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West Brom players celebrate a goal against Chelsea.

This Week: Football Phrasal Verbs 2

This Week: Football Phrasal Verbs 2

Welcome to This Week from Premier Skills English, a weekly review of football action for learners of English from across the globe. In This Week, Rich, Laura and Jack talk about the latest action from the Premier League and have lots of football English for you to learn.


Transcript

If the listening is a bit difficult, try listening and reading at the same time.
Read the transcript and listen at the same time.

This Week: Football Phrasal Verbs 2 

Laura: Hello my name’s Laura and welcome to our weekly round-up section called ‘This Week’ on Premier Skills English. 

Jack: Hi there. I’m Jack. We’ve got lots of interesting words and phrases to help you talk about football in English.

Rich: My name’s Rich. If you want to listen and read at the same time we have a transcript of this podcast on the Premier Skills English website.

Laura: This week we focus on an amazing win for West Bromwich Albion, a potential title-decider in the Women’s Super League and Manchester City getting closer to a fifth Premier League title.

Jack: We’re going to look at three headlines from the weekend’s action and look at some phrasal verbs we use in those headlines.

Rich: We want you to use and practise these phrasal verbs by interacting with football fans from around the world in our comments section.

Laura: You can find all our latest content on the Premier Skills English homepage or the Premier Skills-British Council Facebook page. 

Jack: The phrasal verbs we are looking at this week are: to send off, to blow away, to set up, to hold on, to close in on and to stick to. 

Rich: Remember that we’ll also have a language challenge for you to have a go at later in the show so you need to be ready for that.

Headline 1

Jack: Baggies beat Chelsea to keep survival hopes alive.

Laura: West Bromwich Albion stunned Chelsea with an amazing 5-2 win at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea were on top and leading when Thiago Silva was sent off for the hosts and the Baggies took full advantage by scoring five goals as they blew their opponents away.

Rich: What a result that was for West Brom. Do you think they can stay up?

Jack: I’m not sure but it’s definitely a match and a result their fans will remember for a long time.

Laura: I’m not sure Chelsea fans will want to remember it for long.

Rich: No, and nobody saw it coming. Chelsea hadn’t been beaten under their new manager Thomas Tuchel. That was a fourteen match unbeaten run. 

Jack: Let’s move on to some language. We’ve got two phrasal verbs we want to take a look at from our first headline. They are to send off and to blow away.

Laura: To send off is a common football phrasal verb. It means to order a player from the pitch because they’ve broken the rules.

Rich: In the headline, we said that Thiago Silva was sent off.

Jack: We usually use the passive because it’s the referee that sends a player off. She was sent off. He was sent off by the referee. She has been sent off five times in her career.

Laura: There are lots of other phrases we can use when a player is sent off. We can say a player is given a red card or shown a red card or a player can be given their marching orders.

Rich: My favourite is when the commentator says something like it’s an early bath for the number nine which means the player has been sent off.

Jack: I’m sure players usually have showers rather than baths these days. Anyway, the second phrasal verb we want to look at from our first headline is to blow away.

Laura: In the headline, we said that West Brom blew their opponents away. In football, to blow away means to beat a team easily and usually to score lots of goals.

Rich: West Brom won 5-2 and scored five goals. They blew Chelsea away. This phrasal verb does have a couple of meanings outside of football, too.

Jack: If you watch lots of American gangster movies you might have heard this phrasal verb a lot because it also means to kill someone with a gun.

Laura: And it can also mean to be impressed by someone or something. I was blown away by that West Brom result. 5-2 wow! Or, you could say something like: the views at the top of the mountain blew me away. They were amazing.

Rich: Let’s move on to our second headline.

Headline 2 

Laura: City and Chelsea set up title decider.

Rich: Manchester City and Chelsea both won again at the weekend to set up what will surely be the title decider when City host Chelsea in the next round of matches. City won 3-0 at Tottenham while Chelsea held on to top spot after a 6-0 win against Birmingham.

