8B Protests

NEWS FLASH!

SCHOOLS TO OPEN SUNDAYS



Language corner and cultural notes: demonstrations, protests, strikes, etc.

• A demonstration (abbreviation: demo) is a meeting, usually outside in the street, attended by people who want to make their feelings about something known. If they strongly disagree with something, eg a new road, a building plan, etc. the demo can be a protest. 
• You hold a demonstration or stage a demonstration or go on a demonstration. People who demonstrate are demonstrators or protestors.
• At demos people often march (ie walk together), hold banners (large cloth with hand-written or printed messages), call out slogans (short memorable words to summarize a view), etc. Protestors often have demands (things they want to be done or not done) and issue statements ( text saying things they want to be done or not done).
• Be careful with word stress: pro'test (n.) vs protest' (v.)
• Collocations: a protest march, a protest song; a mass demonstration (by a lot of people).
• A strike is when people stop work in order to demand higher pay, better conditions or to protest about some other issue. In more formal language a strike is called industrial action.
• Other protest vocabulary is:
• A sit-in: a demonstration where people occupy a place (eg university offices) and refuse to move.
• A hunger strike: when a prisoner or other person refuses to eat food.
• A request or statement signed by hundreds or thousands of people is a petition.
• Picketing: form of protesting in which picketers gather around a place or location where an event is taking place and attempt to dissuade others from going in ("crossing the picket line"). 

ACTIVITY

Can you find three different protests/demonstrations, etc. anywhere in the world in the last three months? Please note a) the location; b) who is protesting; c) what they're protesting about and d) what they want to happen.

Grammar corner: Conditionals

a) If you want further information, examples and practice check out the following link:
Conditionals (0, 1st, 2nd, 3rd)
b) The links below provides a short exercise on 1st and 2nd conditionals: 
     b.1) First or second conditional?
        b.2) Further practice

Limericks

THE JOURNALIST

A journalist said, 'If I could

I'd love to write something that's good

But my best-written news

Make the readers all snooze.

I'm so terribly misunderstood!'

THE AUSTRALIAN

An Aussie who lived in Peru

Was homesick and went to the zoo.

He complained, 'It's no good.

I was hoping you would 

Have a gesnuine OZ kangaroo.'

THE PRESIDENT

There once was a President who

Said 'I really don't know what to do.

I think that I should

Do whatever is good

But - can anyone give me a clue?'