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  • Topic 10

    • TEXT ANALYSIS AND SUMMARY File

      Why did the league of Nations fail ?

      The League of Nations was set up by the Treaty of Versailles.

      The League was Wilson's dream for a new world order - a new way of conducting foreign affairs that would abolish war and keep the world safe, but less than a quarter of a century later Wilson's dream lay in ruins.

      Its aims

      · to stop wars

      · to encourage disarmament

      · to make the world a better place by improving people's working conditions and by tackling disease

      Its organisation

      · an assembly, which met once a year

      · a council, which met more regularly to consider crises

      · a small secretariat to handle the paperwork

      · a Court of International Justice

      · a number of committees such as the International Labour Organisation and the Health Committee to carry out its humanitarian work

      Its main strengths

      · set up by the Treaty of Versailles, which every nation had signed.

      · 58 nations as members by the 1930s.

      · to enforce its will, it could offer arbitration through the Court of International Justice, or apply trade sanctions against countries that went to war.

      Its main weaknesses

      · set up by the Treaty of Versailles (which every nation hated)

      · aims were too ambitious

      · Germany, Russia and the USA were not members

      · no army

      · organisation was cumbersome

      · decisions had to be unanimous

      ailures of the League of Nations in the 1930s

      The failures of the League in the 1930s were not only because of aggressor nations undermining its authority, but also down to its own members.

      Britain and France, the two most influential members, ignored the League in their efforts to appease Hitler - actions that arguably led to the outbreak of the Second World War.

       

      Significant failures

      In the 1930s, the world economic depression encouraged nations to be more aggressive towards each other. Fascist dictatorships took power in Germany, Italy and Japan, which were intent on empire-building and these countries defied the League.

      · Japan conquered Manchuria in 1932. The League objected, but could do little in response. When the League supported China's sovereignty, Japan left the League in March 1933.

      · Hitler announced that Germany was leaving the League in October 1933.

      · Italy invaded Abyssinia in 1935. Although the League officially condemned the Italians, France and Britain were caught making a secret agreement to give Abyssinia to Italy.

      These crises destroyed the authority of the League, and it was powerless to stop Germany after 1935. By the time of the Sudeten crisis of 1938, Britain and France were ignoring the League, and were trying appeasement instead.

       


  • Topic 11

    • GRAMMATICAL LESSON (CONNECTORS) Google Meet™ for Moodle

      What can connectors do?

      Connectors enable us to connect words or phrases. There are a wide range of connectors and each of them has a different function.


      Connectors enable us to connect words or phrases. There are a wide range of connectors and each of them has a different function. Connectors can express:

      · addition

      · time

      · sequence

      · contrast

      · condition

      · reason

      · result

      Let’s look at each of these functions.

      ADDITION – and, plus, furthermore, moreover, in addition, also, as well as

      We can use addition connectors when we want to add one phrase to another or to give extra information. Obviously the most common of these is ‘and’, while the other addition connectors give a little more emphasis and are also more common in written English, especially ‘moreover’ and ‘furthermore’. Here are some examples:

      · They like English and study a lot.

      · He’s well-qualified, plus he’s very charismatic.

      · The house is beautiful. Furthermore, the price is low.

      · Sport is fun. Moreover, it’s a great way to socialize.

      · In addition to the new tunnel, the local council is constructing a bridge.

      · I play the piano and I also play the violin.

      · As well as being helpful, Carmen is very practical.

       

       

      TIME – when, while, as, as soon as

      We can use time connectors to link actions that happened at the same moment. The connectors ‘when’ and ‘as’ are very similar in meaning. We generally use ‘while’ for a longer action, especially with a continuous form. For example:

      · When we arrived we sat down at our desks.

      · I watched television while I was ironing.

      · It started to rain just as I went out.

      · We’ll start as soon as everyone gets here.

       

      SEQUENCE – then, after, afterwards, next, firstly, secondly, finally

      In a similar way to time connectors, sequential connectors enable us to indicate the order of events. Here are some examples:

      · She talked about the agenda then she began her presentation.

      · He’s coming here after lunch.

      · He’s having lunch and is coming here afterwards.

      · Turn on the oven. Next, mix all the ingredients.

      · Firstly, I’d like to thank you all for coming.

      · Secondly, I want to give you a brief overview of the new products.

      · Finally, I will invite our president to speak.

       

      CONTRAST – but, however, though, although, nevertheless, despite, whereas, while

      These connectors can link two contrasting ideas. ‘But’ and ‘however’ are very

      similar, though ‘however’ gives more emphasis to the contrast and is more common at the start of a sentence. The connectors ‘though’ and ‘although’ are also very similar with the only difference being their position. ‘Though’ can be at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence, while ‘although’ cannot be used at the end of a sentence. Here are some examples:

      · They like pasta but they don’t like rice.

      · It’s a nice city and it’s fun for a holiday. However, I wouldn’t like to live there.

      · She studies quite a lot though she could do more.

      · Although he works hard he hasn’t had a promotion for years.

      · I like this model a lot. Nevertheless, I’m not going to buy it yet.

      · Despite the rain, they went for a walk.

      · The central area of the country is quite flat, whereas the north is hilly.

      · I thought the film was terrible, while my friends thought it was really good.

       

      CONDITION – as long as, provided that, unless, otherwise

      When we want to express the idea that something can happen only in certain conditions, we can use conditional connectors. For example:

      · You can play video games as long as you tidy your room first.

      · We’ll keep the goods for you provided that we receive the payment soon.

      · Unless the economy improves, interest rates will go down again.

      · We need to hurry up, otherwise we’ll miss the flight.

       

      REASON – because, as, due to, so (that), in order to

      When we want to explain the reason for something we need to use this groups of connectors, the most common of which is ‘because’. For example:

      · Many people study English because it’s important for their jobs.

      · As you didn’t do a very good job with this essay, I’d like you to do it again.

      · Due to heavy traffic we arrived half an hour late.

      · We left early so we could have a coffee before starting.

      · They are having a conference call in order to finalize the contract details.

       

      RESULT – so, therefore, as a result, consequently

      When you want to express the consequence of an action, use result connectors. They all have a similar meaning though ‘so’ is more common in spoken English and is more informal. The others are more appropriate in a formal, written context. Here are some examples:

      · I’d forgotten my car keys so I had to go back into the office to get them.

      · Last year’s results were excellent, therefore you will all receive a bonus.

      · Crime rates are increasing. As a result the government is going to hire more police officers.

      · Marco did really well at university and consequently received several job offers.

      As you can see, connectors are useful in many situations and can transform your level of fluency in conversation. So start to practice now by using them yourself when you speak and write, and pay attention to connectors when you read and listen.

       



    • on connectors and their proper use in English File

      WHY CONNECTORS ARE IMPORTANT IN WRITING AND SPEAKING ?

  • Topic 12

    • Topic 13