English 102 unit 5 Gossip and the Media Student File

Balqa Applied English 2

Unit 5
Table of Content

Unit 5
Gossip and the Media
Subject Page no.

Vocabulary Activities 2

Reading 4
-Gossip and the Media
- Juicy Campus.com

Grammar 8
-Direct and Indirect Speech

Grammar Activities 10

Listening 12
-Did you know?
Pronunciation 15
-Silent Letters
Pronunciation Activities 16

Speaking 16

Writing 18

Word List 19
English 102 unit 5 Gossip and the Media Student File

"Fire and swords are slow engines of destruction,

compared to the tongue of a gossip."

Richard Steele, Sr.

Learning Objectives

1. Recognize direct and reported speech.

2. Build up grammatically correct sentences using direct and indirect
speech.
3. Read and answer questions about the text.
4. Write a paragraph using both indirect speech and direct speech.
5. Employ the new vocabulary in meaningful constructions.
6. The primary objective is to help students accurately produce and
differentiate English consonant clusters.
7. They can improve their pronunciation accuracy and avoid common
errors.
8. Students can accurately spell and decode words that contain these
clusters. This skill contributes to improved reading fluency and
comprehension.
9. Mastering consonant clusters improves overall pronunciation clarity and
intelligibility. students ensure that their speech is easily understood by
native English speakers and other English learners.

1 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

English 102 unit 5 Gossip and the Media Student File

Vocabulary

Activity 1
Write It!
Matching Synonyms

Write the words in the box under "synonyms" to match those under "words."

hateful revisit respectable fan

doubter funny famous search

Words Synonyms
malicious
admirer
critic
haunt
seek
celebrity
decent
hilarious

2
English 102 unit 5 Gossip and the Media Student File

Activity 2
Drag and Drop
Matching Game

Write the similar meanings in the provided spaces beside each word.

motivate variable mimic relevant fish legal mock

having much variation or diversity
to attack or treat with ridicule
idle talk or rumor, especially about the private affairs of
others
properly applying to; applicable
permitted by law
to provide with an incentive
to imitate or copy in action or speech
to catch or attempt to catch

Activity 3
Write It!
Match the Meanings with the Words

Select the words from the box to match the definitions in the table
below. Write them next to their corresponding definitions.

consequence privacy right

ban ritual offensive

Word Meaning
a just claim or title, whether legal, prescriptive,
or moral
the effect, result, or outcome of something
occurring earlier
causing resentful displeasure; highly irritating,
angering, or annoying

the state of being private; retirement or

seclusion
any practice or pattern of behavior regularly
performed in a set manner
to prohibit, forbid, or bar

3
English 102 unit 5 Gossip and the Media Student File

Activity 4
Write It!
Anagrams
Look at the anagrams below, arrange the letters into words, and write the
words in the space that match the definitions.

puisblh esncre maied

docutamenry vateiol ppsoeur

1. the means of communication, as radio and television,

newspapers, and magazines
2. to issue publicly in writing or any other means
3. the reason for which something exists or is done
5. to treat disrespectfully or disturb rudely
6. a program presented in a factual and informative manner
8. to select by examining systematically

Reading

"A rumor without a leg to stand on will get around some

other way."
- John Tudor

Activity 1
True or False
Gossip and the Media
4 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC
English 102 unit 5 Gossip and the Media Student File

Read the text below and decide whether the following statements are true or
false.

Gossip and the Media

Many people dream of fame. To become famous, some people develop their

intellectual skills and their creativity, while other people simply strive to be in

the spotlight. However, those who want to be in the spotlight sometimes find

that there is a negative side to fame. When they succeed, it feels glorious;

however, as the public becomes more interested in celebrities, they want to

find out more about the people they admire.

Many fans live vicariously through the lives of their favorite celebrities. This

creates a demand for more details about celebrities’ private lives than some

celebrities wish to make public. In some cases this causes the media to

intrude into the private lives of celebrities which can be quite stressful for

them. As a genre, gossip magazines have flourished in response to the

public’s desire to know more about the personal lives of celebrities.

Sscandalous stories are often featured inside these magazines. These stories

are frequently based on a kernel of truth combined with rumors and gossip.

It’s a sad fact that scandals sell. While some people may consider these

stories entertaining, they can be a source of frustration for the celebrities

who are the subject of the story. On a positive note, even negative publicity

can cause the public to watch celebrities on talk shows or in film. That’s just

one aspect of entertainment.

