23F anniversary
1981: Rebel army seizes control in Spain
Spain is in a state of political confusion after an attempted right-wing coup.This evening about 200 soldiers and members of the paramilitary Civil Guard stormed the lower house of the Spanish Parliament, the Cortes, firing automatic weapons and shouting orders.
They took hostage about 350 MPs debating a new government.
The group - led by Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero Molina, an officer of the Civil Guard - told all those present to lie down.
Lt Col Tejero then called on the King to make an announcement.
All streets around the building have been sealed off.
The coup plot originated in Valencia, in eastern Spain, under the command of Lieutenant General Jaime Milan del Bosch.
A supporter of the late dictator General Franco, the former commander of the elite Brunete Armoured Division near Madrid was recently transferred because of his opposition to the new political order and was suspected of plotting against it.
The general has declared a state of emergency and ordered tanks onto the streets of Valencia.
In Madrid the rebel army took over the radio and TV stations for 90 minutes. They dispersed when riot police arrived on the scene.
Attempts to restore order
The King meanwhile has called on the civil service to take on the role of parliament based at Zarzuela Palace.
The joint chiefs-of-staff issued a communiqué saying all measures had been taken to put down the rebellion and restore order.
Despite these reassurances Spaniards are now wondering how long their five-year democracy can last.
Although Spain's transition from dictatorship to democracy has been fairly smooth - until now - there have been rumblings of discontent among the right.
A few weeks ago Spain's first democratically elected prime minister Adolfo Suarez resigned.
It is believed he was under pressure by the right wing of his Democratic Centre Union party and the armed forces about concessions made to separatists in Catalonia and the Basque regions.
Vocabulary Practice:
Complete the following sentences with a green word or expression, in the correct form, from the above text.
- I'm going to ________ for a while. I'm really tired and I don't feel very well.
- The President came to power after a _____ and there hasn't been elections since then.
- The secret services managed to foil the bomb _____ .
- Shop windows were broken and cars set alight during the _____ .
- The police _________ the area as they hunted the gunman.
- I was so hungry. My stomach was ___________ during the meeting. It was embarrassing.
- A: How long does the film _____? B: around three hours
- People drove to work _________ the warnings about the contaminaton.
- The terrorists released a number of ________ from the hijacked plane.
- The manager _________ because he disagreed with company policy.
- Everyone was watching te cup final. ___________ on the streets, everything was quiet.
- I ________ where Gill is. She isn't normally so late.
- I never understand train _____________. They don't speak clearly.
- You have __________ a lot of responsibilites. Are you sure you will be able to manage?
- Her _____ husband was a very rich man and so she has a very comfortable life now.
Or if it was before your time, what have you been told about it from your family?
Read some memories of the coup.
Comments
Have a good weekend.
I would have thought that 23F was before your time. :-)
I REMEMBER THAT DAY PERFECTLY. I HAD BEEN STUDYING at university in the evening. When I left the class to go home, I TOOK a bus and there, I began LISTENING TO the news ON the radio.
Then, when I got home, my family and my friends BEGAN to call us on the phone (there STILL weren't mobile phones THEN) .
Everybody was nervous and in many houses THEY began cleaning and THROWING AWAY compromising papers.
The following day, I FELT VERY OPTIMISTIC, I believed THAT the COUP HAD FAILED (like HAD happened) and I went to class AT university again, but... I was THE ONLY ONE there.
Keep up the good work!
Can't I say " I had studied" instead of "I had been studying"? What is the difference? and can't I say "like it happened" instead of "like had happened". See you tomorrow
If something is "before your time", it happened before you were born or when you were too young to remember, so yeah - looks can be deceiving! :-)
"I had been studying" suggests an action over a period of time; "had + participle" suggests shorter action.
I BELIEVED THAT it HAD HAPPENED. We use the past perfect to distinguish between two past actions.
Look for Past Perfect exercises under "Grammar" on the left of the blog. Also look at Verb Tense Tutorial in the same section.
1. I'm going to LIE DOWN for a while. I'm really tired and I don't feel very well.
2. The President came to power after a COUP and there hasn't been elections since then.
3. The secret services managed to foil the bomb PLOT.
4. Shop windows were broken and cars set alight during the RIOT.
5. The police SEALED OFF the area as they hunted the gunman.
6. I was so hungry. My stomach was RUMBLINGS during the meeting. It was embarrassing.
7. A: How long does the film LAST? B: around three hours
8. People drove to work DESPITE the warnings about the contamination.
9. The terrorists released a number of HOSTAGES from the hijacked plane.
10. The manager RESIGNED because he disagreed with company policy.
11. Everyone was watching the cup final. MEANWHILE on the streets, everything was quiet.
12. I WONDER where Gill is. She isn't normally so late.
13. I never understand train ANOUNCEMENT. They don't speak clearly.
14. You have TAKEN ON a lot of responsibilities. Are you sure you will be able to manage?
15. Her FORMER husband was a very rich man and so she has a very comfortable life now.
2.The President came to power after a wing-coup
and there hasn't been elections since then.
