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UNIT: NEWS & MEDIA • LESSON 2/6 (12 MINS) C1 ADVANCED STANCE

Reporting the News: Passive Reporting & Distance Verbs

Responsible journalists avoid presenting unverified rumours as hard facts. Learn how to maintain professional distance using structures with is said to and appears to.

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How to Use This Lesson

👩‍🏫 For Teachers:

1. Set a 12-minute timer for pair or independent practice, focusing on precision of verb forms.

2. Review student rewrites to reinforce the distinction between general facts, completed past actions, and continuous states.

🧑‍🎓 For Students:

1. Read the 4 reference patterns in the table below before attempting any exercises.

2. Work through all 12 questions in sequence, using the single bracketed hint word to choose the right verb aspect.

📰 Core Grammar Reference

4 Core Patterns

#	Target Structure	Communicative Purpose	Journalistic Example
1	is said to / is believed to + infinitive	General thoughts & regular habits	"The outlet is said to sensationalise its headlines."
2	appears to + infinitive	Neutral, cautious observation	"The story appears to be misleading."
3	is said to have + past participle	Looking back at completed actions	"The website is said to have disseminated misinformation."
4	appears to be + -ing	Current state or ongoing activity	"The platform appears to be amplifying the rumour."

Habit / General Fact

Use simple base form to + V for general reputational statements.

"The network is believed to push a partisan agenda."

Right Now (Continuous)

Use to be + V-ing when reporting events unfolding live.

"The publisher appears to be losing reader credibility."

Looking Back (Past)

Use to have + V3 when looking back at past occurrences.

"The editor is said to have decided to retract it."

Practice Section (12 Items)

Apply distancing language and the 10 target media vocabulary terms.

Part 1: Multiple Choice (Select the Best Sentence)

Items 1–3

1. Which sentence correctly reports the general public opinion regarding the newspaper's reliability?

(opinion)

____ a. The partisan paper is believed to lose credibility rapidly in the 1990s. ____ b. The partisan paper is believed to lack credibility among independent readers. ____ c. The partisan paper is believed to had credibility before the controversy.

2. Which sentence correctly describes an action taking place right at this moment?

(now)

____ a. The unverified blog appears to be amplifying the false report at the moment. ____ b. The unverified blog appears to amplified the false report right now. ____ c. The unverified blog is said to amplifying the false report right now.

3. Which sentence reports that a news organization already withdrew a fabricated article yesterday?

(past)

____ a. The media outlet appears to retract the fabricated story yesterday. ____ b. The media outlet is said to have retracted the fabricated story yesterday. ____ c. The media outlet is said to retracting the fabricated story yesterday.

Part 2: Sentence Rewrites (Neutral Stance)

Items 4–6

4. Rewrite into passive reporting distance:

(pattern)

Original: "People say that this news outlet sensationalises stories to increase clicks."

The news outlet ____ stories to increase clicks.

5. Rewrite to report a completed past event:

(past)

Original: "Experts believe that the article disseminated misinformation during the voting."

The article ____ misinformation during the voting.

6. Rewrite to describe an ongoing observation right now:

(now)

Original: "Observers notice that the partisan network is losing credibility among viewers."

The partisan network ____ credibility among viewers.

Part 3: Fill in the Gaps (Newsflashes)

Items 7–9

7. Fill in the correct form of the verb "mislead" for general characteristics:

(fact)

The advertisement is believed to ____ consumers by exaggerating the product's benefits.

8. Fill in the correct continuous form with the verb "face":

(now)

Following recent allegations, the digital outlet appears to be ____ severe regulatory scrutiny.

9. Fill in the correct past form of the verb "retract":

(past)

After public criticism of the misleading interview, the editor is said to have ____ the entire article.

Part 4: Error Correction (Editorial Chat Messages)

Items 10–12

10. Correct the redundant word in this colleague's text message:

(rule)

💬 Colleague: "Did you see that post? The partisan channel is said to that publish unverified stories."

Write the corrected 4-word verb phrase below:

____

11. Correct the past form mistake in this newsroom memo:

(past)

💬 Editor: "The outlet is believed to disseminated misinformation before the election."

Write the corrected 5-word verb phrase below:

____

12. Correct the missing auxiliary verb in this comment:

(form)

💬 Analyst: "Look at the trending feed; the bot network appears to amplifying the scandal right now."

Write the corrected 4-word verb phrase below:

____

Grammar in the News: Advanced Structures

Reporting the News: Passive Reporting & Distance Verbs

How to Use This Lesson

📰 Core Grammar Reference

Habit / General Fact

Right Now (Continuous)

Looking Back (Past)

Practice Section (12 Items)

Part 1: Multiple Choice (Select the Best Sentence)

Part 2: Sentence Rewrites (Neutral Stance)

Part 3: Fill in the Gaps (Newsflashes)

Part 4: Error Correction (Editorial Chat Messages)

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