Understanding Grammar: Would

Premier League Kickoff

Jack: The Premier League is back!

Rich: It's only been a couple of months but it feels like ages since Manchester City won last season's Premier League title.

Jack: I know we haven't been short of football with the World Cup and everything, but it'll be great to see my team playing again.

Rich: It's nice watching the World Cup but there is something special when you are cheering for your team and the emotions you go through over the season.

Jack: You're up one week, down the next. Teams at the bottom beat teams at the top. The Premier League season is a real rollercoaster. 

Rich: Actually, ... I'm not sure if I am ready. Can I have another week on the beach?!

Jack: No!

Welcome -  Premier League Kick-off

Rich: Hello my name’s Rich

Jack: and I’m Jack

Rich: and welcome to this week’s Premier Skills English podcast

Jack: Where we talk about football and help you with your English.

Jack: What’s happening this week, Rich?

Rich: In this week’s podcast, we’re going to talk about the big kick-off; the start of the new Premier League season. We’re going to talk about what we would like to see in the Premier League this year. The language focus is on the word 'would' and how we use it. We are going to use it a lot in this podcast. Would you mind giving an example, Jack?

Jack: Of course, I wouldn't. I wouldn't mind at all. Erm ... I would like to see Arsenal win the Premier League this season.

Rich: Of course you would. So, that is the type of language we’re going to be looking at in this podcast - along with some crazy ideas for the Premier League this season.

Jack: Arsenal winning the Premier League is a crazy idea? Crazy?

Rich: No, of course, it isn't. Everyone should have hope at the beginning of the season!

Topic Focus 

Jack: So, the season is about to start. You probably know that I'm an Arsenal fan and Rich is a Liverpool fan so we're going to do things a little differently. We are also, of course, big fans of the Premier League. 

Rich: For a few minutes, we're going to forget the teams we support and tell you a few things that we would like to see happen this season that we think would make this season one of the best or most exciting ever.

...

Rich: What would you like to see happen this season?

Jack: I’m looking forward to seeing the three promoted clubs in action and I'd love to see one of them win the Premier League.

Rich: This season they are Wolves, Cardiff, and Fulham. Who would you choose to win it out of those three?

Jack: I'd go for Wolves. They look good, score a lot of goals and have some really good players. And they are called Wolves which is a really cool name!

Rich: It’d be brilliant for the Premier League if that happened, but I can’t see it. Although, all three promoted clubs stayed up last season so you never know ...

Jack: What about you, Rich? What would you like to see this season?

Rich: Manchester City were brilliant last season, but I would like to see a closer race for the title. I'd like to see six or seven teams near the top with just a few weeks of the season left. I would also like to see a dark horse like Wolves or Leicester or maybe West Ham up near the top, too. That'd be great and very exciting.

Jack: West Ham? Really? I wouldn't mind seeing that but I can't see it happening.

Rich: What about players? Who would you like to see do well?

Jack: I’d like to see some new Premier League stars. I'd love a young player like Marcus Rashford at Manchester Utd or Ryan Sessegnon at Fulham really tear up the Premier League.

Rich: Yes, that'd be cool. Wouldn't it be wonderful if it was a player that you haven't heard of yet? Chelsea fans are very excited about a 17-year-old called Callum Hudson-Odoi. Maybe he will be the star of the season. But, in general, I wouldn't mind watching the likes of David Silva, Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane, Paul Pogba and Eden Hazard doing their stuff every week. 

Language Focus

Rich: We’ve just been talking about things that we would like to see in the Premier League and we used phrases with ‘would’ a lot. Let’s look at three different ways of using ‘would’.

Jack: The simplest is probably would like plus the infinitive: I would like to see some new stars in the Premier League.

Rich: When we are speaking this is usually contracted and we say: I'd like to see some new stars in the Premier League. 

Jack: ‘Would like’ plus the infinitive is similar in meaning to 'want' but is more polite. You can replace like with ‘love’ if you feel more strongly about something.

Rich: I'd love Liverpool to win the Premier League.

Jack: I know you would! Another form we can use is a conditional statement. Rich said: It'd be brilliant for the Premier League if this happened. This is a really common form: It would be .. It would be great. It would be brilliant ... **??Notice that the verb happen is the past form in the if clause. 

Rich: A third way of using ‘would’ is in a question, but it’s not really a question. The meaning is more like a sentence, but it’s a bit like a question tag - it’s an invitation to agree with us. I said: Wouldn't it be brilliant if it was a player that you haven't heard of yet?

Jack: This is such a common form that it normally gets contracted a lot. It sounds a lot shorter. How do you normally say it Rich?

Rich: I say Wunnit - or perhaps wudnit

Jack: Another phrase we used was wouldn't mind. This is commonly used as a request when we ask, for example, 'Would you mind opening the window?' or 'Would you mind getting some milk?'. However, we can also use them in statements and it can have a similar meaning to 'would like to'. Rich said: ' I wouldn't mind watching David Silva, Eden Hazard and Mohamed Salah every week'. 

Rich: This really means I would like to watch or I am happy to watch these players every week. Remember when we use 'wouldn't mind' it is followed by the -ing form: I wouldn't mind watching.

Jack: Finally, when we respond to something that could happen, short answers also often contain the word would. Rich said 'that'd be cool' in response to what I said and this is a common way to respond to invitations too. Would you like to go to the cinema? ... That'd be great/fantastic is a common response to an invitation you would like to accept.

Rich: We've got more activities and explanations to help you on the Premier Skills English page below this podcast.

Task - Would

Rich: Your task this week is to think about three things you would like to happen in the Premier League this season.

Jack: And in each answer, you should use a different way of using the word ‘would’ in your answer. Just like the examples that we used in this podcast.

Rich: Here are three questions to help you with your answers:

Jack: Number one: Which teams would you like to see near the top this season?

Rich: Number two: Which players would you like to see do well this season?

Jack: Number three: If you could choose a team to surprise the rest, which would you choose and why?

Rich: Write your answers in the comments section at the bottom of this page.

Football Phrase

Rich: Have you got a football phrase for us this week? 

Jack: Yes, I have, but first, last week’s football phrase. The phrase was kit clash. A kit clash is when both teams are wearing similar colours so one team has to change because it's difficult to know who is on which team.

Rich: Well done to Ahmed Adam from Sudan who was the only listener to get the right answer last week. It was a difficult one as Zaid from India told us. We like to give you all a difficult phrase now and again. What’s this week’s phrase, Jack?

Jack: This week’s phrase is ******* ********. This is a free game you can play on premierleague.com where you get £100 million to spend on a team of your choice. You are the manager and you play against other managers from around the world.

Rich: Good choice of phrase, Jack and a good chance to remind all of you that you can join the Premier Skills League in this game on premierleague.com. All the information is on the side of this page.

Jack: Right, that’s all we have time for this week! Don’t forget to write your answers to our questions and make a guess at our football phrase in the comments below.

Rich: Bye for now and enjoy your football!