Warm-up
In this lesson, your tutor will help you go over this topic: Baseball. First, go over the following vocabulary and expressions with your tutor. Read the word/expression and definition out loud, and your tutor will go over anything you do not understand. Practice creating a sentence or two to make sure you know how to use the word/expression properly.
Vocabulary/ Expressions
| The Major Leagues | the two highest U.S. baseball leagues (the American League and the National League) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fielder | any defensive player (as opposed to a batter) e.g. The fielders include the pitcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, and outfielders on the left/center/right. |
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| Circuit slugger | A player who often hits home runs, running the full circuit of bases when he or she does so | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Money smash | A really good hit (of the baseball) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A ballpark figure | an estimate or guess e.g. How many people were at the concert? Just give me a ballpark figure. |
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| Strike out | to fail while giving your best effort e.g. He struck out on his graduate school applications. So he’ll try again next year. |
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| Throw a curve ball | to surprise someone with something that’s unpleasant to deal with e.g. She really threw me a curve ball when she told me last minute that she couldn’t drive me home. |
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| Touch base | to talk briefly to someone. e.g. I have to go to an appointment now, but let’s touch base tomorrow. |
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| Play hardball | to act aggressively and ruthlessly. e.g. The tenants are playing hardball with their landlord, holding back on payments they owe until the heating issue is fixed. |
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| Right off the bat | instantly, immediately e.g. I could tell they liked each other right off the bat. |
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Conversation
Use the following questions as a guideline to form an interesting conversation with your tutor. Feel free to diverge from these suggestions if anything interesting comes up.
- Do you like baseball? Do you enjoy watching it or playing it?
- When was the last time you went to see a baseball game? Describe the experience.
- Who is your favorite baseball player? Why do you like him?
- Does baseball look like a fun game to you?
- Do you have a professional baseball league in your country? Which team is your favorite and why?
- Do you think baseball will ever be a worldwide sport, like soccer? Why or why not?
- How is baseball different from other sports?
- Can you describe the rules of baseball? Explain as much as you know.
- What are some differences between the baseball in the US and in your country?
- What do you think about the baseball uniform? Do you ever wear a baseball cap?
Wrap-up
Go over any new expressions or vocabulary that you learned today.
Cambly Content 