← Back to C1 General contentsWorkbook · 3B. Dramatic licence
Home practice · discourse markers & warfare vocabulary · answer key included
1 · Choose the right discourse marker
The visuals were extraordinary. ______, the plot was almost entirely invented.
______, some compression of time is unavoidable in any historical film.
The film flatters one side throughout. ______, we are no longer in the territory of dramatic licence.
______, that is exactly the argument the director gave in his interview.
The pace of events is fine; ______, their meaning has been rewritten.
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2 · Complete with a warfare noun / verb from the box
- After weeks of shelling, the city was finally under formal drop .
- By December, negotiations had reached a complete drop .
- The convoy was destroyed in a well-planned dawn drop .
- Both sides finally agreed a 48-hour drop to allow evacuation.
- The 1919 drop formally ended the war and redrew the borders.
- Faced with impossible odds, the garrison had no choice but to drop .
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3 · Rewrite using the discourse marker in brackets
Some invention is unavoidable. Cinema is not the archive. (Admittedly, join the two)
That scene made the film. Without it, the ceasefire made no sense. (Arguably)
The film was visually stunning. Its central meeting was pure invention. (Nevertheless)
The invention changed who did what to whom. Dramatic licence tipped into propaganda. (In other words)
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4 · Metaphorical warfare — match the expressions
- a political stalematedrop or tap here…
- a ceasefire in a family rowdrop or tap here…
- an ambush questiondrop or tap here…
- to surrender a pointdrop or tap here…
- under siege by (the press / questions)drop or tap here…
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5 · Voice message · That new WWII film
Listen to a voice message a friend leaves after coming out of a much-hyped Second World War film.
📄 Show transcript
Speaker: Hey, it’s me! Just got out of *Victory at all Costs* – you know, that new WWII film everyone’s raving about. Honestly, visually it was extraordinary. The uniforms, the weapons, even the old maps they showed… technically brilliant, really. But oh my goodness, the historical inaccuracies! It really got under my skin.
There’s this whole segment about a fictional peace negotiation in Berlin between Churchill and some obscure German general. I mean, they never even met, let alone had secret talks! And what really set me off was coming out of the cinema and the couple in front of me were explaining this made-up plot point to their teenage kids as if it were actual history. My blood was boiling!
I remember the director defending these ‘creative liberties’ in an interview. He called it 'emotional truth,' which, let's be honest, is what everyone says when they've invented a major plot point and got caught red-handed. Honestly, it just makes me so mad. Anyway, give me a call back when you can. Bye!
- What does she praise about the film?
- What historical invention does she object to?
- Why is she especially angry after leaving the cinema?
- How does she describe the director's defence of the licence?
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6 · A short opinion piece (180–210 words)
Write a short opinion piece for the culture section titled: "When 'emotional truth' becomes a polite excuse." Use at least five different discourse markers and two items of warfare vocabulary — one used literally, one metaphorically. End with a clear personal position.
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