A newspaper article about a council says 'The council has, once again, failed to listen.' How does the phrase 'once again' shape the reader's view?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. It implies a repeated pattern
- Step 1: 'Once again' suggests the failure has happened before.
- Step 2: It implies a pattern of behaviour, steering the reader to a negative view of the council.
Answer
It implies a repeated pattern.
Why not the others: It shows that the council has listened carefully this time: The phrase says the council failed to listen. It reports a neutral fact: The phrase carries judgement, so it is not neutral. It suggests the council will improve soon: Nothing in the phrase points to improvement.
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