ENGLISH MX5 REVIEWER:

DRAMA (noun)
-A prose or verse composition, especially one telling a serious story, that is intended for
representation by actors impersonating the characters and performing the dialogue and action.
-A serious narrative work or program for television, radio, or the cinema
-is the act of portraying a story in front of an audience. It involves the characters and events of
the story being brought to life on a stage by actors and their interactions (verbal and non-
verbal) through its events.
Plays 
-aim to show through action and dialogues what the written text of the story delineates. It has a
written blueprint called the script which has all the information regarding the characters, their
dialogues, and the stage setting like mise-en-scene, etc.
-Theatrical plays of a particular kind or period: Elizabethan drama.
-The art or practice of writing or producing dramatic works.
-A situation or succession of events in real life having the dramatic progression or emotional
effect characteristic of a play: the drama of the prisoner's escape and recapture.
-The quality or condition of being dramatic: a summit meeting full of drama.
6 Elements of Drama
Themes
-It represents the basic idea of the text. It can be as direct as the title of the drama to very
obscure and needs careful thought and analysis. The action and its plot makes the audiences
immerse in the drama and try to extract the theme behind it.

Plot
-The sequence of events or actions in a play is called its plot. It represents what happens in the
drama. The clarity and coherence of the plot are essential to give the drama a logical and
undisturbed flow.
-The various characters follow a pattern of interactions and movements through various stages
of the plot. These stages are initial disturbance or conflict, rising action, climax, falling action
and finally the resolution of the conflict.

