Who Controls the Story?
Grammar: Nominalisation
A Business English English lesson exploring technology.
What's in this lesson
A Business English ESL lesson on technology, practising nominalisation. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary, a grammar reference with practice and discussion questions.
From the reading: Who Controls the Story?
In 2023, six corporations controlled roughly 90 per cent of the media consumed by Americans. That single statistic captures a structural shift that has been reshaping the global information landscape for three decades: the consolidation of ownership has not merely changed who runs newsrooms — it has changed what questions get asked, whose interests get protected, and which narratives reach the public at scale. The concentration of power at the top of the media industry is, for most people, entirely invisible.
Vocabulary
- consolidation of ownership
- concentration of power
- agenda-setting
- alignment of editorial independence
- consolidation
- media plurality
- vested interests
- decline in public trust
- gatekeeping
Grammar: Nominalisation
- Nominalisation — form
- The consolidation of ownership raises serious questions. — verb/adj → noun phrase for formal register
- Verb → noun pattern
- The decline in public trust is well documented. — 'trust declines' becomes a formal noun phrase
Discussion questions
- When did you last actively change where you get your news, and what prompted it?
- Have you ever caught a news outlet leaving out a story you knew about?
- Which single news source do you trust most, and when did that trust begin?
Who Controls the Story?
Grammar: Nominalisation
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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