600 Not Out! - 16/17 ep.7
600 Not Out! - 16/17 ep.7
In this week's Premier Skills English podcast, Rich and Jack talk about the latest in the Premier League and focus on a player who has been playing Premier League football for 18 years and has become only the third player to make 600 Premier League appearances. The language focus is on the past continuous and how it can be used to describe long periods in the past as well as to describe something that was happening when a specific action happened. In our pronunciation section, we look again at weak forms and the schwa. We also have news about our Premier Skills Fantasy Football team, your chance to make a prediction on this week's big Premier League match and a new football phrase for you to guess.
How much did you understand?
Vocabulary
In the podcast, Rich and Jack used some words and phrases that might be new for you. You can see two examples here:
The Premier League has something called the dubious goal committee.
United have lost three matches in a row.
There were a few more tricky words in the podcast. Can you remember all of them? Try the activity below, then, listen to the podcast again to hear how we used the words in context. This can really help with understanding.
Language - Past Continuous
|
Player |
Appearances |
|
Ryan Giggs |
632 |
|
Frank Lampard |
609 |
|
Gareth Barry |
600 |
|
David James |
572 |
In the podcast, Rich and Jack spoke about the Everton midfielder - Gareth Barry, who is celebrating his 600th Premier League appearance. He made his debut in 1998 and Jack and Rich spoke about some of the things that were happening in 1998, both in and out of football. When they were speaking, they used the past continuous a lot. Let's learn more about the past continuous and take a look at some examples of how was used in the podcast:
Past Continuous - Form and Use
The past continuous is formed from the past tense of be with the -ing form of the verb.
We use the past continuous in a number of ways but the main reasons are:
- to talk about something that continued for a long or continuous period of time but has now finished
- to say what was happening before and/or after a specific action or time
Coventry City, Wimbledon and Barnsley were playing in the Premier League in 1998.
I'm sure you weren't studying all the time.
These are examples of something that continued for a period of time but have now finished.
Ruud Gullit was managing Chelsea but was sacked and replaced with Gianluca Vialli.
In this example, we can see the past continuous being used to describe what was happening before a specific action.
The action is usually the past simple and the description before the.action is the past continuous. This is one example that happens at football matches:
Now in this activity, take a look at the text and decide whether you should use the past continuous or not.
Pronunciation - Weak forms and the schwa
In this week's podcast, we looked at something called the schwa. The schwa is a common weak form or unstressed syllable. The phonetic symbol is /ə/ and the sound is like the final syllable in the words 'teacher' or 'soccer'. In spoken English, there are usually lots of schwas in every sentence. In the podcast, we asked you to find the schwas in five different sentences. Here are the sentences again. Listen to Jack and Rich and try to find the schwas. When you have finished, copy and paste the sentences and tell us where the schwas are in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
- It's for you.
- It takes a lot of time.
- How about a cup of tea?
- The book is about pronunciation.
- What time are you going to arrive at the station?
Transcript
Welcome
Rich: Hello my name’s Rich and welcome to this week’s Premier Skills English podcast.
Jack: Hi everyone. I’m Jack and every week we talk about football and help you with your English.
Rich: We’re going to be talking about the latest action in the Premier League and a player who reached a very special landmark last weekend.
Jack: And the language focus this week is on the past continuous.
Rich: We have some more pronunciation practice, a new football phrase for you and this week’s Premier League prediction.
Jack: But, let’s begin by talking about what’s been happening on the website this week.
Social
Rich: We had some great comments last week on the website. Last week’s podcast was all about nicknames and it was nice to hear some nicknames from football clubs around the world.
Jack: My favourite was Metalist Kharkiv in Ukraine who are called The Ferrets. They sound like they should be playing The Foxes in the Premier League. Thanks to Alex from Ukraine for that comment.
Rich: And, Kwesimanifest from Ghana told us that Accra Hearts of Oak in Ghana are also known as Phobia. I think that’s a great nickname.
Jack: Nice. Right, we’ve got a new player article on the website. It’s all about the Everton striker, Romelu Lukaku. There is a lot of Football English in our player of the week articles and you can find a football English quiz at the end of the article every week.
Rich: Some difficult words in that quiz this week - check it out. Lukaku’s scored four goals in his last two matches and I picked him as captain in my fantasy football team so I’m pretty happy about that.
Jack: His goal at the weekend was a bit dubious - I’m not sure that he touched it and it was going in anyway.
