Unfamiliar Plurals, Singulars and Gender Endings

Unfamiliar Plurals, Singulars and Gender Endings

Many times, I hear some people say “datas” and “criterias”. Sometimes, I’m itching to tell them that it’s not right to say that, but I just try to ignore it, so that they won’t get embarrassed. However, in this post, I would like to show you some nouns which have unfamiliar singulars, plurals and gender endings, for you to avoid making the same mistakes.

The singular form of the word “bacteria” is “bacterium”. The singular for “data” is “datum” and the singular for “dice” is “die”.

“Alumna” is singular and “alumnae” is its plural form. They both refer to females. “Alumnus” is singular and “alumni” is plural. Both refer to males. The plural form of the word “analysis” is “analyses”. “Crisis” is singular and “crises” is its plural form. “Strata” is the plural form of “stratum”.

An “aviator” refers to a guy, and an “aviatrix” is his female counterpart. A “gander” is male and a “goose” is a female. A “stag” is a male deer. An “abbot” is the male version of an “abbess”.

DIALOGUE 1

A:        
          In  what  part  of  the  auditorium  do you like  to  sit, George: in the stalls, in the pit, in the  dress  circle,  in  the  gallery  or  in  the box?

G:        
          I  generally  book  seats  in  the  pit  of  in  the  gallery.

A:        
          Aren’t  seats  in  the  orchestra  stall  better ?

G:        
          Certainly, they are. But being a regular theatre-goer, I can’t afford  them  very  often.  Can  you ?

DIALOGUE 2

A:        
          I  want  four  seats for Sunday, please.

C:        
          You  can  have  very  good  seats  in  the  stalls,  row  3.

A:        
          Oh,  no! It’s  near  the  orchestra  pit. My  wife  can’t  stand  loud  music.

C:        
          Then  I  could  offer  you  some  seats  in  the  pit.

A:        
          I’m  afraid  that  won’t  do  either. My  father-in-law  is  terribly  short-sighted. He  wouldn’t  see  much  from  the  pit,  would  he ?

C:        
          Hm… perhaps  you’d  care  to  take  a  box ?

A:        
          Certainly  not !  It’s  too  expensive. I  can’t  afford  it.

C:        
          The  dress-circle  then ?

A:        
          I  don’t  like  to  sit  in  the  dress-circle.

C:        
          I’m  afraid  the  only  thing  that  remains  is  the  gallery.

A:        
          How can you suggest such a thing! My mother-in-law  is a stout  woman with a weak heart.We  couldn’t  dream  of letting  her walk up four flights of  stairs, could we?

C:        
          I  find, sir, that  there  isn’t  a  single  seat  in  the  house  that  would  suit  you.

A:        
          There isn’t, is there? Well, I think we’d rather go the movies. As for me,I don’t care  much  for  this  theatre-going  business. Good  bye!

DIALOGUE 3

P: 
        Good  evening, John!

J:
        Good  evening, Peter ! This  is  a  small  world! How  are  you ?

P:
        Fine, thanks. How  are  you ?

J: 
        Life is  going  its  usual  way. Thanks.          

P: 
        Pleased   to  hear  it. Incidentally, where  do  you  have  a  seat ?

J: 
        In  the  stalls, row C. And  where  is  your seat?

P: 
        In  the  box, close  to  the  stage.

J: 
        So  you  don’t  have  to  use  opera-glasses.

P: 
        That’s  right . What  do  you  think  of  the  play ?

J: 
        The  action  develops  slowly. Some  scenes  are  dull.  The  cast  is  not  very  good.      Do  you  share  my  opinion ?

P:
        Frankly  speaking, I  do.  It  turns  out  to  be  rather  a  poor  performance. Have  you  been  to  this  theatre  before?

J: 
       Haven’t  had  a  chance, you  know. I’m  here  for  the  first  time. I  like  the  auditorium.It  is beautifully  decorated. The  chairs are  comfortable and  the  chandelier  is  wonderful. In  short, everything here  is magnificent  but  the  performance.

P:
        I  advise  you  to  see “Othello” by  Shakespeare  at  this  theatre. You  will  be  impressed.

J: 
        I’ve  been  dreaming  of  seeing  any  play  in  the  country. I’ll  do  my  best  to  see “Othello”.

