Straightforward B1+ Intermediate Vocabulary, Lesson 8A

So for the final lesson this semester I have a project planned for each class. My first year students will be required to deliver a sort of informal speech about a topic of their choosing. Since I am focusing on reported speech in this lesson I chose to utilize this lesson to begin the discussion around the project (I wanted to begin the discussion somewhere in October anyway and felt this was a natural progression for scaffolding this skill).

First date taught: 19 Oct 2022

8A – Breaking News

Theme: Newspapers and Reported Speech.

Vocab list from the book here

consume (news) (v) [B2] – to take something in, typically used in reference to eating or drinking, but is often referred to a media diet (i.e. what media or information an individual or group consumes)

stay on top of (the news) (idiom) – to follow something closely to make sure that you’re up to date on the subject. Can be used professionally or personally.
Example: Dana’s an excellent student. She always stays on top of her homework.

expat (n) [C2] – a person living in a country that is not their own (a short form of expatriate)

young and naive – common idiom, often semantically similar so it is used to emphasize the naivity of a situation or a person at the time. Often used in the past tense.

naive (n) [C1] – too willing to believe that someone is telling the truth, that people’s intentions in general are good, or that life is simple and fair. People are often naive because they are young and/or have not had much experience of life.

bias (n) [B2] – a strong feeling in favour of or against one group of people, or one side in an argument, often not based on fair judgement

pushing agendas (v) – to cause it to develop or progress in a particular way

echo chamber (noun phrase) – an environment in which somebody encounters only opinions and beliefs similar to their own, and does not have to consider alternatives

misinformation (n) [] – wrong information, or the fact that people are misinformed; information intended to deceive

algorithm (n) – a procedure used for solving a problem or performing a computation, often used in reference to certain social media platforms such as facebook, instagram, google, youtube, etc.

contentious (adj) – causing , involving, or likely to cause disagreement and argument
synonym: hot button (noun phrase) – a subject that is important to people and about which they have strong opinions

source (n) [C1] – someone or something that supplies information; the place something comes from or starts at, or the cause of something

objectivity (n) – the fact of being based on facts and not influenced by personal beliefs or feelings

not a bit (phrase) – not in any way, could also be said “not one bit”

…I’m not the first – a reference to the idiom: I’m not the first and I won’t be the last – which is to say that something is a common occurance

cocktail party (n) – a formal party with alcoholic drinks, usually in the early evening

cocktail dress (b) – a dress worn for a special social occasion in the evening, such as a party or dance (see photo below)
cocktail sausage (n) – a small sausage, served hot or cold as a snack, especially at a party
cocktail shrimp (n) – shrimp served cold with a spicy tomato sauce (called cocktail sauce), usually eaten as an appetizer
cocktail lounge (n) – a large, comfortable room in a hotel where you can meet people and be served alcoholic drinks

cocktail vs ni9htcap – nightcap is more intimate, cocktail is more formal (or rather semi-formal)… cocktail can be 3 or more people, whereas nightcap is 3 people or less.

nightcap (n) – a drink, sometimes an alcoholic drink, that someone has just before going to bed

cocktail party effect – the phenomenon of the brain’s ability to focus one’s auditory attention on a particular stimulus while filtering out a range of other stimuli, such as when a partygoer can focus on a single conversation in a noisy room.

24-hour news cycle – the term used to refer to TV channels which only play the news, 24-hours a day. It refers to the phenomenon of having a constant flood of information, news that only gives brief bursts of updates, and a sense of competition that results in sensationalism to encourage viewership.

have a nose for smth (idiom) – to be good at finding things of the stated type

exposé (n) [B2] – a film or piece of writing which reveals the truth about a situation or person, especially something involving shocking facts

sensationalize (v) – to present information in a way that tries to make it as shocking or exciting as possible

diminutive (adj) – used to express the fact that something is small, often either to show affection or to suggest that something or someone is not important
Example: In other words, Russian diminutive affixes happen to be especially strong and salient cues to noun gender.

patronymic (n) – a name that is based on the given name (= the name given at birth) of someone’s father or one of their father’s ancestors
Example: Pressed by journalists, the guide still refuses to give his name, offering only his first name and patronymic, “Valery Georgiyevich”.

matriarch (n) – an old and powerful woman in a family, or the female leader of a society in which power passes from mother to daughter

distort (v) – to change something so that it is false or wrong, or no longer means what it was intended to mean
Example: She accused her opponent of distorting the truth.

narrative (n) [C2] – a particular way of explaining or understanding events

refrain (v) [C2] – to avoid doing or stop yourself from doing something

commonality (n) – the fact of sharing interests, experiences, or other characteristics with someone or something
Example: They found a commonality in discussing their experiences.