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On this week's English Bites review we visit different types of galleries. We'll see two art galleries with very different mysteries.
And today we'll try to solve both. A gallery is a place where you go to see something that is put on display. Let's start with the mystery of the Botticelli painting. It was hanging in someone's house but it looked valuable - so art experts were called in to try to figure out where it came from. PAUL MCCARTHY: Sandro Botticelli is one of the most celebrated artists of the Renaissance. His 500 year old works sell for millions if you can find one. That one could turn up in Adelaide would be a dream come true. JANE MESSENGER (CURATOR, ART GALLERY OF SA): It would be extremely exciting if it did actually turn out to be a Botticelli or even a School of Botticelli. There aren't any Botticelli paintings in our state collection in Australia. PAUL MCCARTHY: All clues pointed to that becoming a reality when local art experts were called upon to inspect this canvass depicting the Angel of the Annunciation, a popular subject at the time of Botticelli. The painting had been hanging in an Adelaide home for the past 70 years, its origin a mystery, except for the fact it had been bought somewhere overseas. The painting had been hanging in an Adelaide home. Hanging means fastened to a wall. The painting had been on the wall of an Adelaide home. Its origin was a mystery. Its origin is the place it came from. A mystery is something unknown. No one knew where the painting had come from. So, they set out to solve the mystery. To solve means to find a solution or an answer. We can also use solve to mean work out a problem or a puzzle. The art gallery were hoping that the painting would turn out to be very valuable. So how did they solve the mystery? All clues pointed to that becoming a reality when local art experts were called upon to inspect this canvass They inspected the painting to find clues. A clue is a sign, some information that can help you solve a mystery, a puzzle or a problem. In this case, the clues showed that the painting might be a valuable Botticelli painting. Unfortunately, the painting turned out to be a 'copy' - not the real thing. So where did it come from? It is suspected the original piece came from an Italian church but about 150 years ago it was altered with the intention of passing it off as a Botticelli. It's suspected that the original piece came from an Italian church. Original comes from the word origin. Here, origin means the beginning of something. Original means the first one made of something, not a copy. It is suspected that the original, or first, painting on the canvas was from an Italian church. To suspect something means to think something is true or likely. Experts think it's likely the painting first came from an Italian church. Now, let's find out about another gallery mystery. I suspect some of you might not believe this story. 'TRENT': It's quite regular that you will see a frightened patron who wants to leave a particular area or a frightened staff member who's seen a ghost. PATRICK EMMETT: Trent's story is one of many you will hear from those who patrol the Art Gallery on North Terrace. There are tales of mysterious old ladies, pictures that move on their own and unexplainable spine-tingling draughts. Some say the hauntings are because the gallery is built on an old gravesite. Others say they're because two people were once hanged in the grounds, and there are the cynics that say they're just the product of fertile imaginations. But the believers say they were once also cynics, but they can't disbelieve the evidence of their own eyes. MALE: I'm not into that sort of thing and, quite frankly, I didn't believe anything like that existed but you have to change your mind when you see things like this and they're unexplained. This time, the mystery is 'what's haunting the gallery?' Some people say it's the ghost of an old woman. Some people say the hauntings are because 2 people were hanged in the grounds. Hanged is the past tense of hang. In today's first story we heard about a painting that was hanging on a wall. But here, hang means to kill someone by dropping them with a rope tied around their neck. Listen again. Others say they're because two people were once hanged in the grounds, and there are the cynics that say they're just the product of fertile imaginations. There are cynics who say the hauntings are just the product of fertile imaginations. A cynic is someone who doesn't believe. It can also refer to someone who is negative about things. Some people are cynical about the hauntings. We could also say they are suspicious or sceptical. In this case, the cynics don't believe that there are ghosts in the gallery at all.
But the believers say they were once also cynics, but they can't disbelieve the evidence of their own eyes. The believers were once also cynics. To believe means to think something is true or real. A believer is someone who believes. They have confidence that there really are ghosts in the gallery. The believers say they were once cynics. That is, they used to have doubts, too. But they can't disbelieve the evidence of their own eyes. To disbelieve is to not believe. And evidence is proof - reasons to believe that something is true. In today's first story, art experts had to test the painting to find scientific evidence that proved the origin of the painting. But what about the ghosts? Well, a lot of people have stories to tell, but there's no real evidence to prove they exist. And that's all for another week of English Bites. Don't forget to visit our website for more.
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celebrated Celebrated means famous or well known. Renaissance The Renaissance was a long period in European history, between the middle ages and modern Europe. It went from the 14th to the 16th century, and was a time when there was a rise of interest and activity in art and science. turn up be found Example: Don't bother looking for it - it will turn up eventually. more information: turn up dream come true A dream come true means something you’ve waited for or wanted for a long time has finally become real. Example: Being chosen for the part in the film was a dream come true. turn out To turn out to be something is to be discovered to be something. Example: It turned out that he wasn't really qualified to do the job. more information: turn out called upon Call upon is a formal way of saying you are asked to do something. Example: He was called upon to head the enquiry. hanging Hanging means fastened to a wall. origin It’s origin is the place it came from mystery A mystery is something unknown. bought Here bought is the past participle of the irregular verb buy. Follow the link below to find out more and to listen to some examples. more information: bought passing it off as To pass something off as something else is to pretend that it is the more valuable thing. Example: She passed herself off as a doctor. seen Seen is the past participle of the irregular verb see. Follow the link below to find out more and to listen to some examples. more information: see ghost A ghost is the spirit of a dead person.  tales stories unexplainable If something is unexplainable, it cannot be explained.To explain is to define and make clear . And a way of explaining something is called an explanation. spine-tingling To tingle means to have a prickling sensation. When something is spine tingling, it makes you feel so nervous or excited that you feel a shiver along your spine. draughts A draught is a current of air, like a small wind or breeze inside. hauntings When people believe there’s a ghost in a place, they say that the place is haunted. The phenomenon of a ghost being in a place is called a haunting. gravesite A gravesite is the place where bodies are buried. hanged Here hanged is the past paticiple of hang when hang means being executed by being suspended by the neck with a rope. For all other meanings of the word hang, the past participle and past tense is hung. Follow the link below to listen to some examples. more information: hang grounds The grounds refers to the land surrounding a building. cynics A cynic is someone who doesn’t believe. It can also refer to someone who is negative about things. A better word to use might be sceptic. fertile imaginations Fertile means rich and productive. If something is fertile, it is able to support growth. So, for example, fertile land is good for growing crops. If you have a fertile imagination, you’re good at imagining things - you’re good at dreaming up new and original ideas.
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Friday review - Galleries
