Wonderful World, Beautiful People

• By: Jimmy Cliff
• Album: Vietnam

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
wonderful /ˈwʌndərfl/ B1	adjective - extremely good; inspiring delight or admiration.
beautiful /ˈbjuːtɪfl/ A2	adjective - pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically.
world /wɜːrld/ A1	noun - the earth, together with all of its countries and peoples.
people /ˈpiːpl/ A1	noun - human beings in general or considered collectively.
girl /ɡɜːrl/ A1	noun - a female child or young woman.
things /θɪŋz/ A1	noun - an object that one need not, cannot, or does not wish to give a specific name to.
secret /ˈsiːkrət/ B1	noun - something kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others. adjective - not known or seen or not meant to be known or seen by others.
look /lʊk/ A1	verb - direct one's gaze towards someone or something or in a specified direction. noun - an act of directing one's gaze.
state /steɪt/ B1	noun - the condition of something at a particular time. verb - express something definitely or clearly in speech or writing.
sure /ʃʊr/ A2	adjective - confident that one knows something or that something is true.
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of affection. verb - feel deep affection for (someone).
learn /lɜːrn/ A2	verb - gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in (something) by study, experience, or being taught.
fighting /ˈfaɪtɪŋ/ B1	noun - the act of fighting; violent conflict.
free /friː/ A2	adjective - not under the control or power of someone else; able to do or say what you want.
understand /ˌʌndərˈstænd/ A2	verb - perceive the intended meaning of (words, a language, or a speaker).

Grammar:

• Things could be pretty

  ➔ Conditional Mood (Second Conditional - possibility)

  ➔ Uses "could" + be + adjective. Suggests a possibility, but not a certainty. It implies that if conditions were different, things might be 'pretty.' The unspoken 'if' clause is the missing piece.

• Underneath this, there is a secret

  ➔ Inversion (Emphasis)

  ➔ Normally, the sentence would be: "There is a secret underneath this." Inverting the order places emphasis on "underneath this."

• We all could make it a better way

  ➔ Modal Verb 'could' (Suggestion/Ability)

  ➔ "Could" expresses a suggestion or a possibility that we have the ability to make the world a better place.

• Everybody learn to love each other

  ➔ Imperative (Informal)

  ➔ "Learn" here is used in the bare infinitive form, characteristic of an imperative sentence. It's a command or strong suggestion given to a general audience.

• This is our world, can't you see?

  ➔ Tag Question (Seeking Agreement)

  ➔ The "can't you see?" at the end is a tag question. It's used to encourage the listener to agree with the statement "This is our world."

• Everybody wants to live and be free

  ➔ Parallel Structure (Infinitive verbs)

  ➔ "To live" and "to be free" are parallel infinitives connected by "and". This emphasizes the equal importance of both desires.

• Let us try to give a helping hand

  ➔ Imperative with 'Let' (Suggestion/Invitation)

  ➔ "Let us" introduces a suggestion or invitation for the speaker and others to do something together. It's a softer way of giving a command.

• This I know and I'm sure

  ➔ Fronting (Emphasis)

  ➔ Normally the sentence would be: 'I know this and I'm sure'. Fronting 'This' emphasizes the importance of what the speaker knows.