Premier Skills English Podcast 14
Premier Skills English Podcast 14
In this week's podcast, Rich and Jack talk about last weekend's 3-0 win for Manchester City against Chelsea, and look ahead to this weekend's big matches including Arsenal (Jack's team) v Liverpool (Rich's team). They also take a look at some common football cliches that managers and commentators use. How can a player 'give 110%'?
How much did you understand?
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: This week we’re going to talk about Manchester City’s win against Chelsea, some football clichés and I’m going to make another Premier League prediction.
Jack: But, before we start. Last week we had a comment from Chriswar from Poland. He wants to know why we say ‘Are there any football words you need help with?’ and not ‘Are there any football words you need help?
Rich: Well, if you’re listening Chris and for everybody else - the rules in English about prepositions like with, about, in etc are really complicated. It’s often better to try to remember the patterns of which preposition goes with which verb or noun.
Jack: If we look at the verb help, the most common pattern is help+object+to+infinitive: she helped him to find his dog for example. At the weekend, Memphis scored two goals and assisted or helped Fellaini to score another goal.
Rich: Another very common pattern is help + object + with + noun. So, my teacher helped me with my homework, for example. If we go back to Chriswar’s question, the pattern is similar, but in a question form. Are there any football words you need help with? This is a very common question. Is there anything I can help you with?
Jack: If you want more help with different verb patterns using prepositions, we’ve put a link to our Learn English website on the side of the page. http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/quick-grammar/verbs-prepositions
Rich: Let’s move on to the football. Did you see the City-Chelsea match last weekend?
Jack: Yes, I did. It was a great game. City looked fantastic. And what a great goal from Aguero.
Rich: It was brilliant. The front three of Aguero, Sterling and Silva are going to give defenders nightmares this season.
Jack: But City’s top scorer is Vincent Kompany. He’s scored two goals in two games now.
Rich: Yes, I know but I can’t see that continuing. After the match Kompany said, ‘If I am top scorer for too long, we are in massive trouble.’
Jack: Yeah, he said he wants Aguero to be the the top scorer in the Premier League again this season.
Rich: He also said that he wants City’s stadium to ‘be a fortress’ this season.
Jack: I’ve heard this phrase many times before. A fortress is a place or building that is protected to stop it being attacked. A bit like a castle.
Rich: And Kompany means that he wants the Etihad Stadium to be a place where they are never defeated or lose a match.
Jack: I think you could describe this phrase as a cliché, and I don’t mean Gael Clichy the Manchester City defender!
Rich: No! A cliché is a phrase that is used a lot, that has been used many, many times!
Jack: And there are loads of clichés in football - and I love them! One of my favourites is when a manager says ‘he gave 110% today’.
Rich: I know. The manager means that the player worked really, really hard and ran around a lot. I was quite good at maths at school but I’m not sure I ever got 110% in any of my exams!
Jack: Do you have any favourite clichés, Rich?
Rich: I’ve got a few, yes. What about ‘he’s hit it too well’
Jack: Yes, I know. Commentators often use this phrase when a player shoots at goal but it goes wide of the post or straight into the goalkeeper’s arms.
Rich: Maybe it would be better if the player hit the ball badly?
Jack: I also like ‘they’re too good to go down’. We hear this cliché all the time near the end of the season. It means that a team have too many good players to be relegated to a lower division.
Rich: But if you only win 4 matches all season you’re not really that good, are you?
Jack: Exactly.
Rich: What’s your favourite Jack?
Jack: One that always makes me laugh is, ‘for a big lad, he’s good with his feet’. Commentators use this cliché when a tall player plays a nice pass or shows a bit of skill. I always find it strange because I’m sure all professional players are good with the ball at their feet, it is called football after all!
Rich: If you hear any of these clichés or you know any others please let us know in the comments section below. We would love to see them.
Jack: Right, big match this weekend, Rich. Arsenal v Liverpool. Let’s hear your prediction.
