Useful Phrases for IELTS Topic Fame and Media

Subtopic Fame

“Fame” is one of the common topics that often appear in the IELTS exam. Let’s immediately learn the following phrases provided by azVocab.

PHRASE	MEANING	EXAMPLE
A bad rap	A bad or undeserved reputation	Even though he got *a bad rap* about copying other people’s music, I’m still a diehard fan
At one’s peak	At the very best moment in its history	*At his peak,* this famous singer employed a chef, a driver and even someone to iron his socks.
To be featured in/on	To be a part of (something)	I’ve dreamed of being featured on* the cover of popular magazines.*
To be in the public eye	To be famous and written about in newspapers and magazines and seen on television	The Beckham family is always *in the public eye*.
Celebrity endorsement	A marketing strategy that uses a celebrity’s fame and image to promote a brand or product	*Celebrity endorsements* have proven very successful around the world.
Celebrity publishing	The profession or business of producing and selling a book, magazine, newspaper, software, etc. that uses a celebrity’s fame and image	The company has hired Holly Harris to work on *celebrity publishing* for children and YA readers.
Celebrity status	The prominence of film star, footballer, musician etc who is constantly photographed and written about in tabloids and magazines	Successful careers in sports and entertainment are commonly associated with *celebrity status*.
Celebrity worship syndrome	An obsessive-addictive disorder in which an individual becomes excessively focused on the details of a celebrity, typically a TV, movie, or pop star	A third out of the 600 people studied qualified for the diagnosis of *Celebrity Worship Syndrome*.
Coverage of personal information	The following information the Company collects, uses or discloses from or about an individual	The haphazard legislative *coverage of personal information* can be viewed as a history of effective lobbying by direct marketing.
Has-beens	People or things considered to be outmoded or no longer of any significance.	The X Factor stars of today may just become the *has-beens* of tomorrow.
Internet celebrities	People who become famous on the internet	The market for *Internet celebrities* in China is experiencing another boom
To make a killing	To have a great financial success	She *made a killing* by doing shows and starring in commercials.
To make it big	To become very successful or famous	David had *made it big* in the business world.
New-found fame	Recently being known or recognized by many people because of your achievements, skills, etc.	The recent film has brought the actress *new-found fame*.
Private life/affairs	The social or family life or personal relationships of an individual, esp of a person in the public eye, such as a politician or celebrity	Celebrities often have fame comparable to royalty. As a result, there is a strong public curiosity about their *private affairs.*
Lavish lifestyle	The lifestyle in which you buy or do expensive things	He has an incredibly lavish lifestyle* – an enormous house, a swimming pool and dozens of cars.*
Public figure	A famous person who is often written about in newspapers and magazines or is often on television or the radio	He attained great eminence as a *public figure.*
Role model	A person who someone admires and whose behaviour they try to copy	Sports stars are *role models* for thousands of youngsters.
The general public	Ordinary people, especially all the people who are not members of a particular organization or who do not have any special type of knowledge	Few old-time musicians can or want to make a living playing a style now considered archaic by the general public.
To shoot to stardom	To suddenly become very famous	He *shot to stardom* after the release of his first album.
To steal/grab the limelight	To get more attention than anyone or anything else in a situation	The new car *stole the limelight* at the motor show because of its gorgeous look.
To be synonymous with sth	To be very closely associated with each other so that one suggests the other or one cannot exist without the other	These people might be *synonymous with* singing, acting, or hitting a baseball.
To be destined for stardom	To be fated or meant to be famous	The X Factor has just launched another girl group who *are destined for stardom*.
To be in the limelight/spotlight	To be the object of public attention	My daughter wants to *be in the limelight*.
To be thrown into the lights of stardom	To become famous very quickly and gain lots of attention	You come from nothing and then the next minute you are literally *thrown into the lights of stardom*.
To be a household name	To be the person or product that is very well known to the public	I’ve always wanted to become a successful actor, who is a household name* in my country.*
To become famous almost overnight	To become famous very quickly after just one night	He’s just one of the thousands who *became famous almost overnight*.
To gain widespread recognition	To be accepted by or occurring among many people.	Unlike the Beats headphone brand, which has worldwide recognition, Beats Music has failed to *gain widespread recognition*.
To take an avid interest in sb/sth	To beextremely interested in someone/something	Personally, I take an avid interest in* showbiz because I always feel curious about their attractiveness on stage as well as the buzz about their private life.*
To gain a reputation for oneself	To be regarded by people generally (in some particular light)	Literally, he has gained a reputation for himself* for both being talented and being a dedicated husband and father in the family.*
To make a name for oneself	To become well known	Tran Thanh made a name for himself* as a talented MC.*
To make/hit headlines	To appear in the news suddenly or receive a lot of attention in news reports	Woods’ success has made headlines* nationwide.*
To put sb/sth on the map	To make (a place, a person, etc.) famous or well-known	His talent in the film industry has put him on the map.
To show off status	To show something or someone you are proud of to other people, so that they will admire it, him, or her	Well, in my perspective, celebrities now appear stylish and often wear high-end clothes to show off their status.
To decrease in popularity	To become less liked, enjoyed, or supported by many people	The most important thing is that the brand will decrease in popularity* with the general public.*

Subtopic Media

Below, azVocab will provide you with phrases related to the “Media” topic. You can apply them to your Writing Task 2 or Speaking part.