P:
        I  want  to  inform  you  that  the  best  actors  are  engaged  in  the  performance. The  leading  man  is  a  famous actor. His  name  is  well-known in  this  country  and  abroad.

J: 
        I  hope  I’ll  enjoy  the  performance. The  lights  are  going  down.

P: 
       We  must  hurry  to  the  auditorium. In  a  minute  the  curtain  will  be  up.

J: 
       Be  seeing  you  later.

DIALOGUE 4                         AFTER  THE  PLAY

A:
        Well, Mary,  how  did  you  like  the  play ?

M:
        Frankly  speaking,  the  play … the  staging, the  acting  were  beyond  description.

A:
        The acting was  perfect. Each  actor  performed  his  part  so  realistically, so  true  to  life  that I  began  to  feel for  them as  in  real  life.

M: 
       You  know,  at  times I  completely  forgot  myself  and  couldn’t  tear  my  eyes  away  from  the  stage. I  was  in  raptures  over  what  I  saw on  the  stage. I  had  never  seen anything  more  wonderful.

A:
        Did  you  notice  that  the  actors  use  very  little  make-up ?

M:
        Yes,  that  struck  me  at  once. What  is  more,  all  the  actors  had  wonderful  dresses. The  scenery  was  out  of  ordinary (superb). The sets  were  changed  in  no  time. To  tell  you  the  truth, I  enjoyed  every  minute  of  the  play.

A:
        Well, I’m  awfully  glad  you  enjoyed. I  agree  fully  with you  it  was  a  superb  performance. I  was  deeply  impressed  by  the  play.

M:
        It’s  a  play  I’ll  remember  for  long !

A:
        Besides, what a responsive audience! Did you ever hear such a burst of applause from the spectators  every time the curtain  went  down?

M:
        I’ve  never  seen  an  audience  applaud  so  much  before. I  think  there  were  more  that  five  curtain  calls.

A:
        By  the  way, I  applauded  so  much  that  my  hands  ached. Many  spectators  couldn’t  help  throwing  flowers  on  the  stage.

Choose a couple of films to review in English

Outline for film review.

1.Type of film:          feature film,comedy,thriller, western,adventure,black-and-white,short

2.Production:           -What studio released the film ?

                          -Was it co-production ?

                          -Was the film dubbed ?

 3.Story(Plot) :          - Is  it  by  well-known  author ?

                                  -Is  the  story  original / true to life? 

                          -What is the climax of the story? 

                          -Is the end logical ?

 4.Direction:           -Who directed  the  film ?

                          -Was  the  introduction  of characters  and  scenes skilled ?

                          -Are  useless scenes included ?

 5.Camera  work:    -Is it artistically  done? 

                          -Are there good shots?

                          -Are  close-ups  used  effectively?

6.Acting:                -Name  the  leading characters.  –Are  they  stars?

 -Is  it  true  to  life  interpretation  of characters?  

 -Who stars  in  this film ?

  -Are there any outstanding performances of minor roles?

 7.Sound effect:       -Does speak or acting predominated?

                          -Do the dialogues seem real?

  -Do actors speak effectively?

  -Is the music suitable?

 8.Critics:                -What  do  critics  say  about  the  picture ?   

                          -Do  you  share  their point  of  view ?

                          -Are  their opinion sound? 

                          -Did the critics give an interesting interpretation of the play?

 9.General impression and conclusion:-The impression the film made on you.

  -How was the effect achieved ? 

  -Is the film (well) worth seeing ?

Fill  in  the  gaps  with  the  words  given  at  the  end:

The  film “Sense  and  Sensibility”  ……….   Emma  Thomson and  Hugh  Grant  and  ……..   by  Ang  Lee  is  a  romantic  film  …….. from   the  book  …..  Jane  Austin. It  …….  the  story    of  two  sisters  who are  completely  different  in  ………..,  and  their  experiences  with  the  men  they  love. The  film manages  to  ………..  the   ……….. of  early  19^th century  England,  which  helps  the  ……..  to  understand  the  reason  for  some  of  the  characters’  …….  ,  and   is  both  ……..  and  …….. Although  the  film  is  not  particularly  ……  in  terms  of   action,  it  is  ……..  enough  to  keep  you  wondering  what’s  going  to …..  next. I  can  thoroughly  ………   going  to  see  it  if  you  feel  like   a  change  from  modern-day  violent  and  ……….  films. “Sense  and  Sensibility”  is     ………  seeing.