Rich: Arsenal v Liverpool is definitely this week’s Premier League highlight. Arsenal won their first match last week, away to Palace and will be looking for their first home win of the season. Liverpool have a 100% record after two 1-0 wins and will be looking to continue this good start. Arsenal lost their last home match to West Ham and their fans won’t be happy if they lose again. Alexis Sanchez will be starting his first home match of the season and as a Liverpool fan I’m worried that Arsenal might have too much attacking talent for Liverpool’s defence to deal with. I hope I’m wrong but my prediction is Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool.
Jack: Wow! You’ve predicted an Arsenal win!
Rich: Can I ask for your prediction on this one, Jack?
Jack: I’m going to go for an Arsenal win too, 3-0!
Rich: I hoped you would say that. You’re not very good at predictions. It should bring Liverpool some luck!
Jack: If you’ve got a prediction for this match or any other Premier League match this weekend let us know in the comments section below.
Rich: Well that’s all for now. Thanks for listening.
Jack: If you’re listening to this on itunes or elsewhere, come back to Premier Skills English for some language activities, a quiz and lots more. You can find us at www.britishcouncil.org/ .
Rich: Don’t forget if you sign in, you can score points to see if you can get your club, your country and your name to the top of our leaderboard.
Jack: Bye for now and enjoy your football.
Quiz
Please login to take this quiz.
Leave a comment
Log in to leave a comment
Comments
04/01/2021
points
I rarely listen to commentators because I don't have good listening skills. So, I don't have any idea about football cliches. It's hard to understand commentators especially if they are native speakers. When I watch a highlight of a football match, I only watch and don't listen. However, by improving my listening skills, I'm sure I will be able to understand their talks more. That's the reason why I listen to this podcast.
It is a hard choice. Both of them are my favorite. But, if they have to face off each other, I prefer Arsenal. But, my prediction is a win for Liverpool with a tight score
04/01/2021 10:09
Arsenal
124
I rarely listen to commentators because I don't have good listening skills. So, I don't have any idea about football cliches. It's hard to understand commentators especially if they are native speakers. When I watch a highlight of a football match, I only watch and don't listen. However, by improving my listening skills, I'm sure I will be able to understand their talks more. That's the reason why I listen to this podcast.
It is a hard choice. Both of them are my favorite. But, if they have to face off each other, I prefer Arsenal. But, my prediction is a win for Liverpool with a tight score
03/05/2020
points
I predicted a win for Arsenal as well because Alexis Sanchez was on form
03/05/2020 23:44
Manchester United
6539
I predicted a win for Arsenal as well because Alexis Sanchez was on form
03/05/2020
points
Definately they use cliches
One of my favourite is ( Mukammel bir gol ) ( harikaaaaaaaa )
03/05/2020 23:43
Manchester United
6539
Definately they use cliches
One of my favourite is ( Mukammel bir gol ) ( harikaaaaaaaa )
03/05/2020
points
One of the most famous cliches when I play FIFA and score a goal , Martin Taylor always says , it's a great goal scored by the underdogs :)
03/05/2020 23:42
Manchester United
6539
One of the most famous cliches when I play FIFA and score a goal , Martin Taylor always says , it's a great goal scored by the underdogs :)
04/04/2020
points
A funny cliche from commentators;
Goalkeeper closed his/her goal and went on vacation.
It's said in case opponent team didn't carry out any attack during the game.
04/04/2020 18:22
Tottenham Hotspur
5558
A funny cliche from commentators;
Goalkeeper closed his/her goal and went on vacation.
It's said in case opponent team didn't carry out any attack during the game.
08/03/2019
points
What a goal!
Yes, they have. My favorite cliche is "The referee got him painted of yellow"
My prediction is Arsenal 2 - Liverpool 0
08/03/2019 23:24
Arsenal
112
What a goal!
