Election Buzz 2024-The Vocabulary Of Democracy Ep 713

Expand English Vocabulary: Learn Key Political Phrases And Global Insights

Do you understand the language of politics? Join us today and start navigating the nuances of global elections while elevating your English expertise. Explore how English captures the spirit of democracy in different cultures with our insightful lesson on #LanguageOfDemocracy.

🎯 Why Join This Lesson?

📚 Expand your vocabulary with essential political terms.
🗣️ Boost your conversation skills on current global events.
📈 Advance from beginner to fluent, with practical tips and insights.
🌐 Learn English through the lens of fascinating political discussions.
🆓 Access a free course tailored to your learning journey.
🎓 Prepare for exams with specialized language focus.

✔Lesson transcript: https://adeptenglish.com/lessons/english-phrases-political-words-2024-world-elections/

Someone struggled for your right to vote. Use it.
⭐ Susan B. Anthony

In this lesson, you'll gain a unique advantage: the ability to understand and use political vocabulary. It's more than just learning words; it's about immersing in real-world contexts. Think about it – knowing terms like 'election,' 'vote,' and 'candidate' opens doors to global issues and discussions.

You'll not only enhance your English fluency but also deepen your understanding of world events. This is essential for anyone striving to connect with the English-speaking world on a meaningful level. Remember, fluency isn't just about language; it's about the ideas and cultures that language expresses.

Winston Churchill
⭐ The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.

Embark on your path to fluency and become a confident English speaker with Adept English. Your journey to speaking English starts here! 🚀📖

More About This Lesson

Welcome to an exciting journey with Adept English! Our latest lesson takes you through the fascinating world of global elections. This is your chance to not only improve your English skills but also gain a deeper understanding of politics worldwide.

Democracy cannot be taken for granted. We have to work for it, fight for it, and, when necessary, defend it.
⭐ Barack Obama

In this lesson, you'll discover the many advantages of learning with us. Here's what you can expect:

Expands Political Vocabulary: You'll learn essential political terms, boosting your English lexicon.
Cultural Insight: Gain understanding of British perspectives on global politics.
Practical Usage Examples: See how political terms are used in real-world contexts.
Enhances Listening Skills: Listening to varied topics improves comprehension.
Engages Critical Thinking: Analyze political scenarios, enhancing language and cognitive skills.
Pronunciation Practice: Hear and mimic native pronunciation for accuracy.
Contextual Learning: Learn in the context of current, relevant events.
Diverse Topic Exposure: Exposure to diverse topics keeps learning interesting.
Understanding Idioms: Learn idiomatic expressions, crucial for fluency.

Benefits of our listen & learn approach to learning

Why should you be excited about this lesson?

Global Perspective: Understand how politics shapes the world.
Communication Skills: Boost your ability to discuss complex topics like elections.
Empowerment: Feel more confident in expressing your opinions in English.
Lifelong Learning: This lesson is more than language; it's about understanding the world better.

My grandfather told me that there are two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there.
⭐ Indira Gandhi

Ready to take your English to the next level? Join us at Adept English! Follow and subscribe to our podcast for regular, lively lessons that are both informative and fun. Your journey to fluency starts here. Let's explore the power of words together!

Frequently Asked Questions About The Vocabulary Of Democracy

Exploring global elections with Adept English is like setting sail on a grand voyage across a sea of words, where each new term is a wave leading you closer to the shore of fluency.

What are some key vocabulary words related to elections mentioned in the transcript? The transcript introduces essential election-related vocabulary like 'election', 'vote', 'candidate', and 'polls'. Understanding these terms can enrich your English vocabulary, especially in political contexts. Remember, 'election' refers to the event of voting, 'vote' is both the action and the noun for choosing a leader, 'candidate' is the person you vote for, and 'polls' is where voting happens.
How can focusing on election topics improve my English fluency? By exploring topics like global elections, you immerse yourself in current, real-world issues. This not only broadens your vocabulary but also helps you understand diverse contexts and nuances in English, a key step towards fluency. Plus, repeating and discussing such topics reinforces language learning, as advised by Adept English.
What is the significance of the 2024 elections mentioned in the transcript? The year 2024 is notable for the number of elections worldwide, impacting global politics. As the transcript suggests, understanding these events can give you insights into different cultures and governance styles, enhancing your global awareness alongside your language skills.
How can I use Adept English resources to improve my language skills? As recommended in the transcript, sign up for the 'Seven Rules of Adept English' free course. This course offers strategies for language fluency. Also, regularly listening to their podcasts, like this one on global elections, can significantly boost your listening skills and vocabulary.
Why is it important to listen to the podcast multiple times, as mentioned in the transcript? Repeated listening helps embed new vocabulary and phrases in your memory, an effective strategy for language acquisition. It also allows you to understand the context better and pick up on nuances in pronunciation and usage, crucial for fluency in British English.

