← Horizons B2 B2 Arabic

7A Grammar

News stories

Unit 7

I CAN narrate events using past tenses
I CAN read a news report

Grammar

9 cards

News stories are always told in the past — events have already happened by the time the journalist writes about them. But British journalism does not use just one past tense; it uses three past tenses, each with a different job. Choosing the right tense helps the reader understand not only what happened, but also when it happened and what was happening around it.

Past simple tells us about the main events of a story, in the order they happened. It is by far the most common tense in news writing: A car crashed into a shop on High Street. The fire started at six o'clock. The verb form is regular (V-ed) or irregular (e.g. broke, took, said).

Past continuous describes what was happening in the background, or what was interrupted by a sudden event. It gives the reader a picture of the scene: People were shopping when the alarm rang. A dog was sleeping in the window. The form is was/were + V-ing.

Past perfect describes an action that happened before another past event. It tells the reader about a more distant past: The firefighters had already arrived when the police came. By the time the reporter arrived, the witness had left. The form is had + past participle.

Here is a summary of the three tenses and their jobs in a news story:

Tense	Used for	Form	Example from a news story
Past simple	The main events, in order	V-ed / irregular	The plane landed safely at Heathrow.
Past continuous	The background scene	was/were + V-ing	Passengers were watching films when the captain made the announcement.
Past perfect	An event before another past event	had + past participle	The crew had prepared for the emergency before it happened.

When you write a news report, follow this order: start with the past simple to give the main event, add past continuous to set the scene, and use past perfect if you need to mention something that happened earlier. Mixing them correctly makes your report sound professional and clear, and it helps the reader follow the timeline without getting confused.

في كتابة الأخبار بالإنجليزي، الصحفيين مش بيعتمدوا على زمن واحد بس في الماضي، لأ، بيستخدموا تلاتة أزمنة مختلفة وكل واحد فيهم ليه شغل محدد. لما تعرف تستخدم كل واحد في مكانه، كلامك هيبقى واضح ومحترف والقارئ هيفهم القصة من غير ما يتلخبط.

1. Past Simple (الماضي البسيط) دي أهم زمن في الأخبار وبييجي أكتر من غيره. بنستخدمه عشان نحكي الحدث الرئيسي بالترتيب اللي حصل بيه. الشكل بتاعه بيكون إما منتظم (V-ed) زي crashed وstarted، أو شاذ (irregular) زي broke وtook وsaid. مثال من الجملة النموذجية: "A car crashed into a shop on High Street yesterday afternoon."

2. Past Continuous (الماضي المستمر) ده الزمن اللي بيرسم المشهد اللي كان حاصل في الخلفية، زي ما يكون واقف كارير في فيلم وبيصورلك إيه اللي بيحصل. بنكونه من was/were + V-ing. مثال: "People were shopping inside the shop when the car hit the front window." تلاقي كلمة when هنا بتدل إن الحدث الرئيسي قطع المشهد.

3. Past Perfect (الماضي التام) ده الزمن اللي بيحكي عن حاجة حصلت قبل حدث تاني في الماضي، يعني الماضي بتاع الماضي. بنكونه من had + past participle (التصريف التالت). مثال: "The firefighters had already arrived when the police came."

نصايح سريعة للتمارين اللي جاية:

لو الجملة فيها الحدث الرئيسي → استخدم Past Simple.
لو بتصف مشهد أو حاجة بتتحصل في نفس الوقت → استخدم Past Continuous.
لو بتقول حاجة حصلت قبل حدث تاني في الماضي → استخدم Past Perfect.
ركز على الكلمات المساعدة: when / while / as غالباً مع Continuous، وalready / by the time / before غالباً مع Perfect.

الخلاصة: ابدأ دايماً بـ Past Simple عشان تحط الحدث الأساسي، ضيف Past Continuous عشان ترسم المشهد، واستخدم Past Perfect بس لما تحتاج تتكلم عن حاجة أقدم.

A car crashed into a shop on High Street yesterday afternoon.

