Understanding Grammar: A UK Quiz

Understanding Grammar: A UK Quiz
Introduction

Jack: Hello my name’s Jack

Rich: And my name’s Rich and welcome to this week’s Premier Skills English podcast ...

Jack: where, we talk about football and help you with your English. 

Jack: It’s just the two of us this week, Rich.

Rich: That’s right. Rowan is not here - she’s on holiday. She’s in Wales - camping.

Jack: Rather her than me. It’s been freezing this week - not a week for camping if you ask me.

Rich: This week, we’ve got a quiz for you that’s linked to all the podcasts that we’ve done about cities in the UK.

Jack: That’s right. In this week’s roleplay, Rich and I are working for a radio station called Radio UK and we present a quiz where members of the public call us if they have the right answer.

Rich: A phone-in. Your job is to listen to the quiz and get the correct answers before the callers do. All the answers are UK cities.

Jack: After the roleplay, we’re going to focus on grammar and take a look at how we create different types of questions. This will probably be revision for a lot of you, but I think it will be useful to go over the three main question types in English.

Rich: After the language focus, we have a task for you to do. This week we want you to write two quiz questions. The answers to these questions need to be a city in your country and a city in the UK.

Jack: If you are listening to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcast platform, you should also check out our website.

Rich: On the Premier Skills English website you’ll find the transcript, examples and activities to help you understand the language and a task for you to complete.

Jack: Before we start this week’s roleplay we need to look back at last week’s football phrase.

Last week’s 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: When you know the answer, go to the Premier Skills English website and write the word or phrase in the comments section for this podcast. If you’re correct we’ll announce your name on next week’s podcast.

Rich: Thanks for all your answers last week. The first listener with the correct answer was Jacek from Poland. Well done Jacek!

Jack: And congratulations to these other listeners who also got the correct answer to our football phrase: Emmanuel Kwarteng from Ghana, MoBeckham and HSN from Turkey, Hayato from Japan, Fathi from Malaysia, Alex and Luibomyr from Ukraine, Bertoldt from Indonesia, Abdlrhman Nady from Egypt, and Emmanuel from France.  

Rich: If you didn’t hear last week’s football phrase, we’re going to give you one more chance to guess now. And later on, at the end of the podcast, we’ll tell you the answer. Are you ready?

Jack: Last week’s football phrase was ****** ****. A player can transfer from one team to another. Sometimes this transfer is permanent and sometimes it is temporary - a loan. When it is a loan the player still officially belongs to their ****** ****, not the team they are playing for. In the Premier League, a player can’t play against their ****** ****. Jesse Lingard is on loan at West Ham from Manchester United. He can’t play against Manchester United because it’s his ****** ****.

Rich: Last week’s podcast was about football and more specifically about what we say when our football team lose. 

Jack: In the podcast, we asked you to tell us about a time when your team lost an important match and how you felt. 

Rich: Bertoldt from Indonesia supports Persik and told us that his team lost in a pre-season cup competition but he wasn’t very concerned about this.

Jack: HSN from Turkey told us that when his team lose it’s usually because they haven’t played well. He thinks luck and chance has little to do with it.

Rich: I like what Abdlrhm from Egypt said. He said that football is fun and you should just enjoy it. There’s no point in getting angry when you lose. 

Jack: I agree with that. If you haven’t heard this podcast it’s called Football English: Losing and you can find it on the Premier Skills English website or on Apple Podcasts.

Introduction to roleplay

Rich: As we said earlier, in this week’s roleplay we’re on the radio. Our station is called Radio UK.

Jack: We have a quiz for our listeners about UK cities and invite people to call the radio station with the correct answers.

Rich: While you listen we want you to try to beat the people who call our show.

Jack: It’s your job to get the correct answers before them.

Roleplay

Rich: You’re listening to Radio UK and now it’s time for our afternoon phone-in. What are we talking about today Jack? I have to say I really enjoyed yesterday’s chat about different types of holiday.

Jack: Yes, who knew how many different types of holiday people go on? I certainly didn’t.

Rich: But Barry from Birmingham did. I wonder if he’ll call again today. What did you say we’re talking about today?

Jack: It’s Friday so it’s quiz day on Radio UK.

Rich: Of course it is. If you’re a regular listener, you’ll know we ask questions about cities in the UK and you have to call with the correct answer so you’d better grab your phone because question one is coming up right now …

Question 1

Jack: In which city do football fans famously sing you’ll never walk alone? In which city do football fans famously sing you’ll never walk alone?

