ALL ENGLISH 4U · B1 VOCABULARY PRACTICE
100% Original Practice TestUnit 3: Sport, Music & Games“Vocabulary – sport, music & games” – 65 interactive questions
📖 Vocabulary Reference – Sport, Music & Games
Study the notes, then work through the exercises for this unit.

How to Form It
Build useful vocabulary by recognising the job a word does and the form that fits around it.
Choose the right noun
Related nouns can name a person, an activity or a result. Check the meaning and the words around the gap.
- Person
- player / coach / competitorThe coach encouraged every player.
- Activity
- game / match / competitionThe match finished before the quiz began.
- Result
- score / success / decisionThe final score was close.
Remember: a person can score a point; the score is the number of points. A person can win a game; a winner is the person or team that wins.
Use the form that fits
Adjectives describe a person or thing. Adverbs often tell how an action is done. Noun forms name ideas and activities.
- Adjective
- energy → energeticThe energetic dancers filled the square.
- Adverb
- careful → carefullyThey carried the instruments carefully.
- Noun
- decide → decisionOur decision gave each team a fair start.
Remember: a word family can change spelling and meaning. Decide what the sentence needs, then check whether it names a person, thing, quality or manner.
Clue Words & Patterns
Common word partners make your English sound natural and help you read clues more accurately.
People and roles
The referee checked the rules while the coach spoke to the players.
A referee applies the rules of a contest; a coach prepares and advises a team.Games and performances
We played a board game before the band began its concert.
A match is a contest; a concert is a live music performance. A rhythm is a pattern of beats.Small changes in the phrase change the meaning
Leah took up kayaking last spring.
Take up means begin a new activity or hobby.Leah carried on paddling after the rain started.
Carry on means continue something already in progress.Visitors can join in with the drum pattern.
Join in means participate with other people.The team did not give up when the puzzle became difficult.
Give up means stop trying or stop an activity.I’m interested in music and keen on board games.
Interested in and keen on are common adjective patterns.She’s good at chess and prefers it to video games.
Good at names a skill; prefer A to B compares choices.The group will eat out after the show.
Eat out means have a meal away from home.The referee sent off a player for a serious foul.
In sport, send off means make a player leave the field for breaking a rule.For example, game can mean a contest or an activity for enjoyment. Check the whole sentence: a board, counters and turns suggest a board game; two teams and a final score suggest a match. Also distinguish beat (defeat an opponent, or a musical pulse when used as a noun) from win (be the successful side). The surrounding words show which meaning is intended.
More patterns for talking about interests
Say bored with an activity (bored by also works; bored of is common informally), listen to music, and score a goal. To go out for lunch is to leave the event and have lunch somewhere. The referee can send a player off or send off a player. With a pronoun, say send them off, not send off them.
Watch Out & Common Mistakes
Learn the complete phrase, then check whether the sentence describes a person, an activity or a result.
Mixing up interested and interesting
WrongThe children were interesting in the music.
BetterThe children were interested in the music.
People feel interested; something interesting attracts their attention.Choosing the wrong preposition after keen
WrongRuth is keen for trying volleyball.
BetterRuth is keen on trying volleyball.
Keen on is followed by a noun or an -ing activity.Using the wrong partner for listen
WrongWe listened at the harbour band.
BetterWe listened to the harbour band.
Listen to names the sound or person receiving your attention.Confusing a person with an event
WrongShe is a competition in the rowing event.
BetterShe is a competitor in the rowing event.
A competitor is a person; a competition is the organised contest.Using beat when you mean win
WrongOur team beat the final.
BetterOur team won the final.
Beat usually has an opponent as its object: beat another team. Win can take an event or prize: win a final, a match or a medal.Leaving out the comparison pattern
WrongI prefer the quiz than the long run.
BetterI prefer the quiz to the long run.
Use prefer A to B when comparing two activities.Quick check: choose before opening
Decide what the context tells you, then read the explanation.
1. The team kept trying and did not give up / join in when the clue was difficult.Check explanation
give up means stop trying. The team continued, so it did not give up. Join in means take part in an activity with others.
2. We were interested in / interested on the local music workshop.Check explanation
interested in is the standard pattern. The phrase names the activity that attracted the group’s attention.
3. The drummer played the steady beat / competitor for the dancers.Check explanation
beat is the regular pulse in music. A competitor is a person taking part in a contest, so it cannot fit the music meaning here.
Check your whole test
Submit to grade your whole test, OR use 👁 Show Answer per part / per question.
Review your learning
Explain each correction: did you need a person, an activity, a phrasal verb, a preposition or a different word form? Read the full sentence again to check both meaning and grammar.
Show Answer displays a model and explanation while leaving your response unchanged. After editing an answer, check again. Write your own weekend invitation using three new phrases from this unit.
