🗳️ ELECTION NEWS —
A SELF-STUDY GLOSSARY
Para mim, quando eu fazia faculdade, ler Shakespeare era bem mais fácil do que decifrar a linguagem telegráfica das manchetes de notícias em inglês.
Isso pode ser um grande desafio se não soubermos as regras gramaticais para esse tipo de texto.
Esta atividade pode te ajudar a ler fluentemente os títulos das matérias em plataformas de notícias (news outlets). Além disso, você vai aprender ou revisar vocabulário essencial em inglês para falar sobre eleições no Brasil. Deixe suas perguntas nos comentários. E me diga se ficou mais fácil compreender o inglês “abreviado” das chamadas das matérias.
🗳️ THE ELECTION
🗳️ election — eleição
👤 voter — eleitor(a)
🗳️ voting — votação / ato de votar
✍️ to vote — votar
🗳️ ballot — cédula / voto
🖥️ electronic voting machine — urna eletrônica
📍 polling place — local de votação
🏫 polling station — seção eleitoral
1️⃣ first round — primeiro turno
2️⃣ second round — segundo turno
🏃 runoff — segundo turno / disputa final
👤 candidate — candidato(a)
📣 election campaign — campanha eleitoral
⚔️ electoral race — corrida eleitoral
🗳️ election contest — disputa eleitoral
📜 election — pleito / eleição
📊 POLLS AND RESULTS
📊 election poll — pesquisa eleitoral
👥 voter intention — intenção de voto
📈 result — resultado
🔢 vote counting — apuração dos votos
✅ valid votes — votos válidos
➗ percentage — percentual
👥 majority — maioria
⚖️ statistical tie — empate técnico
📏 margin of error — margem de erro
🤔 undecided voters — eleitores indecisos
🏛️ POLITICAL OFFICES
🇧🇷 President — Presidente da República
🏛️ governor — governador
🏛️ senator — senador
🏛️ congressman — deputado federal
🏛️ state representative — deputado estadual
⚖️ ELECTION AUTHORITIES AND SECURITY
⚖️ Superior Electoral Court — Tribunal Superior Eleitoral
⚖️ Electoral Court — Justiça Eleitoral
🔎 oversight — fiscalização
🚨 electoral fraud — fraude eleitoral
📱 disinformation — desinformação
📰 fake news — notícias falsas / fake news
🛡️ security — segurança
⚠️ threat — ameaça
🚨 political violence — violência política
🔒 secrecy of the ballot — sigilo do voto
📰 EXPRESSIONS YOU WILL SEE IN NEWS HEADLINES
🗳️ go to the polls — ir às urnas
🗳️ turn out to vote — comparecer às urnas
⚔️ tight race — disputa acirrada
📊 lead the polls — liderar as pesquisas
📈 be ahead — estar à frente
🏃 build up a lead — abrir vantagem
2️⃣ make it to the runoff — disputar o segundo turno
1️⃣ win in the first round — vencer no primeiro turno
2️⃣ force a runoff — levar a eleição para o segundo turno
🔢 vote counting / vote tally — apuração dos votos / totalização
📜 official result — resultado oficial
🗳️ exit poll — pesquisa de boca de urna
⬜ blank vote — voto em branco
❌ null vote — voto nulo
📄 justify one's absence — justificar a ausência
🗳️ PRONUNCIATION DRILL
🇧🇷 Brazilian Elections — English Vocabulary
🎧 How to use this drill
🔊 Listen to each term three times.
⏸️ Then pause the recording.
🗣️ Repeat it three times.
Listen ×3 → Pause ⏸️ → Repeat ×3 🗣️
🎧 THE DRILLING RHYTHM
👀 LOOK → 🔊 LISTEN ×3 → ⏸️ PAUSE → 🗣️ REPEAT ×3
🗳️ Election → 👤 Voter → 📊 Poll → 🏆 Result → 🏛️ Office → 📰 News expressions
🗳️ PART ONE — THE ELECTION
🗳️ Election
Election.
Election.
Election.
👤 Voter
Voter.
Voter.
Voter.
🗳️ Voting
Voting.
Voting.
Voting.
☑️ To vote
To vote.
To vote.
To vote.
📄 Ballot
Ballot.
Ballot.
Ballot.
🖥️ Electronic voting machine
Electronic voting machine.
Electronic voting machine.
Electronic voting machine.
📍 Polling place
Polling place.
Polling place.
Polling place.
📍 Polling station
Polling station.
Polling station.
Polling station.
☝️ First round
First round.
First round.
First round.
✌️ Second round
Second round.
Second round.
Second round.
🔄 Runoff
Runoff.
Runoff.
Runoff.
👤 Candidate
Candidate.
Candidate.
Candidate.
