Game, set and match!
A common idea about London is that it’s always raining or foggy. While I was teaching abroad, a student once asked me quite seriously whether there are any days in the year on which it is not foggy in London. While it’s true that it often rains and is quite grey sometimes, the fog idea probably goes back to the ‘pea-soupers’ or smog which was caused by Londoners burning coal to heat their homes. In 1952 there was an infamous smog which lasted 4 days and is said to have caused around 4000 deaths. Since then, regulations have been introduced to reduce air pollution and serious smog is very unusual now. Anyway, when the sun does shine and it’s hot, people really appreciate it. They know it probably won’t last so there’s often a kind of holiday atmosphere – people suddenly start acting like they're on holiday, slap on the suncream, sunbathe in the parks and pretend they don't have to go work!
Another regular feature of the British summer is Wimbledon. The tennis tournament has started – if you catch any of it on TV you’ll see what a beautiful day it was today. Every year when Wimbledon comes around, it seems only a matter of time before the umbrellas come out. So far, this year’s looking better. Tomorrow I’m meeting a friend down there after work to see if we can catch a match or two on the outside courts. Tickets for Centre Court and the main courts can be difficult to get on the day, but it’s nice to go down there to soak up the atmosphere and see a few of the less famous players.
The big talking point this year is ‘grunting’. This is the noise some (mostly female) players make when striking the ball. Some commentators seem to be suggesting that it’s a deliberate ploy to gain a psychological advantage over the opponent. The players generally say they can’t help it, and that it’s down to the physical strain of striking the ball. Hmm, what do you think? Should the rules change to outlaw grunting on court??
It’s been a while since there was a British man in with a chance of winning the tournament (I think it was the 1930s in fact…). This year though, Andy Murray, who is Scottish, is flying the flag for Great Britain and seems to be in with a shout (Rafa Nadal being injured obviously helps!) So, Andy Murray represents Great Britain in tennis, in the Olympics Great Britain (and Northern Ireland) did really well and came 4th, they’re trying to create a United Kingdom football team for the 2012 Olympics and England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all have their own football teams. Eh? How do you work that out? It’s an odd situation that in different sports the four countries [England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland] sometimes compete individually, but at other times join together to form one team. Can you think of anywhere else which has a similar situation?
Your homework... Something slightly different this time. I'd like you to look at the words and expressions in bold and try to think of a synonym, or a way to rephrase each of them, while keeping the meaning the same (or as close as possible).
Well done to everyone who added their comments – there was some excellent writing there and the words and expressions were generally used very well. Here are some definitions...
Up to speed - if you are up to speed with a subject or an activity, you have all the latest information about it and are able to do it well
Cater for - to provide what is wanted or needed by someone or something
Alien to - strange and not familiar
Myriad - a very large number of something (literary)
Melting pot - a place where many different people and ideas exist together, often mixing and producing something new
Culture shock - a feeling of confusion felt by someone visiting a country or place that they do not know
Acculturation - cultural modification of an individual, group, or people by adapting to or borrowing traits from another culture
Preconceived - formed too early, especially without enough consideration or knowledge
Insularity – the concept of being interested only in your own country or group and not willing to accept different or foreign ideas
(Be on your) Soapbox - to express your opinions about a particular subject forcefully
Preach to the converted - to try to persuade people to believe things which they already believe
[these definitions came from Cambridge dictionaries and Merriam Webster's online dictionaries
In my next post, I'll come back to the 'thorny subject' of word formation, tell you about my dream destination (after Taru's last post about Arkhangelsk) and tell you about Wimbledon.
Comments
It was great Jim that you mentioned Wimbledon, and better still, we are going to hear more about. The subject takes me back so many years, while living in the area. The year 1981 particularly lives so vividly on my mind. My daughter was born then, Princess Diana got married and the London weather that summer was great. About grunting, in my opinion it is a good thing. I am so pleased that females are as bold as to let out barbaric noises. I am certain that grunting does give a feeling a power. The weather here in Finland is glorious, as Taru will no doubt soon tell us all. Great homework, thank you Jim.
Hi Jim! I couldn’t agree more with you that people really appreciate when the sun shines and it’s hot. Scantily clad young women and half naked men are all over the place. My cheeky spouse and little boy makes themselves so busy casting a glace of them with a conspiratorial and furtive smile. Is it a boy’s thing to steal a look at nearly stripped women, Jim? It’s disgraceful!!! To move onto the big talking point of grunting, my family plays badminton in a local secondary school’s sports hall every so often. My son is so competitive and he can’t stand losing any games. He can be a bad loser sometimes. Anyway, back on the track, I had been leading the match and was ready for his tantrums after the game. He suddenly started to strike the shuttlecork with grunts. The noises were a hoot and I felt so hilarious. Whenever he gave a snort I collapsed on the floor with laughter. The grunting ploy perfectly worked for him, and he won the match. He said that he had learnt from tennis players. So, I don’t see the point why grunting on court should be banned. To change the subject, you probably know my country’s map is pitifully divided into two countries- South Korea and North Korea. The two countries people, who were in sports field had been trying to bring some sports men and women together. As a result, they created a team and represented the team in several sports events. Lastly, your homework, I’m pleased your homework is not stinky-I mean it’s not really tricky this time. I’ll have a good go and the answers are.. 1)smog-thick fog, pea-soupers or thick pollution 2)infamous-notorious 3)slap on-smother or slosh on 4)soak up-relish 5)grunting-groan or snort 6)ploy-trick or tactic or strategy 7) be flying the flag- being a good example 8)in a with a shout-to have a chance of winning. I think that’s enough today, and I'm very sleepy so I am going to have forty winks. I hope you’ll have the time of your life at courts!
