Act out means to perform a scene, a dialogue or a story, playing the parts. The second meaning is about children and teenagers: to behave badly, lose control, break the rules, usually because of feelings they don't talk about.
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act out + scene/dialogue/story; act it out; (of a child or teenager) act out at school/in class
- In pairs, act out a conversation between a hotel guest and the receptionist.
- The children acted out the story of the three bears for their parents.
- Teenagers sometimes act out at school when something is wrong at home.
What changed
First versionWork in pairs and play the dialogue by roles.
RevisionWork in pairs and act out the dialogue.
Play the dialogue by roles is a word-for-word classroom instruction that English doesn't use. In English the roles are understood, so the instruction is simply act out the dialogue.
Act up is similar but milder: to misbehave a little, and about machines, to stop working properly: My laptop is acting up again. Act out about behaviour suggests a reason inside the person: Since his parents split up, he's been acting out at school.
Your turn
In today's lesson, students will work in pairs and ___ a scene at a hotel reception.
Show the answer
act out — The students need to perform a scene, and the verb has an object, a scene, so act out. Act up means to misbehave or malfunction, and it never takes an object.
Describe a scene you acted out in class or at a rehearsal. Say who you played and where the scene took place.
At school we acted out a scene in a café, and I played a waiter who kept bringing the wrong order.
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