Model 1. Notice the past simple 'crashed' — this is the main event.

People were shopping inside the shop when the car hit the front window.

Model 2. Notice 'were shopping' (past continuous = background) and 'hit' (past simple = sudden main event).

Required

Look at the two sentences above. Which tense is used to give the main events of the story?

past simple
past continuous
past perfect

Required

By the time the police arrived, the suspect ___ (already / leave) the building.

Required

Choose the correct form: 'Passengers ___ (wait) at the gate when the pilot announced the delay.'

waited
were waiting
had waited

Required

The past perfect is used to describe an event that happened before another past event.

Required

Put the words in order to make a news sentence.

The children
were watching
a film
when the lights
went out

Required

The journalist ___ (interview) three witnesses before the story ___ (appear) in the paper.

Listening

5 cards

In this section you will hear a short interview between Emma, a journalist, and Tom, an eyewitness to a small fire in a city-centre car park. The interview took place the morning after the fire, and Tom is still a bit shaken.

Listen carefully to the past tenses the speakers use. A journalist's questions often mix the past simple (to ask about a single event: What did you do next?) with the past perfect (to ask about an earlier event: Had the fire brigade arrived?). An eyewitness's answers often mix the past simple (the main events) with the past continuous (to set the scene: I was walking back to my car when…).

Before you listen, think about this question: When a journalist interviews an eyewitness, what kinds of questions do they usually ask? They will probably want to know when the event happened, what the witness saw, what they did next, and how they felt. Keep these four ideas in mind as you listen, and try to spot them in the dialogue.

إيه اللي هنسمعه في الجزء ده؟

في الجزء ده هتسمع مقابلة قصيرة بين Emma صحفية، و Tom شاهد على حريق صغير حصل في جراج في وسط المدينة. المقابلة حصلت الصبح اللي بعد الحريق، و Tom لسه متأثر شوية بس وافق يحكي اللي شافه.

الأزمنة اللي لازم تركز عليها

الجزء ده بالذات مهم عشان فيه تلميذ في استخدام تلاتة أزمنة مختلفة في الماضي:

Past Simple (الماضي البسيط): بنستخدمه للأحداث اللي حصلت وخلصت في وقت محدد. زي جملة: I noticed smoke coming from the third floor — يعني شاف الدخان في لحظة معينة.
Past Continuous (الماضي المستمر): بنستخدمه عشان نوصّل الخلفية أو إن حاجة كانت بتحصل في نفس الوقت. زي: I was walking back to my car when I noticed smoke — هنا التوكيد على إنه كان ماشي ولما فجأة شاف الدخان.
Past Perfect (الماضي التام): بنستخدمه عشان نوضح إن حاجة حصلت قبل حاجة تانية في الماضي. زي: I had parked on the second floor, so I went back up — يعني هو ركن عربيته قبل ما يروح يتفقدها.

أسلوب الصحافة في الأسئلة

لما الصحفية بتسأل، بتستخدم أسئلة قصيرة ومباشرة. لما بتقول What did you do next? دي past simple عشان تسأل عن حدث واحد. لكن لو عايزة تسأل عن حاجة حصلت قبل الحدث الرئيسي، ممكن تستخدم past perfect زي: Had the fire brigade arrived?

كلمات ومفردات مهمة في الجزء

shaken — متأثر، قلقان، أو مكسوف. Tom بيقول I'm still a bit shaken يعني لسه متأثر من اللي شافه.
fire brigade — المطافي. I called the fire brigade يعني اتصلت بالمطافي.
eyewitness — شاهد عيان. Tom هنا eyewitness عشان شاف الحادثة بنفسه.
damage — ضرر أو تلف. Was your car damaged? يعني العربية اتأذت ولا لأ.

نصيحة للاستماع

أول مرة اسمع فيها، ركز على الفكرة العامة بس: إيه اللي حصل؟ فين ومتى؟ بعدين اسمع تاني عشان تلتقط الأزمنة المختلفة. خلي ودنك على كلمة when — دي غالباً بتيجي قبل الماضي المستمر عشان يفاجئك بحدث تاني حصل في نفس اللحظة.

