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B2 First Unit 12: The Arts

Students learn vocabulary for art and the theatre, use it-clefts for emphasis, and practise B2 First Reading and Use of English Parts 1, 4 and 6 and an article.

Arts · Theatre · Art · It cleft

B2 First preparationTopic unit

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Plan at a glance

Aims

Use it-clefts to stress one part of a sentence (It was the music that…, It wasn't until … that …) and avoid the common mistakes with where, when and a missing that
Learn and use 28 words and phrases in 4 sets: Art and galleries, Theatre and performance, Phrasal verbs and expressions, Describing art and performances
Practise B2 First Reading and Use of English Parts 1, 4 and 6
Writing task (Part 2): an article

Stages · 95 min

5 minLead-in: Pairs tell each other about the last concert, play, show or exhibition they went to, and whether they would recommend it.
20 minVocabulary: Ex. 1–4
5 minLanguage focus: Go through the grammar notes: it-clefts with who and that, It wasn't until … that …, then the three Watch out points.
5 minControlled practice: Ex. 5
20 minExam practice: Use of English: Ex. 6–7
15 minReading: Ex. 8
25 minWriting: Ex. 9

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Grammar notes

It is / It was … that / who

Use an it-cleft to stress one part of a sentence: My uncle found the letter. → It was my uncle who found the letter (not my aunt).
Put the stressed part straight after It is / It was. Use who or that for people, and that for things, times and places: It was the music that kept me awake. It was in Rome that they met.
Use It was for the past and It is for the present, even when the stressed part is plural: It was the drummers who…

It wasn't until … that …

Use it to say that something happened later than you expected: It wasn't until the second week that the class started to enjoy the book.
After until you can use a noun (the second week) or a clause (I got home).

Watch out

Don't use where or when after a place or time: It was in May that we moved (not It was in May when we moved).
Don't leave out that: It was only at the end that I laughed (not It was only at the end I laughed).
Contrast two things with It wasn't X but Y who / that…: It wasn't the singer but the drummer who arrived late.

Talking about the arts

Collocations: put on a play or an exhibition, a work of art, on display, highly regarded, a moving performance.
People and their work: a painter paints portraits and landscapes; a sculptor makes sculptures; an actor performs on stage.

Study tips

Learn arts words in families: perform, performance, performer; exhibit, exhibition; imagine, imaginative, imagination.
When you read a review, underline every it-cleft you find and ask yourself what the writer wanted to stress.

Glossary

Art and galleries8 items
Theatre and performance8 items
Phrasal verbs and expressions6 items
Describing art and performances6 items

See every word and its meaning

Complete the exercises, then check your answers.

Art and galleries

Match each word or phrase with its meaning. There is one extra meaning.

Tap an item…

…then its match

At the theatre

Complete each sentence with a word from the box. There is one extra word.

Word box

Tap a gap, then a word, or type the answer.

a
The clapped and cheered for ten minutes at the end of the show.
b
We had our last the night before the show, and everything went wrong.
c
Her as the old king was so strong that some people in the theatre cried.
d
She made her own for the play: a long red dress and a golden crown.
e
More than two hundred young actors came to the , but only six got a part.
f
As the lights went down, the actors walked onto the .
g
I learned my lines by reading the every night before bed.
h
When the last song ended, the went on for so long that the band came back to play again.

Phrasal verbs and expressions

Complete each sentence with a phrase from the box. There is one extra phrase.

Word box

Tap a gap, then a word, or type the answer.

a
My dad decided to photography when he retired, and now he's always out with his camera.
b
The new musical is going to quickly, so book your tickets today.
c
Every summer, our drama club tries to a musical in the school hall.
d
The new film will the true story of a young violinist from a small village.
e
The director offered her the main part, but she had to the role because she had exams that month.
f
We put out a hundred chairs and hoped that at least fifty people would .

What was it like?

Complete each sentence with an adjective from the box. Use each word once. There is one extra word.

Word box

Tap a gap, then a word, or type the answer.

a
The final scene was so that half the audience was in tears.
b
For a first-time actor, his performance was really : he looked as if he had been on stage for years.
c
Most of the jokes were old and the story was predictable; to be honest, I found it rather .
d
You don't have to be naturally to enjoy painting; you just need practice.
e
Is this the painting, or is it a copy?
f
The scenery was wonderfully : the trees in the forest scene were made from old umbrellas.

It was … that: find and correct the mistake

Each sentence has one mistake. Find it and write the correction.

a
It was in Vienna where she first showed her paintings to the public.
Correction:
b
It was only after the exhibition opened that critics have noticed her work.
Correction:
c
It was my cousin that he designed the sets for last night's show.
Correction:
d
It was the audience's reaction who surprised the actors most.
Correction:
e
It was only when the lights came up we saw how small the theatre was.
Correction:
f
It was not the writer but the director chose the ending.
Correction:

Exam task: The portrait in the attic

Read the text. For each gap, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) that best fits. If more than one answer seems possible, choose the most natural one for the context.

Exam task: Reading and Use of English, Part 1

Tip: Read the whole sentence before you choose. Some options have the right meaning but don't fit the grammar of the words around the gap.