Rich: Dubious is a difficult word. It means something that you are not sure about, something that is doubtful. Sometimes evidence in a criminal investigation can be dubious.
Jack: The Premier League actually has something called the dubious goal committee which is a group of people who meet to decide the player who scored a goal when it’s not clear who scored it.
Rich: It’s important to the player but it’s also important to millions of fantasy football players. That tiny touch by Lukaku was the difference between my fantasy football team having an OK week and having a great week.
Jack: We’ve got lots more about fantasy football - check out how the Premier Skills team did in Gameweek 5 on our Fantasy Football page - there is a link on the side of this page.
Latest news
Jack: What’s been happening in the Premier League this week, Rich?
Rich: It was an exciting weekend in the Premier League. Manchester City are looking good. That’s five wins out of five after a 4-0 win against Bournemouth. Kevin De Bruyne was amazing in that game. There were big wins for Arsenal at Hull, West Brom at home to West Ham and Crystal Palace at home to Stoke.
Jack: Leicester look back in form. Their new signing Islam Slimani scored twice on his debut in a 3-0 win. The biggest surprise was probably Manchester Utd…..
RIch: Yes, Man Utd lost 3-1 to Watford. United have now lost three matches in a row. And it’s the first time Jose Mourinho has lost three matches in a row since 2002 when he was manager of Porto in Portugal.
Jack: They have a bit to think about at Old Trafford but Everton have made a great start to the season. They’re up to second place.
Rich: Yes, a great start. They are unbeaten after a 3-1 win against Middlesbrough. And in the next section we’re going to talk about a special day for one of the Everton players.
Topic Focus
Jack: On Saturday, the Everton midfielder, Gareth Barry, made his 600th Premier LEague appearance to become only the third player to ever reach this special landmark.
Rich: A landmark is an event that marks an important stage in something and making your 600th Premier League appearance is a huge landmark in Barry’s career. The other two players that have reached this landmark are Frank Lampard and Ryan Giggs.
Jack: And Gareth Barry could catch both this season to become the player with most appearances in the Premier LEague. Lampard made 609 and Giggs 632.
Rich: On Saturday, the club celebrated Barry’s achievement by giving every fan a flag with Barry’s name and number on it. And, 39,074 fans at Goodison Park - Everton’s stadium gave Barry a fantastic welcome on to the pitch.
Jack: And Barry celebrated in style. He’s not a player who is famous for scoring goals but he scored Everton’s equaliser and when he left the pitch in the final minute he got a standing ovation from the crowd.
Language Focus
Rich: Gareth Barry made his debut in 1998 - that’s 18 years ago and in this section we’re going to take a look at a few things that were happening when Barry made his debut.
Jack: Let’s start with the Premier League. In the 1997/98 season, Arsene Wenger was managing Arsenal in his first full season and, of course, he won the Premier League title!
RIch: The Premier League looked very different in 1998. Coventry City, Wimbledon and Barnsley were playing in the Premier League!
Jack: Where are they now? They haven’t been in the Premier League for years.
Rich: In 1998, the Dutch legend, Ruud Gullit was managing Chelsea but he was sacked and replaced with the Italian legend Gianluca Vialli.
Jack: Lots of legends there! What about outside of the Premier LEague what else was happening in 1998?
RIch: Well, France won the World Cup in France, Europeans were talking about a single currency called the Euro, Bill Clinton was trying to avoid talking about an affair he had with another woman and a few people were using a new search engine called Google.
Jack: What about you Rich? What were you doing?
Rich: I was in my final year at university. I was probably studying or that’s how I remember it. What about you?
Jack: I’m sure you weren’t studying all the time. I wasn’t studying, or maybe I was a little. I was travelling the world - well maybe not the world but I was definitely travelling.
Rich: So, we were just talking about 1998 and while we were talking we used a lot of examples of the past continuous.
Jack: We create the past continuous by using the verb to be in the past and then a verb in the -ing form.
Rich: We can use the past continuous to talk about an event that happened over a long period of time in the past.
Jack: One example of this use is when Rich said ‘ Wimbledon and Barnsley were playing in the Premier League’
Rich: It can also be used to describe something that was happening when another action interrupted it.
Jack: One example of this is when Rich said, ‘Ruud Gullit was managing Chelsea but was sacked and replaced with Gianluca Vialli’. The past continuous describes what was happening and the past simple is used for the action that interrupts it.
Rich: We look at the past continuous in more detail in the lesson below on the podcast page.
