# 2. Paco didn't know very much about the UK (past simple negative)

## Caso práctico

## The Romans in Britain

ING01-02-01-audio04.mp3

Paco didn't know very much about the United Kingdom. In his English lessons at University he only learnt grammar and some cultural aspects, but not too many. So he has to get an idea of the United Kingdom, its history and background information before leaving for London. Paco has taken a book from his father's room about Great Britain. Let's see what he was reading about:
First invasion - Caesar's first raid.

In August 55 B.C. (55 years before Jesus was born) the Roman general, Emperor Julius Caesar invaded Britain. He didn't take with him too many Roman legions, only two. He didn't stay in Britain for long . After winning several battles against the Celtic tribes (Britons) in south-east England he returned to France.

Second invasion - Caesar's second raid.

The following summer (in 54 B.C.) Caesar came to Britain again landing at Walmer near Deal in Kent. This time he didn't hesitate too much so that he brought with him no fewer than five legions (30,000 foot soldiers) and 2,000 cavalrymen (horse riders). This time the Romans crossed the River Thames. After more fighting, the British tribes promised to pay tribute to Rome and they didn't make war for nearly a century.

Imagen de Matthias Kabelen Wikimedia. GNU Free License

Third and final invasion.

Nearly one hundred years later, in 43 A.D. (43 years after Jesus was born), Emperor Claudius organized the final and successful Roman invasion of Britain. General Aulus Plautius led four legions with 25,000 men, plus an equal number of auxiliary soldiers. They crossed the Channel in three divisions, landing at Richborough, Dover, and Lympne.

Many tribes didn't try to resist the Romans although others did. It took about four years for the invaders to finally gain control over southern England, and another 30 years for them to conquer all of the West Country and the mountains and valleys of Wales.

How long did the Romans stay in Britain? The Romans remained in Britain from 43 AD to 410 AD. That is almost four hundred years (four centuries). They left Britain because their homes in Italy didn't have any protection for the fierce tribes and every soldier was needed.

Try to identify all the negative past forms you can find in the text.

### Retroalimentación

Paco didn't know very much about the United Kingdom. In his English lessons at University he only learnt grammar and some cultural aspects, but not too many. So he has to get an idea of the United Kingdom, its history and background information before leaving for London. Paco has taken a book from his father's room about Great Britain. Let's see what he was reading about:
First invasion - Caesar's first raid.

In August 55 B.C. (55 years before Jesus was born) the Roman general,Emperor Julius Caesar invaded Britain. He didn't take with him too many Roman legions, only two. He didn't stay for long in Britain. After winning several battles against the Celtic tribes (Britons) in south-east England he returned to France.

Second invasion - Caesar's second raid.

The following summer (in 54 B.C.) Caesar came to Britain again landing at Walmer near Deal in Kent. This time he didn't hesitate too much so that he brought with him no fewer than five legions (30,000 foot soldiers) and 2,000 cavalrymen (horse riders). This time the Romans crossed the River Thames. After more fighting, the British tribes promised to pay tribute to Rome and they didn't make war for nearly a century.

Third and final invasion.

Nearly one hundred years later, in 43 A.D. (43 years after Jesus was born), Emperor Claudius organised the final and successful Roman invasion of Britain. General Aulus Plautius led four legions with 25,000 men, plus an equal number of auxiliary soldiers. They crossed the Channel in three divisions, landing at Richborough, Dover, and Lympne.

Many tribes didn't try to resist the Romans although others did. It took about four years for the invaders to finally gain control over southern England, and another 30 years for them to conquer all of the West Country and the mountains and valleys of Wales.

How long did the Romans stay in Britain? The Romans remained in Britain from 43 AD to 410 AD. That is almost four hundred years (four centuries). They left Britain because their homes in Italy didn't have any protection for the fierce tribes and every soldier was needed.

## Ejercicio resuelto

How much do you know about British symbols?

Try to answer these questions:

1. Where can you see red double-decker buses?
2. What does a typical London taxi look like?
3. What do British post and telephone boxes have in common?
4. What is the traditional English food and drink?
5. Name England’s national game.
6. Why is a red rose important in England?
7. The word “pub” is short for.....
8. What do the British usually drink in pubs?
9. What are their opening hours?
10. Are the names of the pubs important? Give some examples.

### Retroalimentación

1. Where can you see red double-decker buses?

- You can see them in London.

2. What does a typical London taxi look like?

- It looks like a beetle.

3. What do British post and telephone boxes have in common?

- Both the post box and telephone box have a picture of a crown on them. The crown on the postbox also has the monarchs initials underneath. We have postboxes with VR (Victoria Regina) and GR (Georgeus Rex) still in use today.

4. What is the traditional English food and drink?

- British food has traditionally been based on beef, lamb, pork, chicken and fish and generally served with potatoes and one other vegetable. The most common and typical foods eaten in Britain include the sandwich, fish and chips, pies like the cornish pasty, trifle and roasts dinners. We can say that fish and chips and tea are the traditional food and drink.

5. Name England’s national game.

- England's national sport is cricket

6. Why is a red rose important in England?

- It's important because the red rose is widely recognised as the national flower of England.

7. The word “pub” is short for.....

- Public House.

8. What do the British usually drink in pubs?

- They usually drink beer, bitter beer.

9. What are their opening hours?

- British pubs are required to have a license, which is difficult to obtain, and allows the pub to operate for up to 24 hours. Most pubs are open from 11 to 11.

10. Are the names of the pubs important? Give some examples.

- Some typical names are The Chequers, The White Swan, The Crown, The King's Arms, The Red Lion and The White Horse.

## Curiosidad

Imagen de Stefano Brivio en Wikimedia. Licencia CC

The flag of the United Kingdom is the Union Flag. It was created by the superimposition of the Flag of England, the Flag of Scotland and Saint Patrick's Flag in 1801. Wales is not represented in the Union Flag as Wales had been conquered and annexed to England prior to the formation of the United Kingdom. However, the possibility of redesigning the Union Flag to include representation of Wales has not been completely ruled out. The national anthem of the United Kingdom is "God Save the King", with "King" replaced with "Queen" in the lyrics whenever the monarch is a woman. The anthem's name remains "God Save the King".

Imagen de Mageslayer99en Wikimedia Licencia CC

Britannia is a national personification of the United Kingdom, originating from Roman Britain. Britannia is symbolised as a young woman with brown or golden hair, wearing a Corinthian helmet and white robes. She holds Poseidon's three-pronged trident and a shield, bearing the Union Flag. Sometimes she is depicted as riding the back of a lion. At and since the height of the British Empire, Britannia has often associated with maritime dominance, as in the patriotic song Rule, Britannia!. The lion symbol is depicted behind Britannia on the British fifty pence coin and one is shown crowned on the back of the British ten pence coin. It is also used as a symbol on the non-ceremonial flag of the British Army. The bulldog is sometimes used as a symbol of the United Kingdom and has been associated with Winston Churchill's defiance of Nazi Germany.

From Wikipedia

## Para saber más

Would you like to listen to the British national anthem? Here you are: