In honour of the Beijing Olympics we’ll be looking at sports vocabulary this month. Quite often there is confusion around which are the proper verbs, especially when you are translating from your first language into English! For example, don’t confuse practise and play! If you are a member of a football team, you must say ‘I play football’ to describe it as a regular activity in your life. The verb practise is more specific. It is a synonym of to train. You are practising when you are trying to improve your skills with your teammates. You can practise kicking the ball into the goal or passing the ball. But if it’s game time, you are playing.
Additionally, the verbs ‘go’ and ‘do’ can be used with different sports in a similar way to ‘play.’ A general guide to help you choose the best verb is that go is used with individual sports where you do not need other people. They are also sports that involve moving from one place to another, rather than just staying in one place. You go running (not footing!), jogging, hiking, and swimming. Use do with sports which can be done alone, but while staying in the same place. These sports often involve classes or training. Sometimes you can work alone (do yoga, do gymnastics, do aerobics, do cheerleading); sometimes you are in a match against others (do karate, do judo). Play is used with most other sports, especially when you are on a team (play football, play rugby, play basketball). Remember that you don’t always need a team to play a sport (play tennis).
If you just like watching sports, you are a fan or a supporter. If you want to talk about your favourite team you can say ‘I am a fan of Chelsea Football Club’ or ‘I support my home team.’ If you only support the team when they are winning, a negative phrase to describe you is ‘a fair weather fan’! If you always want the weaker team to defeat the more successful teams, you support the underdog (the weak team). To show your support you might wear a jersey (the team shirt) or go to the stadium to watch the match. With field sports, the stadium is the building where they play and the pitch is the field where the game is happening. With basketball and tennis, the game is played on a court. Golf is played on a course.
To keep learning about this topic, try looking at some of the free EFL (English as a Foreign Language) and ESL (English as a Second Language) websites. To see pictures of different sports, including people and equipment, go to eflnet.com (http://www.eflnet.com/vocab/sports_vocabulary.php). To quiz yourself on sports verbs, go to esl.about.com. (http://esl.about.com/library/vocabulary/blsport_doplaygo1.htm).
More advanced students should try reading newspaper articles on their favourite sports regularly. Many Irish, English and American newspapers have free articles online. This is a great way to learn new vocabulary, and can be a way to find topics for conversations with co-workers to practise your speaking and listening skills. Don’t be shy- just ask, ‘What did you think of the match last night?’ and you’ll be on your way to a great conversation in English!
