Voting rights GRAMMAR

Voting rights GRAMMAR

Content Voting rights are an important topic when discussing history and politics. Use the passive tense to talk about when minorities were granted voting rights. Learning Outcomes Learn new vocabulary related to voting systems Use the passive voice in the context of voting rights Talk about voting rights using new vocabulary and grammar www.english-maestro.mn 1

1) vote 2) eligibility 3) voting rights 4) elections 5) representative 11) wealth 12) government 13) tax 14) citizen 15) campaign 6) legal 7) democracy 8) franchise 9) jurisdiction 10) law www.english-maestro.mn 2

vote give rights elect deny rights qualify cast a vote subscribe amend a law abolish justify www.english-maestro.mn 3

President Parliament Prime Minister Constitution ballot electorate politician candidate proxy ratify primary documents legislative Congress suffrage Revenue (tax) monarchy www.english-maestro.mn 4

Suffrage is the right to vote which is given to the citizens through the democratic process. www.english-maestro.mn 5

Suffrage is granted to qualifying citizens once they have reached the voting age. What constitutes a qualifying citizen depends on the government's decision, but most democracies no longer extend different rights to vote on the basis of sex or race. Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote on the same terms as men. Limited voting rights were gained by some women in Sweden, Britain, and some western U.S. states in the 1860s. www.english-maestro.mn 6

Until the 19th century, many Western democracies had qualifications where only landowners could vote, or the voting rights were weighed according to the amount of taxes paid. Most countries abolished the property qualification for national elections in the late 19th century. Today these laws have largely been abolished, although the homeless may not be able to register because they lack regular addresses. www.english-maestro.mn 7

Speaking Read the dialogue below and notice the use of passive voice. Person A - Hi, Helen! Are you going to vote this week? -Well, if we are given the rights to vote, we need to represent our voices.it s our duty as citizens. If the right people are elected, you never know what might happen. Person B - I have to. I m a registered voter, you know, but I don t like any of the candidates. All they do is just talk! - I get your point. Perhaps something can be changed this time. www.english-maestro.mn 8

1) What is suffrage? 2) Who has the right to vote? 3) Who decides the voters qualifications? www.english-maestro.mn 9

By casting a vote you decide your future. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? www.english-maestro.mn 10

Passive voice 1. elect are elected (Present Simple; plural) 2. give is given (Present Simple; singular) 3. gain were gained (Past Simple) 4. abolish have been abolished (Present Perfect) Note the formation of the passive voice ( to be + Past Participle) the verb to be can be changed according to the tense (Present, Past or Future; singular or plural) www.english-maestro.mn 11

Please note We use passive voice when we want to focus more on the action. Formation: to be/have + past participle (+ by someone) Example 1.Suffrage is granted to qualifying citizens once they have reached the voting age. 2. Limited voting rights were gained by some women in Sweden, Britain, and some western U.S. states in the 1860s. Word Order Subject To be/have Past participle He is(present simple) granted the right to vote The laws have(present perfect) been abolished www.english-maestro.mn 12

Speaking How is it in your country? 1) How does voting system work in your country? 2) Have you reached a voting age? 3) Do you regularly cast a ballot? Have you ever skipped voting? What was the reason? www.english-maestro.mn 13

Speaking Create your own sentences using the words below. Use active or passive voice for the verbs. 1) to vote They voted for the presidential candidates. 2) elections 3) to qualify 4) to give rights 5) citizen www.english-maestro.mn 14

Speaking Create a dialogue using new words and phrases from this lesson (cast a vote, presidential elections, candidate,eligible/not eligible, a right to vote, etc. ) Person A - - - - Person B - - - - www.english-maestro.mn 15

Speaking Pay attention to the pronunciation of the following words 1. jurisdiction 2. franchise 3. campaign 4. representative 5. elections 6. government 7. revenue 8. suffrage 9. ballot 10. electorate www.english-maestro.mn 16

Speaking Match the words with the correct image 1. cast a ballot 2. fill in tax form 3. politician www.english-maestro.mn 17

Speaking Argue for or against this statement Voting is unimportant. Pro Con www.english-maestro.mn 18

Speaking True or False Suffrage is another name for going on a strike. There used to be restrictions on voters eligibility to cast a vote. Property qualifications are still common nowadays. www.english-maestro.mn 19

Speaking Complete the sentences below. You may use the words from the blue box. give rights to express freedom - democratic citizen duty chose the right candidate - law violate the law voting rights to be qualified to be eligible for cast a vote 1. I think voting rights are extremely important because... 2. I never skip voting because... 3. Those who don t pay taxes... www.english-maestro.mn 20