The Media

There are 2 types of newspapers in Britain: broadsheets and tabloids. The broadsheets are also called the quality press and include newspapers like The Times, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent and The Observer. These papers are more serious and intellectual than the tabloids. Some of the tabloids include The Sun, The Daily Mirror and The Daily Star. These papers include a lot of pictures and gossip but not very much serious news.

It is a good exercise to read the same stories in a quality paper and in a tabloid and to compare the language and vocabulary. The language in the tabloids is not necessarily easier than the broadsheets, it's different. They use a lot of slang, colloquialisms, more phrasal verbs and idiomatic, colourful language.

There are also local newspapers. For example, the local newspapers in Oxford are called The Oxford Mail and The Oxford Times. They are useful for the What's On sections (cinema etc.). There are also many free newspapers. These are mostly for advertising.

There are an enormous number of magazines that you can buy - just look in a newsagents. You can buy international newspapers from most newsagents, too.

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