein
Gavin Leader of DUP
Robinson,
DUP
Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer
David Lammy, Foreign Secretary
Yvette Cooper, Home Secretary
, Decline and legacy British Empire
At its height, the British Empire was the largest in history, covering a quarter of the world’s
land and population. It was indeed the empire on which the Sun Never Set. During this
period around 412 million people called themselves British subjects, or between a fifth and
a quarter of the world’s population. However, two world wars, economic decline (before
WW1 UK was the largest creditor nation after the largest debtor nation), and the rise of
independence movements in its colonies led to its collapse, with Britain shifting focus to
domestic welfare (1942 Beveridge Report), notably establishing the NHS. Especially with the
Great Depression, the UK economy was not in a good shape. 1945 Labour wins general
election, led by Clement Attlee. WW2 bankrupted Britain so they needed to shift their focus
domestically and allocated a larger welfare budget and less to their military budget. His
foreign policy included decolonization and the Truman Doctrine (strategy of containment,
urged US to take vigorous role in Cold War, supported the Marshall plan and promoted the
NATO military Alliance)
1951: Churchill and Conservative Party are back, Britain’s position in the world depended on
the Empire, Base at the Suez Canal was vital for that
1952: Nasser takes power in Egypt, Revolutionary government
1953: Agreement British troops withdrawal
1956: Nasser unilaterally nationalizes the Canal, Eden colludes with France to engineer an
Israeli attack on Egypt, To give Britain and France an excuse to intervene militarily
29 October 1956: Israel invades Egypt, To reopen the Straits of Tiran after an eight-year long
Egyptian Blockade, Britain and France issue a joint ultimatum
5 November: Britain and France join the Israelis, Military successful
BUT: Egyptian troops sank 40 ships in the Suez Canal, Leading to the Canal being closed until
March 1957
BUT: Eisenhower was furious, Refused to back the invasion, Used financial leverage to
pressure for withdrawal
After British withdrawal, PM Anthony Eden resigns,
Publicly exposed Britain’s limitations to the world, Confirmed British decline on the World
Stage, Could no longer act without US support or approval, One MP ‘Britain’s Waterloo’,
Wounded national pride, International humiliation for the British and French
Ended Britain’s role as a major power, Especially in the new Cold War era
The Suez Crisis in 1956 marked the final blow to Britain’s imperial ambitions, and by the
1960s, decolonization was widely accepted.
The Commonwealth emerged as a voluntary association of former British colonies, focusing
on shared values like democracy and development, but it is distinct from the Empire.
Britain’s focus shifted to Europe after joining the EU in 1973, though Brexit rekindled
, Intermediate Quiz 1
Thursday 24th of october 2024
General knowledge, tenses, adjectives, adverbs,... Blackboard&online
Academic English: common errors In this doc
Vocabulary: legal English, British society, company law Quizlet
Reported Speech In this doc
Political and Legal landscape UK In this doc
Decline and legacy British Empire In this doc
Conditionals In this doc
The eighties In this doc
,Common errors in English
1. Assure – ensure – insure
Assure: To remove doubt or to give confidence to someone
Ensure: To make certain that something will happen or be the case
Insure: To protect against risk, usually through financial means, such as an insurance
policy.
2. To-infinitive or -ing form
To-infinitive: used after certain verbs adjectives and nouns, to express purpose,
Ing form: used when its the subject of object of the sentence, after certain verbs,
after prepositions,
3. Remember, remind, recall
4. As/like
As: to indicate the role or function of something or someone, to compare actions
that are done in the same way (she sings as my mother)
Like: to show resemblance between things, compares nouns or pronouns
5. Especially or specially
Especially: used to single something out as more important or more significant
Specially: refers to something done for a particular purpose, emphasizes uniqueness
6. Nouns and verbs ending in -ice
standard for a noun, in American English also for a verb form but in British English
the verb form is spelled with -ise
7. Compare to / with
Compared to: highlighting similarities
Compared with: examining similarities and differences
8. Used to / Usually / To be used to
,Reported Speech
Direct speech = what someone actually says (“I’ll call you!”)
Reported speech = report what someone said (He said he would call me.)
Reported speech: Changes to the sentence
Tense: “I am making cupcakes.”
“She said she was making cupcakes.”
-> General rule: move back one tense
! Some modals turn into another modal or don’t change at all: would, could, should, might
Pronouns: “We’ll phone later!”
“They said they would phone later!”
Possessive pronouns: “I gave her my book.”
“He said he gave her his book.”
Time & Place: “I went there yesterday.”
“She said she had been there the day before / on Monday / the 17th”
Reported speech: Questions
When did she finish her tasks? -> He asked when she had finished her tasks.
