Newspeak

Distancing the facts • Nouns formed from phrasal verbs • Responding to news

STARTER 1 The words in the box are commonly used in newspaper headlines.
Why do you think these words are often short and dramatic?

Complete the headlines with the words.

haul swoop blow havoc cops fury raid axe

orgy cons dumps bid row ban probe

a
NEIGHBOURS' SWORD MANIAC PC shot in
OVER HEDGE SHOT BY I I bank dies
ENDS IN COURT s-
NEW ® ..............................
a ----------------------------------
INTO M URDERS New inflation
BA to I 15,000 jobs in REVEALS figures deal
to break even FRESH CLU ES to recovery hopes
m E r____________ ,
E
O A Ps’ at WIFEI I BOGUS VICAR
m easly 1.5% HUSBAND IN WIDOW OF
rise in pensions
E
SEX LIFE SAVINGS
E
£50 MILLION E- AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL
HUBBY PUTS Police C H J on
BANK crack factory - STRIKE THREAT SPELLS
ON MISSUS huge drug f FOR HOIS
1FH M Listen to five people talking about which newspapers they read and why.
Put numbers 1-5 next to the correct newspaper(s). What do they like about the newspaper(s) they read?

□ Financial Times □ Sun □ Independent □ Guardian □ Observer

□ Daily Mail □ Daily Mirror □ Times □ International Herald Tribune

In Britain the main newspapers are national, not regional. Is it the same in your country?
Do your newspapers have a political bias?
Do you read a newspaper regularly? Which one? Why do you choose that one?

Unit 6 • Newspeak 55
 READING AND SPEAKING
Tabloid and broadsheet newspapers

1 Look at the front pages of two 2 Read the two articles on pp57-8. Summarize each story in three or
different newspapers, The Sun and four sentences. Which newspaper ... ?
The Independent on Sunday. • is more factual and objective
• is more sensational
sroerswMKhiotais-staraersw acnosantaafcPAWfaiWKwlrixscsrims.\mv ft
• has longer, more complex sentences

THE INDEPENDENT O N SU N D A Y
•
•
uses more informal, idiomatic, conversational language
uses more formal, controlled, concise language
— 1-
Dinooui 1 3 Where did the reporters obtain their information? Who did they speak
to? Which newspaper attributes its sources more? Why, do you think?
4 This is the structure of the article in The Sun.
Harry admitted taking drugs «► his father’s reaction "«*■his school’s reaction
""*• a twist in the last two paragraphs
What is the structure of the article in The Independent?
5 What are the different ways that Harry is referred to in each paper?
6 Who or what are these in the articles? Can you remember?
from The Sun from The Independent
• John Lewis • Featherstone Lodge
• Highgrove, Gloucs • the Rattlebone Inn
• The News of the World • St James’s Palace
• the Berkshire college • David Baker

Language work

7 Make questions for these answers, using the words in brackets.

1 He might be expelled, (fail) What happens if he fails the drugs test?

ms
m m
2 A member of staff told him. (find out)
3 To give him a short, sharp shock, (insist)
4 Yes, he learned a lot. (instructive)

itonH 5
6
It can lead to hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin, (potential danger)
It is very strict. It gives lectures about their dangers, (policy)

)RUGS TEST 7 He is reported to have verbally abused an employee. (W h a t...

Which is the tabloid newspaper, and
which is the broadsheet? What are your
immediate impressions of the different
coverage?
Harry said ... done at the Rattlebone Inn?)
8 He turned it down immediately, (react)
8 Find informal words or idioms in The Sun and formal words in The
Independent that have similar meanings to these.
The Sun - informal words f o r. . . The Independent - formal words for. . .

