Liz Truss takes upon prime minister role

An EFL and ESL English Lesson

Lesson Collection
A photo of Big Ben.

Date: 9th September 2022

Level: B2 Upper-intermediate

Grammar: Formal prepositions

Topics: Politics & Law, Society & Lifestyle, Money & Careers

Printables: 10-Page Lesson, Single-Page Lesson

Lesson

Text

Liz Truss takes upon prime minister role

Britain has a new prime minister, Liz Truss, who has taken upon the position from the departing Boris Johnson. The appointment was given the go ahead with Liz Truss alongside the queen in a formal ceremony at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

Former foreign secretary Liz Truss fought against her rival Rishi Sunak in the race for Number 10 Downing Street, the official address for a British prime minister. Boris Johnson gave a farewell speech among the packed steps of Number 10. He threatened to steal the show despite losing. He also dropped an obscure clue that he might one day make a return to leadership.

Johnson made a round-trip to Scotland to greet Queen Elizabeth II concerning his notice to resign. The queen was at her castle within her estate at Balmoral where she spends her time throughout summer. But unlike tradition, publicity photos were taken in the queen’s living room due to the queen requiring a walking stick to lean on. The monarch was standing beside her furniture dressed in a Scottish plaid skirt and cardigan.

Liz Truss was at the meeting, for participation in the so-called “kissing-of-the-hands” ceremony to invite her to gather a new team. As they shook hands, Truss became the third female prime minister in British history. However, regarding the future leader, Johnson said he supports her beyond his term in office “every step of the way”.

Information sources (external links): eu.usatoday.com, news.sky.com

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Warm-up activities and vocabulary

Activities:

Think of any kind of famous team or group. If you were suddenly made responsible for it for one day, what would you change and why?

Which are better in your opinion, rural villages or packed cities?

Write a ten word sentence about Britain. Then write a ten word sentence about your country.

Vocabulary:

1. Scan the text and find a word or phrase that means:

  • A. a special event (paragraph 1)c...
  • B. a competitor (paragraph 2)r...
  • C. goodbye (paragraph 2)f...
  • D. an area of land with housing (paragraph 3)e...
  • E. a common way to refer to something (paragraph 4)s...
Answers
  • A. ceremony, B. rival,  C. farewell,  D. estate,  E. so-called

2. What does the italicised phrase below mean — forgetting, mentioning, or failing?

  • dropping an obscure clue
Answer
  • mentioning

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Reading comprehension true or false

  1. Liz Truss is replacing Boris Johnson.
  2. The ceremony took place on the steps of Number 10.
  3. Rishi Sunak is leaving his address at Number 10.
  4. Boris Johnson said he is leaving politics forever.
  5. The queen received Boris Johnson’s notice to resign.
  6. No photos were taken for privacy reasons.
  7. The queen was wearing traditional clothing.
  8. Liz Truss was excluded from the ceremony.
  9. Liz Truss is the fourth female British prime minister.
  10. Boris Johnson said he would help Liz Truss as much as he can.
Answers
  • 1T, 2F, 3F, 4F, 5T, 6F, 7T, 8F, 9F, 10T

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Phrases, synonyms, and antonyms match-up

Match the words on the left to their endings to make phrases from the text.

  1. round-
  2. taken
  3. fought
  4. a farewell
  5. publicity
  6. steal
  7. shook
  8. given the
  9. every step
  10. so-
  1. go ahead
  2. the show
  3. photos
  4. upon
  5. hands
  6. trip
  7. against
  8. speech
  9. called
  10. of the way
Answers
  • 1F, 2D, 3G, 4H, 5C, 6B, 7E, 8A, 9J, 10I

Match the words on the left from the text to their synonyms.

  1. greet
  2. depart
  3. rival
  4. monarch
  5. packed
  1. leave
  2. a royal leader
  3. say hello
  4. full up
  5. competitor
Answers
  • 1C, 2A, 3E, 4B, 5D

Match the words on the left from the text to their antonyms.

