Part 1: Sports Collocations
Collocations are words that naturally go together. Master these to talk about sports like a pro!
Verbs + Sports
| Collocation | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| play football | "I play football every weekend." | Participate in team sports |
| do yoga | "She does yoga three times a week." | Practice individual activities |
| go swimming | "Let's go swimming!" | Participate in -ing sports |
| win a match | "We won the match 3-1!" | Be victorious |
| score a goal | "He scored a brilliant goal!" | Get points |
| break a record | "She broke the world record!" | Achieve new best |
Usage Tips:
Play - Use for team sports (football, basketball, tennis)
Do - Use for individual activities (yoga, karate, gymnastics)
Go - Use for -ing sports (swimming, running, skiing)
Practice: Collocations
Exercise 1: Complete the collocations
1. I football every Saturday.
2. She yoga in the morning.
3. Let's swimming!
4. He a goal!
5. We the match 2-0.
Part 2: Sports Idioms
Idioms are expressions with meanings different from the literal words. These sports idioms are super common!
Common Sports Idioms:
- Move the goalposts - Change the rules unfairly
"They keep moving the goalposts!" - On the ball - Alert and competent
"She's really on the ball today." - Throw in the towel - Give up
"I'm not throwing in the towel yet!" - Level playing field - Fair competition
"We need a level playing field." - Hit it out of the park - Do something extremely well
"You really hit it out of the park!" - Jump the gun - Start too early
"Don't jump the gun!" - Par for the course - Normal/expected
"That's par for the course." - Get the ball rolling - Start something
"Let's get the ball rolling!"
Practice: Idioms
Exercise 2: Complete the idioms
1. Don't throw in the !
2. She's really on the today.
3. Don't jump the !
4. They keep moving the .
5. You hit it out of the !
Part 3: Sports Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs are verbs combined with prepositions or adverbs that create new meanings!
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| warm up | Prepare for exercise | "Always warm up before running." |
| work out | Exercise | "I work out at the gym daily." |
| give up | Stop trying | "Never give up!" |
| knock out | Eliminate from competition | "They were knocked out in the semi-final." |
| catch up | Reach the same level | "We need to catch up with the leaders." |
| take up | Start a sport/hobby | "I took up tennis last year." |
| cool down | Relax after exercise | "Don't forget to cool down!" |
| drop out | Quit competition | "He dropped out of the race." |
Practice: Phrasal Verbs
Exercise 3: Complete with the correct phrasal verb
1. Always up before exercise.
2. I out every morning.
3. Don't up!
4. They were out in the final.
5. I up tennis last year.
Excellent! Now you can talk about sports like a native speaker!