Welcome to
ESL Printables, the website where English Language teachers exchange resources: worksheets, lesson plans,  activities, etc.
Our collection is growing every day with the help of many teachers. If you want to download you have to send your own contributions.

 


 

 

 

ESL Forum:

Techniques and methods in Language Teaching

Games, activities and teaching ideas

Grammar and Linguistics

Teaching material

Concerning worksheets

Concerning powerpoints

Concerning online exercises

Make suggestions, report errors

Ask for help

Message board

 

ESL forum > Grammar and Linguistics > spectators, audience or public?    

spectators, audience or public?



aldonza
Spain

spectators, audience or public?
 
Hi!

Dealing with the context of circuses, we have to decide which of these three options is the correct one.

"The show is based on traditional travelling circuses and aimed at a rural________.

a. spectator 
b. public
c. crowd
d. audience

The correct answer is "audience", but is "public" also possible?

Thanks in advance!

2 Feb 2012      





libertybelle
United States

audience or spectators because they watch.

2 Feb 2012     



savvinka
Russian Federation

Hi, Aldonza,
An interesting question for me!
The native speakers will say a word, of course,but in my opinion we don �t use public when we mean people at the theatre,cinema.circus and other entertainments. We call them audience, spectators, patrons, you can check it with the theatre dictionaries:

  1.  

2 Feb 2012     



aliciapc
Uruguay

IMHO, audience

2 Feb 2012     



yanogator
United States

Definitely audience. "Public" is really too general for this usage. We also would probably not use "a rural public".
 
Bruce

2 Feb 2012     



aldonza
Spain

Thank you all so much !!
Good point, Bruce. How could I not pay attention to "a"  rural public"?Embarrassed
Cheers

2 Feb 2012