This Week Live: Pre-Season

This Week: Pre-Season

Rich: Hello and welcome to This Week on Premier Skills English. My name’s Rich.

Jack: And my name’s Jack and we’re here to talk about football and help you with your English.

Rich: The Premier League starts in less than a month and we have lots of football stories to talk about in the run up to the new season. 

Jack: We’re going to choose a story from the world of football and we’re going to pick out some interesting vocabulary.

Rich: These stories might be about a football match we’ve seen or something connected to football or a Premier League club or player.

Jack: This week Rich has selected one story and we’ll talk about it a little and then we’ll look at some interesting vocabulary.

Rich: We will also play a language game - a quiz. You need to try to guess words or phrases before Jack does.

Jack: If you’re listening to us for the first time don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify or wherever you may be listening to us.

Rich: And of course, you can listen to us on the Premier Skills English website where you’ll also find the transcript so you can read and listen at the same time and there are free activities to help you understand.

Football Phrase

Jack: Before we look at this week’s story and language we want to give you the answer to last week’s football phrase and congratulate those of you who got the right answer.

Rich: Sapham43 from Vietnam was the first with the right answer on the website last week so well done to you!

Jack: The correct answer was transfer gossip so well done to HSN from Turkey and Luibomyr from Ukraine who also got the right answer.

Rich: And well done to all of you who said transfer rumours, you very nearly got the right answer.  Have another listen to the football phrase now:

Jack: At the moment there is a lot of transfer gossip in the newspapers and online. This phrase is used to describe rumours about which players are signing for which clubs and things like that.

Rich: Have you got any transfer gossip, Jack?

Jack: Lots. This morning I’ve read about Kieran Trippier going to Manchester United, Manuel Locatelli going to Arsenal and Erling Braut Haaland going to Chelsea.

Rich: At the end of the show we’ll have a new football phrase for you.

Story

Jack: We’ve decided it’s time to start looking forward on Premier Skills English this week.

Rich: No more looking back at last season’s glories or more probably last season’s missed opportunities. The new Premier League season is less than a month away so it’s time to think about this season’s glories and this season’s possibilities.

Jack: So, with that in mind, we wanted to know what Premier League clubs and players are doing right now.

Rich: And the answer is that they are back at work; it’s pre-season. Players are back at their clubs after the summer break and are back in training. 

Jack: And that’s the story you’ve been looking at, right?

Rich: Yes, I know it’s only been just over a week since Euro2020 and the Copa America finished but I already need some football to watch.

Jack: So what’s this story?

Rich: Well, it’s on premierleague.com and it lists where all the Premier League teams are playing and who they are playing against in pre-season.

Jack: But you said that you wanted to watch football?

Rich: I can. I can get my football fix because there are also highlights of lots of the pre-season matches. I can watch all the best bits of what’s been happening - the highlights.

Jack: All the goals in one place. Great and all the match reports, too.

Rich: Yes, I just watched a bit of Arsenal’s two all draw against Rangers.

Jack: Oh, really? I’ll have to watch that in a bit.

Rich: Yes, it’s definitely worth a look.

GAME - Round 1

Jack: It’s time to look at a bit of language. Rich has been reading a match report of a pre-season game that one Premier League team played last weekend.

Rich: That’s right. I’ve been reading about Manchester United’s 2-1 win against Derby County. We’ve added links to this article wherever you may be watching so you can look at it while we talk about this match report.

Jack: So, we’re going to play the same game as we played last week. A language game.

Rich: I’ve chosen six words or phrases from the article and Jack has to ask me questions and try to guess what the words are.

Jack: But I can look at the article, right?

Rich: Yes, of course. You can ask a maximum of ten questions. If you haven’t got the answer by then I’ll tell you what it is.

Jack: And our listeners can play at home. See if you can guess the word or phrase before I do. If you are watching on YouTube you will see definitions pop up on the screen. I won’t be able to see these definitions - only you.

Rich: OK, word number one. I am looking at a noun phrase in the article.

Jack: So, it’s a thing. Is it something I can see?

Rich: No, not really. 

Jack: So, if it’s not something I can see, is it more of an abstract noun?

