Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Arts and Humanities

Music: Soundtrack

People Who Act: Cast

People Watching in the Studio: A Live Audience

People Working on the Programme: Crew

Storyline: Plot

Broadcasting Right Now: On Air

Shot in a Real Place: Filmed on Location

A Person Who Writes the Dialogue in a Film: A Scriptwriter

Computer Graphics: Special Effects

Scenery and Furniture: Set

Very Exciting: Gripping

Very Funny: Hilarious

Believable: Convincing; Very Bad: Appalling

Kidnapping: Taking Somebody by Force; Arson: Setting Fire on Purpose

Life Sentence: Prison for Life; Vandalism: Damaging Property

Fine: Paying Money as Punishment; Community Service: Community Service

Burglary: Breaking in to Steal; Tax Evasion: Not Paying Taxes

Piracy: Stealing Digital Content

Depressing and Frightening: Gloomy; Confusing: Baffling

Deep... Continue reading "Understanding Film and Media Terminology" »

Macrostructure

Theme: This is the topic sentence that summarizes the main idea. Usually at the beginning.

Rheme: Arguments that support the theme. In the middle.

Thesis Statement: Restatement of the initial idea. Normally at the end.

Microstructure

Lexicon

• Formal or informal language (e.g., Provides, expand).
• Attributive adjectives such as “logically and psychologically satisfying conclusion”.
• Semantic fields (Campos semánticos).
• Elements that are not formal (Common words like 'too' instead of 'moreover'; 'quite' similar). The combination of formal register with more accessible language suggests that this is an informative text.
• Main statements (topic sentences and thesis statements) use the copulative verb 'to be' which indicates that the statement

Film Vocabulary

Key Terms

• Director
• Stuntman/woman
• Stunt
• Film star
• Script
• Star in a film
• Special effects
• Producer
• Plot
• Soundtrack
• Win an award
• Release a film
• Film a scene
• Screen

Grammar: Future Tenses

• Future Simple: will + base verb (e.g., Most films will probably be 3D.)
• Future with going to: is/are going to + base verb (e.g., James Cameron is going to release 3D versions of some old films.)

Vocabulary: Action Verbs

• Suggest
• Develop
• Equip
• Predict
• Advertise
• Educate
• Enjoy
• Possess
• Argue
• Decorate
• Connect
• Excite
• Inform
• Compete

Grammar: First Conditional

If + present simple, will + base verb (e.g., If I win, they will let me go to film school.)

Social Etiquette

Vocabulary: Social Interactions

• Bring a present
• Be late
• Click your fingers
• Interrupt a conversation
• Jump a queue
• Tell jokes
• Arrive

Francis Bacon: Life and Works

Francis Bacon (1561-1626) was an English philosopher and politician. His father, Sir Nicholas Bacon, was a high-ranking magistrate in Queen Elizabeth's government. Bacon studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, and in 1576, he entered Gray's Inn in London to study law. Shortly after, he traveled to France as part of a diplomatic mission.

Other Notable Works by Francis Bacon:

• Novum Organum
• The Wisdom of the Ancients
• The Advancement of Learning

New Atlantis: Plot Summary

New Atlantis describes a fictional island, Bensalem, where a group of European sailors land after becoming lost at sea.

A central element of the work is the description of Solomon's House, a pioneering scientific research center. Here, experiments are... Continue reading "Francis Bacon's New Atlantis: Summary and Analysis" »

Visigothic Architecture (7th Century)

• Key characteristics: Austerity, simplicity, portico, nave, transept, north/south portico, presbytery, apse.

San Pedro de la Nave, Zamora

• Greek or Latin cross plan within a rectangle
• Influenced by Greek and Roman precedents
• Small scale and spaces
• Reflects a simpler technique, indicative of a decline in craftsmanship
• Reassembled in a different location
• Naive or stylized sculptures
• Thick walls
• Lantern at the geometrical center

San Juan de Baños, Palencia

• Three naves
• Commissioned by King Recesvinto
• Monolithic interior columns
• Appendix (or side chapels)
• Pointed horseshoe arches
• Constructed with yellow sandstone ashlar
• Trident floor plan

Quintanilla de las Viñas, Burgos

• Latin cross plan
• Three naves
• One transept
• Features vegetal motifs
• Animal

English Vocabulary: Social Action and Community Engagement

Unit 4: Social Action Vocabulary

• Attend a rally: asistir a una manifestación
• Appeal: recurrir
• Campaign
• Campaigner
• Charity
• Donate / Donation
• Fundraising event: evento para recaudar fondos
• Fundraiser: recaudador de fondos
• Go on a march: ir a una marcha
• Raise awareness of: concienciar / sensibilizar
• Raise funds / money: recaudar fondos
• Sign a petition: firmar una petición
• Sit-in: sentada
• Sponsor: patrocinar
• Sponsorship: patrocinio / apadrinamiento
• Take part in a [cause/event]
• Volunteer
• Voluntary work

Unit 4: Key Collocations

• Animal charity
• Beach clean-up
• Cancer research
• Computer game
• Death penalty
• Endangered species
• Free debate
• Homeless person
• Informed decision
• Political engagement: compromiso político
• Legal age:

Cultural Acceptance of White Lies

In my society, telling small lies is often accepted and even expected in daily interactions. People commonly use “white lies” to avoid hurting others’ feelings or to be polite. For example, it’s typical to compliment someone’s cooking even if you didn’t enjoy it, simply to be respectful.

While constant lying is frowned upon, these social lies are seen as necessary to maintain harmony. I believe this is generally a good thing—telling the absolute truth can sometimes cause unnecessary pain. As long as the intention behind the lie is kind, I think it plays a useful role in communication and relationships.

Graffiti: Art Form or Act of Vandalism?

Graffiti has long sparked debate. Some see it as vandalism,... Continue reading "Social Ethics, Urban Art Debate, and Professional Writing Examples" »

Types of Narrator

Definition: The kind of voice telling the story, categorized by perspective (participant/observer) and trustworthiness (reliable/unreliable, omniscient/objective).

Examples of Narrative Voice

• In Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral,” the narrator is unreliable; his judgments about Robert reveal his own ignorance, not the truth.
• In Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants,” the narrator is objective, refusing to interpret events and forcing readers to infer the emotional stakes.

Metaphor

Definition: A figure of speech comparing two unlike things without using “like” or “as.”

Example: In John Cheever’s “The Swimmer,” Neddy’s journey through neighborhood pools is a powerful metaphor for life, aging, and decline.... Continue reading "Essential Literary Terms and Analysis Techniques" »

Essential Literary Terms and Dramatic Devices

Figures of Speech and Irony

• Irony: A contrast between expectations and reality.
• Verbal Irony: A comment where a character says one thing but means something else.
• Situational Irony: When one thing is expected but something unexpected occurs.
• Dramatic Irony: The audience knows more than the character does.
• Paradox: An apparent contradiction that is somehow true.
• Conceit: A fanciful figure of speech connecting dissimilar things (often an extended metaphor).
• Allusion: A reference to a person, place, or event from history, literature, or politics.

Poetic Forms and Structure

• Sonnet: A fourteen-line lyric poem in iambic pentameter.
• Turn (Volta): The point in a sonnet with a change in tone or argument.
• Blank Verse: