ENGLISH
REFERENCE

prime minister

compound.
B1 Intermediate Oxford

compound. the person who leads the government in many countries.

compound. the head of an elected government; the principal minister and leader of the executive branch in a parliamentary system.


SIMPLE

The prime minister gives a speech today.

CONTEXTUAL

After the election results were announced, the prime minister met with the king to form a new government.

COMPLEX

The prime minister faced intense questioning from the opposition regarding the proposed changes to the national healthcare budget.

Origin

Calque of French premier ministre.

Usage

capitalize as a title before a name (Prime Minister Smith) but use lowercase for general references.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'president'; explain that a prime minister is usually a member of the legislature and chosen by the majority party rather than elected directly by the public.

Pitfall

The Prime Minister of the France.The Prime Minister of France.do not use 'the' before country names unless the country name itself contains a common noun like 'Republic' or 'Kingdom'.

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