Characterization
-The way in which the characters are portrayed and developed is known as characterization.
The characters act out the story in front of the audience. They are the agents of movement and
progression in a drama.
-They are responsible for perusing and traversing the plotlines. A character has its distinctive
appearance, beliefs, thoughts, flaws, personality, age, and dialogues. Actors in the play have
the responsibility of bringing the characters to life.
-The various characters in any drama are the protagonist (represents the theme), the
antagonist (the villain of the drama), anti-hero (the object of sympathy), etc.
-Characters may include the narrator who introduces other characters and informs about the
various interactions and happenings in the drama.
Setting, Spectacle, and Descriptions
-The setting represents when and where the drama unfolds. It can have multiple places or
confined to a single space. The historical and social context, time period and the location of the
story is set are all included in the design of the setting of any drama.
-Example: Merchant of Venice is set in the 16th century Venice. Spectacle involves the
complete range of aspects of dramatic production from the setting, make-up, costumes to
special effects.
-The visual elements add more information for the audience to register and help create a
unique world or atmosphere and bring to life the playwright’s ideas. The direction is an
essential constituent of effective stagecraft.
-Stage directions are provided to the actors to follow and ensure unity of movement on stage.
The organization of props and lighting is also crucial in any performance.
-Descriptions provide a wealth of information about various things from the setting and its
elements, characters, and their thoughts, plot and its web of action, etc. The coherence of
details is important to keep the audience engaged and richness is important to keep them
entertained.
Language
-The word choices made by the playwright and the enunciation of the actors of the language.
The dialogues are the lines that the characters speak and often represent their feelings and
emotions.
-Language and dialogues delivered by the characters move the plot and action along, provides
exposition, and defines the distinct characters. Each playwright can create their own specific
style in relationship to language choices they use in establishing character and dialogue.
-Monologues and soliloquies help are speeches that incorporate information difficult to be
extracted through dialogues. Example: “To be, or not to be“, a soliloquy from Hamlet.
Music
-It provides the cadence to the dialogues and adds an element of the theatrical presentation.
Though not indispensable in a drama, music provides sounds to the action in the drama.
-It creates patterns and rhythm of those patterns. It is used to enhance the experience of the
audience and provide heightened sensorial stimulation for the audience.
-It also adds more power to the ideas presented in the play like a tragedy, heroism, optimism,
loss, etc. Even the thoughts and desires of the characters are depicted through various musical
elements and compositions.
-The right kind of sound effects or music greatly supplements the ebb and flow of emotions in
the play.
 Prose vs. Verse (Poetry)
Prose is: (noun)
-Ordinary speech or writing, without metrical structure.
-Commonplace expression or quality.
Verse is: (noun)
-A single metrical line in a poetic composition; one line of poetry.
-A division of a metrical composition, such as a stanza of a poem or hymn.
-A poem.
-Metrical or rhymed composition
Elements of Drama : The elements of drama, by which dramatic works can be analyzed and
evaluated, can be categorized into three major areas: literary elements, technical elements, and
performance elements. literary elements technical elements performance elements
Literary Elements Plot: the series of events that take place in a play. There are 5 stages in a plot
structure:
Exposition-background information, setting, and basic conflict
Rising action: a series of events following the exposition and leading up to the dramatic climax.
Climax: the turning point or high point of a story, when events can go either way
Falling action: the series of events following the climax.
Denouement or Conclusion : (another term for the ending-it is the French word for
“unraveling”) Ending, resolution, or catastrophe
Literary Elements Character: a person portrayed in a drama, novel, or other artistic piece.
Exposition is the “who, when, where and what” part of the play.
Story organization: beginning, middle, end
Literary Elements Theme: the basic idea of a play; the idea, point of view, or perception that
binds together a work of art.
Language: in drama, the particular manner of verbal expression, the diction or style of writing,
or the speech or phrasing that suggests a class or profession or type of character.
Literary Elements Style: the shaping of dramatic material, settings, or costumes in a
deliberately nonrealistic manner.
Soliloquy: a speech by a single actor who is ALONE on stage (aside=to the side, audience)
Monologue: a long speech made by one actor; a monologue may be delivered alone or in the
presence of others.
Technical Elements Lights: the placement, intensity, and color of lights to help with
environment, mood, or feeling
Sound: the effects an audience hears during performance to communicate character, context,
or environment
Makeup: costumes, wigs, and body paint used to transform an actor into a character.
Performance Elements Acting: use of face, body, and voice to portray character
Character motivation: the reason or reasons for a character’s behavior
Character analysis: in responding to dramatic art, the process of examining how the elements
of drama are used to develop a character
Empathy: the capacity to relate to the feelings of another.
Performance Elements Speaking: the mode of expression or delivery of lines
Vocal expression: how an actor uses his or her voice to convey character
Inflection: change in pitch or loudness of the voice.
Projection: how well the voice carries to the audience Speaking style: the mode of expression
or delivery of lines
Diction: selection and pronunciation of words; clarity of speech.
Performance Elements
Nonverbal expression: Gestures any movement of the actor’s head, shoulder, arm, hand, leg,
or foot to convey meaning
Facial expression physical and vocal aspects used by an actor to convey mood, feeling, or
personality
Character blocking the path formed by the actor’s movement on stage
Movement stage blocking or the movements of the actors onstage during performance

William Shakespeare
-Shakespeare’s Life
-Born on April 23, 1564 (allegedly) in Stratford
- -Married Anne Hathaway November 28, 1582
-Three Children: Susanna, Judith, and Hamnet (died in 1596)
-Acted and wrote for Lord Chamberlain’s Men (a London troupe)
-Part owner of the this company and the Globe Theatre.
-Works include: 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 narrative poems -Died on April 23, 1616
(allegedly)

The Globe Theatre

-built in 1598
-open-air, octagonal
-capacity 3,000 spectators
-burned in 1613 (rebuilt 1614)
-1642 puritans closed it down
-rebuild finished in 1997 (faithful reproduction) *no women allowed on stage, women’s parts
were played by young boys

Types of Plays
-Tragedy
-Comedy
-Drama
-Melodrama
-Farce
-Satire

-These are just a few of the types of plays. A published play often includes one of these words
on the cover as a clue to the reader about the contents of the book (a comedy in one act, or a
drama in three acts, for example.)
-Some plays are serious, others are funny. Some serious plays contain funny scenes or lines,
while some funny plays have serious messages or themes. And there are different kinds of
funny. It may be helpful to think of plays as being part of a continuum - a line that stretches ,
unbroken, from the most serious to the most comedic.
-Each play can be classified by looking at it’s characteristics, the same way that foods can be
classified by looking at ingredients.In the following slides we will examine the major types of
plays.

