news
news — noun
1. Facts and details about things that have recently happened or are happening now,
Facts and details about things that have recently happened or are happening now, which people learn from newspapers, television, websites, or conversation.
Sumin checks the news on her phone every morning before getting out of bed.
collocation: check the news
The news about the election results spread quickly through the small town.
uncountable noun with singular verb 'spread'
Hamza's grandmother cried tears of joy when she heard the good news.
Felipe asked the librarian whether there was any news about the author's next book.
- information
broader; does not specifically refer to recent events
- report
more formal; often a written or broadcast account of a specific event
- update
focuses on the latest developments about a known situation
文法句型
the news + singular verb
news about/of + noun phrase
用法筆記
Cannot be used with 'a' or 'one' — do not say 'a news'. Use 'a piece of news' or 'some news' for individual items.
常見錯誤
2. A scheduled broadcast on television or radio that presents the most important re
A scheduled broadcast on television or radio that presents the most important recent events, typically aired at a fixed time each day.
Mateo watches the evening news every night after dinner to stay informed.
collocation: watch the news
The local news reported that the main road would be closed for repair work.
collocation: local news / national news
Ayesha turned on the radio to catch the ten o'clock news while driving home.
Élise appeared on the news last night to talk about her work with homeless animals.
文法句型
the news + singular verb
on the news
in the news
用法筆記
When referring to the broadcast programme, 'the news' is almost always used with the definite article. 'News' without 'the' refers to information in general (sense 1).
常見錯誤
3. To be the person who tells someone about a recent bad event, especially one that
To be the person who tells someone about a recent bad event, especially one that directly involves or affects them.
The doctor broke the news to the family that the tests had come back negative.
pattern: break the news to [someone] + that-clause
No one wanted to be the one who broke the bad news about the cancelled trip.
collocation: break the bad news
Caleb broke the news to his roommate that he was moving out at the end of the month.
Eitan sat his children down gently before breaking the news about their dog being sick.
- keep secret
deliberately not telling someone about something
文法句型
break the news + to + someone
break the news + that-clause
用法筆記
The expression is most commonly used for bad or difficult news. 'Break' in this sense does not mean physically damage — it means 'reveal for the first time'.
常見錯誤
4. A person, thing, or situation that will either cause problems or bring advantage
A person, thing, or situation that will either cause problems or bring advantages to someone or something else.
The heavy rain was bad news for the farmers whose wheat was ready for harvest.
pattern: bad news for [someone/something]
The scholarship fund was great news for Indra, who had been worried about tuition costs.
The new manager's cost-cutting plan was bad news for everyone in the marketing team.
Dahlia considered the job transfer good news for her career but bad news for her marriage.
文法句型
be good news for + noun phrase
be bad news for + noun phrase
用法筆記
This is a fixed expression, not a literal reference to news reporting. 'Good news for [X]' means something that helps X; 'bad news for [X]' means something that harms X.
常見錯誤
5. To be considered interesting or important enough to be included in news reports
To be considered interesting or important enough to be included in news reports or to attract public attention.
The wedding of the two pop stars was big news across Asia for several weeks.
collocation: be big news
A small earthquake in the region was news for about a day before the world moved on.
Eshe's discovery was big news in the science community but unknown to the general public.
The factory closure became national news after workers organised a large protest.
- newsworthy
adjective form; describes something that is worth reporting as news
- headline-making
informal; suggests the story is dramatic enough to be a headline
- old news
something that is no longer interesting or relevant
文法句型
be news + in/within + noun phrase
用法筆記
Often used with modifiers like 'big', 'front-page', 'international', or 'national' to emphasise the scale of public interest.
常見錯誤
6. Facts or details that someone has not heard before, often causing surprise becau
Facts or details that someone has not heard before, often causing surprise because the person expected to already know them.
If the exam date changed, that is news to me — nobody told me anything.
pattern: be news to [someone]
Eli claimed he had finished the report, but that was news to his manager.
The fact that the restaurant had closed two months ago was news to Hana when she arrived.
Christopher told everyone about the new policy, but it was news to the team members.
- surprise
noun form; emphasises the unexpected nature of the information
- revelation
more dramatic; suggests something important was suddenly learned
- old news
something already known and no longer interesting
文法句型
be news to + someone
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the fixed expression 'be news to [someone]'. The phrase implies mild surprise — the person thought they knew but did not.
常見錯誤
7. How interesting, unusual, or important a story must be for editors and journalis
How interesting, unusual, or important a story must be for editors and journalists to decide to include it in their reporting.
The editor questioned the news value of the story since similar events happened every month.
collocation: news value
In the age of social media, the news worthiness of a story often depends on public sharing.
The young journalist argued that the charity fundraiser had genuine news value for the local paper.
A story loses its news value once every major outlet has already covered it from every angle.
- newsworthiness
the full noun form; 'news value' is a more compact alternative
- public interest
broader; refers to what the public finds important, not just what is reported
文法句型
news value
news worth + noun phrase
用法筆記
Primarily used in professional journalism contexts. 'News value' is a fixed collocation that editors use when deciding which stories to pursue.