Algospeak
How social media is changing the way we talk. Read the summary, then work through Tasks 1–7.
Read and find
Read the article. Then find the words or expressions that match the paraphrases below. They appear in the same order as in the text. 🧠 Optional: dig deeper and answer the questions in orange.
Type the expression exactly as it appears in the text. Press Enter to check one answer: a wrong answer gets a hint first, and a second wrong try shows the answer.
Check the meaning
Revise the expressions with flashcards and listen to the tricky ones. Then decide whether each definition is correct or incorrect.
Tap UK or US to hear each word, then say it yourself. Audio and transcriptions: Cambridge Dictionary. For err on the side of caution, the dictionary has audio for err and caution only, so you’ll hear those two words.
One word too many
Eight sentences out of ten contain one word that should not be there. Find it and write it in the box. Next to the sentences without any mistakes, write correct.
Uncensor the comments
Look through the real comments from Reddit and decide which expression is hidden under each green bar. NB: there’s one extra expression.
Dress it up
Most of the target expressions are formal or neutral. Match each informal expression with its more formal equivalent.
Complete the text
Complete the text with the expressions in the box. Change the form if necessary. Press Enter to check a gap: a wrong answer gets a hint first, and a second wrong try shows the answer.
Make it formal optional
A student has written this as a voice message to a friend. Rewrite it as a paragraph for a formal essay, using at least eight of the target expressions.
“Honestly, fake news is everywhere right now, and the platforms are kind of making it worse. There’s been a huge boom in new apps, and a flood of content that nobody checks. People just find ways to get around the filters, so the whole thing keeps going. Creators play it safe and avoid certain words altogether, which basically makes those words off-limits. And news spreads faster than ever before. So it’s a no-win situation: ban too much and you silence people, ban too little and the lies win. Bottom line, what’s behind all this is money, and the platforms’ rules just fit with whatever makes them a profit.”
The list ticks itself when it spots an expression in your text. You can tick or untick boxes yourself too.
That’s a wrap. You’re done.
Here are your results. Type your name in the box at the top and click Save as PDF to keep your work.