Emma, a journalist, interviews Tom, an eyewitness to a fire in a city-centre car park the night before.

E
Emma Good morning, Tom. Thank you for speaking with us about last night's fire.
T
Tom Good morning, Emma. I'm still a bit shaken, but I'm happy to help.
E
Emma Can you tell us what you saw?
T
Tom Well, I was walking back to my car at around half past nine when I noticed smoke coming from the third floor.
E
Emma What did you do next?
T
Tom I immediately called the fire brigade. While I was waiting, other people were leaving the car park.
T
Tom I had parked on the second floor, so I went back up to check my car.
E
Emma And was your car damaged?
T
Tom No, luckily it was fine. But three cars on the third floor had been completely destroyed.
E
Emma The fire brigade says the investigation is still ongoing. Did anyone tell you what might have caused it?
T
Tom No, not yet. According to the police officer I spoke to, they are still looking into it.
E
Emma Thank you very much, Tom. We hope the investigation finds the cause soon.

Required

What is the interview mainly about?

A fire in a city-centre car park
A car accident on a main road
A robbery at a city-centre shop

Required

What time did Tom first notice the smoke?

Around 8:30 pm
Around 9:30 pm
Around 10:30 pm

Required

Three cars on the third floor ___ (be) completely destroyed by the time Tom went back upstairs.

Pronunciation

6 cards

Almost every verb in a news story ends in -ed, but British speakers do not pronounce this ending the same way every time. The past tense ending has three different sounds: /t/, /d/, and /ɪd/. Choosing the right one is what makes your report sound natural; using the wrong one is what makes it sound slow and unnatural.

The rule depends on the last sound of the verb, not the last letter:

After a voiceless consonant (sounds made only with air, no vibration in the throat), we say /t/. Voiceless consonants include /p, k, f, s, ʃ, tʃ, θ/. Examples: stopped /stɒpt/, looked /lʊkt/, finished /ˈfɪnɪʃt/, crashed /kræʃt/. To make /t/, put your tongue behind your top teeth and release a small puff of air — do not let your voice buzz.
After a voiced consonant (sounds made with vibration in the throat) or after a vowel, we say /d/. Voiced consonants include /b, g, v, z, m, n, l, r, w, j, ð/. Examples: played /pleɪd/, arrived /əˈraɪvd/, lived /lɪvd/, happened /ˈhæpənd/. To make /d/, your tongue should be in the same place, but this time you must let your voice buzz — place your hand on your throat and you should feel movement.
After /t/ or /d/, we add an extra syllable and say /ɪd/. Examples: wanted /ˈwɒntɪd/, needed /ˈniːdɪd/, started /ˈstɑːtɪd/, decided /dɪˈsaɪdɪd/. This is the only case where -ed creates a new syllable.

Verb	Last sound	Pronunciation	Example from a news story
stopped	/p/ (voiceless)	/t/	The car stopped at the lights.
arrived	/v/ (voiced)	/d/	The minister arrived at ten o'clock.
wanted	/t/ (already /t/)	/ɪd/	The witness wanted to remain anonymous.
played	vowel /eɪ/	/d/	The team played well despite the injury.
crashed	/ʃ/ (voiceless)	/t/	The plane crashed shortly after take-off.
needed	/d/ (already /d/)	/ɪd/	The hospital needed more blood donors.

Listen carefully to native British newsreaders and notice how often the -ed ending is barely heard at all — in /t/ and /d/ cases, the final sound is just a tiny release of air, not a new syllable. Try the words above and make your -ed endings match the rule.

الـ -ed ending في الأخبار البريطانية: تلات أصوات مش صوت واحد

يا صديقي، تخيل إنك واقف قدام الكاميرا بتقرأ news، وكل جملة فيها verb خلصت بـ -ed. هل تعرف إن في British English، الـ ending دي الصغيرة ليها تلات نطقَات مختلفة؟ مش دايما بتتقال زي بعض! لو نطقتها غلط، كلامك هيبان ثقيل وغير طبيعي.