5
English 102 unit 5 Gossip and the Media Student File

1. People who strive to be in the spotlight discover that their life has
become better and easier.

TRUE FALSE

2. The media is not allowed to intrude into the private lives of celebrities
because it can be quite stressful for them.

TRUE FALSE

3. As a genre, gossip magazines have flourished in response to the

public’s desire to know more about the personal lives of celebrities.

TRUE FALSE

4. Usually, stories written by journalists are based on a kernel of truth

combined with rumors and gossip.

TRUE FALSE

5. Scandals have no positive side at all. It only brings frustration to both

celebrities and to the public.

TRUE FALSE

Activity 2
Multiple Choices
Juicy Campus.com

Read the article below and then circle the correct answers in the multiple-
choice questions that follow.

In 2008, Juicy Campus.com hit universities and colleges in the United States

of America. Juicy Campus is a gossip site that was launched by a graduate

from Duke, named Matt Ivester. The gossip website gave students in many

universities the right to publish whatever stories or gossip they wanted online.

Ivester knew he would quickly lose control of the content that was on the

6 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

English 102 unit 5 Gossip and the Media Student File

site, but still he insisted on starting this college site. He wanted to create a

place online where people could gossip.

This website had both admirers and critics. Some thought it was a great

website. It provided a space for everyone to share their stories and find out

about the latest gossip in their universities. On the other hand, critics

described it as a place for mean-spirited and malicious lies that haunted many

innocent and decent people who were trying to find a job or start a new

relationship.

This issue was taken to court in response to the request of many university

presidents. The U.S. Legal Code Title 47 Section 230 offers protection for

private blocking and screening of offensive material. The code states that

"No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the

publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information

content provider." Therefore, the U.S. law protected Juicy Campus from being

banned on the basis that all people, including students, have the freedom of

speech. By attempting to ban this popular gossip web site at a public

university, critics would have been violating one of the students' First

Amendment rights, which is Freedom of Speech.

1. Juicy Campus is:

a. the name of a university's campus.
b. a gossip website.
c. a place where students can gather and gossip.

2. Matt Ivester is:

a. a brand of juice.
b. the person who launched Juicy Campus.
c. The university president.
7
English 102 unit 5 Gossip and the Media Student File

3. "No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated

as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another
information content provider," is
a. a law written by Matt Ivester.
b. the students' First Amendment rights.
c. the U.S. Legal Code Title 47 Section 230.

4. Freedom of speech is:

a. a law written by Matt Ivester.
b. the students' First Amendment rights.
c. the U.S. Legal Code Title 47 Section 230.

5. Some students found the website:

a. a place to find a job.
b. a place where everyone could share their stories.
c. A place where critics live.

6. Juicy Campus will:

a. be banned.
b. remain running.
c. Free of charge.

7. In the second paragraph, the “lies that haunted many innocent and
decent people’’ means:
a. ghosts are on campus.
b. students are visited by their former friends.
c. Hurtful statements continually reappear to cause pain and
discomfort for innocent people.

Grammar
Grammar Focus 1

Direct and indirect Speech

There are two ways of relating people’s speech: direct and indirect. In
direct speech we repeat the original speaker’s exact words, which we also call
Quoted Speech:

He said, ‘I lost my job as a reporter.’

The exact repeated words are placed between inverted commas, and a
comma or colon is placed immediately before the remark. Direct speech is
found in conversations in books, in plays and in quotations.

In indirect (or reported) speech we give the exact meaning or idea of a

remark or a speech, without necessarily using the speaker’s exact words:

8 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

English 102 unit 5 Gossip and the Media Student File

He said (that) he had lost his job as a reporter.

There is no comma after say in indirect speech. That can usually be

omitted after say and tell.

When we turn direct speech into indirect, some changes are usually
necessary.

Indirect speech is usually introduced by a verb in the past tense. Verbs

in the direct speech have then to be changed into a corresponding past tense.
The changes are shown in the following table.

Direct Speech Indirect Speech

Present Simple Past Simple
‘I never eat meat,’ he explained. He explained that he never ate meat.
Present Continuous Past Continuous
‘I’m waiting for Ann,’ he said. He said (that) he was waiting for
Ann.
Present Perfect Past Perfect
‘I have found a flat,’ he said. He said (that) he had found a flat.

Pronouns usually change from first or second to third person except

when the speaker is reporting his own words:

He said, ‘I’ve forgotten to fasten my seat belt.’

=
He said that he had forgotten to fasten his seat belt.

I said, ‘I like my new house.’

=
I said that I liked my new house. (Speaker reporting his own words)

Expressions of Time and Place in Reported Speech

Adverbs and adverbial phrases of time change as follows.

