SPORTS 14

Role Play

Binara: Hello, Nisal. Have you met Ayub today?

Nisal: No, I haven’t. Why?
Binara: He had been trying to find you all morning yesterday before he
went to see the cricket match, but he hadn’t been able to.
Nisal: Oh! We had a volleyball match yesterday. I was there.
Binara: Really? Did you win?
Nisal: No, we didn’t. We had been playing for only a few minutes when it
started to rain. We had to abandon the match.
Binara: That’s bad luck.
Nisal: Yes. So how was the cricket match?
Binara: We won by 5 wickets. Methun scored 76 runs and took 3 wickets.
Nisal: Wow! I am very happy.
Binara: So am I. It was a great match.
Nisal: Let’s go to see the next match. I love cricket.
Binara: So do I. Let’s go together.

Sometimes when speaking and writing, we leave out some words to avoid
repetition. These words are not necessary to understand the meaning.
Eg:- No, I haven’t. – No, I haven’t met him.

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 Activity 01

Reading
Read the dialogue and match these utterances with the corresponding
sentences.

A B
1. No, we didn’t. 1. But he hadn’t been able to find you.
2. But he hadn’t been able to. 2. I am happy, too.
3. So am I. 3. No, we didn’t win the match.
4. So do I. 4. I love cricket, too.

Activity 02

Read the dialogues and select the sentence that gives the correct meaning.
1
A: Senura drives a car.
B: Vimukthi does, too.
A: Yes, they both had driving lessons together.

“Vimukthi does, too.” means:

i. Vimukthi does not drive a car.
ii. Vimukthi also drives a car.
2
A: Colombo is really hot these days.
B: So is Jaffna.
A: Then let’s plan a trip to Nuwara Eliya.

“So is Jaffna.” means:

i. Jaffna is hot, too.
ii. Jaffna is not so hot.
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3
A: I lived in Australia for some time.
B: I did too. In which part did you live?

“I did too.” means:

i. B did not live in Australia.
ii. B also lived in Australia.

4
A: Mewan did not come to school yesterday.
B: Neither did his sister. We should call them.

“Neither did his sister.” means:

i. His sister came to school yesterday.
ii. His sister was absent from school yesterday.

5
A: I haven’t done my homework.
B: Neither have I. Let’s do it now.

“Neither have I.” means:

i. B doesn’t have any homework.
ii. B hasn’t done his/her homework either.

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Learning Point
Past Perfect Continuous
Read these sentences.
• He had been trying to find you before he went to see the match.
• We had been playing for only a few minutes when it started to rain.
Past perfect continuous tense is used here.

We use past perfect continuous tense to indicate an action which had started
in the past and been going on continuously up to the time in the past we are
talking about.

Past Present Future

• He/they had been trying to call you when you arrived.

• He/they had not been trying to call you when you arrived.

• Had he/they been trying to call you when you arrived?

• Hadn’t he/they been trying to call you when you arrived?

Activity 03

Complete the sentences using the past perfect continuous form.

1. The boys were covered in mud. They ………………….. (play) in the field.

2. He ………………………… (work) too hard before he fell ill.

3. How long ………. you ……………. (play) when it started to rain?

4. I ………………………….. (watch) TV for half an hour when the lights
went out.

5. I …………………….. (read) that newspaper every week since last January.

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 Activity 04

Read this newspaper article and use the words in bold to complete the
sentences given below.

School Cricket
Uduwela M.V. beats Heenwella M.V. by 17 runs in the
one day encounter

Uduwela Maha Vidyalaya beat Heenwella Maha Vidyalaya by

17 runs in a rain-affected one day encounter at the Municipal
Grounds yesterday. The match was stopped just before 12
noon when rain interrupted play during the forty second over.
Uduwela M.V team was 223 for 9 wickets. Skipper Mayuka
Peiris scored 62 runs off 48 balls while Ganesh Pillai scored
47 runs off 56 balls.
The rain continued until 2 o’clock and play resumed after
one hour and 20 minutes. Heenwella team was given a target
of 171 in 35 overs. Rain interfered again towards the end of
the match and 3 more overs were reduced. Heenwella team
was expected to get 160 runs in 32 overs but they were all
out for 139. Heenwella’s top order batsman M. Razak, who
had earlier scored 98 against Hindu College was run out for
2 runs. Within the last 4 overs,Uduwela’s spinners were able
to collect the last three wickets for 12 runs.
The two schools have been playing this annual cricket match
since 1964. This year marked their 50th encounter.