🔹 القاعدة الأولى: بعد voiceless consonant → بنقول /t/

Voiceless يعني الصوت بيطلع بالهوا بس، من غير رعشة في الزور. الأصوات دي تشمل /p, k, f, s, ʃ, tʃ, θ/. عشان تعمل صوت الـ /t/، بتحط لسانك ورا سنانك العلوية وبتطلع نَفَس صغير من غير ما صوتك يهتز خالص. مثل:

stopped /stɒpt/ — يعني "وقفت العربية"
looked /lʊkt/
finished /ˈfɪnɪʃt/
crashed /kræʃt/

🔹 القاعدة التانية: بعد voiced consonant أو vowel → بنقول /d/

Voiced يعني الصوت اللي بييجي معاه رعشة في الزور، زي /b, g, v, z, m, n, l, r, w, j, ð/. نفس مكان اللسان بالظبط، بس المرة دي بتسيب صوتك يهتز. جرّب تحط إيدك على زورك وانطق — هتحس بحركة. مثل:

played /pleɪd/
arrived /əˈraɪvd/
lived /lɪvd/
happened /ˈhæpənd/

🔹 القاعدة التالتة: بعد /t/ أو /d/ → بنضيف syllable جديدة وبنقول /ɪd/

دي الحالة الوحيدة اللي فيها الـ -ed بتعمل syllable زيادة. مثل:

wanted /ˈwɒntɪd/
needed /ˈniːdɪd/
started /ˈstɑːtɪd/
decided /dɪˈsaɪdɪd/

💡 نصيحة عملية

لما بتسمع مذيع بريطاني بيقرأ news، ركز كويس: هتلاحظ إن الـ -ed في حالة الـ /t/ والـ /d/ بتكون صغيرة جدا — مش syllable جديدة، بس آخر نَفَس أو همسة. متسرّعش ومتضغطش على الحروف، وخلّي آخر صوت طبيعي ومريح. دلوقتي روح اسمع الجمل في التمرين وكرّر ورا المذيع.

Say these three groups aloud. Group 1 (/t/): stopped, looked, crashed, finished. Group 2 (/d/): played, arrived, lived, happened. Group 3 (/ɪd/): wanted, needed, started, decided. Notice that only Group 3 adds a new syllable. In Groups 1 and 2, your tongue just releases quickly without a new vowel sound.

Required

Listen to the sentence. The word 'stopped' ends with which sound?

/t/ — a short, sharp puff of air, no extra syllable
/d/ — a voiced sound, no extra syllable
/ɪd/ — a new syllable, 'stopp-id'

Required

Read the sentence aloud. Make the -ed in 'stopped' sound like /t/ — short and sharp, with no new syllable. Put your hand in front of your mouth: you should feel a small puff of air.

The car stopped at the lights.

Required

Read the sentence aloud. Make the -ed in 'arrived' sound like /d/ — your voice should buzz on the ending. Put your hand on your throat: you should feel vibration.

The minister arrived at ten o'clock.

Required

Read the sentence aloud. The -ed in 'wanted' adds a new syllable: /ɪd/. Say it clearly: 'want-id'. Do not drop the 'i'.

The witness wanted to remain anonymous.

Reading

6 cards

Reading a news report is different from reading other kinds of text. You do not always need to read every word. A good reader uses two different speeds: a fast speed for getting the general idea, and a slower speed for finding specific information.

Strategy box: Skimming and scanning

Skimming means reading quickly to get the gist — the main idea. Read the headline, the first sentence of each paragraph, and the last paragraph. This gives you the main story in under a minute.
Scanning means moving your eyes quickly down the page to find a specific piece of information — a number, a date, a name, or a place. You do not read every word; you only stop when your eyes land on what you need.