  1. obscure
  2. invite
  3. publicity
  1. privacy
  2. clear
  3. exclude
Answers
  • 1B, 2C, 3A

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Grammar gap-fill cloze: formal prepositions

  1. within
  2. alongside
  3. beside
  4. upon
  5. concerning
  1. unlike
  2. against
  3. regarding
  4. beyond
  5. despite

Britain has a new prime minister, Liz Truss, who has taken 1._______________ the position from the departing Boris Johnson. The appointment was given the go ahead with Liz Truss 2._______________ the queen in a formal ceremony at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

Former foreign secretary Liz Truss fought 3._______________ her rival Rishi Sunak in the race for Number 10 Downing Street, the official address for a British prime minister. Boris Johnson gave a farewell speech among the packed steps of Number 10. He threatened to steal the show 4._______________ losing. He also dropped an obscure clue that he might one day make a return to leadership.

Johnson made a round-trip to Scotland to greet Queen Elizabeth II 5._______________ his notice to resign. The queen was at her castle 6._______________ her estate at Balmoral where she spends her time throughout summer. But 7._______________ tradition, publicity photos were taken in the queen’s living room due to the queen requiring a walking stick to lean on. The monarch was standing 8._______________ her furniture dressed in a Scottish plaid skirt and cardigan.

Liz Truss was at the meeting, for participation in the so-called “kissing-of-the-hands” ceremony to invite her to gather a new team. As they shook hands, Truss became the third female prime minister in British history. However, 9._______________ the future leader, Johnson said he supports her 10._______________ his term in office “every step of the way”.

Answers
  1. 1D, 2B, 3G, 4J, 5E, 6A, 7F, 8C, 9H, 10I

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Vocabulary multiple-choice cloze

Britain has a new prime minister, Liz Truss, who has taken upon the position from the 1._______________ Boris Johnson. The appointment was given the go ahead with Liz Truss alongside the queen in a formal ceremony at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

Former foreign secretary Liz Truss fought against her 2._______________ Rishi Sunak in the race for Number 10 Downing Street, the official address for a British prime minister. Boris Johnson gave a farewell speech among the packed steps of Number 10. He 3._______________ to steal the show despite losing. He also dropped an 4._______________ clue that he might one day make a return to leadership.

Johnson made a round-trip to Scotland to greet Queen Elizabeth II 5._______________ his notice to 6._______________. The queen was at her castle within her estate at Balmoral where she spends her time throughout summer. But unlike tradition, 7._______________ photos were taken in the queen’s living room due to the queen requiring a walking stick to lean on. The 8._______________ was standing beside her furniture dressed in a Scottish plaid skirt and cardigan.

Liz Truss was at the meeting, for participation in the so-called “kissing-of-the-hands” ceremony to invite her to 9._______________ a new team. As they shook hands, Truss became the third female prime minister in British history. However, regarding the future leader, Johnson said he supports her 10._______________ his term in office “every step of the way”.

1.
A. disappearing
B. appear
C. departing
D. depart
2.
A. rivalry
B. rivals
C. rivalling
D. rival
3.
A. treats
B. threatened
C. threats
D. sweetened
4.
A. particular
B. obscure
C. obscurely
D. particularly
5.
A. concerns
B. concern
C. concerning
D. concerned
6.
A. resign
B. retire
C. return
D. retrieve
7.
A. outside
B. news
C. publicity
D. advertising
8.
A. stick
B. monarch
C. clock
D. photographer
9.
A. gather
B. group
C. guide
D. grant
10.
A. behind
B. belong
C. because
D. beyond
Answers
  1. 1C, 2D, 3B, 4B, 5C, 6A, 7C, 8B, 9A, 10D

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Writing cloze

  1. who has n e a t k upon the position(ta...)
  2. a formal o r n e m c y e at Balmoral Castle(ce...)
  3. Liz Truss fought against her v a r l i(ri...)
  4. Boris Johnson gave a l f r a w e l e speech(fa...)
  5. he e r e h n t a t d e to steal the show(th...)
  6. concerning his o n c i t e to resign(no...)
  7. was standing e i s b e d her furniture(be...)
  8. invite her to h r g a t e a new team(ga...)
  9. as they k s o h o hands(sh...)
  10. Johnson said he t s p o r u s p her(su...)
Answers
  1. TAKEN
  2. CEREMONY
  3. RIVAL
  4. FAREWELL
  5. THREATENED
  6. NOTICE
  7. BESIDE
  8. GATHER
  9. SHOOK
  10. SUPPORTS

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Fill-in first letters

_ritain _as _ _ew _rime _inister, _iz _russ, _ho _as _aken _pon _he _osition _rom _he _eparting _oris _ohnson.

