ANZAC Day Vocabulary (ESL)

level: Intermediate (B1/B2)

ANZAC Day is observed on April 25th in Australia and New Zealand to honor the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who served in World War I and all subsequent conflicts. This exercise covers the key vocabulary for this solemn commemoration.

READY TO PRACTICE? LET’S GO!

Choose the best word(s) from the following list to complete each sentence: served, wreaths, consisting of, sunk, poppies, commemorate, soldiers, revived, battle, acronym

1. The ANZAC stands for "Australian and New Zealand Army Corps."✓

2. The holiday is currently regarded as a remembrance of all Australians and New Zealanders who and died during all wars and peacekeeping missions.✓

3. Anzac Day was originally created to ( = remember) the soldiers from the two countries who died during the Gallipoli Campaign in World War I.✓

4. The popularity of the holiday ( = diminished) during the 1950s and 1960s, but has ( = increased) since.✓

5. One of the traditions of this holiday is called the "gunfire breakfast" (a drink coffee and rum), in reference to the type of "breakfast" many soldiers have before going into .✓

6. Anzac Day parades are also common in cities and towns across Australia and New Zealand, with many former ( = ex-servicemen/women) joining in.✓

7. On this day, many people wear paper ( = a type of flower) as symbols of remembrance.✓

8. A well-known ceremony is the laying of (= flowers arranged in a ring) at dawn at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.✓

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ANZAC Day Conversation Questions 1. Does your country have a day of remembrance for fallen soldiers? How is it observed?
2. How important do you think it is to commemorate historical military conflicts? Why?
3. Do you think younger generations feel a strong connection to events like World War I? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever visited a war memorial or battlefield site? What was the experience like?
5. How should a country honor its war dead while also promoting peace?
6. What do you know about World War I? What aspect of that period interests you most?

KEEP PRACTICING — MORE VOCABULARY FOR YOU:
ANZAC Day honors the contributions and sacrifices of soldiers — explore more national days and holiday vocabulary below.

More national and remembrance days:
Australia Day vocabulary (A2/B1)
Boxing Day vocabulary 1 (A2/B1)
National Day for Truth & Reconciliation (A2/B1)
Victoria Day vocabulary 1 (A2/B1)

More holiday vocabulary:
Memorial Day vocabulary 1 (A2/B1)
U.S. Independence Day vocabulary 1 (A2/B1)
Canada Day vocabulary 1 (A2/B1)
Browse all vocabulary exercises →

Did you know? ANZAC Day marks the anniversary of the Gallipoli Campaign landing on April 25, 1915 — one of the first major military operations undertaken by Australian and New Zealand forces. The campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, with enormous casualties on both sides, but it became a defining moment in the national identities of both Australia and New Zealand.

The ANZAC Day dawn service is one of the most distinctive commemorations in the world. Services are held at the going down of the sun and in the morning, and include the recitation of The Ode (from Laurence Binyon's poem For the Fallen) and the haunting sound of the Last Post bugle call.