He 20th Century technology time line

nouns
verbs
adjectives

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88 | Better Reading English
B.
Identify meaning
Write words from the chart that can replace the underlined words.
1. There are many movies about the destruction caused by nuclear war.
2. Many horror movies feature an insane killer.
3. Often science iction movies are set in unlikely worlds.
4. There is a wide variety of styles within each genre.
5. Adventure movies often show terrible things happening.
6. A good movie will always hold the attention of the audience.
7. The 
tempo of an action movie is usually fast and exciting.
8. Many ilms it more than one genre; for example, action, horror, and drama 
can all occur together in a science iction movie.
V. UNDERSTANDING GRAMMAR: FROM VERB
TO ADJECTIVE WITH 
-able
A.
Read about adjectives with -able
One very common adjective ending is -able, meaning “can.” These adjectives 
are often (but not always) formed from verbs; for example, knowable is 
something that can be known, and believable is something that can be 
believed.
Here are a few examples of verbs that are commonly turned into adjectives 
with the -able ending:
adjust
adore
advise
climb
control
debate

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Entertainment | 89
dispose
do
excite
live
microwave
recognize
B.
Use the grammar
Rewrite the sentences using an adjective with -able. Remember that the final -e 
is removed when you add -able to a verb (adore—adorable).
1. This old house is really a place you can live.
2. They told the hero that the mountain could not be climbed.
3. Some small dogs are very easy to excite.
4. That point is something we can debate.
5. She likes to buy the popcorn that can be microwaved.
6. When he cut his hair and grew a beard, he couldn’t be recognized 
anymore.
VI. READ IT AGAIN
Read the genre paragraphs again. Answer the questions.
1. Which two kinds of ilm often focus on heroes and villians?
2. How is drama different from the other three genres?

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90 | Better Reading English
REVIEWS FOR 
titanic
I. PRE-READING
A.
Background information
The following paragraphs are from reviews of the movie Titanic in 1997. Titanic 
made the most money of any ilm up to that time. It held that record for twelve 
years, until Avatar, a movie by the same director, James Cameron, broke the 
record in 2009. Titanic was rereleased in 3-D in 2012.
B.
Words to know before you read
Match the words to their definitions.
____ 1. spellbinding 
a. unforgivable
____ 2. epic 
b. perfectly
____ 3. drift 
c. not affected; left with no feeling
____ 4. astound 
d. fascinating
____ 5. lawlessly 
e. a grand, heroic story
____ 6. untouched 
f. slow movement
____ 7. unpardonable 
g. amaze
C.
Reading strategy
Quickly read the following reviews. Which critic didn’t like the movie?
a. Ebert
b. Kellen
c. Howe
II.
READ
Read the text. Mark the words you don’t know, but don’t stop reading to look 
them up.
Titanic
“James Cameron’s 194-minute, $200 million ilm of the tragic voyage is in the 
tradition of the great Hollywood epics. It is lawlessly crafted, intelligently 
constructed, strongly acted and spellbinding. If its story stays well within the 
traditional formulas for such pictures, well, you don’t choose the most 
expensive ilm ever made as your opportunity to reinvent the wheel.”
—Roger Ebert
Source: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19971219/
REVIEWS/712190303/1023

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Entertainment | 91
III. COMPREHENSION CHECK
Mark the sentences (T) True or (F) False.
_____ 1. Ebert liked the acting.
_____ 2. Ebert thought the story was original and different.
_____ 3. Keller thought the technology in the ilm was amazing.
_____ 4. Keller liked the romantic story.
_____ 5. Howe was interested in the characters in the story.
_____ 6. Howe thought the movie was too long.
IV. VOCABULARY BUILDING
A.
Classify words
Read the adjectives and nouns in the chart. Find and underline one of the
forms in the text. Then complete the following sentences with either the noun 
or adjective form.