There are more examples and some activities for you to have a go at.
Pronunciation
Rich: In this week’s pronunciation section we’re going to take another look at weak forms and specifically the schwa which is the er sound.
Jack: In the last section we were looking at the past continuous. I asked Rich what he was doing in 1998. The question was ‘What were you doing?’ The word ‘were’ takes a weak form so we say /we/. Listen ‘What were you doing?’
Rich: We can hear it in another example from earlier: ‘in 1998, Wimbledon and Barnsley were playing in the Premier League’
Jack: The schwa is very common. Have a listen to these sentences. In the first sentence there is one schwa and the second two and so on. Can you identify the schwa?
Rich: Number one: It’s for you.
Jack: Number two: It takes a lot of time.
Rich: Number three: How about a cup of tea?
Jack: Number four: The book is about pronunciation.
Rich: Number five: What time are you going to arrive at the station?
Jack: Did you hear all of the schwa sounds? Now, have a go at repeating the sentences in the same way.
Football Phrase
Rich: Have you got a football phrase for us this week?
Jack: Yes, I have, but first last week’s football phrase. The phrase was to sit on the fence. This is an idiom and it means to avoid making a decision one way or the other. When someone is asked for a prediction in a football match and they choose a draw they can be described as sitting on the fence.
Rich: Well done to Kwesimanifest from Ghana, Liubomyr and Alex from Ukraine, Gunner_UZ from Uzbekistan, Davilillons from Spain and Elghoul from Algeria. You all got the right answer.
Jack: This week’s phrase is ******** *******. If you have been listening carefully, you might have heard this phrase in the podcast. A ******** ******* is when a crowd that is sitting down stand up and clap, applaud and/or cheer a special performance. ******** ******** are common in theatres but now that most fans sit down at football matches they are becoming more and more common in football stadiums, too.
Rich: Gareth Barry definitely deserved his.
Prediction
Jack: I see that nobody predicted the Chelsea - Liverpool result last week. I went for a Chelsea win, you went for a draw and 44% of our listeners also went for a Chelsea win. So no points for anybody this week but I suppose you didn’t mind getting it wrong.
Rich: No, I was very happy with Liverpool’s win and performance.
Jack: What match are you going to talk about this week?
Rich: Manchester Utd v Leicester is a big match but I’m going to talk about the London Derby between Arsenal and Chelsea. Chelsea didn’t look that good against Liverpool and seem to have lost a bit of form recently although Diego COsta is looking good again this season. Arsenal had a good win away to Hull City but haven’t looked really convincing this season. I think it will be close but I’m going to make you happy, Jack and go for a home win. Final score: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea
Jack: Thanks Rich. I can’t go against my own team so I’m going to go for a 2-0 home win.
Rich: Remember to make your prediction in our vote at the bottom of the page in our Premier Prediction League!
Jack: Right, that’s all we have time for this week. Don’t forget to write your answers to our questions and make a guess at our football phrase in the comments below. And remember to take a look at our Fantasy Football page and join in the discussions!
Rich: Bye for now and enjoy your football!
Quiz
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Form
Premier League Prediction - Gameweek 6 - Arsenal v Chelsea
Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-1 last week, which meant nobody correctly predicted the right result for the second consecutive week. Jack and our Premier Skills community predicted a Chelsea win and Rich went for a draw. Rich still leads the way with 3 points but we're still waiting for someone to predict the exact score. Remember, it's one point for the correct result and two additional points for the correct score. It's Chelsea again this week. Can you predict the right score?
| GW 1 | GW 2 | GW 3 | GW 4 | GW 5 | GW 6 | |
| Rich | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-1 |
| Jack | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2-0 |
| Podcast Listeners | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ? |
Make your prediction now!
What do you think?
-
Do you think he will become the player with most Premier League appearances this season? Is it a great achievement? What qualities has Barry shown during his career?
-
Gareth Barry made his debut in 1998! What can you remember about 1998? What were you doing in 1998? Try to use the past continuous in your answers.
-
How has football changed since 1998?
-
Did you find the schwas in our pronunciation exercise? Where were they?
Leave a comment
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Comments
02/03/2023
points
Where were the schwas ? :) I couldn't hear it...
02/03/2023 14:04
Arsenal
566
Where were the schwas ? :) I couldn't hear it...
02/03/2023
points
Hi Gil_foot
There used to be a plug in on the page. I'm not sure if I can get it working again, but I'll try.
