LESSON 1A VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR - Art lovers
📑 Article Contents
1. VOCABULARY AND READING
bright, cheerful, colourful, depressing, gloomy, imaginative, irritating, original, scary, thought-provoking, unsophisticated
Students’ own answers
Past Perfect
□ b The shop assistant had asked for $8.
Answer: b happened first (The assistant asked for $8 before Teri bought it for $5)
□ b They hadn’t managed to get the painting inside the friend’s house.
Answer: b happened first (Their failure to get the painting inside happened before Teri decided to sell)
□ b Someone offered $9 million for the painting.
Answer: a happened first (Finding the fingerprint occurred before the $9 million offer)
Past Perfect
We use the Past Perfect to talk about an action in the past that was completed before another action or a time in the past. We often contrast an action in the Past Simple (e.g. realised) with an earlier one in the Past Perfect (e.g. had left).
When I got home, I realised that I had left my phone in the taxi.
+ I had finished.
- They hadn’t started.
? Had he gone? Yes, he had. / No, he hadn’t.
Wh-? Where had she gone?
Linkers: after, already, as soon as, before, by, by the time, once, until
Answers from the text:
had never bought, had asked, had bought, hadn’t managed, Had a world-famous abstract artist painted, had never heard, ’d worked, had died, had signed, had found
4. COMPREHENSION AND PRACTICE
Students’ own answers
In July 2010, seven-year-old Kieron Williamson had an art exhibition. Kieron 1 had painted (paint) 33 watercolours of landscapes for the exhibition in Holt, Norfolk in England. At his previous exhibition in 2009, Kieron 2 had sold (sell) 16 paintings. How much money 3 had he made (he/ make)? £18,200. This time people 4 had come (come) from countries all around the world to buy his paintings. By the time the exhibition finished, all 33 paintings 5 had gone (go) and Kieron 6 had made (make) £150,000! The Williamsons were delighted. They 7 hadn't expected (not expect) the paintings to sell so well.
1 When the artist died (die) at the age of 68, he had created (create) many pieces of art based on the deserts of Jordan.
2 After he and his friend had had (have) an argument, he felt bad and apologised (apologise).
3 By the time he Mahmoud was (be) a student, Mahmoud had already decided (already/decide) to become an artist.
4 She spent (spend) many years alone in her room after she had had (have) a serious traffic accident at the age of 18.
7. SPEAKING PRACTICE
Example: When I was younger, my grandmother asked me to paint a picture. As soon as I finished the painting, I realised I'd painted all over her expensive dining table. My grandmother had left the room but when she came back, she ...
Students’ own answers
📌 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND NOTES
💡 Teaching Tip for Vocabulary Exercise
When describing artworks, encourage students to think about both visual elements (colors, shapes) and emotional impact. Adjectives like "thought-provoking" and "imaginative" refer to intellectual engagement, while "cheerful" and "depressing" describe emotional responses. This distinction helps in developing more nuanced art criticism skills.
📚 About Art Education
Studies show that art education improves critical thinking, creativity, and cultural awareness. The story of Teri Horton demonstrates how art can be accessible to everyone, not just experts. Her $5 painting potentially being worth millions highlights the subjective nature of art valuation.
⬆️ Back to Vocabulary Section🔗 RELIABLE SOURCES & REFERENCES
🌐 Educational & Cultural Resources:
https://www.metmuseum.org/learn/educators - Art teaching materials
https://www.britishcouncil.org/english - Grammar and vocabulary exercises
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-history - Free art education
https://www.cambridge.org/grammar-and-beyond - Past Perfect explanation