Jack: So, with three games left to play in the Women’s Super League, Chelsea lead Manchester City by two points and the next game is: Manchester City against Chelsea.

Laura: As Rich said, this is surely the title decider but we have to wait three weeks for this match. The next round of matches are not until the 24th of April.

Rich: Let’s look at two phrasal verbs from this headline. I would like to look at: to set up and to hold on.

Jack: The phrasal verb to set up is very common in football because it means to make an assist. We might say Sam Kerr set up Fran Kirby or Son Heung-min set up Harry Kane.

Laura: In the headline, we used the phrasal verb set up in a different way. I said City and Chelsea have set up a title decider.

Rich: To set up has a number of meanings but one of them is to arrange. I set up a meeting with Laura and Jack every Monday for example. I arrange a meeting with them.

Jack: By winning their previous matches it means that the match between City and Chelsea will be a title decider - a match that will decide who wins the Women’s Super League. They have set up a title decider.

Laura: The other phrasal verb I want to look at is to hold on. Again, we hear this in football a lot. Manchester United held on for the win or Newcastle held on for a point.

Rich: Here it means to survive in a difficult situation. The other team was attacking but they held on for a point or held on to win.

Jack: In the headline, we said that Chelsea held on to top spot. This has a slightly different meaning. It means to remain in possession of something. Chelsea were top and after this weekend’s matches they are still top - they held on to top spot - to first place.

Laura: Let’s move on to our final headline.

Headline 3

Rich: City make it look easy.

Jack: Manchester City are closing in on a fifth Premier League title after a 2-0 win at third-placed Leicester City. City were frustrated by Leicester in the first half but stuck to their passing game and second-half goals from Benjamin Mendy and Gabriel Jesus gave the away team all three points. 

Laura: City only need to win four more games to win the Premier League and they are still in the League Cup, FA Cup and Champions League. They could win the lot.

Rich: Yes, a quadruple is possible. It’s never been done before.

Jack: OK, let’s look at two more phrasal verbs. The ones we want to look at are to close in on and to stick to.

Laura: We said that Manchester City are closing in on the Premier League title. To close in on something means to move towards something that you want to achieve.

Rich: Manchester City want to win the Premier League title and they are closing in on that goal - that objective. They only need to win four more games.

Jack: This phrasal verb is often used when something is attacking something else. We might hear it in a wildlife documentary: the wildebeest munch away happily on the savannah, oblivious to the lions closing in on them.

Laura: It might also be used in war: the attacking forces are closing in on one of the last enemy strongholds.

Rich: The final phrasal verb we want to look at today is to stick to. It means to continue doing something even if it’s difficult. We need to stick to the plan.

Jack: I said that Manchester stuck to their passing game even though it didn’t work well in the first half against Leicester.

Laura: They stuck to this tactic though and they scored twice in the second half. 

Rich: How else can we use stick to? I find it difficult to stick to my exercise routine. I’ve always got an excuse. The weather, meeting friends, too much work, I lose my trainers ..

Jack: You’ve got to stick to it, Rich. It’ll be worth it in the end.

Rich: Yes, I know. You’re right. I will. OK,  We’ve looked at three stories and lots of phrasal verbs in our headlines. This week we looked at six phrasal verbs. The phrasal verbs we looked at were: to send off, to blow away, to set up, to hold on, to close in on and to stick to.

Jack: Listen to the headlines again to hear these words and phrases in context and don’t forget to look at the website for the transcript if you want to check your understanding of this vocabulary.

Headlines - Repeat

Prediction

Laura: It’s time for our football prediction. Last week Rich said Leicester - Manchester City would finish in a draw and Jack said Leicester would win but I said Manchester City would win 2-0.

Rich: And Manchester City won 2-0 so you get to choose this week’s match. Which match are you going to go for?