Worth,  film-goer, atmosphere, starring,  shocking,  humorous,  character, directed,  exciting, recommend, actions, recreate, dramatic, tells, happen,  by, moving, adapted.

Cinema

1 Match the types of films with the phrases that are most likely to describe them.

  a  thriller               a  romantic  comedy           an  animated  film

  a  sci-fi film          a horror  film                         a  costume  film

1 An all-action movie with great stunts and a real cliffhanger of an ending that will have you on the edge of your seat.

2 Set on a star cruiser in the distant future, this film has great special effects

3 A hilarious new film, about two unlikely lovers, which will have you laughing  out loud.

4 Based on a novel by Jane Austen, this new adaptation by William Jones has been filmed on location at Harewood House in Hampshire.

5 A fantastic new computer-generated cartoon, featuring the voice of Eddie Murphy as the donkey.

6 This new film will scare you to death.

Now match the words in italics in the descriptions to the definitions below.

1 exciting

2 not filmed in a studio

3 the story comes from (a novel)

4 dangerous action sequences like car chases or people falling from skyscrapers

5 amazing, impossible visual sequences, often created by computers

6 changing a novel to a film screenplay

7 where the story takes place

8 exciting end – you want to know what happens

2 Use the words below to answer the questions.

            the latest release     the soundtrack         a trailer

            the  credits                a  multiplex               the rushes

            the title                      a screen  test

1 What do you call the songs and background music to a film?

2 What do you call a big cinema with lots of screens?

3 What do you call the bit at the start of the film that tells you the name of the film, the actors and director? And what do you call the words on the screen at the end that tell you who played who, and who was the cameraman, set designer, etc.?

4 Which phrase means a new film?

5 Which word means a short film made to advertise a new film?

6 What do you call film before it is edited?

7 What do you call a short scene filmed to find out if the actor is good in a particular part?

3 What is the difference between the following?

1 A film and a movie

2 An arthouse film and a blockbuster

3 A co-star and an extra

4 A cameraman and a projectionist

5 The cinema and the pictures

6 The cast and casting

7 Action! and Cut!

4 When making a movie, in which order do you do the things in the list?

            editing  the film                               filming

            casting                                             releasing  the  film

            writing  the screenplay                   finding  location

5 Film reviews often use compound adjectives to describe films. Make

compound adjectives by matching words in A with words in B.

Example action-packed

A                                 B

action                         moving

slow                            packed

spine                           warming

breath                         fetched

hard                            taking

heart                           chilling

far                               hitting

6 Use compound adjectives from 5 to complete the film reviews below.

Beautiful People is a romantic melodrama. It lasts three hours, and has a ________________ plot, which gets a bit boring. However, the _________________ performance by Tim Franks in the central role will move you to tears. It also has a ________________ message about how we should deal with AIDS.The Monster Movie is both a comedy and a horror film. It has a _______________ storyline, which you just won’t believe, but it also has some ________________ stunts, which look really dangerous. It has a _______________ ending which is so scary you will cover your eyes.

7 Think of a film that you have seen recently, and answer the questions.

1 What was the name of the film?

2 What sort of film was it?

3 Who directed it? Who starred in it?

4 What was it based on?

5 Where was it set?

6 What was it about?

7 How would you describe the film, the performance of the actors, the stunts

and special effects?

8 Would you recommend it? why?

Interview your partner about their film. Tell the class about your partner’s film.

Using the Macmillan English Advanced Learner’s Dictionary and CD ROM

If you have access to the Macmillan English Advanced Learner’s Dictionary and CD ROM, do the following quiz. You can find all the answers by finding the key word film, and following the various links. You can also try the quiz if you don’t have the dictionary.

Films Dictionary Quiz

1 Name three places where you see films.

2 What is the difference between a cartoon and an animated film?

3 What does captured on film mean?

4 What does filmic mean?

5 What’s a film noir?

6 If something is filmy, is it thin or thick?

7 What’s a roll of film?

8 What’s the difference between a director and a producer?

9 If something films over, what happens?

10 Complete the sentence: it’s a film about….

11 Find two meanings of film that have nothing to do with cinema and Hollywood.