_he _ppointment _as _iven _he _o _head _ith _iz _russ _longside _he _ueen _n _ _ormal _eremony _t _almoral _astle _n _cotland.

_ormer _oreign _ecretary _iz _russ _ought _gainst _er _ival _ishi _unak _n _he _ace _or _umber 10 _owning _treet, _he _fficial _ddress _or _ _ritish _rime _inister.

_oris _ohnson _ave _ _arewell _peech _mong _he _acked _teps _f _umber 10.

_e _hreatened _o teal _he _how _espite _osing.

_e _lso _ropped _n _bscure _lue _hat _e _ight _ne _ay _ake _ _eturn _o _eadership.

_ohnson _ade _ _ound-_rip _o _cotland _o _reet _ueen _lizabeth II _oncerning _is _otice _o _esign.

_he _ueen _as _t _er _astle _ithin _er _state _t _almoral _here _he _pends _er _ime _hroughout _ummer.

_ut _nlike _radition, _ublicity _hotos _ere _aken _n _he _ueen’s _iving _oom _ue _o _he _ueen _equiring _ _alking _tick _o _ean _n.

_he _onarch _as _tanding _eside _er _urniture _ressed _n _ _cottish _laid _kirt _nd _ardigan.

_iz _russ _as _t _he _eeting, _or _articipation _n _he _o-_alled “_issing-_f-_he-_ands” _eremony _o _nvite _er _o _ather _ _ew _eam.

_s _hey _hook _ands, _russ _ecame _he _hird _emale _rime _inister _n _ritish _istory.

_owever, _egarding _he _uture _eader, _ohnson _aid _e _upports _er _eyond _is _erm _n _ffice “_very _tep _f _he _ay”.

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Cool-down discussion, game, and keywords

Discussion questions:

  • Are traditional ceremonies still relevant to modern society?
  • What makes a speech powerful — the qualifications of the speaker, the logic of the speech, or the emotion of its performance?
  • Have you ever travelled really far for an event, or was it done online?
  • What are the best and worst ways to inform someone of good or bad news?
  • What female leaders do you know and/or support?

CEFR B2 10 keywords revision list:

beyond concern depart gather monarch obscure publicity resign rival threaten

Scattergories. In the table below, add one word to each box that matches both the beginning letter and the category, e.g. a type of building beginning with L is library.

R O L E
A type of profession
A famous place
Something used by hand
An adjective for a person
A type of building

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Interactive exercises

Reading comprehension interactive true or false

Choose the correct options from the pairs

Liz Truss takes upon prime minister role

Britain has a new prime minister, Liz Truss, who has taken upon the position from the departing Boris Johnson. The appointment was given the go ahead with Liz Truss alongside the queen in a formal ceremony at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

Former foreign secretary Liz Truss fought against her rival Rishi Sunak in the race for Number 10 Downing Street, the official address for a British prime minister. Boris Johnson gave a farewell speech among the packed steps of Number 10. He threatened to steal the show despite losing. He also dropped an obscure clue that he might one day make a return to leadership.

Johnson made a round-trip to Scotland to greet Queen Elizabeth II concerning his notice to resign. The queen was at her castle within her estate at Balmoral where she spends her time throughout summer. But unlike tradition, publicity photos were taken in the queen’s living room due to the queen requiring a walking stick to lean on. The monarch was standing beside her furniture dressed in a Scottish plaid skirt and cardigan.

Liz Truss was at the meeting, for participation in the so-called “kissing-of-the-hands” ceremony to invite her to gather a new team. As they shook hands, Truss became the third female prime minister in British history. However, regarding the future leader, Johnson said he supports her beyond his term in office “every step of the way”.

1.
Liz Truss is replacing Boris Johnson.
2.
The ceremony took place on the steps of Number 10.
3.
Rishi Sunak is leaving his address at Number 10.
4.
Boris Johnson said he is leaving politics forever.
5.
The queen received Boris Johnson’s notice to resign.
6.
No photos were taken for privacy reasons.
7.
The queen was wearing traditional clothing.
8.
Liz Truss was excluded from the ceremony.
9.
Liz Truss is the fourth female British prime minister.
10.
Boris Johnson said he would help Liz Truss as much as he can.

