BBC: Myanmar mourns earthquake dead

In this programme, we look at one big news story and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it. 

You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode, as well as a worksheet on our website, BBC learning english.com. 

So let's hear more about this story. 

Myanmar has begun five days of national mourning. That's the sadness we feel when somebody dies Following an earthquake in the country, which has killed more than 2,7000 people. 

The earthquake has caused widespread damage in Myanmar and was also felt in Thailand and parts of China. 

Teams are still trying to rescue survivors from collapsed buildings days after the earthquake hit.

Let's look at our first headline.Myanmar Earthquake Woman trapped for days pulled Alive from the rubble, and that's from The Guardian. 

That headline again from The Guardian and Newpaper in the UK. Myanmar earthquake woman trapped for days pulled alive from the rubble. 

So this headline is about the rescure efforts following the earthquake, and a woman who was found alive.

The headline says the woman was pulled from the rubble. So what's rubble, Phil?

Well, the rubble means the piles of bricks or other building materials that are left when a building is destroyed. 

Yes, you might have seen pictures of Myanmar after the earthquake. You'll see that lots of buildings have fallen down and that leaves lots of rubble that rescue teams have to try and sort through to find survivors. 

The headline describes a woman who is pulled alive from the rubble. We commonly see that phrase pulled from the rubble in news stories about natural disasters and rescuers.

You might also see or hear the phrase reduced to rubble. If a building is reduced to rubble, it means it's been damaged very badly so that it has no structure anymore. 

We've had rubble, the piles of bricks, stone, or other materials left behind when a building is destroyed. 

For example, the factory was knocked down and now all that's left is rubble. 

You are listening to learning English from the news from BBC Learning Englihs, our podcast about the news headlines. Today we are talking about the impact of an earthquake in Myanmar. 

As we've mentioned, Myanmar has been worst affected by the earthquake, but it was also felt in other countries. 

Lots of videos have been shared online of the impact of the earthquake, including one from China, which shows nurses protecting newborn babies in a hospital as the building shakes. 

Um, that headline again, nurses Cling on to newborn babies during earthquake, and that's from the BBC.

Okay, so the headline says, nurses clinging onto Babies. Could you explain the world cling, Phil?

Yes. Cling means to hold onto something or someone tightly. It can also mean to refuse to stop holding onto that person or thing. 

Yes, in the story when the earthquake hits, the nurses have to hold onto the babies tightly. To keep them safe, they have to cling onto them. It's a dramatic description of what happens in the video. 

A note on prepositons we can say cling to or cling onto, and they both mean similar things. We tend to use clinging to when we're holding something larger. For exampel, I might cling to the mountain when I'm climbing, whereas we tend to use clinging onto for smaller things and people. 

We can also use cling onto to mean keep. So I could say that I'm going to cling onto my car even though I never drive it anymore. I just don't want to sell it. 

We've had Cling hold someone or something tightly. 

For example, my friends terrified of flying. He clings onto his wife's hand anytime he trvels by plane. This is learning English from the news from BBC Learning English, our podcast about the news headlines. Today we are talking about the impact of an earthquake in Myanmar. 

The damage in Myanmar is widespread. 

But finding survivors and cleaning up the mess is difficult, as myanmar is also affected by a civil war and food shortages.