English with Jo

War & Peace

This is the preparation material for an English conversation lesson about war and peace. There is an audio discussion to listen to about the history and colonisation of Canada, some vocabulary and common collocations that people use when discussing war and peace and a list of conversation questions about this subject.

Audio

Audio discussion about the history of Canada

Transcript of Audio Discussion

* Audio courtesy of elllo.org. 

Vocabulary

• Besiege – to attack a place by surrounding it
• Ambush – to attack unexpectedly from secret positions
• Truce – an agreement during a war to stop fighting for a time

Collocations and expressions

• Stockpiling weapons – building up large quantities of weapons
• Deploy troops – send soldiers
• Caught in the crossfire – shot by accident as they were in the wrong place at the wrong time
• Pre-emptive strike – an attack made to prevent the enemy attacking you
• Call for a ceasefire – an agreement to stop fighting
• Restore peace – stop the fighting
• Bring stability – make the region feel safe
• Withdraw troops – to take soldiers out of a region
• To wage war – to fight a war
• To rally the troops – call together people

Conversation Questions

• What wars has your country fought in the recent past?
• Would you fight in a war to save your country?
• Do you think that war ever brings good results?
• What do you think future wars will be fought over?
• Do you think there will ever be peace in the world?
• What’s the best way of achieving peace?
• If religions are all about peace, why do they lead to so much conflict?
• Does your country have an army?
• Is having an army a waste of money in your country?
• Is military service compulsory in your country?
• Do many young people in your country join the army?
• Has anyone in your family ever fought in a war?
• What causes countries to engage in a war?
• Can you think of a war that you believe was justified?
• How can countries prevent conflicts when other nations are not trying to bring peace?
• What do you think soldiers find the most difficult to get used to?
• What cause would you fight/die for?
• What are the first steps to world peace?
• What would it take for the world to be more peaceful?
• Would people need to change how they think, for the world to be peaceful?