Sports in English with verbs. Names of games and sports in English
As they say, a healthy mind in a healthy body! Sports is another interesting and relevant topic of conversation, besides politics and weather.
Therefore, today I would like to present to your attention a list of words denoting the names of games and sports in English. Also, for the full picture, I propose to deal with “sports” verbs play,do And go - play, practice, which often cause confusion.
- swimming - swimming
- cycling - cycling
- tennis - tennis
- boxing - boxing
- shooting - shooting
- equestrian jumping - horse jumping
- sailing - sailing
- rhythmic gymnastics - rhythmic gymnastics
- judo - judo
- golf - golf
- snooker - snooker (a type of billiard game)
- basketball - basketball
- football - football
- volleyball - volleyball
- baseball - baseball
- ski jumping - ski jumping
- figure skating - figure skating
- bobsleigh - bobsleigh
- swimming synchronized - synchronized swimming
- rowing - rowing
- kayak slalom - kayak slalom
- biathlon - biathlon
- cross country skiing - cross-country skiing
- alpine skiing - mountain skiing
- snowboard - snowboarding
- ice hockey - ice hockey
- curling - curling
- table tennis - table tennis
- artistic gymnastics - artistic gymnastics
- bowling - bowling
- athletics - athletics
- wrestling freestyle - freestyle wrestling
- weightlifting - weightlifting
- fencing - fencing
- archery - archery
- badminton - badminton
- field hockey - field hockey
- diving - diving (diving)
- cricket - cricket
Now let's move on to the verbs that are used with names of games and sports in English.
There are three verbs in English that can be used with sports. It's play, go and do. Let's look at when each is used.
Verb Play
The use of this verb in English is very easy to guess, since it corresponds to the Russian word for "play". Typically, it is used with ball team games (except golf), such as football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, as well as indoor games such as chess and darts.
For example: Can you play darts? - Do you know how to play darts?
Verb Go
This verb is placed before the names of sports with the ending -ing like skiing and snowboarding. This also applies to fishing and hunting.
Other examples of using the verb go with names of sports: go cycling, go golfing(although this is a ball game), go sailing, go diving etc.
One could also say go to aerobics, go to karate, go to judo, go to gymnastics. This will mean that you attend regular training sessions for these sports.
For example: I go cycling on Sunday. — I ride a bike on Sunday.
When we are talking about a more serious approach, training, then it is possible to use the verb practice, which means practicing an element, repeating one action many times to improve it.
Example: I practice a hook. - I'm practicing my kick.
Verb Do
The verb do is used to denote individual sports (athletics, archery, weightlifting) or activities consisting of a group of exercises (yoga, aerobics, streches), plus martial arts (judo, karate).
For example: I do yoga. - I do yoga.
Article on the topic:
What kind of sport are you interested in? Or are you lazy? Admit it)
So, what can you talk about if the weather topic has exhausted itself, you don’t want to discuss politics, and it’s inappropriate to talk about work? Of course, sports!
In today's article we will dwell in detail on problematic words that students most often confuse when talking about sports.
We talk about playing sports.
If you decide to talk about sports, then remember that if in Russian almost any sport is combined with the word engage, then in English you will have to make a choice between the verbs do, play, go.
Do used primarily with the names of individual sports or activities that consist of groups of exercises. Verb play used with the names of team sports, games, when the result of the competition is the victory of one participant or team over another, and not the result.
Go combines with gerunds (verbs ending in -ing) and is used when talking about hobbies and fitness activities that involve moving.
You can also say:
go to aerobics/ gymnastics/ judo/ karate- this means that you attend regular classes and training in these sports.
I go to gymnastics twice a week. - I go to gymnastics twice a week.
If we are talking about serious training, then you can use the verb practice, which means: to practice, repeat one element many times, in order to bring it to perfection:
Practice a hook - train a blow
practice a lateral pass - practice a lateral pass
Can't use verb make with names of sports and with the word sport: only do/play sport.
With the word games only verb matches play: play games.
With the word activities only the word goes together do: do activities.
People in sports
Umpire/referee
Both words are translated as judge, but in different sports:
Umpire monitors compliance with the rules in tennis, baseball and cricket, and referee- in football and many other team sports.
Spectators/ viewers/ onlookers/witnesses/audience
Spectators and fans watch sporting events at the stadium, and there is a word for them spectators- these are spectators of shows, sports competitions, matches, and other public events.
Thousands of spectators cheered the teams loudly. - Thousands of spectators loudly greeted the teams.
Viewers- people watching an event (sports or mass) on television.