Most Unusual Words:

Ludicrous: This means something is so silly or unreasonable that it could make you laugh.
Incredulous: If you are incredulous, you cannot believe something because it is very surprising or shocking.
Ceasefire: A ceasefire is an agreement to stop fighting for a certain time, especially in a war.
Tax and spend: This phrase refers to a policy of raising taxes and then spending the money on public services.
Coalition: A coalition is when two or more groups, often political parties, agree to work together.
Glass ceiling: The glass ceiling is an unseen barrier that stops certain groups, like women, from rising to top positions at work.
Embark: To embark on something means to start a new project or journey.
Nominated: If someone is nominated, they are officially suggested for a role or position.
Rivals: Rivals are people, groups, or teams that compete against each other.
Democratic rights: These are rights that allow people to have a say in their government, usually through voting.

Most Frequently Used Words:

Word	Count
English	10
Which	10
People	10
There	8
Political	8
Candidates	8
Going	7
Elections	7

Listen To The Audio Lesson Now

The mp3 audio and pdf transcript for this lesson is now part of the Adept English back catalogue . You can still download and listen to this lesson as part of one of our podcast bundles.

Transcript: Election Buzz 2024-The Vocabulary Of Democracy

Over 40 countries voting in 2024: Democracy or farce?

Hi there. Did you know that in 2024 there will be over 40 countries in the world holding elections? That means that the governments of about 40% of the world's population are going to be decided in 2024. These elections are events in separate countries, but they'll affect billions of people.

Today, let's dive into the world of politics and some essential words, essential vocabulary that you'll hear in political discussions. Just think what valuable English language learning this vocabulary is, even if it's just all the words I'm going to use for different countries in the world! That's a lot in itself. So happy listening and the English language part of your brain will thank you for listening to this podcast.

Ready to embark on a language learning journey through the world of elections? Let's get started.

Hello, I’m Hilary, and you’re listening to Adept English. We will help you to speak English fluently. All you have to do is listen. So start listening now and find out how it works.

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Useful 'election vocabulary'

A bit of vocabulary first to make this podcast easier? An election, E L E C T I O N , that's the action, the event, where we vote for candidates.

We choose which political leader we want to support, which one we'd like to be in charge of our country. The verb 'to vote', V O T E, it's also a noun. That's when you make your choice. You go to a nominated place, a particular place, and you put your cross on a piece of paper, by the side of someone's name, the name of the person you want 'to vote' for. Another way of saying this, voters 'go to the polls'. And the word 'candidate', C A N D I D A T E - that means 'the person that you vote for'.

Election Buzz 2024-The Vocabulary Of Democracy Ep 713 Article Image

📷

A panoramic view of a parliamentary debate in progress, with members discussing. Learn English through current, relevant topics.

So to use those words in a sentence, 'In the US election, it now looks as though people will have the choice to vote for candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden'. In some elections, it's not a candidate or person that you're voting for, but rather a political group or party, P A R T Y. This is different, of course, from the type of 'party' that you might have in your house for your friends and family to celebrate something. Though in the case of Boris Johnson's government during COVID, when there were apparently many 'parties', it's not clear that they knew the difference! Boris Johnson's party were a bit confused about the use of that English word 'party' too!

So first of all, in the UK, did you know that we're quite possibly going to have an election in 2024? Though Rishi Sunak's government have to call it. And they're not very popular at the moment.

US Election: battle of the aged - wisdom or folly?

But that's not all, of course. We are looking nervously 'across the pond' at the US. That means 'across the Atlantic' at the US, where it's not just any election - it's a decision which will impact millions of people worldwide as well as in the US.

We're all looking nervously - it seems to me that despite a good education system and 350 million people living in the US, voters have somehow ended up with a desperate choice of two very old men. Donald Trump is 77 years old and Joe Biden is 81 years old. Without even examining the candidates or their 'track records' - meaning 'what they've done before' - on age alone, surely this election is ludicrous. Ludicrous that these two are the best choices. If Biden gets elected, he will be 85 by the time his term finishes!

Now, as you may know, I'm a fan of people doing things in later life. And generally, 'age is not a barrier'. I champion the idea that 'you're never too old'. And I believe in 'respecting the wisdom of the old'. But that doesn't mean an 81 year old president is a good idea! Or that either of these two have what you might call 'wisdom'!

The ages of the two candidates in the US election are clearly not the only problems. I think we're a bit incredulous in the UK at how it's going.

