Media & communication
15 words15 слов уровня C1 Advanced: bias, allegation, retract, articulate, ambiguous, outspoken, euphemism, hyperbole, embellish, imply, speculation, slander, evasive, retort, disclose. Для каждого слова даны транскрипция, определение, перевод и три примера, а в конце урока вас ждут короткая история со всеми словами и 23 вопроса для проверки.
Nadia had just started at a local newspaper when a source made a serious allegation: a city councillor, he implied, had taken money from a building company. He refused to disclose how he knew, and much of what he said seemed to be pure speculation.
Her editor wanted to publish at once, but Nadia was articulate and outspoken, and she argued that they had to be careful. The source clearly liked to embellish his stories, his wording was ambiguous, and the councillor had already sued one neighbour for slander over a similar rumour.
When Nadia rang the councillor, he was evasive, describing the payments as ‘consultancy fees’ — an obvious euphemism, she thought. Meanwhile, another paper ran the story, full of hyperbole, calling it ‘the scandal of the decade’.
Asked to comment, the councillor retorted that the paper ‘wouldn’t know the truth if it saw it’. A week later the other paper was forced to retract the article and apologise for its bias. Nadia’s caution had saved her newspaper from making the same mistake.
noun
an unfair preference for or against a person, group or opinion
предвзятость
Bias against / in favour of. Прилагательное biased.
“The newspaper was accused of political bias.”
“Try to judge the evidence without bias.”
“There is a clear bias against older candidates.”
noun
a statement, without proof, that someone has done something wrong
обвинение (недоказанное)
Make / deny an allegation. Глагол allege, наречие allegedly.
“He denied all the allegations against him.”
“The allegations of fraud are being investigated.”
“She made serious allegations about her former boss.”
verb
to say that something you said earlier is not true
отказываться от слов, опровергать
Retract a statement / claim. Существительное retraction.
“The newspaper had to retract the story.”
“He later retracted his confession.”
“She refused to retract her comments.”
adjective
able to express ideas clearly and well
умеющий ясно выражать мысли
Глагол articulate /ɑːˈtɪk.jə.leɪt/ — чётко формулировать; произношение отличается.
“She is an intelligent and articulate speaker.”
“He was not very articulate when he was nervous.”
“Articulate students do well in interviews.”
adjective
having more than one possible meaning
двусмысленный, неоднозначный
Существительное ambiguity. Антоним — unambiguous.
“The wording of the contract is ambiguous.”
“His answer was deliberately ambiguous.”
“The ending of the film is ambiguous.”
adjective
saying openly what you think, even if it upsets people
откровенный, прямолинейный
An outspoken critic of something.
“She is an outspoken critic of the government.”
“He was known for his outspoken views.”
“Outspoken players are rarely popular with managers.”
noun
a mild word used instead of one that is unpleasant or embarrassing
эвфемизм
‘Pass away’ is a euphemism for ‘die’. Прилагательное euphemistic.
“‘Let go’ is a euphemism for ‘fired’.”
“Politicians love euphemisms like ‘collateral damage’.”
“‘Economical with the truth’ is a euphemism for lying.”
noun
a way of speaking that makes something sound much bigger or more important than it really is
преувеличение, гипербола
Четыре слога: /haɪˈpɜː.bəl.i/. Прилагательное hyperbolic.
“The advert is full of hyperbole.”
“Calling it ‘the match of the century’ was pure hyperbole.”
“Without hyperbole, this is the best book I’ve read this year.”
verb
to make a story more interesting by adding details that are not true; to decorate
приукрашивать; украшать
Существительное embellishment.
“He tends to embellish his stories.”
“The report was embellished with dramatic details.”
“The dress was embellished with pearls.”
verb
to suggest something without saying it directly
подразумевать, намекать
Существительное implication. Не путать с infer — делать вывод: говорящий implies, слушающий infers.
“Are you implying that I’m lazy?”
“His silence implied that he agreed.”
“The report implies that the figures were wrong.”
noun
guessing about something without having enough information
домыслы, предположения
Speculation about / that… Глагол speculate.
“There is growing speculation about her future.”
“The rumours are pure speculation.”
“His resignation led to speculation that he was ill.”
noun
a false spoken statement that damages someone’s reputation
клевета (устная)
Ср. libel — письменная клевета. Также глагол: slander someone.
“He sued his neighbour for slander.”
“The accusation was nothing but slander.”
“Spreading slander about colleagues can cost you your job.”
adjective
not willing to answer questions directly
уклончивый
Глагол evade, существительное evasion. Take evasive action — уклониться от опасности.
“The minister gave an evasive answer.”
“She was evasive about her plans.”
“Why are you being so evasive?”
verb
to answer quickly in an angry or clever way
резко ответить, парировать
Также существительное: a sharp retort.
“‘That’s none of your business,’ she retorted.”
“He retorted that the critics knew nothing about art.”
“Her quick retort made everyone laugh.”
verb
to make information known publicly, especially something that was secret
раскрывать, разглашать
Существительное disclosure. Синоним — reveal.
“The company refused to disclose the price.”
“Doctors cannot disclose private information about patients.”
“He disclosed that he had been ill for months.”
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