Activities

Exercise 1. Read the dialogue paying attention to the words in bold.

Nicola: 'Do you watch a lot of television?'

Jason: 'I used to watch a lot of television, but now I don't watch a lot. I work a lot now, so I don't have a lot of time to watch it. Also, for me there are too many commercials on TV than there used to be. The advertisements on television when companies try to sell your their products.'

Nicola: 'I don't like commercials either, but what type of shows/programs do you like to watch? Do you prefer factual shows/programs like the news, chat shows, documentaries, or fictional shows/programs like films, dramas, comedies etc...'

Jason: 'I like both. I watch the news and I watch fictional shows as well.'

Nicola: 'What type of fictional shows/programs do you prefer to watch, dramas or comedies?'

Jason: 'I know that comedies are a type of TV shows that make people laugh, but what does dramas mean?'

Nicola: 'Dramas are fictional television shows whose stories are about serious subjects/issues like love, conflict, emotions etc... Dramas are basically any type of fictional shows/programs that aren't written/created to make people laugh (like comedies).'

Jason: 'So programs like House or Downton Abbey are dramas and programs like the Simpsons or Friends are comedies?'

Nicola: 'Yes.'

Jason: 'But I've heard people call House a medical drama and Downton Abbey a period drama. What's the difference?'

Nicola: 'Medical dramas and period dramas are two different types or genres of dramas. Television shows are normally described by what type of story they are. For example, TV shows which are fictional and their main/principal story is about hospitals or medicine are called 'medical dramas' and a 'period dramas' is where the story of the TV show is in the distant past. This is what genres are. Genres are used to help people find and watch TV shows/programs which they are interested in.'

Jason: 'I like medical dramas, like Grey's Anatomy and House. I remember one episode of House where they travel to England and have to save a woman with the plague.'

Nicola: 'So, what is your favorite TV series? Is it House?'

Jason: 'What's the difference between a TV series and a TV show?'

Nicola: 'A TV series is a type of TV show/program which has different episodes/parts where each of the episodes continues with the same or similar story as the episode before it.'

Jason: 'So, is the news a TV series?'

Nicola: 'No, it's a type of TV show/program, but it's not a TV series. Normally, a TV series only has between 6 to 25 episodes/parts in a year and one episode is shown/broadcast once a week. A television series can be either fictional or factual. Some TV series only last for one year, while others can continue and make new episodes for many years. If a TV series lasts for many years, all the episodes it shows in a year is called a season. For example, House is a TV series that has 7 seasons. And each season has about 20 episodes. The last episode in a fictional TV season is normally called the season finale. Some TV series also have extra episodes which are shown at special times of the year or the episode is very different to other normal episodes. These extra episodes are called specials. These specials are sometimes made to be shown at Christmas or Halloween (e.g. the Simpsons' Halloween specials) and sometimes when they do something special in the episode (like doing a tour, going on holiday, e.g. Top Gear specials).'

Jason: 'So, what is a mini-series then?'

Nicola: 'A mini-series is a type of series which only lasts for one season, no more. Normally, a mini-series only has between 3 to 10 episodes and in the final episode, the story ends. Band of Brothers and Planet Earth are both examples of mini-series.'

Jason: 'I watched Band of Brothers this year, it was broadcast on channel 5. I like channel 5, but for me, my favorite channel or station is BBC1. It broadcasts/shows some of my favorite television shows.'

Nicola: 'This year channel 5 showed a rerun of Band of Brothers, it was the second time they had broadcast the mini-series. They broadcast the mini-series last year as well.'

Exercise 2. Find words or expressions meaning:

1.A word that is used to say when or where a TV program is 'shown' or 'transmitted' on TV, is_____________.

2. A type of TV show/program where the story has been invented by somebody and is not real, is called _____________.

3. When a television show/program has different parts and one part is shown once a _____________.

4. The advertisements that are shown on television where businesses try to sell their products/services, are called _____________.

