improv
improv — noun
- improvsingular
- improvsplural
1. a style of live performance, usually comedy or acting, where the performers make
a style of live performance, usually comedy or acting, where the performers make up the words and actions on the spot instead of following a script.
Liang takes an improv class every Tuesday night at a small theatre in Taipei.
common collocation: improv class
Zuri joined a college improv group and now performs weekly shows on campus.
collocation: improv group
Good improv depends on listening carefully to your partner and saying 'yes, and' to their ideas.
The actors performed an hour of improv based on a single word shouted by the audience.
Esteban prefers improv to scripted theatre because every show feels different.
- improvisation
the fuller, more formal form; used in writing and across music as well as theatre
- ad-lib
usually a single unplanned line rather than a whole performance style
- scripted comedy
performances that follow a written text
用法筆記
Almost always uncountable; treated as a discipline or genre. Short for 'improvisation' and far more common in everyday speech about comedy and acting.
常見錯誤
improv — adjective
- improvpositive
- more improvcomparative
- most improvsuperlative
1. describing a performance, group, or event in which the words and actions are mad
describing a performance, group, or event in which the words and actions are made up on the spot, especially in comedy.
Arjun joined an improv troupe that meets every Saturday at the community centre.
attributive: 'improv troupe / group / team'
The bar hosts a popular improv night where anyone in the audience can suggest a topic.
collocation: improv night
Ingrid teaches a beginner improv workshop for nervous office workers wanting to speak more freely.
Most of the cast also studied at an improv school in Chicago before moving into television.
Cyrus opened a small improv comedy club just two blocks from the train station.
- improvised
the participle form; works both attributively and after 'be'
- unscripted
broader; covers reality TV and interviews as well as comedy
- scripted
following a written text
文法句型
improv + noun
用法筆記
Used almost only before a noun (attributive). Cannot stand after 'be' — say 'the show is improvised', not 'the show is improv'.