A selection of English ESL sports vocabulary cards printables

How can you describe the actions you do in different sports in English? Here's a list of common sports verbs. The handout contains also some useful phrasal verbs.

Sports vocabulary

These cards, in colour, and also black and white for printing, are for a bingo game. To win, students must fill the entire card. I have students take turns drawing the colored cards from a bag, so they are involved in the task.

Sports Bingo Cards

A set of cards for playing "taboo". Ss pick the card and must describe the word on the top without using the words on the bottom. To make it more challenging set a time limit. Award points to the team if they guess. Good for reviewing some confusing words on this topic.

SPORTS TABOO

great lesson to leanr demonstratives and sports vocabulary

Talking about Sports

This worksheet includes three activities: 
A fill-in-the-letter review of several common sports.
A sorting activity to place each sport with the verb it uses (i.e., PLAY basketball, DO gymnastics)
A simple dialogue completion activity.

Additionally, it includes 9 image cards to play charades after reviewing.

"Play, Do, Go" Sports Vocabulary Worksheet + Charades cards

Use this worksheet to let your student speak about sports and free time. Includes vocabulary and questions they need to answer to. 
Useful for individual classes. 

Sport and leisure time conversation

FCE to CAE prep for ´phrasal verbs on the subject of exercising and sport. The usual mix-and-match, gap-fill, story with debate and bingo. Ideal for the Cambridge Grammar and Vocabulary books, ´particularly the vocabulary sections. At the end of the worksheet there is a reading and use of English part 4 test to reinforce what they have been learning. Answers at the back.

Phrasal Verbs about Exercising and Sport

This is a paired speaking grammar and vocabulary activity designed for beginners. It practices the verb \'can\'. The students ask questions and their partners give short answers. It is an engaging fun activity and repetition helps the students consolidate the vocabulary and grammar. This can easily lead to a writing activity where the students use the information they got from their partners and write small sentences about what they can or can\'t do.  (games/ sports/ video games/musical insturments)

Can you...?

This worksheet contains 18 conversation cards, a vocabulary matching exercises (with pictures) and a grammar point (go/play/do). The cards can be cut out if desired and be used as conversation questions. Can be used with both young learners and adults (elementary to intermediate). 

Let´s talk about SPORT

A group discussion activity which encourages student to use all aspects of sports vocabulary to invent a new sport. Modal verbs can also be introduced for the rules. After inventing and drawing aspects of the new sport the group should present their idea to the class.

Invent a New Sport

This A2-level worksheet focuses on reading comprehension, vocabulary, and discussion skills. It includes a short article about the Four Nations Tournament, where Canada and the USA will meet in the finals. The text explores how some of the world’s best players are missing because their countries were not invited and how the competition is still intense. Students will learn seven key hockey-related vocabulary words and answer five comprehension questions to check their understanding of the text. The worksheet also includes five discussion questions that encourage students to share their opinions on the tournament, the teams, and missing players. This activity helps students develop critical thinking, express personal opinions, and engage in meaningful conversation about international sports events.

The Four Nations Tournament.

It´s a board game to practise vocabulary connected with winter sports. Cut out the first 2 pages into 8 separate cards. There are sports and 4 items you need for that sport, each student has one of these. Then cut the other 2 pages with pictures. Put them in the middle of the tabel. Students take turns in turning the cards over. If in the picture there is one of the things they need for their sport (according to the card), they say "I need the...(and the object on the card)." They put it on the appropriate place with the word. If they do not need it, they say "I don´t need the... ." to practise the vocabulary. Of course you can use them for any other card games, eg if you print only the picture cards 2x, the students can play pairs etc. ;-)

Winter sports lotto

Culture, intercultural communication, cross-cultural communication

Adjectives to describe feelings, emotions

Adjectives to describe personality and character

Adjectives: Gradable / Non-gradable adjectives

Articles: Definite or indefinite article (a, an or the)

BE + infinitive structures (e.g. he was to become famous)

Clauses of contrast (e.g.  although, while)

Clauses of purpose (e.g. in order to, so that, so as to)

Clauses of reason (e.g. because, because of, due to, as, since)

Cleft sentences (e.g. It's Joey we're looking for)

Comparison: Comparative adjectives and structures

Comparison: Superlative adjectives and structures

Conditional 2 (second conditional) - would

Conditionals: Conditional phrases (e.g. unless, provided that, as long as)

Conjunctions (aka connectives, e.g. and, but, or, so, then)

Contractions (shortened forms, e.g. don't, aren't, etc.)

