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Collège · 3ᵉ · Anglais

Le Commonwealth

Anglais 3e · Civilisation : l'ancien Empire britannique, les pays membres, the King & the Queen, la diversité culturelle

À propos de cette page
Ce cours de anglais en troisième sur « Le Commonwealth » suit le programme officiel de anglais de troisième. Il présente les définitions, les propriétés et les méthodes essentielles, accompagnées d'exemples résolus pour bien comprendre. Au programme : What is the Commonwealth?, From the British Empire to the Commonwealth, Member countries and nationalities, The King, the Queen and the Head of the Commonwealth. Chaque notion est expliquée pas à pas, puis mise en pratique grâce à des exercices interactifs, un QCM et une évaluation corrigée. Idéal pour réviser à son rythme, combler ses lacunes et progresser, en autonomie ou avec un professeur. Cours rédigé par un professeur particulier à Marseille pour aider les élèves de troisième à réussir en anglais.
1

What is the Commonwealth?

The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary association of 56 member states. Together, they represent more than 2.5 billion people, about a third of the world's population, on every continent. Its headquarters (the Secretariat) are in London, and its leaders meet every two years at a summit called the CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting).

Règle. Commonwealth vient de common (commun) + wealth (richesse, bien-être) : « le bien commun ». On écrit the Commonwealth, avec majuscule et article, et on prononce /ˈkɒmənwelθ/.

The members share values written in the Commonwealth Charter (2013): democracy, human rights, the rule of law, equality and sustainable development. Every year, on the second Monday of March, schools celebrate Commonwealth Day with a flag ceremony.

EnglishFrançais
a member stateun État membre
to join / to leaverejoindre / quitter
to share valuespartager des valeurs
the rule of lawl'État de droit
a summitun sommet
headquartersle siège
2

From the British Empire to the Commonwealth

In the 19th century, the British Empire was the largest empire in history. People said: « The sun never sets on the British Empire » because it was always daytime somewhere in the Empire. In the 20th century, the colonies fought for and gained their independence: India and Pakistan in 1947, Ghana in 1957, Nigeria in 1960, Jamaica in 1962, Kenya in 1963…

Règle. The London Declaration (1949) created the modern Commonwealth: a country can be a republic and still be a member. Since then, joining is a free choice.
Attention ! Empire ≠ Commonwealth. L'Empire reposait sur la domination (to rule, to colonise) ; le Commonwealth est une association libre (to join, to leave, to rejoin). La plupart des membres sont d'anciennes colonies, mais pas tous : le Mozambique, le Rwanda, le Gabon et le Togo n'ont jamais été britanniques.
EnglishFrançais
a colony / a former colonyune colonie / une ancienne colonie
to rulegouverner, dominer
to gain independenceobtenir l'indépendance
to rejoinréintégrer
3

Member countries and nationalities

The 56 members are on five continents. The biggest is India (about 1.4 billion people); the smallest is Tuvalu, a Pacific island with about 11,000 inhabitants. The United Kingdom is one member among others.

RegionCountries
Europethe United Kingdom, Malta, Cyprus
AfricaNigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, Uganda
AsiaIndia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore
Americas / CaribbeanCanada, Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas
OceaniaAustralia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tuvalu
Règle. La nationalité prend toujours une majuscule. Terminaisons fréquentes : -an / -ian (Canadian, Australian, Nigerian, Jamaican, Kenyan, Malaysian), -i (Pakistani, Bangladeshi), -ese (Maltese). Cas particuliers : British, Cypriot, Ghanaian, Singaporean, a New Zealander.
Exemple. Amara is Ghanaian: she comes from Ghana. Her cousins are New Zealanders.
4

The King, the Queen and the Head of the Commonwealth

The Head of the Commonwealth is a symbolic role: the Head does not govern the member states. Queen Elizabeth II held this role from 1952 to 2022 — she reigned for 70 years. Since September 2022, the Head has been her son, King Charles III.

Type of memberHead of stateExamples
15 Commonwealth realmsthe Kingthe UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica
36 republicsa presidentIndia, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Barbados (since 2021)
5 monarchies with their own monarcha king or sultanMalaysia, Brunei, Tonga, Lesotho, Eswatini
Attention ! Le roi n'est pas le chef d'État de tous les membres : seuls les 15 realms ont le roi comme head of state. Un pays peut être une république et rester membre.
Astuce. Majuscule et article pour le titre seul : the King, the Queen. Pas d'article devant le titre + prénom : King Charles III, Queen Elizabeth II (jamais « the King Charles »). Le verbe : to reign (régner), le nom : a reign.
5

A world of cultural diversity

The Commonwealth is a multicultural family. English is the common language, but people also speak Hindi, Swahili, Urdu, Malay, French and hundreds of other mother tongues. Members share a heritage: cricket and rugby, driving on the left, the parliamentary system, tea… but each country keeps its own traditions: reggae in Jamaica, Bollywood films in India, the haka in New Zealand, jollof rice in Ghana and Nigeria.

Règle. Pour exprimer la variété : many different cultures, various languages, a wide range of traditions, diverse communities. Le nom : diversity.

Every four years, athletes from the member states compete in the Commonwealth Games, created in 1930 (Hamilton, Canada). Birmingham hosted them in 2022 and Glasgow in 2026. They are nicknamed « the Friendly Games ».

EnglishFrançais
heritagel'héritage, le patrimoine
a mother tongueune langue maternelle
an official languageune langue officielle
to host (the Games)accueillir (les Jeux)
to competeconcourir
a customune coutume
6

Grammar tools: there is / there are and the preterite

Pour décrire le Commonwealth (ce qui existe) : there is / there are. Pour raconter son histoire (faits datés) : le prétérit.

FormePrésentPassé
affirmativeThere is one Head. / There are 56 members.There was an empire. / There were many colonies.
négativeThere isn't a common currency. / There aren't any borders.There wasn't a Charter before 2013.
interrogativeIs there a president? / How many members are there?Were there French colonies in the Empire?
Attention ! « Il y a » ne se traduit jamais par it has ni it is. Accorde avec le nom qui suit : there is a king, there are two official languages.
Règle. Prétérit régulier : -ed (joined, gained, ruled, reigned, hosted). Irréguliers fréquents du chapitre : become → became, be → was / were, leave → left, fight → fought, win → won, hold → held. Négation et question : did + base verbale (Ireland didn't stay in the Commonwealth. When did Kenya gain independence?).
Exemple. Ghana became independent in 1957 and joined the Commonwealth the same year. South Africa left in 1961 and rejoined in 1994.
Pour dire…On utilise…
faire partie deto belong to / to be part of / to be a member of
la plupart desmost of the member states (jamais « the most of »)
autrefoisKenya used to be a British colony.
depuisRwanda has been a member since 2009.
En bref
  • The Commonwealth = a voluntary association of 56 states, born in 1949 (London Declaration), mostly former British colonies.
  • Its Head is symbolic: Elizabeth II (1952-2022), then King Charles III. Only 15 realms have the King as head of state.
  • Shared values (Charter 2013): democracy, human rights, the rule of law. Shared heritage: English, cricket, the Commonwealth Games.
  • Nationalities with a capital letter: Canadian, Pakistani, Maltese, British.
  • There is / there are pour décrire, prétérit (became, joined, left) pour raconter ; jamais it has pour « il y a ».
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