WRITING

How to Write a Movie Review

March 17, 2023April 2, 2023 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

For the B2 FCE Cambridge exam

A movie review is an informal piece of writing that describes and evaluates a movie. Movie reviews are usually written by experts giving their opinion about the movie and published in newspapers, magazines, or blogs.

Parts of a movie review

1. Title

This should include the movie title and an eye-catching heading

2. Introduction

This paragraph should include the name of the movie, the genre, the director, the stars and any prizes they have won. You can also include information about the place and the time the movie is set and filmed. The purpose of this paragraph is that you engage the reader and give them a general idea of the type of movie you are going to review.

3. Summary

This part should include an outline of the main events along with general information about the characters and the plot. Your summary should NOT spoil the film. Therefore, you should not mention anything about the ending of the movie.

4. Analysis

In this section you should share your opinion about the movie. Your review should examine the plot, the actors, the special effects and the soundtrack. You can also compare the movie you are reviewing to a similar film in the same genre. In this section you can also give examples of the good elements and the bad elements in the movie.

5. Conclusion

In this part you should summarize your thoughts on the good and bad elements of the movie. Finally, you should evaluate the movie (give stars ⭐⭐⭐, thumbs up 👍 or thumbs down 👎) and make a recommendation. You should mention why you recommend/ don’t recommend the movie.

Now that you know which parts should be included in a movie review 🎞️🍿, let’s see an example:

Check the movie trailer out to learn more about “Little Boy”

Useful language to describe movies

Movie genre

an action movie
an animated movie
a drama
a historical movie
a horror movie
a musical
a romantic comedy
a science fiction movie
a thriller
a war movie
a western

People and things in movies

audience
cast
cinematography
extra
plot
review
scene
script
sequel
soundtrack
special effects
star
subtitles

Adjectives to describe movies

Positive	Negative	Neutral
funny hilarious exciting interesting moving first-rater original imaginative legendary inspiring insightful thought-provoking flawless first-rate suspenseful riveting intriguing heart-warming stellar standout stunning must-watch	tragic violent too boring too scary uninteresting too slow too long weak flawed second-rate third-rate silly disappointing bloody predictable confusing ordinary disgusting	suspenseful low-budget big-budget dramatic highly-charged sentimental romantic fantasy slow romantic satirical fast-moving oddball picaresque wacky

Verbs and phrases

It was directed by …
It was written by…
It was dubbed into [languge]
The movie explores themes of …
The movie shows…
[Actor] played the part/role of [character]
It is set in…
It is based on the book…
It was shot on location in [city]
It’s about…
One of the main storylines is…
It stars…
In the end…
My favourite scene is…
I strongly recommend the movie because…

Pro tips for writing a movie review

Remember to write the movie’s title.
Write an eye-catching heading.
Remember to mention the genre of the movie.
Don’t forget the audience. Who is the movie for?
Don’t forget to include the names of the characters, the year the movie was made and if the movie or the actors have won any awards (For example, an Oscar, a Golden Globe, an MTV Movie Award, etc).
Never ever mention the ending!!! You don’t want to spoil the movie.
Remember to share your personal opinion and your evaluation.

Download PDF

Time to practice

You see this announcement in your English school magazine.

Review wanted!

Write a review about a movie you enjoyed or a film that you didn’t like. It could be a recent film or a movie that you watched a long time ago. Explain that is it about, why the main character is interesting/ boring and if you recommend it or not.

Type your answer in the box below, and I’ll give you personalized feedback.

GRAMMAR

Future Perfect vs. Future Continuous

October 27, 2022April 16, 2023 teacherjulieta2 Comments

Advertisements

Future Perfect

We use the future perfect (will have + past participle) to say something that will be finished before a certain time in the future.

This tense is frequently used with the time expressions by + day/time or in + time expression
by + a time expression = at the latest
We form the negative form with won’t have+ past participle
We make questions by inverting the subject and will (Will you have + past participle …?)

Future Continuous

We use the future continuous (will + be + verb+ing) to say that an action will be in progress at a certain time in the future.

