English notes 2

(Eng) English study about describing

Words

• catchy : memorable
• commercial : converned with or engaged in commerce
• disturbing : causing anxiety; worrying
• dull : lacking interest or exciment
• gripping : firmly holding the attention or interest; exciting
• hilarious : extremely amuzing
• over-the-top : to an excessive or exaggerated degree
• uplifting : inspiring happiness, optimism or hope
• weird : uncanny

Sentences

• It didn't do much for me. It's very commercial.
• It is just too much for my liking, really over-the-top.
• It does nothing for me. It's quite boring, quite dull.
• A: What kind of thing do you do in your free time?
• B: I guess the films are the main thing.
• A: Really. Do you go cinema much then?
• Yeah. I mean it depend's what's on.
• I'm happy just to watch at home.
• Don't you want to see it on the big screen?
• To be honest, I am not that keen on action movies.
• I suppose, I'd rather see other things.
• It was so over-the-top. That scene where he eats the live octopus! It was all a bit too weird for my liking.
• C: As I said, it is not really my kind of thing. So what other films are you into?
• D: Oh all sorts. (every type!)
• I'm really into action movies.
• I've heard it is good. I was actually thinking of going to see it.
• I thought it was supposed to be a feel-good movie.
• What did they think of them?

Disaggrements

• I guess but to be honest I'm not that keen on action movies.
• It was all a bit too weird for my liking.
• As I say, it's not really my kind of thing.
• It was not bad, I suppose but ..

We often soften responses by using phrases such as I'm not that keen on, I guess, I suppose, to be honest, for my liking.. We also use a bit to soften negative adjectives.

Quotes about art

• Art is the lie that enables us to realise the truth.
• Art is what you can get away with.
• The urge of destroy is also a creative urge.(urge: impulse, desire)
• The more minimal the art, the longer the explanation.
• Art never responds to the wish to make it democratic; it is not for everybody; it is only for those who are willing to undergo the effort needed to understand it.

Descriptive sentences

• Bold colours are very bright, strong and clear, whereas subtle colours are not strong or bright. They're softer and more delicate.

•   delicate: (fine, elegant) very fine in texture or structure, of intricate workmanship or quality. Ex: A spider's web is stong yet delicate
  

•   subtle: (fine-drawn, ultra-fine, elusive) so delicate or precise as to be difficult to analyze or describe. Ex: His language expresses rich and subtle meanings.
  

• If a painting is conventional, it's traditional and not new or different in any way.

•   conventional: based on or in accordance with what is generally done or believed.
  

• If it's atmospheric, a painting creates a special mood - such as a feeling of romance or mystery.
• If it's ambiguous, the meaning of the work isn't clear - it's oepn to interpretation.
• An intimate painting shows private moments in someone's life.

•   intimate: closely acquinted, familiar, close. (as noun: a very close friend)
  

• The main character has his back to the viewer, which creates a feeling of mystery.
• He looks as if he's thinking about killing himself.(as if + sentence)
• He is obviously a sad and lonely man.
• He seems to be the most important thing in the painting. Ex: The car seems to be running well. Everyone seems to have thought the same thing. He seems to know the facts. This house seems to be empty. He seems to be losing. She seems to be sad. That seems to be the hardest word I've learned. It seems to be working, though I don't know for sure. It seems to be good. What seems to be the problem here? She seems to be losing her mind.
• He appears to be looking for something better than what he was.
• He looks very proud. I get the impression he feels very pleased with himself.
• He looks like a very wealthy man.
• It must be someone in Europe. It could well be France.
• Who do you think people in there might be?
• How do you think they're feeling?
• What might the connection between the two works be?
• In what way are two paintings connected?
• In what way might the viewer's first impression of the paintings be wrong?

Sentences

• Follow me through into the next room.
• He died at the age of 37, at a time when his career was going well and since then he has been forgotten, which seems to a bit of a shame, to be honest.
• These two paintings were meant to be hung together as companion pieces.

•   companion: a person or animal with whom one spends a lot time with whom one travels
  

• He was composing the letter.

•   compose: write or create (a work of art, especially music or poetry).Prepare (a text) for printing by manually, mechancally or electronically setting up the letters and other characters in order to be printed.
  

• She is digesting it.

•   digest: break down (food) in the alimentary canal into substances that can be absorbed and used by the body.(sindirmek)
  

• His surroundings create the impression that he's well travelled.
• He's man of the world.
• Woman seems to belong more to the domestic world. She looks calm and content as she reads.

•   content: a state of peaceful happiness
  

• However, not everything is as it first appears. Beneath the surface of the calm domestic world lies trouble.

•   beneath: at a lower level or layer than
  

• Obviously, the woman was so excited to receive her letter that she jumped up in the middle of her needleworkk.
• This could well be a symbol of the difficult, stormy nature of love, especially when partners are seperated. There is another letter to deliver, presumably to the man.
• Even he, depicted in darker, more subtle shades, is a victim of the fires of the heart. The rich red of carpet and the bright light pouring in through the window suggest he has a heated mind.(angry and excited)

•   depict: show or represent by a drawing, painting, or other art form
  

• The underlying message now seems painfully clear: passion can lead to chaos.

•   painfully clear: it is embrassing because it is so clear/obvious