When my grandmother died last year, we found a large painting wrapped in an old blanket in her attic. It was a portrait of a young woman in a blue dress, and none of us had ever seen it before. Most of the family thought it was worthless, but my uncle 1 on taking it to an expert.

The expert, who works for a small auction house, 2 the painting carefully for almost an hour. Then she told us something that none of us had 3 : it was the work of a painter who had lived in our town in the 1960s. He is best known for his landscapes, which hang in galleries all over the country, and he is now 4 regarded by critics.

Then she turned the painting over, and we all 5 our breath. On the back, in faded pencil, someone had written our grandmother's name and the year 1963. The young woman in the blue dress was her, and she had never once 6 it in all the years we knew her.

We could have sold it for a good price, but in the end we decided to 7 it to the town museum, where it is now on display in the main room. Every time I visit, there is a small crowd in front of it, and I like to think my grandmother would have been secretly 8 of all the attention.

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Gap 2
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Gap 4
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Gap 5
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Gap 8

Exam task: Key word transformations

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. Use between two and five words, including the word given.

Exam task: Reading and Use of English, Part 4

Tip: Count your words, and remember that a contraction such as didn't counts as two. Then check that your sentence keeps every detail of the first one, including the tense.

a
Her grandmother taught her to paint.
WHO
It was to paint.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
b
I only understood the play when I read the script.
UNTIL
It the script that I understood the play.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
c
All the tickets for the concert had gone less than an hour after they went on sale.
SOLD
The concert than an hour.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
d
Two years ago, she started painting as a hobby.
UP
Two years ago, she a hobby.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
e
The audience liked the dancers best.
IT
the audience liked best.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
f
She refused the offer to join the orchestra.
TURNED
She to join the orchestra.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.

Exam task: From the workshop to the stage

Six sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from the sentences A–G the one which fits each gap (1–6). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.

Exam task: Reading and Use of English, Part 6

Tip: When you have chosen all six sentences, read the extra one again and find a detail in the text that it contradicts. If you can't, check your answers once more.

I never wanted to act. When I joined Fernbrook Youth Theatre at sixteen, it was the scenery that interested me, not the stage itself. I spent my first year in the workshop, painting forests and castles on huge sheets of wood. [1] I loved it: nobody looked at me, and I could listen to the rehearsals while I worked. Our director, Mrs Okafor, had other ideas. She often asked me to read a few lines when an actor was missing, and I always said no. [2] I told her I was far too shy, and she laughed and said that shy people often made the best actors, because they actually listened. Then, two days before the opening night of our spring play, the girl with the main part broke her ankle. The play, which was based on a novel about a family of travelling musicians, had already sold out, and we couldn't cancel it. [3] I had heard every rehearsal from the workshop, so I knew most of her lines by heart. I almost turned down the part. It was my mum who changed my mind. 'You've helped build the whole world of this play,' she said. 'Now go and live in it.' [4] I don't remember much about the first night. I know my hands were shaking when the lights came up, and I know I forgot one line in the second act, which another actor covered so smoothly that no one in the audience noticed. [5] It was the strangest sound I had ever heard, and it was for us. That was three years ago. I still paint scenery, but I have taken up acting too, and last month I got my first part through a proper audition. [6] Whenever I feel nervous before I go on, I remember that sound, and I walk out anyway.

Tap an item…

…then its match

Exam task: Write an article

Write your article in 140–190 words.

Exam task: Writing, Part 2

Tip: Choose a plan that suits your experience. Plan A: describe the event, then say what made it special, then answer the question about other young people. Plan B: start in the middle of the most exciting moment to catch the reader's attention, then go back and explain. Either way, give your article a title and talk to the reader directly.

You see this announcement in an English-language magazine for teenagers. Articles wanted! A night to remember Tell us about a concert, play, show or exhibition that you will never forget. What made it so special? Would you recommend this kind of experience to other young people? The best articles will appear in our next issue. Write your article. Word box: It was … that · audience · performance · applause · moving · impressive

Suggested minimum: 140 words

Before you hand it in

My title makes people want to read my article.
I talk to the reader directly, for example with a question at the start.
I say what the event was, what made it special and whether I would recommend it.
I use at least two it-clefts, such as It was the final song that…
I use a few words from this unit, such as audience, applause or moving.

0 words · aim for at least 140

Show a model answer

Snow, silence and a standing crowd Have you ever been so moved by a performance that you forgot where you were? That happened to me last winter, at a free open-air concert in my town's main square. It was my aunt who persuaded me to go. I expected a dull evening, but the orchestra, which was made up of teenagers from local schools, was incredibly talented. It was the final piece that I remember best. Halfway through, it started to snow, and instead of stopping, the musicians just carried on playing. Nobody in the audience moved. When the music ended, there was a moment of complete silence, and then the applause began. People were laughing and hugging strangers. I had never felt anything like it. Would I recommend live music to other young people? Absolutely. A recording can be impressive, but it can't give you that feeling of sharing something with hundreds of people at the same moment. Look out for free concerts near you: you might be surprised how much you enjoy them.

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Revise with a game

This lesson's own words and questions. Play on your own, or in teams on the classroom screen.

