Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for English for Baccalaureate

Newspaper Journalism Genres

Each genre of journalism has its own structure and linguistic features. Newspaper text can be classified into:

Information Genres

These are designed to convey facts objectively. Therefore, the representational function dominates. They focus on new issues, current events, and social interest. Features include:

• Objectivity: Manifests through impersonal discourse without subjective assessment by the sender.
• Formal Language: The sender uses refined language that is understandable for any reader.
• Textual Features: Narrative and description dominate to represent facts, events, or occurrences. Dialogue is used in texts involving conversation between speakers.

Journalistic subgenres of information are:

• News: Presents clear and objective

English Grammar

Future Tenses

• Will: Subject + will / won't + infinitive

Uses:

• To make a decision at the time of speaking
• Offer (e.g., A: I need help with English; B: I will help you)
• To make a prediction based on a subjective opinion (e.g., It looks like rain; I think they will return)

Common phrases: I think, I hope, I'm afraid, I promise, I expect...

• Going to: Subject + am / is / are + going to + infinitive

Uses:

• Something that is almost certain
• Plans or intentions decided before speaking
• Immediate action with clear evidence

• Present Continuous: Subject + am / is / are + verb-ing

Uses:

• Plans to be carried out with certainty (e.g., On Thursday, February 26th at 10 am, we are going to Barcelona)

Common indicators: Specific details like name, time, place, date....

Gabriel García Márquez: Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1981)

This work is founded on an almost journalistic, detective-like investigation. The central theme is a death in a coastal village, driven by jealousy, revenge, fate, and sexual honor.

Main Characters

• Ángela Vicario: A humble girl of unparalleled beauty, desired by many young men.
• Santiago Nasar: A wealthy young man from a good family of Arab descent. Handsome and influential in town, he was considered a Don Juan.
• Bayardo San Román: A stranger who arrives in town and falls for Ángela. An old-fashioned man, he rejects his wife on their wedding night because she was not a virgin.
• Pedro and Pablo Vicario: Ángela's brothers, humble vendors of flesh (butchers). They swear to avenge the affront

Essential English Vocabulary

• Library: I went to the library to borrow a history book.
• Bookshop: She bought the novel at the bookshop near school.
• Gang: The gang was arrested for robbing the bank.
• Bargain: These shoes were a real bargain – only 10 euros!
• Camp: My little brother is going to summer camp next week.
• Field: They have a small house in the middle of the field.
• Bigot: The bigot used his power to silence anyone who disagreed.
• Moustache: The man with the big moustache looked like a detective.
• Vase: She put the flowers in a beautiful glass vase.
• Glass: He drank a glass of water after his run.
• Groceries: I went to the supermarket to buy some groceries.
• Rudeness: His rudeness shocked everyone at the meeting.
• Journey: The journey by train through the

Essential English Grammar Structures

Conditional Sentences

Conditional sentences express hypothetical situations and their consequences. They are categorized by the likelihood of the event occurring.

The Four Main Conditional Types

• Zero Conditional (Facts/Reality): Used for general truths or scientific facts.

  Formula: If + Subject + V (Simple Present), Subject + V (Simple Present)

• First Conditional (Probable Future): Used for probable future events.

  Formula: If + Subject + V (Simple Present), Subject + will/won't + V (Base Form)

• Second Conditional (Improbable/Advice): Used for hypothetical present or future situations, or for giving advice.

  Formula: If + Subject + V (Simple Past), Subject + would + V (Base Form)

• Third Conditional (Regret/Past Counterfactual)

1- The Impact of Theft

antia: In my photo we can see a man whose car has been stolen and he is surprised

arturo: In my photo we can see a man who has a wheelchair. He's trying to get on the sidewalk but he can't, because there's a wrong parked truck.

arturo: In picture B the victim is the man who has the wheelchair

antia: In my photo the victim is a young man whose car has been stolen

arturo: In both pictures the problem is the vehicle but the pictures aren't alike

antia: Yes, because in picture B we see a man in a wheelchair and a truck but in my situation is a stolen car

arturo: It seems to me that in the pictures people must feel bad and sad because they had a problem.

antia: I believe that the most serious situation is that of theft, since it is...

Oscar Wilde's Biography

Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin on 16 October 1854. His mother, Jane, was a successful poet and journalist, and his father was a leading ear and eye surgeon. He was educated in Portora Royal School in Dublin and Magdalene College, Oxford. While at Magdalene, he won the 1878 Prize for his poem 'Ravenna'. After graduating, he moved to London to establish a literary career. He married Constance Lloyd in 1884, and they had two sons. Wilde's marriage ended in 1893, and he began an affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, which led to his downfall. He died in 1900.

Lord Arthur Savile's Crime

The story begins at a party where a palmist predicts that Lord Arthur is destined to commit murder. Arthur attempts to fulfill this prophecy but...