A typical news report follows the inverted pyramid: the most important information comes first (the lead), the next most important comes second, and the least important comes last. This means you can often understand a whole story just by reading the first two or three sentences.

Before you read the article below, here are four key words that will help you:

charity (noun): an organisation that helps people or good causes
fundraising (noun): the activity of collecting money for a cause
route (noun): the path that someone follows
participant (noun): a person who takes part in an event

Now skim the article. In one sentence, what is the main story about? Then scan to find the answers to the detail questions that follow.

إزاي تقرأ خبر صح

في العالم الحقيقي، لما بتفتح جورنال أو تطبيق أخبار، مفيش حد بيقرأ كل كلمة من الأول للآخر. القراءة الذكية ليها سرعتين مختلفين: سرعة سريعة عشان تفهم الفكرة العامة، وسرعة بطيئة عشان تدور على معلومة معينة. خلينا نشرح كل واحدة بالتوضيح.

السرعة الأولى: Skimming

Skimming يعني إنك تمشي على المقال بسرعة عشان تاخد الـ gist، يعني الفكرة الرئيسية من غير ما تقرأ كل حاجة. الطريقة؟ بص على الـ headline (العنوان)، واقرأ أول جملة في كل فقرة، واقرأ الـ last paragraph (آخر فقرة). كده هتقدر تقول بإيه بيتكلم الخبر في أقل من دقيقة. فكّر فيها كأنك بتبص على صورة من بعيد عشان تفهم الصورة الكبيرة بسرعة.

السرعة التانية: Scanning

Scanning يعني إنك تحرك عينيك بسرعة على الصفحة عشان تلاقي a specific piece of information، يعني معلومة محددة زي رقم أو تاريخ أو اسم أو مكان. أنت مش بتقرأ كل كلمة، عينك بتقف بس لما تلاقي اللي محتاجه. زي مثلاً لما بتدور على رقم تليفون في كتاب، مش بتقرأ كل الكلام - بتحرك عينك وخلاص.

شكل الخبر: Inverted Pyramid

خبر الأخبار بيبقى مكتوب على شكل inverted pyramid، يعني الهرم المقلوب. المعلومة الأهم بتيجي في الأول وده اسمه الـ lead، وبعدين المعلومة اللي بعدها في الأهمية، وأقل حاجة في الأهمية بتيجي في الآخر. عشان كده كتير أوقات بتقدر تفهم القصة كلها من أول اتنين أو تلات جمل بس من غير ما تقرأ الباقي.

الكلمات المفتاحية في المثال

قبل ما تقرأ المقال، اتعرف على أربع كلمات هتساعدك تفهمه بسرعة، وكل واحدة في سياقها:

charity (اسم): منظمة بتساعد الناس أو القضايا الخيرية. مثلاً: She works for a charity that helps children.
fundraising (اسم): النشاط اللي بتجمع فيه فلوس لقضية معينة. مثلاً: The school is doing fundraising for new books.
route (اسم): الطريق اللي حد ماشي فيه. مثلاً: We planned the route before the trip.
participant (اسم): شخص بيشارك في حدث معين. مثلاً: Each participant got a certificate.

نصيحة عملية قبل ما تبدأ

أول ما تنزل على المقال، متقراش كل حاجة مرة واحدة. خد نفس عميق، وابدأ skim كده بسرعة عشان تجاوب على سؤال "إيه القصة الرئيسية؟" في جملة واحدة بس. بعدين استخدم scan عشان تلاقي التفاصيل اللي هيتسأل عنها بعد كده. شوف قد إيه الموضوع سهل لما تطبّق الاستراتيجيتين دول مع بعض!

Local Marathon Raises £50,000 for City Hospital

By Emma Roberts, City Reporter

Over 2,000 runners took part in the Riverford Marathon yesterday, raising more than £50,000 for the city's children's hospital. The race started at 8 a.m. in Riverside Park and followed a 26-mile route along the river and through the old town.

