الأَخْبَار وَالمَعْلُومَات العَامَّةNews and Public Information
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Understand the main idea and key details of a short, simplified MSA news item.
- Recognize the passive voice in news headlines and public announcements, building on passive recognition introduced in Chapter 6.
- Recognize and use basic reported-information language to explain what a source said, reported, or announced.
- Identify simple source-attribution phrases such as "according to" and "the source said."
- Read a short news headline and a short news paragraph with appropriate support.
- Summarize a short piece of public information orally and in writing, using at least one reported-information phrase.
Communication Scenario
Chapter 13 moves from the workplace into the wider world of public information. Learners increasingly need to understand short news items, public announcements, and simple reports of what officials, institutions, or organizations have said. Arabic-language news commonly uses the passive voice to focus on events and processes rather than on who performed them, and it regularly frames information through a named or general source. This chapter introduces simplified news texts built from language you already control, together with two closely related new systems: recognizing reported information and identifying simple source-attribution phrases.
- You will learn vocabulary for news, media, and public announcements.
- You will recognize the passive voice in headlines and short news items, recycling the system introduced in Chapter 6.
- You will recognize simple reported-information language such as "it was announced that..." and "according to...".
- You will read and summarize a short simplified news paragraph.
What This Chapter Builds On
Chapter 13 continues Unit III by moving from workplace correspondence into simplified public information. It recycles the passive-voice recognition first introduced in Chapter 6 and consolidated since, applying it to news and announcements, and it recycles relative clauses and the formal register developed in Chapter 12. It introduces two closely related new systems in the media domain: recognizing reported information and identifying simple source-attribution phrases.
Reported information and source attribution are receptive and lightly guided at this stage; full independent news writing is not expected until later chapters. Case-ending recognition continues at the same supported level established since Chapters 8 and 9.
Core Vocabulary
The following vocabulary supports reading and discussing simplified news and public announcements.
| Arabic | Meaning | Gender / Plural |
|---|---|---|
| خَبَر | news item, piece of news | m. — plural أَخْبَار |
| مَصْدَر | source | m. — plural مَصَادِر |
| بَيَان | statement, announcement | m. — plural بَيَانَات |
| قَرَار | decision | m. — plural قَرَارَات |
| وِزَارَة | ministry | f. — plural وِزَارَات |
| مُتَحَدِّث (رَسْمِيّ) | (official) spokesperson | m. — plural مُتَحَدِّثُون |
| عُنْوَان (رَئِيسِيّ) | (main) headline | m. — plural عَنَاوِين |
| تَقْرِير إِخْبَارِيّ | news report | m. — plural تَقَارِير إِخْبَارِيَّة |
| Arabic | Meaning | Usage Note |
|---|---|---|
| أَعْلَنَت الوِزَارَة أَنَّ... | The ministry announced that... | reported-information frame |
| قَال المُتَحَدِّث إِنَّ... | The spokesperson said that... | reported-information frame |
| حَسَب... | according to... | source attribution |
| وَفْقًا لِـ... | according to... (more formal) | source attribution |
| ذَكَرَ المَصْدَر أَنَّ... | The source mentioned that... | reported-information frame |
Reported-information frames and source-attribution phrases are formulaic at this stage: learn them as fixed openings before analyzing every internal grammatical detail.
Passive Recognition in the News
You have recognized the passive voice in notices and public information since Chapter 6. News headlines and short reports use the passive very often, because they focus on an event, decision, or announcement rather than on who performed it. This section applies that recognition to news language; it does not introduce a new grammar rule.
A passive verb in a headline shifts attention from the doer of an action to the action or result itself. Recognize the passive by its internal vowel pattern and by the absence of a named agent; you are not expected to produce new passive forms independently in this chapter, only to recognize familiar ones in news contexts.
