Unit 8 · Workbook

8B. Going viral — Workbook

Extra practice for home study · with answer keys

Apex English← Back to contents
Podcast studio interview about social media

How to use this workbook

  • Try each exercise on paper first — don't peek!
  • Tap Show answer on a single item, or use the big button above to reveal everything.
  • Re-do anything you got wrong the next day.

1. Vocabulary — social media

Choose the word or phrase that fits best.

  1. A post that spreads very fast to a huge audience has ___.

  2. Someone who reads posts but never comments is called a ___.

  3. A title designed only to make you click is called ___.

  4. The software that decides what appears in your feed is the ___.

  5. When hundreds of people attack one post at once, it's a ___.

  6. Being publicly boycotted for something you said is being ___.

2. Vocabulary — gap-fill

Complete each sentence with ONE word from the box (correct form).

Word bank — drag or tap, then tap a gap
  1. She's a paid  drop  — every third post is a brand deal.
  2. The hashtag was  drop  worldwide within two hours.
  3. Take a  drop  before he deletes the tweet.
  4. He lost 40,000  drop  overnight after the video.
  5. The algorithm loves controversy — high  drop .
  6. If a troll won't stop, just  drop  them.

3. Grammar — pick the correct pattern

Choose the correct continuation for each reporting verb.

  1. He admitted ___ the screenshot.

  2. She offered ___ the post.

  3. They accused him ___ the story.

  4. The lawyer warned her ___ again.

  5. He apologised ___ the video.

  6. She insisted ___ the original message.

  7. I suggested ___ the app for a week.

  8. They congratulated her ___ a million subscribers.

4. Grammar — direct → reported

Rewrite each quote using the reporting verb in brackets.

  1. 'I didn't send the DM.' (deny)

  2. 'Fine, I did read her messages.' (admit)

  3. 'You should log out for a week.' (recommend)

  4. 'I'll never take that video down.' (refuse)

  5. 'Don't reply to that troll.' (warn me)

  6. 'I'll sue you if you post it.' (threaten to)

  7. 'Sorry — I shouldn't have shared it.' (apologise for)

  8. 'You leaked my chat!' (accuse him of)

5. Grammar — spot & fix the mistake

Each sentence has ONE mistake. Rewrite it correctly.

  1. She suggested me to delete the post.

  2. He denied to write the comment.

  3. They accused him to steal the idea.

  4. The lawyer warned him don't reply.

  5. She apologised she had shared it.

  6. He insisted to see the original.

6. Reading — true / false / not given

Read the short text and mark each statement T, F or NG.

In 2018, a small US bakery uploaded a fifteen-second video of a slightly wonky birthday cake. Within 48 hours, the clip had been viewed over 40 million times. Almost none of the viewers actually bought a cake — the bakery is in a town of 3,000 people — but hundreds of them left comments accusing the owner of decorating in unhygienic conditions after zooming in on a single blurry frame. The owner, a 62-year-old baker called Ellen, insisted that the photos had been misread, and apologised only for the poor lighting in her kitchen. A hygiene inspector visited the following week and reported that the bakery was, in fact, unusually clean. Ellen has since said, publicly, that she would never post another video, and warned other small business owners against ever trusting a viral moment as free marketing.

  1. The video got over 40 million views in two days.T  /  F  /  NG
  2. The bakery received a huge number of new orders.T  /  F  /  NG
  3. Some viewers accused the owner of poor hygiene.T  /  F  /  NG
  4. The bakery was actually dirty.T  /  F  /  NG
  5. Ellen has since become a full-time influencer.T  /  F  /  NG
  6. Ellen now advises other small businesses to be cautious of viral fame.T  /  F  /  NG

7. Writing — a viral comment thread → reported speech

Write 6–8 short comments on an imagined viral post, then rewrite the whole thread as ONE paragraph of reported speech (100–120 words) using 6+ different reporting verbs.

