VOCABULARY: THE MUSEUM
Learn some useful words and expressions to talk about museums.
A building that has paintings, exhibitions and artefacts. What’s the greatest museum in the world? See our list below for the ten best museums of all time. Do you agree with the list?
A painting, sculpture or drawing that is considered an important or valuable piece of art.
An old object of cultural or archaeological interest. And no, we’re not talking about your grandmother!
A public event with works of art based on a theme or from the same artist. (An “exhibit” in US English)
A place in a museum with a permanent exhibition of works of art. These days you can visit virtual galleries on the internet. Try this site for the best links to virtual museums: http://icom.museum/vlmp/galleries.html
A person who is in charge of security in a museum. Often found looking bored in one of the galleries.
The place where you can buy gifts or souvenirs in a museum. This is many people’s favourite part of the museum.
An image created with coloured paints. The Mona Lisa with her enigmatic smile is a fine example.
A three-dimensional work of art. Have you ever been to Vigeland Park in Oslo? It has 192 sculptures with more than 600 figures, all modelled in full-size by Gustav Vigeland. Vigeland also designed the layout of the grounds. It’s a fantastic place to visit.
The money you pay to enter a museum. In the past, museums used to be free in Britain. Now most of them charge you.
A machine that checks the contents of your bags. Why don’t they scan your bags on the way out?
An exhibit that involves some kind of communication with the visitor.
The World’s Ten Best Museums
Here’s our list of the top ten museums of all time. Are there any more that you’d add to the list?
With its pyramid skylight and Mona Lisa, it’s on the top of everyone’s list of places to visit in Paris.
Full of works by Spanish artists including Goya, Velasquez and El Greco.
The Met is famous for its older paintings and sculptures by some of history’s most famous artists, including Leonardo Da Vinci and Pablo Picasso.
The MOMA is smaller than the Met, but just as good. You can see works by contemporary artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein here.
Full of the treasures acquired (some say “stolen”) during the height of the British Empire. There are more than 7 million artefacts, including the Rosetta Stone.
Twenty-two collections ranging from Egyptian art to ancient maps to modern religious art.
Housing some of the country’s most important memories, including Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St Louis monoplane, and the contents of Lincoln’s pockets on the night he was assassinated.
The titanium-clad museum is so distinctive that you’ll never forget it.
France’s collection of modern and industrial art. Divided between the modern artists from 1905 to 1960, and the contemporaries from 1960 onwards.
An impressive museum of contemporary international art in an old power station.
🎨 Vocabulary: The Museum 🖼️
Learn useful words and expressions to talk about museums!
📚 Vocabulary List
A museum
A building that has paintings, exhibitions, and artefacts. What’s the greatest museum in the world?
A work of art
A painting, sculpture, or drawing considered valuable.
An artefact
An old object of cultural or archaeological interest. Not your grandma!
An exhibition / Exhibit
A public display of artworks around a theme or artist.
A gallery
A space in a museum with permanent art displays. Visit virtual ones too! Try this link.
Security guard
The person watching over exhibits—often looking bored.
The museum shop
Where you buy gifts and souvenirs. A favorite spot for many visitors!
A painting
Art created with paint. Think of the Mona Lisa’s mysterious smile.
A sculpture
3D artwork. Check out Vigeland Park in Oslo—over 190 sculptures!
Entrance fee
The money paid to get inside. Used to be free in the UK!
X-ray scanner
Checks what’s inside your bag at the entrance.
Interactive exhibit
An exhibit that lets you touch, play, or interact with it.
🌍 The World’s Top 10 Museums
- The Louvre, Paris: Home of the Mona Lisa and iconic glass pyramid.
- The Prado, Madrid: Masterpieces by Goya, Velázquez & El Greco.
- The Met, New York City: Old-world art by Da Vinci & Picasso.
- MOMA, NYC: Modern greats like Warhol and Lichtenstein.
- British Museum, London: Treasures (and controversy) from the Empire era.
- Vatican Museums, Rome: Sacred art, maps, and ancient wonders.
- The Smithsonian, Washington D.C.: Historic planes and presidential relics.
- Guggenheim, Bilbao: Futuristic titanium design you won’t forget!
- Pompidou Centre, Paris: Industrial-style modern art museum.
- Tate Modern, London: Contemporary art housed in a power station.
🎭 Typical Dialogues: The Museum 🖼️
Listen and learn useful vocabulary and expressions!
🗣️ Dialogue
📚 Glossary
- Curator:
- A person who is in charge of the objects in a museum.
- Very posh:
- Very sophisticated.
- Jug:
- A container for liquid such as water, milk, etc.
- Vase:
- A decorative container, usually for flowers.
- Priceless:
- Very, very valuable.
- Artefact:
- An old object that has a lot of value.
🔍 Wordsearch Challenge
See if you can identify the words related to museums. Then, try to find them in the wordsearch below!
P O H S M F K G E L S
E A R O T A R U C N E Y M B
R R Z N S T Q T G T F S L F
U T E O A B X E Q E Q E Z R
T E K P R W P F R E C Q
P F S T X E S U A A D U V
L A U K N R K A C R W G
U C A B O N T T T U K Q
C T R U A Q E Q G T G E
S U H O C Y B L V Y F R
Q W O X O S L F E K R O W
T M T E P A N T N G N A
U F G A L L E R Y X C N
M U S E U M R O T S V N
(Answers on page 15)
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– **Interactive Elements**: Includes a static word search puzzle for engagement.