- أُعْلِن عَن قَرَار جَدِيد بِخُصُوص المَوَاصَلَات.A new decision regarding transportation was announced.passive verb, agent omitted
- عُقِد اِجْتِمَاع بَيْن مُمَثِّلِي الوِزَارَتَيْن أَمْس.A meeting between representatives of the two ministries was held yesterday.passive verb, recycled from Ch. 6
- لَم يُذْكَر مَوْعِد نِهَائِيّ فِي البَيَان.No deadline was mentioned in the statement.negated passive, recycled negation from Ch. 7
Focus on understanding what happened and to what or whom, even when the news item does not say who performed the action.
Reported Information and Source Language
News and public information regularly report what someone else said, announced, or decided, rather than presenting the writer's own direct statement. This section introduces simple frames for reporting information and for identifying the source of that information.
أَعْلَنَت الوِزَارَة أَنَّ المَشْرُوع سَيَبْدَأ الشَّهْر القَادِم.
The ministry announced that the project will begin next month.
A reporting verb such as أَعْلَنَت (announced), قَال (said), or ذَكَرَ (mentioned) is typically followed by أَنَّ or إِنَّ and a full clause containing the reported content. Source attribution can also stand alone at the start or end of a sentence, using حَسَب or the more formal وَفْقًا لِـ, followed by the name of the source.
- قَال المُتَحَدِّث إِنَّ الاِجْتِمَاع نَاجِح.The spokesperson said that the meeting was successful.reporting verb + إِنَّ + clause
- حَسَب البَيَان الرَّسْمِيّ، سَتَبْدَأ الخِدْمَة الجَدِيدَة الأُسْبُوع القَادِم.According to the official statement, the new service will begin next week.source attribution at the start of the sentence
- ذَكَرَ المَصْدَر أَنَّ عَدَد الزُّوَّار اِزْدَاد هَذَا العَام.The source mentioned that the number of visitors increased this year.reporting verb + أَنَّ + clause
At this stage, focus on recognizing and understanding these frames in reading, and on producing them with the reporting verbs and source phrases presented here; a fuller system of reported speech is developed further in Volume III.
Reading Headlines
Arabic news headlines are often short and compressed, sometimes omitting the copula or using a passive verb without stating who performed the action. Read a headline for its main idea first, then look for a reporting verb, a source phrase, or a passive verb to understand how the information is framed.
- وِزَارَة النَّقْل تُعْلِن عَن خُطَّة جَدِيدَة لِلمَوَاصَلَاتTransportation Ministry announces new transportation planheadline, imperfect verb, media register
- اِفْتِتَاح مَكْتَبَة عَامَّة جَدِيدَة فِي وَسَط المَدِينَةOpening of a new public library in the city centerheadline, verbal-noun-initial style recycled from Ch. 12
Listening Station
Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following short news item aloud twice at a moderate pace. Listen without reading along the first time, then answer the questions below.
أَعْلَنَت وِزَارَة التَّعْلِيم أَنَّ الدِّرَاسَة سَتَبْدَأ هَذَا العَام فِي مَوْعِدِهَا المُعْتَاد. وَقَال المُتَحَدِّث الرَّسْمِيّ إِنَّ عَدَد الطُّلَّاب الجُدُد اِزْدَاد هَذَا العَام مُقَارَنَة بِالعَام المَاضِي. وَحَسَب البَيَان، سَتُفْتَح مَدَارِس جَدِيدَة فِي عِدَّة مُدُن قَبْل بِدَايَة الفَصْل الدِّرَاسِيّ.
مُهِمَّة الاسْتِمَاع — Listening task
Answer the following questions based on what you hear:
- What did the Ministry of Education announce?
- What did the official spokesperson say about the number of new students?
- According to the statement, what will happen before the start of the school term?
Speaking Station
تَدْرِيب مُوَجَّه — Controlled practice: Reporting an announcement
With a partner, take turns reporting a short piece of invented public information, using قَال المُتَحَدِّث إِنَّ... or أَعْلَنَت الوِزَارَة أَنَّ... followed by a simple statement.