Rich: That’s a great question and I know the answer but do our listeners? We should have Adrian on the line?

Listener 1: Am I on? Am I on the radio?

Rich: Yes, you’re live on Radio UK. Adrian ... do you have an answer to question number one in today’s UK quiz: In which city do football fans famously sing you’ll never walk alone?

Listener 1: Oh, yes. I knew the answer straight away. The answer is Liverpool!

Rich: And that Adrian is the correct answer. 

Listener 1: What have I won?

Rich: A signed photo of myself and Jack stood outside Radio UK studios. A wonderful gift to share with friends on social media and to frame and hang above the fire in your living room.

Listener 1: Wonderful! Does it come with a frame?

Jack: No, Adrian it doesn’t. Thanks for calling and see you again.

Rich: He seemed like a nice man.

Jack: Yes, very nice. Let’s move on to question two. 

Question 2

Jack: Here it is now: Where in the UK is one of the world’s biggest arts festivals held every year? Where in the UK is one of the world’s biggest arts festivals held every year? On the line, we’ve got Barry from Birmingham. Hello Barry?

Listener 2: Hello again Jack. 

Jack: So, do you know the answer to question two?

Rich: Erm ... Yeah - of course, I do. I live here. The answer is Birmingham. 

Jack: That’s not the answer I was looking for. I know there is a big arts festival in Birmingham.

Listener 2: Yeah. It’s massive.

Jack: But it’s not one of the biggest in the world. 

Listener 2: Really? There are bigger ones than the Birmingham festival? It takes over the whole city.

Jack: Yes Barry, there are larger ones.

Listener 2: Erm ... Manchester?

Jack: No Barry.

Listener 2: London?

Jack: No Barry. I’m sorry. I can’t give you this one. The answer is Edinburgh. 

Rich: Oh, dear. No photo for Barry but it was a difficult question. Let’s hope question three is a bit easier.

Language Focus 1

Rich: This week the language we’re looking at in more detail is question forms. We’re going to look at three different types of question. We’re going to start with wh- questions.

Jack: You probably know most of these already but it's useful revision. Here’s a little football quiz for you. We use a different wh- question word each time. 

Rich: We use ‘who’ for people: Who plays in goal for Liverpool?

Jack: We use ‘when’ for time: When did Leeds United last win the League title? 

Rich: We use ‘where’ for places: Where did Chelsea beat Manchester United to win the Champions League?

Jack: We use ‘what or which’ for things: What do we call the object that the referee blows at the final whistle?

Rich: We use ‘why’ for reasons: Why do we sometimes need a replay in football matches?

Jack: We use ‘whose’ for possessions. Whose stadium hosted the 2003 Champions League Final?

Rich: The answers to ‘wh’ questions will never be yes or no. The answers will be ‘people’ for who questions, ‘times’ for when questions and so on.

Jack: We usually follow a wh question word with an auxiliary verb like be, do or have followed by the subject of the question, followed by the main verb.

Rich: You can see this pattern in some of the questions you just heard. Listen: 

Jack: Where did Chelsea beat Manchester United to win the Champions League?

Rich: Where is the question word, did is the auxiliary verb, Chelsea is the subject and beat is the main verb.

Jack: Here are five more questions that follow the same pattern. Can you recognise the question word, auxiliary verb - this changes with the tense, the subject, and the main verb.

Rich: When did Leeds United last win the League title? 

Jack: Where are you going?

Rich: What have you done?

Jack: What do you want for lunch?

Rich: Where were you born?

Jack: The thing that makes these question forms a little tricky is the pronunciation. In normal fast speech, these are really contracted, especially the auxiliary verb and the subject. Listen to the same five questions again, but this time at normal speed.

Rich: When did Leeds United last win the League title? 

Jack: Where are you going?

Rich: What have you done?

Jack: What do you want for lunch?

Rich: Where were you born?

Jack: I think it’s time to get back to our quiz show on Radio UK but you can find more activities about this on the Premier Skills English website. 

Question three

Jack: Question three is: Where will you find the UK’s tallest building? Where will you find the UK’s tallest building?

Rich: I can see the phone lines are already buzzing. There must be lots of correct answers but who is going to be the lucky caller?

Listener 3: Hello? Hello? Can you hear me? 

Rich: Yes, is that Charlie?