Think o f ... cannabis came out, became known

• the size of the headline has been warned warned, made aware
• the content of the headline (Eton is an alcohol very distressing or shocking
expensive private school) a person who is difficult to control results
behaving in an uncontrolled fashion happening in many places
• the photograph
stopped at a very early stage given in to temptation
• the layout of the front page
everyone will be watching buildings and land of a business
• the use of the word exclusive
• the length of the text on the front page

56 Unit 6 • Newspeak
Monday January 14th www.thesun.co.uk

SUN EXCLUSIVE

HARRY FACES
ETON DRUGS
TEST
T R O U B L E D P rin c e H a r r y is
fa c in g d r u g s te sts a t Eton after
a d m ittin g ne t o o k pot.
He has been allowed to stay at
the school by head John Lewis.
But the teenager risks being
EXPELLED if he fails a random
urine check in future.
A source said last night: “Harry
has had the yellow card. If he
ever tests positive he’ll be out.”
T he youngster told Prince
Charles he smoked cannabis and
had booze binges at Highgrove,
Gloucs, and a nearby pub when
he was 16.
Harry, now 17, also went
drinking at a pub on New Year’s
Eve. Eton insiders said the Prince
“can be a handful.”
A source added: “People are
genuinely concerned he may be
going off the rails.
“He also has a habit of spitting
in the street - quite distasteful.”
The News of the World told
yesterday how Charles responded
to H arry’s cannabis confession by
ordering him to visit a rehab unit
- to frighten him into turning his
back on drugs.
And Eton has told him that even
though he never smoked pot at
the school, its anti-drug rule
applies at home.
A senior source at the Berkshire
college said: “The cannabis matter
was brought to the attention of
the head by Prince Charles.
“ Obviously the Prince is
extremely concerned about those
who mix with his son in case any
of them has been a bad influence
on him.
BORED
“The smoking of cannabis and the
drinking of alcohol is widespread at
Eton College and the headmaster
operates a strong policy against it.
“ But the difficulty is that you
have a large num ber of boys with
a huge weekly disposable income
who get very bored and become
easy prey for drug-dealers.”
T he source said Eton was
“totally satisfied” with the way
Prince Charles had handled
H arry’s drug use.
He went on: “It would seem
the problem has been nipped in
the bud.
Warned . . . Harry arriving at Highgrove yesterday Picture: D A V ID BEBBER
“However, the headm aster signs of drug abuse in the boys.
informed Charles his son could be Eton rules say: “T he school
made to take random urine prospectus is explicit about the
samples in the future. headmaster’s right to dismiss any
“T he headmaster hates having boy involved with illicit drugs.
to expel anybody - but he is very “T he headmaster also has the
tough on drugs. power to treat as a breach of
“All eyes at Eton will be on Harry
school discipline behaviour
to ensure he does not stray.” during the holidays which brings
the school into disrepute.”
ABUSE
Meanwhile, a pupil who was
Eton pupils are all given expelled for having cannabis said
lectures about drugs by a he once offered a joint to H arry’s
counsellor. brother William.
They are warned how drugs He added: “William was not
affect the body and mind. amused. He politely turned it
Staff are also trained to spot down immediately.”
57
 THE INDEPENDENT
13 JANUARY NO 623
Prince Harry
sent to rehab
over drink
and drugs
BY CLAIRE HILL
Prince Harry was sent to a
drugs rehabilitation clinic
after he admitted to smoking
cannabis and drinking alcohol,
it emerged last night.
His father, the Prince of Wales,
sent his son to Featherstone
Lodge Rehabilitation Centre
in Peckham, south London.
Prince Charles took the decision
after learning his son had
taken drugs during private
parties at Highgrove, and had
drunk alcohol at the nearby
Rattlebone Inn in Sherston,
reports said.
These incidents are reported
to have happened last June and
July when Harry was 16. It is
believed that Prince Charles
was alerted to the problem
when a senior member of staff
noticed a smell of cannabis. In
the late summer, he visited the
rehabilitation centre for what
was intended to be a “short,
sharp shock. ”
Bill Puddicombe, the chief
executive of Phoenix House
Treatment Service For Drug
Dependency, confirmed Prince
H arry’s visit to the lodge.
“The visit was at the request
of the Prince of Wales, who is
our patron,” he said. “Prince
Harry came for a couple of
horn's on a day in late summer
and talked to several people in
58 Unit 6 • Newspeak
ON SUNDAY £1.20 O R £1.45 C1.K0)
recovery, heroin and cocaine
addicts mostly.
“They told him what had
happened in their lives, which
must have been quite harrowing
for him. Prince Harry was
friendly and relaxed and the
residents liked him and
responded very warmly to him.
“I spoke to the Prince in
November and was pleased to
hear that Harry had enjoyed
his visit and learnt a lot.
“It was an opportunity for
the Prince of Wales to teach
Prince Harry about our work
and the consequences of taking
drugs. Featherstone has helped
an enormous number of people,
and we are pleased if the visit
helped Prince Harry too.”
Prince Harry was reportedly Prince Harry, who was sent to a drink and d rugs rehabilitation PA
shown the residential and detox unit by his father
areas and sat in on a communal
therapy group and heard politicians’ children who have hours drinking at the Rattlebone
stories of addicts moving from succumbed to drug-taking. Inn. He verbally abused a
cannabis to cocaine and heroin. The Hon. Nicholas Knatchbull, French employee and was
A spokesman for St James’s a godson of Prince Charles, was ordered to leave the premises,
Palace said last night: “This is in a rehabilitation clinic last the report said. The landlord,
a serious matter which was year. Camilla Parker-Bowles’s David Baker, left the pub
resolved within the family, and son, Tom, and Lord Frederick within weeks of the incident.
is now in the past and closed. ” Windsor have also admitted The Prince of Wales was
It is expected there will be using cocaine. Tony Blair’s son, involved in an underage
widespread praise for the Euan, was found drunk in drinking episode when he was
Prince of Wales’s actions. Leicester Square in 2000 when 14. During a school sailing trip,
Prince Harry, now at Eton he was 16. he led his four friends to the
public school and planning to The Mail on Sunday also Crown Hotel on the Isle of
go to agricultural college after reported last night that the Lewis. He asked for a cherry
his A-levels, is the latest in a prince was at the centre of a brandy, the first drink that came
line of young aristocrats and police investigation into after­ to his mind.
LANGUAGE FOCUS
seem and appear
Distancing the facts
2 Change these sentences, beginning with
Look at these sentences from the newspaper article. the words in italics.