مُهِمَّة تَوَاصُل — Communicative task: Discussing a news item
In pairs, discuss a real or invented piece of news, using at least one source-attribution phrase (حَسَب or وَفْقًا لِـ) and one passive verb recycled from earlier chapters.
لِلْمُتَعَلِّمِينَ المُسْتَقِلِّينَ — Solo alternative
Record yourself summarizing a short news item you have read or heard recently, including at least one reported-information frame, one source-attribution phrase, and one passive verb.
Reading Station
Read the short news paragraph below, then answer the questions that follow. As in earlier chapters, some predictable short vowels on familiar words are left unmarked.
A Short News Item — Sample Text
أُعلن أمس عن قرار جديد بخصوص المواصلات العامة فى المدينة. وقال المتحدث الرسمى إن الحكومة قررت زيادة عدد الحافلات فى الأحياء التى تعانى من الازدحام. وحسب البيان الذى نشرته الوزارة، ستبدأ الحافلات الجديدة بالعمل الشهر القادم. ولم يذكر البيان تكلفة المشروع بالتفصيل.
أَسْئِلَة الفَهْم — Comprehension questions:
- What decision was announced, and regarding what?
- What did the government decide to do, according to the spokesperson?
- Identify one passive verb and one reported-information frame in the passage.
Writing Station
In this station, you will write a short simplified news paragraph of five to seven sentences about an invented public announcement.
- Open with the announcement. One sentence stating what was announced, using a passive verb or أُعْلِن عَن....
- Report the source's words. One or two sentences using قَال المُتَحَدِّث إِنَّ... or أَعْلَنَت الوِزَارَة أَنَّ....
- Add a source-attribution sentence. One sentence beginning with حَسَب or وَفْقًا لِـ.
- Describe a detail. One or two sentences giving a practical detail, such as a date or a location, using a relative clause recycled from Chapter 12.
- Close with a further detail. One sentence noting what has or has not been mentioned, using negation recycled from earlier chapters.
- Review your draft against the editing checklist below.
قَائِمَة المُرَاجَعَة — Editing checklist:
- I used at least one passive verb, recycled from Chapter 6.
- I used at least one reported-information frame with أَنَّ or إِنَّ.
- I used at least one source-attribution phrase (حَسَب or وَفْقًا لِـ).
- I used at least one relative clause, recycled from Chapter 12.
- I did not attempt to add case endings on my own beyond the fixed accusative expressions.
- My paragraph reads as one connected news item rather than a list of unrelated facts.
Culture and Communication
MSA functions as the standard medium for written news, official statements, and public announcements across Arabic-speaking countries, even where everyday spoken conversation uses a regional variety. This shared written standard allows news from different countries and institutions to be read by a wide MSA-literate audience.
Formal spoken MSA used by news presenters and announcers may carry mild regional pronunciation influence depending on the broadcaster's country, while remaining recognizably formal spoken MSA. Learners should expect some variation in accent without treating it as a different grammatical system.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: assuming a sentence like أُعْلِن عَن قَرَار جَدِيد is incomplete because no agent is named.
Correction: the passive voice in news headlines routinely omits the agent on purpose, to focus on the event or decision itself; this is a normal, complete sentence, not an error or an omission to be filled in.
Error: قَال المُتَحَدِّث: "إِنَّ الاِجْتِمَاع نَاجِح" (treating a reported clause as if it were a direct quotation in quotation marks)
Correction: قَال المُتَحَدِّث إِنَّ الاِجْتِمَاع نَاجِح. — the أَنَّ / إِنَّ reporting frame presents information indirectly, without quotation marks, and is treated as reported information rather than a direct quotation.
Error: سَتَبْدَأ الخِدْمَة الجَدِيدَة الأُسْبُوع القَادِم حَسَب. (source phrase left dangling without its source)
Correction: حَسَب البَيَان الرَّسْمِيّ، سَتَبْدَأ الخِدْمَة الجَدِيدَة الأُسْبُوع القَادِم. — حَسَب and وَفْقًا لِـ must be directly followed by the name of the source they attribute the information to.
