QUEEN’S SPEECH. Focus on Tenses

QUEEN’S SPEECH

I Lead-in. Take 2 minutes to answer the questions.  

1)    When do leaders of the country address the nation?

2)    What do the leaders speak about in their address?

II Look at the sentences. Identify the tense of the underlined verbs in the sentences. Then complete these rules with Present Simple (in two rules), Present Continuous, Future Simple, Present Perfect. Which sentences match each rule?

A.   A lot of people are staying at home to protect the vulnerable members of society.

B.   This crisis has brought financial difficulties to many businesses around the country.

C.   Many shopkeepers, delivery drivers, and other essential workers around the country continue their day-to-day duties.

D.   I’m sure the nation will join me to appreciate the work doctors do.

E.    I want to thank healthcare workers and doctors at the frontline of the epidemic.

1.    We use the __________ for predictions when we talk about future facts. Sentence example: ______

2.    We use the __________ for actions that are happening at the moment of speaking, for example now or around now. Sentence example: ____

3.    We use the __________ for past experiences when we don’t say exactly when they happened. Sentence example: ____

4.    We use the __________ for things that are always true or happen regularly. Sentence example: ____

5.    We use the __________ with state (non-action) verbs: for example: understand, believe, own, for actions that are happening at the moment of speaking. Sentence example: _____

III Open the brackets. Use the verbs in the text in the Present Simple, Present Continuous, Future Simple, Present Perfect.

I’ 1) ______(speak) to you at what I 2) ______(know) is an increasingly challenging time, a time of disruption in the life of our country, a disruption that 3) ______(bring) grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous changes to the daily lives of us all. I 4) ______(want) to thank everyone on the NHS [1]frontline, as well as care workers and those carrying out essential roles who selflessly 5) ______(continue) their day-to-day duties outside the home in support of us all. I’m sure the nation 6) ______(join) me in assuring you that what you 7) ______(do) is appreciated, and every hour of your hard work 8) ______(bring) us closer to a return to more normal times. I also 9) ______(want) to thank those of you who 10) ______(stay) at home, thereby helping to protect the vulnerable, and sparing many families the pain already felt by those who 11) ______(lose) loved ones.

Together we 12) ______(tackle) this disease, and I 13) ______(want) to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we 14) ______(overcome) it. I 15) ______(hope) in the years to come everyone 16) ______(be able) to take pride in how they responded to this challenge. And those who come after us 17) ______(say) the Britons of this generation were as strong as any, that the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet, good-humoured resolve, and of fellow feeling still 18) ______(characterize) this country. The pride in who we 19) ______(be) is not a part of our past, it 20) ______(define) our present and our future.

IV Check and explain. Watch the video and check your answers. (Minutes 00.00-02.05 in full version of the video). Explain the use of the Present Simple, Present Continuous, Future Simple, Present Perfect in the text.

V Use of the tenses. Read the text below and choose the correct tense.

The moments when the United Kingdom 1) come/has come/are coming together to applaud its care and essential workers will be remembered as an expression of our national spirit, and its symbol 2) will be/are/has been the rainbows drawn by children. Across the Commonwealth [2]and around the world, we 3) have seen/will see/are seeing heart-warming stories of people coming together to help others, be it through delivering food parcels and medicines, checking on neighbours, or converting businesses to help the relief effort. And though self-isolating may at times be hard, many people of all faiths and of none 4) discovers/has discovered/are discovering that it 5) presents/are presenting/present an opportunity to slow down, pause and reflect in prayer or meditation. 

It 6) are reminding/reminds/will remind me of the very first broadcast I made in 1940, helped by my sister. We as children spoke from here at Windsor to children who had been evacuated from their homes and sent away for their own safety. Today, once again, many 7) is feeling/ has felt/will feel a painful sense of separation from their loved ones, but now as then, we 8) know/has known/knows deep down that it is the right thing to do. While we 9) is facing/faces/have faced challenges before, this one is different. This time we 10) join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavour. Using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal, we 11) have succeeded/are succeeding/will succeed, and that success 12) belong/is belonging/will belong to every one of us. We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days 13) returns/ are returning/will return. We 14) are/have been/will be with our friends again. We 15) is/will be/have been with our families again. We 16) have met/are meeting/will meet again. But for now, I send my thanks and warmest good wishes to you all.

VI Watch the video and check your answers. (Minutes 02.07-04.22 in full version of the video). Explain the use of the Present Simple, Present Continuous, Future Simple, Present Perfect in the text.

VII Unscramble the sentences. Put the words in the sentences below in the correct order. The sentences use the Present Simple, Present Continuous, Future Simple, Present Perfect tenses.

 1) and / essential / to / applaud / together / care / its / Kingdom / United / The / come / has / workers.

2) NHS / the / everyone / to / thank / on / frontline. / I / want

3) every / to / success / one / us. / of / belong / That / will

4) their / painful / will / loved / feel / of / separation / ones. / sense / a / Many / from

5) closer / a / to / more / work / us / times. / return / Every / hard / their / normal / of / to / brings / hour

6) / families / ones. / have / lost / Many / loved

7) are / Together / this / we / tackling / disease.

8) again. / meet / We / will

9) you / to / an / speaking / time / increasingly / challenging / at / I’m

10) changes / The / us / brought / all. / lives / to / daily / of / enormous / the / has / epidemic

11) remain / we / will / we / united, / overcome / then / disease. / If / the

12) future. / we / present / The / pride / and / who / our / in / are / our / defines

13) to / discovering / an / are / Many / opportunity / down. / people / slow

14) workers / the / Care / continue / their / duties / home. / day-to-day / outside / selflessly

15) globe / join / nations / common / with / We / endeavour. / a / across / the / all / in

16) again. / will / with / We / our / families / be

VIII OVER TO YOU. Prepare a short speech (2-3 minutes) to address the people in your country with a message of hope for better days in future. Use the Present Simple, Present Continuous, Future Simple, Present Perfect tenses.

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[1] National Health  Service, publicly funded healthcare system in the UK

[2] political association of 54 member states, nearly all former territories of the British Empire