Check your writing

  • 100–120 words
  • 6+ different reporting verbs (accuse, insist, deny, threaten, apologise, refuse, recommend, warn, congratulate, admit, suggest)
  • 3+ social-media vocab words
  • Correct patterns (accuse OF + -ing, warn NOT TO, apologise FOR, etc.)
  • Tense-shift where appropriate

8. Listening — a podcast about a cancelled celebrity

Read the transcript (audio coming soon — two clearly different podcast voices). Answer the questions.

🎧 Podcast: 'The 48-hour cancellation' — host (Voice A) & media lawyer (Voice B) · audio coming soon — read the transcript below
📄 Full script

A: Welcome back. Tonight's story: another celebrity has, apparently, been cancelled. He's been accused of deleting old posts to hide inconsistent opinions — and the internet, as usual, is furious.

B: The problem is, deleting anything makes it a hundred times worse. I know — I've done it. I once deleted a tweet in a total panic, and by the next morning the screenshot was on every timeline.

A: His team has categorically denied that there is any co-ordinated PR campaign to 'clean up' his image.

B: They always deny that. And it's usually not true.

A: What would you advise anyone caught in a pile-on like this?

B: One rule. Silence. For 72 hours. Don't apologise, don't explain, don't post. Nothing you say in the first three days will be heard properly. After 72 hours, the algorithm has moved on, and you can respond like an adult.

A: He's also threatened to sue the platform if his account isn't restored.

B: Good luck with that.

A: One last thing before we go — remember, most of these cancellations last, what, 48 hours? And they're almost always a distraction from a bigger story you're not supposed to be looking at. Stay curious.

  1. What did the host (voice 1) accuse the celebrity of?
  2. What did the second speaker (a media lawyer) admit?
  3. What has the celebrity's team denied?
  4. What single practical piece of advice does the lawyer recommend to anyone in a pile-on?
  5. What has the celebrity threatened to do?
  6. What does the host warn listeners about at the end?

9. 🔥 Challenge — sentence transformation

Rewrite the second sentence using 2–5 words including the KEYWORD.

  1. 1. 'I posted the screenshot.' → He ___ the screenshot. (KEYWORD: ADMITTED)

  2. 2. 'You leaked my chat!' → She ___ her chat. (KEYWORD: ACCUSED)

  3. 3. 'Don't reply to trolls.' → She ___ to trolls. (KEYWORD: WARNED)

  4. 4. 'I'll sue the platform.' → He ___ the platform. (KEYWORD: THREATENED)

  5. 5. 'Sorry — I shared it.' → He ___ it. (KEYWORD: APOLOGISED)

  6. 6. 'Delete the account for a week.' → She ___ the account. (KEYWORD: SUGGESTED)

10. 🔥 Challenge — word stress

Which syllable is stressed? Choose 1, 2, 3 or 4.

  1. 'in-flu-en-cer' (4 syllables)

  2. 'al-go-ri-thm' (British: 3 syllables)

  3. 'fol-low-er' (3 syllables)

  4. 'a-pol-o-gy' (4 syllables)

  5. 'no-ti-fi-ca-tion' (5 syllables — the stressed one is…)

  6. 'com-mu-ni-ty' (4 syllables)

11. Self-check

Tick what you can now do confidently.

  • I use ADMIT / DENY / SUGGEST / RECOMMEND with -ING (not to-infinitive).
  • I use ACCUSE OF, APOLOGISE FOR, INSIST ON, CONGRATULATE ON with -ING.
  • I use TELL / ASK / WARN / ADVISE / REMIND + object + TO-INFINITIVE.
  • I use OFFER / REFUSE / PROMISE / THREATEN + TO-INFINITIVE.
  • I know that 'suggest' does NOT take 'me to do' — either -ING or a THAT-clause.
  • I use B2 social-media vocabulary: go viral, algorithm, pile-on, cancelled, clickbait.
  • I put the stress correctly on inFLUencer, alGOrithm, comMUnity, apOLogy.