3.The secret services managed to foil the bomb plot .
4.Shop windows were broken and cars set alight during the storm.
5.The police sealed off the area as they hunted the gunman.
6.I was so hungry. My stomach was rumbling during the meeting. It was embarrassing.
7.A: How long does the film last? B: around three hours
8.People drove to work despite the warnings about the contaminaton.
9.The terrorists released a number of hostages from the hijacked plane.
10.The manager resigned because he disagreed with company policy.
11.Everyone was watching te cup final. Meanwhile on the streets, everything was quiet.
12.I wonder where Gill is. She isn't normally so late.
13.I never understand train _announcement. They don't speak clearly.
14.You have support a lot of responsibilites. Are you sure you will be able to manage?
15.Her late husband was a very rich man and so she has a very comfortable life now.
1. lie down and lay down are both right.
4. cars set alight during the riot
6. my stomach was rumbling
13. I never understand train announcements
14. You have taken on a lot of responsibilites...
15. former = ex , late = dead
Well done!
Exercises:
Complete the following sentences with a green word or expression, in the correct form, from the above text.
1. I'm going to LIE DOWN for a while. I'm really tired and I don't feel very well.
2. The President came to power after a DICTATORSHIP and there hasn't been elections since then.
3. The secret services managed to foil the bomb PLOT.
4. Shop windows were broken and cars set alight during the RIOT.
5. The police SEALED OFF the area as they hunted the gunman.
6. I was so hungry. My stomach was FIRING during the meeting. It was embarrassing.
7. A: How long does the film LAST? B: around three hours.
8. People drove to work DESPITE the warnings about the contaminaton.
9. The terrorists released a number of HOSTAGE from the hijacked plane.
10. The manager RESIGNED because he disagreed with company policy.
11. Everyone was watching te cup final. ALTHOUGH on the streets, everything was quiet.
12. I WONDER where Gill is. She isn't normally so late.
13. I never understand train MEASURES. They don't speak clearly.
14. You have TAKEN ON a lot of responsibilites. Are you sure you will be able to manage?
15. Her FORMER husband was a very rich man and so she has a very comfortable life now.
Or if it was before your time, what have you been told about it from your family?
My mother told me that she and her parents were very frightened when it happened. Inmediately after my grandparents were noticed, they looked for my mother and brought her to their house (she was out with her friends in that moment).
Memories? But it was before your time. There are a few events in history that you remember where you were at the time and what you were doing: the deaths of JFK, Franco or Princess Diana or shocking outrages like 11 Sept and 11 Mar. You weren't born or were just a toddler for all of them. I wonder which events you can recall where you were when you heard about them.
1. I'm going to LIE DOWN for a while. I'm really tired and I don't feel very well.😍
2. The President came to power after a DICTATORSHIP 😡 COUP 😍 and there hasn't been elections since then.
3. The secret services managed to foil the bomb PLOT. 😍
4. Shop windows were broken and cars set alight during the RIOT. 😍
5. The police SEALED OFF the area as they hunted the gunman.😍
6. I was so hungry. My stomach was FIRING😡RUMBLING 😍 during the meeting. It was embarrassing.
7. A: How long does the film LAST? B: Around three hours. 😍
8. People drove to work DESPITE the warnings about the contaminaton. 😍
9. The terrorists released a number of HOSTAGE HOSTAGES 😍 from the hijacked plane.
10. The manager RESIGNED because he disagreed with company policy. 😍
11. Everyone was watching the cup final. ALTHOUGH😡 MEANWHILE😍 on the streets, everything was quiet.
12. I WONDER where Gill is. She isn't normally so late. 😍
13. I never understand train MEASURES😡ANNOUNCEMENTS😍. They don't speak clearly.
14. You have TAKEN ON a lot of responsibilites. Are you sure you will be able to manage? 😍
15. Her FORMER husband was a very rich man and so she has a very comfortable life now. 😍 former = ex (so they are divorced) / late = dead (so she is a widow)
My mother told me that she and her parents were very frightened when it happened. Immediately after my grandparents heard the news / found out what had happened, they looked for my mother and brought her home (she was out with her friends at the time).