5. Each single/separate part of a television series, is called an _____________.

6. Fictional TV shows/programs which are funny and try to make people laugh, are called _____________.

7. A type of TV show/program which shows real stories and situations and doesn't invent what is said or done, is called _____________.

8. When a TV series or show continues/lasts for many years, all its episodes/parts in each year are called a _____________.

9. When a TV show/program is shown for a second or third time on television, it is called a_____________.

10. The name for the 'last episode' in a season/year of a TV series, is_____________.

11. A type of TV series which has been made to last/run for only one season/year and the story ends in the last episode, is called a_____________.

12. The name for the place on television like BBC 1, CBS or CNN that show/broadcast TV show/programs, is_____________.

13. The name for the extra episodes which TV series have for Christmas or Halloween, are called_____________.

14. Fictional TV shows/programs which aren't funny and don't try to make people laugh, are called_____________.

15. A different way to say 'types' when talking about a TV show/program, is_____________.

Exercise 3. Describe your favorite TV program/ show. Use the following expressions:

1. My family receives/ subscribes to ... .

2. I cannot say I am fond of watching TV, because I don’t have much time to spare, but there is a program that attracts/ appeals to/ inspires/ entertains me/ gives much food for thought/ gives best coverage of…/ provides most accurate account of…

3. It is a popular/ mainstream/ general interest/ special interest/ human interest/ minority audience … show

4. It belongs to the genre of …, but stands out from the crowd because of its….

5. The audience mainly consists of young/ elderly/ educated/ intellectual/ smart/ better-off/ fashion-conscious/ ambitious/ career-conscious/ fun-loving… viewers

6. It's a morning/ evening / primetime/ daily /weekly/ program broadcast at … on Channel …

7. I think ... is most interesting/ exciting/ gripping/ thought-provoking/ in-depth/ unbiased/objective/ fair/ entertaining/ humorous/ funny/ best analytical/ innovative/ relaxing/ witty/ true- to- life show/ program/ drama/ series…

8. I prefer it because of the personality of the host/ anchorman/ newscaster/ main star ... who is attractive/ great personality/ cute/ witty/ smart/ good-looking/ sexy/ charismatic/ thorn in his guest’s side, …

9. The content of the program follows the script/ is based on live events/ involves live audience/ is not rehearsed before shooting

10. I watched it last …. It was the episode where …

11. The thing that I liked most about the episode, was …

12. I would recommend watching this show to viewers who are … and value ….

Exercise 4. Translate the sentences from Russian into English:

1. Моих любимых телеведущих сейчас показывают очень редко.

2. Дебаты в Думе показывали в прямом эфире.

3. На днях меня пригласили поучаствовать в игровом шоу.

4. Он несколько раз пытался дозвониться в телешоу с участием зрителей, но так и не смог пробиться к ведущей.

5. Эту экранизацию знаменитого романа будут показывать два канала одновременно.

6. Что сегодня по телику? Опять мыльные оперы для особо одаренных?

7. Поскольку рекламные ролики на ТВ очень дорогие, все больше компаний размещают рекламу в Интернете.

8. Сразу же после событий 11 сентября 2001 года в США на экраны вышло несколько хороших документальных фильмов, в которых все детально анализировалось.

9. О нем писали все газеты и говорили все каналы.

10. По мотивам детективных романов часто снимают сериалы.

11. Западные фильмы отличаются от снятых в России наличием и качеством спецэффектов.

12. Ведущий ток-шоу должен быть яркой личностью и обладать гибкостью, чтобы в случае какой-нибудь накладки изобразить «счастливую болтовню».

13. Обычное телевидение, как правило, смотрят люди старшего поколения, молодежь перешла на кабель, спутниковое телевидение или Интернет.

14. Чтобы оценить перспективы абсолютно нового шоу, нужно написать сценарий, «продать» его руководству телеканала, снять пилотную серию и показать ее небольшой аудитории.