The Reading / Listening - Language - Level 4

English vocabulary has been changing for centuries. Language from the Middle Ages is difficult to understand today. The charity Oxfam has issued a guide suggesting more changes. Oxfam considers English to be, "the language of a colonising nation". Its 92-page "Inclusive Language Guide" aims "to decolonise our ways of working and shift power". The guide advises charity workers on the use of language "to feel empowered to be inclusive in their work".

Oxfam works to reduce poverty in 80 countries. It says English is the dominant language used by its workers in ex-British colonies. The guide is to help workers communicate in English "as part of a colonial legacy". The guide focuses on inclusivity for the disabled, the LGBTQIA+ community, and refugees. It suggests avoiding "colonial" words like "mankind". It said this word can be patriarchal. People can misunderstand it "as only referring to men".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Language - Level 5 or  Language - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.foxnews.com/media/nonprofit-oxfams-inclusivity-guide-calls-english-the-language-colonising-nation
  • https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/23396055.oxfams-inclusive-language-guide-advises-avoid-mother-youth/
  • https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/inclusive-language-guide-621487/


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. vocabulary has been changing
  2. Language from the
  3. difficult to understand
  4. The charity Oxfam has issued
  5. the language of a colonising
  6. decolonise our ways
  7. shift
  8. feel empowered to
  1. today
  2. be inclusive
  3. a guide
  4. of working
  5. for centuries
  6. power
  7. Middle Ages
  8. nation

Paragraph 2

  1. Oxfam works to reduce
  2. English is the dominant
  3. workers in ex-British
  4. English as part of a colonial
  5. The guide focuses
  6. It suggests avoiding "colonial"
  7. this word can be
  8. only referring
  1. words
  2. patriarchal
  3. language
  4. on inclusivity
  5. to men
  6. legacy
  7. poverty
  8. colonies

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

English vocabulary (1) ___________________ for centuries. Language from (2) ___________________ is difficult to understand today. The charity Oxfam has (3) ___________________ suggesting more changes. Oxfam considers English to be, "the language of (4) ___________________". Its 92-page "Inclusive Language Guide" aims "to decolonise our ways of working (5) ___________________". The guide advises charity workers on the use of language "to feel empowered to be (6) ___________________ work".

Oxfam works (7) ___________________ in 80 countries. It says English is the (8) ___________________ by its workers in ex-British colonies. The guide is to help workers communicate in English "as part (9) ___________________ legacy". The guide focuses on inclusivity for the disabled, the LGBTQIA+ community, and refugees. (10) ___________________ "colonial" words like "mankind". It said this word (11) ___________________. People can misunderstand it "as only (12) ___________________".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Englishvocabularyhasbeenchangingforcenturies.Languagefromthe
MiddleAgesisdifficulttounderstandtoday.ThecharityOxfamhasissue
daguidesuggestingmorechanges.OxfamconsidersEnglishtobe,"thel
anguageofacolonisingnation".Its92-page"InclusiveLanguageGuid
e"aims"todecoloniseourwaysofworkingandshiftpower".Theguidead
visescharityworkersontheuseoflanguage"tofeelempoweredtobeincl
usiveintheirwork".Oxfamworkstoreducepovertyin80countries.Itsay
sEnglishisthedominantlanguageusedbyitsworkersinex-Britishcolon
ies.TheguideistohelpworkerscommunicateinEnglish"aspartofacolon
iallegacy".Theguidefocusesoninclusivityforthedisabled,theLGBTQIA
+community,andrefugees.Itsuggestsavoiding"colonial"wordslike"m
ankind".Itsaidthiswordcanbepatriarchal.Peoplecanmisunderstandit"
asonlyreferringtomen".

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.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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