Tragedy
-Tragedy is one of the oldest types of Drama. It has been with us since the days of the Great
Greek Playwrights Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripedes. In general usage, tragedy means
something like very sad, but in the study of drama it has a much more specific meaning.
- Tragedy is one of the oldesttypes of Drama. It has been with us since the days of the Great
Greek Playwrights Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripedes. In general usage, tragedy means
something like very sad, but in the study of drama it has a much more specific meaning.
Aristotle defines Tragedy:
-The play must be serious in nature, intending to provide the audience with an emotional
catharsis, or cleansing by arousing deep feelings of horror or pity.
-The play must adhere to three unities of Time, Place, and Action. That is, the story of the play
must take no longer than one day, it must take place in only one location, and it must not be
interrupted or diluted by sub-plots.
-The play must feature a tragic hero (the Protagonist): a person of exalted state (meaning a
person of some importance in the world) who is essentially a good man but has a tragic flaw in
his character such as excessive pride.
-Fate or destiny brings the tragic hero to a crisis point where he is forced to choose between
two courses of action, neither of which is obviously better than the other.
-The hero is destroyed by his choice.

Comedy
- Comedy is a more general term, applied to any play that has a happy ending - even if the play
isn’t funny. Plays ranging from Shakespeare’s As You Like It, to Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windemere’s
Fan to Anton Chekkov’s Uncle Vanya to Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple all are comedies. Even
murder mysteries such as Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap are, technically, comedies.
- is a more general term, applied to any play that has a happy ending - even if the play isn’t
funny. Plays ranging from Shakespeare’s As You Like It, to Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windemere’s Fan
to Anton Chekkov’s Uncle Vanya to Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple all are comedies. Even murder
mysteries such as Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap are, technically, comedies.

DRAMA
-Drama is a general category for plays about serious subjects. Character development and
theme are usually more important than plot. Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is a drama, as is Miss Julie,
by Strinberg.
- Drama is a general category for plays about serious subjects. Character development and
theme are usually more important than plot. Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is a drama, as is Miss Julie,
by Strinberg.

MELODRAMA:
-Melodrama is the category for plays about serious subjects where plot is more important than
characters and theme. Characters tend to be rather flat, and they don't change or develop
during the course of the play. Murder mysteries and suspense thrillers fit into this category.

SENTIMENTAL DRAMA:
-Sentimental Drama is the “soap opera” category. Serious subjects are treated in a serious
manner; plot and character are more important than theme. There is usually a heavy emphasis
on the emotions of the characters.

SENTIMENTAL COMEDY:
-Sentimental Comedy is the “sit com,” or situational comedy, category. Subjects are usually
lighter, and are treated with humor. Major emphasis is on plot and character. Neil Simon’s
Barefoot in the Park fits in this category.

Farce
-is often called “low comedy.” The emphasis is almost entirely on plot, with bawdy jokes and
physical humor. Elements of farce include such things as chases, disguises, talking at cross
purposes, and slapstick (pratfalls, slipping on banana peels, etc.). Feydeau’s A Flea in Her Ear is
a farce.

