# IELTS vocabulary for media and communication Words for news, language and persuasion from passages on misinformation, cinema and language barriers, plus phrases from our film, song and social media answers such as 'open to interpretation'. ## Words - **transmit** /trænzˈmɪt/ (verb, C1): to send or pass on a signal or message. _And in a twelve-year programme of work, Ryabko and Reznikova have found evidence that ants can transmit very complex messages._ - **publication** /ˌpʌblɪˈkeɪʃn/ (noun, B2): the act of printing and releasing a book or text. _After its publication, his Dictionary was not seriously rivalled for over a century._ - **advertising** /ˈædvətaɪzɪŋ/ (noun, B1): telling people about products to make them buy them. _In 1954, the company adapted some of Birdseye's freezing techniques, and with the help of a clever name and a huge advertising budget, it launched the first 'TV Dinner'._ - **audience** /ˈɔːdiəns/ (noun, B1): the people who watch, listen to or read something. _While less technical than the research paper on which the chapter is based, it is probably more technical than would be preferred by a general audience._ - **narrative** /ˈnærətɪv/ (noun, C1): a story or account of events. _"Studies on hunter-gatherer folk tales suggest that these narratives include really important information about the environment and the possible dangers that may be faced there - stuff that's relevant to survival," he says._ - **documentary** /ˌdɒkjuˈmentri/ (noun, B1): a film or programme that gives facts about a real subject. _In 2019, while making a documentary, David Scheel of Alaska Pacific University in the USA housed an octopus named Heidi in a tank in his living room._ - **verbal** /ˈvɜːbl/ (adjective, B2): spoken; using words rather than actions. _People likely have lied to one another for roughly as long as verbal communication has existed._ - **gesture** /ˈdʒestʃə/ (noun, B2): a movement of the hand or head that shows meaning. _Similarly, in the Museum of Natural History in Washington, Neanderthal man is shown making a dominant gesture to his wife._ - **linguistic** /lɪŋˈɡwɪstɪk/ (adjective, C1): relating to language. _Modern science - linguistic, archaeological and genetic evidence - has definitively proved the moai builders were Polynesians, but not how they moved their creations._ - **convey** /kənˈveɪ/ (verb, C1): to make ideas, feelings or information known. _This sleek design allows single sounds to convey useful information, and in fact even the absence of a sound has been enlisted to express something specific._ - **interpretation** /ɪnˌtɜːprəˈteɪʃn/ (noun, C1): an explanation of what something means. _Everything the brain sees, hears, or touches has multiple interpretations._ - **coverage** /ˈkʌvərɪdʒ/ (noun, C1): the reporting of news by TV, radio and newspapers. _This is surprising considering the high level of media coverage on this issue._ - **press** /pres/ (noun, B2): newspapers and magazines and the journalists who write them. _His work was enthusiastically welcomed by fellow sculptors, but the reviews in the press were extremely negative and turned Moore into a notorious figure._ - **campaign** /kæmˈpeɪn/ (noun, B2): a planned set of actions to achieve a goal. _This leads us to our third observation: a campaign to correct misinformation, even if rhetorically compelling, requires resources and planning to accomplish necessary reach and frequency._ - **persuade** /pəˈsweɪd/ (verb, B1): to make someone agree or act by giving reasons. _Leading us gently by the hand, he takes us into the world of microbes - a bizarre, alien planet - in a bid to persuade us to love them as much as he does._ - **distort** /dɪˈstɔːt/ (verb, C1): to change facts or images so they are no longer true. _One of London Zoo's recent advertisements caused me some irritation, so patently did it distort reality._ - **medium** /ˈmiːdiəm/ (noun, C1): a way of communicating or expressing something. _Further, it will adapt to that environment's requirements - from different writing systems to the characteristics of whatever medium is used._ ## Phrases for Speaking and Writing - **question sources**: ask where information comes from and if it is reliable. _In terms of her influence, the most obvious thing is that she taught me to question sources._ - **a dramatic headline**: a newspaper or website title meant to shock. _These days, when I come across a dramatic headline or a forwarded message on my phone, my first instinct is to ask who wrote it and why, which I'm fairly sure comes straight from her lessons._ - **nature documentaries**: factual films about animals and the natural world. _Unlike most nature documentaries, which tend to have a very serious, scientific narrator, this one is told by Foster himself, and he's quite open about his own struggles._ - **independent cinema**: a small cinema not owned by a large company. _I watched it about three weeks ago at a small independent cinema near my office, which was running a season of recent international films._ - **lead actor**: the actor who plays the main character. _The lead actor, Koji Yakusho, barely speaks, yet he conveys a huge amount through tiny changes of expression, and the final scene, which is just a long close-up of his face while he drives, left me genuinely moved._ - **a publicity stunt**: an action done mainly to attract public attention. _Some people dismissed it as a publicity stunt for that reason, but I think that misses the point._ - **sum things up**: describe the main point briefly. _He also has a gift for summing things up in a single line._ - **open to interpretation**: able to be understood in different ways. _What it's actually about is open to interpretation, and I think that's part of its appeal._ - **get stuck in your head**: keep playing in your mind after you hear it. _The lyrics are very simple, and the guitar part at the beginning is bright and catchy, so it doesn't take long to get stuck in your head._ - **a hit song**: a song that becomes very popular. _It's a strange choice in some ways, because it breaks almost every rule of what a hit song is supposed to be: it's nearly six minutes long, it has no proper chorus, and halfway through it suddenly turns into a mock opera._ - **public speaker**: a person who gives talks to an audience. _I'm not a confident public speaker, and I'd convinced myself that I'd embarrass my sister in front of everyone._ - **body language**: messages people send with their body, face and hands. _She changes her accent, her body language, even the way she moves, so you forget you're watching a famous actress._ - **set the standard**: be the example that others are judged against. _So, all in all, I'd say she's set the standard for what good acting looks like, and I'll watch pretty much anything she's in._ - **social media platforms**: websites and apps where people share content. _Social media platforms now play a central role in how people communicate._ - **keep in touch with**: stay in contact with someone. _Personally, I believe that social media brings people closer when it is used to keep in touch with real friends and family, but it becomes isolating when it takes the place of meeting people in person._