[6:06] America's Favorite Sports and Superstars: Real-Life English Unit 7

Learning English is not just about mastering grammar and vocabulary, but also being able to naturally apply it in real-life situations. However, textbook sentences are often too formal and differ greatly from expressions in everyday life. To speak authentic and natural English, one needs to engage with dialogues in real contexts. In this article, we have selected high-frequency English expressions used in social, work, and travel settings to help you move away from 'textbook English' and learn the phrases that real Americans use. Below is the content of Real-Life English Unit 7: American's Favorites. Keep practicing, and your English will feel more natural! III SPORTS Unit 7 American’s Favorites Part One Expressions 1. Cal Ripken just hit a home run. 2. What’s the score? 3. Who’s winning? 4. The referee just called a penalty on the home team. 5. Baseball is America’s favorite pastime. 6. What a hit! 7. The quarterback threw a touchdown pass. 8. He shoots; he scores! 9. They are the Los Angeles Lakers’ star players. 10. Michael Jordan’s slam-dunks are beautiful things to watch. Part Two Dialogues 1. Watch Games A: Here’s your hot dog and beer. What happened? Did I miss anything? B: Yeah, Cal Ripken just hit a home run. A: What’s the score? B: Well it was 3 to 4, but Ripken’s home run made it 5 to 4 since another player was on first base. A: So Baltimore is winning? B: Right. A: This is a really great place to watch a baseball game. B: Yeah, there isn’t a bad seat in the place. A: The fans are great here, too. Not like in Philadelphia. B: It was a great idea to spend a day watching a game. A: Yeah, it reminds you why they say baseball is America’s favorite pastime. 2. Football A: Wow, American football is more exciting than I thought. B: You’re in America now, my British friend. We just call it football. A: Oh, right. So, I can’t quite follow what’s going on…who’s winning? B: The Giants are up by three points because of the field goal they kicked, but the Redskins have the ball and they’re pretty close to the end zone. A: Wow!? What a hit! B: Yeah, he tackled him so hard his helmet came off. A: Is he ok? B: It looks like it, he’s getting up. A: I guess he hit him too hard; the referee just called a penalty on the home team. B: The Giants? A: Yeah. B: Well, here we go again. A: What happened? Why did everyone get so quiet? B: The Redskins’ quarterback just threw a touchdown pass for seven points. We’re losing again. 3. Favorite Superstar A: Who are those guys? B: Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, they are the Los Angeles Lakers’ star players. A: Oh. B: Wait a second. He shoots, he scores! A: All right! B: Here comes Jordan, though. A: Wow, Michael Jordan’s slam-dunks are beautiful things to watch. B: Yeah. He’s older, so he doesn’t slam as much as he did when he was younger, but when he does, it’s still amazing. A: Which team do you think will win? B: The Lakers. Jordan is the only good player Washington has. Part Three: Substitution Drills 1. The player just hit a home run. (Baseball)/ scored a touchdown. (American Football)/shot a basket. (Basketball) 2. What’s (the score/ the penalty/ the name of that player)? 3. Who’s (winning/ahead/in the lead)? 4. The referee just called a penalty on (the home team/the visitors/the offense/defense). 5. Baseball is America’s favorite pastime. American football is America’s most popular sport to watch. Basketball is America’s favorite city sport. 6. What a hit! (Baseball & American football)/pass! (American football & Basketball)/shot! (Basketball) 7. The quarterback threw a touchdown pass/an incomplete pass/an interception. 8. He shoots; he scores/misses/throws an air-ball. 9. They are the Los Angeles Lakers’ star players/stars/go-to guys. 10. (Michael Jordan’s slam-dunks/ Brett Favre’s passes/ Mark Maguire’s home runs) are beautiful things to watch. Part Four: Monologue Carl’s Note: Americans call football 'soccer' because they call American football 'football.' Don’t let the names of the games fool you, though, they are very different. American football is more like rugby than football. Except for one or two special plays, players use their hands to carry or throw the ball. Usually only one player throws the ball, he is called the quarterback. The quarterback tries to lead his team’s offense down a 100-yard (a little less than 100 meters) field by passing (throwing) the ball or giving it to another player who runs with it. If the quarterback’s team carries the ball across the 100th yard, then they score a touchdown. The defense tries to keep the offense from scoring touchdowns by grabbing the player with the ball and pulling him to the ground. If the offense cannot move 10 yards forward in four plays, it must give the ball to the other team. Part Five: Vocabulary and Phrases --homerun --touchdown --pass --slam-dunk --pastime --referee --penalty --offense --defense