Session 15 Discussion: Talking about news in English

Are there topics in the news that you find difficult or uncomfortable to discuss in English — but that you can discuss more easily in your first language? What makes the difference? Is it vocabulary, cultural knowledge, or something else?

Try to use: follow, keep up with, break down, shed light on, put in context

Imagine you are at a dinner party in an English-speaking country and someone brings up a controversial political topic — one where you have a strong view that might be unpopular. How do you handle it? Do you speak up, stay quiet, or redirect the conversation?

Try to use: weigh in, take (noun), the way I see it, spark debate, polarize

How has the experience of following news in English changed over the course of this course? Are there stories you now follow that you would not have engaged with before? Are there types of coverage you now read differently?

Try to use: keep up with, be up to date on, develop, unfold, breaking

When a news story is still unfolding and the facts are unclear, how do you decide what to say about it — or whether to say anything at all? Is it better to wait and see, or to engage with uncertainty openly?

Try to use: developing, wait and see, stay tuned, remain unresolved, breaking

A story goes viral on social media. Millions of people are sharing it — but it has not been verified by any major outlet. How do you talk about it with people who are treating it as fact? What phrases would you use to introduce appropriate skepticism without dismissing their concern?

Try to use: go viral, be doing the rounds, from what I understand, shed light on, pick up steam

Is it possible to have a genuinely productive conversation about the news with someone who holds very different political views from your own? What conditions make it possible — and what typically makes it fail? Describe an experience if you have one.

Try to use: make of, put in context, I hadn't thought of it that way, that puts it in a different light, spark debate