C1 Describing Films and TV shows

Vocabulary

EXERCISE 1 LOOK AT THE TV SHOWS BELOW AND DISCUSS THE QUESTIONS.

Best Buddies International

Writer's Block Magazine

Disney Plus
Rotten Tomatoes
Posters.es
Flipkart

1. Have you seen any of these TV shows?

2. Which ones do you think I enjoyed, didn't enjoy, or felt indifferent about?
3. What do you think about these TV shows?
4. If you haven't seen some of them, would you like to watch them? Why (not)?

EXERCISE 2 READ THE REVIEWS AND MATCH THEM WITH THE PREVIOUSLY
MENTIONED TV SHOWS.

TV SHOW 1: ____________________________________________________________________
Rotten Tomatoes

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Vocabulary

TV SHOW 2: ____________________________________________________________________

Rotten Tomatoes
TV SHOW 3: ____________________________________________________________________

Rotten Tomatoes

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EXERCISE 3 LOOK AT THE SENTENCES FROM THE REVIEWS. WHAT DO THE WORDS /
EXPRESSIONS IN ITALICS MEAN? CAN YOU THINK OF THEIR SYNONYMS?

1. The show brings together a lot of intriguing concepts that work together to
develop the plot.
2. The first episode alone really grabs the viewers' attention.
3. The biggest battle was me trying not to fall asleep.

EXERCISE 4 MATCH THE ADJECTIVES TO THEIR DEFINITIONS.

fast-moving gripping haunting heart-warming

heavy-going implausible moving thought-provoking

A. _______________: Describes something that leaves a deep impression, often with a sense of
sadness or melancholy.
B. _______________: Refers to something that stimulates contemplation and reflection.
C. _______________: Refers to something that is dynamic, or progressing rapidly.
D. _______________: Describes something that elicits a strong emotional response.
E. _______________: Means not believable or unlikely to happen in reality.
F. _______________: Refers to something that is uplifting, typically inspiring feelings of warmth or
happiness.
G. _______________: Describes something that is difficult to understand or progress through due to
its complexity or density.
H. _______________: Describes something that is intensely engaging, fascinating or captivating.

EXERCISE 5 COMPLETE THE SHORT REVIEWS WITH AN ADJECTIVE FROM EXERCISE 5.

1. While the special effects were impressive, the __________ plot twist left me feeling disconnected
from the story.
2. The _________ story of friendship restored my faith in humanity.
3. With its _________ storyline, this film kept me on the edge of my seat.
4. Despite its _________ plot, which made it difficult to watch all the way to the end, the _________
messages about society made it a rewarding experience.

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 C1 Describing Films and TV shows
Vocabulary

5. The __________ performances filled me with sadness and made it an unforgettable experience.
6. It was a wonderful and _________ story that reduced me to tears!
7. The _________ action sequence made it impossible to follow!

EXERCISE 6 WHICH TV SHOWS / FILMS YOU'VE SEEN BEFORE WOULD YOU DESCRIBE
AS...

...fast-moving?
...gripping?
...haunting?
...heart-warming?
...heavy-going?
WHY?
...implausible?
...moving?
...thought-provoking?

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 TOTAL TIME: ~45 mins

Teacher's notes
Exercise 1. Lead-in 8 mins
Look at the six TV shows and elicit their titles. Ask students if they are familiar with these shows and
whether they have watched them before. Put students into pairs and tell them to guess which of these TV
shows the teacher enjoyed, didn't enjoy, or felt indifferent about. Reveal the answers and compare them
with students' predictions. Finish by discussing what students think about those TV shows and if they
haven't seen them before, would they like to watch them one day? Why (not)?
Exercise 2. Reading for gist + discussion 5 mins
Say that you are going to read six reviews in total. One positive and one negative review per TV show.
Students read the reviews and in pairs decide which of the TV shows mentioned in the lead-in part are
being described. Do they agree with the reviews? Are they surprised by any of them?

Answers:
TV show 1: Squid Game
TV show 2: Game of Thrones - season 1
TV show 3: Game of Thrones - season 8
Exercise 3. Vocabulary introduction 4 mins
Look at the three sentences seen in the reviews. Analyse the words and phrases in italics. Talk about their
meanings and think about their synonyms. Do they express positive or negative emotions?

Answers:
intriguing (positive emotion): very interesting because of being unusual or mysterious. (synonyms: interesting,
captivating, gripping)
to grab someone's attention (positive emotion): to attract someone (synonyms: attract, absorb, engage,
captivate)
battle was me trying not to fall asleep (negative emotion): so boring that makes us sleepy (synonyms: boring,
exhausting)
Exercise 4. Teach - vocabulary 6 mins
Look at the list of adjectives that can be used to describe a film or a TV show. Students work individually
and match the words to their definitions. Before checking the answers as a group, put students into pairs
to compare their responses.

Answers: 1C, 2H, 3A, 4F, 5G, 6E, 7D, 8B

Exercise 5. Vocabulary - controlled practice 5 mins
Once again, students work individually and complete the sentences with the missing adjectives from the
previous exercise. Allow students to compare the answers in pairs and then check them together as a
group. If necessary, discuss any new vocabulary.

Answers: 1.implausible, 2.heart-warming, 3.gripping, 4.heavy-going / thought-provoking, 5.haunting, 6.moving,

7.fast-moving
Exercise 6. Discussion 14 mins
Give students some alone time to think about the movies and TV shows that they have seen before and
which could be described using the vocabulary learnt in class.

Put students into pairs and ask them to present their choices to each other and justify each one of them.
Collect answers from students and compare them with the rest of the group.
Error correction 3 mins
Provide speaking feedback.