The viewers were dissatisfied with the commentator’s remarks during the match. - TV viewers were unhappy with the commentator’s comments during the match.
Оnlooker- synonym of the word wittness, that is, a witness (incident, accident, etc.) who was present at the scene of the events and saw everything with his own eyes, an onlooker.
Some onlookers were watching the fight. - Several onlookers watched the fight.
Audience- the public present at a theater or concert.
The audience broke into loud applause after the end of the concert. - The audience applauded loudly after the end of the concert.
Athlete / sportsman
Athlete- a person who trains seriously, has good sports training and takes part in competitions.
To be a professional athlete you have to work hard. - To be a professional athlete, you need to train a lot.
Sportsperson (sportsman or sportswoman)- a person who is interested in and goes in for sports.
Competitor/opponent
Competitor- participant in the competition. There can be many participants and they all compete with each other.
Over 100 competitors took part in the annual marathon. - More than 1000 participants took part in the marathon.
Opponent- adversary, competitor, opponent.
The chances of his winning were little because his opponent was stronger. - He had little chance of winning, since his opponent was stronger.
Seats and sports equipment.
Classes and competitions in different sports are held in different places, and their names do not always coincide with the names that we are accustomed to in Russian.
Pitch- area for team games (football, cricket, hockey).
Court- also a court with markings intended for certain games: tennis, basketball.
Don't confuse the word court with the word course, since the latter denotes a place for playing golf (a golf course), as well as a racing circle at the hippodrome ( racecourse).
Ring- a venue for wrestling and boxing competitions, while rink- this is a skating rink where we can skate or do figure skating ( skating rink).
Now let's talk about inventory necessary for sports.
Racquet or racket- a racket for playing tennis, badminton, and although in Russian we also play table tennis with a racket, in English a racket for such tennis is called bat.
Besides,<и>bat - bat (in cricket and baseball). And here is a hockey stick - stick. But don't rush to use this word if you play golf, because a golf club is golf club!
Most games require a ball. It's easier with a ball, a soccer ball - football, tennis - tennis ball, baseball - baseball. Badminton shuttlecock - shattercock, Hockey puck - puck.
Types of competitions and results.
Final/ finale/end/ending
Don't believe it if they tell you that the first two words are the same thing. Word final["faɪnəl] denotes the final and decisive game in the match, the final, the last race.
All football fans are looking forward to the World Cup Finals. - All football fans are looking forward to the World Cup final.
Finale has nothing to do with sports, but denotes the completion, conclusion, end, finale of a performance, production, usually spectacular and amazing.
The audience was waiting for the grand finale of the festival. - The public was waiting for a spectacular end to the festival.
Word end used when we are talking not about the end of a series of competitions, but about the end of a separate event:
At the end of the game it started to rain. - At the end of the match it started to rain.
Ending denotes the end of a film, play, story and is generally not used in a sports context:
I don't like films with sad endings. - I don't like films with sad endings.
Half-time/interval
There is usually a break in the middle of the match ( half-time), but do not confuse it with the word interval, since the latter is an intermission in the theater.
The fans were cheering their team during the half-time. - During the break, the fans supported their team.
The ladies went to the foyer during the interval. - During intermission, the ladies headed to the foyer.
Draw/equal/beat/win
The game can end in different ways. If the game ends in a draw, there is a word to indicate this draw- when both teams scored the same number of points and neither of them was the winner. Can be a noun and a verb:
The teams drew 2-2. - The teams tied: 2:2.
The match ended in a draw.- The match ended in a draw.
There is a word with a similar meaning - equal. It is used when competition participants showed the same results and were at the same level:
The swimmer equaled the world record. - The swimmer’s result corresponded (equated to) the world record.
If one of the teams (or participants in the competition) still turns out to be the winner, then you can use the verb win- to win something, to win something.
Win a race - win the race
win a match - win a match
win a Cup - win a cup
If you want to say “defeat someone, another team”, “defeat an opponent”, then use the verb beat:
Chelsea beat Bavaria in the final of Champions League. - Chelsea defeated Bayern in the Champions League final.
If you are into sports, it will be useful to watch matches and broadcasts of sports competitions in English, as commentators use a lot of colloquial expressions that have become idioms, and some have even begun to be used in other areas, for example, in business. With the main ones You can find it in the article Sports Expressions in Business.
There are also a lot of sports-related phrasal verbs in the English language. You can study them on our blog: Phrasal verbs on the topic "Sports" and More phrasal verbs on the topic "Sports".
And don’t forget that in English it’s like in sports: only regular training can lead you to high results. I wish you success!