Theatre of the absurd

-contains elements of many other types. It is usually defined by its underlying theme of the
meaningless nature (or absurdity) of life. Often, the very structure of the play reinforces this
idea, as in Ionesco’s The Bald Soprano

Comedy of Manners
-is a “high comedy” category. The emphasis is on the cleverness and witty dialog of the
characters, who are usually members of the upper class. The great comedies of the English
Restoration (1660-1725) and Eighteenth Century (Farquar’s The Beaux` Stratagem and
Sheridan’s The Rivals for example) and Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest fit in this style

Satire
- is also considered to be high comedy. In satire, the playwright pokes fun at social customs and
current fashions - sometimes including specific individuals of the times - perhaps in some effort
to change the current thought and behavior. Aristophanes satirized many elements of Greek
culture in his plays. Moliere satires, such as the Imaginary Invalid, Tartuffe, and The Would-be
Gentleman were sometimes so biting that his career was threatened.
- Satire is also considered to be high comedy. In satire, the playwright pokes fun at social
customs and current fashions - sometimes IIncluding specific individuals of the times - perhaps
in some effort to change the current thought and behavior. Aristophanes satirized many
elements of Greek culture in his plays. Moliere satires, such as the Imaginary Invalid, Tartuffe,
and The Would-be Gentleman were sometimes so biting that his career was threatened.

Parody:
-Parody is a specific form of satire in which a very familiar play/song/movie/etc.. is recreated in
a humorous way, poking fun at the original version

Musical Comedy
-is possibly America’s only original contribution to dramatic literature. It features spoken dialog
combined with songs and dances - and since Oklahoma! by Rogers and Hammerstein, the songs
are integrated into the action, a real change from the older operetta form.

Social Drama
- is the serious counterpart of satire. Current social problems are examined in a serious manner.
Modern serious plays dealing with homelessness for example, or drug addiction, or child abuse,
or teen violence would fit within this category, if their intent seems to be to change prevailing
attitudes and policies.

THE SORROWS OF HAN:

PLOT:
ACT 1: The emperor sends the Minister to search for women that can alter his solitude and to
provide portraits of the women, so he may choose among them. The minister finds a maiden,
daughter of one Wongchang, who could not accommodate for the Minister’s condition. The
Minister disfigured the portrait so that the maiden would seem ugly thus dooming her into
neglected seclusion. But eventually the Emperor would soon learn what the Minister had done
and sent him for execution, making the maiden (Chaoukeun the Princess of dynasty Han).

ACT 2: The minister manages to escape his execution and devises a plan. He brings with him a
true portrait of Chaoukeun, and takes it to the tartar emperor K'han, and persaudes him to
demand her from the emperor. K'han sends an envoy to tell The emperor about K'han's
demands and that if the emperor were to reject his demand, he would send the armies of K'han
to the emperor's kingdom. The Emperor, President, and Princess discuss on what is the proper
thing to do in this situation. They then decide to let the princess go to the tartars.

ACT 3: The day arrives when the Princess must now go to the Tartar. The envoy of K'han had
arrived at the kingdom to escort the princess to Tartar. The princess joins the envoy to Tartar,
but not without exhanging an emotional farewell to the emperor. The envoy arrive in the River
of the Black Dragon, The envoy of the Tartar. The princess takes a cup of wine and pours a
libation to the south. The princess says "My last farewell to the emperor of Han, this life is
finished. I await thee in the next!" The princess throws herself in the river. The K'han attempts
to save her but fails. The K'han now realising he was blinded by deception by the Minister
Mouyenshow, accepts the death of Chaoukeun and decides to re-establish the friendship he
had with Dynasty Han. He then ordered his men to return Mouyenshow to The Emperor for
punishment

ACT 4: After the Princess was handed to the Tartars, the Emperor was once again, lonely. When
the Emperor slept that night, a vision of the princess appeared, then a vision of a soldier
appeared. The soldier in the vision carried off the princess and the Emperor awoke from his
slumber, confused by the vision of the princess. The Emperor is informed by the president that
an envoy has returned Mouyenshow, and has informed him that the Princess has passed. The
Emperor upon hearing this ordered for the execution of Mouyenshow as an offering shade of
the princess, his love.

