English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate » Unit 18: Sport

Word List
  • archer
  • archery
  • bat
  • billiards
  • bow
  • canoeist
  • club
  • competitive
  • cue
  • dart
  • discus
  • fencing
  • fishing line
  • footballer
  • gymnast
  • gymnastics
  • hang-gliding
  • high jump
  • hold a record
  • javelin
  • jockey
  • knock out
  • long jump
  • long-distance
  • make it
  • marathon
  • motor racing
  • mountaineer
  • oar
  • paddle
  • pole vault
  • pool
  • qualify
  • racket
  • reach
  • referee
  • rod
  • round
  • scuba diving
  • semi-final
  • set a record
  • snooker
  • snowboarding
  • spectator
  • sports
  • sprinter
  • squash player
  • stick
  • swimmer
  • tennis player
  • ten-pin bowling
  • trophy
  • windsurfing
Exercises

18.1 ‣ Which of the sports opposite are these people probably talking about?

  1. The ball doesn't roll in a straight line on the ground. You have to aim away from the centre of the pins.
  2. Provided it's not too windy at the top of the hill, there's no problem. _____
  3. It is incredibly noisy, fast and dangerous, but it's really exciting to watch. _____
  4. The horse has to get over a series of jumps without knocking the posts off. _____
  5. It's all a matter of balance. But sometimes you can't help falling in the water. _____
  6. You need a good eye and concentration, especially to hit the centre of the board. _____
  7. The different ball colours are worth different numbers of points. _____
  8. It's a fantastic feeling when the snow flies up into the air around you. _____

18.2 ‣ Name a piece of equipment necessary to do these sports apart from the item given.

  1. golf: ball,
  2. archery: arrow, _____
  3. tennis: ball, _____
  4. field hockey: ball, _____
  5. baseball: ball, _____
  6. darts: dartboard, _____
  7. canoeing: canoe, _____
  8. snooker: balls, _____
  9. rowing: boat, _____

18.3 ‣ Fill the gaps with suitable words.

  1. She's a runner. She won a medal last year for the 1,500 metres. She's won a lot of _____ in the last five years and has them all in a glass cabinet at her house.
  2. Were many new records _____ at the last Olympics?
  3. He’s doing a _____ next week-running 42 kilometres! That’s 26 miles!
  4. Who _____ the world record for the 1,000 metres these days? Is it a Russian?
  5. His national team failed to _____ for the World Cup so he's supporting Brazil instead.
  6. Last year, our team _____ the final for the first time in 10 years but we lost. (two answers)
  7. My team got _____ in the second _____ of the competition. We were very disappointed it happened at such an early stage.
  8. All Olympic sports are highly _____; everyone has one ambition -to win gold.
  9. Thousands of _____ protested loudly at the decision of the _____ to give their team captain a red card.
  10. The world's best _____ can run 100 metres in less than 10 seconds.

18.4 ‣ Correct the mistakes in these sentences. There may be more than one mistake.

  1. She was a champion gymnastic when she was a teenager.
  2. Are you a good tenniser? We're trying to get a local team together.
    _____
  3. My brother is an expert canoist. He's won medals.
    _____
  4. My father is a good golfist. He's also an expert mountainer.
    _____
  5. Is there a shop near here that sells sport equipment? I need a fishing rode.
    _____
  6. I'd love to be a good archerer, but my eyesight isn't very good.
    _____
  7. Are you a sprinter or a long-distant runner?
    _____
  8. My favourite Olympic sports are fence and the height jump.
    _____

18.5 ‣ Which sport ... ?

  1. covers a long distance in one jump?
  2. throws a heavy disc a long way? _____
  3. throws a pole with a sharp point? _____

18.6 ‣

Over to you

Make a list of (a) sports you have done and (b) sports you would like to do. Then list the equipment you needed / would need for each one. Write sentences about what you liked or disliked about sports you have tried, using vocabulary from this unit.
Answer Key
A ‣ Some sports whose names you may not know


  1. hang-gliding

  2. (ten-pin) bowling

  3. fencing

  4. showjumping

  5. windsurfing

  6. snowboarding

  7. scuba diving

  8. snooker/pool/billiards /ˈbɪljədz/

  9. motor racing

  10. archery

B ‣ Equipment - what you hold in your hand

golf - club
squash/tennis/badminton - racket
darts - dart
archery - bow
cricket / table tennis / baseball - bat
ice hockey / field hockey - stick
snooker/pool/billiards - cue
canoeing - paddle
rowing - oar
fishing - rod/line

C ‣ Athletics


  1. discus (throw)

  2. javelin /ˈdʒævlɪn/

  3. high jump

  4. long jump

  5. gymnastics

  6. pole vault

She’s a great sprinter. [fast over short distances]

He’s a great long-distance runner. (e.g. 5,000 metres) He’s doing a marathon next month.

D ‣ Competition in sport

She set a new Olympic record last year.

He holds the record for the 100 metres breaststroke.

England qualified for the World Cup but got knocked out in the third round. [achieved the necessary standard but lost at the third stage and were then excluded from the competition]

Our team made it to / reached the semi-final but then we were beaten. [ won every stage of the competition except the last but one, and so did not enter the final match/event]

Most sports are very competitive these days. [involve a strong desire to win and be better than other people]

She felt proud as she held the trophy in her hands. [cup or other object that shows she has won]

Players who disagree with the referee set a bad example to the spectators and to their fans. [people who are present at a sporting event to watch it]

E ‣ People who do particular sports

-er can be used for many sports, e.g. footballer, swimmer, etc. Player is often necessary, e.g. tennis player, squash player. Some names must be learnt separately, e.g. canoeist, mountaineer, jockey, archer (NOT archerer), gymnast.

Common mistakes

In British English, the noun sport is used in the plural when it describes another noun (e.g. equipment, facilities, club). The shop sells sports equipment. (NOT sport equipment) However, you will hear the singular sport used before another noun in American English.

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