12.06.2014As they say, a healthy mind in a healthy body! Sports is another interesting and relevant topic of conversation, besides politics and weather.
Therefore, today I would like to present to your attention a list of words denoting the names of games and sports in English. Also, for the full picture, I propose to deal with “sports” verbs play,do And go - play, practice, which often cause confusion.
- swimming - swimming
- cycling - cycling
- tennis - tennis
- boxing - boxing
- shooting - shooting
- equestrian jumping - horse jumping
- sailing - sailing
- rhythmic gymnastics - rhythmic gymnastics
- judo - judo
- golf - golf
- snooker - snooker (a type of billiard game)
- basketball - basketball
- football - football
- volleyball - volleyball
- baseball - baseball
- ski jumping - ski jumping
- figure skating - figure skating
- bobsleigh - bobsleigh
- swimming synchronized - synchronized swimming
- rowing - rowing
- kayak slalom - kayak slalom
- biathlon - biathlon
- cross country skiing - cross-country skiing
- alpine skiing - mountain skiing
- snowboard - snowboarding
- ice hockey - ice hockey
- curling - curling
- table tennis - table tennis
- artistic gymnastics - artistic gymnastics
- bowling - bowling
- athletics - athletics
- wrestling freestyle - freestyle wrestling
- weightlifting - weightlifting
- fencing - fencing
- archery - archery
- badminton - badminton
- field hockey - field hockey
- diving - diving (diving)
- cricket - cricket
Now let's move on to the verbs that are used with names of games and sports in English.
There are three verbs in English that can be used with sports. It's play, go and do. Let's look at when each is used.
Verb Play
The use of this verb in English is very easy to guess, since it corresponds to the Russian word for "play". Typically, it is used with ball team games (except golf), such as football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, as well as indoor games such as chess and darts.
For example: Can you play darts? - Do you know how to play darts?
Verb Go
This verb is placed before the names of sports with the ending -ing like skiing and snowboarding. This also applies to fishing and hunting.
Other examples of using the verb go with names of sports: go cycling, go golfing(although this is a ball game), go sailing, go diving etc.
One could also say go to aerobics, go to karate, go to judo, go to gymnastics. This will mean that you attend regular training sessions for these sports.
For example: I go cycling on Sunday. — I ride a bike on Sunday.
When we are talking about a more serious approach, training, then it is possible to use the verb practice, which means practicing an element, repeating one action many times to improve it.
Example: I practice a hook. - I'm practicing my kick.
Verb Do
The verb do is used to denote individual sports (athletics, archery, weightlifting) or activities consisting of a group of exercises (yoga, aerobics, streches), plus martial arts (judo, karate).
For example: I do yoga. - I do yoga.
Article on the topic:
What kind of sport are you interested in? Or are you lazy? Admit it)
In British English, you can "do sport". In American English you can "play sport s".
A typical mistake Spanish speakers make is using the verb practice for sports:
*I love practicing sport. This should be: I love sport.
*I usually practice sport every evening . This should be: I usually do sport every evening .
When other words related to sports are used, we may use other verbs:
"What sports do you do?"
"I play tennis".
Observe these pictures:
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| Go skiing | Play tennis |
There are three verbs that collocate with sports and other free time activities: go, do and play, but they are not interchangeable:
- Go is used with activities and sports that end in -ing. The verb go here implies that we go somewhere to practice this sport: go swimming .
- Do is used with recreational activities and with individual, non-team sports or sports in which a ball is not used, like martial arts, for example: do a crossword puzzle, do athletics, do karate .
- Play is generally used with team sports and those sports that need a ball or similar object (puck, disc, shuttlecock...). Also, those activities in which two people or teams compete against each other: play football, play poker, play chess .
| Go | Do | Play |
| riding | aerobics | badminton |
| jogging | gymnastics | table tennis |
| hitch-hiking | taekwondo | football |
| fishing | judo | basketball |
| sailing | chess | |
| windsurfing | kung-fu | cricket |
| skiing | ballet | board games |
| snowboarding | exercise | snooker |
| swimming | yoga | hockey |
| dancing | athletics | baseball |
| skating | archery | rugby |
| cycling | a crossword puzzle | volleyball |
| running | tai chi | squash |
Some exceptions to the rules:
- You use do with three activities that end in -ing: do boxing, do bodybuilding and do weight-lifting because they don"t imply moving along as the other activities ending in -ing.
- Golf: if there is an idea of competition, you use the verb play. However, you can say go golfing if you do it for pleasure: Tiger Woods plays golf. We"ll go golfing at the weekend.
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| Tiger Woods Image |