The first participant to cross the finish line was David Hughes, 34, who finished the course in two hours and seventeen minutes. 'I had been training for six months,' he said. 'I was exhausted, but I knew the money would help many children.'

The organisers said they were amazed by the number of people who had taken part. According to the hospital's director, the money will pay for two new operating theatres.

Required

What is the main story of this article?

A marathon that raised money for a hospital
A new hospital opening in the city
A runner who broke a world record

Required

More than 2,000 runners took part in the Riverford Marathon.

Required

David Hughes finished the marathon in two hours and seven minutes.

Required

According to the article, what will the money raised be used for?

A new school in the city
Two new operating theatres in the hospital
A new park near the river

Speaking

7 cards

To report a news story, you need to use a few key phrases that help you sound professional and clear. Below are useful phrases for two roles: a journalist interviewing a witness, and an eyewitness answering questions.

Useful phrases for a journalist:

Can you tell us what you saw?
What time did it happen?
Where were you when it started?
What did you do next?
How did you feel at the time?
According to you, what was the cause?
Thank you for speaking with us.

Useful phrases for an eyewitness:

I was walking past when I noticed…
At first I thought it was nothing, but then…
By the time I arrived, the firefighters had already…
I immediately called the police.
I had never seen anything like it before.

Notice how the journalist's questions often start with a question word (what, where, when, how) followed by the past simple, while the eyewitness's answers use a mix of past simple (main event), past continuous (background), and past perfect (earlier event). You will practise both roles in this section: first you will read a model interview, then you will repeat the key sentences, and finally you will do your own interview as a journalist.

الـ ريبورتاج: لما تبقى أنت المراسل أو الشاهد

تخيّل إنك واقف قدام كاميرا، ومراسلة بتسألك عن حادثة شفتها الصبح. ده بالظبط السيناريو اللي هنتدرّب عليه في القسم ده. الـ speaking task ده عايز منك تمثّل دورين: journalist بيقابل witness، أو eyewitness بيحكي اللي شافه. الجمل اللي عندك في الـ dialogue بتوضّحلك بالظبط إزاي الحوار ده بيمشي.

الجرامر اللي بتحكى بيها القصة

الـ interviewer والـ eyewitness بيستخدموا three tenses مهمين عشان القصة تطلع واضحة ومقنعة، وكل واحد ليه وظيفة مختلفة:

Past simple للحدث الرئيسي اللي حصل. زي: I heard a loud crash أو the driver left the scene. ده الفعل اللي بيحكي اللي شفته فعلاً.
Past continuous عشان نوصف الخلفية أو الفعل اللي كان شغال واتفاطع بحاجة تانية. زي: I was walking my dog when I heard... — الـ walking هنا هو الخلفية، والـ heard هو اللي قطعها.
Past perfect عشان نبيّن حاجة حصلت قبل حاجة تانية في الماضي. زي: By the time I got there, the driver had already left. يعني السواق كان ساب المكان قبل ما توصل إنت.

الجُمل السحرية لكل دور

لو إنت الـ journalist، عندك ثلاث جُمَل أساسية تخلّيك sound professional:

Good afternoon. I'm Emma from Channel 4 News. Can you tell us what you saw this morning? — دي المقدمة الكلاسيكية بتاعت أي ريبورتاج.
What did you do next? — سؤال بسيط بيفتح الباب للقصة تكمل.
Thank you very much for your time, Tom. — الختام المهني.

لو إنت الـ eyewitness، جرّب تستخدم الـ tenses اللي فوق في القصة بتاعتك:

Yes, of of course. I was walking my dog when I heard a loud crash on the corner. — هنا بتحط الـ setting وبتدخل الحدث.
I immediately ran towards the sound. — كلمة immediately بتدّي إحساس بالسرعة والاستعجال.
By the time I got there, the driver had already left the scene. — بتأكد إنك وصلت متأخر عن اللي حصل.

