ESL Student Blog: Speaking of Royalty

It’s Victoria Day long weekend and time to celebrate the great contributions of Queen Victoria, an influential figure not only in Britain, but also internationally.

Victoria Day in Canada honors the birthdays of both Queen Victoria (British monarch from 1834 to 1901) and the current Queen Elizabeth II. Being a member of Commonwealth of Nations, Canada has the Queen as its Head of State.

Queen Victoria left a profound mark on Canada. It’s under her rule Canada became a country in 1867. At her suggestion Ottawa was chosen to be the capital of Canada.

To talk about royal families, we often use the words below. Are you familiar with them?

a monarch - a queen or king

Although Queen Elizabeth II is a monarch, Britain is officially run by the government, led by a Prime Minister.

a reign - a period during which a queen or king rules

(to) reign - (to) be the queen or king of a country

Queen Victoria’s reign lasted for almost 64 years. She’s the longest reigning monarch in British history to date. She reigned during the period of the Industrial Revolution.

ascend the throne/accede to the throne

18-year-old Victoria ascended the throne upon the death of her uncle.

a coronation - a ceremony of crowning a queen or king

Young Victoria wrote about her coronation in her diary.

a heir (to the throne) - a person who receives a title (money, property) from a family member who died, a heiress is a woman or girl in this position

The heir to the British throne is called the Prince of Whales.

line of succession to the throne - the order in which members of the royal family would come to the throne when a current queen or king dies or retires

Prince Charles, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, is the first in line of succession to the throne.

Victorian era - a period of progress, prosperity and expansion of British empire under the rule of queen Victoria; it was also a long period of peace

Her Majesty The Queen - the title to speak to or about a queen or king

ESL Student Blog: Spring Fever - Do I Need to See a Doctor?

Fever, elevated body temperature, is a symptom of many diseases (e.g.: the flu).

Fever can also mean great excitement. Spring fever is a feeling of excitement associated with the beginning of spring. With longer days and sunshine our energy levels increase and we feel more active and upbeat. (Some people on the other hand feel lazy and lack energy. How does spring affect you?).

Look at the questions below. If you answer ‘yes’ to most of these questions, you’ve definitely got spring fever!

In spring:

• Are you more distracted in class? Do you wish you spent your day in the park rather than in class?
• Do you daydream?
• Are you in a better mood?
• Does the world look a better place?
• Do you smile more?
• Do you think you look better?
• Do you feel an uncontrollable urge to be outside (you don’t even mind pulling the weeds)?

Listen to "Spring Fever" sung by Elvis Presley and you might get the bug too.

Spring fever can be highly contagious, but there’s no need to see a doctor!

See you in the park?