The Reading / Listening - Sensitivity Readers - Level 2

More and more famous novels are being edited. Publishers are worried about upsetting words in books. They think language in older books might upset people, especially children. Two authors have had their work edited this week – Roald Dahl and Ian Fleming. Dahl wrote books like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory;" Fleming wrote the James Bond books. Publishers are using "sensitivity readers" to check books for language that might be offensive to minorities. A lot of the language they check was written more than 50 years ago. Back then, the language was thought to be okay.

Edits in the James Bond books are because of language about black characters and women. The sensitivity readers decided the language was racist and sexist. The books will now be published with a warning. This explains that the books were written in the 1950s and 60s, so they used words that might upset today's readers. People are angry that the books were edited. The UK's prime minister and its future queen said it was wrong to edit them. One example edit is the word "fat" being replaced by "enormous". Using the word "fat" for a person is now a negative term.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Sensitivity Readers - Level 0 Sensitivity Readers - Level 1   or  Sensitivity Readers - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/james-bond-ian-fleming-books-rewritten-b2289747.html
  • https://variety.com/2023/film/news/james-bond-novels-edited-racism-1235536164/
  • https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/james-bond-novels-reprinted-racist-language-removed-1234687052/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. More and
  2. worried about upsetting
  3. language in older books
  4. Two authors have had
  5. Publishers are using
  6. be offensive to
  7. A lot of the
  8. the language was thought
  1. might upset people
  2. to be okay
  3. "sensitivity readers"
  4. words in books
  5. language they check
  6. their work edited
  7. more famous novels
  8. minorities

Paragraph 2

  1. language about black
  2. the language was racist
  3. books will now be published
  4. the books were written
  5. words that might
  6. People are angry that the
  7. it was wrong
  8. a negative
  1. with a warning
  2. to edit them
  3. characters
  4. upset today's readers
  5. term
  6. in the 1950s
  7. and sexist
  8. books were edited

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

(1) ___________________ famous novels are being edited. Publishers are worried (2) ___________________ in books. They think language in older books might upset people, especially children. Two authors have had their (3) ___________________ week - Roald Dahl and Ian Fleming. Dahl wrote books like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory;" Fleming wrote the James Bond books. Publishers are using "sensitivity readers" (4) __________________ for language that might be (5) ___________________. A lot of the language they check was written more than 50 years ago. Back then, the language was thought (6) ___________________.

Edits in the James Bond books are (7) ___________________ about black characters and women. The sensitivity readers decided the language was (8) ___________________. The books will now be published with a warning. This explains that the books were written in the 1950s and 60s, so they used words (9) ___________________ today's readers. People (10) ___________________ the books were edited. The UK's prime minister and its future queen said it was wrong to edit them. (11) ___________________ is the word "fat" being replaced by "enormous". Using the word "fat" for a person is now (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Moreandmorefamousnovelsarebeingedited.Publishersareworriedab
outupsettingwordsinbooks.Theythinklanguageinolderbooksmightu
psetpeople,especiallychildren.Twoauthorshavehadtheirworkedited
thisweek-RoaldDahlandIanFleming.Dahlwrotebookslike"Charliea
ndtheChocolateFactory;"FlemingwrotetheJamesBondbooks.Publish
ersareusing"sensitivityreaders"tocheckbooksforlanguagethatmight
beoffensivetominorities.Alotofthelanguagetheycheckwaswrittenmo
rethan50yearsago.Backthen,thelanguagewasthoughttobeokay.Edi
tsintheJamesBondbooksarebecauseoflanguageaboutblackcharacte
rsandwomen.Thesensitivityreadersdecidedthelanguagewasracista
ndsexist.Thebookswillnowbepublishedwithawarning.Thisexplainsth
atthebookswerewritteninthe1950sand60s,sotheyusedwordsthatmi
ghtupsettoday'sreaders.Peopleareangrythatthebookswereedited.T
heUK'sprimeministeranditsfuturequeensaiditwaswrongtoeditthem.
Oneexampleeditistheword"fat"beingreplacedby"enormous".Usingt
heword"fat"forapersonisnowanegativeterm.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You