sport

VERBS

play (a) sport

• My ambition was to play sport at the highest level.

take part in (a) sport

• Students are encouraged to take part in a sport of some kind.

do sport British English, do sports American English

• I did a lot of sport at school.

take up a sport (=start doing it)

• I took up the sport six years ago.

compete in a sport (=do that sport in competitions)

• She competed in various sports when she was young.

ADJECTIVES/NOUN + SPORT

a team sport

• I liked playing team sports such as football and rugby.

an individual sport

• You have to be mentally tough to compete in individual sports.

a spectator sport (=one that people enjoy watching)

• Football is the most popular spectator sport.

competitive sport(s) (=in which people compete and try to win)

• Competitive sport teaches valuable lessons which last for life.

a contact sport (=one in which players have physical contact with each other)

• People get hurt in contact sports, but they also have fun.

a winter sport (=skiing, ice skating etc)

• More and more people are taking up winter sports.

an extreme sport (=one that is dangerous)

• Many teenagers are attracted to extreme sports such as snowboarding.

professional sport(s) (=which people are paid to do)

• The kind of money involved in professional sport makes cheating inevitable.

a minority sport (=one that very few people do)

• Minority sports rarely feature on TV.

SPORTS + NOUN

a sports team

• A lot of schools have their own sports teams.

a sports club

• She joined her local sports club.

a sports field/ground

• The village has its own sports field.

a sports event

• Is this country able to stage a major sports event?

a sports fan (=someone who enjoys watching sport)

• He was a big sports fan.

a sports personality (=someone who is famous for playing sport)

• The event will be opened by a well-known sports personality.

sports facilities

• All our holiday camps have wonderful sports facilities.

sports equipment

• a new online store selling all kinds of sports equipment

a sports injury

• The clinic specializes in treating sports injuries.

COMMON ERRORS► Don’t say ‘make (a) sport’. Say do (a) sport or play (a) sport.