IELTS READING LEVEL 4.5 – Art and Artists – Shapes

Art and Artists – Shapes

by ReadWorks

Drawings are made up of lines. Those lines often form shapes. Drawings are made out of lines, and also shapes.

When you attach lines together, they become shapes. Shapes are all different sizes and can be made of many different kinds of lines. Certain shapes make us think of certain things. A rectangle may remind us of a building or a square may remind us of a box. If you see a circle, you might think of the sun. An oval is the shape of a person’s head and triangles can look like trees.

One thing can be made up of many different shapes. Think about the human body. The head is oval-shaped, but what are your arms shaped like? What are some shapes that you can find on the human body? Can you draw a body using only common shapes?

Art is often made up of shapes that are created with lines.

Vocabulary

attach       at ·tach

Definition

verb

1. to join, fasten, or connect.

He attached the telephone wire to the wall.

Advanced Definition

transitive verb

1. to join, fasten, or connect; affix.

Did you attach the card to the gift package?

He’s attaching the wings to his model airplane.

The price tag is still attached to your shirt.

2. to make a part of in action or function.

We would like to attach him to our firm.

3. to connect (oneself to others) in an emotional way.

She was lonely, and she quickly attached herself to new people.

4. to attribute; assign.

He didn’t attach much significance to the conversation at the time.

She attaches a lot of importance to these old letters.

These are some examples of how the word or forms of the word are used:

1. Young polyps attach themselves to the old shells.
2. When you attach lines together, they become shapes.
3. Unlike viruses, bacteria do not need to attach to cells to replicate.
4. Babies attach themselves to the fur under a mother’s belly to drink her milk.
5. They attach each cart to a team of oxen, which pull the carts to markets so that the farmers can sell their crops.
6. After catching it, he attached it to his boat using a stringer, which is a device used to attach the fish to the boat while still keeping it in the water.
7. Maria knew all about using the different USB ports and clicking the right buttons to attach pictures, but now she wondered about how the data was actually sent from the camera to the computer to the email, and then from Mom’s email to Grandma’s email.

create       cre ·ate

Definition

verb

1. to bring into being.

The chef created a new dish.

Advanced Definition

transitive verb

1. to bring into being.

He created a magnificent work of art for the town hall.

The chef has created three new dishes.

A new division of the police department was created to deal with this problem.

The new government pledged to create more jobs.

A large mirror on a wall can sometimes create a feeling of more space.

2. to cause; produce.

Arguing only creates more problems.

The radicals hoped to create social unrest.

intransitive verb

1. to bring something into being, esp. works of the imagination.

As an artist, he had no desire to teach, only to create.

Spanish cognate

crear: The Spanish word crear means create.

These are some examples of how the word or forms of the word are used:

1. He wanted to create something faster and easier.
2. Artists are people who use materials to create
3. Parents whose child dies could use cells to create a new baby.
4. Using construction paper, clay, and other materials, students create characters for their movie.
5. They took part in a contest to create a new use for Bubble Wrap.

form       form

Definition

noun

1. the shape or structure of something.

He arranged the chairs in the form of a circle.

She presented the results of the survey in the form of a graph.

2. a document with empty spaces for writing in information.

She filled out a form to apply for a passport.

3. a type or kind of something.

She has a rare form of cancer.

verb

1. to make, build, or give a shape to.

He formed the clay into a pot.

Advanced Definition

noun

1. structure or shape, as opposed to substance.
2. the body or outward appearance of an animal or person; figure.
3. something that imparts shape, such as a mold.
4. a document with empty spaces provided for the insertion of information.
5. type or kind.

a form of plant life

6. conduct guided by convention, regulation, custom, or standards of politeness.

It is considered bad form to insult the teacher during class.

7. the style, design, pattern, or method of an artistic work.

The sonata is a musical form.

8. state of physical or psychological fitness for athletic or other activities.

She is in good form on the tennis court today.

transitive verb

1. to make, create, or construct.
2. to mold or train through instruction.
3. to be one, many, or all of the parts of; constitute.
4. to arrange in a specific order.
5. to develop, as in the mind.

She formed an opinion of us.

intransitive verb

1. to come into being; develop; arise.
2. to assume shape or form.

Spanish cognate

forma: The Spanish word forma means form.

These are some examples of how the word or forms of the word are used:

1. Tornadoes form when strong winds spin.
2. Some glaciers came together to form bigger ones, just like different streams of water join to form bigger rivers.
3. Energy cannot be created. Energy in the form of electricity has to be transferred from another kind of energy.
4. When warm air becomes colder, it condenses. The cool temperatures draw the water particles together. This forms the rain cloud.
5. The stream flows into the Apurimac River, which is one of the many rivers that combine to form the Amazon.
6. Dodgeball develops hand-eye coordination, strengthens muscles, and builds concentration skills, Troy told Weekly Reader. “It is also a good form of exercise.”
7. The dome of Monticello, shaped like a circle, also symbolizes the republican form of government that Jefferson and the colonists studied so fervently.
8. The Mayas were artists and sculptors. They also developed a calendar and an advanced form of writing. Their society collapsed around A.D. 800.
9. Temperatures are extremely low, especially during winter when it is dark for six months straight! Precipitation is rare and almost always in the form of snow.
10. Kansei, a robot from Japan, has a silicon face covering 19 movable parts. The robot canform up to 36 facial expressions in response to different words.