Do you like peanut butter? -> He asked me if I liked peanut butter.
Reported speech: Orders
Sit down! -> He told me to sit down.
Will you sit down, please? -> He asked me if I would sit down.
,Political and legal landscape UK
Wales, England, Scotland = Great Britain
Great Britain, Northern Ireland = United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland = Ireland
-> important with the current politically volatile situation, because of Brexit and the border
between Northern Ireland, and the renewed calls for Scottish Independence, even though
there was a referendum that just happened in 2016
1973: The UK entered the European Union but did not sign the Schengen Agreement of
1985, and therefore does not implement Schengen rules involving the elimination of
border controls with other Schengen members.
2016: A referendum was held in which 51.89 percent of the vote was in favor of Brexit,
which led to the government of the UK triggering Article 50 in March 2017
31 January 2020: the UK finally left the EU, officially and completely, after an extended
period of negotiations
Political System: The UK is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. The
monarch is symbolic, and the power to legislate resides with Parliament. The parliament
exists of the government department and civil service and have unlimited say on how it is
ruled.
Devolution: Some political powers (e.g., education, health) are devolved to the Scottish
Parliament, Welsh Assembly, and Northern Ireland Assembly.
Main Political Parties:
(for the past 150 years just two parties but now more are uprising as a result of the shifting
political landscape)
1. Labour Party:
-> Centre to center-left; emphasizes social justice, equality, state ownership over
industries and accessible healthcare.
-> Historically linked to trade unions and the working class.
-> Shifted economically to the center under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, but
moved left under Jeremy Corbyn.
-> Had one of its greatest successes in the 2024 election under PM Keir
Starmer.
2. Conservative Party (Tories):
-> Right-of-center, pro-free market, privatization, personal freedom and anti-Europe.
-> Appeals to business interests, middle/upper classes, and skilled workers.
-> Experienced a major defeat in the 2024 election.
3. Liberal Democrats (LibDems):
-> Centrist to centre-left; pro-Europe.
-> Focus on local government, constitutional reform, and civil liberties.
-> Made significant gains in the 2024 election, especially among young voters.
, 4. Scottish National Party (SNP):
-> left/center
-> Majority in the Scottish Parliament.
-> Advocates for an independent Scotland within the EU and has gained
popularity post-Brexit.
5. Reform UK:
-> Populist, right-wing, anti-Europe, and anti-immigration.
-> Formerly the Brexit Party.
-> Gained 14.3% of the vote in the 2024 election, but secured only 5
seats.
6. Sinn Féin:
-> Left-wing Irish republican party; largest in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
-> Its leader, Michelle O’Neill, became the first Irish nationalist First Minister
of Northern Ireland in 2024.
7. Democratic Unionist Party (DUP):
-> Right-wing, socially conservative, and Eurosceptic.
-> Opposes Irish nationalism, same-sex marriage, and abortion.
Parliament:
1. House of Commons: 650 elected MPs. The Speaker of the House (elected by MP’s)
presides over debates.
-> The debates can begin in two ways, with a Green Card (to debate a policy without
committing any specific action) or a White Card (a more authoritative report, is seen
as a statement of government policy)
2. House of Lords: 783 peers, reviews and amends bills from the Commons but cannot
veto them.
Legislation: Laws are passed through bills, which, once approved by the house of
lords, become Acts of Parliament. It is then sent to the monarch for royal assent.
Another synonym for a law is a statue.
The Prime Minister (PM) appoints about 20 members to their cabinet. They include the
chancellor of the exchequer, who is in charge of financial matters and the economy, the
foreign secretary, and the home secretary.
Elections:
-> The UK uses the First Past the Post system, where the candidate with the most votes in
each constituency wins.
Separation of powers:
Parliament, legislative branch, judicial independence
Judiciary:
,-> Judicial independence ensures the courts interpret laws without interference from
Parliament, but Acts of Parliament override common law.
Voting system:
On election day, voters receive a ballot paper with a list of candidates. As only one MP will
represent the area, each party has only one candidate to choose from.
Voters put a cross next to their favorite candidate. But if they think their favorite has a low
chance of winning, they may put a cross next to one they like with a better chance of
winning.
As there is only one candidate from each party, voters who support that party but don’t like
their candidate have to either vote for a party they don’t support or a candidate they don’t
like.
=> Two large parties, single party governments, swing seats and safe seats
Disadvantages:
- Low overall support
- Penalises dispersed parties
- Lost votes
Advantages:
- Quick to count
- Single-party governments
Redistribution
-> Change electoral districts to prevent malapportionment
-> Every 10 years in U.S. & Every 5 years in U.K.
