The French Revolution: Listening, grammar, vocabulary and speaking activity

The French Revolution: listening and grammar activity

Fill in the gaps with the verbs in the past tense that you hear in the video: The French revolution: The emergence of the modern state So, How ______ (do) this all begin? For hundreds of years prior to the revolution French people, like most Europeans, ______ (to be) divided into three social estates: clergy, nobility and the lowest estate, the commoners, which ______ (exist) to serve the other estates. Above all ______ (to be) god's gift to mankind, the King. But this hierarchy was being questioned by the Enlightenment, a movement of intellectuals who _______ (promote) the use of reason and science. Revolutionary ideas _______ (begin) to spread to the public. So in the 1780s, when an economically broke and spoiled monarchy ______ (try) to increase taxes on the commoners, resentment ________ (reach) a new level and riots _______ (begin). On the 14th of July 1789, revolutioners _______ (storm) the Bastille fortress, a symbol of the royal power. This date is marked as the beginning of the end of the old monarchy. It has become France's Independence Day. Even though the kind was beheaded only in 1793. Shortly after, the French ______ (adopt) a universal declaration which _______ (state): "Men are born and remain free and equal in rights." This _______ (to be) a radical change, even though it _______ (leave) many people out.  But the French Revolution ________ (to be) far from a smooth ride. Actually, it _______ (to be) a bloodbath which _______ (lead) to external and internal wars. The newly _________ (introduce) guillotine _______ (work) overtime, beheading tens of thousands French during a period known as The Terror. In 1799, the Revolution ________ (end) when a military commander by the name of Napoleon Bonaparte ______ (seize) control of the French legislature, eventually declaring himself emperor. Although the revolution ________ (begin) and _______ (end) with a monarchy, it _______ (have) a crucial impact in Europe and world history and _______ (lay) the foundation for a modern state led by the people.  "Let them eat cake" - Queen Marie Antoinette's supposed response upon learning  that the poor peasants had no bread.  The American Revolution was considered a major source of inspiration to the revolutionists in France. The French tricolour was formed during the Revolution. The ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity associated with it were superimposed many years later.

Comprehension and discussion activities post-watching

Language analysis: Work in pairs. Write 4 comprehension questions about the information of the video to ask your partner and answer the 4 questions they will ask you. Underline all the words you don't understand. The teacher will distribute the words around the class, and each of you will look up a few and write a definition with their own words. You will share your definitions with the rest of the class and they will share yours with you. Make at least 4 sentences that contain the new words your partners taught you. What is the difference between the word "estate" and "state"? The text contains words ending in "-ed" that you are not required to fill in. Why? What kind of words are they? Are there verbs in any other tense in this video? Which tense(s)?   Discussion: Did you know anything about the French Revolution before you watched this video? If so, what and how? Did your country live similar events? Explain. What is your opinion on the outcome of the French Revolution? Was it a good thing? why/why not? What other similar Revolutions do you know?