Learning English

World's longest hunger strike ends

Irom Sharmila has been on hunger strike since the year 2000 but will start to eat again from today. Her protest was against the power of the Indian army

Language challenge

One of these metals CANNOT be used to describe a person's personality. Which is it?
a) Steel
b) Copper
c) Mercury

Watch the video and complete the activity

The story

One of India's best known political activists, Irom Sharmila, has told a court that she's ending a 16-year hunger strike, during much of which she's been force-fed in hospital.

She was protesting against a law that gives the Indian army sweeping powers. 

Sanjoy Majunder - BBC news

She was able to leave the ambulance – she was supported by two policewomen, but was able to walk up the steps.

We understand she's told the judge that she stands by the decision she announced a few weeks ago – the decision to finally end her fast of 16 years.

Now remember it's a protest she began in the year 2000 against a law that grants the Indian security forces here in Manipur and other frontline states – sweeping powers to arrest suspects, even shoot to kill, and more importantly, immunity from prosecution.

That law still exists on the books. But she has decided to end her fast. 

Key words and phrases

activist
person with a strong belief in a certain cause who takes action to achieve their aims

hunger strike
time during which someone refuses to eat as a protest

fast
period of time when a person chooses not to eat

'iron'
Here used as an adjective used to describe a person who is mentally and emotionally strong

To do

Try our quiz to see how well you've learned today's language.

Downloads

You can download the audio and PDF document for this episode here.

Language challenge - answer

We use the adjective ‘steely’ to describe people who are strong and determined. And ‘mercurial’ describes someone who changes often and quickly. So, the correct answer is b) Copper. We don’t use ‘copper’ to describe a person’s personality.

End of Session 2

Join us in Session 3 for Lingohack - our video which teaches you words from the news using the latest BBC World News bulletins.