Hello, Jim! You gave us another interesting vocabulary homework for practising our English. There is no big air pollution in the town where I live. That factory is notorious for damping its waste into the river. Just put your make up on and we are ready to go. We enjoy absorbing multicultural atmosphere in this BBC community. He groaned with physical effort while shoveling the sand off the road. Ana’s parents developed an elaborate strategy for coaxing her into eating her broccoli. The national football team won the player over. Surely, he will be successful playing for his team. As always, it was a little bit demanding, but worth all the effort, hanging out with you.
Hi Jim, Now I understand why many people prefer to take a trip to London from my country during the month of June. Which of the other months usually London attracts the tourists from other countries. Even Londoners find it difficult to manage the weather, how do the tourists adjust with that. Recently I watched some of the 20-20 cricket world cup matches which were held recently in London. Luckily the weather did not play a spoil sport. Weather plays an important part in our daily life whether life, sports or work. In India it is totally different one. We usually get rain very few days in the whole year. Sun shine brightly almost through out the whole year. In the northern India the people experience fog. As I am a south Indian I did not have this experience. I came to know through news that the flight was delayed because of the fog.
Hello! Jim. Without looking the homework words up in the dictionary,here is a humble try .1-smog = billows 2-infamous=has a bad reputition 3-slap on = put on the skin 4-soake up -basting 5-grunting =scoring 6-ploy=pretext 7-flying the flug =representing 8-in with a shout =promising winner.Ihope i will get ,at least, half of them right. await for your next entry.Enjoy that atmosphere.
Hi Jim Thanks for giving us another opportunity to practice our written English. The weather in Northern Ireland is great. Every year summer seems to be getting warmer than the previous year. Isn’t it amazing the way people treat weathers differently in each country. During summer time in Pakistan, people wear lighter clothes and try to sit in the shadows while in the UK people wear less clothes and they sunbathe. People in the UK enjoy sunny days and make plans to do something interesting out door such as barbeque and go sight seeing. In Pakistan particularly where I come from, people cook nice dishes when it is raining. We sort of celebrate the rain. Coming to your question about grunting: In my opinion, players grunt deliberately when striking the ball. They grunt to gain psychological advantage over the other person. As they play tennis for years they should be fit enough to hit the ball without grunting. People usually make noises when they are doing something they are not fit for. Grunting on court should definitely be outlawed. Homework: synonyms for words are as follows. Smog – smoke, pollution, fog, haze, pea-soupers. Infamous - well-known, notorious, recognised, legendary, renowned Slap on – put on, wear Soak up – take in, absorb Grunting – making a sound, groaning, making noise, grumbling. Ploy – plan, strategy, trick, scheme, tactic, manoeuvre, ruse, gambit. Flying the flag – representing In with a shout – has a chance of playing because a better player than her is injured. Use of words or phrases in sentences: Smog- The idea that weather in the UK is often foggy probably came from the polluted fog caused by people burning so much coal in their houses to make their houses warm years ago. Infamous – A well-known smog in 1952 continued for four days and it is suggested that it caused around 4000 deaths. Slap on – On a sunny day, the atmosphere in the UK is like you are on holiday as people put on suncream, sunbathe, and they act as if they don’t have to go to work. Soak up – I am meeting a friend at Wimbledon tomorrow. Even though it is not possible to buy tickets for a match on the same day but we will be able to absorb the atmosphere there and we will probably see a few less popular players there. Grunting – This year a main issue of discussion is the noise tennis player make when they hit the ball. Ploy – According to some commentators, grunting is intentional trick to have a psychological benefit over the opposite person. Flying the flag and with a shout – A Scottish tennis player is representing Great Britain but it appears that she is representing Great Britain because a better player than her is injured. Selecting players from different provinces to represent one country is also a common practice in Pakistan. There are four provinces in Pakistan and teams from each province play against each other. However, when they have to compete against another country than all the best players are chosen from each province and they all represent Pakistan. I think it is the best way to select best players for a national team. By the way, did you go to any of theTwenty20 world-cup cricket matches in London. I should get off my soapbox now as my message is getting quite long. Take care Rabail UK
I hope you can get the tickets in Wimbledon. Who is your favourite tennis player? It is a pity that Rafael Nadal cannot take part in the tournament this year. I hope he can recover from the injury very soon.
