In the first part of this online exercise you learnt some vocabulary about talking films/movies. In this second of two online exercise on films/movies vocabulary, you'll learn more vocabulary for talking about the different parts and roles in a film and other film related vocabulary. Most of this vocabulary can also be used for describing TV programmes or theatre plays.

To learn more vocabulary on movies/films, do the exercise on 'movie genres type/name vocabulary'.

Exercise: Describing a film

In the following text Simon and Rebecca continue talking about and giving their opinions about the film 'Saving Private Ryan'.

From the context, try to guess what the meaning of the words/phrases in bold are. Then do the quiz at the end to check if you are right.

Rebecca:'It's an excellent scene, I always remember the stunt of the men on fire. But for me, I like the scene when the men are walking in the countryside and talking about why they have to save Private Ryan. The dialogue is excellent, I can imagine that I would say that if I were in a similar situation.'

Simon:'The film has an excellent plot. How they have to go and save a soldier whose 3 brothers have all died fighting and how they have to go behind enemy lines to do it.'

Rebecca:'I think it's a real story, although they probably changed some things. To be honest, I can't remember the film's score. Can you remember the music in the film?'

Simon:'Not really. I think there was some music with trumpets at the beginning in the graveyard. But apart from that, I only remember the Edith Piaf song at the end. But that's not part of the score. Did I tell you that when the film came out in 1998, I was living in Madrid? So, the first time I saw it, it was dubbed into Spanish. I didn't speak much Spanish then, so I didn't understand a lot. It's a shame that it didn't have subtitles, so I could have read the dialogue.'

Rebecca:'Dubbed films are strange. The voices are always very different to the original voices of the actors. Oh, by the way, have you seen the TV series Band of Brothers?'

Simon:'No I haven't.'

Rebecca:'Well, it's very similar to Saving Private Ryan. It's set during the second world war and it follows a group of American soldiers. It stars a lot of unknown young actors as the soldiers.'

Simon:'I'll have to watch the series.'



Quiz:

Below is a definition/description of each of the words/phrases in bold from the above text (which you can also find in the grey box below). Answer each question with one of these words/phrases in bold. Only use one word/phrase once and write it as it is in the text. Click on the "Check" button at the bottom of the quiz to check your answers.

When the answer is correct, two icons will appear next to the answer. The icon contains extra information on the word/phrase. In the icon, you can listen to the pronunciation of the word/phrase.

Words/phrases to use in the quiz

1. The words/lines that actors say in a film are called

         

Dialogue:
(noun) 'Dialogue', is the name for the words or lines that actors use in films, TV programmes or plays. Normally, this noun is used when people are giving their opinion if what the actors said in a film was good or bad, e.g. 'the dialogue in Star Wars was terrible, no one would ever speak like that'. In Spanish: "diálogo".

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Dialogue:
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2. The music in a film is called the

         

Score:
(noun) A film's 'score' is the instrumental music (without lyrics or words) which is used to add emotion to different scenes in a film. This music is normally written especially for the film. The 'score' is different to a film's 'soundtrack'. The 'soundtrack' is normally a collection of individual songs that are used on a film (e.g. a song from Coldplay or something from Mozart). The difference between the two is a little confusing. In Spanish: "banda sonora".

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3. A verb that is used to say which actors/actresses are in a film is

         

Stars:
(verb) The infinitive is 'to star'. This verb is used to say who is acting in a film, TV programme or play. In general, the names of the main actors normally follow this verb, e.g. 'The film stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie'. 'Star' is also used as a noun to mean the best actor/actress in a film, e.g. 'for me, the star of the film was Anthony Hopkins'. In Spanish: "protagonizar".

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Stars:
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4. When the voices of the actors in a film are replaced by those of other people, it is

         

Dubbed:
(verb) The infinitive is 'to dub'. This is very common in countries where a film or TV programme is in a different language to their own language. Sometimes, the voices of actors are even 'replaced' or 'dubbed' even if the original film or TV programme is in the same language. In Spanish: "doblar".

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Dubbed:
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5. When the dialogue is written on the screen, the film has

         

Subtitles:
(noun) 'Subtitles' are the words or lines that the actors say in a film or TV programme which are displayed on the screen. It can also be used as a verb 'to subtitle'. When using this verb to describe a film, it is normal to use the passive form, e.g. 'the film is subtitled'. In Spanish: "subtítulos".

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Subtitles:
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6. A part of a film which isn't normally done by an actor because it is too dangerous, is called a

         

Stunt:
(noun) 'Stunts' are action sequences in films or TV programmes which look dangerous, e.g. car chases, jumping from tall building etc... Normally, the actors don't do/perform these 'stunts'. These are normally done by professional 'stuntmen' who are trained to do these types of things in films. In Spanish: "escenas peligrosas".

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Stunt:
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7. The basic story of a film is called the

         

Plot:
(noun) The 'plot' is the basic story or summary of a film, TV programme or play. For example, the basic 'plot' of Star Wars is that after his aunt and uncle are killed, Luke Skywalker finds out that he's a Jedi. He then goes to destroy the evil empire that killed them. With the help of some other people he manages to destroy the empire's death star spaceship'. In Spanish: "trama".

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Plot:
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8. A verb that means when a film was first shown in the cinema, is

         

Came out:
(phrasal verb) The infinitive is 'to come out'. This phrasal verb has many different meanings. In the context of films, it means when a film was originally 'released' or 'first shown in cinemas', e.g. 'Star Wars came out in 1977' or 'his new film is coming out next week'. This is a Type 1 Phrasal Verb (intransitive and inseparable with one particle). In Spanish: "estrenarse".

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To learn more vocabulary on movies/films, do the exercise on 'movie genres type/name vocabulary'.




Practice

Now that you understand the meaning of the words/phrases and when to use them, practise using them by creating your own sentences with them in English. Also click on the icon next to each correct answer and listen how each is pronounced correctly.