Yes, they have. My favorite cliche is "The referee got him painted of yellow"
My prediction is Arsenal 2 - Liverpool 0
29/01/2017
points
yes
29/01/2017 14:38
Manchester United
684
yes
28/06/2016
points
good prediction
28/06/2016 15:46
Manchester City
1734
good prediction
11/06/2016
points
Oh la la
11/06/2016 08:59
Manchester United
4779
Oh la la
11/06/2016
points
What a goal
11/06/2016 08:59
Manchester United
4779
What a goal
05/04/2016
points
One of the most phrases that i like is Park the Bus,it shows you that a team plays in defend.
05/04/2016 15:29
Liverpool
3705
One of the most phrases that i like is Park the Bus,it shows you that a team plays in defend.
08/03/2016
points
Yes,for example,'He is measuring,calculating and ball to go to net.'Generally they say when a player scored a goal from free-kick,they say.
08/03/2016 03:17
Leicester City
1761
Yes,for example,'He is measuring,calculating and ball to go to net.'Generally they say when a player scored a goal from free-kick,they say.
03/02/2016
points
Performing prepositions is my greatest challenge, thank you for the link, and a big thank to all British Council (BC) teams for their effort; the BC MENA’s facebook page presents a series of quiz about phrasal verbs, with nice pictures. They are so helpful to memorize those verbs.
The word ‘cliché’ remembers me of the other French words becoming English, like résumé, fiancé…
The famous cliché that managers and footballers use here, when a team loses a match, is “the ball is a sphere, so it spins up and down, we have hard luck, it’s not our day!”
I like matches between two teams whose fans are best friends or colleagues or married… It creates competition and more fun. Congratulations both Rich and jack, it’s a draw with no goals (MON, 24 AUG 2015). It’s a perfect result for such a situation.
03/02/2016 12:26
Newcastle United
3189
Performing prepositions is my greatest challenge, thank you for the link, and a big thank to all British Council (BC) teams for their effort; the BC MENA’s facebook page presents a series of quiz about phrasal verbs, with nice pictures. They are so helpful to memorize those verbs.
The word ‘cliché’ remembers me of the other French words becoming English, like résumé, fiancé…
The famous cliché that managers and footballers use here, when a team loses a match, is “the ball is a sphere, so it spins up and down, we have hard luck, it’s not our day!”
I like matches between two teams whose fans are best friends or colleagues or married… It creates competition and more fun. Congratulations both Rich and jack, it’s a draw with no goals (MON, 24 AUG 2015). It’s a perfect result for such a situation.
10/05/2016
points
Phrasal verbs! I need to remember three rules: 1/ they’re formed by adding a verb with a preposition, sometime a noun. 2/ The two words can be separable or not. 3/ The meaning change according to the preposition and context. It’s right ?
10/05/2016 20:52
Newcastle United
3189
Phrasal verbs! I need to remember three rules: 1/ they’re formed by adding a verb with a preposition, sometime a noun. 2/ The two words can be separable or not. 3/ The meaning change according to the preposition and context. It’s right ?
02/02/2016
points
The net is so slow that I can't heard any thinhg, and no link to download the podcast 14. I check out, it's same for podcasts : 6 - 7 - 8- 10 -11 - 13 -15 -6 -17 -18.
02/02/2016 21:22
Newcastle United
3189
The net is so slow that I can't heard any thinhg, and no link to download the podcast 14. I check out, it's same for podcasts : 6 - 7 - 8- 10 -11 - 13 -15 -6 -17 -18.
16/11/2015
points
This free kick is in Beckham range .
16/11/2015 14:47
Arsenal
2320
This free kick is in Beckham range .
23/10/2015
points
I often hear commentators say that too many misses can return as a boomerang. But my favourite one is : 'The goalkeeper is a king of the penalty box.' It means that even the goalkeeper crushed with the opposite player he is the one who's in advantage because he picked the ball at the end.
23/10/2015 15:32
Arsenal
3557
I often hear commentators say that too many misses can return as a boomerang. But my favourite one is : 'The goalkeeper is a king of the penalty box.' It means that even the goalkeeper crushed with the opposite player he is the one who's in advantage because he picked the ball at the end.