Listener 3: It is. How can I help you? 

Rich: You’ve rung us, Charlie. It’s Rich from Radio UK.

Listener 3: Haha! Yes, of course, it is. You’re pulling my leg.

Rich: No, it really is and here’s a reminder of the question: Where will you find the UK’s tallest building?

Listener 3: Well, it’s easy it’s the Shard. I can see it from my window. Are you coming round to fix the door? You said you’d be here by two.

Rich: And where are you, Charlie?

Listener 3: Is that a trick question? I’m at home. 36 Church Road. I gave my details earlier.

Rich: Which city are you in?

Listener 3: I’m in London!

Rich: Well done Charlie. That’s the correct answer. A signed photo is in the post to you as we speak. Congratulations!

Jack: Do you think Charlie got the wrong number?

Rich: I’m not sure but what a bonus if he did. A signed photo of the two of us and being live on Radio UK.

Jack: Let’s move on to question four. 

Question four

Jack: Here it is: Which Premier League city has a pier? Let’s see who’s on the line?

Listener 4: ‘You all right?

Jack: I recognise that voice. Is that Barry from Birmingham?

Listener 4: How did you guess? I’m sure I have the answer to this one. I really want to win that photo. What was the question again?

Jack: Which Premier League city has a pier?

Listener 4: Oh, yeah that was it. The answer’s 1991.

Jack: Sorry?

Listener 4: It appeared in 1991. The Premier League appeared in 1991. That’s when it started.

Jack: No, no, no. That’s not the question Barry. The question is: Which Premier League city has a pier? A pier not appeared.

Listener 4: What’s a pier?

Jack: It’s a long wooden building built into the sea. There are usually lots of fun activities to do on them.

Listener 4: Ah, you get them at the seaside. I went to Blackpool once. They’ve got three piers.

Jack: Blackpool, is that your final answer?

Listener 4: No, wait. They’re not in the Premier League now. I’ve got it B B Blackpool no … Burnley.

Jack: Do you want to change your answer?

Listener 4: No, it’s definitely Burnley.

Jack: You’re going to kick yourself. The correct answer is Brighton. No piers in Burnley, Barry and the Premier League started in 1992, not 1991. Better luck next time. 

Rich: This is a difficult quiz. You need to know about football, geography and piers. 

Language Focus 2

Jack: One of the simplest types of question is the yes/no question. We use them to get basic information about something.

Rich: Here are some examples. Can you answer the questions quickly?

Jack: Yes, I can. Sorry, you didn’t mean me, did you? Here are some examples for you - our listeners to answer.

Rich: Are you from Turkey? Do you like football? Is your name Dave? Can you swim? Have you ever been to the United States? Would you recommend this podcast?

Jack: All of the questions can be answered with a yes or a no. We used a few of these questions in the roleplay.

Rich: Listen to this part of the roleplay again and listen for the yes/no question and the answer:

Jack: Blackpool, is that your final answer?

Listener 4: No, wait. They’re not in the Premier League now. I’ve got it B B Blackpool no … Burnley.

Jack: Do you want to change your answer?

Listener 4: No, it’s definitely Burnley.

Rich: When we ask yes/no questions we use something called inversion. This involves inverting or changing the places of the subject and the verb. So you move the verb to the beginning of the question. A sentence like ‘That is my final answer’ becomes ‘Is that your final answer?’.

Jack: But remember if you’re not using the verbs ‘be’ or ‘have’ or modal verbs like ‘can’ or ‘would’ then you need to add ‘do’ or ‘does’ or ‘did’. So a sentence like ‘I want to change my answer’ becomes 'Do you want to change your answer?’

Rich: These questions are also tricky because of the pronunciation. Listen to these pairs of questions spoken slowly and then more naturally.

Jack: Do you have a car?

Rich: Do you have a car?

Rich: Have you got a few minutes for a chat?

Jack: Have you got a few minutes for a chat?

Jack: Will you be OK driving home?

Rich: Will you be OK driving home?

Rich: Shall we go to that new restaurant for lunch?

Jack: Shall we go to that new restaurant for lunch?

Jack: Are you busy?

Rich: Are you busy?

Rich: We’ve got more activities about questions on the website but for now let’s get back to our roleplay at Radio UK.

Question five

Rich: The question is: in which UK city will you find the National Football museum? In which UK city will you find the National Football museum? Let’s see who’s on the line. 