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Phrases, synonyms, and antonyms interactive match-up

Select the correct matches from the dropdown menus

Phrases
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Synonyms
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Antonyms
16.
17.
18.

lesson  |  top

Grammar gap-fill interactive cloze: formal prepositions

Select the correct answers from the dropdown menus

Britain has a new prime minister, Liz Truss, who has taken
1.
the position from the departing Boris Johnson. The appointment was given the go ahead with Liz Truss
2.
the queen in a formal ceremony at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
Former foreign secretary Liz Truss fought
3.
her rival Rishi Sunak in the race for Number 10 Downing Street, the official address for a British prime minister. Boris Johnson gave a farewell speech among the packed steps of Number 10. He threatened to steal the show
4.
losing. He also dropped an obscure clue that he might one day make a return to leadership.
Johnson made a round-trip to Scotland to greet Queen Elizabeth II
5.
his notice to resign. The queen was at her castle
6.
her estate at Balmoral where she spends her time throughout summer. But
7.
tradition, publicity photos were taken in the queen’s living room due to the queen requiring a walking stick to lean on. The monarch was standing
8.
her furniture dressed in a Scottish plaid skirt and cardigan.
Liz Truss was at the meeting, for participation in the so-called “kissing-of-the-hands” ceremony to invite her to gather a new team. As they shook hands, Truss became the third female prime minister in British history. However,
9.
the future leader, Johnson said he supports her
10.
his term in office “every step of the way”.

lesson  |  top

Vocabulary multiple-choice interactive cloze

Select the correct answers from the dropdown menus

Britain has a new prime minister, Liz Truss, who has taken upon the position from the
1.
Boris Johnson. The appointment was given the go ahead with Liz Truss alongside the queen in a formal ceremony at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
Former foreign secretary Liz Truss fought against her
2.
Rishi Sunak in the race for Number 10 Downing Street, the official address for a British prime minister. Boris Johnson gave a farewell speech among the packed steps of Number 10. He
3.
to steal the show despite losing. He also dropped an
4.
clue that he might one day make a return to leadership.
Johnson made a round-trip to Scotland to greet Queen Elizabeth II
5.
his notice to
6.
. The queen was at her castle within her estate at Balmoral where she spends her time throughout summer. But unlike tradition,
7.
photos were taken in the queen’s living room due to the queen requiring a walking stick to lean on. The
8.
was standing beside her furniture dressed in a Scottish plaid skirt and cardigan.
Liz Truss was at the meeting, for participation in the so-called “kissing-of-the-hands” ceremony to invite her to
9.
a new team. As they shook hands, Truss became the third female prime minister in British history. However, regarding the future leader, Johnson said he supports her
10.
his term in office “every step of the way”.

lesson  |  top

Interactive writing cloze

Type the words correctly in the boxes

Britain has a new prime minister, Liz Truss, who has
1.
upon the position from the departing Boris Johnson. The appointment was given the go ahead with Liz Truss alongside the queen in a formal
2.
at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
Former foreign secretary Liz Truss fought against her
3.
Rishi Sunak in the race for Number 10 Downing Street, the official address for a British prime minister. Boris Johnson gave a
4.
speech among the packed steps of Number 10. He
5.
to steal the show despite losing. He also dropped an obscure clue that he might one day make a return to leadership.
Johnson made a round-trip to Scotland to greet Queen Elizabeth II concerning his
6.
to resign. The queen was at her castle within her estate at Balmoral where she spends her time throughout summer. But unlike tradition, publicity photos were taken in the queen’s living room due to the queen requiring a walking stick to lean on. The monarch was standing
7.
her furniture dressed in a Scottish plaid skirt and cardigan.
Liz Truss was at the meeting, for participation in the so-called “kissing-of-the-hands” ceremony to invite her to
8.
a new team. As they
9.
hands, Truss became the third female prime minister in British history. However, regarding the future leader, Johnson said he
10.
her beyond his term in office “every step of the way”.

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