Let’s compare it with the simple future:

We‘ll have dinner at 8 o’clock (= we will start dinner at 8 o’ clock)

We‘ll be having dinner at 8 o’clock (= we will start dinner before 8 o’clock/ at 8 o’clock we will already have started eating)

We sometimes use the future continuous, like the present continuous, to talk about things that are already planned or decided
We form the negative with won’t be + verb+ ing
We make questions by inverting the subject and will (Will you be + verb+ing…?)

Drag the arrows <> to compare the future perfect and the future continuous

If you are still confused, you can find an easy explanation in your first language in the link below 👇 :

Future Continous and Future Perfect

Grammar Practice

Level of difficulty:

Complete the sentences using the future continuous or the future perfect.
Flip the tile to check your answer
Write down the sentences in your notebook

Speaking Practice

Level of difficulty:

Discuss each prediction with your group. Decide:

a) if you think it will happen

b) if you think it will be a good thing

Give as many details as possible

✍️ Writing Practice

Choose a card. Write a comment (reply) below 👇 with your opinion.

a) Do you think it will happen?

b) Do you think it will be a good thing?

VOCABULARY

Verb get

October 25, 2022November 1, 2022 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

Advertisements

Get is one of the most common verbs in English. There are more than 280 definitions of the verb get. But don’t worry! You don’t have to memorize all the definitions. You need to learn how to use the most common phrasal verbs and verb phrases.

The most common definitions of the verb get are:

arrive
become
receive
buy
obtain
understand

Vocabulary Practice

Level of difficulty:

Part 1

Part 2

Quiz

Level of difficulty:

Quiz

Level of difficulty:

FLUENCY · GRAMMAR

Reporting Verbs

April 11, 2022March 13, 2023 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

Advertisements

Reporting verbs are verbs which are used to tell someone what another person said. They are used in reported speech.

Say and tell are the most common reporting verbs. However, there are other reporting verbs that we can use instead of say and tell to communicate our ideas more clearly.

Example:

He said that he would drive me to the airport (this sentence is correct but long)

We can say instead:

He offered to drive me to the airport (this sentence is shorter and absolutely clear)

Common reporting verbs patterns

NOTES:

recommend and suggest are special verbs that can be followed by a “that clause” when we want or need to mention who is the recommendation/ suggestion for.

recommend/ suggest + that + someone + base form

Example:

I suggested watching a horror movie. (suggest + gerund)

If you want to be more specific and want to add information about who is the recommendation for, you can use a “that clause” (noun clause)

I suggested that my friends watch a horror movie.

My friends suggested that I study for the English test tonight.

My teacher recommended that Maria practice speaking with me.

Practice time

Level of difficulty:

Speaking Practice

Level of difficulty:

Student A:

Choose one box
Read the sentence out loud.
Tell your partner the hint.

Student B:

Close your eyes
Listen to your partner
Complete the following sentence: My friend __________________

Example:

Student A: If you stay in a hostel it will be cheaper (Hint: explain)

Student B: My friend explained to me that staying in a hostel would be cheaper.

GRAMMAR

How to express wishes

March 28, 2022April 24, 2023 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

Advertisements

This mini lesson includes a review of verb wish.

Verb wish is used to express our desire for something different from how it is now. Wish expresses a desire that is impossible or almost impossible to happen.

In this mini lesson you'll learn how to express desires in English

Difference between I would like and I wish

I would like vs. I wish

Grammar Practice

Level of difficulty:

Wishes about present situations

Put the words in the correct order

Wishes about past situations

Student A:

Choose one box
Read the sentence out loud

Student B:

Close your eyes
Listen to your partner
Make a wish (I wish + past perfect)

Student C:

Write the sentence on a piece of paper

Switch roles <>

Speaking Practice

Level of difficulty:

Tag: FCE Cambridge Test

How to Write a Movie Review

Parts of a movie review

1. Title

2. Introduction

3. Summary

4. Analysis

5. Conclusion