The Thinking in English Conversation Club takes place every TUESDAY and THURSDAY at 12pm, 6pm, and 9pm UK time!
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This week the ‘Thinking in English’ Community is talking about spectator sports!
Organised sports are a great spectacle and offer spectators a great event to enjoy, get passionate about, and share in some emotions.
Whether you like watching your local team play every week, or just tune in for the Olympic Games and World Cup finals, there is a sports fan in all of us.
Here are 10 conversation questions to get you talking about spectator sports!
Conversation Questions: Are you a fan of Spectator Sports?!
1. What is your favourite sport to watch? Why do you like it?
2. Where is the best place to watch sport? At home, in a public place, or live at the event?
3. What are the most popular spectator sports in your country?
4. Do you prefer to watch international sport or domestic sport?
5. Do you think some sports are too commercialised? How so?
6. Do you think big sporting events inspire young people to play more sport?
7. Are professional athletes overpaid?
8. Are spectator sports a good way to bring people together?
9. What do you think of gambling in sports? Do you see it as a problem or part of the fun?
10. “Sports serve society by providing vivid examples of excellence.”
— George F. Will
What do you think of this quote?
Vocabulary List:
- Live
- seen while it is happening
- Spectator
- a person who watches an activity, especially a sports event, without taking part
- International
- a sports event involving more than one country
- Domestic
- Sports events played between athletes or teams from a single country
- Commercialised
- organized in order to make a profit
- Inspire
- to make someone feel that they want to do something and can do it
- Athlete
- a person who is very good at sports or physical exercise, especially one who competes in organised events
- Gambling
- the activity of betting money, for example in a game or on a sport
- Serve
- to provide with something that is needed
- Vivid
- very clear, powerful, and detailed
Photo from Tembela Bohle on pexels.com
Photo from nappy on Pexels.com
Model Answers:
B1 (Intermediate) Model Answers
Vocabulary:
- Social
- relating to activities in which you meet and spend time with other people and that happen during the time when you are not working
- Attend
- to go to an event, place
- Competition
- an organized event in which individuals or teams try to win a prize by being the best, fastest, etc.
- Salary
- a fixed amount of money agreed every year as pay for an employee, usually paid directly into their bank account every month
- Sponsorship
- money that is given, usually by a company, to support a person, organization or activity in exchange for advertising or promotion
B2 (Upper Intermediate) Model Answers
Vocabulary:
- Preference
- the fact that you like something more than another thing
- Lively
- full of energy and enthusiasm; interesting and exciting
- Stadium
- a large structure consisting of many rows of seats surrounding an area of land on which sports are played and where sometimes other public events happen
- Arena
- a large, flat area surrounded by seats used for sports or entertainment
- Crowd
- a large group of people who have come together
- Merchandise
- to produce and sell products connected with a popular team, event, famous person, etc.
- Overshadow
- to cause someone or something to seem less important
- Emphasis
- the particular importance or attention that is given to something
- Belonging
- a feeling of being happy or comfortable as part of a particular group and having a good relationship with the other members of the group because they welcome you and accept you
- Bonding
- the process by which a close emotional relationship is developed
C1 (Advanced Level) Model Answers
Vocabulary:
- Following
- a group of people who support, admire, or believe in a particular person, group, or idea
- Televised
- shown on television
- Witness
- to see something happen, especially an accident or crime
- Dedication
- the willingness to give a lot of time and energy to something because it is important
- Complex
- involving a lot of different but related parts
- Match-fixing
- dishonest activity to make sure that one team wins a particular sports match
- Addiction
- an inability to stop doing or using something, especially something harmful
- Regulate
- to control something, especially by making it work in a particular way
- Integrity
- the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you refuse to change
- Vulnerable
- able to be easily physically or mentally hurt, influenced, or attacked
See you all at this week’s conversation club!
