Will Smith hits Chris Rock: BBC News Review

Actor Will Smith hits Chris Rock at the Oscars.

Hello, this is News Review from BBC Learning English and I'm Rob,

and joining me to talk about this news story is Roy. Hello Roy.

Hello Rob and hello everybody.

If you would like to test yourself on the vocabulary around this story,

all you need to do is head to our website

bbclearningenglish.com to take a quiz.

But now, let's hear more about this story from this BBC News report:

So, Will Smith hit Chris Rock at the Oscars ceremonies on Sunday night.

This was after Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, Will's wife.

Shortly after this, Will Smith won an award for Best Actor

and used his speech to say sorry to the organisers, the Academy.

And we've got three words and expressions from the news headlines

about this story. What are they please, Roy?

We do. We have 'overshadows', 'press charges' and 'slammed'.

That's 'overshadows', 'press charges' and 'slammed'.

OK. Let's have a look at the first word from your first headline please.

OK. So, our first headline comes from NBC News and it reads:

That's 'overshadows' — causes something to seem less important.

OK. So, 'overshadows' is spelt O-V-E-R-S-H-A-D-O-W-S

and it is a verb and it means

to make someone or something less important.

OK. So, I know about 'shadows':

this happens when something blocks the light from the sun

and you get a 'shadow' — a dark area behind it.

So, are we talking about something here blocking the sun.

Well, no.

No, we're not exactly but it is, kind of, related.

So, when a 'shadow' is cast,

and that is the verb we commonly use — to 'cast a shadow' —

the thing in the 'shadow' becomes darker, less in the light.

And that's a similar idea here.

One action or an event takes another thing out of the light

or out of the focus and therefore it becomes,

or makes it become, less important.

So, in the case of the headlines,

we're talking about Will Smith's dream to win an Oscar,

but his... his... his confrontation with Chris Rock 'overshadowed' that.

Right. So, it's his dream that was 'overshadowed',

but can something 'overshadow' someone?

Can people be 'overshadowed'?

Yes. So, we've talked about dreams,

but you can absolutely — you can 'overshadow' somebody.

So, let's talk about work.

Maybe there's somebody at work who is just really good at what they do

and it makes other people feel 'overshadowed',

or it 'overshadows' other people's work.

Or maybe they're louder and they're more outspoken

and therefore they can 'overshadow' other people,

and in that sense, it means to make people or their work less noticeable.

And it can happen in families too?

Yes! Yeah, it can. Maybe there's one sibling

who's always getting the top grades, the top awards...

the top marks for everything.

And then the other sibling, maybe doesn't quite do as well —

they're still good, but they are 'overshadowed' by the...

the student who's performing better academically.

OK. And it does have a literal meaning as well, doesn't it?

It does, yeah. For example, let's talk about buildings:

if one building is a really, really big and there's another building behind it,

you can say the big building 'overshadows' the little building.

Got it. Right, let's have a summary then of that word:

We were talking about shadows and things being in the shade.

Well, we taught the expression 'to throw shade'

in one of our videos, The English We Speak.

So, how can someone watch that please, Roy?

Well, all you need to do is click the link in the description below.

OK. Let's move on now to your next headline please.

OK. So, our next headline comes from The Independent and it reads:

So, that's 'press charges' — file a police report.

OK. So, a two-word expression here.

First word is 'press' — P-R-E-S-S.

Second word: 'charges' — C-H-A-R-G-E-S.

And we use it to mean file an official complaint

with the police against somebody.

Now, of course I know about this word 'press'.

It's when you put pressure on something, like a button:

you 'press' a button.

Is that what you're doing here?

No. So, you're right; you talk about...

that's... when we talk about 'press',

it's often used as a physical action like, for example,

you're in a lift and you 'press' a button to go down or go up,

but here it's not being used literally.

To 'press charges' means to accuse somebody officially,

with the police, of doing something.

Now, you said 'press' there.

Individually, these two words, 'press' and 'charges' —

they have a lot of different meanings.

'Press' can mean, as you say, 'press' a button, apply pressure.

Or you could force somebody — 'press' somebody for answers.

To 'press' someone — I'm 'pressing' you for an answer:

force somebody for answers.

'Charges' — you could use 'charge'...

'charge' as in accusations.

You could also use it as bank 'charges',

which is an amount of money you're being requested for,

or you can even use it to 'charge' your phone, which means to give electricity.

But here, as the two words combined,

'press charges' means to make an official complaint

and notice that it's used commonly with the preposition 'against':

'press charges against' somebody.

So, it's a legal term: somebody 'presses charges',

then that person might go to court

and a... a judge will say: 'You are charged with this offence.'

Yeah. So, to be 'charged' with something means

to be officially accused of doing something.

Now, in other ways that we can use 'press',

you could 'press a case' or 'press a claim'.

So, for example, maybe at work a new position

or a new role, a new job opening, opens up

and I 'press my case' that I am the best candidate for the job.

Sorry, Rob — I don't mean to 'overshadow' you with my work

but I'm 'pressing my case' that I am the best candidate.

That's OK, Roy. That's very 'impressive'.

Oh!

See what I did there? Let's have a summary:

We were talking about charges and judges

and the legal system briefly just then,

but we have a whole series about international law

on our website and on Youtube.

How can people watch it?

All you need to do is click the link in the description below.

Just down there. OK.

Let's move on to your next headline please, Roy.

OK. So, our next headline comes from The Sun and it reads:

So, the word is 'slammed' — criticised strongly.

Yes. So, 'slammed' is spelt S-L-A-M-M-E-D

and it is being used as a verb

and it means criticised strongly.

And it's interesting to see this word in the headline here

because I associate 'slamming' things

as in closing a door quite loudly and abruptly,

maybe in a bit of a temper. You might 'slam' the door.

Well, you shouldn't do that because it's very, very bad for your doors,

but again this is a word —

'slam' is a word that can be used both literally and figuratively.

So, yeah, you can 'slam' a door.

You shouldn't, but you can 'slam' a door,

but it can also be used to mean receive or give very strong criticism.

And it's almost the idea that the force,

like the 'slamming' of the door, is impacting:

the criticism is impacting on the person very heavily.

So, you can 'slam' someone for... for what they say.

Is it just about people?

No, no. We can 'slam' things as well.

So, for example, a new album comes out and it could be 'slammed'.

A new song could be 'slammed'. A film could be 'slammed'

and also, for example, a company and their practices.

They could be strongly criticised: they could be 'slammed'.

But can we use this word everywhere?

It sounds a bit like a headline type of word.

I wouldn't 'slam' somebody for doing something in the office?

You're right. No, it's not a normal word

that we would use in an everyday English environment

and, as you say, it's a very journalistic word.

In the office maybe, for example, you do some...

some work and I don't think it's very good, maybe I could...

and I really criticise it, I could 'pick it to pieces'.

'Pick' the piece of work 'to pieces'.

I could 'pull it apart'.

I could 'find fault with it', 'find problems with it'.

Or generally, I could just criticise it.

OK. Well, I can't 'pick' your definition there 'to pieces', Roy.

It was very good. Let's have a summary:

OK. Roy, now could you please summarise the vocabulary

that we've talked about today, please.

Yes, we had 'overshadows' — causes something to seem less important.

We had 'press charges' — file a police report.

And we had 'slammed' — criticised strongly.

Now, if you want to test your understanding

of these words and expressions, we have a quiz

on our website at bbclearningenglish.com

and that's the place to go to for lots of other Learning English resources.

And of course check us out on all the social media platforms too.

Well, that's all for News Review for today.

Please join us again next time.

Thanks for watching. Bye bye.

Bye!