Laura: There’s a big match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium where Spurs take on Manchester United. Spurs probably need the points more than United who are pretty safe in second place. Tottenham need the win to get into the top four and with United in European action this week I think they might get all three points. Final score: Tottenham 2-0 Manchester United

Jack: I think this one will finish in a draw but with lots of goals. Three-all.

Rich: That’s a bit hopeful, Jack. Tottenham haven’t been playing well recently and United always seem to find a way to win. 1-0 to United.

Jack: What do you think the score will be? Do you agree with me, Rich or Laura?

Laura: We want you to talk about all this week’s football on the Premier Skills English website.

Language Challenge

Rich: To finish up the show we’ve got a quick language challenge connected to this week’s vocabulary.

Jack: We looked at six phrasal verbs in this week’s headlines and your language challenge is to use those phrasal verbs now.

Laura: We’re going to give you three sentences and you’ve got to decide which phrasal verb to use. You need to use one of the six we looked at earlier.  Can you guess the missing phrasal verb?

Rich: I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to ******* the diet I’m trying.

Jack: I’ve been trying to ******* a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.

Laura: I can’t believe he ********. It wasn’t a red card in a million years. 

Rich: We want you to write the answers on the Premier Skills English website where we have some more questions and activities connected to this week’s show.

Jack: Or write your answers on Apple Podcasts or on Youtube if that’s where you listen to us. Just write the answers in the comments and say hi.

Laura: Before we finish we just wanted to say that we hope you found this lesson useful and we hope all of you stay fit and healthy.

Rich: Bye for now and enjoy your football.

Headlines

Baggies beat Chelsea to keep survival hopes alive

Callum Robinson (right) scored twice against Chelsea.

West Bromwich Albion stunned Chelsea with an amazing 5-2 win at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea were on top and leading when Thiago Silva was sent off for the hosts and the Baggies took full advantage by scoring five goals as they blew their opponents away.

Headlines

City and Chelsea set up title decider

Sam Kerr celebrates one of her three goals in Chelsea's 6-0 win against Birmingham.

Manchester City and Chelsea both won again at the weekend to set up what will surely be the title decider when City host Chelsea in the next round of matches. City won 3-0 at Tottenham while Chelsea held on to top spot after a 6-0 win against Birmingham.

Headlines

City make it look easy

Benjamin Mendy opened the scoring for Manchester City.

Manchester City are closing in on a fifth Premier League title after a 2-0 win at third-placed Leicester City. City were frustrated by Leicester in the first half but stuck to their passing game and second-half goals from Benjamin Mendy and Gabriel Jesus gave the away team all three points. 

Vocabulary

Phrasal verbs in the headlines

Thiago Silva is sent off for Chelsea.

We looked at six words and phrases in our headlines that you can learn to improve your English. Take a look at the phrasal verbs in bold. Do you understand what they mean?

Thiago Silva was sent off for the hosts.

West Brom blew Chelsea away.

Manchester City and Chelsea set up what will surely be the title decider. 

Chelsea held on to top spot.

Manchester City are closing in on a fifth Premier League title.

City stuck to their passing game.

Prediction

Football Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester Utd

Tottenham play Manchester United on Sunday.

Laura thinks Spurs will win this one while Jack has gone for a 3-3 draw and Rich thinks United's fine away form will continue. What do you think will happen? Here are all this weekend's Premier League fixtures:

Tottenham v Manchester Utd

Fulham v Wolves

Manchester City v Leeds Utd

Liverpool v Aston Villa

Crystal Palace v Chelsea

Burnley v Newcastle

West Ham v Leicester City

Sheffield United v Arsenal

West Brom v Southampton

Brighton v Everton

Vocabulary

Language Challenge

Chelsea beat Birmingham 6-0.

Jack, Laura and Rich set you a language challenge. In the podcast, we used six phrasal verbs. Here are three more sentences that use three of these phrasal verbs. Can you guess the missing phrasal verbs?

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to _______ the diet I’m trying.

I’ve been trying to ________ a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.