📢 Election campaign
Election campaign.
Election campaign.
Election campaign.
🏁 Electoral race
Electoral race.
Electoral race.
Electoral race.
🏆 Election contest
Election contest.
Election contest.
Election contest.
🗳️ Election
Election.
Election.
Election.
📊 PART TWO — POLLS AND RESULTS
📊 Election poll
Election poll.
Election poll.
Election poll.
👥 Voter intention
Voter intention.
Voter intention.
Voter intention.
📋 Result
Result.
Result.
Result.
🔢 Vote counting
Vote counting.
Vote counting.
Vote counting.
✅ Valid votes
Valid votes.
Valid votes.
Valid votes.
📈 Percentage
Percentage.
Percentage.
Percentage.
🏆 Majority
Majority.
Majority.
Majority.
⚖️ Statistical tie
Statistical tie.
Statistical tie.
Statistical tie.
📏 Margin of error
Margin of error.
Margin of error.
Margin of error.
🤷 Undecided voters
Undecided voters.
Undecided voters.
Undecided voters.
🏛️ PART THREE — POLITICAL OFFICES
🇧🇷 President
President.
President.
President.
🏛️ Governor
Governor.
Governor.
Governor.
🏛️ Senator
Senator.
Senator.
Senator.
🏛️ Congressman
Congressman.
Congressman.
Congressman.
🏛️ State representative
State representative.
State representative.
State representative.
⚖️ PART FOUR — ELECTION AUTHORITIES AND SECURITY
⚖️ Superior Electoral Court
Superior Electoral Court.
Superior Electoral Court.
Superior Electoral Court.
⚖️ Electoral Court
Electoral Court.
Electoral Court.
Electoral Court.
👁️ Oversight
Oversight.
Oversight.
Oversight.
🚨 Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud.
Electoral fraud.
Electoral fraud.
📱 Disinformation
Disinformation.
Disinformation.
Disinformation.
❌ Fake news
Fake news.
Fake news.
Fake news.
🔐 Security
Security.
Security.
Security.
⚠️ Threat
Threat.
Threat.
Threat.
🚨 Political violence
Political violence.
Political violence.
Political violence.
🔒 Secrecy of the ballot
Secrecy of the ballot.
Secrecy of the ballot.
Secrecy of the ballot.
📰 PART FIVE — NEWS EXPRESSIONS
🗳️➡️ Go to the polls
Go to the polls.
Go to the polls.
Go to the polls.
👥➡️🗳️ Turn out to vote
Turn out to vote.
Turn out to vote.
Turn out to vote.
🏁⚖️ Tight race
Tight race.
Tight race.
Tight race.
📊⬆️ Lead the polls
Lead the polls.
Lead the polls.
Lead the polls.
⬆️ Be ahead
Be ahead.
Be ahead.
Be ahead.
📈 Build up a lead
Build up a lead.
Build up a lead.
Build up a lead.
🔄 Make it to the runoff
Make it to the runoff.
Make it to the runoff.
Make it to the runoff.
🏆 Win in the first round
Win in the first round.
Win in the first round.
Win in the first round.
🔄⚔️ Force a runoff
Force a runoff.
Force a runoff.
Force a runoff.
📢 Official result
Official result.
Official result.
Official result.
📊🚪 Exit poll
Exit poll.
Exit poll.
Exit poll.
⬜ Blank vote
Blank vote.
Blank vote.
Blank vote.
❌ Null vote
Null vote.
Null vote.
Null vote.
📝 Justify one's absence
Justify one's absence.
Justify one's absence.
Justify one's absence.
📖 SELF-STUDY GUIDE: Decoding English News Headlines
For Intermediate EFL Students
News headlines use a special, shortened style of grammar called "Block Language." Journalists remove extra words to save space and make news feel fast and urgent. This guide will teach you how to decode headlines and understand what they mean in regular, standard English.
🛠️ Part 1: The 4 Golden Rules of Headline Grammar
When reading a headline, look out for these four main shortcuts:
Dropped Articles: Words like a, an, and the are almost always deleted.
Headline: "Brazil election goes to runoff"
Standard English: "The Brazil election goes to a runoff."
Present Tense = Past Event: Headlines use the simple present tense to describe things that already happened. It makes the news feel brand new.
Headline: "Bolsonaro surges in first round"
Standard English: "Bolsonaro has surged (or surged) in the first round."
Infinitive (To + Verb) = Future Event: Headlines use the infinitive form to show that something will happen in the future.
Headline: "Lula to face rival on October 25"
Standard English: "Lula will face his rival on October 25."
Noun Strings: Headlines stack nouns together like train cars. The last noun is the main topic; the nouns before it act like adjectives.
Headline: "Brazil election runoff takeaways"
Standard English: The key takeaways regarding the runoff of the election in Brazil.
