Distancing in News Reports

Level 5

When a news story passes on something it has not checked, the verb goes into the renarrative: Ministrs esot atkāpies (The minister has reportedly resigned). English needs extra words like reportedly, allegedly or they say.

How It Works

1. Why news uses it. A report often repeats what a source, a witness or a rumour says. The renarrative lets the writer pass it on without claiming it is true. In English this is reportedly, allegedly, is said to or according to.

  • Ministrs esot atkāpies. (The minister has reportedly resigned.)
  • Cenas nākamgad augšot. (Prices will reportedly rise next year.)
  • Uzņēmums esot pārdots. (The company has reportedly been sold.)

2. Choose the form by time. These are the forms from renarrative -ot, renarrative past esot + -is and renarrative future -šot:

  • Now: Viņš strādājot Briselē. (He reportedly works in Brussels.)
  • Before: esot + a past participle that agrees with the subject: Ministrs esot atkāpies, Ministre esot atkāpusies, Ministri esot atkāpušies.
  • Later: the future stem + -ot: augs → augšot, būs → būšot.
  • Passive: esot + a -ts participle: esot pārdots (has reportedly been sold).

3. Naming the source. Reports often name the source with kā vēsta (as ... reports), pēc ... teiktā (according to ...), baumo (rumour has it) or a ka clause after stāsta (say, tell). When the source is named, the plain indicative is also common: Policija ziņo, ka vadītājs bija reibumā. Choosing the renarrative instead adds distance: the paper is only passing the claim on.

4. The writer's own facts stay in the indicative. Something the reporter saw or confirmed is told in the normal past: Sēde sākās plkst. 10. (The meeting started at 10.) The renarrative is for what others say. See also ka + renarrative.

Watch out: headlines often drop ir altogether: Ministrs atkāpies (The minister has resigned). That is a headline style, not the renarrative.

Examples (5)

  1. Ministrs esot atkāpies.

    The minister has reportedly resigned.

    Word by Word: Minister reportedly-is resigned.

  2. Cenas nākamgad augšot.

    Prices will reportedly rise next year.

    Word by Word: Prices next-year will-reportedly-grow.

    Augšot is the future renarrative of augt: augs → augšot.

  3. Kā vēsta laikraksts, uzņēmums esot pārdots.

    According to the newspaper, the company has reportedly been sold.

    Word by Word: As reports newspaper, company reportedly-is sold.

    Esot with a -ts participle is the renarrative of the passive.

  4. Aculiecinieki stāsta, ka vadītājs esot braucis pārāk ātri.

    Witnesses say the driver was supposedly going too fast.

    Word by Word: Eyewitnesses tell, that driver reportedly-is driven too fast.

  5. Baumo, ka pilsētā drīz atvēršot jaunu tirdzniecības centru.

    Rumour has it that a new shopping centre will soon open in the city.

    Word by Word: They-rumour, that in-city soon will-reportedly-open new shopping centre.

    No subject is named: atvēršot means that someone will open it.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting a normal past verb after esot.

    Ministrs esot atkāpās.
    Ministrs esot atkāpies.

    After esot comes a past participle (-is, -usi, -uši, -ušas), never a past-tense verb like atkāpās.

  • Mixing esot with the future tense.

    Cenas nākamgad esot augs.
    Cenas nākamgad augšot.

    The future renarrative is one word: take the future form (augs) and change it to -šot (augšot).

  • Forgetting that the participle after esot agrees with the subject.

    Ministre esot atkāpies.
    Ministre esot atkāpusies.

    Esot never changes, but the participle does: -is for a man, -usi for a woman, -uši and -ušas for groups.

How It Connects

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Distancing in News ReportsLevel 5

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News reports use the renarrative.

Words in This Pattern