Thanks
Jack
02/03/2023 17:17
Arsenal
22
Hi Gil_foot
There used to be a plug in on the page. I'm not sure if I can get it working again, but I'll try.
Thanks
Jack
02/03/2023
points
Since 1988, the off-side position detection and the goal line technology has changed...
02/03/2023 13:58
Arsenal
566
Since 1988, the off-side position detection and the goal line technology has changed...
02/03/2023
points
In 1998, I remember Zidane scoring 2 goals against Brazil in the World Cup Final
02/03/2023 13:57
Arsenal
566
In 1998, I remember Zidane scoring 2 goals against Brazil in the World Cup Final
02/03/2023
points
For sure, he can beat the record but, it's gonna be hard!
02/03/2023 13:56
Arsenal
566
For sure, he can beat the record but, it's gonna be hard!
07/01/2021
points
1-It’s a great achievement for Gareth Barry-Generally, disciplined and stable private and football life as well as working hard brings achievement.
2-In 1998, I was working as branch manager in İstanbul city at my company.
3-Since 1998 football industrialized. It became a investable sector. Figures of transferring went up. Players were provided better living and playing conditions included injury or life insurance.
SCHWA
1. It's(+) for you.
2. It takes(+) a(+) lot of time.
3. How(+) about a(+) cup of tea?
4. The book is(+) about(+) pronunciation.
5. What time are you going to(+) arrive at the(+) station?
PHRASES
o V.A.R system is a great solution for dubious positions in football.
If a manager of team that loose more than five matches in a row she/he should pack her/his suitcase for a “departure of long time journey”. It would be better before being sacked.
He was sleeping at home but was disturbed and awakened with doorbell.
It was an unforgettable landmark for me when I completed 25 years of working life.
07/01/2021 18:53
Tottenham Hotspur
5556
1-It’s a great achievement for Gareth Barry-Generally, disciplined and stable private and football life as well as working hard brings achievement.
2-In 1998, I was working as branch manager in İstanbul city at my company.
3-Since 1998 football industrialized. It became a investable sector. Figures of transferring went up. Players were provided better living and playing conditions included injury or life insurance.
SCHWA
1. It's(+) for you.
2. It takes(+) a(+) lot of time.
3. How(+) about a(+) cup of tea?
4. The book is(+) about(+) pronunciation.
5. What time are you going to(+) arrive at the(+) station?
PHRASES
o V.A.R system is a great solution for dubious positions in football.
If a manager of team that loose more than five matches in a row she/he should pack her/his suitcase for a “departure of long time journey”. It would be better before being sacked.
He was sleeping at home but was disturbed and awakened with doorbell.
It was an unforgettable landmark for me when I completed 25 years of working life.
15/05/2020
points
The football phrase for this week is ( a standing ovation )
15/05/2020 10:41
Manchester United
6536
The football phrase for this week is ( a standing ovation )
15/05/2020
points
I remember that I was watching World Cup 1998 and I was still a student at middle school
15/05/2020 10:41
Manchester United
6536
I remember that I was watching World Cup 1998 and I was still a student at middle school
15/05/2020
points
Gareth Barry is a very good player and a down to earth person but I don't think anyone will precede Ryan Giggs
15/05/2020 10:39
Manchester United
6536
Gareth Barry is a very good player and a down to earth person but I don't think anyone will precede Ryan Giggs
26/10/2017
points
I think there is one big change transfer fee for player,millions and millions.
26/10/2017 10:19
Arsenal
2337
I think there is one big change transfer fee for player,millions and millions.
29/10/2016
points
Barry is a fantastic player and he made a great achievement! I clearly remember 1998. That is the year when Mondial in France was held, my favourite tournament ever. So many big names, so many interesting matches..Yes, football has changed drastically since then...
29/10/2016 22:03
Arsenal
3557
Barry is a fantastic player and he made a great achievement! I clearly remember 1998. That is the year when Mondial in France was held, my favourite tournament ever. So many big names, so many interesting matches..Yes, football has changed drastically since then...
24/09/2016
points
The correct answer is "******** *******".
24/09/2016 09:53
Chelsea
27
The correct answer is "******** *******".
24/09/2016
points
Well done, Giorgi! You're right!
24/09/2016 14:35
Liverpool
594
Well done, Giorgi! You're right!
22/09/2016
points
This week's phrase is ******** *******?
22/09/2016 16:15
Arsenal
951
This week's phrase is ******** *******?