PHRASE	MEANING	EXAMPLE
Broadcast media	Electronical and simultaneous sending information containing signals, print messages and audio or video content to a vast group of recipients using television, radio, newspapers, magazines and digital media including the Internet, emails and texts	*Broadcast media* involves electronically and simultaneously sending information containing signals, print messages and audio.
Cable television	the system of sending television programmes or phone signals along wires under the ground	If cable television* shows the four existing channels and the quality of the programmes is poor, so will the viewing figures be poor.*
Communication channel	A system or method that is used for communicating with other people	In a nutshell, *communication channels* are mediums through which you can send a message to its intended audience.
Credible news	The information or reports about recent events that is able to be believed or trusted	On a personal, individual level, citizens need unbiased, *credible news* to make decisions about their lives.
Current affairs	Political news about events happening now	Voters can judge the extent to which politicians fulfill their promises, know whom to praise or blame for the state of *current affairs*, and can respond accordingly.
Freedom of speech	A principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction	You might not expect us to say this, but in certain circumstances, freedom of speech* can be restricted.*
Freedom of the press	The right to publish newspapers, magazines, and other printed matter without governmental restriction and subject only to the laws of libel, obscenity, sedition, etc.	Recent laws have tended to restrict the freedom of the press.
Information overload	A situation in which you receive too much information at one time and cannot think about it in a clear way	Spread your visit to the museum over two days if you want to avoid *information overload*.
Invasion of privacy	A wrongful intrusion into, or exposure of, one’s private affairs such as to cause humiliation or mental suffering to a person of average sensibilities	*Invasion of privacy* is the unjustifiable intrusion into the personal life of another without consent.
Live broadcast	Various types of media that are broadcast without a significant delay	We watched a *live broadcast* of the concert.
Objective reporting	To portray issues and events in a neutral and unbiased manner, regardless of the writer’s opinion or personal beliefs	But the placement of such images on the front page of the Sunday edition demonstrates a disregard for objective reporting.
Mainstream media	Forms of the media, especially traditional forms such as newspapers, television, and radio rather than the internet, that influence large numbers of people and are likely to represent generally accepted beliefs and opinions	If you rely exclusively on the *mainstream media* for the news, you wouldn’t know this had ever happened.
Mass media	The different methods of giving information to lots of people, for example, through newspapers, television, and radio	*Mass media* have the most influence in what stages of the adoption process.
Quality newspaper	A more serious newspaper which gives detailed accounts of world events, as well as reports on business, culture, and society	The only *quality newspaper* with a supplement dedicated to football.
Sensation-seeking newspapers	The newspapers that are intended to seek for shocking and exciting stories rather than serious ones	Sensation-seeking newspapers tried to cash in on her misery.
The gutter press	The type of newspapers that pay more attention to shocking stories about crime and sex than to serious matters	The gutter press is those newspapers which are full of shocking stories about people’s private lives.
Press conference	A meeting at which a person or organization makes a public statement and reporters can ask questions	Congressmen and senators held a press conference yesterday on the subject of immigration.
Investigative journalism	A type of journalism that tries to discover information of public interest that someone is trying to hide	Though people often mistrust journalists, investigative journalism* has brought about many positive changes in our society by exposing corruption and other illegal activities.*
Yellow journalism	Journalism that is based upon sensationalism and crude exaggeration.	This article was such a pile of yellow journalism* that I had sincere doubts that the flight in question actually took place.*
Social media	Forms of media that allow people to communicate and share information using the internet or mobile phones	Social media is used every day to meet new people, stay in touch with loved ones, reconnect with old friends, discuss important social issues, and promote businesses around the world.
Print media	A way of referring to newspapers and magazines	The figures clearly indicate print media‘s continued decline and the rise of online versions of newspapers.
Online news	News received via internet and other electronic devices	In the 21st century, technology has dehumanised air battle; likewise, online news* has eroded the role of newspaper foreign correspondents.*
The risk of data breaches	The risk to the people whose data may have been breached	As we spend more time and money online, the risk of data breaches* grows and will impact us personally or professionally.*
Up-to-the-minute	Containing all the most recent information	Now we’re going live to our reporter in Washington for *up-to-the-minute* news on the crisis.
Up-to-date news	The latest information/news	You can visit the championship website for *up-to-date news* on the latest scores.
Breaking news	Information that is being received and broadcast about an event that has just happened or just begun	When local breaking news* occurs, a brief story about the event is usually posted.*
Fake news	False stories that appear to be news, spread on the internet or using other media, usually created to influence political views or as a joke	There is concern about the power of fake news to affect election results.
A slow news day	A time when media organizations publish trivial stories due to the lack of more substantial topics	It was a slow news day* in the depths of summer.*
To host a program/show	To be the host of a television or radio programme	She also hosts a show on St Petersburg Radio.
To remain well-informed	To remain having extensive knowledge especially of current topics and events	Going forward, program managers will continue to actively consult with market participants to *remain well-informed* of relevant sensitivities.
To keep oneself updated	To stay informed and up to date on something	These messages are also sent periodically to keep them updated.
To keep track of the news	To continue to be informed or know about someone or something	You can sign up for just the web component, where you can keep track of the news* and friends within your network.*
To catch a news bulletin	To read a short news programme on radio or television, reporting only the most important information	She caught a news bulletin* and discovered her son’s arrest in Moscow.*
To go viral	To spread quickly and widely on the internet through social media and email	The video went viral* on social media.*

azVocab hopes that these phrases for the topic of “Fame and Media” will help you easily approach these two subjects. Wishing you good study and success in your upcoming IELTS exam!

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