Can you recognize this famous person?

Do you know why she is an important media figure?

To find out, click here.

This is a picture of Oprah Winfrey. She has a very popular talk show, a book club, and her own production company.

The media includes newspapers, magazines, TV, and--of course--the Internet. We've created this page about the media to help you practice your English. There are quizzes to test your English skills, a discussion forum where you can share your ideas, as well as games and activities about the media. Come on, stay with the times.

Discussion

There's a lot happening in the world.

• What do you think was the biggest media event in the last decade?
• How do you stay up to date with the news?

Activities and Games

• Interactive WWW Activity: Princess Diana - Practice your vocabuary, reading, and writing as you participate in this interactive lesson on the death of Princess Diana.
• Matching Activity: TV--What Type of Show Is It - How well do you know North American TV shows? See if you can match these popular shows with the type of show each is.
• Scrambled Sentences: The Nightly News - Can you unscramble these ten sentences from the nightly news? Warning: This one's difficult!
• Matching Activity: Newspaper Headlines - Can you match each of these ten headlines to the section of the newspaper where you'd find them?
• Internet Worksheet: CNN Interactive - This worksheet will help you use a great web site called CNN Interactive. You can print the worksheet, or you can work directly on your computer.
• News on the WWW - This Internet scavenger hunt will introduce you to the newspaper USA Today On-line, teach you one way to find newspapers on the WWW, and involve you in learning about current events at CNN Interactive. You can work on this activity directly from your computer, or you can print the page before visiting each web site.

Quizzes

Practice your TOEFL skills by taking an interactive quiz!

• Big News Events from the 1990s - (difficult, TOEFLesque)

Headline English

Newspaper headlines look different from regular English sentences because headline writers don't want to use too many words. Headlines often leave out grammatical structures like articles and auxiliary verbs. They use simple forms of verbs to describe something that has happened. They use infinitive forms to describe something that is going to happen. Headlines also use abbrieviations and idioms.

Click on one of the following actual newspaper headlines to see how it translates into ordinary English.

• Arizona voters click into history

  Voters in Arizona used the Internet to vote for the first time in history.

• Close aide to Iranian president shot

  An assistant who worked closely with the President of Iran was shot.

• Boomers to retire where they work

  Baby boomers (people who were born after World War II) will retire in the same areas where they have worked.