{"id":46207,"date":"2021-02-03T14:44:40","date_gmt":"2021-02-03T13:44:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/?p=46207"},"modified":"2021-02-03T14:44:40","modified_gmt":"2021-02-03T13:44:40","slug":"5-tips-for-reading-the-news-in-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oxfordhousebcn.com\/en\/5-tips-for-reading-the-news-in-english\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips For Reading The News In English"},"content":{"rendered":"

We spend hours consuming the news. With one click of a button we have access to thousands of news stories all on our phones. And with so much happening in the world right now, it can be difficult to avoid those breaking news<\/span><\/em><\/strong> updates.<\/p>\n

So why not use this to your advantage and practise a little English?<\/p>\n

There are lots of reasons to read the news in English. It keeps you up-to-date with current affairs<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. It helps you learn everyday vocabulary on a variety of interesting topics. It can even help you improve your reading speed. Not to mention that you\u2019ll learn some very specific grammatical structures.<\/p>\n

So stop what you\u2019re doing. Turn on your news alerts. And follow these quick tips for reading the news in English!<\/p>\n

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1. Take a look at the headlines<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

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Headlines can be a great way to learn English in small doses<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. They are normally a limited number of words and often contain strong, simple action verbs written in the present simple. Here\u2019s an example from The Mirror. Check out their use of the short and snappy verbs warns and vows:<\/p>\n

\"Mirror

<\/p>\n

Taken from The Mirror, 21st January 2021<\/a><\/p><\/p><\/div>\n

Headlines often miss out unimportant grammatical words, for example – articles like a<\/em>, an<\/em> or the<\/em>, connecting words like because<\/em> or auxiliary verbs like is<\/em> or was<\/em>. The first letter is also always capitalized. Take a look at this headline from the BBC:<\/p>\n

\"BBC

<\/p>\n

Taken from BBC News, 27th January 2021<\/a><\/p><\/p><\/div>\n

See how they\u2019ve missed out the words \u201cof representatives\u201d<\/em> from the House of Representatives? They\u2019ve also written delivers<\/em> in the present tense when it would normally be in the past simple or present perfect.<\/p>\n

Headlines often contain humour or a pun like this one from The Guardian.<\/p>\n

\"The

<\/p>\n

Taken from The Guardian January 2021<\/a><\/p><\/p><\/div>\n

To take the crown<\/em> is another way of saying to win<\/em>. This play on meaning<\/span><\/em><\/strong> relates to Princess Diana and the success of Kristen Stewart in playing the part in the movie.<\/p>\n

It also uses emotive vocabulary to grab the reader\u2019s attention. Doe-eyed<\/em> means someone who has large innocent eyes – like that of a doe (a female deer).<\/p>\n

There\u2019s lots of new language you can get from the headlines. Next time you\u2019re scrolling through your news app, or walking past a newsstand<\/span><\/em><\/strong>, stop and try to understand the true message.<\/p>\n

Any words you don\u2019t understand, use a translation app such as WordReference<\/a> or Google Translate<\/a> to help you out!<\/p>\n

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2. Pay attention to passive tenses<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

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Headlines and main body news articles sometimes use the passive voice. Why? Because it makes the object of the story the main focus.<\/p>\n

The active voice tells us who does what. The passive voice (be + participle) tells us what happened but often hides the who. Headlines are a little different, however, because they often use the passive voice without<\/em> using a conjugation of the Be<\/em> verb.<\/p>\n

Compare these two sentences:<\/p>\n