IELTS Vocabulary: Newspaper & Current Affairs
- Dec 1, 2015
- 4 min read
We have a collection of useful vocabulary for newspapers. These words can be used for talking or writing about newspapers (hint hint IELTS Writing or Speaking tests). Not only showing up in IELTS speaking and writing task 2, you will find them in listening and reading as well. It’s definitely worthwhile learning this useful newspaper vocabulary.
Types of Newspapers
tabloids = gossip newspapers
broadsheets = newspapers printed on large sheets which are usually considered more serious
daily / weekly / monthly newspapers = papers printed once a day / once a week / once a month
quarterly newspapers = newspapers printed once every 3 months
heavy newspaper = a newspaper with serious content
gutter press = newspapers which focus on sensational journalism, often about the lives of famous people
periodical = a newspaper or magazine published at regular intervals
local / regional newspaper = a newspaper which contain news from a particular area
national newspaper = a newspaper which contain news from the whole country
Newspaper Content
headlines = heading or title appearing at the top of a page or article
columns = news that is printed in vertical columns rather than taking a whole page
obituaries = a section in the newspaper about people who have recently died
horoscope = a section in the newspaper about star signs and zodiac signs which foretell the future
weather report = a section in the newspaper for weather forecasts
business section = a section in the newspaper with business news
international / world news section = a section in the newspaper which focuses on news from abroad
caption = a explanation or title matching a picture or cartoon
letter to the editor = a section in the newspaper for people to express their views to the editor of the newspaper
special feature = a special story
editorial = a news article containing the editor’s opinions
comic strip = a cartoon series in the newspaper
advice column = a column in the newspaper where advice is given to people who write in for it
TV guide = a section in the newspaper with a guide for TV programs for the coming day or week
Other Useful Vocabulary for Newspapers
circulation = the number of copies a newspaper distributes on an average day (some newspapers have a wider circulation than others)
edition = a particular version of a text
layout = the way articles are designed on a page (this can include the position of pictures, the number of columns and the size of headlines)
attention-grabbing = a news story which draws public attention
eye-catching = a picture or layout which catches a person’s eye
in-depth = with many details
sensational news = news which causes public excitement or interest
black and white = without colour
direct quotation = words taken directly from what a person has said
paparazzi = a freelance photographer who follows celebrities
front page = the first page of a newspaper
supplementary magazine = a magazine which sometimes is given free with a newspaper
back issue = an old newspaper edition
subject matter = the topic dealt with in an article
proof reader = a person who checks a text for errors
fact checkers = a person (people) who checks if the newspaper facts and information in an article are correct
hot off the press = news that has just been printed and is very recent
readership = the collective readers of a newspaper (some newspapers have a large readership)
issue (n) = 1. an important topic for a debate 2. a copy of a newspaper
Practice with Newspaper Vocabulary
Fill in the following sentences with word(s) from the above lists. Words can be adapted to make the sentences grammatically correct.
I can’t understand why people buy ……………….. because they don’t contain real news, just gossip.
Famous people deserve the right to privacy and the government should do more to control and limit ……………
There are so many mistakes in that article with information that they’ve got wrong. They really should employ a …………….
I’m not keen on the …………… of some newspapers. It seems to me as though they are trying to fill the pages with pictures and big words to get people’s attention but I just think it’s messy.
Did you read about that amazing hero in WWII that recently died? There was a wonderful article about her life in the …………….. today.
The reason that many people only glance through the papers to read the ……………….. is that they are so busy and don’t have time to read the details in the articles themselves.
Although we live in a global world, where international news is important to follow, it is still vital that people read their ……………… newspapers in order to learn about the community in which they live.
I quite like reading …………… because it’s interesting to read the views of the editor on particular issues.
Answers
tabloids
paparazzi (it is also possible to have the answer of “the gutter press”)
fact checker
layout
obituaries
headlines
regional / local
editorials
Error Correction
Find the mistakes in the following sentences. There is one mistake in each sentence.
The paparazzi, who work freelance, are notorious for hound celebrities.
Gutter press focuses on mainly sensational news.
Tabloid are not popular newspapers among the educated people in my country.
Fact checkers do important work and are responsible to make sure that people are quote correctly in articles.
The recent article about marine environmental problems is hot of the press.
For my research, I had to go through a lot of back issues of various newspapers to find the articles relate to my degree thesis.
I’m pleased that newspapers are starting to include some colour photographs and pictures because it makes the articles more interesting and eye-catch.
One of my favourite parts of a newspaper is the comic strip because I find the message in the cartoons so relevent to the major issues of the day.
Answers
hound = hounding (chasing)
Gutter press = The gutter press
Tabloid = Tabloids
quote = quoted
hot of the press = hot off the press
relate = relating
eye-catch = eye-catching
relevent = relevant
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