ENG_C2.0901R
Winston Churchill
Important People and Celebrities
Reading & Writing
Level C2
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Winston Churchill - Outline
Content
Winston Churchill was the prime minister of England from 1940-45 and again from
1951-55. He is regarded as one of the greatest politicians and wartime leaders of
the 20th century.
Learning Outcomes
• Learn essential vocabulary related to Winston Churchill
• Practice reading comprehension
• Talk about great achievements
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Winston Churchill
When one hears the name Winston Churchill many words
come across one’s mind. Leadership. Greatness. Success.
Overcoming. And a list of others. Winston Churchill was
best known for his leadership of the United Kingdom
during World War II which led his country through nearly
impossible odds and to the doubts of his own citizens.
Without the achievements of Winston Churchill, the
world may be an absolutely different and worse place
than it is today.
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Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill had an upbringing that would be different than
a usual leader might have. He didn’t do very well in school, he had
a poor relationship with his parents (yet a close relationship with
his nanny) and had a speech impediment that affected his
speaking ability especially when giving speeches.
At the age of 19 he began his vast military experience joining the
cavalry and becoming a second-lieutenant. He traveled extensively
throughout his military career and even made some money
writing about the troubles he experienced. He left the army to
become a reporter but was caught in South Africa and sent to a
POW camp which he craftily escaped from.
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Winston Churchill
After some time working on battleships and reporting he rejoined
the British Army and became a Lieutenant-Colonel. He soon got into
politics and even managed to set up Britain’s first minimum wages
Churchill wasn’t always a success
though.
He’d
gone
through
numerous failures like World War I
battle planning, Chancellor of the
Exchequer and especially gaining the
support of doubtful British civilians.
He was also known for quitting and
resigning quite a lot. It’s not always a
bad idea to give up.
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Most Important Achievements
What makes Winston Churchill so well known though were his
leadership qualities during World War II.
When Britain declared war on Germany, Churchill became the
Lord of Admiralty and was made head of all war related
decisions. Shortly thereafter, Neville Chamberlain resigned
from his position of Prime Minister, Churchill took over. A
mountain of responsibility came upon Churchill during the
most intense moment Britain had experienced in centuries.
From this, Churchill tried to gain support from his nation
through his powerful speeches, memorable quotes and
inspiration.
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After the Battle of Britain and the fall of
the Nazis, Churchill was declared a world
hero and considered by many to be the
reason for Hitler’s defeat.
Even though he had just led his country to
victory during war times, he wasn’t
viewed as a good leader during times of
peace and lost the election of 1945. He
then became Prime Minister again six
years later, but alas, resigned once again
shortly thereafter. His legacy remains as
an inspiration of success for not just
Britain, but the world.
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Momorable Winston Churchill Quotes
Churchill gave some inspirational words that still hold their
power to this day.
“Continuous effort—not strength or intelligence—is the key to
unlocking our potential.”
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. An optimist
sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
“It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read a book of
quotations.”
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Vocabulary
1) Admiral
2) Commander
3) Chancellor
4) Impediment
5) Opposition
11)Cabinet
12)Coalition
13) Constitutionalist
14) Conservative
15) Isolation
6) POW
7) Lieutenant
8) Colonel
9) Resignation
10) Modernization
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Vocabulary
Defence
Exile
English Channel
Surrender
Battle
Sustenance
Relations
Conference
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Agreement
Casualties
Allied Forces
NATO
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Achievement Verbs
Resign
Lead
Declare
Influence
Prove
Speech
Serve
Argue
Give
Govern
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Vocabulary
Do you have any questions about the vocabulary you’ve
learned so far?
Occupation
House of Commons
Successor
Finest Hour
Embattled
Motivations
Strategist
Implementation
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Review
Word formation
1. Lead
Leadership
2. Succeed
Success
3. Resign
Resignation
4. Agree
Agreement
Please note the formation of the words above.
Example: “to lead” (verb) --> “leadership” (noun)
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Please note
To talk about events that happened in the past
it’s best to use the past simple
Examples
Churchill started his military career when he was 19
years old.
Churchill resigned many times from various positions
Churchill led Britain to overcome impossible odds.
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Grammar
Compare Past Simple and Past Perfect
Past Simple Simple completed action
Example
Neville Chamberlain resigned in 1940
Churchill then became England’s Prime Minister
Past Perfect Past actions before previous past actions
Example
When Britain had declared war on Germany, Churchill was made
First Lord of the Admiralty.
(War declaration before Lord of Admiralty position)
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Exercises
Writing
Answer the questions below
Which post did Churchill resign from?
a) First Lord of Admiralty
b) Prime Minister
c) Chancellor
What made Churchill’s speeches difficult to deliver?
a) His difficulty of remembering
b) His lack of passion
c) His speech impediment
What was Churchill most skilled in?
a) Leading the country during times of war
b) Leading the country out of an economic crisis
c) Leading the country during times of peace
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Exercises
Writing
Complete the sentences below. Use text
as a reference.
Churchill started his military career at the age of…
a) 12
b) 19
c) 40
Churchill was the reason for
a) World War II
b) Hitler’s Defeat
c) Neville Chamberlain’s resignation
____________ is NOT because of Churchill
a) Britain overcoming the Nazis
b) The Finest Hour Speech
c) The End of World War I
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Exercises
Writing
True or False
Churchill was always a success, which is what makes him so great.
a) True
b) False
Churchill was better as a politician than as a war leader.
a) True
b) False
The fall of the Nazis was attributed to Churchill.
a) True
b) False
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Exercises
Speaking
Match the following words with their
definitions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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Strategies
Colonel
Opposition
Inspiration
Leadership
•
•
•
•
•
High rank army officer
Mental stimulation to do something
Study intensely
Resistance of competitors
Success in commanding others with
purpose
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Exercises
Speaking
Opinion
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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What present figure would you compare to Winston Churchill?
What do you think was Churchill’s greatest achievement?
How much did you know about him before?
Why is Winston Churchill so acclaimed?
Describe the impact his quotes have had on you.
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Exercises
Writing
Write a summary of what you think of
this Winston Churchill quote.
“Success consists of going from failure to failure without a
loss of enthusiasm.”
-Winston Churchill
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Exercises
Writing
What have you learned about Winston
Churchill?
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
________________________________
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Thank you
We would like to thank
the following sources for their content
Text
Winston Churchill Facts and Information
http://primaryfacts.com/651/winstonchurchill-facts-and-information/
Retrieved at 01.02.2015, Creative
Commons license
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Images
Shutterstock – ID 153063686
Shutterstock – ID 218521012
Shutterstock – ID 3196452
Shutterstock – ID 38362534
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Thank you
for choosing to learn
with
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