What can history teach us?

Answer each question with 2–3 sentences.

1. Which period of history interests you most?
2. Did you enjoy history at school?
3. Which historical person would you like to meet?
4. Which event do you wish you had seen?
5. Do you think people learn from the past?
6. Do you know your family's history?

Read each word and the example. Then say a sentence about history.

Choose the word that fits.

1. With the benefit of , it is easy to see mistakes that nobody noticed at the time.
2. An earlier case used as a guide for later decisions is a .
3. The order in which events happened is called their .
4. Historians search the national for old letters and official documents.
5. Two historians may the same evidence in very different ways.
6. During wars, governments often use to influence public opinion.
7. It is tempting to history by blaming a single cause for a complex event.
8. Many cities the end of the war with a ceremony each year.

Choose the right answer, then press Check answers.

1. hindsight is understanding after an event has
   ended soonstartedhappened
2. a precedent is an earlier
   drinkcasecolour
3. chronology is the
   costsizeorder
   of events
4. an archive is a collection of
   songsdocumentsanimals
5. propaganda is information used to
   deleteinfluencerepair
   opinion
6. to commemorate = to
   forgetsellremember
   with a ceremony

Use these phrases to tell the story of past events.

• By the time...Коли..., (вже)By the time help arrived, they had left.
• Ever since...З того часу, як...Ever since the war, the town has changed.
• In the wake of...Услід за..., після...In the wake of the crisis, new rules appeared.
• Prior to...До..., перед...Prior to the war, trade had been growing.
• No sooner had... than...Щойно..., як...No sooner had it ended than it began again.
• At the time,...Тоді,...At the time, nobody knew what would follow.
• Up until then,...До того часу,...Up until then, nobody had imagined it.
• Subsequently,...Згодом,...Subsequently, the treaty was revised.

Read the text. Hover over the dotted words for help.

1. Santayana's line is often quoted in slightly altered form.
   TrueFalse
2. The text says that historians all agree about the Treaty of Versailles.
   TrueFalse
3. The Marshall Plan began in 1948.
   TrueFalse
4. The text says that events looked inevitable to people at the time.
   TrueFalse
5. The text says that historians compare accounts and check the evidence.
   TrueFalse

1. Does history repeat itself?
2. Which event do people most misunderstand?
3. Is it fair to judge the past by today's values?
4. Who writes history, and why does it matter?

Common mistakes: by the time + past simple, past perfect, prior to + noun, in the wake of + noun, no sooner had… than… and ever since + present perfect. ✗ By the time he came, they left → had left. ✗ Prior the war → Prior to the war. ✗ In the wake the crisis → In the wake of the crisis. ✗ No sooner had it begun when → than. ✗ Ever since then, it changed → has changed.

1. By the time the treaty was signed, millions
   diedhad died
   .
2. She
   had been workingwas worked
   in the archive for years when she found the letter.
3. PriorPrior to
   the war, trade had been growing.
4. In the wake
   toof
   the crisis, new rules were introduced.
5. No sooner had the war ended
   whenthan
   famine spread.
6. Up until then, nobody
   has imaginedhad imagined
   such losses.
7. SubsequentlySubsequent
   , the treaty was revised.
8. People
   lived beingwere living
   through the crisis and did not know how it would end.

Each sentence has one mistake. Type the correct words.

1. By the time the war ended, millions died. →
2. She worked in the archive for years when she found the letter. →
3. Prior the war, trade was growing. →
4. In the wake the crisis, new rules appeared. →
5. No sooner had the war ended when famine spread. →
6. Ever since the war, the town changed a lot. →

Answer in detail. Use narrative tenses and time linkers.

1. By the time you were ten, what had you already learned?
2. Tell the story of an event in your family history. Use the past perfect.
3. What happened in your country in the wake of an important event?
4. Ever since you started learning English, what has changed?
5. What was happening in the world when you were born?
6. No sooner had you finished school than...? Finish the story.

Three people discuss the lessons of history. Compare them. Who trusts history most? Who trusts it least? Whose view is closest to yours?

Your teacher will time you.

1. Plan for one minute, then speak for one or two minutes.
2. Part 1: describe a historical event that you find important.
3. Part 2: use at least three narrative tenses or time linkers (by the time, ever since, in the wake of, prior to, no sooner... than).
4. Part 3: say what you think people can learn from it.

1. What is your favourite period of history?
2. Do you visit museums?
3. Do you know a story from your family's past?
4. Have you ever read a history book for pleasure?
5. Which historical film have you enjoyed?
6. Do you watch documentaries?
7. Do you think history is taught well?
8. Which date do you remember best?

1. Who in your family tells stories about the past?
2. Who is your favourite historical figure?
3. Who should write school history books?
4. Who taught you about history?
5. Who lived through a major event in your family?
6. Who would you interview about the past?

1. Does history repeat itself?
2. Can we learn from past mistakes?
3. Should history lessons be changed?
4. Is it right to remove statues of historical figures?
5. Who owns the past?