These incidents are reported to have happened last J u n e . ..

1 It seems the weather is changing.
2 It appears that we have missed the train.
It is believed that Prince Charles was alerted to the problem . . .
3 Peter appeared to have been attacked
It is expected there will be widespread praise . ..
by a bull. (It)
It would seem the problem has been nipped in the bud.
4 He seemed to have survived the ordeal.
These are all ways of giving information without stating categorically (It)
that you know it to be true. The writer is putting distance between 5 It would seem that the Government has
himself and the facts. changed its policy.
1 Passive constructions 6 It appears that they are worried about
Look at these sentences. losing the next election.
They say he works in the City.
Reporting the news
People assume he's earning a lot o f money.
Everyone thought he had made his fortune in oil. 3 In groups, write a short newspaper article
These sentences can be expressed in the passive in two ways, for one of these headlines. Include some
beginning with It or He: of the constructions you have practised.
1 It is said that he works in the City.
It is assumed that he’s earning a lot o f money. Athlete fails drugs
It was thought that he had made his fortune in oil.
test and loses medal
1 He is said to work in the City.
He is assumed to be earning a lot o f money. PM lied to Parliament
He was thought to have made his fortune in oil. over donations
What differences in form do you notice? from businessman
2 seem and appear PRICELESS PAINTING
He appears to have learned his lesson.
The Sun seems to have found its information from a LOST IN FIRE TRAGEDY
variety o f sources.
The Independent seems to be more factual.
TV SOAP STAR RICKY
It appears that the Prince took the incident seriously.
GOES INTO REHAB
► ► Grammar Reference p1S2 ACTRESS CARRIE MOORE
TO WED FOR NINTH TIME
CITY TRADER EMBEZZLES
Passive constructions