نصيحة من الكورس

ركّز على الـ connectors دول لأنهم هما اللي بيربطوا القصة: when بيجي بعد past continuous عشان يقطعها بـ past simple. وby the time بيجي مع past perfect عشان نوصف حاجة خلصت قبل التانية. قبل ما تسجّل، اقرأ الـ dialogue مرة كـ Emma ومرة كـ Tom عشان تحس بالفرق وتجرّب الإيقاع بنفسك.

Listen to this short model interview. Emma is the journalist; Tom is the eyewitness to a small road incident this morning.

E
Emma Good afternoon. I'm Emma from Channel 4 News. Can you tell us what you saw this morning?
T
Tom Yes, of course. I was walking my dog when I heard a loud crash on the corner.
E
Emma What did you do next?
T
Tom I immediately ran towards the sound. By the time I got there, the driver had already left the scene.
E
Emma Thank you very much for your time, Tom.

I was walking my dog when I heard a loud crash.

This is a classic eyewitness opening. The past continuous 'was walking' sets the background; the past simple 'heard' introduces the sudden main event.

Required

Read the sentence aloud. Use the past continuous for the background action (was walking) and the past simple for the sudden event (heard). Speak clearly and at a natural speed.

I was walking my dog when I heard a loud crash.

Required

Read the sentence aloud. Use the past perfect to describe what happened before the police arrived. Pause slightly after 'arrived' — 'arrived, the driver…' — to make the timeline clear.

By the time the police arrived, the driver had already left the scene.

Required

You are a journalist. You are interviewing Tom, who saw a small incident in your neighbourhood last night. Ask him about the time, what he saw, what he did next, and how he felt. Use the past tenses you have practised today.

Required

I CAN narrate events using past simple, past continuous and past perfect
I CAN read a news report and find the main idea and specific details
I CAN pronounce the past tense -ed ending with the correct /t/, /d/ or /ɪd/ sound
I CAN interview an eyewitness using past tenses and useful news phrases

Vocabulary

6 cards

When a journalist sits down to write a news story, they do not use the same words as a novelist or a poet. News writing has its own focused vocabulary, and most of the words you will see in a British newspaper — or hear on the BBC — come from a small, regular set of about thirty to forty key terms. In this lesson, we are going to learn eight of the most common, and we will meet several of them again in the listening interview and the reading passage later in the lesson.

These words fit into different parts of a news story. Some describe the people involved: an eyewitness is someone who saw an event happen with their own eyes, and a source is someone who gives information to a journalist (sometimes without their name being published). Some describe the actions of the authorities: an investigation is the official process of finding out what happened, and a statement is something said or written officially by an organisation or a politician. Finally, some describe how information is presented to the public: according to introduces who said something, reported tells us that information has been passed on, a press conference is a meeting where reporters ask questions, and breaking news is a very recent, important event that is being broadcast immediately.

Below is a table with the eight words, their part of speech, an Arabic gloss to help you remember the meaning, and one example sentence written in a news style. Read each sentence aloud so you can practise the natural rhythm of British news writing.

Word	Part of speech	Arabic gloss	Example sentence
eyewitness	noun	شاهِد عِيان	The journalist interviewed an eyewitness to the accident.
source	noun	مَصدر	According to a government source, the minister will resign today.
investigation	noun	تَحقيق	The police have opened an investigation into the fire.
statement	noun	بَيان	The company released a statement denying the rumour.
according to	preposition phrase	حَسب / وِفقاً لِ	According to witnesses, the car was driving very fast.
reported	adjective / past participle	مُبلَّغ عَنه	The reported number of casualties has now risen to twelve.
press conference	noun phrase	مُؤتَمَر صَحفي	The prime minister will hold a press conference this afternoon.
breaking news	noun phrase	خَبَر عاجِل	We interrupt this programme with breaking news from London.

Notice how these words often work together in a single news story. An eyewitness is often a source of information. A statement is usually given at a press conference. An investigation often follows breaking news. In British journalism there is a strong preference for short, simple sentences, but the vocabulary is dense, and you will often see two or three of these key words in the same sentence. For example: According to an eyewitness, the suspect had already left before the police arrived. Try to identify the role each word plays: according to (who says it), eyewitness (who saw it), had already left (the verb phrase), before (the time link), the police arrived (the main past event).