I can’t believe he _______. It wasn’t a red card in a million years. 

Write the correct answer in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Discuss

Talk about the headlines

West Brom scored five times at Stamford Bridge.

Jack, Laura and Rich looked at three stories in the news and some phrasal verbs that might be new to you. Now it's your turn! Have a look at the questions and write your answers in the comments section below.

  1. Which team has blew their opponents away at the weekend?
  2. Who got sent off this weekend?
  3. Which team are closing in on multiple trophies this season?
  4. Have you got a prediction?
  5. Can you do our language challenge?

Write your comments and answers in the section below.

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Comments

alinepsilva's picture
alinepsilva
11/04/2021
BR
38
points

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to ***** ** the diet I’m trying.

I’ve been trying to *** ** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.

I can’t believe he *** **** ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.


alinepsilva's picture
alinepsilva
11/04/2021 22:37
Brazil
Chelsea
38

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to ***** ** the diet I’m trying.

I’ve been trying to *** ** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.

I can’t believe he *** **** ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.

hsn's picture
hsn
10/04/2021
TR
5558
points

Giant killer Leeds United brushed away M.City by last minute goal. Congratulations Marcelo Bielsa .No match is ice on the cake-.)


hsn's picture
hsn
10/04/2021 18:58
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5558

Giant killer Leeds United brushed away M.City by last minute goal. Congratulations Marcelo Bielsa .No match is ice on the cake-.)

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
09/04/2021
UA
6577
points

ManUnited is for sure in the EL SemiFinal, Arsenal is not likely to pass.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
09/04/2021 13:04
Ukraine
Liverpool
6577

ManUnited is for sure in the EL SemiFinal, Arsenal is not likely to pass.

Taein Lee
08/04/2021
KR
1
points

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to ***** ** the diet I’m trying.

I’ve been trying to *** ** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.

I can’t believe he *** **** ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.


Taein Lee
08/04/2021 07:52
South Korea
Arsenal
1

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to ***** ** the diet I’m trying.

I’ve been trying to *** ** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.

I can’t believe he *** **** ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.

Rich's picture
Rich
08/04/2021
ES
594
points

Well done, Taein Lee and welcome to Premier Skills English! All three answers are correct.

Rich - The Premier Skills English Team


Rich's picture
Rich
08/04/2021 08:10
Spain
Liverpool
594

Well done, Taein Lee and welcome to Premier Skills English! All three answers are correct.

Rich - The Premier Skills English Team

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
08/04/2021
UA
6577
points

Congratulations to Chelsea and Mauricio Pochettino on their respective victories in the Champions League!


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
08/04/2021 04:22
Ukraine
Liverpool
6577

Congratulations to Chelsea and Mauricio Pochettino on their respective victories in the Champions League!

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
08/04/2021
UA
6577
points

No team is closing in on multiple trophies this season. Some may say it's ManCity - I don't think so.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
08/04/2021 04:17
Ukraine
Liverpool
6577

No team is closing in on multiple trophies this season. Some may say it's ManCity - I don't think so.

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
07/04/2021
TR
6539
points

Language Challenge :

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to ***** ** the diet I’m trying.

I’ve been trying to *** ** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.

I can’t believe he *** **** ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
07/04/2021 10:19
Turkey
Manchester United
6539

Language Challenge :

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to ***** ** the diet I’m trying.

I’ve been trying to *** ** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.

