Newspapers and News- Opinions and Vocabulary

Newspapers and news opinions and vocabulary

Give your opinions on topics from below, ask what your partner thinks with an expression like “What do you think?”, discuss it as long as you like, then take turns doing the same with different topics from below.

Current affairs topics to discuss

• bias in the news
• broadsheet newspapers
• celebrity gossip
• charities
• coverage of international conflict
• coverage of natural disasters
• different parts of the newspaper
• environmental education
• environmental problems
• illegal drugs
• international crime
• international organisations
• law enforcement
• left-wing news sources
• levels of crime
• local government
• negative things about newspapers
• negative things about television news
• newspaper columnists
• newspaper editorials
• news online
• organised crime
• petty crime
• politicians
• positive things about newspapers
• positive things about television news
• preventing natural disasters
• punishments for crime
• right-wing news source
• road safety
• social problems
• tabloid newspapers
• terrorism
• the danger of war breaking out
• the defence industry
• the economy/ economic figures
• the political system
• violent crime
• white collar crime

 

Brainstorming news vocabulary

Without looking above for now, brainstorm language for these categories of language related to newspapers and the news. Some of the categories include words from above and some categories need more specific examples of the things above. Other words which aren’t above are also often okay.

Kinds of news/ Things which get news coverage

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natural disasters and environmental problems

 

 

 

 

 

 

Illegal drugs

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crimes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Punishments for crime

 

 

 

 

 

 

Law enforcement (people, organisations, places, etc)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Politicians/ Parts of the government

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social problems

 

 

 

 

 

 

Economic figures

 

 

 

 

 

 

Different parts of a newspaper/ Things in a newspaper

 

 

 

 

 

 

Different kinds of newspapers

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look above for ideas, then brainstorm more.

 

Compare your ideas as a class and/ or with the suggested answers.

Suggested answers

Many more words are possible, so please check if you wrote something different.

Kinds of news/ Things which get news coverage

celebrity gossip, crime, entertainment, international, national/ domestic, politics, science and technology, sports, the arts

Natural disasters and environmental problems

flood, landslide/ avalanche, storm (hurricane/ cyclone/ typhoon), drought, famine/ starvation, volcanic eruption, earthquake, tidal wave/ tsunami, forest fire, crash/ collision/ pileup, fire, acid rain, pollution, oil spill/ oil slick, hole in the ozone layer, global warming, rising sea levels, extinction of endangered animals, illegal logging, epidemic/ pandemic

Illegal drugs

marihuana/ grass/ cannabis, speed/ amphetamines, crack (cocaine), cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, crystal meth, ecstasy

Crimes

theft/ robbery (e.g. bag snatching, pickpocketing, burglary, shoplifting, mugging), (first degree) murder/ homicide, second degree murder/ manslaughter, bribery, blackmail, insider trading, drink driving, arson, smuggling, terrorism, sexual harassment, discrimination, organised crime (e.g. mafia and gangs), rape, assault

Punishments for crime

prison sentence (e.g. a life sentence), death penalty/ capital punishment, community service, suspended sentence, corporal punishment, fine, compensation/ damages

Law enforcement (people, organisations, places, etc)

lawyer (e.g. solicitor, attorney or barrister), judge, magistrate, prison guard, police officer, private detective, jury, court reporter, the courts, prison, police station, undercover cop, customs officer, immigration officer

Politicians/ Parts of the government

MP, senator, congressman, mayor, local counsellor, PM, president, candidate, vice president, MEP, incumbent, shadow minister, minister, The Chancellor (of the Exchequer)/ finance minister, lawmaker, president in waiting, conservative, left-winger, member of the House of Lords, leader of the opposition, Speaker, cabinet

Social problems

abortion, divorce, bullying (e.g. in the workplace), censorship, child labour, data protection problems, domestic violence, educational standards, birthrate, addiction, globalisation, vandalism (e.g. graffiti), health scares, homelessness, human trafficking, gambling, weapons, immigration, inequality, NEETs, vigilantism, obesity, poverty (e.g. the Working Poor), school absenteeism, sex industry, stress-related illnesses, suicide

Economic figures

inflation, unemployment rate, business confidence, GDP, GNP, economic growth, interest rates, consumer confidence, stock market index (e.g. FTSE, Dow Jones or Nikkei), budget deficit, trade deficit, bankruptcies, household debt, national debt

Different parts of a newspaper/ Things in a newspaper

opinion/ column/ editorial, reviews, listings, crossword, weather, cartoon (and see kinds of news above for more)

Different kinds of newspapers

tabloid, broadsheet, mid-brow

 

Use as many words from above as you can to talk about recent news and news sources.