B2CEFRVocabulary20 min

Busking and Street Performers: Vocabulary & Pronunciation

Busking and street performers

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Level B2 ⏱️ 20 min
Vocabulary & Pronunciation

🎭 Busking and Street Performers

Master 10 key words, practice matching and sentence structures, and perfect your speech with studio audio shadowing.

💡 How to use this lesson

For Teachers

1. Guide students through the word table first and discuss the memory tricks together.

2. Set a 10-minute timer for the practice section and check answers using the instant feedback keys.

For Learners

1. Study the 10 key words, their collocations, and memory tips before attempting questions.

2. Complete all 16 practice tasks, then test your speaking speed in the shadowing studio.

📌 Useful pattern: Notice how street performance descriptions flow: "Wherever the singer sets up, a small crowd soon stops to listen to her."

Word Table

10 Target Words
THE PERFORMER
Word Meaning Common Collocations Example Sentence Memory Tip
violinist a person who plays the violin skilled violinist, street violinist "A street violinist played a haunting melody near the station." violin + -ist (person)
drummer a person who plays drums energetic drummer, street drummer "The drummer kept a fast rhythm on old plastic buckets." Sound of drum: bum bum!
comedian an entertainer who makes people laugh stand-up comedian, street comedian "The comedian made the crowd laugh with quick jokes." Comedy = smile, comedian = person
mime a performer who acts without speaking street mime, silent mime "The mime pretended to be trapped inside a glass box." Mime rhymes with silent time
THE CROWD
Word Meaning Common Collocations Example Sentence Memory Tip
bystander a person standing near but not participating curious bystander, casual bystander "A curious bystander stopped to watch the magic trick." Standing by the side
applaud to clap hands to show approval applaud warmly, applaud loudly "The audience began to applaud after the song finished." Applaud sounds like applause
encore an extra performance added at the end call for an encore, perform an encore "The happy crowd shouted for an encore." Think: "Once more!"
THE SHOW
Word Meaning Common Collocations Example Sentence Memory Tip
tune a sequence of musical notes; melody catchy tune, play a tune "The musician played a familiar tune on his acoustic guitar." Tune sounds like cartoon
amplifier an electronic device that boosts sound portable amplifier, plug into an amplifier "He connected his electric guitar to a portable amplifier." Amplify = make louder
improvise to create or perform spontaneously improvise a song, improvise on stage "When he forgot the lyrics, he decided to improvise." Imp-ROVISE = improve on spot

Practice

16 Items

Part 1: Collocation Matrix

Match each verb or word on the left with its correct collocating noun phrase.

1. Select the noun that naturally collocates with the verb "hum":

Verb
an amplifier
people laugh
a tune
an encore
hum
____an amplifier ____people laugh ____a tune ____an encore

2. Select the noun that naturally collocates with the phrasal verb "plug into":

Verb
an amplifier
an encore
people laugh
a tune
plug into
____an amplifier ____an encore ____people laugh ____a tune

3. Select the noun that naturally collocates with the verb "call for":

Verb
a tune
people laugh
an amplifier
an encore
call for
____a tune ____people laugh ____an amplifier ____an encore

4. Select the phrase that naturally collocates with the verb "make":

Verb
a tune
people laugh
an encore
an amplifier
make
____a tune ____people laugh ____an encore ____an amplifier

Part 2: Gap-Fill Dialogues & Sentences

Fill in each blank using the correct word from the Word Bank below.

Word Bank: mime improvise tune comedian bystander

5. Short dialogue between two friends watching a street show:

A: Look at that performer on the box! He is making everyone double over with laughter.

B: He is a brilliant street ____!

6. Street performance scenario:

Every curious ____ walking past stopped to watch the silent ____ pretend to lean against an invisible wall.

7. Dialogue about an adaptable street musician:

A: Did the violinist leave his sheet music at home?

B: Yes, but he can easily ____ a brand-new song on the spot!

8. Sentence about a memorable song:

The guitarist played such a catchy ____ that people were humming it all afternoon.

Part 3: Choose the Word

Select the single word that fits the context meaning of each sentence best.

9. The street _____ adjusted his bow carefully before playing a haunting classical melody.

____ a. violinist ____ b. comedian ____ c. drummer

10. Without speaking a single word, the street _____ told a humorous story using clear gestures.

____ a. mime ____ b. drummer ____ c. comedian

11. The sound was too quiet for the open square until he connected his guitar to the portable _____.

____ a. encore ____ b. tune ____ c. amplifier

12. At the end of the impressive show, the delighted crowd began to _____ enthusiastically.

____ a. improvise ____ b. applaud ____ c. amplify

Part 4: Sentence Building

Unscramble the given word tokens into a complete, correct sentence.

13. Put these words in order:

called for encore The crowd an
____

14. Put these words in order:

bystander Every to stopped listen
____

15. Put these words in order:

fast The played beat drummer a
____

16. Put these words in order:

likes improvise She on stage to
____

Shadowing

🎙️ Studio Practice (12 Items)

Listen to each prompt using the audio button, then record your voice clearly to practice accent, rhythm, and stress.

Key Collocations (4 Items)

Item 17 🔊 Listen

"catchy tune"

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____
Item 18 🔊 Listen

"street mime"

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____
Item 19 🔊 Listen

"call for an encore"

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____
Item 20 🔊 Listen

"portable amplifier"

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Natural Sentences (6 Items)

Item 21 🔊 Listen

"A small crowd stops to listen."

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____
Item 22 🔊 Listen

"The violinist plays a nice tune."

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____
Item 23 🔊 Listen

"Everyone began to applaud loudly."

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____
Item 24 🔊 Listen

"He can improvise a new song."

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____
Item 25 🔊 Listen

"The curious bystander enjoyed the show."

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____
Item 26 🔊 Listen

"The drummer kept a steady rhythm."

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

Target Word Drill (2 Items)

Item 27 (Word Focus) 🔊 Listen

"comedian"

Focus on syllabus stress: co-ME-di-an

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____
Item 28 (Word Focus) 🔊 Listen

"amplifier"

Focus on clear initial vowel: AM-pli-fi-er

[Bài tập luyện nói]

____

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