I can’t believe he *** **** ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
07/04/2021
TR
6539
points

Gameweek 31 Predictions :

Tottenham 3-1 Manchester Utd
Fulham 1-0 Wolves
Manchester City 3-0 Leeds Utd
Liverpool 2-1 Aston Villa
Crystal Palace 1-2 Chelsea
Burnley 0-0 Newcastle
West Ham 1-1 Leicester City
Sheffield United 1-3 Arsenal
West Brom 2-2 Southampton
Brighton 1-1 Everton


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
07/04/2021 10:17
Turkey
Manchester United
6539

Gameweek 31 Predictions :

Tottenham 3-1 Manchester Utd
Fulham 1-0 Wolves
Manchester City 3-0 Leeds Utd
Liverpool 2-1 Aston Villa
Crystal Palace 1-2 Chelsea
Burnley 0-0 Newcastle
West Ham 1-1 Leicester City
Sheffield United 1-3 Arsenal
West Brom 2-2 Southampton
Brighton 1-1 Everton

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
07/04/2021
TR
6539
points

1. West Bromwich Albion blew Chelsea away last week after a stunning result at Stamford Bridge which saw a brilliant performance from The Baggies and their Brazilian star player Matheus Pereira.

2. Thiago Silva was sent off last weekend due to two silly tackles to see his team conceded 5 goals in their first defeat under their new manager , Thomas Tuchel.

3. Manchester City are closing in on more than a trophy this season as they are in the final of the League Cup , semi-finals in the FA Cup , quarter finals in the Champions League and they beat Dortmund last night and at the top of the Premier League. They could win the quadruple for the first time ever nonetheless I see it a dream that’s hard to chase.


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
07/04/2021 10:12
Turkey
Manchester United
6539

1. West Bromwich Albion blew Chelsea away last week after a stunning result at Stamford Bridge which saw a brilliant performance from The Baggies and their Brazilian star player Matheus Pereira.

2. Thiago Silva was sent off last weekend due to two silly tackles to see his team conceded 5 goals in their first defeat under their new manager , Thomas Tuchel.

3. Manchester City are closing in on more than a trophy this season as they are in the final of the League Cup , semi-finals in the FA Cup , quarter finals in the Champions League and they beat Dortmund last night and at the top of the Premier League. They could win the quadruple for the first time ever nonetheless I see it a dream that’s hard to chase.

Jembot
07/04/2021
ID
18
points

Hello. Could you tell me what the words "tally", "passage" amd "account" mean?

GOAL Arsenal 0-3 Liverpool (82 mins)

Diogo Jota doubles his tally (record of something - often connected with numbers), nicking the ball off Sadio Mane to power home at the back post.

Mo Salah and Sadio Mane got the goals as Liverpool booked their passage (route) to the last eight with a minimum of fuss

Martin Odegaard opened his account (opened his account is a way of saying scored his first goal) for the club with a stunning strike before goals from Gabriel and Mo Elneny put us in control of our Europa League last-16 tie with Olympiacos.


Jembot
07/04/2021 08:35
Indonesia
Manchester United
18

Hello. Could you tell me what the words "tally", "passage" amd "account" mean?

GOAL Arsenal 0-3 Liverpool (82 mins)

Diogo Jota doubles his tally (record of something - often connected with numbers), nicking the ball off Sadio Mane to power home at the back post.

Mo Salah and Sadio Mane got the goals as Liverpool booked their passage (route) to the last eight with a minimum of fuss

Martin Odegaard opened his account (opened his account is a way of saying scored his first goal) for the club with a stunning strike before goals from Gabriel and Mo Elneny put us in control of our Europa League last-16 tie with Olympiacos.

Ahmad BS
07/04/2021
ID
2
points

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to ***** ** the diet I’m trying.

I’ve been trying to *** ** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.

I can’t believe he *** **** ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.


Ahmad BS
07/04/2021 03:38
Indonesia
Manchester United
2

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to ***** ** the diet I’m trying.

I’ve been trying to *** ** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.

