--- title: Debates and rows on chat shows — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «Debates and rows on chat shows», a lesson of the politics course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Picture a TV debate as a game of tennis with words: two players, a referee called the moderator, and a clock. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/) / [Politics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/) / Debates and rows on chat shows # Debates and rows on chat shows Lesson 11 of the politics course of Mova's primary school: 20 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: [the lesson at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/0/) — Picture a TV debate as a game of tennis with words: two players, a referee called the moderator, and a clock. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/1/) — Each person gets a turn to answer, then a short turn to reply, called a rebuttal. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/2/) — When candidates talk over each other, it is like both players serving at once: the fans cheer, but nobody at home can follow the ball. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/4/) — The morning after, each side's helpers tell reporters that their person "won", and people mostly judge by the side they already liked. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/5/) — This telling a story your way is called spin. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/6/) — Clapping, a funny planned line, a loud guest or a wiggly line on the screen all tell you what some people felt, not whether an answer was true. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/7/) — A careful viewer listens for reasons, checks the claims and notices who is not there. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/8/) — You will hear the debate talked about in all sorts of voices: a "row" is a loud argument in Ireland and Britain, "the craic" is Irish for the fun or the chat, and a "zinger" is a sharp, funny line planned to make the other person look silly. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/9/) — A debate has rules agreed before it starts: each person gets a set time, and the moderator asks the questions and keeps the clock. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/10/) — A studio audience is made of ordinary voters; their cheers and boos are heard at home and can make an answer seem better or worse than it was. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/11/) — There is no referee or score in a debate, so "winning" just means who seemed better, and each team sends helpers to tell reporters their person won. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/12/) — A snap poll is a quick survey of viewers right after a debate; some say it is useful, others say it mostly shows who people liked before. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/14/) — Panel shows often invite guests who strongly disagree, because a row keeps people watching; the loudest guest is not always right. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/15/) — Fact checkers look up the claims made in a debate in official records; "misleading" means partly true but leaving you with the wrong picture. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/16/) — Leaders do not have to take part in debates; when one declines, a channel may show an empty podium, an "empty chair". - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/17/) — Turning a question towards the topic you want to talk about is called pivoting; talking points are lines prepared in advance. - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/18/) — Bias means leaning towards one side and impartial means taking no side; tougher questions for the person already in charge are often about their record. - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/19/) — The "worm" is a moving line showing the live reactions of a small sample of viewers with dials, not the whole country. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/20/) — In a real argument you give reasons; a personal attack goes after the person instead of the idea and proves nothing. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/21/) — People disagree whether moderators should cut microphones when time is up, check facts live, or let the back and forth run. - ← previous: [The news: who makes it and how](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/10-the-news-who-makes-it-and-how/) - next →: [Adverts, slogans and polls](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/12-adverts-slogans-and-polls/) - ↑ back to [Politics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/)