– **Glossary Section**: Organized alphabetically for easy reference.
Feel free to modify vocabulary terms or add additional styling to match specific needs!
Certainly! Here is a **colorful and beautifully styled HTML page** for your **”Typical Dialogues: The Museum”** content, including the dialogue, glossary, and wordsearch instructions.
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Typical Dialogues: The Museum 🎭 Typical Dialogues: The Museum
Listen to this dialogue and learn useful vocabulary and expressions.
🗣️ Dialogue
Bob: Morning. This is a nice painting, isn’t it?
Curator: Yes, one of Goya’s most famous works.
Bob: Work here, do you?
Curator: Yes, I am the museum curator.
Bob: Oh, very posh. That’s a nice jug.
Curator: It is a vase. A Ming vase. It is one of the museum’s most priceless artefacts.
Bob: What’s it for? Drinking beer?
Curator: Not exactly.
Bob: Hey, do you mind if I follow you around a bit?
Curator: I beg your pardon?
Bob: I mean, could you tell me about this painting?
Curator: Well, I am rather busy. You really need to get onto a guided tour.
Bob: Couldn’t you just tell me about this work of art? You are here, after all. Please.
Curator: Our guides will be able to help you…
Bob: Please.
Curator: Oh, all right. This painting that you are looking at is known as the Self-Portrait with Dr Arrieta. As you can see, Goya is sitting up in bed, more dead than alive, leaning back against the doctor, who supports the patient’s weight with one arm and with the other raises a glass of medicine towards the patient’s lips…
Bob: (Touching the painting.) But what’s this smudge here?
Curator: No, you mustn’t touch the painting.
Bob: I didn’t.
Curator: Yes, you did. Please don’t put your fingers on it. And you mustn’t cross this rail.
Bob: Oh, you’re getting all strict.
Curator: Well, I really must be getting on.
Bob: (Bob picks up the vase.) Hey, this vase doesn’t weigh much.
Curator: Put that down. It is more than 3,000 years old.
Bob: Here, catch! (Bob pretends to throw it.)
Curator: Do not touch that!
Bob: No, only joking. (Bob drops the vase.) Whoops! Have you got any glue?
Curator: Guard! Guard!
❓ Questions
Answer these two questions:1. What does the curator tell Bob about?
2. What does Bob break?
Answers on page 52
📖 Glossary
- a curator (n)
- a person who is in charge of the objects in a museum
- very posh (exp)
- very sophisticated
- a jug (n)
- a container for liquid such as water or milk
- a vase
- a container for flowers
- priceless (adj)
- very, very valuable
- an artefact
- an old object that has a lot of value
- to follow someone around (exp)
- to walk behind someone and go where they go
- rather busy (exp)
- with quite a lot of work to do
- a guided tour
- a special trip around a museum with someone explaining things to you
- a guide (n)
- a person who takes people around a museum explaining things to them
- to lean back (phrvb)
- to push your body back against something so that you are at an angle
- to raise (vb)
- to move from a low position to a higher position
- lips
- the part of your mouth that you use for kissing
- a smudge
- a mark; a dirty mark
- a rail (n)
- a rope or barrier that marks a line that you must not cross
- I must be getting on (exp)
- I have to go
- whoops! (exp)
- an expression people use when they make a mistake or break something
🔍 Wordsearch Instructions
In the museum – WordsearchSee if you can identify the words below, then try to find them in the wordsearch puzzle. Good luck!
(Read the vocabulary on pages 14/15 before doing this.)
1. A building that has paintings, exhibitions and artefacts = museum
2. A painting, sculpture or drawing that is considered an important or valuable piece of art = work of art
3. An old object of cultural or archaeological interest = artefact
4. A public event with works of art based on a theme or from the same artist = exhibition
5. A place in a museum with a permanent exhibition of works of art = gallery
6. A person in charge of protecting things in a museum = security guard
7. The place where you can buy gifts or souvenirs in a museum = museum shop
8. An image created with coloured paints = painting
9. A work of art created with stone or metal = sculpture
10. The money you pay to enter a museum = entrance fee
11. A machine that checks the contents of your bags = X-ray scanner
12. An exhibit that involves some kind of communication between the visitor and the exhibit = interactive exhibit
13. A person who takes people around a museum explaining things = tour guide
14. A trip around the museum with a guide (a person who explains things) = guided tour
15. A person who visits a museum = visitor
16. Someone who is in charge of the objects in a museum = curator
`, ` `, ` `, ` - ` for glossary.
– Colorful, easy-to-read design with purple and lilac tones to evoke art/museum vibes.
– Dialogue formatted with speaker names in bold and distinct color.
– Glossary terms and definitions styled for clarity.
– Wordsearch instructions clearly separated.
– Responsive for smaller screens.
Open this in any modern browser to see a neat, colorful, and user-friendly page for your museum dialogue lesson.
If you want me to add audio player placeholders or interactive elements, just ask!