Direct Indirect
Today That day
Yesterday The day before
The day before yesterday Two days before
Tomorrow The next day / the following day
The day after tomorrow In two days’ time
Next week / year etc. The following week / year etc.
Last week / year etc. The previous week / year etc.
A year etc. ago A year before / the previous year

9
English 102 unit 5 Gossip and the Media Student File

‘I’ll do it tomorrow,’ he promised

=
He promised that he would do it the next day.

‘I am starting the day after tomorrow, mother,’ he said.

=
He told his mother that he was starting in two days’ time.

Using Say vs. Tell

1. Say can introduce a statement or follow it:

Tom said, ‘I’ve just heard the news’

Or
‘I’ve just heard the news,’ Tom said.

2. Tell requires the person addressed:

Tell me. He told us. I’ll tell Tom.

Activity 1
Write It
Changing from Direct to Indirect

Change the following sentences from direct to indirect speech and write them
on the spaces provided.

1. She said, "I will give you a call tomorrow."

2. Fred said, "I am not coming to the meeting."

3. Jim said, "I visited France last year."

4. John said, "I have given up my job."

5.She said, "Margaret has had a baby."

6. He said, "I don't know what Sally is doing."

10 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

English 102 unit 5 Gossip and the Media Student File

Activity 2
Write It
Changing from indirect to Direct speech

Change the following sentences from indirect to direct speech and write
them on the spaces provided.

1. Jim said that he couldn’t afford to buy a new car.

________________________________________________

2. Sally said that she might not be able to go to the party.

_________________________________________

3. Laura said that her trip to New York was fantastic.

_________________________________________

4. Kelly said that her assignment needed editing.

_________________________________________

5. Charlie said that he was living in London then.

_________________________________________________

6. Grant said that it was safer to go on climbing than to go down.

________________________________________________

Activity 3
Multiple Choice
Direct or Indirect ?

Circle the direct button if the sentence is in the direct speech, or circle the
indirect button if it is in the reported speech.

1. Nadia said that she tried to imagine how things used to be.

direct indirect
11
English 102 unit 5 Gossip and the Media Student File

2. Nadia said, "England is a wonderful district."

direct indirect

3. Bess said, "I am going to come back so please wait for me."
direct indirect

4. "Please don't forget to mail these parcels tomorrow," the manager

said.

direct indirect

5. Sally told me that I should keep it a secret.

direct indirect

6. He said that Jim changed his mind the day before.

direct indirect

7. Hally Berry said that she didn’t want to revisit that part of her life.
direct indirect

8. The reporter said, "The website will not be banned."

direct indirect

Listening

Activity 1
True or False
Did you know?

Listen to the audio script and decide whether the following statements
are true or false.

Audio Script

In general, the term "media" refers to different means of

communication. Television, radio, newspapers and the internet are

considered to be different

12 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

English 102 unit 5 Gossip and the Media Student File

types of media. Thanks to technology, it’s much easier to find out about

many things today than it used to be.

By simply turning on your television, you can learn about

politics and history in the making. Al Jazeera, the BBC and CNN provide you

with different points of view about events that take place all over the world.

People watch television for many purposes. Some watch television for

entertainment, others watch documentaries to inform themselves about

different topics and others watch television as a bonding ritual with their

families.

The radio is still popular today as well. Many people listen to the news

or for information about traffic to see which roads to take when traveling.

Another example which demonstrates the importance of radio is when a

natural disaster occurs. Often when a natural disaster takes place, the

electricity goes off. You can turn on the radio in that case, using batteries, to

listen to the useful tips and guidelines to survive that natural disaster.

Then there is the Internet. Many people now simply point and click

their way through their favourite online newspaper to catch up on current

events. By looking at blogs, you can get the unofficial stories about some

topics. Unlike just a few decades ago, thanks to the Internet, it’s easy to find

out what everyday people from far away think about important developments

by looking at blogs or forums on topics you are interested in.

The modern media has also changed the face of contemporary education.

Nowadays more and more courses, like this one, are delivered by way of the

Internet and web-based technologies. This means that the way instructors

13
English 102 unit 5 Gossip and the Media Student File

are delivering these courses has also been transformed from the old days of

writing on blackboards. In addition to this, students today can access the

most reliable and current information from academic journals in online

databases. That means no more spending hours and hours in the library and

dragging home enormous piles of books to complete assignments.

1. Television, radio, newspapers and the media are considered to be

different types of media.