I can’t believe he *** **** ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
06/04/2021
UA
6577
points

I can’t believe he *** **** ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
06/04/2021 14:59
Ukraine
Liverpool
6577

I can’t believe he *** **** ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
06/04/2021
UA
6577
points

I’ve been trying to *** ** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
06/04/2021 14:58
Ukraine
Liverpool
6577

I’ve been trying to *** ** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
06/04/2021
UA
6577
points

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to ***** ** the diet I’m trying.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
06/04/2021 14:56
Ukraine
Liverpool
6577

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to ***** ** the diet I’m trying.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
06/04/2021
UA
6577
points

Liverpool 4 : 1 Aston Villa


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
06/04/2021 14:52
Ukraine
Liverpool
6577

Liverpool 4 : 1 Aston Villa

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
06/04/2021
UA
6577
points

Tottenham 2 : 2 Manchester Utd

Fulham 1 : 1 Wolves

Manchester City 2 : 0 Leeds Utd

Crystal Palace 1 : 3 Chelsea

Burnley 2 : 1 Newcastle

West Ham 1 : 1 Leicester City

Sheffield United 1 : 2 Arsenal

West Brom 1 : 1 Southampton

Brighton 2 : 0 Everton


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
06/04/2021 14:52
Ukraine
Liverpool
6577

Tottenham 2 : 2 Manchester Utd

Fulham 1 : 1 Wolves

Manchester City 2 : 0 Leeds Utd

Crystal Palace 1 : 3 Chelsea

Burnley 2 : 1 Newcastle

West Ham 1 : 1 Leicester City

Sheffield United 1 : 2 Arsenal

West Brom 1 : 1 Southampton

Brighton 2 : 0 Everton

jacek
06/04/2021
PL
263
points

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to hold on the diet I’m trying.

I’ve been trying to *** *** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.

I can’t believe he **** ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.


jacek
06/04/2021 07:37
Poland
Southampton
263

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to hold on the diet I’m trying.

I’ve been trying to *** *** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.

I can’t believe he **** ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.

Rich's picture
Rich
06/04/2021
ES
594
points

Hi Jacek,

You've got two of the three phrasal verbs right, well done! You might need to think about the first one again and think about the grammar in the third sentence. The third sentence needs to be in the passive or the phrasal verb needs a direct object (in this case a pronoun would be the most obvious answer).

Hope that helps!

Rich - The Premier Skills English Team


Rich's picture
Rich
06/04/2021 08:00
Spain
Liverpool
594

Hi Jacek,

You've got two of the three phrasal verbs right, well done! You might need to think about the first one again and think about the grammar in the third sentence. The third sentence needs to be in the passive or the phrasal verb needs a direct object (in this case a pronoun would be the most obvious answer).

Hope that helps!

Rich - The Premier Skills English Team

Jembot
07/04/2021
ID
18
points

Hello Rich. You use "would" in the sentence "pronoun would be...."

How does "would" work in your sentence?


Jembot
07/04/2021 08:58
Indonesia
Manchester United
18

Hello Rich. You use "would" in the sentence "pronoun would be...."

How does "would" work in your sentence?

Rich's picture
Rich
07/04/2021
ES
594
points

Hi there,

I used 'would be' rather than 'is' here but I don't think there is any great difference in meaning other than to possibly sound slightly less direct.


Rich's picture
Rich
07/04/2021 11:37
Spain
Liverpool
594

Hi there,

I used 'would be' rather than 'is' here but I don't think there is any great difference in meaning other than to possibly sound slightly less direct.

Jembot
07/04/2021
ID
18
points

Thanks, Rich. But what is "less direct"?


Jembot
07/04/2021 12:19
Indonesia
Manchester United
18

Thanks, Rich. But what is "less direct"?

Rich's picture
Rich
08/04/2021
ES
594
points

This article explains in more detail than I can here: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/politeness_2


Rich's picture
Rich
08/04/2021 08:04
Spain
Liverpool
594

This article explains in more detail than I can here: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/politeness_2

Ranj
06/04/2021
NO
59
points

Hi Rich,
Thank you for the correction, the first example could be as below:
I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to stick to the diet I’m trying.


Ranj
06/04/2021 18:20
Norway
Manchester City
59

Hi Rich,
Thank you for the correction, the first example could be as below:
I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to stick to the diet I’m trying.

Bertoldt
05/04/2021
ID
222
points

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to hold on the diet I’m trying.