22/09/2016
points
Yes, you're spot on! Well done!
22/09/2016 16:45
Liverpool
594
Yes, you're spot on! Well done!
22/09/2016
points
In 1998 i was in basic school grade 1 and was always asking lots of questions.
22/09/2016 09:06
Manchester United
4779
In 1998 i was in basic school grade 1 and was always asking lots of questions.
22/09/2016
points
Barry has shown leadership in the team
22/09/2016 09:03
Manchester United
4779
Barry has shown leadership in the team
22/09/2016
points
Its an awesome achievement
22/09/2016 09:00
Manchester United
4779
Its an awesome achievement
22/09/2016
points
I think Barry will be the player with the most premier league appearances this season.
22/09/2016 09:00
Manchester United
4779
I think Barry will be the player with the most premier league appearances this season.
21/09/2016
points
This week's phrase is ******** *******
21/09/2016 18:54
Manchester United
4779
This week's phrase is ******** *******
22/09/2016
points
You've got it, Kwesimanifest! Nice one!
22/09/2016 08:19
Liverpool
594
You've got it, Kwesimanifest! Nice one!
21/09/2016
points
1.Sorry but I was used to watch Everton matches and Gareth Barry was unknown for me until the landmark. I'll try to notice some of his qualities playing football but I can say today that he has undoubtably been granted with great football spirit and also a strong physical constitution if he could challenge both Lampard and Giggs.
2. When Zidane scored two goals against Brazil I was enjoying my holydays at 'Tipaza village'.
3. In my sense football is still the same apart from his growing business aspects.
4.for ; a ; of ; is ; are : That are the schwas in the order.
Football phrase : ******** *******
prediction : draw 1.1
21/09/2016 18:00
Manchester City
3988
1.Sorry but I was used to watch Everton matches and Gareth Barry was unknown for me until the landmark. I'll try to notice some of his qualities playing football but I can say today that he has undoubtably been granted with great football spirit and also a strong physical constitution if he could challenge both Lampard and Giggs.
2. When Zidane scored two goals against Brazil I was enjoying my holydays at 'Tipaza village'.
3. In my sense football is still the same apart from his growing business aspects.
4.for ; a ; of ; is ; are : That are the schwas in the order.
Football phrase : ******** *******
prediction : draw 1.1
22/09/2016
points
Hi Elghoul
You've got this week's phrase right, well done! I think you're right about Gareth Barry. He might not be the most famous player in the Premier League or play for the most famous club but he has shown great stamina and durability to play so many matches.
22/09/2016 08:18
Liverpool
594
Hi Elghoul
You've got this week's phrase right, well done! I think you're right about Gareth Barry. He might not be the most famous player in the Premier League or play for the most famous club but he has shown great stamina and durability to play so many matches.
21/09/2016
points
Nothing about memories of 1998, because I was just 4. Probably I was giving a lot of trouble to my mother by naughtiness
21/09/2016 08:57
Arsenal
108
Nothing about memories of 1998, because I was just 4. Probably I was giving a lot of trouble to my mother by naughtiness
21/09/2016
points
Apparently yes. His game's still stable and reliable, he has all qualities which captains need to have so he's necessary to Evertoon too. Surely it's amazing achievement and I'm sure he's able to leave behind Lampard and Giggs
21/09/2016 08:52
Arsenal
108
Apparently yes. His game's still stable and reliable, he has all qualities which captains need to have so he's necessary to Evertoon too. Surely it's amazing achievement and I'm sure he's able to leave behind Lampard and Giggs
21/09/2016
points
It's for you. for
It takes a lot of time. - tak_es, of
How about a cup of tea? - a_bout, cup, of
The book is about pronunciation. - the, a_bout, pr_on_unciation
What time are you going to arrive at the station - wh_at, to, a_rrive, at, the
21/09/2016 05:01
Arsenal
108
It's for you. for
It takes a lot of time. - tak_es, of
How about a cup of tea? - a_bout, cup, of
The book is about pronunciation. - the, a_bout, pr_on_unciation
What time are you going to arrive at the station - wh_at, to, a_rrive, at, the
21/09/2016
points
I suppose the phrase's a ******** *******
21/09/2016 04:44
Arsenal
108
I suppose the phrase's a ******** *******
21/09/2016
points
Well done Gunner_UZ! You're the first to get the phrase this week!
21/09/2016 10:02
Liverpool
594
Well done Gunner_UZ! You're the first to get the phrase this week!