Listen to News with Tara Benwell - Instructions:
1. Preview the vocabulary and read the gapfill text.
2. Play the news report and try to fill in the blanks.
3. Answer the comprehension questions by writing full sentences.
4. Use the discussion question to write an essay or discuss the story with other students.
5. Click "show Answers" to see the full text.
6. Pretend to be a news anchor by reading each story out loud.
dateline: 23 August 2011
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN π
400 Entries Added To 100-Year-Old Dictionary
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- concise: brief but complete
- inspire: to influence a choice or decision
- retweet: to repost someone’s Twitter post
- cyberbully: a person who attacks or bothers another person repeatedly online
- “woot”: a cheer of joy
- context: the background surrounding a word or event
Comprehension Questions
- Why does the report mention the word “follower”?
- What did the OED editor say about social networking sites?
- Why was a reprint made of the original Concise Oxford English Dictionary?
Discussion Question: According to the dictionary’s editor, the Internet is reducing the variety of English spoken around the world. Can you explain this phenomenon? Do you think this trend will continue?
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400 Entries Added to 100-Year-Old Dictionary
400 new entries were added to the 12th edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, many of which were inspired by technology. Additions included “retweet”, “cyberbully”, and “woot”. According to OED editor, Angus Stevenson, new words gain dictionary status more quickly now thanks to social networking sites. The dictionary turns 100 years old this month. Definitions for the words “follower” and “friend” have also changed, with additional notes on the meaning of these words in a social media context. A limited edition of the original 1911 edition has been reprinted for the anniversary celebration. While many of the new words in the 12th edition are technology based, the word “computer” did not exist in the first edition.
- The report mentions the word “follower” because in the new dictionary there is an additional definition for this word due to its meaning in a social media context.
- The OED editor said that new words are adopted more quickly nowadays thanks to social networking sites.
- A reprint was made of the original Concise Oxford English Dictionary for the 100th anniversary of its first printing.
Written and recorded by Tara Benwell for EnglishClub
Tara Benwell is a Canadian freelance writer and editor who specializes in materials and articles for the ELT industry.
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