Determiners (words that can come before nouns)

Formal and informal English (politeness or colloquial language)

Future perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Future perfect simple and continuous (progressive) tense

Future phrases (e.g. be about to, bound to, likely to, due to, set to + INF)

Homonyms (two words with the same pronunciation - homophones and homographs)

It as preparatory subject (e.g. it's raining, it's nice of you to)

Linking verbs (aka copulas, e.g. I am a student)

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how to accuse somebody of something in English

how to apologize, say sorry, forgive and express regret in English

how to ask for information and make inquiries in English

how to ask for something, make requests in English

how to blame somebody for something in English

how to defend yourself from criticism in English

how to deny or admit something in English

how to describe things or people in English

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how to encourage or discourage people in English

how to evaluate people or progress in English

how to express agreement /disagreement in English

how to express approval and disapproval  in English

how to express cause and effect in English

how to express interest in something in English

how to express likelihood, probability in English

how to express likes and dislikes in English

how to express sequence and chronology in English

how to express shock and disbelief in English

how to express sympathy and condolences in English

how to give permission, authorization in English

how to inform somebody about some news in English

how to interpret what was said in English

how to keep a conversation going in English

how to make guesses about something in English

how to make, accept and refuse offers in English

how to order or make a booking in English

how to persuade, convince people in English

how to praise people and express appreciation in English

how to reassure somebody of something in English

how to refuse and object to something in English

how to remind people of something in English

how to rephrase, paraphrase what was said in English

how to say thank you, express gratitude in English

Nouns: Collective nouns (team, class, family, committee)

Nouns: Proper nouns (names of people, cities, companies)

Oxymorons (phrases with words of contradictory meaning, e.g. living dead)

Participles: Past participle (e.g. HAVING DONE)

Participles: Present participle (e.g. DOING)

Parts of Speech (aka word classes, e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs)

Past perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Phonetics (pronunciation, IPA, phonetic symbols)

Plural nouns: regular plurals with S ending

Prefixes (e.g. A, UN, IM, DIS, MIS, EN, etc. )

Prepositions vs adverbs (e.g. before me, saw him before.)

Prepositions: Double prepositions (e.g. out of)

Prepositions: Participle prepositions (e.g. pending, concerning)

Prepositions: Phrase prepositions (e.g. by means of)

Present perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Present perfect simple or present continuous tense

Present simple tense: S for third person singular verbs

Present simple vs continuous (progressive) tense

Pronouns: EACH OTHER, ONE ANOTHER (reciprocal pronouns)

Pronouns: Possessive pronouns (e.g. my, mine)

Pronouns: Reflexive pronouns (e.g. myself, yourself))

Pronouns: SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, EVERYBODY, NO ONE, NOTHING, etc.

Pronouns: THIS, THAT, THESE, THOSE (demonstratives)

Pronouns: YOU and THEY to talk about people in general

Quantifiers (e.g. some, many, much, any, few, little)

Questions: WH questions (open-ended questions)

Reported speech: reported questions (indirect questions)

There is / there are / there was / there were / there will be, etc.

Verbs: Transitive or intransitive verbs (words that can or cannot stand with objects)

Working with Paragraphs: ordering, titling

Role play, miming, drama activity or improv game

Pictionary (picture dictionary) or picture matching

Writing an opinion essay (persuasive essay)

Learners who are Pre-A1 have just begun learning English and will first learn how to:<ul><li>Say the letters in the alphabet and numbers</li><li>Say hello, talk about names and age</li><li>Name the colors and dates, express likes and dislikes</li></ul>

Absolute beginners who have begun to learn the letters and numbers

Learners taking the A1 Elementary exam should be able to:<ul><li>Introduce themselves and ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, things he/she has, people he/she knows.</li><li>Communicate using very basic phrases as long as the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: common adjectives & adverbs of frequency, going to, how much/how many, imperatives, I'd like, 's – possessive, common prepositions of place and time, present simple & continuous, there is/are</li></ul>

A very basic tourist level, which is enough for buying food and a bus ticket

Learners taking the A2 Pre-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand sentences and frequently used expressions (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).</li><li>Complete tasks that are routine and exchange information about familiar matters.</li><li>Describe matters of immediate need in simple terms.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: countable/uncountable nouns, adverbs of frequency, future will/going to, much/many, present perfect, past simple, past continuous, common phrasal verbs, common modals: can/should</li></ul>

A tourist who can do basic conversations about the past, present and future

Learners taking the B1 Intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand points regarding family, work, school or leisure-related topics.</li><li>Deal with most travel situations in areas where the language is spoken.</li><li>Create simple texts on topics of personal interest.</li><li>Describe experiences, events, dreams, and ambitions, as well as opinions or plans in brief.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: question tags, intensifiers: too/enough, future tenses, past tenses, modals, conditionals, wh-questions in the past</li></ul>

Learners who can deal with both familiar and routine situations, in friendly and work contexts

Learners taking the B2 Upper-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization.</li><li>Interact with fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without difficulty for either party.</li><li>Produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain an opinion on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: perfect tenses, mixed conditionals, modals in the present, phrasal verbs, reported speech, wish, relative clauses</li></ul>

The level where you can be a tour guide for your foreign friends and talk about a lot of topics, even abstract ones, with ease and fluency

Learners taking the C1 Advanced exam should be able to: Express ideas fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts. Produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, using linking phrases (=words that connect ideas between sentences). Main grammar points to know: inversion, mixed conditionals, modals in the past, all passive forms, phrasal verbs (all patterns), wish/if only for regrets

Learners who can smoothly communicate in every walk of life, read long texts and write well

Learners taking the C2 Proficient exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand almost everything read or heard with ease.</li><li>Summarize information from a variety of sources into a coherent presentation.</li><li>Express themselves using precise meaning in complex scenarios.</li><li>Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations</li></ul>

Get here and you are ready to study in English at university

31 Sports vocabulary cards English ESL worksheets pdf & doc