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News DeskGeopoliticsShoebridge Says Senator Agreed to Take Leave
Verified Curriculum CorpusPublished: Oct 20, 2026
Geopolitics·CEFR B2·Upper Intermediate

Shoebridge Says Senator Agreed to Take Leave

Article Level ·●B2·Upper Intermediate
4 min read·232 words·Audio: 1:38
Cinematic editorial photograph: Shoebridge Says Senator Agreed to Take Leave
AI-generated with Meta Muse Image on OpenRouter · owned by newstoenglish
Studio Audio Available
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Studio Narration
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01:38

Lesson Overview & Key Takeaways

  • Story Summary: Greens leader David Shoebridge and Senator Steele-John gave opposite accounts of whether the senator agreed to step away from parliament.
  • CEFR Target: Level B2 (Upper Intermediate) — calibrated for clear sentence structure and targeted reading fluency.
  • Core Vocabulary: inappropriately, accused, shaped, rivals, self-made problem.
  • Skills Practised: Reading comprehension, dual-accent listening, and contextual grammar.
Reading PassageRead-along: word by word (UK)
100%
Greens leader David Shoebridge said Senator Jordon Steele-John agreed to take personal leave. This leave would last while a body looked into claims that he behaved badly toward women. The senator denied this on Sunday night. He wrote a long open letter saying he never asked or agreed to leave parliament. He also Shoebridge of pressing him hard during meetings. Shoebridge spoke again after the party met on Monday morning. He said he firmly believes the matter needs a fair and quick process run by the WA Greens. He added that leave still makes sense. His first words on Thursday had said Steele-John requested leave and it was accepted. That language was not the same as his Monday claim. Seven party members have asked for a full check of the claims. These say he acted toward women between 2017 and 2025. Nine media outlets reported this. Shoebridge called an urgent meeting after the senator's letter came out late Sunday. The letter ran about 2400 words. The West Australian Greens branch must pick a new senator after Dorinda Cox moved to Labor. Steele-John said this contest how people behaved in the party. He also claimed used old complaints to hurt his chances and his allies' chances in future picks. One Greens source said the claims would not affect selections. That person called it a self-made problem that hurt everyone.

Study this lesson

Activities for CEFR B2, all based on the story above.

1. Vocabulary

Useful words and phrases from the story, with meanings and examples.

Words from the story

5 Target Terms
inappropriately/ɪnˈæprəpriətlɪ/
adverb · B2

in a way that is not suitable or correct for the situation

“The teacher was asked to leave after behaving inappropriately toward several students.”

Often with: act inappropriately, behave inappropriately, respond inappropriately

accused/əˈkjuːzd/
verb · B2

said that someone did something wrong or committed a particular act

“He accused his colleague of leaking confidential documents to the press.”

Often with: accused of, accused someone of doing, publicly accused

shaped/ʃeɪpt/
verb · B2

influenced or determined the way something developed or happened

“Her years abroad shaped the way she views international diplomacy.”

Often with: shaped how, shaped opinions, helped shape

rivals/ˈraɪvəlz/
noun · B2

people or groups competing against each other for the same goal or position

“Two rivals in the company both applied for the same director position.”

Often with: political rivals, party rivals, rivals within

self-made problem/ˈsɛlf.meɪd ˈprɒbləm/
noun · B2

a difficulty caused by one's own actions rather than by outside forces

“Missing the deadline was a self-made problem because he never checked the schedule.”

Often with: a self-made problem, created a self-made problem, self-made disaster

2. Check your understanding

Questions about the story. Answer first; each question explains the answer.

Reading Comprehension

Fact Verification
Passage

Greens leader David Shoebridge said Senator Jordon Steele-John agreed to take personal leave. This leave would last while a body looked into claims that he behaved badly toward women. The senator denied this on Sunday night. He wrote a long open letter saying he never asked or agreed to leave parliament. He also accused Shoebridge of pressing him hard during meetings. Shoebridge spoke again after the party met on Monday morning. He said he firmly believes the matter needs a fair and quick process run by the WA Greens. He added that leave still makes sense. His first words on Thursday had said Steele-John requested leave and it was accepted. That language was not the same as his Monday claim. Seven party members have asked for a full check of the claims. These say he acted inappropriately toward women between 2017 and 2025. Nine media outlets reported this. Shoebridge called an urgent meeting after the senator's letter came out late Sunday. The letter ran about 2400 words. The West Australian Greens branch must pick a new senator after Dorinda Cox moved to Labor. Steele-John said this contest shaped how people behaved in the party. He also claimed rivals used old complaints to hurt his chances and his allies' chances in future picks. One Greens source said the claims would not affect selections. That person called it a self-made problem that hurt everyone.

1. What difference does the text highlight between Shoebridge's Thursday statement and his Monday statement?
2. Why did Shoebridge call an urgent meeting?
3. What does Steele-John claim about the upcoming West Australian Greens selection contest?

Short-Answer Comprehension

Precision Recall

Answer the prompt in a concise phrase or sentence. Your answer will be checked against stored accepted answers, and you can compare your wording with the authentic editorial model response.

3. Practice

Activities with instant feedback. Try each one before you look at the answer key.

Contextual Syntax Drill

Grammar & Tenses

Fill in each blank with the grammatically correct passive or active form of the verb indicated in parentheses.

1. The claims about inappropriate behaviour toward womenby nine media outlets.(present perfect passive)
2. Steele-John's letterabout 2400 words.(past simple active)
3. Shoebridgethat he firmly believes the matter needs a fair and quick process.(past simple + that-clause (reporting))
4. Dorinda Coxto Labor, so the West Australian Greens branch must pick a new senator.(past simple active)

Lexical Matching Drill

Vocabulary in Context

Select the matching definition for each target news term extracted from the report.

pressing someone hard
inappropriately
accused
shaped
rivals

Sentence Order & Cohesion

Discourse Flow

Arrange the scrambled clauses into the chronological, logical order of the news event. Use the arrows to reorder.

1.He wrote a long open letter saying he never asked or agreed to leave parliament.
2.He also accused Shoebridge of pressing him hard during meetings.
3.The senator denied this on Sunday night.
4.This leave would last while a body looked into claims that he behaved badly toward women.

4. Write or speak

A short task in your own words.

Guided Writing Practice & Model Comparison

Productive Synthesis
Writing Prompt:

Write a concise summary in your own words (target: 80–130 words). Incorporate the target vocabulary: personal leave, pressing, inappropriately, urgent meeting.

Target range: 80–130 words·Current: 0 words
Self-Assessment Checklist Rubric0 of 4 criteria met

Review your draft against each pedagogical criterion before completing the exercise:

Answer key and explanations

Try the activities first: you learn more by checking your own answers. Then compare.

Frequently Asked Questions About This Lesson

What English proficiency level is this news lesson?

This lesson is calibrated to CEFR B2 (Upper Intermediate). It features 232 words adapted from verified journalism, offering an accessible yet authentic challenge for learners.

Does this lesson provide audio pronunciation?

Yes, this lesson includes studio narration in both British (UK) and American (US) accents with real-time word highlighting to improve your listening and pronunciation.

How can I practice with this article?

Read the article at your own pace, listen to the aligned narration, explore highlighted vocabulary definitions in the text margins, and test your understanding with the interactive exercises below the story.