Name: News Review: The Queen - 70 years on the throne
Uploaded: 2021-11-18T16:45:20.000Z
Duration: 10 min 58 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Queen Elizabeth II celebrates 70 years as British monarch.

Welcome to News Review from BBC Learning English.

I'm Rob and joining me today is Neil. Hello Neil.

If you would like to test yourself on the vocabulary

you hear in this programme, there's a quiz on our website

Now, let's hear more about that news story from this BBC radio report:

Queen Elizabeth II, the monarch of the United Kingdom,

Now, that is a record for a British monarch;

nobody has been on the throne that long before.

Another announcement the Queen made is that she wishes Camilla —

that is, the wife of Prince Charles — to be known as Queen Consort

Yeah. And we've got three words and expressions

that we can use to talk about this story, haven't we? What are they?

That's 'milestone', 'tributes' and 'heartfelt'.

OK. Let's have a look at your first news headline please.

Yeah, the first one comes from the Independent,

which is based in the UK, and the headline reads:

'Milestone' — important point in someone's life.

Yes. Now, you've just said it's an important point in someone's life,

but let's break this word up to see its origin.

We have the word 'mile' and we have the word 'stone'.

Now, 'mile' is a measurement of distance,

The second word there is 'stone'. 'Stone' is a rock.

Now, you put them together; you have a 'milestone'

and a 'milestone' is a marker that used to be on the side of the road,

which would tell you how far it was to a certain place.

Yeah. So, it's a kind of marker, as you say.

Therefore, metaphorically a 'milestone' is a marker in someone's life.

That's right. So, we're not talking literally here

about a 'stone' with 70 written on it for the Queen.

and we use 'milestone' to talk about important points in someone's life.

in connection with project management, don't we?

In project management, often 'milestones' are set.

Now, these are points or dates in a project

when certain things should be achieved by,

to make sure that the project is going smoothly.

Well, would you believe, Rob, that I joined the BBC in 2002,

so that is an important 'milestone' for my career.

It sounds like it. We'll put a special plaque up on the wall

Yes. And I'm looking forward to celebrating your 50th...!

Very good. OK. Well, we've reached the 'milestone'

In News Review last year, we talked about

the first woman of colour to become the vice president of the United States.

If you want to find out more about that story,

Let's have a look at your next news headline please, Neil.

My next headline comes from BBC News and it reads:

That's 'tributes' — announcements showing respect and admiration

'Tributes' — plural there in the headline.

And a 'tribute' is something you say or write or do,

in order to mark or pay respects to somebody's achievement.

So, I get that, but what are we, kind of, paying 'tribute' for particularly?

OK. So, in this case, it's an important anniversary.

The Queen has been on the throne for 70 years.

That's very significant and so we pay 'tribute':

it means we say nice things, we write nice things,

You might also hear it in connection with somebody's death.

So, when somebody important dies — or not just important actually,

somebody close to you — you might pay 'tribute',

They did lots of good things and you'll notice that I said there 'pay tribute'.

Thats a collocation. Those words go together:

Yeah, just to clarify, we're not handing money over here for a 'tribute', are we?

No, it's not payment in terms of money, no.

OK. And I also hear that you can be a 'tribute to' someone.

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News Review: The Queen - 70 years on the throne

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