Read, translate and learn useful adjectives for describing works and performances

adjective	meaning	example
overrated	not as good as people say	It's an overrated film/play.
hackneyed	done so often it is boring	The plot was so hackneyed!
impenetrable	complex and impossible to understand	His films are impenetrable.
disjointed	unconnected and not in a clear order	The play was disjointed and difficult to follow
far-fetched	impossible to believe	The film Green Aliens from Mars was a bit far-fetched.
risque /ri'skei/	slightly immoral and likely to shock some people	The play was a bit risque, and some religious leaders criticised it.
gripping	exciting and keeping your attention the whole time	It was a gripping film from start to finish.
harrowing	extremely upsetting	It was a harrowing documentary about war and refugee camps.
moving	making you feel strong emotion, especially pity or sadness	It's a moving story about a child whose mother dies.
memorable	you remember it long after	That was a memorable performance.
understated	done or expressed in a simple but attractive style	The whole ballet is really understated.

Test 'the performance arts: reviews and critiques'

1. Match the beginnings and endings of these sentences:

1. The novel was so gripping

2. There were so many flashbacks

3. There's moving scene when

4. I can't believe it won ten Oscars

5. It's a harrowing story

a. It's so overrated

b. The family meet again after 40 years

c. About a young refugee

d. I couldn't put it down until I finished

e. That it seemed quite disjointed

2. Read the text. Are the sentences true or false?

This new play has been acclaimed as a masterpiece, lauded by audiences and critics alike. The portrayal of the villain, Simpson, by the wonderful Michaels was thoughtful and complex. He was given a well-deserved five-minute standing ovation at the end of the production. The up-and-coming actor looks likely to take London by storm, if he chooses his roles carefully. The danger, of course, is that he will be anxious to repeat the success of this role and become typecast as a 'baddie' for the rest of his career.

1. Many people praised the new play

True False

2.Michaels played the role of villain

True False

3.The audience stood and left quickly at the end

True False

4.Michaels is already a well-known actor

True False

5.He should always play a villain

True False

3. Set the words into the correct order to make sentences:

1. risque the fairly play in The was nudity.

2. before hackneyed It's a plot hundred seen times a I

3. memorable gave a in performance He Hamlet.

4. plot's makes complexity impenetrable film the The.

5. The far- fetched a bit aliens about is story.

4. Rewrite the underlined parts of this text using adjectives from the box. Make any
other necessary changes.

moving risque far- fetched gripping harrowing disjointed memorable
hackneyed impenetrable overrated

Fields of Darkness was a film which excited me and kept mv attention and which I shall
remember for a long time, even though the plot was in some ways difficult to believe. Some
critics have said ifs not as good as people sav it is and the story is boring because

it has been done so often, but I disagree. I found it emotional and even

extremely upsetting at times.

On the other hand, another fiIm I saw recently, Three Delicate Balances, had a plot which was complex and impossible to understand and lacked a clear order. I also feel that the director thought that if he threw in a few slightly immoral and shocking scenes it would make a good movie, but it just didn't work.

Date: 2015-12-17; view: 1373

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