LIFE 6

UNIT 7. THE DIGITAL WORLD

WORDBUILDING (OUT)
 What do you understand by out?
 To describe movement away from inside.
 To describe the position of something (outside, exterior)
 The opposite of in, inside.
 What if we put out before a verb, what does it mean?
 Girls are outperforming boys at school.
 My cousin outstayed his visit to Europe.
 It seems like a good idea but the risks outweigh the benefits.
 Kary is the best runner. She always outclasses her opponents.
 She’s full of energy. She will outlive us all.
 My little brother is growing so fast. He outgrows his clothes quickly.
 When we add out- to a verb it means:
 DOING SOMETHING MORE THAN or BETTER THAN
 When using out- you always need something to compare to.
PASSIVE REPORTING VERBS
 Have you noticed that news reporters use phrases like: "It is believed
that..." and "The suspect is known to be..."?
 These are called passive reporting structures
 We use reporting verbs in the passive when:
 We cannot verify the source of the information.
 We assume that the reader or listener is not interested in who the agent or source is.
 The agent or source is obvious from the context.
 This structure is used to report information in a formal style or to report facts.
 There are two ways to write this. Let’s read this example:
 People believe that thousands of birds died (in this case the source of information is
something general: people)
 It is believed that thousands of birds died
 Thousands of birds are believed to have died
PASSIVE REPORTING VERBS
It + passive verb + that clause
 Reporting verbs that commonly follow this pattern are: agree, allege, announce,
assume, believe, claim, consider, decide, estimate, expect, fear, hope, know, presume,
report, say, suggest, think, understand.
Present reference
 People think that the pictures are real. It is thought that the pictures are real.
 People believe that the President is guilty. It’s believed that the President is guilty
Past reference
 The fire department estimated that 10,000 people were rescued.
 It was estimated that 10,000 people were rescued.

 The Principal alleged that the boy hacked into his school’s computer
 It was alleged that the boy hacked into his school’s computer.

Future reference
 The citizens expect that the new stadium will open in May
 It is expected that the new stadium will open in May.
PASSIVE REPORTING VERBS
It + passive verb + that clause
 Reporting verbs that commonly follow this pattern are: agree, allege, announce,
assume, believe, claim, consider, decide, estimate, expect, fear, hope, know,
presume, report, say, suggest, think, understand.
 A lot of people expect that this crisis will be over in a few months
 It’s expected that this crisis will be over in a few months
 The authorities reported that the thief was captured.
 It was reported that the thief was captured
 Many students said that the test had been really difficult
 It was said that the test had been really difficult
 The government announced that the new regulations will start next week
 It was announced that the new regulations will start next week
PASSIVE REPORTING VERBS
Subject + passive verb + to + infinitive
Reporting verbs that commonly follow this pattern are: allege, assume, believe,
consider, estimate, expect, know, report, say, think, understand.
Present reference
 It is thought that the pictures aren’t real. → The pictures are thought not to be real.
 It’s believed that the President is guilty → The President is believed to be guilty.
 The eyespots on butterfly wings are thought to startle their enemies.
 The senator is believed to be considering resignation following the scandal.
Past reference
 It’s estimated that ten thousand people didn’t take part
 Ten thousand people are estimated not to have taken part
 It was alleged that the boy hacked into his school’s computer.
 The boy is alleged to have hacked into his school’s computer

Future reference
 It is expected that the new stadium will open in May.
 The new stadium is expected to be open in May
PASSIVE REPORTING VERBS
Subject + passive verb + to + infinitive
Reporting verbs that commonly follow this pattern are: allege, assume, believe,
consider, estimate, expect, know, report, say, think, understand.

More examples
 Detectives know the robbery took place in the early hours of this morning.
 The robbery is known to have taken place in the early hours of this morning.

 Insider sources say that the player has not been selected for the Olympic team.
 The player is said not to have been selected for the Olympic team.