Listener 5:  Hi Guys.

Rich: Is that Adam?

Listener 5: It is. The question was in which UK city will you find the National Football museum and the answer is Manchester.

Rich: Well done, Adam and as you were so quick here’s a bonus question about Manchester. Which teams have played at Maine Road?

Listener 5: Maine Road? Manchester City because it’s their old stadium but I think this is a trick question because Manchester United also used it for some seasons. 

Rich: And you are correct again. You have great knowledge of Manchester and its football. You are now a proud owner of a signed Radio UK photo.

Listener 5: Wicked. Have a great day.

Rich: Well, that was short and sweet. No banter there - in and out.

Jack: That’s what it’s all about on Radio UK -  fast, rapid, like Raheem Sterling.

Rich: Not sure about that. So, we’ve got time to squeeze in one more question before the news and weather. 

Jack: The question is: In which city might fans say howay the lads? In which city might fans say howay the lads? Let’s look and see who’s on the line.

Listener 6: I’m on again. I can’t believe it. 

Jack: Who’s that? Barry from Birmingham? I can’t believe it either. 

Listener 6: I’ve heard the question and I know the answer. The fans say howay the lads, it’s the Geordies, isn’t it? 

Jack: And the city is?

Listener 6: Sunderland. I’m only joking with you. The city is Newcastle.

Jack: It is! Well done, Barry.  You got the right answer.

Listener 6: Brilliant! I’ll cherish the photo forever. Tara-a-bit.

Jack: That is good to know.

Rich: Well what a way to finish and well done Barry from Birmingham. After the news and weather, Marge and Mavis will be here with ‘round our way - a closer look at knitting with llama wool.

Language Focus 3

Jack: Earlier, we looked at wh+ questions and one pattern that they often follow. Well, sometimes wh questions have a different structure. These are called subject questions.

Rich: In subject questions, there is no auxiliary verb. We used a couple of subject questions in the roleplay you just heard. One of the questions was: Which teams have played at Maine Road?

Jack: This is a subject question because the question word replaces the subject of a normal sentence.

Rich: You could say this as the answer: Manchester City and Manchester United have played at Maine Road.

Jack: Another example of a subject question could be: How many people live in Manchester?

Rich: Over half a million people live in Manchester.

Jack: The question word was ‘How many’. Can you see how the question word has replaced the subject in the question?

Rich: Earlier we gave you a little football quiz. This quiz contained subject questions and questions that followed the QASV pattern - question word, auxiliary verb, subject and then main verb.

Jack: Here’s the quiz again. Which questions follow which pattern?

Rich: Who plays in goal for Liverpool?

Jack: When did Leeds United last win the League title? 

Rich: Where did Chelsea beat Manchester United to win the Champions League?

Jack: What do we call the object the referee blows at the final whistle?

Rich: Why do we sometimes need a replay in football matches?

Jack: Whose stadium hosted the 2003 Champions League semi-final?

Rich: Hopefully you noticed that the first question and the last question were subject questions.

Jack: We’ve got more activities connected to question forms for you to look at on the website.

Task

Jack: This week’s task is to write two quiz questions in the comments section on the Premier Skills English website.

Rich: The answers to your questions need to be the name of a city.

Jack: One of the answers should be a city in the UK and the other should be a city in your country.

Rich: The questions should be grammatically similar to the questions you heard earlier in the roleplay.

Jack: Also, look at the comments section and try to answer other questions that you see from other learners.

Rich: Look at the comments section over the next few days and try to answer as many questions as you can or add even more questions.

Football Phrase

Jack: Have you got a football phrase for us, Rich?

Rich: Yes, I have. This week’s football phrase is to ***** ***. To ***** a team *** of a competition means to eliminate them from the competition. Liverpool were ******* *** of the Champions League this week by Real Madrid but Chelsea and Manchester City ******* *** Porto and Borussia Dortmund

Jack: The phrase comes from or at least is used a lot in boxing. The aim of a boxing match is to ***** *** your opponent. 

Rich: Let’s see if anyone gets it right and who is first this week. If you are still wondering what the answer was to last week’s football phrase it was parent club.

Jack: If you have a question for us about football or English you can email us at premierskills@britishcouncil.org

Rich: or you can leave your questions and comments on the website in the comments section or on our Facebook page.

Jack: or you could give us a rating and a fantastic review on Apple Podcasts.

Rich: Bye for now and enjoy your football!