TRUE FALSE

2. The modern media has changed the way courses are being taught
today.

TRUE FALSE

3. People use the television for entertainment only.

TRUE FALSE

4. Media has advantages only, without any disadvantages.

TRUE FALSE

5. The term "media" refers to different means of communication.

TRUE FALSE

6. The radio can help its listeners when a natural disaster occurs.
TRUE FALSE

14 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

 English 102 unit 5 Gossip and the Media Student File

Pronunciation

Focus :
CONSONANT CLUSTERS

Consonant clusters: are groups of two or more consonant sounds that appear
together in a word without any vowels in between. Practicing these clusters will help
improve your English pronunciation and fluency. These clusters can be found in various
positions within a word.

Beginning (initial) Consonant Clusters:

 "bl" (e.g., black, blend)
 "dr" (e.g., drink, dress)
 "gr" (e.g., green, great)

Ending (final)Consonant Clusters:

 "st" (e.g., best, post)
 "mp" (e.g., jump, lamp)
 "nd" (e.g., hand, friend)

Activity 1

Find two words on each of the following

• the initial consonant cluster "sp":

1.____________________
2.____________________

• the initial consonant cluster "dr":

1.____________________
2.____________________

• the final consonant cluster "nd":

1.____________________
2.____________________

• the final consonant cluster "st":

1.____________________
2.____________________

15
English 102 unit 5 Gossip and the Media Student File

Speaking

Activity 1
Offline Activity
Dead Girls Don’t Gossip

1. Form teams of four.

2. With your team members, read the following poem and discuss
different interpretations.

She use to talk

She use to gossip about everyone
Her favorite subject was me
She use to cheerlead
She was student body president
She had straight a's
She use to breathe
Dead girls don't gossip
do they?

3. Share your ideas with your team members.

4. Your instructor will call on you to express your ideas in front of the rest
of your class.

16
English 102 unit 5 Gossip and the Media Student File

She use to gossip about everyone

Her favorite subject was me
She use to cheerlead
She was student body president
She had straight a's
She use to breathe
Dead girls don't gossip
do they?

3. Share your ideas with your team members.

4. Your instructor will call on you to express your ideas in front of the rest
of your class.

Activity 2
Pick and Choose
Cards Game

a. Form teams of four.

b. Click on one of the cards shown on the screen to make a quote
appear.
c. With your team members, discuss possible explanations to these
quotes.
d. Form five proper sentences to express your thoughts.
e. Each team will be called upon to present their answers to the class.
f. Select one member to present his/her team's answers.

First Card's Quote:

"Gossip is a sort of smoke that comes from the dirty tobacco-pipes of those
who diffuse it; it proves nothing but the bad taste of the smoker."
- George Eliot

Second Card's Quote:

"Gossip is what no one claims to like – but everyone enjoys."
- Joseph Conrad

Third Card's Quote:

"Whoever gossips to you will gossip about you."
- Spanish Proverb

17 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC

English 102 unit 5 Gossip and the Media Student File

Writing

"The only time people dislike gossip is when you gossip

about them."
- Will Rogers

Activity 1
Write It!
Personal Stories about Gossip

 In MS Word, write an extended paragraph about a time when you

or
someone you know gossiped or were gossiped about. What happened
and what did you learn from that experience?
 Check the first draft with a classmate and correct any mistakes.
 Save your second draft.
 You will receive instructions in class about how to submit the
assignment.

Note: Try to include words from the Word List provided for this unit.

18
English 102 unit 5 Gossip and the Media Student File

Word List
celebrity (n.) a famous or well-known person
fame (n.) widespread reputation, especially of a favorable
character
seek (v.) Look for and find

consequence (n.) the effect, result, or outcome of something

occurring earlier
screen (v.) to select, reject, consider, or group (people,
objects, ideas, etc.) by examining systematically

ban (v.) to prohibit, forbid, or bar

amendment (n.) A change made by correction, addition, or deletion

ritual (n.) any practice or pattern of behavior regularly

performed in a set manner
abundantly (adv.) more than enough

harass (v.) to disturb persistently

documentary (n.) a work, such as a film or television program,

presenting political, social, or historical subject
matter in a factual and informative manner

stereotype (n.) A conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified

conception, opinion, or image

admirer (n.) one who esteems or loves greatly

critic (n.) one who finds fault
malicious (adj.) full of, characterized by, or showing malice;
malevolent; spiteful
haunt (v.) to visit habitually or appear to frequently as a
spirit or ghost
offensive (adj.) causing resentful displeasure; highly irritating,
angering, or annoying
privacy (n.) The state of being private; retirement or seclusion

19 Al-Balqa Applied University-LC