democracy

Everyday

1. Democracy is a way of running a country in which the people choose their leaders by voting. tree →
2. A democracy is a country run in this way. tree →
3. Democracy can mean fair decisions where everyone has an equal say, as in a class vote. tree →

In the lessons

In citizenship and history lessons it is compared with kings and dictators; free elections, free speech and fair laws are parts of democracy. In class, voting for a class leader is a small democracy. Phrases: «live in a democracy», «a free democracy», «parliamentary democracy».

Examples

• In a democracy, people vote for their leaders. tree →
• The United States, Canada and Australia are democracies. tree →
• Ancient Athens had an early form of democracy. tree →
• Our class used democracy to choose the trip — we voted. tree →
• Free speech is important in a democracy. tree →
• 18 of 30 pupils voted for the zoo; is that more than half? tree →

Note

Plural: democracies. Adjective: democratic. The word comes from Greek: demos = people, kratos = power. Maths in votes: a majority means more than half.