الكلمات اللي قدامك كلها من عالم الأخبار والصحافة الإنجليزية، وبتلاقيها كل يوم في الجرايد البريطانية أو في نشرات الأخبار على البي بي سي. خلينا نشوفهم مع بعض ونفهم وظيفة كل واحدة فيهم.

الكلمات اللي بتوصف الناس (الناس اللي بيتكلموا في الخبر):

eyewitness (شاهِد عِيان): ده الشخص اللي شاف الحدث بنفسه بعينيه. مثال: The journalist interviewed an eyewitness to the accident.
source (مَصدر): ده حد بيدي معلومات للصحفي، أحياناً من غير ما اسمه يظهر في الخبر. مثال: According to a government source, the minister will resign today.

الكلمات اللي بتوصف تصرفات السلطات:

investigation (تَحقيق): يعني البحث الرسمي اللي بتعمله الشرطة أو أي جهة عشان تعرف إيه اللي حصل فعلاً. مثال: The police have opened an investigation into the fire.
statement (بَيان): كلام رسمي مكتوب أو مقول من شركة أو وزير أو منظمة. مثال: The company released a statement denying the rumour.

الكلمات اللي بتوصف طريقة عرض المعلومة للناس:

according to (حَسب / وِفقاً لِ): من أهم الكلمات في الكتابة الصحفية. بنستخدمها قبل اسم الشخص اللي قال المعلومة، عشان القارئ يعرف مصدر الكلام.
reported (مُبلَّغ عَنه): بتتقال لما المعلومة تكون وصلت لحد تاني مش من المصدر الأصلي. مثال: The reported number of casualties has now risen to twelve.
press conference (مُؤتَمَر صَحفي): اجتماع رسمي بييجي فيه قدام الكاميرات ويجاوب على أسئلة الصحفيين.
breaking news (خَبَر عاجِل): خبر مهم جداً بيتقال في اللحظة، وبيقطع أي برنامج تاني عشان الناس تعرفه.

إزاي الكلمات دي بتشتغل مع بعض؟ في الخبر الواحد ممكن تلاقي كذا كلمة من دول في نفس الجملة. مثلاً في الجملة اللي في الدرس: According to a government source, the prime minister will hold a press conference this afternoon. — هنا عندنا according to + source + press conference تلاتة في جملة واحدة. كمان ممكن تلاقي: The investigation follows breaking news from London. — يعني التحقيق بيجي بعد الخبر العاجل.

نصيحة: في الصحافة البريطانية بيحبوا الجمل القصيرة والمباشرة، بس الكلمات بتكون كثيفة ومركزة. فلما تقرأ أي خبر، حاول تلاقي الكلمات دي وتفهم وظيفة كل واحدة: مين قال الكلام، مين شاف بعينه، إيه رد الفعل الرسمي، وإزاي الخبر اتنقل.

Read each word and its example. You will use these words to talk about news stories in the rest of the lesson.

according to əˈkɔːdɪŋ tə
As stated by, in agreement with, or as determined by a particular source, person, or set of rules.
breaking news ˈbreɪkɪŋ njuːz
Urgent news about an event that is happening or has just happened, typically reported immediately by media out
eyewitness ˈaɪwɪtnəs
A person who sees an event happen with their own eyes and can describe what occurred, especially in legal cont
investigation ɪnˌvestɪˈɡeɪʃən
An official search or detailed examination of something to find facts or information.
press conference prɛs ˈkɒnfərəns
A formal meeting at which someone such as a politician or company representative speaks to journalists and ans
reported rɪˈpɔːtɪd
The past tense and past participle of report, meaning to give a formal account of something or to inform someo
source
the place where something begins, where it springs into being
statement ˈsteɪtmənt
A declaration or assertion, especially one formal or official, conveying information or a fact.