Audience vs. spectator

[dzungqn]

Test No. incompl/inter-13 "At the Theatre", question 7

The ......... were so carried away with the acting that at the end of the play they all stood up and applauded.

(a) spectators
(b) watchers
(c) listeners
(d) audience

Test No. incompl/inter-13 "At the Theatre", answer 7

The audience were so carried away with the acting that at the end of the play they all stood up and applauded.

Correct answer: (d) audience

Your answer was: correct
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please tell the difference between audience and spectator.

[Torsten]

Audience is a collective noun referring to a group of people.
A spectator is a member of the audience.
Please, take a look at this post, too:
http://www.english-test.net/forum/ftopic1523.html
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Test Of English for International Communication
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[Jbaddoo]

Just a few minutes ago while I was taking one of the grammar tests, I encounter these two objectives "Spectators or Audience". Although, I chose Audience, which was correct, I need to know the difference between them. Can someone please help explain?

Thank you,
Joycelyn

[Sandy1]

Spectator is some one who watching a game
Audience is a group of people to come to watch and listen to someone speaking or performing in puplic

[Jbaddoo]

Thank you very much for the clarification. Now I got it!
So, to use both in a sentence, I can say "Don't be a spectator--be a part of the audience and have fun?"
Please advise - thank you.
Joycelyn

[Jbaddoo]

Another question, please. Spectator is One. How about "spectators". Would that be two or more people watching a game?

[Icykhool]

I feel "spectators" is related to more oberservation or watching where "Audiance" is related to drema or movie or music where audio or voice or volume is important.

What do think about "Observer" ?

[Sandy1]

jbaddoo
spectators can be plural so people who go to watch a football game or basketball are called spectators
while when people go to cinema or to an operah concert are called audiance

[Sandy1]

Icykhool,
Observer is the one who regularly watches or pay attention to particular things,events:
An observer of nature

[BrianL]

I am fairly certain that "audience" is a singular noun. Shouldn't it be "the audience was" instead of "were"?

[Expatcat]

My post is to address collective nouns in American English. I am almost certain they are treated a bit differently in British English.

Although it is acceptible to use either a plural or a singular verb with a collective noun, most speakers of American English will determine which to use by deciding if the collective noun is acting together as a group, or acting as individuals within the group.

I learned these two sentences a long time ago (I won't say how long!) and still remember them.

Today the class goes on a fieldtrip.
On Saturdays the class do their homework.

In the first sentence, the class is acting as a group. In the second sentence, the members of the class are acting individualy.

Regarding this sentence:
"The audience were so carried away with the acting that at the end of the play they all stood up and applauded."

It seems to me that the the audience is sharing an experience together as a group. My choice in the test posted at the beginning of this thread would have been "spectators".

I don't think that in conversational English one would ever hear, "the audience were so carried..."

[BrianL]

Indeed. Torsten, I think this question's answer needs to be altered--"audience" takes "was," not "were".

[Alan]

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Hi,

I see we're falling back into this unproductive American English/British English wrangle, which can't be helpful to anyone learning English and isn't relevant here. By saying 'the audience were', you are regarding this as a description of a large number of people standing up and applauding. The sentence concludes with the words 'they all stood up and applauded' and clearly you wouldn't say 'it all stood up and applauded'. 'Spectators' doesn't really fit either because the people are in the theatre. I accept of course there are differences between the varieties of English throughout the world but this isn't an example of that, it's a question of interpretation.

Alan
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[Esl_Expert]

Hello Alan

Nevertheless, this test presents a real situation for which there is a difference between AmE and BE. It would be completely normal and correct to say something such as "the audience was on its feet" in American English.

Here is a real usage example for you -- one which is not much different from your test:

[Alan]

Hi,

Of course you can say 'was' in that sentence and of course you can say 'were' in that sentence when you are referring to 'audience' but to suggest this is due to the differences between your English and my English is unproductive and totally irrelevant. Quoting from your newspaper really doesn't prove a thing. No doubt you could scour a few more papers and find 'were' and I could scour a few papers and find 'was'. I see you're back to your old habit of generalising on what I said. I was referring to one particular example and not 'proclaiming any mention ....'

Alan
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