The task and and effort of solving: smog / smoke and fog infamous / embarrassing slap on / spread the sun oil soak up / aspirate grunting / yelling, farting or do something unexpected like an autonomy react ploy/ trick flying the flag / do something on somebody’s behalf in with a shout/ have good changes About your question that football team, It seems that sport is too much related with politics and national self-respect. When someone or someone’s win the competition, the whole nation will win and if lose the whole nation will feel shame on it. Therefore it is understandable to see why do they [England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland] want to have own teams. Maybe it should do something for the basic reasons and then think what is exactly right kind of way solve the problem. For us Finns such kind of thing is World Championship for Ice Hockey. It doesn’t matter, if we (mark the pronoun) lose the whole competition but we have to win Swedish team. If not it is really embarrassing and have a lot of debate at papers.
Hello Jim, my sister sahred the same experiences about a sunny day when she was in London last year. In Karachi, the sun shines everyday, be it summer or winter, so it's always advisible to people to put on some sunscreen before stepping out of their nests. Speaking of me, I love to soak up the sun rays in the morning. The most notorious thing to happen in my city and the other cities of Pakistan are the frequent power failures which I would name as the incapability of the system holders and of course misuse of electricity by the nation. I'm enjoying the new season of 'Keep your english up to date' with you. With best wishes, Naheed
Hi Jim, I was shocked to know about infamous smog accident caused by human mistake. Here during extreme winter & foggy days, news about deaths caused by coal smog filled room, hits newspapers. There is no need to outlaw grunting. I like grunting of female tennis plays as it makes game more liveliness. It infuses enthusiasm among viewers and maintains their interest also. So there is no need to outlaw grunting in this game. I enjoy reading your blog while learning though I am unable to comment regularly due to workload. You are very energetic and excellent and wonderful teacher. Fragrance of your hard work must be felt by others also. Please be with us for more incoming months. I appreciate the method you reply to comments. Like Mr. Lorial , I was also facing problem regarding correct use of word “Having” till now. Sir, under which situations words” having have” or ”having had” etc are used. Your expression ““It’s been a while since’ there was a British man in with a chance of winning the tournament” please clear /rephrase it & when it is used. Answer of your Assignment (Synonyms) : Smog- intense smoke; Infamous-disregarded,hated; Slap on- stop use of; Grunting- bear voice; Ploy- Planned misdeed; Flying the flag- represents nation; Soak up – make a good use of sunny day.
I try this once again: The task and an effort of solving: smog / smoke and fog infamous / embarrassing slap on / spread the sun oil soak up / aspirate grunting / yelling, farting or do something unexpected like an autonomy react ploy/ trick flying the flag / do something on somebody’s behalf in with a shout/ have good changes About your question that football team, It seems that sport is too much related with politics and national self-respect. When someone or someone’s win the competition, the whole nation will win and if lose the whole nation will feel shame on it. Therefore it is understandable to see why do they [England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland] want to have own teams. Maybe it should do something for the basic reasons and then think what is exactly right kind of way solve the problem. For us Finns such kind of thing is World Championship for Ice Hockey. It doesn’t matter, if we (mark the pronoun) lose the whole competition but we have to win Swedish team. If not it is really embarrassing and have a lot of debate at papers.
Hi Jim, Fogs are very common here in Dubai.In Feb 18,2008 more than 160 accidents took place on Dubai roads, due to motorist driving recklessly in the thick fog. It's extensively hot these days , and due to strong sunshine we have to put loads of sunscreen before stepping out. We can't grunt about it, because it's nature like what you miss in UK we have here in abundance. As for rain, it happens in the winter months and sometimes for continously two to three days and we really enjoy it soaking ourselves, all the extra activities are halted; I guess Dubai gets only five inches of rainfall in a year. Recently Pakistan won the cricket match, after loosing some of the matches it was a great victory for the team, how happy they were shouting with excitement and the people were raising their flags with joy.Best regards Asma
Hi Jim, glad to meet you here. Homework comes first. In my opinion, the first six words (phrases) can one by one be replaced by smoke fog / notorious / put on / catch (feel) / mumbling / strategy (policy/trick). So they turn out as follows: (1) …the fog idea probably goes back to the ‘pea-soupers’ or smoke fog which was caused by Londoners… (2) In 1952 there was a notorious smog which lasted 4 days and… (3) …people suddenly start acting like they’re on holiday, put on the suncream… (4) …but it’s nice to go down there to catch (feel) the atmosphere and… (5) The big talking point this year is ‘mumbling’. (6) …that it’s a deliberate strategy (policy/trick) to gain a psychological advantage… And last, about the two bold expressions, I want to rephrase the sentence into: ‘This year though, Andy Murray, who is Scottish, is determined to win a good place in the competition.’ Looking forward to you uncovering the answers. Best wishes from Jingjing in Beijing.
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