Chapter Review
Section A — البِنَاء لِلْمَجْهُول (Passive Recognition)
1. Identify the passive verb in the following headline and explain what information is emphasized: عُقِد اِجْتِمَاع طَارِئ بَيْن الوَزِيرَيْن صَبَاح اليَوْم.
Section B — نَقْل المَعْلُومَات (Reported Information)
1. Rewrite the following as reported information using قَال المُتَحَدِّث إِنَّ...: المَشْرُوع سَيَبْدَأ الشَّهْر القَادِم.
Section C — ذِكْر المَصْدَر (Source Attribution)
1. Give one formal and one slightly less formal way to say "according to the ministry."
مُرَاجَعَة تَرَاكُمِيَّة — Cumulative review
Complete the short exchange below, drawing on this chapter and on Chapters 6 and 12.
أ: هَل سَمِعْتَ الخَبَر الجَدِيد عَن المَشْرُوع؟
ب: ______________________________________ (report what was announced, using أَعْلَنَت... أَنَّ...)
أ: وَمِن أَيْن جَاءَت هَذِهِ المَعْلُومَات؟
ب: ______________________________________ (use حَسَب or وَفْقًا لِـ to name a source)
Practical Performance Task
مُهِمَّة الأَدَاء العَمَلِيَّة
مُلَخَّصِي الإِخْبَارِيّ — My News Summary
Complete both parts below.
- Written: Write a short simplified news paragraph of five to seven sentences about an invented public announcement, including at least one passive verb, one reported-information frame, and one source-attribution phrase.
- Spoken: Present the same news item orally as if summarizing it for a friend who has not heard it.
Assessment focus: accurate recognition and use of the passive voice recycled from Chapter 6; accurate use of reported-information frames with أَنَّ / إِنَّ; accurate use of source-attribution phrases; accurate recycling of relative clauses from Chapter 12; and correct use of the fixed accusative expressions with continued recognition of other case endings.
Answer Key
Listening Station
- The Ministry of Education announced that the school year will begin on its usual date this year.
- The official spokesperson said that the number of new students increased this year compared to last year.
- According to the statement, new schools will open in several cities before the start of the school term.
Reading Station — Comprehension
- A new decision regarding public transportation in the city was announced.
- The government decided to increase the number of buses in neighborhoods suffering from congestion.
- Passive verb: أُعلن (was announced); reported-information frame: وقال المتحدث الرسمى إن الحكومة قررت... (the official spokesperson said that the government decided...).
Chapter Review — Model responses
Section A: The passive verb is عُقِد ("was held"); it emphasizes that the meeting took place without stating who called or organized it.
Section B: قَال المُتَحَدِّث إِنَّ المَشْرُوع سَيَبْدَأ الشَّهْر القَادِم.
Section C: Formal: وَفْقًا لِلْوِزَارَة; less formal: حَسَب الوِزَارَة.
Other well-formed, accurate answers combining the required systems are equally acceptable throughout this section.
Cumulative Review — Model responses for Speaker B
ب: نَعَم، أَعْلَنَت الوِزَارَة أَنَّ المَشْرُوع سَيَبْدَأ الشَّهْر القَادِم.
ب: جَاءَت هَذِهِ المَعْلُومَات حَسَب بَيَان رَسْمِيّ نَشَرَتْهُ الوِزَارَة أَمْس.
Exact wording will vary. Check that a passive or reported-information frame, a source-attribution phrase, and a plausible piece of news are all present and accurately formed.
Looking Ahead
مَا الَّذِي تَسْتَطِيعُ فِعْلَهُ الآن — What you can do now
You can now read and understand a short simplified news item, recognize the passive voice in headlines and announcements, and recognize and use basic reported-information and source-attribution language. These tools prepare you to discuss community issues, reasons, and opinions in the next chapter.