Cool & contemporary vocab: reading
Here are some sample IELTS speaking test questions about reading:
1. What kind of books do you like to read?
2. Do you read the same books now as when you were a child?
3. What kinds of magazines are popular in your country?
4. What are the main differences between a newspaper and magazine?
5. Do you ever read the news online?
Vocabulary
- fake news
meaning = news that is not real and has been created by someone to make you believe something that is not true
example = Millions of people believed a fake news story that pasta grows on trees.
- news feed
meaning = the list of news stories you see on an app or website because you selected the sources
example = My news feed is full of gossip about celebrities.
- propaganda
meaning = biased information used to influence people’s political views
example = There were a lot of propaganda stories during the war because each side wanted to change people’s opinions.
- empathy
meaning = when you understand and share the feelings of someone else
example = Reading stories about war survivors creates empathy because you understand what they went through.
- individual interpretation
meaning = when each person understands something slightly differently
example = My own individual interpretation of the story is quite different to my friend’s.
- an avid reader
meaning = someone who reads a lot whenever they can
example = Chris is an avid reader of historic novels.
- a bookworm
meaning = a person who loves reading
example = I’m a bookworm so I like nothing more than sitting at home reading a good book.
- escapism
meaning = when you read a book (or watch a film/TV series) to get relief from your current situation
example = I have a stressful job so reading Harry Potter is pure escapism.
- a must read
meaning = a book that is very good and that people say you have to read
example = All the Tolkien books are must-reads in my opinion.
- a best-seller
meaning = a book that has sold lots of copies and is very popular
example = I always look at the top 10 best-sellers when choosing a new book to buy.
Phrasal verbs
- to pick up
meaning = to physically lift a book or magazine off a surface or an informal way of saying ‘to buy something’.
example = I picked up two great new novels this week from the local book shop.
- to curl up
meaning = to raise your knees up near your chest in a comfortable seating position
example = I curled up on the sofa with a new best seller and read it cover to cover in one sitting.
- to flick through
meaning = to look at pages quickly in a book/magazine/newspaper often just looking at the pictures and/or headlines
example = You can flick through the magazines in the supermarket to see if you want to buy them.
- to dip into
meaning = to open and read something in a book or magazine from time to time
example = I like reading autobiographies because you can just dip into them for a few minutes at a time.
