Arts & Culture
Words for art forms, cultural activities, and creative expression
Overview
25 A2 words for talking about art, culture, literature, and creative activities.
Words
audience /ˈɔːdiəns/
noun — A2
Meaning: people watching or listening to a performance Examples:
- The audience loved the show.
- There was a large audience.
Collocations: target audience, live audience
background /ˈbækɡraʊnd/
noun — A2
Meaning: the area behind the main thing; a person’s experience Examples:
- The mountains are in the background.
- She comes from a scientific background.
Collocations: background music, background information
ceremony /ˈserəməni/
noun — A2
Meaning: a formal public event Examples:
- The wedding ceremony was beautiful.
- An awards ceremony will be held Friday.
character /ˈkærəktər/
noun — A2
Meaning: a person in a story; someone’s personality Examples:
- The main character is a detective.
- She has a strong character.
Collocations: main character, character trait
collect /kəˈlekt/
verb — A2
Meaning: to gather things together Examples:
- She collects stamps.
- I’ll collect you from the station.
Word Family: collect (v.) → collection (n.) → collector (n.)
comedy /ˈkɒmədi/
noun — A2
Meaning: entertainment that makes people laugh Examples:
- I prefer comedy to horror.
- She’s a stand-up comedian.
Word Family: comedy (n.) → comedian (n.)
costume /ˈkɒstjuːm/
noun — A2
Meaning: clothes worn for a special purpose Examples:
- The actors wore historical costumes.
- She made a Halloween costume.
Collocations: costume party, costume design
creation /kriˈeɪʃn/
noun — A2
Meaning: the act of making something new; something that has been made Examples:
- The creation of the website took months.
- This dish is the chef’s latest creation.
Word Family: creation (n.) → create (v.) → creative (adj.) → creativity (n.)
culture /ˈkʌltʃər/
noun — A2
Meaning: the arts, customs, and way of life of a group Examples:
- Japanese culture is fascinating.
- Music is an important part of our culture.
Word Family: culture (n.) → cultural (adj.) → culturally (adv.)
director /dəˈrektər/
noun — A2
Meaning: a person who manages or leads a film/company Examples:
- She’s the director of the movie.
- The director addressed the staff.
Word Family: director (n.) → direct (v./adj.) → direction (n.)
drama /ˈdrɑːmə/
noun — A2
Meaning: a play for the stage or TV; excitement Examples:
- She studies drama at school.
- There’s always so much drama in his life.
Word Family: drama (n.) → dramatic (adj.) → dramatically (adv.)
exhibition /ˌeksɪˈbɪʃn/
noun — A2
Meaning: a public display of art or objects Examples:
- There’s a photography exhibition at the gallery.
- The exhibition runs until March.
Collocations: art exhibition, exhibition centre
fan /fæn/
noun — A2
Meaning: a person who admires someone/something very much Examples:
- She’s a big fan of jazz music.
- The fans cheered loudly.
Collocations: big fan, football fan, fan base
fiction /ˈfɪkʃn/
noun — A2
Meaning: stories about imaginary people and events Examples:
- She writes historical fiction.
- Is that fact or fiction?
Collocations: science fiction, fiction writer, historical fiction
Word Family: fiction (n.) → fictional (adj.)
gallery /ˈɡæləri/
noun — A2
Meaning: a building for showing art Examples:
- We visited the art gallery.
- The gallery has a Picasso collection.
Collocations: art gallery, photo gallery
hero /ˈhɪərəʊ/
noun — A2
Meaning: a person admired for courage or achievements Examples:
- The firefighter was called a hero.
- She’s my childhood hero.
Word Family: hero (n.) → heroine (n.) → heroic (adj.)
literature /ˈlɪtrətʃər/
noun — A2
Meaning: written works of art, especially novels, poems, and plays Examples:
- She studied English literature at university.
- The prize celebrates African literature.
Word Family: literature (n.) → literary (adj.)
museum /mjuˈziːəm/
noun — A2
Meaning: a building where important objects are kept for people to see Examples:
- The science museum is free.
- We spent the afternoon at the museum.
novel /ˈnɒvl/
noun — A2
Meaning: a long written story Examples:
- She published her first novel at 25.
- Have you read any good novels recently?
Word Family: novel (n.) → novelist (n.)
paint /peɪnt/
verb, noun — A2
Meaning: to make a picture with colours; coloured liquid Examples:
- She paints landscapes.
- We need some white paint.
Word Family: paint (v./n.) → painter (n.) → painting (n.)
perform /pəˈfɔːm/
verb — A2
Meaning: to entertain an audience; to carry out Examples:
- The band performed live on TV.
- She performed well in the exam.
Word Family: perform (v.) → performance (n.) → performer (n.)
poem /ˈpəʊɪm/
noun — A2
Meaning: a piece of writing arranged in short lines Examples:
- She wrote a poem about spring.
- We studied a poem by Shakespeare.
Word Family: poem (n.) → poet (n.) → poetry (n.)
scene /siːn/
noun — A2
Meaning: a part of a play or film; a view Examples:
- The final scene was very moving.
- The scene from the window was beautiful.
Collocations: crime scene, opening scene, behind the scenes
stage /steɪdʒ/
noun — A2
Meaning: the raised area where actors perform; a phase Examples:
- The singer walked onto the stage.
- At this stage, we’re still planning.
Collocations: on stage, centre stage, stage fright
tradition /trəˈdɪʃn/
noun — A2
Meaning: customs passed down through generations Examples:
- It’s a family tradition to eat together on Sunday.
- The festival has a long tradition.
Word Family: tradition (n.) → traditional (adj.) → traditionally (adv.)
Quick Review
| Word | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| audience | n. | spectators |
| background | n. | context; rear |
| ceremony | n. | formal event |
| character | n. | story person |
| collect | v. | gather |
| comedy | n. | funny entertainment |
| costume | n. | special clothes |
| creation | n. | something made |
| culture | n. | customs; arts |
| director | n. | leader; filmmaker |
| drama | n. | theatre; excitement |
| exhibition | n. | public display |
| fan | n. | admirer |
| fiction | n. | imaginary stories |
| gallery | n. | art building |
| hero | n. | brave person |
| literature | n. | written works |
| museum | n. | artefact building |
| novel | n. | long story |
| paint | v./n. | create art; colour |
| perform | v. | entertain; do |
| poem | n. | verse writing |
| scene | n. | part; view |
| stage | n. | platform; phase |
| tradition | n. | custom |