🔑 Part 2: Key Political & Media Vocabulary
Before starting the practice quiz, study these essential words commonly found in international news:
Incumbent (noun/adjective): The person who currently holds an official political position.
Example: President Lula is the incumbent president of Brazil.
Runoff (noun): A second, final election held because no single candidate won a clear majority in the first round.
Example: Because neither candidate reached 50%, the race goes to a runoff.
Surge (verb/noun): A sudden, powerful increase or growth.
Example: The candidate's support surged in the final week before voting day.
Takeaway (noun): A key fact, point, or lesson to learn from an event or discussion.
Example: The main takeaway from the meeting is that we need a bigger budget.
Challenger (noun): A person who enters a competition or election to try and beat the current winner or leader.
Example: The young senator is a strong challenger to the incumbent mayor.
✏️ Part 3: Multiple-Choice Practice Quiz
Choose the option that correctly translates the headline into standard, grammatically complete English.
1. "Brazil election goes to run-off as right-wing Flávio Bolsonaro wins first round"
A) The Brazilian election went to a run-off because right-wing Flávio Bolsonaro won the first round.
B) The Brazilian election will go to a run-off if right-wing Flávio Bolsonaro wins the first round in the future.
C) A Brazilian election is going to a run-off because right-wing Flávio Bolsonaro wants to win the first round.
2. "Lula to face off against rival on October 25"
A) Lula already faced off against his rival on October 25.
B) Lula will face off against his rival on October 25.
C) Lula is currently facing off against his rival on October 25.
3. "Bolsonaro surges as race heads to a second round"
A) Bolsonaro will surge when the race heads to a second round tomorrow.
B) Bolsonaro has surged as the race is heading to a second round.
C) Bolsonaro wants to surge because the race must head to a second round.
4. "Brazil election runoff takeaways: Three lessons from Sunday"
A) Here are the main takeaways about the runoff of the election in Brazil, including three lessons from Sunday.
B) Brazil is taking away the election runoff lessons next Sunday.
C) Three lessons from Sunday will take away the Brazilian election runoff.
5. "Incumbent Lula calls results 'unexpected' after tight vote"
A) The incumbent, Lula, will call the results unexpected after a tight vote happens.
B) The incumbent, Lula, has called the results "unexpected" after a tight vote.
C) An incumbent named Lula calls everyone for unexpected results during a tight vote.
6. "Challenger Bolsonaro beats polling expectations"
A) The challenger, Bolsonaro, has beaten polling expectations.
B) The challenger, Bolsonaro, is going to beat polling expectations soon.
C) A challenger named Bolsonaro always beats polling expectations regularly.
7. "TSE to release final vote tally tonight"
A) The TSE released the final vote tally last night.
B) The TSE is currently releasing the final vote tally right now.
C) The TSE will release the final vote count tonight.
8. "Voters head to polls across Brazil amid high tension"
A) Voters have headed to the polling stations across Brazil amid high tension.
B) Voters will head to the polls across Brazil if the tension gets high.
C) Voters should head to the polls across Brazil because of high tension.
9. "PL party gains ground in legislative vote"
A) The PL party will gain ground in the legislative vote next week.
B) The PL party has gained ground in the legislative vote.
C) The PL party is planning to gain ground during the legislative vote.
10. "Lula, Bolsonaro to resume campaigning on Tuesday"
A) Lula and Bolsonaro resumed their campaigning last Tuesday.
B) Lula and Bolsonaro are currently campaigning this Tuesday.
C) Lula and Bolsonaro will resume their campaigning on Tuesday.
🔑 Part 4: Explanatory Answer Key
Use this section to grade your work and understand the grammar rules applied.
A — Explanation: The headline uses the simple present tense ("goes", "wins") to describe past events that just concluded on Sunday. Articles like "the" and "a" are restored in standard English.
B — Explanation: The infinitive form "to face off" explicitly indicates a scheduled future action.
B — Explanation: The present tense "surges" means the action has just happened (past/present perfect), and "heads" describes an active, ongoing situation ("is heading").
A — Explanation: This is a classic noun string. "Takeaways" is the focal noun, modified by "Brazil election runoff." Colon (:) implies "Here are...".
B — Explanation: The verb "calls" is simple present, indicating a statement Lula already made in response to the fresh data.
A — Explanation: "Beats" indicates a completed past achievement (he outperformed the polls).
C — Explanation: "To release" means this action will happen later tonight.
A — Explanation: "Head to polls" uses the simple present to report an action that recently occurred or is actively finishing up on election day.
B — Explanation: "Gains ground" represents a recent past result from the election data that has already been counted.
C — Explanation: The structural template "X, Y to [verb]" always denotes a future plan or obligation.