Is democracy in any better shape in the UK?

UK's choice? 'Tax and spend' or 'the same old story'?

Well, I don't think so. We're in an era where the current Conservative government is extremely unpopular. Yet people don't trust the main opposition party either. That's the Labour Party and Keir Starmer.

They're known for what's called 'tax and spend', which means 'high taxes' and 'lavish spending' on things that sensible people don't necessarily agree with. That's 'tax and spend'.

And we already have in the UK some of the highest tax rates in the world. We don't want any more tax.

Lack of democratic choice in the UK

The other problem, now that left-wing Jeremy Corbyn has gone from the Labour Party, there's very little to choose between our two main political parties and none of the smaller parties will win. So it's a choice between these two.

For example, if you're someone who supports a ceasefire in Gaza - and there are frequent protests in London, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, attended by thousands of people - if a ceasefire is what you support, there is no political party in the UK that has that as their policy. There is no option of someone to vote for, no option of a government in the UK that will support an immediate ceasefire. Yet it's estimated that well over 70 percent of British people support a ceasefire in Gaza. What are they supposed to do with that if they feel strongly about it? There's no one to vote for. And it's the same on other issues. There's no one to vote for. There's no one to represent that view.

So while the problem of democracy in the US is that people have to vote for 'the lesser evil' of two candidates, here in the UK, it's the choice of two possible governments, which look pretty much the same. Hardly much of a choice then!

Elections around the world in 2024

What about elections in 2024 that are coming up in the rest of the world? Well, it's a huge list of countries. There are elections coming up in countries like India, Russia, Iran, Ukraine, Taiwan, Pakistan, South Africa and Bangladesh, to name but a few. In Africa, Algeria, Tunisia, Ghana, Rwanda, Namibia, Mozambique, and Senegal are all going to the polls, as well as Togo and South Sudan. And votes have already happened in Egypt. And in Hong Kong, and it's only January!

While I complain about the UK and the US elections, at least there is some element of democracy here.

Do elections mirror the people's will or the powerplay?

But many of the elections which have been held or which will be held in 2024 are billed as democratic, but they're anything but.

If you take Hong Kong's recent elections, for example, a rule was introduced by the Chinese government that all candidates have to have 'national security background checks'. Well, you can guess what's going to happen there, can't you?

And the rule also said that 'candidates had to be nominated, backed, supported by the Chinese government'. So effectively, this tended to mean that pro- democratic candidates were simply removed. And clearly the voters in Hong Kong thought, "Why bother?" Only 27% turned out to vote. Little democracy going on in that process!

So in some countries it's quite clear that parties and political forces in power simply remove the opposition. They remove their rivals, the candidates that might stand against them in a vote and who might introduce change.

So the whole thing, the whole election is represented as though somehow it's democratic when it isn't. If candidates with which the current government disagrees are removed, that's hardly democracy.

Netanyahu and Zelensky - elections 'on hold'?

Elections are due to be held also in countries where the world's great conflicts are currently going on. And there are moves to put those elections on hold. So neither Benjamin Netanyahu nor Volodymyr Zelensky intend to hold elections. Even though their elections are due, they're saying 'No' while the conflicts continue.

It means that people in those countries have a delay before they can exercise their democratic rights. Even though we know the likely outcomes - Zelensky will stay, Netanyahu will go.

In Europe, Austria, Belgium, Croatia and Finland will all go to the polls this year, will all hold elections. And there's an election for the whole European Parliament in June. Will we see far-right groups being elected here?

Women in Mexico's Election: Breaking the Glass Ceiling

Let's end on a positive note. In 2024, Mexico will hold its first election, where the vote is between two female candidates, two women - Claudia Sheinbaum, leading her Moreno party, and Xótchitl Gálvez, who represents a coalition, a joining of three different political parties. That's 'coalition', C O A L I T I O N. 'A joining of different political parties', 'an agreement to work together' is 'a coalition'.

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I don't know what the candidates in Mexico stand for, but I'm always pleased to see women 'breaking through that glass ceiling'. There's an idiom for you to finish off!

Anyway, that's a very, very quick discussion of the various elections, which are taking place in the world in 2024.

Listening Lessons

Tell us what you think!

If you've got an opinion to share, if you like or support something I've said or if you disagree with me too, please get in touch. Please give us feedback. We love to hear from you.

And don't forget, this podcast is an English language learning podcast. So listen to it several times so that that vocabulary sticks in your head! That's in line with the advice of the Seven Rules of Adept English. Don't forget to sign up for that, too.

Goodbye

Enough for now. Have a lovely day. Speak to you again soon. Goodbye.

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