dramatise
dramatise — verb
1. to turn a novel, story, poem, or other written work into a script that actors ca
to turn a novel, story, poem, or other written work into a script that actors can perform, whether on a theatre stage, on television, or in a film.
Christopher decided to dramatise his favourite short story for the school play.
transitive: dramatise + story + for [medium]
The novel was dramatised for television and became a popular series.
passive: was dramatised for television
Paloma dramatised a collection of Malay folk tales into a series of one-act plays.
The famous author was asked to dramatise her memoir for the West End stage.
- adapt
broader term — adapt can mean change for any purpose, while dramatise specifically targets performance
- turn into a play
more informal and specific to theatre, while dramatise also covers film and television
文法句型
dramatise + noun phrase + for [medium (television, stage, screen)]
be dramatised + as/by/for
用法筆記
Common in passive constructions (be dramatised). Often followed by 'for' + the performance medium (for television, for the stage). The US spelling is dramatize.
2. to describe an event, situation, or problem in a way that makes it appear far mo
to describe an event, situation, or problem in a way that makes it appear far more exciting, serious, or extreme than the truth would suggest.
Reema tends to dramatise small problems at work, making each one sound like a crisis.
collocation: dramatise + problem / situation / event
Zayd dramatised his account of the hike so much that his friends stopped believing him.
Please don't dramatise the situation — it was a simple misunderstanding between neighbours.
Nellie's version of the argument was heavily dramatised with invented details.
- exaggerate
more neutral in tone; dramatise adds a theatrical quality
- overstate
slightly more formal, often used in written language
- sensationalise
specifically about making news or stories more shocking than they are
- downplay
to make something seem less important than it really is — the opposite action
- understate
to describe something as smaller or less serious than it really is
文法句型
dramatise + noun phrase (event, situation, problem)
用法筆記
Often carries a negative connotation — the speaker implies the person is making something out to be more serious than it deserves. Common with adverbs that suggest a habit (tends to dramatise, always dramatises). Distinguish from sense 1 (ADAPT FOR PERFORMANCE), which refers to adapting written works for stage or screen.