1 Rewrite these sentences, beginning with the words in italics. £25 MILLION
1 It is reported that the international criminal Jimmy Rosendale is ‘DANGEROUS’
living in Ireland.
PRISONER ESCAPES
2 People believe that he is the head of a gang of bank robbers.
BY HELICOPTER
3 Everyone knows that the gang has carried out a series of robberies.
4 It is supposed that they have escaped with over €1 million. 12-year-old maths genius
5 It is thought that they are targeting banks in small provincial towns. wins place at Oxford
6 They say Jimmy Rosendale is wanted for questioning by police in
five countries. 4 Listen to the news broadcast and
7 We understand he escaped from police custody by bribing a warder. use it as a dictation. Elect one student to
8 It is assumed that he has been involved in criminal activities all his life. write on the board while the rest of the
9 People presume that he learned his trade from his father. class helps.
10 It is alleged that his father was the mastermind behind the 2001 I think you've spelt that word wrong.
gold bullion robbery. I don’t think it was 'would’. I think it was 'had'.

Unit 6 • Newspeak 59
 VOCABULARY
Nouns formed from phrasal verbs

1 There are many compound nouns formed with a

verb + preposition, or preposition + verb combination. H amm on ihjmjs Tries
Here is an update on the news.
A t the outbreak o f war / was just three years old.
The health service is suffering from budget cutbacks.
The town has a bypass, which keeps traffic out o f
the centre.
Where is the stress on these words?
2 Some of these nouns operate as phrasal verbs, and
some don’t.
Rioting broke out in the middle o f the night.
Funds allocated to research have been severely cut back.
There is no verb to date up. To pass by is used literally.
We passed by the park on the way to the station.

‘He says his name is Billy and he’s here to update our software.’
1 Complete the sentences with a com pound noun starting
with the word given. Use the definitions to help you.

out break

1 the final result o f an election, or negotiations, when no 10 new and successful development
one knows what to expect There have been g re a t___________ in organ
We are all waiting for the outcome of the meeting. transplants in the last 20 years.
2 a set of clothes worn together 11 a serious mental illness
She bought a n e w ________ for the wedding. After his mother died, Paul suffered a complete
3 what is expected to happen in the future n e rv o u s___________ .
T h e ________ for tom orrow’s weather is bleak,
I’m afraid. Use | up | at the end o f these four words.

4 a shop or company through which products are sold 12 ending a marriage

The Body Shop has re ta il________ in major cities
throughout the world.
take
5 a meal you buy in a restaurant to eat at home
Shall we eat out or get a ________ ?
6 getting control of a company by buying most o f its shares
Business sections of newspapers are full of company
mergers a n d ________ .
down
Sarah was very depressed after t h e ___________ o f her
marriage to Tony.
13 something used for support if the main one fails
At the end o f a day’s w riting, I make a copy o f my
w o rk on disk as a ___________ .
14 a situation in which a lot of changes are made
There’s been a b ig ___________ at w ork. T h ey’ve fired
six managers and introduced new working practices.
15 a way of organizing or arranging something
I don’t understand the p o litic a l___________ in the
States. T h e ir elections seem to last for years.

7 failure or ruin following success 2 W ork with a partner. Choose some o f the words from the
She had a great career, but hard drugs were h e r______ . box. W rite a definition and a sample sentence with a gap.
8 a lot of rain that falls fast and heavily Use a dictionary if necessary. Test the other students.
I got soaked in yesterday’s ________ .
lookout setback outbreak backlash upkeep
9 information obtained from the Internet, usually free slip-up offshoot comeback showdown upturn
For fre e ________ , click here. write-off drawback hold-up outburst knock-out

60 Unit 6 • Newspeak
LISTENING AND SPEAKING
A foreign correspondent

1 Look at the photos. Who are the different people?

Where are they? W hat’s happening?

