L2: MONARCHY: The Zoo Must Go On

The Zoo Must Go On

Introducing a document:

The document is an article taken from The Guardian, published on September 26^th, 2009.

The document is taken from / is extracted from The Guardian, and (is) written by Jeremy Paxman.

The text is an extract from / is an excerpt from The Guardian, which was written by Jeremy Paxman.

(Grammar: Passive Structure: Be + Past participle / ex: was written)

“It was published on September 26^th, 2009.”

Or “It was published in September 2009” or “It was published in 2009”

(Grammar: Preposition “on”+ day + month.

Preposition “in” + month and year or “in” + year)

The document discusses (/deals with / talks about) the role of the Monarch in the British institutions in twenty-first century Britain.

(Grammar: to discuss something (no preposition))

Every year, the Queen opens a new session of Parliament. The ceremony takes place in Westminster, in the House of Lords.

Nowadays / Today, the English Monarch has limited constitutional power.

According to Walter Bagehot, “Consultation, encouragement and warning” are the three main functions of the English Monarch.
The Queen meets the Prime Minister on a weekly basis (/ every week).

According to the Prime Minister, these meetings may take different forms.  

At these weekly meetings the Queen and the Prime Minister discuss political matters.

The Queen also gives her Royal Assent thanks to which a bill (studied and voted in Parliament) becomes an act.

The Queen’s Royal Assent is necessary for a bill to become an Act.

The Queen’s Royal Assent is necessary so that a bill may become an Act.

Even if (/ Although) the fact that the new session of Parliament is opened by an unelected Queen in an unelected House of Lords is sometimes criticised (/ lambasted), the Monarch still enjoys great popularity (the Monarch is still very popular) in England (among English people).

But the Queen is all the more popular as her power is limited (/ curtailed) by the Parliament, as the Zoo allegory at the end of the text suggests.

Indeed, the Monarch is like a Lion in a cage, impressive but powerless.

The Monarch is comparable to a Lion kept in a cage.

England used to be an absolute monarchy, but is now a constitutional monarchy.

(NB: Used to do (...)  ≠ be used to doing something)

To avoid being done away with, the Monarch agreed to relinquish some of his power.

The Power of the Parliament counterbalances that of the Monarch.

NB:

Every + singular.

Every other year: un an sur deux.

But Every five years… every ten years..

On a weekly basis, on a monthly basis…