CHARACTERS:
YUENTE - Of the race of Han is from a private station, and raised his family by extinguishing the
dynasty of Tsin, and slaughtering their race. Emperor of China of the Dynasty Han.
HANCHENYU -  K'han of the Tartars. The old inhabitant of the sandy waste; the sole ruler of the
northern regions.
MAOUYENSHOW -   A worthless Minister of the Emperor. a minister of the sovereign of Han
who deceived the Emperor.
SHANGSHOO -   President of the Imperial Council..
CHANGSHEE -   Officer in waiting.
FANSHE -    Envoy of the K'han.
CHAOUKEUN -    Lady, raised to be Princess of Han who is a native of Chingtoo city and who’s
father’s occupation is husbandry..
Tartar Soldiers, Female Attendants, Eunuchs.

THEME: BEAUTY, SEEK, GREED, POWER, SORROW, DEVOTION, RIVALRY, BETRAYAL, TRAGEDY,
MISERY, GRIEF.

Generic Nouns:
-Of all the different types of nouns, generic nouns can be one of the most confusing. Many
English language learners have trouble figuring out how or when to use generic nouns. So
below we clear up the rules, including how to use articles with generic nouns and when plural
generic nouns are appropriate.
- This refer to all individuals in a group or class.
-This is used for generalization and definitions of terms.

Abstract generic Article:

-The article the can be used to refer to the group itself and not to individual members of the
group.
-The + singular noun
Example:
The internet changed the way students do their school work.

Two contexts of the abstract generic article:

1. Cause and Effect
Diagnosis: The common cold affects many people daily.
Purpose: The MRI is used to make pictures of organs and structures inside the body using
magnetic field and radio wage energy.
Results: The invention of the telephone is a big step towards improving communication over
long distances.
Solution: The medicine I gave you is for your headache.

2. Definitions
Classification : The cheetah is an efficient hunter.
Attributes :The barometer is an instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure.
Comparisons: The monument in the park is older than the one in our school.

Concrete generic article:

-This can be singular or plural.
-It refers to examples of members of a large group and not the group itself.

Singular concrete generic article:

A/An + singular: This is used to refer to an example of a larger group.
Example: A construction worker uses a hard hat.

-Like the abstract generic article, the concrete generic article is also used for giving definitions.
-The difference is that the concrete generic article deals with examples of a group.

Example:
A doctor is someone who treats sick people.
The doctor is someone who treats sick people.

-This is often used to explain occupations.

Example:
My father is a businessman.
I am a writer.

-For plural and noncount nouns, articles are not needed.

Example:
Vegetables are good for you. (plural)
Travel is made easier by automobiles. (noncount)

