The Quirks of English: World Peace Day

As you know, on the thirtieth of January, the World Peace Day is celebrated all around the world. To celebrate, I will share with you some interesting vocabulary and three songs related to peace.

Peace vocabulary
- The white dove with a branch of olive

From : https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Peace_dove.svg

- An origami crane :

Image taken from : http://justkiddingjusthurts.blogspot.com.es/2012/01/activity-peace-symbols.html

Other recognisable symbols of peace :

- The peace symbol :

From : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_symbols

- The white poppy :

From : http://www.boom1019.com/2013/11/07/the-white-poppy-doesnt-matter/

- The V-sign : This symbol is offensive in some cultures, but it portrays peace in other cultures.

From : http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Wicca%20&%20Witchcraft/peace_3.jpg

- The rainbow flag :

From : http://www.clker.com/clipart-rainbow-flag-meaning.html

- The broken rifle :

From : http://www.ppu.org.uk/ppu/rifle.html

- A peacemaker : a person who convinces others to stop fighting.

My favourite expression : lay down your arms

Now you can listen to some interesting songs that you can listen to and sing for this day. The songs are ordered according to your level : the first one is for students of low-level students, the second one for intermediate-level students and the last one for upper-intermediate students. I also include one of my favourite songs by Green Day : 21 Guns. I include some gap-filling exercises. Listen to the video and try to fill in the gaps. Then down below you have the links to the lyrics of the four songs.

Level 1: What a wonderful World by Armstrong

I see ______ (1) are green, red ________ (2) too

I see them bloom for me and you

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I see ________(3) are blue and _________ (4) are white

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred ________ (5)

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

The colours of the __________ (6) so pretty in the sky

Are also on the faces of people going by.

I see _________ (7) shaking hands saying how do you do

But they're really saying I ________ (8) you.

I hear ________ (9) cry, and I watched them grow

They'll learn much more than I'll ever _______ (10)

And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

Yes, I think to myself what a wonderful world.

Level 2 Imagine by John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven

It's ________ (1) if you try

No hell below us

Above us only __________(2)

Imagine all the people

Living for _________ (3)

Imagine there's no___________ (4)

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or _______ (5) for

And no __________ (6) too

Imagine all the people

Living life in _________ (7)

You may say I'm a_________ (8)

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the _____ (9) will be as one

Imagine no __________ (10)

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or ________ (11)

A _________ (12) of man

Imagine all the people

_________ (13) all the world

You may say that I'm a ________

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll______ us

And the _________ will live as one.

Level 3 : "Heal the world"(Michael Jackson)

There's a place in your _______ (1)
and I know that it is ________(2)
and this place could
be much brighter than tomorrow
and if you really try
you'll find there's no need to _____ (3)
in this place you'll feel
there's no hurt or sorrow.

There are ways to get there
if you care enough for the ________ (4)
make a little space make a better place...

Heal the world, make it a better place
for you and for me, and the entire human

______ (5) . There are people dying
if you care enough for the ______
make a better place for you and for me.

(Chorus)

If you want to know why
there's a love that cannot lie
love is ________ (6), it only cares for
joyful giving. If we try
we shall see in this bliss
we cannot feel fear or dread
we stop _________ (7) and start living
Then it feels that always love's enough for
us growing so make a better world
make a better world...
Chorus
And the dream we were conceived in
will reveal a joyful _______ (8)
and the world we once believed in
will shine again in grace then why do we keep
strangling life wound this earth

crucify its soul though it's plain to _______ (9)

this world is heavenly, be god's glow

We could fly so high,
let our spirits never _______ (10) in my heart
I feel you are all my ________ (11)
create a world with no fear, together we'll cry
happy tears see the _______ (12) turn their swords
into plowshares

We could really get there
if you cared enough for the ______
make a little space to make a better place...
Chorus x3
for you and for me (repeated x10)

Heal the world we live in, save it for our children (x4).

BONUS: One of my favourite songs : 21 Guns.

21 guns (Green Day)