-> U.S. 435 electoral districts & U.K.: 650 constituencies
Politicians:
Keir Starmer, became leader of the Labour Party after the leadership election in
Labour Party April 2020, after Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader failed in four
subsequent elections. Sir Keir has unified the party by retaining a
tax-and-spend agenda. He also represents a break with the past.
There is no resonant phrase, or signature policy, that one can decode
to understand the incipient Starmer project. This makes it hard to
define what Sir Keir stands for politically. But it is clear what he is
not: a populist.
,Corbyn, Old Labour has two wings, as it says in your syllabus as well. There is Old
Labour Party Labour, which Corbyn represents strongly tied to the unions.
Tony Blair, And there are the Blairites which have severed ties with the unions,
Blairites and are very much advocating a centrist position. Tony Blair, still the
(Labour most influential Labour MP in recent history. Though a very
Party) controversial figure.
Rishi Sunak, Was prime minister for two years
Conservative
Party
Theresa May She was the prime minister, her economic policies have defined
(Iron Lady), modern Britain, she oversaw the Falkland War
Conservative
Party
Ed Davey, Ed Davey is the leader of the Liberal Democrats in the UK, having
Liberal taken over in 2020. Under his leadership, the party has focused on
democrat progressive policies, especially regarding climate change and social
justice, and made significant gains in the 2024 election, positioning
the LibDems as a strong alternative to the two major parties. Davey’s
leadership has been pivotal in appealing to younger, pro-European
voters and advocating for electoral reform.
John The Prime minister of Scotland played a key role in advancing the
Swinney, party’s push for Scottish independence (Stay campaign) the SNP has
Scottish clear policies on all of these topics, making them quite a unique
National party, even in the entire European context.
Party
,Nigel Farage, Farage was a key figurehead in the Brexit campaign of 2016, which,
Reform UK with 52 per cent of the vote, won.
Michelle First Minister of Northern Ireland and head of Sinn Fein
O’Neill, Sinn
Fein
Gavin Leader of DUP
Robinson,
DUP
Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer
David Lammy, Foreign Secretary
Yvette Cooper, Home Secretary
, Decline and legacy British Empire
At its height, the British Empire was the largest in history, covering a quarter of the world’s
land and population. It was indeed the empire on which the Sun Never Set. During this
period around 412 million people called themselves British subjects, or between a fifth and
a quarter of the world’s population. However, two world wars, economic decline (before
WW1 UK was the largest creditor nation after the largest debtor nation), and the rise of
independence movements in its colonies led to its collapse, with Britain shifting focus to
domestic welfare (1942 Beveridge Report), notably establishing the NHS. Especially with the
Great Depression, the UK economy was not in a good shape. 1945 Labour wins general
election, led by Clement Attlee. WW2 bankrupted Britain so they needed to shift their focus
domestically and allocated a larger welfare budget and less to their military budget. His
foreign policy included decolonization and the Truman Doctrine (strategy of containment,
urged US to take vigorous role in Cold War, supported the Marshall plan and promoted the
NATO military Alliance)
1951: Churchill and Conservative Party are back, Britain’s position in the world depended on
the Empire, Base at the Suez Canal was vital for that
1952: Nasser takes power in Egypt, Revolutionary government
1953: Agreement British troops withdrawal
1956: Nasser unilaterally nationalizes the Canal, Eden colludes with France to engineer an
Israeli attack on Egypt, To give Britain and France an excuse to intervene militarily
29 October 1956: Israel invades Egypt, To reopen the Straits of Tiran after an eight-year long
Egyptian Blockade, Britain and France issue a joint ultimatum
5 November: Britain and France join the Israelis, Military successful
BUT: Egyptian troops sank 40 ships in the Suez Canal, Leading to the Canal being closed until
March 1957
BUT: Eisenhower was furious, Refused to back the invasion, Used financial leverage to
pressure for withdrawal
After British withdrawal, PM Anthony Eden resigns,
Publicly exposed Britain’s limitations to the world, Confirmed British decline on the World
Stage, Could no longer act without US support or approval, One MP ‘Britain’s Waterloo’,
Wounded national pride, International humiliation for the British and French
Ended Britain’s role as a major power, Especially in the new Cold War era
The Suez Crisis in 1956 marked the final blow to Britain’s imperial ambitions, and by the
1960s, decolonization was widely accepted.
The Commonwealth emerged as a voluntary association of former British colonies, focusing
on shared values like democracy and development, but it is distinct from the Empire.
Britain’s focus shifted to Europe after joining the EU in 1973, though Brexit rekindled