1. Music is the art of sound that expresses ideas and emotions. C

2. The dolphin is an intelligent mammal.A

 3. The cow is raised for meat.A

4. A dolphin is a marine mammal having a fish-like body and elongated nose.C

5. The adult human body has an average of 206 bones. A

6. An essay is a short literary composition about a specific subject. C

7. Jeans were created more than a century ago as sturdy and inexpensive clothing for
factory workers.C

8. She worked as a doctor before becoming an actress.C

9. Rice is the Philippine’s primary agricultural product. C

10. An athlete is a person who trains physically for sports.C

1. harem - he separate part of a Muslim household reserved for wives, concubines, and female
servants.
2. specious - superficially plausible, but actually wrong.
3. steppes - are large areas of flat grassy land where there are no trees, especially the area that
stretches from Eastern Europe across the south of the former Soviet Union to Siberia.
4. husbandry - the care, cultivation, and breeding of crops and animals.
5. doleful - expressing sorrow; mournful.
6. emaciated - abnormally thin or weak, especially because of illness or a lack of food.
7. ingot - a block of steel, gold, silver, or other metal, typically oblong in shape.
8. resentment - a feeling of anger because you have been forced to accept something that you
do not like:
9. melancholy - a feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause.
10. desolate - joyless, disconsolate, and sorrowful through or as if through separation from a
loved one
11. truce - an agreement between enemies or opponents to stop fighting or arguing for a certain
time.
12. upbraid - find fault with (someone); scold.
13. solace - comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness
14. betoken - be a sign of; indicate
15. profligate - recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources
16. sepulcher - a small room or monument, cut in rock or built of stone, in which a dead person
is laid or buried.
17. perfidious - deceitful and untrustworthy
18. resentment - a feeling of anger because you have been forced to accept something that you
do not like
19. espoused - embraced or adopted, as an idea, principle, or cause
20. propitiate - win or regain the favor of (a god, spirit, or person) by doing something that
pleases them
Or and nor: Two singular nouns connected by or or nor take a singular verb.
-Neither Charles nor Benjamin was present there.
-Neither he nor his dad is good at driving.
When one of the nouns connected by or or nor is plural, the verb must be plural, and the plural
subject must be placed next to the verb.
-Neither Peter nor his parents were aware of this. (More natural than ‘Neither his parents nor
Peter was aware of this.)

When the subjects connected by or or nor are of different persons, the verb agrees with the
noun that comes closer to it.
-Neither you nor he is responsible for this. (Here the verb is agrees with the third person
pronoun he.)
-Either he or you are to clean up the mess. (Here the verb are agrees with the second person
pronoun you.)
-Either you or John has to pay for the drinks.

The determiners each, every, anybody, every one etc. : The determiners each, every, every
one, anybody, either, neither, no one, nobody and many a should be followed by a singular
noun and a singular verb.
-Many a man has lost his life at sea. (Here the expression many a is followed by a singular noun
and a singular verb.)
-Neither candidate is fit for the job. (NOT Neither candidates are fit for the job.)
We cannot put a noun immediately after every one. Instead we use the structure every one
of. Every one of should be followed by a plural noun and a singular subject.
-Every one of the boys seems to be excited about the picnic. (NOT Every one of the boy
seems…) (NOT Every one of the boys seem…)

VERBAL:
-A verbal is a verb masquerading as another part of speech; it’s a verb in disguise.
Gerunds, participles, and infinitive are 3 different types of verbals;

Gerunds
-A gerund is the form of a verb that ends in
-“–ing” and functions as a NOUN in a sentence.
In a sentence, a gerund can have 3 different functions:
EX 1: Shopping is excellent recreation.
-The noun “shopping” is the subject of this sentence.
EX 2: My friends and I like shopping.
-The noun “shopping” is the direct object of the verb.
EX 3: Mom gave me money for shopping.
-The noun “shopping” is the object of the preposition “for.”
Participles
-A participle the verb form ending in –d, –ed, or –ing that is used as an ADJECTIVE.
(past participle adds –d or –ed to the verb stem)
(present participle adds –ing to the verb stem)
EXAMPLES:
-The butterfly fluttering near the daisy is a monarch.
(The adjective fluttering modifies “butterfly.”)

What does “FORM OF A VERB” mean?

The different parts of a verb, for ex:
-Verb base or stem ----jump
-Present participle = add –ing ----jumping
-Past ----jump
-Past participle = add --ed ----jumped
(if a verb ends in “e,” add only –d; ex: skated)

INFINITIVE = to + verb
-An infinitive is a verb form introduced by the word “to” that can be used as a noun, an adjective, or an
adverb.
EXAMPLE: I plan to read a book on Saturday.
(The infinitive “to read” is a noun used as a direct object, so it is a noun.)
Memory Trick:
An infinitive is as easy to see as a black-eyed pea.

"There" is a place.
-I live there.
-There are lots of shops.
-"There" is like "here," which is also a place. This is easy to remember because "there" contains the word
"here."

"Their" is for possession.

-I understand their argument.
-"Their" is just like "my," "his," "her," and "our," which are also used to show possession.

"They're" is short for "they are."

-Where are the rabbits? They're near the tree. correct tick
-If you cannot expand it to "they are," then you shouldn't be using "they're."