ESL Podcast 459 - Watching Political Commentary Shows

political commentary - offering one's opinion about political issues, the people who work in the government, and their decisions

During the fall of 2008, all the political commentary shows were talking about the U.S. presidential elections.

purportedly - supposedly; claiming to do something, although it probably isn't true or correct

She went into his room purportedly to put away the clean clothes, but he thinks she was really looking through his papers.

commentator - a person whose job is to offer his or her opinion about something, especially politics

On this show, the commentator speaks with two guests each week.

biased - with a strong opinion for or against something, so that one is no longer able to see the issue as it really is

Mothers can be biased and think that their children are beautiful, intelligent, and well behaved, even when they aren't.

pundit - a person who gives his or her opinion about something, usually on a radio program or a TV show

I couldn't believe the things we heard from that pundit!

political spectrum - the range of opinions about a political issue, from very conservative to very liberal and everything in between

Even within the Democratic Party, there is a wide political spectrum and there are many things that people don't agree on.

argument - the reasons why one believes something and why one thinks other people should believe the same thing

Her main argument for spending more money on education is that children who get a better education will get better jobs in the future.

party line - the official opinion of an organization, group or political party; the ideas that people should agree with if they are going to be members of an organization, group, or political party

The other politicians don't like him because he rarely votes along the party line.

predictable - easy to know what will be said or done; easy to know what will happen

The movie was really boring because the ending was too predictable.

poles apart - extremely different from each other; opposites

Jane and Jacques are poles apart in many ways: she works hard while he prefers to watch TV, and she likes to spend a lot of money while he saves all of his money.

roundtable - a type of meeting or discussion where people sit around a table and each person speaks for a short period of time

I think our office meetings would be better if we had a roundtable discussion, instead of making everyone listen while the manager speaks.

to debate - to talk about an issue where one person explains his or her position and another person explains his or her opposite position, trying to show which position is better or more correct

Have you been listening to the economists who are debating whether the federal government should lower interest rates again?

contempt - a feeling of disgust; a feeling that someone or something is not important and cannot be admired or respected

Many people feel contempt for criminals, but Becca feels sorry for them because she thinks they just made a bad decision.

loathing - strong hatred and dislike mixed with anger

It frightened us to hear her talk about her loathing for people who drive too slowly on the freeways.

to talk over (someone) - to speak loudly while another person is speaking, trying to be heard while the other person is still talking

Instead of talking over our colleagues, try saying, "Excuse me, but I'd like to say a few words."

stimulating - exciting and interesting, making one think about something in a new way

This toy store sells a lot of things that are stimulating for young babies.

on screen - on television or in the movies

How old was this actress when she first appeared on screen?