18/10/2015
points
arsenal
18/10/2015 23:37
Chelsea
160
arsenal
11/10/2015
points
My prediction for this week is 1:1.for anrsenal and liverpool
11/10/2015 09:56
Arsenal
26
My prediction for this week is 1:1.for anrsenal and liverpool
19/09/2015
points
The most cliches I hear every time said by Jose Mourinho is " my team was good , they played well and the oppenet didn't deserve the result "
19/09/2015 15:18
Chelsea
1814
The most cliches I hear every time said by Jose Mourinho is " my team was good , they played well and the oppenet didn't deserve the result "
18/09/2015
points
my prediction this week is Arsenal 3-1 Liverpool.
18/09/2015 15:31
Tottenham Hotspur
241
my prediction this week is Arsenal 3-1 Liverpool.
13/09/2015
points
The most famous cliches in Brazil are at the end the matches, when the players talk to the tevelevision reporters before leave the field. Such as: "We lost the match, but we played with grit and determination"; "We won the game because we did all the things the professor said"; etc. Yes, here the players call the coach a professor.
13/09/2015 14:44
Chelsea
44
The most famous cliches in Brazil are at the end the matches, when the players talk to the tevelevision reporters before leave the field. Such as: "We lost the match, but we played with grit and determination"; "We won the game because we did all the things the professor said"; etc. Yes, here the players call the coach a professor.
22/08/2015
points
"It's Fergie time" - I can hear this famous cliché in the injury time of many Premier League matches, especially when Man Utd play. It always makes me laugh because I instantly imagine sir Alex Ferguson pointing at his watch :) I also often hear commentators saying "Just in the nick of time" e.g. when the player tackles the ball or saves his team from conceding a goal. I have one cliché which gets me irritated: it's "On paper..". Managers, players or commentators often say that but we must remember that when the match kicks-off, all theory is a worthless thing. Polish people related to football, especially commentators also use a lot of clichés. One of them is "Ohh, the fans have already seen this ball in the net!" (when a player shoots the ball very well but misses slightly). Undoubtedly my favourite cliché is the one said by our commentator just before the kick-off of every Premier League match: " Ladies and gentlemen, sit deeply in your seats, fasten your seatbelts and start!". I really like Polish Premier League commentators because they know almost everything about English football and share this knowledge with watchers. Thanks to them every match is more exciting. Reffering to the prediction, the match will be undoubtedly full of excitment, good actions and determination to win from both sides. I think that Arsenal wil win this battle as they are in slightly better form than Liverpool and, of course, they have the 12th player singing and chanting in the stands. I predict Arsenal 3-1 Liverpool.
22/08/2015 17:39
Manchester United
146
"It's Fergie time" - I can hear this famous cliché in the injury time of many Premier League matches, especially when Man Utd play. It always makes me laugh because I instantly imagine sir Alex Ferguson pointing at his watch :) I also often hear commentators saying "Just in the nick of time" e.g. when the player tackles the ball or saves his team from conceding a goal. I have one cliché which gets me irritated: it's "On paper..". Managers, players or commentators often say that but we must remember that when the match kicks-off, all theory is a worthless thing. Polish people related to football, especially commentators also use a lot of clichés. One of them is "Ohh, the fans have already seen this ball in the net!" (when a player shoots the ball very well but misses slightly). Undoubtedly my favourite cliché is the one said by our commentator just before the kick-off of every Premier League match: " Ladies and gentlemen, sit deeply in your seats, fasten your seatbelts and start!". I really like Polish Premier League commentators because they know almost everything about English football and share this knowledge with watchers. Thanks to them every match is more exciting. Reffering to the prediction, the match will be undoubtedly full of excitment, good actions and determination to win from both sides. I think that Arsenal wil win this battle as they are in slightly better form than Liverpool and, of course, they have the 12th player singing and chanting in the stands. I predict Arsenal 3-1 Liverpool.
22/08/2015
points
I write common one: "football is a game of two halves".
My prediction for this week is 1:1.
22/08/2015 05:02
West Ham United
538
I write common one: "football is a game of two halves".
My prediction for this week is 1:1.