Fricatives -definition and characteristics Fricatives - are consonants with the characteristic that when they are produced, air escapes through a small passage and makes a hissing sound. All languages have fricatives, probably always including something like s. Fricatives are continuant consonants...
Plosive consonant - definition and characteristics Plosive - is a consonant produced when one articulator is moved against another, or two articulators are moved against each other, so as to form a stricture that allows no air to escape from the vocal tract. English has six plosive consonants: p, t...
Modern English - English spoken on the territory of the British Isles from the middle of the 15th century onwards. In fact, many authors postulate the existence of Early Modern English, as contrasted with Late Modern English which should be recognised because the leap from Middle English to Modern E...
Geography of the British Isles The British Isles are surrounded by the North Sea to the north and east, and by the Atlantic Ocean in the south and west. Between England and France there is the English Channel. Between Great Britain and Ireland there is the Irish Sea. The main mountain regions in G...
The Conservative Party - main issues The Conservative Party was formed by Robert Peel from what was left of the old Tory party in the 1830s. Originally, the party of the Church, aristocracy and landed
The Constitution in Great Britain There are a number of documents which may be taken together to make up a constitution. They include, amongst others: Magna Carta (1215) - which may be said to form the basis of British democracy - guaranteed the privileges of all freemen and the Church, and assure...
The House of Commons - main issues The Speaker - Debates held in the House of Commons are chaired by the Speaker - the chief officer of the House of Commons. He or she is elected when the previous speaker retires or fails to get re-elected at a ...
The House of Lords - main issues Lord Chancellor - the House of Lords is chaired by him. He traditionally sits on a woolsack, a large square seat covered with red cloth, the symbol of Britai...
The Labour Party - overview The Labour Party was formed by James Hardie in 1892 to represent the working class and was more or less the parliamentary wing of the Trade Unions, with whom the party continues to be closely associated. James Ramsay MacDonald became the first socialist Prime Minister in...
The Liberal Party The Liberal Party, which traces its origins to the 18th century Whigs, merged with the new Social Democratic Party in 1988 to become the Liberal Democrats. They seek to attract the votes of the middle ground between Labour and the Conservatives. This party is less tied to either ...
