Collocations Lesson 8

Collocations Lesson 8

Movies / Books

My brother is a huge fan of movies. When he sees a movie trailer (a short video offering a preview of the movie), he counts down the days until the movie comes out. He always goes to the movie theatre on opening night – that’s the first day a movie, show, concert, or performance is open to the public. He also loves to analyse the film critics’ reviews (the evaluations of the people whose job is to analyse

movies) and tries to guess which movies will be nominated for an award. One of his favourite movie stars (famous actors/actresses) will be starring in an upcoming film about the Vietnam War. It’s based on a true story, and they’re shooting the film on-site in Vietnam – that means they will be recording/filming the movie in the same location as the story occurs.

This particular actor had been talking about retiring, but when he was offered the leading role (the opportunity to play the most important part in a movie) in a film that’s sure to be a box-office hit (a movie that is very successful) he couldn’t turn it down. I, on the other hand, prefer books. I’m currently engrossed in a book by Stieg Larsson (the book is taking all my attention) – it’s the final part of a trilogy, and I can’t wait to see how things turn out for the main character (the most important person in the book). I already have a huge collection of books, and I also borrow books from the library.

One book I took out last week deals with modern feminism and motherhood. It’s a bit of a controversial topic, but it’s an interesting and enjoyable read. I’m not sure I’ll have time to finish it before I have to return the book to the library. Maybe I’ll renew it for another week – that means to get an extension of the length of time I can keep the book. Note: We talk about the beginning and end of a book, story, or film (not the “start and finish”). The first and last parts of a story can also be called the opening and closing scenes (in a movie) or the opening and closing chapters (in a book).

Multiple Choice

A movie from an amateur filmmaker was _______ for three awards at an international film festival.

• based

• nominated

• presented

Multiple Choice

Did you see the ________ for the new Star Wars movie? It looks like it'll be awesome!

• trailer

• trilogy

• theatre

Multiple Choice

The opening _________ of the movie is very violent.

• chapter

• genre

• scene

Multiple Choice

I didn't like the _______ of the movie; it just didn't seem believable.

• close

• end

• finish

Multiple Choice

I enjoyed the book because I could really identify with the main ________.

• character

• role

• star

Multiple Choice

It was a very moving film and it was based on a __________ story.

• factual

• real

• true

Multiple Choice

It's an enjoyable ________, written in a humorous and relatable style.

• page

• read

• scene

Multiple Choice

Oh no! I lost a book that I __________ from the library.

• borrowed

• loaned

• returned

Multiple Choice

The documentary deals with a number of ________ topics.

• controversial

• debatable

• polemic

Multiple Choice

The first movie was excellent, but the sequel got mediocre _______.

• analyses

• critics

• reviews

Multiple Choice

The movie Titanic ________ Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

• hits

• shoots

• stars

Multiple Choice

We couldn't get a ticket for ________ night they were all sold out.

• initial

• opening

• beginning