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Unit 20: The subjunctive
UK vs US English

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  1. 1 Go beyond intermediate with our new video course
  2. 2 Reported speech in 90 seconds!
  3. 3 If or whether?
  4. 4 5 ways to use 'would'
  5. 5 Let and allow
  6. 6 Passive voice
  7. 7 Unless
  8. 8 Mixed conditionals
  9. 9 The zero article - in 90 seconds
  10. 10 The indefinite article - in 90 seconds
  11. 11 The. That's right - the! Learn all about it in 90 seconds
  12. 12 The continuous passive
  13. 13 Future perfect
  14. 14 Need + verb-ing
  15. 15 Have something done
  16. 16 Wish
  17. 17 Word stress
  18. 18 Different ways of saying 'if'
  19. 19 Passive reporting structures
  20. 20 The subjunctive
  21. 21 When and if
  22. 22 Inversion
  23. 23 Phrasal verbs
  24. 24 The future
  25. 25 Modals in the past
  26. 26 Narrative tenses
  27. 27 Phrasal verb myths
  28. 28 Conditionals review
  29. 29 Used to - review
  30. 30 Linking words of contrast

Session 2

An arch destroyed by the so-called Islamic State has been recreated using the latest digital technology. Join Finn and Neil in News Review as they bring you the story and the language you need to understand it.

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    Activity 1
  1. Activity 1

Activity 1

News Review

Ancient arch triumphs in London

An ancient stone arch which was destroyed by Islamic State militants in Syria has been rebuilt and displayed in London.

In the video, Finn and Neil explore language used by news websites to talk about this story.

Language challenge

Which phrasal verb means 'to demolish'?

a) knock down

b) knock through

c) knock out

Watch the video and complete the activity

The story

A replica of the 2,000-year-old Arch of Triumph, destroyed by the Islamic State group in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra last year, will be unveiled in London today. The replica has been built from marble with a computer-controlled drill programmed with 3D images of the original. The group behind the project, the Institute for Digital Archaeology, hopes the technology can be used to rebuild parts of Palmyra, which has been recaptured by government troops.

Naomi Grimley – BBC News

This is the sound of a computer-controlled drill chiselling away at a block of marble. The machine was programmed with 3D images of the original 2,000-year-old arch, so the texture of the stone could be replicated.

It's a collaboration between experts from Oxford and Harvard universities, and Dubai's Museum of the Future. The group hope technology like this might help rebuild parts of Palmyra, but some classical scholars think the replica arch is a waste of time and money.

Key words and phrases

replica
an exact copy of something

behind
responsible for

recreate
made or created again

unveil
(of a venue or exhibit) officially opened in a ceremony where a covering is removed

on display
being put in a place where people can see it

To do

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

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3 Questions

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Downloads

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

Language challenge - answer

The answer is: a) knock down.

More

Learn more about this story with BBC News.

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.

Session Vocabulary

  • replica
    an exact copy of something

    behind
    responsible for

    recreate
    made or created again

    unveil
    (of a venue or exhibit) officially opened in a ceremony where a covering is removed

    on display
    being put in a place where people can see it

View full vocabulary reference

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