Glossary

The 28 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in 4 sets.

Art and galleries

exhibition: a public show of paintings, photographs or other objects for a limited time
gallery: a building or room where people can look at paintings and other art
sculpture: a piece of art made by shaping stone, wood, metal or clay
portrait: a painting, drawing or photograph of a person
landscape: a painting of the countryside
masterpiece: an artist's best work, or any work of very high quality
work of art: a painting, sculpture or other object made by an artist
on display: placed where people can see it, for example in a museum

Theatre and performance

audience: the people who watch or listen to a play, concert or film
performance: how well someone acts, sings or plays in a show
rehearsal: a practice of a play or show before the real performance
stage: the raised area in a theatre where the actors perform
costume: the clothes an actor wears to play a character
audition: a short performance to show that you are good enough for a part
script: the written words of a play or film
applause: the sound of people clapping to show that they enjoyed something

Phrasal verbs and expressions

take up: start doing a new activity regularly
be based on: use a story, event or idea as its starting point
sell out: be sold completely, so that there are no tickets left
put on: organise a play, concert or exhibition for people to see
turn down: say no to an offer or a request
turn up: arrive or come to an event

Describing art and performances

moving: making you feel strong emotions, often sadness
impressive: so good that people admire it
imaginative: full of new and unusual ideas
original: the first one made, not a copy
talented: having a natural ability to do something well
dull: not interesting or exciting

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B2 First Unit 12: The Arts

Students learn vocabulary for art and the theatre, use it-clefts for emphasis, and practise B2 First Reading and Use of English Parts 1, 4 and 6 and an article.

Arts · Theatre · Art · It cleft

Or download everything as a ZIP (2 PDFs)

This lesson plan and its PDFs are free.

Plan at a glance

Aims

Use it-clefts to stress one part of a sentence (It was the music that…, It wasn't until … that …) and avoid the common mistakes with where, when and a missing that
Learn and use 28 words and phrases in 4 sets: Art and galleries, Theatre and performance, Phrasal verbs and expressions, Describing art and performances
Practise B2 First Reading and Use of English Parts 1, 4 and 6
Writing task (Part 2): an article

Stages · 95 min

5 minLead-in: Pairs tell each other about the last concert, play, show or exhibition they went to, and whether they would recommend it.
20 minVocabulary: Ex. 1–4
5 minLanguage focus: Go through the grammar notes: it-clefts with who and that, It wasn't until … that …, then the three Watch out points.
5 minControlled practice: Ex. 5
20 minExam practice: Use of English: Ex. 6–7
15 minReading: Ex. 8
25 minWriting: Ex. 9

Printables

Click a page to preview it, download it or open it in a new tab.

Download all (ZIP, 2 PDFs)

Grammar notes

It is / It was … that / who

Use an it-cleft to stress one part of a sentence: My uncle found the letter. → It was my uncle who found the letter (not my aunt).
Put the stressed part straight after It is / It was. Use who or that for people, and that for things, times and places: It was the music that kept me awake. It was in Rome that they met.
Use It was for the past and It is for the present, even when the stressed part is plural: It was the drummers who…

It wasn't until … that …

Use it to say that something happened later than you expected: It wasn't until the second week that the class started to enjoy the book.
After until you can use a noun (the second week) or a clause (I got home).

Watch out

Don't use where or when after a place or time: It was in May that we moved (not It was in May when we moved).
Don't leave out that: It was only at the end that I laughed (not It was only at the end I laughed).
Contrast two things with It wasn't X but Y who / that…: It wasn't the singer but the drummer who arrived late.

Talking about the arts

Collocations: put on a play or an exhibition, a work of art, on display, highly regarded, a moving performance.
People and their work: a painter paints portraits and landscapes; a sculptor makes sculptures; an actor performs on stage.

Glossary

The 28 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in 4 sets.

Art and galleries

exhibition: a public show of paintings, photographs or other objects for a limited time
gallery: a building or room where people can look at paintings and other art
sculpture: a piece of art made by shaping stone, wood, metal or clay
portrait: a painting, drawing or photograph of a person
landscape: a painting of the countryside
masterpiece: an artist's best work, or any work of very high quality
work of art: a painting, sculpture or other object made by an artist
on display: placed where people can see it, for example in a museum

Theatre and performance

audience: the people who watch or listen to a play, concert or film
performance: how well someone acts, sings or plays in a show
rehearsal: a practice of a play or show before the real performance
stage: the raised area in a theatre where the actors perform
costume: the clothes an actor wears to play a character
audition: a short performance to show that you are good enough for a part
script: the written words of a play or film
applause: the sound of people clapping to show that they enjoyed something

Phrasal verbs and expressions

take up: start doing a new activity regularly
be based on: use a story, event or idea as its starting point
sell out: be sold completely, so that there are no tickets left
put on: organise a play, concert or exhibition for people to see
turn down: say no to an offer or a request
turn up: arrive or come to an event

Describing art and performances

moving: making you feel strong emotions, often sadness
impressive: so good that people admire it
imaginative: full of new and unusual ideas
original: the first one made, not a copy
talented: having a natural ability to do something well
dull: not interesting or exciting