English Vocabulary in Use Pre-intermediate and Intermediate » Unit 42: Competitive sport
Answer the questions. If possible, compare your answers with someone else.
In football, you can talk about the score [the number of goals a team has] like this:
Spain played Poland and they won the game. = Poland lost the game.
Spain won 2–0 (spoken as two nil). = Poland lost 2–0.
Spain beat Poland (2–0). (NOT Spain won Poland.) = Poland lost (2–0) to Spain.
Spain defeated Poland (2–0). = Poland were defeated (2–0) by Spain.
Spain and Italy drew 1–1 (spoken as one all) OR It was a 1–1 draw between Spain and Italy.
The score at the end of a game is also the result.
The final score/result was 2–0.
The score at half-time was 1–0. (NOT The result at half-time was 1–0.)
A competition is an organised event in which people try to win something by being the best, the fastest, etc. Individuals, such as tennis players Serena Williams or Rafael Nadal, and teams such as Manchester United, take part in [join with others in] different types of competition. Tennis players and golfers enter tournaments such as the French Open; football and ice hockey teams play in league competitions, where they play against different teams. Many teams also play in cup competitions (similar to tournaments), e.g. the FA Cup or the World Cup, which ends with two teams playing against each other in a final. The winners (opp the losers) are the champions, e.g. Germany became World Cup champions in 2014, and Philipp Lahm received the cup as captain of the winning team.
Another win for Kim Clijsters
Kim Clijsters won the women’s US Open last night for the second time. She first won the championship3 in 2005, but gave up4 tennis in 2007 to have a baby. She returned in 2009, and is the first mother to win a grand slam for 29 years.
Canadian Grand Prix
There was a superb race for the Canadian Grand Prix. The winner5, Lewis Hamilton, passed Sebastian Vettel and won by five seconds. But Nico Rosberg now leads6 the drivers championship with 107 points.
1 run faster than anyone in the world before
2 the time when you win a game or a competition
3 an important competition to decide who is the best
4 stopped playing
5 the person who wins
6 is in front of others during a competition, e.g. At half-time, Milan are leading 1–0.
Superb, incredible and out standing can describe something or someone that is very good and of a very high quality, e.g. Pelé was a superb footballer.
The words you need to communicate with confidence. Vocabulary explanations and practice for elementary level (A2) learners of English. Perfect for both self-study and classroom activities. Quickly expand your vocabulary with 60 units of easy to understand explanations and practice exercises.
The words you need to communicate with confidence. Vocabulary explanations and practice for Upper-intermediate level (B2) learners of English. Perfect for both self-study and classroom activities. Quickly expand your vocabulary with over 100 units of easy to understand explanations and practice exercises.
The words you need to communicate with confidence. Vocabulary explanations and practice for advanced level (C1 to C2) learners of English. Perfect for both self-study and classroom activities. Quickly expand your vocabulary with over 100 units of easy to understand explanations and practice exercises.