Vocabulary in Practice
Build your first 300 English words one small unit at a time. Learn the words, then practise with instant feedback – following the topics in Vocabulary in Practice 1 (Cambridge University Press).
SportsVocabulary — popular sports and athletic games – 42 interactive questions
📖 Word Notes – Sports
Learn the words first, then try the 6 exercises.
1 Tier 1 – The Concept & Nuance: Ball Games, Outdoor Pursuits & Combat Sports
Sports vocabulary in English is classified primarily by how you participate: with a ball, moving through an environment, or engaging in individual martial and fitness arts.
basketball 🏀 · volleyball 🏐
baseball ⚾ · tennis 🎾 · golf ⛳
table tennis / ping-pong 🏓
cycling 🚴 · skiing ⛷️
snowboarding 🏂 · sailing ⛵
surfing 🏄 · hiking 🥾
gymnastics 🤸 · yoga 🧘
aerobics · athletics 🏅
💡 Football vs Soccer: In the UK and most of the world, football means association football (11 players, round ball). In the US and Canada, football refers to American/Canadian gridiron football, while the round-ball game is called soccer.
2 Tier 2 – The Definitive Play vs Go vs Do Rule
| PLAY | Used for competitive games with a ball, team, or points/goals: play football, play tennis, play basketball, play golf, play chess. |
| GO | Used for activities ending in -ing involving movement through an area: go swimming, go running, go cycling, go skiing, go surfing. |
| DO | Used for martial arts, fitness routines, and non-team individual sports: do gymnastics, do yoga, do karate, do judo, do aerobics. |
3 Tier 3 – Top 3 Common Learner Pitfalls
– Rule: Activities ending in -ing take the verb go.
– Rule: Team and ball games always take the verb play.
– Rule: You beat a person or opponent; you win a game, match, or trophy.
Made with care for English learners · allenglish4u.com
Practice material based on the Vocabulary in Practice 1 syllabus (Cambridge University Press). Original interactive practice by All English 4U.