Name: Russian Navalny Protests - News Review
Uploaded: 2021-01-26T18:30:14.000Z
Duration: 11 min 45 s
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Hello and welcome to News Review from BBC Learning English.

I'm Neil. Joining me is Catherine. Hi Catherine.

Hello Neil and hello everybody. Yes, today's show is all about protests

and demonstrations that took place in Russia over the weekend.

If you'd like to test yourself on the vocabulary you learn in this programme,

there's a quiz on our website at bbclearningenglish.com.

Now, let's find out some more about the story from this BBC News report:

So, Alexei Navalny, the high profile critic of Vladimir Putin,

He was arrested when he arrived in the country

and protestors have come out onto the streets of Russia

in response to his requests for demonstrations.

Now, these protests have taken place in hundreds of locations around the country.

They beat and dragged away some of the demonstrators.

Observers are saying these are the largest protests

that have happened in the country for about ten years.

OK. Some really interesting language being used

You've found three: what have you got, Catherine?

Yes. We have: 'spell the end', 'downplays' and 'echoes'.

'Spell the end', 'downplays' and 'echoes'.

So, let's start then with your first headline please.

Yes. We're starting with The Independent, here in the UK – the headline:

'Spell the end' – indicate a major change is going to happen.

'spell' – S-P-E-L-L – 'the' – T-H-E – and 'end' – E-N-D. 'Spell the end.'

OK. Well, the first word there is 'spell', which is something that you have just done

and the effect of 'spelling' something is to make it really clear, isn't it?

Exactly that, yes. When you spell out a word, you say those letters

that make up the word one by one so it's really clear how you actually make that word.

And if something 'spells the end' for something, it makes it very, very clear

that something – this thing is going to finish or come to an end.

Yes. And we use the preposition 'for', don't we, in this expression?

Yeah. Your can – something can 'spell the end for' something else.

One event can make it clear that another situation will finish.

So, for example, it is hoped by millions of people that the...

the development of vaccines for coronavirus will 'spell the end' for the pandemic.

Yes, that's a really good example, yes. The pandemic has been going on for a while.

There is lots of hope that the vaccines will bring the pandemic to an end:

that the vaccines will 'spell an end' for the pandemic.

Likewise, electric cars may well 'spell the end' for the petrol engine.

Now, the word 'spell' that starts this expression

is both regular and irregular in the past, isn't it?

Interesting word, yes. The past of 'spell' is 'spelt' – S-P-E-L-T.

But it can also be 'spelled' – S-P-E-L-L-E-D.

'Spelt' or 'spelled': both have the same meaning. You can use whichever one you like.

If you are interested in stories about protests, we have another one, haven't we Catherine?

We do. This is an archive story about protests in Belarus.

If you want to see that story just click the link.

And we're right here at the BBC for this one – the headline:

'Downplays' – makes something seem less important than it is.

Yes. Two-word expression here, but it is written as one word:

'down' – D-O-W-N – 'plays' – P-L-A-Y-S.

Put them together and you have the verb: 'downplays'.

Now, the first part of that word – 'down' – it's quite clear to see

that this carries the meaning of 'reduce': reduce something in importance.

Yes. 'Plays' is interesting, isn't it? Well, 'plays' – when you 'play' a game

you often use strategy, don't you, in order to win the game?

The best technique that gets you the result you want.

And if you 'downplay' something, it's really to do with a strategy

for getting the result you want and if the result you want

depends on somebody thinking that something's not important,

you're going to 'downplay' the importance of that.

You're going to minimise the importance so that you get what you want.

So, it's a kind of strategy-related word.

OK. So, we can again use the example of coronavirus:

from the beginning and up to now there are some people

who 'downplay' the threat of coronavirus.

There are, yes. A lot of people 'downplay' the threat of coronavirus:

for various reasons they want people to believe

that it's not that serious or not that important.

OK. So, we have this word 'downplay' – so the opposite surely, Catherine, must be 'up-play'?

You'd like to think so, yes, but I think it's not actually.

You can't say 'downplay' is... 'up-play' is the opposite.

But we do have some expressions you can use:

and if you 'big up something' or you 'big something up'

you make it seem more important than perhaps someone else thinks it is.

Other words: you can 'play something up', you can 'talk something up' as well,

so a few phrasal verbs you can use there to make... which... as the opposite of 'downplay'.

OK. And now, this word 'downplay', it's neither formal nor informal;

it could be used in any kind of situation.

Yeah, of course. Yes, I mean it's a politician's word, you know.

People love the... politicians always 'downplay' things that aren't to their advantage

and then 'big up' other things, but let's say your kids don't want to go to bed, Neil:

they want to watch something on TV and you don't want them to stay up late,

so you're going to 'downplay' the importance of the programme they want to watch.

Or: 'We can watch it another time. You won't like it anyway.'

It's a way of 'downplaying' something to get the result you want.

We have a News Review with an example of some people 'downplaying' an event.

It was when the tennis player Novac Djokovic hit someone with the ball accidentally.

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Russian Navalny Protests - News Review

absolutely

phenomenon

pandemic

strategy