Essential English Vocabulary for Art, Education, and Cinema

Picture This: Art and Emotion Vocabulary

• Anxious: Worry
• Exhaustion / Drenched: Fatigue
• Astonished: Shocked (Surprise < Amazed < Astonished)
• Hopeful: Optimistic
• Despair: Hopelessness
• Agony: Suffering
• Agony Aunt: A newspaper columnist who offers advice on personal problems.
• Fatigue: Tiredness
• Guilt / Guilty: Blame
• Inappropriate: Unsuitable
• Seductive: Attractive
• Preoccupied: Distracted
• Detachable: Not attachable
• Tender: Loving
• Nuptials: Wedding
• Selective / Pinpoint: Choosing or selecting
• Ignore: Not pay attention to
• Stop in (my) tracks: Interrupt or stop
• Gorgeous: Beautiful
• Serve: Work for
• Plain / Ordinary / Simple: Not extravagant or fancy
• Tackle: Taking it on (Afrontar/Enfrentar)
• Matters: Issue (Asunto/Tema)
• Outgrow: Leave behind
• Resemble / Take after: Look like
• Wake up for: Compensate
• Entire: Whole
• Spoil: Ruin
• Striking / Stunning: Shocking
• Scene: Setting
• Opponents: Rivals
• Matchstick figure: Simple drawing
• Series: Sequence
• Wimp: Weakly
• Captured: Caught or arrested
• Facial expression: Look
• Villain: Antagonist
• Adapted for the screen: Filmed or made into a movie
• Illustrations: Depictions
• Version: Adaptation
• Scenery: Landscape
• Genres: Categories, kinds, or styles
• Unforgettable: Memorable
• Set in: Located in
• Hooked on: Addicted to
• Hilarious: Very funny
• Unfolds: Develops or happens
• Influenced: Inspired
• Humorous: Funny or entertaining
• Reviews: Critiques
• Couldn’t put it down: Found it unputdownable
• Exhibitions: On display
• Images: Pictures
• Look through: Browse
• Appreciate: Admire
• Background: Setting
• Foreground: Forefront (Primer plano)
• Portraits: Painting
• Frames: Marco
• Canvases: Lienzo
• Reveal: Show
• Gripping: Engrossing
• Made fun of: Ridiculed
• Quite unlike: Completely different from
• Make up for: Compensate for
• Out of the ordinary: Unusual
• In search of: Looking for
• Makes a fool of: Embarrasses
• Set off: Start or began
• Lost interest in: Became bored with
• Extremely unpleasant: Horrible or awful
• Slight changes: Minor adjustments
• Accurate picture: Precise image
• Desperate attempt: Último esfuerzo
• Underrate: Infravalorar/Subestimar
• Overrate: Sobrevalorar
• Laugh out loud: Giggle
• Go abroad: Travel overseas
• Abstract art: Non-objective art
• Still life: Tableau
• Faithful friend: Loyal friend
• Foreign land: Overseas

E-Learning and Academic Terms

• Purpose: The aim of this
• Accessible: Reachable
• Qualify / Qualification: To be qualified
• Innovative: Groundbreaking
• Bring about: Cause or provoke
• Take the initiative: Plan
• Educated / Expertise: Knowledgeable
• Spontaneously: Impulsively
• Revise: Go over the topics
• Boasts: Show off or is proud to have
• At your own pace: Take your time
• Approach: Method
• Hands-on: Practical
• Struggle: Make an effort
• Explanation: Explication
• Materials: Matter
• Field: Area of interest or study
• Specialise: Become an expert
• Acquire: Gain
• Scholarships / Grants: Money for education based on achievement or need
• Lecturer: University teacher
• Tutorials: Small group study sessions
• Absences: Not being present
• Get through: Pass
• Graduate: Complete a first university degree
• Tuition: Education
• Social networking sites: Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
• Have what it takes: Possess the skills
• On-the-go learning: To learn anywhere
• Enrichment courses: Classes to expand your knowledge
• Illiterate: Unable to read and write
• Digital native: Person born after 1980
• Sign up for: Enrol in
• Know-how: Skills and knowledge
• In hindsight: Looking back
• Peers: Classmates
• Delve into: Explore
• Costly: Expensive
• Debts: Debit
• Lacking life skills: No preparation for life
• Broaden: Expand (broadens your horizons)
• Fully rounded: Well-developed
• Opens up opportunities: Creates possibilities
• Society: Civilization
• Script: A written text
• Take on new responsibilities: Fell into his new role
• News got around: Word spread
• A way of: A means of
• Non-profit organisation: Business not focused on profit
• Estimated: Approximate
• Replace: Return
• Forced: Involuntary
• Enthusiastic: Excitable
• Motivate: Prompt
• Individually: Independently
• Reinvent: Transform
• Simply: Plainly
• To cram: To swot
• Slumber: Sleep
• Enhance: Improve or make better
• Digital literacy: Digital skills
• Spotted: Noticed
• Discourage: Dissuade
• Disease: Illness
• Mainland: Continent
• Gap year: Año sabático
• Degree: Qualification received after study
• Careers: Professions
• Valid: Válido
• Narrow: Estrechas
• Put up with: Tolerate
• Fed up with: Tired of or bored with
• Take on: Assume (Asumir)
• Move on: Progress
• Keep up: Continue
• Turn up: Arrive
• Fool around: Waste time
• Fall behind: Not keep up with
• Hand in: Give to the teacher
• Answer back: Reply rudely
• Set up: Establish

It’s Showtime: Cinema Vocabulary

• Shot: Film
• Film crew: Production team
• Set: Backdrop
• Authentic: Real
• Film extras: Background actors
• Associated with: Related to
• Moving: Emotional
• To move: Emocionar
• To become emotional: Emocionarse
• Second-rate: Low quality
• Stick to: Follow closely
• Come out: Is first seen
• Subtitles: Translation of the dialogue
• Low-budget: Shoestring
• Make your debut: Premiere
• Box-office success: Blockbuster
• Plot: Storyline
• Episode: Chapter
• First-rate: Top quality
• Cast: Performers
• Matinee: Afternoon show
• Applaud: Clap
• Top-grossing: Highest-earning
• Recognition: Identification
• Screenwriter: Scriptwriter
• Script: Screenplay
• Riveting: Fascinating
• Producer: Filmmaker
• Soundtrack: Musical score
• Adaptation: Version
• On location: On site
• Feature films: Full-length movies
• Sequels: Follow-ups
• Couch potatoes: Screen addicts
• Lead role: Main role
• Supporting role: Secondary role
• Special effects: Visual effects
• Dubbed: Voiced over
• Billboards: Advertising boards