Learn English – the best word or phrase for comments provided by a guide

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What is the word that can be used to describe commentary given by a guide during a tour?

For example riding on guided tour of a city where guide tells you about different objects of interests.

Edit:

Looking for the word or phrase to replace blanks, hopefully this makes the question clearer.

The short and to the point ____ given by guide was welcomed by the tourists.

The guide ____ on every historic item we encountered.

Best Answer

The most suitable expression to describe the information which a tourist guide (in the US it's a tour guide) gives is in fact commentary: a series of comments, explanations, or annotations. Wikipedia prefers this term in its Audio tour article. The correct verb form is commentate.

An audio tour or audio guide provides a recorded spoken commentary, normally through a handheld device, to a visitor attraction such as a museum. They are also available for self-guided tours of outdoor locations [...] It provides background, context, and information on the things being viewed

However, as worthy alternatives to commentary and commentate, consider:

  • The short and to the point information given by the guide was welcomed by the tourists
  • The guide explained every historic item we encountered.

Tour guides who work in a stationary setting, such as a museum or landmark, typically conduct several tours a day to different groups of visitors. They must select the most important and interesting information about the subject and present it to the visitors in a simple, yet appealing, way. Often, tour guides must adapt the information to suit the specific visitors.

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