Language work

5 W hat do you understand by these lines from

the interview?
• I was very much in the thick of things.
• a more fulfilling time personally
• I've never made a virtue out of danger.
• the echoes of Empire
• the little essay which illuminates brilliantly the
2 ‘News is always bad news. We listen for a couple o f days, then we inner workings of some distant place
lose interest.’ • newspapers have become more market-driven, and
What recent news stories illustrate this or contradict it? less of a public service
• their hands are tied
3 Check you know these words.
6 Simon Winchester often understates his points.
• do somebody justice • off-beat places • to shrink (pp shrunk) For example, he refers to some dangerous
• a pack (of wild animals) • a patch (of land) • subtlety situations as skirmishes. Find other examples
• inconspicuous • a skirmish • focused of understatement in the tapescript on p i 38.
4 B g - m Listen to an interview with Simon Winchester, a foreign
What do you think?
correspondent, and answer the questions.
Part one • Do you agree that people aren’t so interested
1 W hat is the interviewer’s first question? How does Simon in what is happening outside their own country
Winchester answer it? any more? Has television numbed our curiosity?
2 W hat kind of journalist is he? W hat kind of journalist isn’t he? How much foreign news coverage is there in
3 What big news story of the 1970s does he mention? your newspapers?
4 W hat kind of places does he like?
• ‘We go in ... the blazing TV lights . . . f or a short
Part two time, and then we go on to the next story.’
5 W hat is the first reason he gives for the change in the foreign
correspondent’s role? How much does TV report the news and how
6 Why did the British press use to have a much better coverage much does it create it nowadays? Think of
of foreign affairs? recent big world stories that exemplify this.
7 WTiat does he say about The New York Times? • A‘ s soon as there’s a disaster, reporters ask three
8 W hat is his attitude to television news reporting? questions. How many dead? Where were they
9 W hat sort of news reporting does he like? from ? How did you feel when it happened?’
10 How has an increased awareness of budgets affected foreign
news coverage? Do you agree?

Unit 6 • Newspeak 61
 THE LAST WORD
Responding to news

1 Match the statements and responses. Sometimes there is more than

one possible answer.

1 Guess what! I won £5 million on the lottery! a So what? I don’t care.

2 My grandfather died last week. b In your dreams.
3 One of my students told me I was a lousy c Over my dead body.
teacher. d Now you’re talking!
4 Here we are! Home at last. e Nice one!
5 I’m broke since I bought all those designer f Where’s the surprise?
clothes. g Thank goodness for that!
6 Have you heard that Jim’s leaving to go to h Tough.
another job? i You’re kidding!
7 I missed the last bus and had to walk home. i What a drag!
8 When I get a job, I’m going to be a millionaire. k What a cheek!
9 I’m going on holiday to Barbados for two weeks. Oh no! I’m so sorry to
10 My six-year-old daughter painted me a picture hear that.
for Father’s Day. m Good riddance.
11 I’m fed up with revising. Let’s go out for a beer. n Bless her!
12 Susan says she never wants to see you again.
13 My team lost again last weekend.
14 (12-year-old girl) Dad, I’m going to an all-night
party. Is that OK?

CT3E1 Listen and check. W hat additional comments do you hear?

2 W hat ideas do the responses in column B express?
□ surprise at someone’s lack of respect □ no concern □ I’m impressed!
□ sympathy □ relief □ 1don’t believe you.
□ no sympathy □ 1like what you’re saying. □ What you’re saying won’t happen.
□ pleasure that someone is leaving □ Isn't she cute? □ 1won’t allow this to happen.
□ no surprise □ How boring!

3 Work with a partner. Cover the responses and try to remember the
complete conversations.
4 itf'H -1 Listen to these lines of conversation. Reply using a response
from column B in exercise 1, then continue the conversations. That's just
Listen to the conversations. What is the second speakers attitude?
brilliant //
Look at the tapescript on p i 38 and practise the conversations with a
partner. B should try to sound sarcastic.
6 In pairs, make conversations from the chart. B needs to decide how to
sound - sincere or sarcastic.

A B

I’ve done all the washing-up. You’ve been a great help.

I’ve spilt paint all over your carpet. Thank you so much.
I’ve burnt the meal. That’s just brilliant.
I’ve hoovered everywhere. 1don’t know what I’d have done without you.

62 Unit 6 • Newspeak ► ► Writing A letter to a newspaper p124