Sports

John is reading a note:

Sport and Exercise

If you want some exercise, there are clubs at the college for lots of sports, including:

Football     Baseball     Skateboarding     Running    Cycling       Golf  Badminton          Gymnastics          Karate        Ice-hockey

We also arrange trips to the mountains in the summer for climbing, and in the winter for skiing and snowboarding.

The college has a football pitch, and nets where you can practice kicking a football into the goal. There are two tennis courts and a skating rink in the area.

We can provide some equipment, including baseball bats and helmets, hockey sticks and skates, badminton rackets, skis, but you’ll need your own sports kits.

Last year, our footballers won every match they played, and a team of runners came second in a regional college competition.

If you aren’t a sports fan, there are also plenty of clubs for different hobbies and board games.

Can you guess what we are going to talk about in today’s lesson?

Right you are! Today we are going to talk about Sports.

You’ll get to know different kinds of sports and some sports equipment.

You will also learn how to use the verbs play, do and go with sports and activities correctly.

And finally you will practice using the new words.

So, look through the note again and match the pictures to the sports mentioned in the text.

1. Badminton

2. Football

3. Ice-hockey

4. Gymnastics

5. Running

6. Golf

7. Baseball

8. Karate

9. Skateboarding

10. Cycling

11. Climbing

12. Snowboarding

13. Skiing

I believe, the task was easy to you. The names of sports are similar to your native language, aren’t they?

Listen to the description and guess what kind of sports it is.

1. It is a game played by two or four persons with a small hard ball which is struck with clubs into holes. (golf)

2. A game played between 2 teams of eleven players who kick a ball around a field trying to score a goal. (football)

3. Each team may have up to 17 players, only 6 of whom are allowed to play at the same time. Players must wear skates and numbered shirts. (hockey)

Word Finder

Now listen to the explanations of the words in bold and find them in the note.

1.     A person, who is very enthusiastic about someone or something. (a fan)

2.                 A piece of material made of threads with spaces in between. In football players try to kick the ball into it. (a net)

3.                 An area of ground that is used for playing a game such as football. (a pitch)

4.                 A long piece of wood that is used for hitting the ball in games such as baseball. (a bat)

5.                 A bat with strings across it, that is used in some ball games such as tennis. (a racket)

6.                 The clothes you wear to do sports. (a sports kit)

7.                 It is the place where the players try to put the ball in order to win a point for their team. (a goal)

8.                 Shoes with attached metal blades used for gliding on ice. (skates)

9.                 A hard hat that is worn to protect your head. (a helmet)

10.            A piece of equipment used in ice hockey or roller hockey to move the ball or puck. (a stick)

11.            A pair of narrow strips used in gliding over snow or water. (skis)

12.            A contest between two individuals or teams. (a match)

13.            A group of people. (a team)

14.            A space for playing a tennis game. (a court)

15.            An area that has a special surface of ice and is used for skating. (a rink)

How do you know when to use go, do, or play when you talk about sports?

Are these sentences correct? Look at them and try to guess.

Now look at the table. Think a minute.

What is the same about the words that use play?

They are all regular nouns. They are also competitive sports (you play to win.)

What is the same about the words that use go?

They are all nouns that end with – ing. We go somewhere to do something.

What is the same about the words that use do?

They are all recreational activities and non-team sports that do not use a ball.

Go back to the sentences above. Were your guesses right? Check yourselves.

1. I like to go bowling.

2. Correct

3. Correct

4. We like to go hiking.

5. They usually play golf.

6. Mike and Carol do karate.

Now let’s practice using the new words.

Find the words or phrases that do not belong.

In the following task you should say which sentences are correct.

1.                 You play baseball with a racket. (False)

2.                 A fan is someone who likes a sports team. (True)

3.                 A sports kit is something you put on. (True)

4.                 A net is a contest between two individuals or teams. (False)

5.                 Skates is a pair of narrow strips used in gliding over snow or water. (False)

6.                 A goal is the place where the players try to put the ball in order to win a point for their team. (True)

7.                 A match is a long piece of wood that is used for hitting the ball in games such as baseball. (False)

Are the highlighted words correct or incorrect in the sentences?

1.                 My brother loves cycle.

2.                 My brother loves cycling.

3.                 I go running every morning before work. (correct)

4.                 Who broke my tennis bat?

5.                 Who broke my tennis racket?

6.                 It’s difficult to score a net in football.

7.                 It’s difficult to score a goal in football.

8.                 I get lots of letters from fans. It’s great! (correct)

9.                 I do skateboarding in the mountains every year.

10.            I go skateboarding in the mountains every year.

11.            I can’t play ice-hockey today. I’ve forgotten a stick at home. (correct)

Read the dialogue and put the correct word in each gap:

go / play / do / pitch / net / goal / sports kit / T-shirt / team / racket / match / skis.

Mike: Are you doing anything after school, John?

John: Yes, I’m going to play football.

Mike: Really? Where are you going to play?

John: At the football pitch just behind my house.

Mike: Oh, I didn’t know there was a pitch there.

John: It’s not easy to see from the street. Do you like football?

Mike: Yes, I love it. I used to play for a team in my old town.

John: Are you good at it?

Mike: Well, I’m not bad.

John: Good! Do you want to join me then?

Mike: I’d love to but I don’t have a sports kit and trainers with me.

John: That’s all right. You'll have enough time to go home after school.

Mike: Great!

Do you go to any sports clubs? Are there any in your school?

Using the dialogue above as a model and the new vocabulary, invite your friend to play tennis or go skateboarding after school. Act out your dialogues.

In this lesson you have scored some goals:

·                   You’ve learned different kinds of sports and some sports equipment.

·                   You know how to use the verbs play, do and go with sports and activities.

·                   You’ve practiced the new words and phrases in your speech, because a language needs as much practice as your body needs exercise!