Virtuous English AcademyEntertainment & Media — A2 English Vocabulary
This A2 vocabulary list gathers 30 elementary English words about entertainment & media — films, music, tv and the news. Every word comes with a simple definition, its British-English pronunciation and a natural example sentence, so you learn each one in real context. When you are ready, open the flashcards to practise and remember them for good.
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Using entertainment & media words in English
Media English contains one of the most surprising facts in the language: news ends in s, looks plural, and takes a singular verb. Alongside it sit two British spelling and usage points — programme for television against program for computers — and a false friend, character, which does not mean personality here. The verbs are the fourth issue: English divides watch, see and look at in a way that has to be learned rather than reasoned out.
What to watch out for
News is singular and uncountable
Say The news is on at six, never the news are. There is no singular a new, so for one item say a piece of news or a news story. The same applies to information and advice. Series is a different oddity: it is spelled the same in singular and plural, so one series and three series both keep the s.
Watch, see and look at divide the work
Watch is for moving things you follow over time: watch television, watch a match. See is about what reaches your eyes, and it is the verb for cinema: I saw a great film. Look at is a deliberate act of directing your eyes at something still: look at this photo. Note that you watch television but see a film at the cinema — the choice depends on the place as much as the thing.
British programme, and character is a person
British English writes programme for a television or radio show and program only for computers; American English uses program for both. And character in this topic means a person in a story — the main character in the novel — not somebody’s personality, which is the false friend that catches out speakers of many European languages. Actress is still used, though many performers now prefer actor for everyone.
Words learners mix up
Three tables: the units television is divided into, the four genres you need in order to say what you like, and the words for being watched by a lot of people.
The units of television
| Word | What it actually means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| series | In British English, one run of episodes — what Americans call a season. Same form in singular and plural. | The third series starts in January. |
| episode | One instalment. Countable and regular: six episodes. British episodes are often called a part in a drama. | I have two episodes left. |
| scene | A continuous stretch inside one episode or film, in one place. Also the everyday sense: the scene of the accident. | The opening scene is set in a hospital. |
| stage | The raised platform performers stand on — and, separately, one step in a process: the first stage. | She walked onto the stage. |
The series and season difference is the one that causes real confusion online: series two in Britain is season two in America, and because series does not change in the plural, three series can mean three separate programmes or three runs of one. British streaming services now often use season too, so both will be familiar.
Saying what kind of thing you like
| Word | What it actually means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| comedy | Anything meant to be funny. Countable for one film or programme, uncountable for the whole genre. | It is a comedy about two brothers. |
| drama | A serious story with strong emotion. In British television it also names the whole category of scripted programmes. | She writes historical drama. |
| thriller | A story built on tension and danger — crime, spies, chases. Always countable. | I read the thriller in one weekend. |
| documentary | A programme about real people and events, not acted. Countable, and often shortened to a doc informally. | There is a documentary about it on tonight. |
The frame for talking about these is I am into… or I am not really a fan of…, both far more natural than I like very much. Note that drama has a second sense meaning unnecessary fuss — do not make a drama out of it — and that a cartoon is animated whether it is funny or not.
Being watched by a lot of people
| Word | What it actually means | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| famous | Known to a great many people. Takes for the reason: famous for its cathedral. | He became famous overnight. |
| celebrity | A famous person, particularly one famous for being famous. Countable, and slightly dismissive. | The party was full of celebrities. |
| audience | Everybody watching or listening. Collective, and British English gives it a plural verb: the audience were on their feet. | The audience laughed at every line. |
| director | The person who decides how a film or play is made. Not the same as the producer, who arranges the money. | The director won an award for it. |
Famous is neutral and celebrity quietly is not: describing somebody as a celebrity often implies they are better known than they are talented. The word for being famous in a bad way is notorious, which is never a compliment however much it looks like one.
Collocations that sound natural
These are the phrases you need in order to say what you watched, what you thought of it, and what is on tonight — the actual content of most conversations about television.
news
watch the newson the newsbreaking newsthe six o’clock news
It always takes the when you mean the programme, and the preposition is on: I saw it on the news. The BBC bulletins are named by their time, which is why the ten o’clock news is a fixed phrase.
song
listen to a songwrite a songa song aboutmy favourite song
The verb is listen to, with the preposition, where hear takes none. A song is by the artist and about its subject.
album
release an albuma new albumthe album came outa debut album
Release and come out are the standard verbs, the first for the record company and the second for the record itself. A debut album is the first one.
review
write a reviewa good reviewget bad reviewsa film review
A critic writes a review and a film gets or receives them. British papers still call an unfavourable one a bad review rather than a negative one.
performance
give a performancea live performancethe evening performancea strong performance
The performer gives a performance — not makes or does one — and the audience sees it. In a theatre the times are the matinée and the evening performance.
character
the main characterplay a charactera fictional charactera well-written character
The actor plays the character. The main character is also called the lead or, in a novel, the protagonist.
Where each word belongs
Six media words that behave unexpectedly: one shifts its stress, one keeps an irregular past that looks like a mistake, and two carry a second meaning from a different corner of the language.
- recordStress changes the wordThe noun is RE-cord — a disc, or a best-ever result — and the verb is re-CORD, to capture sound or film. Same spelling, two stresses, and English does this with a long list of two-syllable pairs.
- broadcastIrregular past · formalThe past is normally broadcast, unchanged, though broadcasted is now accepted. It belongs to news writing rather than conversation, where people say it was on television or they showed it.
- cartoonTwo sensesAn animated film, usually for children, and also a single humorous drawing in a newspaper. The second is the older meaning and still the one a British broadsheet uses. Longer drawn stories are comics or graphic novels.
- channelCountable · and a placeA television station: what is on the other channel? Capitalised and with the, it is the sea between England and France — the Channel — which is why a Channel crossing has nothing to do with television.
- bandCollective · plural verbA group of musicians, and British English gives it a plural verb: the band are touring. Americans use the singular. The same word also means a strip of material, as in a rubber band.
- entertainTwo sensesTo amuse an audience, and also to have guests at home: they entertain a lot. The adjective entertaining is the useful one — an entertaining film — and entertainment is uncountable.
Sentences to try
Four frames separating the viewing verbs. Use them about something you actually watched this week.
- The news is on channel one at ten o’clock.
- We watched three episodes of that drama last night.
- I saw a brilliant comedy at the cinema.
- My favourite character appears in the last scene.
Questions about entertainment & media vocabulary
Is "news" singular or plural?
Singular, despite the s. Say The news is depressing and Here is the news. It is also uncountable, so there is no a news and no plural; for one item use a piece of news, a news story or an article. The same trap catches information, advice, furniture and luggage. Watch out for series too, which keeps its s in both numbers: a series, two series.
Do I watch a film or see a film?
Both are correct and the place usually decides. You see a film at the cinema — it is the traditional phrase for going out to one — and you watch a film at home, because watch stresses following it over time. Watch is also the verb for television, sport and anything in motion: watch the match, watch television. Look at is different again and applies to still things you deliberately direct your eyes towards: look at this picture.
What is the difference between programme and program?
In British English, programme is a television or radio show, a theatre booklet or a plan of events, while program is reserved for computing: a nature programme, but install the program. American English spells both program. This is one of a small set of British spellings worth keeping consistent on the same page, alongside theatre, centre and colour. The verb is always program with one m in the base form, whichever variety you use.