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1. My mother was tired because she had been working ……………….. early
morning.
2. Please don’t go now. Wait …………… the rain stops.
3. The dentist advised the child to brush his teeth ………………………
going to bed.

4. The director is in a meeting. He will be here only ……………. two o’clock.

5. Don’t worry. You will get a salary increase ……………. the next three
months.
6. The members of the school badminton team are expected to meet the
principal …………… the interval.
7. Many people are ………………. using animals in scientific research.
8. They went …………….. in a hurry.

Activity 05

Speaking

Risuli is the netball captain of her school. She gave this speech at the morning
assembly about netball to make other students aware of the sport. Read it and
prepare a similar speech about your favourite sport/game. Appoint a student
from your group as the captain of the team to deliver the speech to the class.

Good morning everybody.

*Madam Principal, dear teachers and friends,
All of us know that our inter-house netball
tournaments are commencing next week. So I think
it’s a good time to tell you something about netball
to make you aware of the sport.
Netball is a team game which consists of seven
players in each team. It is mainly played by women
even though there are men’s netball teams in some
countries.

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Netball was derived from basketball. This game originated in England in
1890s. Netball can be played both as an indoor and an outdoor game. It is
played in a rectangular court with two goal rings at each end. Teams score
points by shooting the ball through the rings. Each player is assigned positions
and can hold the ball up to three seconds before passing or shooting a goal.
A game is played for sixty minutes and the team which scores the highest
number of goals wins the game.
It is a popular game in Commonwealth Countries. Rules and regulations
of the game and organizing international tournaments are handled by the
International Netball Federation.
I know you are looking forward to the tournaments. I am happy to say that
all preparations have been completed by now. Remember my friends, while
we all love to win, winning is not everything. Respect the game and play fair.
Let’s enjoy our netball season.

You may make use of the facts given below in your speeches.

Basketball

• First played in U.S.A.

• 5 players.
• Both men and women play.
• Indoor or outdoor.
• Shoots a ball through a netted hoop
attached to a backboard.
• Time - Four quarters of 12 minutes each.

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 Elle Volleyball

• Traditional Sri Lankan sport. • 6 players.

• 16 players. • Teams separated by a net.
• All players play an innings. • Indoor or outdoor.
• Hits a ball with a bamboo stick. • Scores by ”grounding” the ball in
opposing team’s court.
• Both men and women play.
• Game ends after scoring 25 points.

Badminton

• Played with a racket and a shuttlecock.

• Singles or doubles.
• Rectangular court divided by a net.
• Mostly an indoor game.
• Game ends at 21 points.

Activity 06

Now write a paragraph about your favourite sport or game.

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 Activity 07
Groupwork
Read these quotes about good sportsmanship. Add your own ideas to them
and prepare a poster.

Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.”

― Michael Jordan–basketball player

Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to produce uncommon

results - Unknown

Just play, have fun, enjoy the game.

-Michael Jordan

I think sportsmanship is knowing that it is a game, that we are only as

good as our opponents, and whether you win or lose, to always give 100
percent.
- Sue Wicks –basketball player

One man practising sportsmanship is better than hundred teaching it.

-Knute Rockne –American football player and coach

"The secret of winning football games is working more as a team, less

as individuals.-Knute Rockne – American football player and coach

E.g:

SPORTSMANSHIP

 I play fair.
 I respect my opponent.
 I accept the outcome.

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 Activity 08
Writing
Do you know these sports personalities? Match them with the descriptions
given in activity 7 in your workbook.

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8

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