I’ve been trying to *** ** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.

I can’t believe he *** **** ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.


Bertoldt
05/04/2021 23:36
Indonesia
Liverpool
222

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to hold on the diet I’m trying.

I’ve been trying to *** ** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.

I can’t believe he *** **** ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.

Jacek-Poland
05/04/2021
PL
513
points

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to ***** ** the diet I’m trying.

I’ve been trying to *** ** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.

I can’t believe he was **** ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.


Jacek-Poland
05/04/2021 22:27
Poland
Liverpool
513

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to ***** ** the diet I’m trying.

I’ve been trying to *** ** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.

I can’t believe he was **** ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.

Ranj
05/04/2021
NO
59
points

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to close in on the diet I’m trying.

I’ve been trying to *** ** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.

I can’t believe he **** me ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.


Ranj
05/04/2021 21:33
Norway
Manchester City
59

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to close in on the diet I’m trying.

I’ve been trying to *** ** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.

I can’t believe he **** me ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.

Rich's picture
Rich
06/04/2021
ES
594
points

Hi Ranj,

Well done for remembering an object (me) in the third example but you might want to think about your first answer again.

Rich - The Premier Skills English Team


Rich's picture
Rich
06/04/2021 07:53
Spain
Liverpool
594

Hi Ranj,

Well done for remembering an object (me) in the third example but you might want to think about your first answer again.

Rich - The Premier Skills English Team

Vic
05/04/2021
MX
817
points

want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to ***** ** the diet I’m trying.

I’ve been trying to *** ** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.

I can’t believe he is ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.


Vic
05/04/2021 20:17
Mexico
Liverpool
817

want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to ***** ** the diet I’m trying.

I’ve been trying to *** ** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.

I can’t believe he is ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.

hsn's picture
hsn
05/04/2021
TR
5558
points

1. West Bromwich Albion
2. Thiago Silva
3. Manchester City
4. Tottenham (1) Manchester Utd (1)
5. Can you do our language challenge?

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to ***** ** the diet I’m trying.
I’ve been trying to *** ** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.
I can’t believe he **** ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.

PHRASES;

• Title decider matches always full of thriller.

• The intense fog close in on me when I was driving long distance.

• To stick to the long term plans needs intention,dedication and very strong willpower.


hsn's picture
hsn
05/04/2021 17:25
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5558

1. West Bromwich Albion
2. Thiago Silva
3. Manchester City
4. Tottenham (1) Manchester Utd (1)
5. Can you do our language challenge?

I want to lose a bit of weight but I’m finding it difficult to ***** ** the diet I’m trying.
I’ve been trying to *** ** a meeting for ages. I think she’s trying to avoid me.
I can’t believe he **** ***. It wasn’t a red card in a million years.

PHRASES;

• Title decider matches always full of thriller.

• The intense fog close in on me when I was driving long distance.

• To stick to the long term plans needs intention,dedication and very strong willpower.

Leaderboard

Top Scorers
RankNameScore
1Alex_from_Ukraine6577
2mobeckham6539
3hsn5558
4wsanta5086
5kwesimanifest4779
6Liubomyr4417
7elghoul3988
8assemjuve3705
9aragorn19863557
10Gergő Nagy3396
Country ranking
RankNameScore
1Colombia74676
2Ukraine33869
3Spain29492
4Serbia27426
5Brazil23475
6Albania20578
7Vietnam20455
8Turkey20109
9Macedonia19074
10Bosnia and Herzegovina16333
Club ranking
RankNameScore
1Manchester United146932
2Liverpool111415
3Chelsea90252
4Arsenal86253
5Manchester City58861
6Tottenham Hotspur19474
7Newcastle United10626
8West Ham United7671
9AFC Bournemouth4915
10Crystal Palace4539

Level

3
Average: 3 (1 vote)

Goals

Improve your vocabulary.

Practise your listening skills.

Complete our language challenge and make a football prediction.