Rich: No, OK let me clarify. It’s something that you can watch - something that you can see happening.

Jack: Is it something I can see happening on the pitch?

Rich:  Yes, definitely. 

Jack: Is it an action? Like a tackle, a pass or a shot.

Rich: No, it’s not an action, it's something that involves all the players.

Jack: Like a match or a game?

Rich: Yes, it’s a type of match.

Jack: OK, of course so Manchester United were not playing competitively against Derby County - it was a friendly match a friendly - the answer is a friendly.

Rich: Not quite. That’s part of the answer. Remember I said it was a phrase. You’ve got the noun but you need an adjective as well.

Jack: Friendly is a noun not a friendly match … something friendly … Let me have a look at the article … here it is preseason friendly

Rich: Well done. You got it.

Jack: Let me read out the sentence from the article … Manchester United got off to a winning start in our first pre-season friendly, with a 2-1 triumph at Derby County.

Round 2

Rich: OK, word number two. I am looking at another noun phrase in the article.

Jack: OK, is it something you can see on the pitch again?

Rich: No, not this time. It’s something you can feel rather than see.

Jack: Is it connected to football?

Rich: No, not directly. 

Jack: Is it connected to fans? Are we talking about the atmosphere at the match or something like that.

Rich: No, it’s something that will affect the fans and players but it’s something more general - something that affects everybody especially in the summer.

Jack: Especially in the summer? What’s so special about the summer? OK, the weather … is the phrase about the weather?

Rich: Yes … this phrase describes the circumstances or physical situation that the match took place in … sometimes it’s rainy and wet or even snowy

Jack: A match can take place in wet conditions in wintry conditions. The answer is conditions.

Rich: Yes, it’s part of the answer. Remember you’re looking for a phrase. It’s the summer and it’s hot.

Jack: Hot conditions, boiling conditions …

Rich: Yes, you’re right but it says something else in the article …

Jack: Hold on … I’m reading through it .. here we go … sweltering conditions.

Rich: Yes, sweltering means really hot … so hot that it makes you feel uncomfortable. It’s been sweltering this weekend where I live.

Jack: Yes, it’s been sweltering here too. Let me read out what it says in the article: the Reds were worthy winners in sweltering conditions at Pride Park.

Round 3

Rich: OK, word number three. I am looking at a noun in the article.

Jack: OK, so it’s just one word this time?

Rich: Yes, just a noun. This one should be a bit easier.

Jack: Ok, is the noun a person?

Rich: Yes, that’s a good start.

Jack: Does the noun describe a player on the pitch?

Rich: Yes, it describes one of the players on the pitch .. well there might have been more than one I’m not totally sure.

Jack: OK, is it a position on the pitch like goalkeeper or midfielder?

Rich: No, it’s not a position.

Jack: Is it someone who comes on the pitch? Is it a substitute?

Rich: No, it’s not substitute. Do you want a clue?

Jack: Yes, please.

Rich: Who was playing in goal for Manchester United?

Jack: David De Gea .... not it was Tom Heaton … he’s just signed for United and he was making his debut.

Rich: Yes, he was making his debut he was a  ….

Jack: Yes, yes I can see it now. He was a debutant. The pronunciation is a bit tricky, let me say that again. He was a debutant.

Rich: Yes, he was making his debut. He was playing for Manchester United for the first time.

Jack: Let me read out what it says in the article: Debutant Tom Heaton quickly showed his worth in goal with a top-drawer save.

Round 4

Rich: OK, word number four. I am looking at another noun in the article.

Jack: Lots of nouns … OK … is it a player?

Rich: Nope.

Jack: It’s not a person at all?

Rich: No, it’s not a person.

Jack: So, it’s more of an abstract noun?

Rich: Yes, it’s not a concrete object but it’s definitely something you can see.

Jack: And it’s something you can see on the pitch.

Rich: Yes, it’s something not all footballers have.

Jack: Skill?

Rich: I’d say all professional players have skill but some more than others this quality is maybe more noticeable.

Jack: Something like technique or fitness?

Rich: Yes, something like that - it’s a quality that some players have - Kyl Walker and Raheem Sterling have a lot of it.

Jack: Ok, yes speed.

