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Welcome to the American English in Medellin video series English Headlines Explained.
I am Profe Winn at americanenglishmedellin.blogspot.com. You may contact me by clicking the link below
this video in the description.
Please join me each week when I will break down a headline in the news to explain its
complex vocabulary so you improve your English understanding.
Today our headline is Venezuela's Weekend At Bernie's Inaugural A Sign Of Chavez's Tottering
Regime.
Our article is from Investor's Business Daily and may be found at the web address
below.
This article is actually an editorial or opinion piece, not a regular news item.
Therefore, depending on the opinion of the writer, the headline language may be controversial
with some readers.
Remember, editorials are written to persuade you.
Now let's deconstruct our headline.
In general, it is important to know the background for the news item.
In this case, there is a controvery in Venezuela about the re-election of Chavez who is apparently
near death in a Cuban hospital.
The first item is the reference to a movie from 1989 called "Weekend at Bernies"
where employees pretend their dead boss is actually alive in order to trick people.
So the editiorial writer is trying to draw a comparison with the situation in Venezuela
with the situation in the movie.
The second item is the word inaugural.
Inaugural is a term used to describe the time period before a new president or a recently
re-elected president begins his or her term.
The third item is tottering regime.
Tottering regime is a collocation in American English.
A collocation is a set of words, usually two like this one, that naturally seem to go together.
To totter means to shake, to sway back and forth. It is used for something that is not
steady, like in the opinion of the writer, the Chavez government.
A regime is usually used to describe governments in a negative way.
So, together, a tottering regime is a bad government that is not steady.
So, does the opinion writer have a positive or negative view of the Chavez government?
If you said negative, you would be correct!
So let's review our three terms today from our headline.
Weekend at Bernie's -- movie where the body of a dead guy is used by supporters to
trick people that he is actually alive
Inaugural -- refers to a new or recently-elected president
Tottering -- wobbling, swaying, move to and fro
Regime -- a government in power (negative sense)
Thank you for watching this video today.
Please visit my blog at americanenglishmedellin.blogspot.com for more videos that explain American English.
Learn American English today with Profe Winn in Medellin.
Click the link below in the description for more information.
I am Profe Winn and I salute your English success!