 Scientists think that dinosaurs were wiped out when an asteroid hit Earth.
 Dinosaurs are thought to have been wiped out when an asteroid hit Earth.
PASSIVE REPORTING VERBS
Subject + passive verb + to + infinitive
Reporting verbs that commonly follow this pattern are: allege, assume, believe,
consider, estimate, expect, know, report, say, think, understand.
More examples
 It’s known that eating fruit is good for you
 Eating fruit is known to be good for you.
 People say that the company invested fifty million pounds last week.
 The company is said to have invested fifty million pounds last week.
 It’s expected that cars won’t use fossil fuels in 30 years.
 Cars are expected not to use fossil fuels in 30 years.
 Everyone thought the painting had been destroyed in the fire.
 The painting was thought to have been destroyed in the fire.
PASSIVE REPORTING VERBS
A: It + passive verb + that clause
 Reporting verbs that commonly follow this pattern are: agree, allege, announce,
assume, believe, claim, consider, decide, estimate, expect, fear, hope, know,
presume, report, say, suggest, think, understand.
 A lot of people expect that this crisis will be over in a few months
 It’s expected that this crisis will be over in a few months
 The authorities reported that the thief was captured.
 It is believed that the thief was captured
 Many students said that the test had been really difficult
 It was said that the test had been really difficult
 The government announced that the new regulations will start next week
 It was announced that the new regulations will start next week
VOCABULARY (BUZZ WORDS)
 A “buzz word” is a word or expression that is fashionable at the moment. Here
you have some examples:
 A ballpark figure: an approximate figure or quantity
 But what are we talking about here – a few thousand, millions, two bucks? Give me
a ballpark figure.
 Going forward: to continue doing something, to proceed.
 I don't want to go forward without a contract.
 In the loop: when someone wants to know about or have influence or control
over something
 She wants to stay in the loop as these changes are being considered
VOCABULARY (BUZZ WORDS)
 A “buzz word” is a word or expression that is fashionable at the moment. Here
you have some examples:
 On the same page: agreeing about something, understanding each other.
 Try to get employees and clients on the same page.
 Reality check: something that clarifies or serves as a reminder of reality often
by correcting a misconception.
 The recent failure of so many internet businesses has provided a reality check for
those who predicted huge profits.
 A win-win situation: a win-win situation or result is one that is good for
everyone who is involved:
 Flexible working hours are a win-win situation for employers and employees.
NOMINALIZATION
 Despite the fancy name, it means rewriting ideas, transforming words like verbs
and adjectives into a noun. It’s important to know a lot of vocabulary.
 This is known as word transformation, normally you just add an ending to the
word, these can be –ance ,–ship, –ity, –tion, –ment, –ation, –ness and so on.
There are no rules you just have to learn them by heart.
 In other situations you have to use a completely different word.
 You have probably done this in the past without realizing it.
 Her you have some common examples.
 Recommend → recommendation
 Describe → description
 Inscribe → inscription
 Agree → agreement
 Applicable → applicability
 Happy → happiness
NOMINALIZATION
Verb → noun nominalization
 I applied for the job. → Please find attached my application for the job.
 Did you receive my letter? → Please acknowledge receipt of this letter.
 Note: When we nominalize, we often add a preposition after the noun such as
receipt of, appreciation for.
 Here you have some examples.
NOMINALIZATION
Adjective → noun nominalization
 I’m pleased by your interest. → I would like to express my pleasure at your interest.
 We were disappointed by the decision. → The decision was a great disappointment
to us all.
 Note: When we nominalize, we often add a preposition after the noun such as
receipt of, appreciation for.
 Here you have some examples.
NOMINALIZATION
 recovery after her illness. (recover)
My sister made a very slow ____________
 creation
Tintin is usually considered Hergé’s most famous ____________. (create)
 attraction of video games – I prefer to get out and actually play
I don’t see the ___________
real sport. (attract)
 interest
At college, she took a particular ___________ in the works of Shakespeare.
(interested)
 Given his background, entering the world of politics was a great achievement
___________ .
(achieve)
 If you apply for a job, you usually need to give the name of someone who will write
reference . (refer)
you a __________
complaint , but the service in the restaurant was
 I didn’t want to make a __________
terrible. (complain)
 generosity .
The money they raised for charity was significant and showed great ___________
(generous)
BREAK (EXPRESSIONS)
 Break the news: to tell someone about some important new information:
 The doctor broke the news to the family that my grandmother had cancer.
 The manager called everyone together to break the news about the company closing.
 Break the ice: to make people who have not met before feel more relaxed with
each other.
 Someone suggested that we play a party game to break the ice.
 During the first lesson, the teacher got us to play a couple of games to break the ice.
 Break the habit: to stop doing something that you do regularly, especially
something that you should not do.
 I struggled to break the habit of biting my nails, but getting regular manicures helped.
 I have to break the habit of looking at my phone for hours. I’m losing so much time.
BREAK (EXPRESSIONS)
 Break the bank: to cost too much
 It only costs $2. That’s not going to break the bank
 You really should buy a new pair of shoes. It won’t break the bank.
 Break the back of: to get most or the worst part of a particular task done.
 We've broken the back of it now and we should be finished by Friday.
 I think we’ve broken the back of the job now. We only have the easiest part left.
 Break even: to have no profit or loss at the end of a business activity:
 After paying for our travel costs, we barely (= only just) broke even.
 We didn’t make a profit but I think we at least broke even.