Rich: Yeah but we don’t use speed to to talk about footballers really. We say Kyle Walker has a good turn of … or Raheem Sterling has a lot of ..

Jack: Yes, I can see it. The answer is pace.

Rich: Well done. You got it.

Jack: Here’s what it says in the article: Left-winger Anthony Elanga was an outlet with his pace causing problems.

Round 5

Rich: OK, word number five. I am looking at a noun phrase again.

Jack: OK, is it a player or a person?

Rich: No, not this time.

Jack: Is it an action on the pitch?

Rich: Yes, it is. 

Jack: So something like a goal, pass or shot.

Rich: Yes, something like that.

Jack: That’s not very helpful. Does the phrase describe a goal?

Rich: Yes, it describes a goal but the noun is a type of goal not goal itself.

Jack: Right, like penalty or free-kick.

Rich: Yes, but it’s neither of them.

Jack: Let me have a look at the match report … Manchester United scored with a maiden goal and a tap-in and Derby scored with a low shot. Is the phrase one of those?

Rich: Yep but which one?

Jack: Is it a tap-in … a simple tap-in?

Rich: Very good. A simple tap-in! The easiest goal a player can score on the pitch.

Jack: Let me read out what it says in the article: the Netherlands Under-21 international was left with a simple tap-in.

Round 6

Rich: OK, word number six - our last word today. And it’s another noun.

Jack: So just a word. Is it a person?

Rich: No, it’s not a person.

Jack: Is it something that happens on the pitch?

Rich: Actually you’ve more or less said the definition right there. It’s something that happens. It could be on the pitch or anywhere.

Jack: Something that happens? An action or an event?

Rich: Yes, just like that but this word is more formal. We often see it in the news about crime when the police explain something that happened.

Jack: OK, something that happened I think I know what it is but I can't see it in the article. Is the word incident?

Rich: Yes, it is! Well done. See if you can find it. An incident is a formal word for something that happens. It’s often used to describe a problem of some kind or something unusual. 

Jack: Yes, I’ve found it now. Here it is: After Ole made nine changes at the interval, there was another incident when most of the crowd thought a goal was coming.

Rich: That was hard work but you got six out of six, Jack and I hope everyone learned a few more football words and phrases.

Questions

Rich: OK, here are our questions for you. We want you to use the language we have introduced this week in the comments section at the bottom of the page or on Youtube if that’s where you are listening.

Jack: Question one: Why do teams play pre-season friendlies?

Rich: Question two: Should players have more breaks when they have to play in sweltering conditions?

Jack: Question three: What’s the best performance by a debutant that you can remember?

Rich: Question four: Which player do you think has the most pace in the Premier League?

Jack: Question five: How do you feel if you miss a tap-in?

Rich: Question six: What was the biggest incident on the pitch at Euro2020?

Jack: Write all your answers in the comments section on the Premier Skills English website or on youtube.

Football Phrase

Rich: OK, our football phrase. If you’ve not listened to the podcast before, every week we set our listeners a challenge. We explain a football phrase or word and you have to guess what it is.

Jack: You will hear this football phrase in every podcast we release and you can also see it on our YouTube channel if you’re not watching that right now.

Rich: When you know the answer, go to the podcast page on the Premier Skills English website, Apple Podcasts or YouTube and write the word or phrase in the comments. If you’re correct we’ll announce your name on next week’s podcast.

Jack: So what is this week’s football phrase, Rich?

Rich: This week’s football phrase is * **** *******. This is when a player goes down in the box very easily and there is minimal contact between the attacker and the defender but the referee still points to the spot. Maybe it should have been given or maybe not and commentators may describe the award as * **** *******. 

Jack: If you have a football phrase that you would like us to use in the podcast, just get in touch and let us know.

Rich: Right, that’s all we have time for now but we will be back later this week on Apple Podcasts and Spotify with the Premier Skills English podcast. .

Jack: Don’t forget to write your guesses in the comments below. If you get it right, we’ll announce your name on next week’s podcast and live on YouTube. 

Rich: Before we finish we just wanted to say that we hope you found this lesson useful and we hope all of you stay fit and healthy.

Jack: Bye for now and enjoy your football.