Daily English Phrases
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Entries in news (14)

Friday
Aug262011

“There is a hurricane warning in effect throughout Delaware and southern New Jersey.”

English Lesson: There is a hurricane warning in effect.

There's a hurricane headed toward you. You turn on the TV news to find out about it. The weatherman says:

There is a hurricane warning in effect throughout Delaware and southern New Jersey.

Click to read more ...

Saturday
Apr022011

“Meyerson suffered a major knee injury last year that took him out of the game for most of the season.”

Meyerson suffered a knee injury last year that took him out of the game for most of the season.

You're about to watch a basketball game on TV. It's the first game this year for the teams that are playing. There's a show before the game where the sports announcers discuss the game. They're talking about one of the players who got hurt last year. One of the announcers says:

Meyerson suffered a major knee injury last year that took him out of the game for most of the season.

Click to read more ...

Tuesday
Mar152011

“There's been non-stop coverage of it on all the news networks.”

Non-stop coverage

There's a huge news story that's been going on. TV channels keep discussing it again and again. You're talking to a friend in another country about this news story, and want to describe how it's being shown on the news. You say:

There's been non-stop coverage of it on all the news networks.

Click to read more ...

Tuesday
Mar152011

“I've been glued to the TV all week.”

Glued to the TV

There's been a huge news story going on this week. You've been really interested in that story, so you haven't been able to stop watching the news. Now you're talking to a friend about this news story and want to explain how much you've been watching it. You say:

I've been glued to the TV all week.

Click to read more ...

Saturday
Mar122011

“The situation in Fukushima is deepening the public's concern over the safety of nuclear power.”

Deepening the public's concern over the safety of nuclear power.

A nuclear power plant has had an accident. It is getting too hot and is in danger of a meltdown. The news has already been reported for the last day. Now you're watching a news program, and they're talking about how people are reacting to this scary news. The news announcer says:

The situation in Fukushima is deepening the public's concern over the safety of nuclear power.

Click to read more ...

Thursday
Feb032011

“All residents within a 5-kilometer radius have been instructed to evacuate their homes.”

Residents have been instructed to evacuate

You're watching a news broadcast that is talking about a volcano which has started to erupt. The announcer is now giving some more details about the volcano. She says:

All residents within a 5-kilometer radius have been instructed to evacuate their homes.

residents

"Residents" are the people who live in a place. This is a technical word that you hear a lot in news, on official government documents, etc.

(something) within a (10-foot, 100-mile, etc.) radius

In mathematics, the "radius" of a circle is the distance from the middle of the circle to the outside:

Radius of a circle

In the example above, the newscaster says that residents "within a 5-kilometer radius" had to leave. That means that anyone who lives 5 kilometers or less from the volcano has to leave.

People talk about things that are "within the radius of" something important. For example, you can describe the things that are close to where you live or work:

I love living downtown. I've got everything I could possibly need within probably a two-mile radius.

You'll also hear "within a ___ radius" when people are talking about bombs or other dangerous things:

It has a blast that will flatten anything within a hundred-foot radius.

(someone) has been instructed to (do something)

This phrase describes something that people in authority have told you (or someone else) to do:

I've been instructed to report tomorrow morning at 9:00 for jury duty.

Our situation is really desperate at work. All the managers have been instructed to start going down the list of their employees and looking for places where they can make cuts.

It's a formal and official-sounding expression.

evacuate (a place)

To "evacuate ___" means to leave a place quickly because of a disaster or emergency. Some examples are:

  • People "evacuate" a building when it's on fire.
  • In science fiction movies and TV shows, the people on a space ship sometimes have to evacuate if their ship is attacked.
  • You might have to evacuate your home if there's a hurricane, flood, or other natural disaster.

You can use the word "evacuate" with a word after it like this:

As the bombing started, people tried to evacuate the city.

Or you can avoid putting something after "evacuate":

As the bombing started, people tried to evacuate.

Wednesday
Feb022011

“Mount Shinmoedake, a volcano in southern Japan, began erupting earlier this week.”

You're watching the news and you hear some news about a volcano. The newscaster says:

Mount Shinmoedake, a volcano in southern Japan, began erupting earlier this week.

Click to read more ...

Saturday
Jan012011

“He is currently being held in a maximum security prison.”

Maximum security prison

You're watching the news on TV. There's some news about a prisoner who escaped, but has now been caught again. The news anchor (TV announcer) explains where the prisoner is now:

He is currently being held in a maximum security prison.

currently

You use the word "currently" to tell how something is now, but also to suggest that it was different in the past or will change in the future. For example:

Well, currently I'm an accountant at a commercial real estate company.

This suggests that the speaker has had different jobs in the past or might want to change her job soon.

"Currently" is a little formal so it fits well in written and televised news stories.

(someone) is being held (in a jail)

To "be held" in a prison, jail, etc. means that you have been captured and are locked up in there. You are not going to be released. This is the way to describe what's happening to someone who's been arrested:

He's being held on a drunk driving charge.

You can also use this phrase to describe a kidnapping or a hostage situation:

They're being held by two armed men wearing face masks.

a maximum security prison

A prison is like a jail, but it's where criminals get put for longer periods of time, usually after they have been convicted in a trial. So when you first get arrested, you're put in a jail. Later, you're moved to a prison.

There are different levels of prison, for people who have done different kinds of crimes. The worst criminals go to a "maximum security prison". This type of prison has high walls, lots of guards, and strict rules. This is to keep any of the prisoners from escaping. "Minimum security" prisons, on the other hand, are less strict. Prisoners who committed less serious crimes, and prisoners who have behaved well for several years at a higher-security prison, go there.

Saturday
Jan012011

“A fugitive has been apprehended after attempting to escape from a Durham county jail.”

You're watching the news on TV. There's some news about a prisoner who escaped, but has now been caught again. The news anchor (TV announcer) says:

A fugitive has been apprehended after attempting to escape from a Durham county jail.

Click to read more ...

Friday
Nov052010

“Everybody seems to be critical of the President these days, but I still believe in him.”

You're commenting on a news story about the President of your country. A lot of the other commenters are saying bad things about the President, but you still like him and think that he can accomplish good things. You write:

Everybody seems to be critical of the President these days, but I still believe in him.

Click to read more ...