EN: Use 'first-time' with a hyphen before a noun to describe someone who is doing or achieving something for the very first time.
She is a first-time marathon runner.
EN: In international sports journalism, referring to an athlete by nationality and profession (e.g., 'American athlete Fred Richard') is standard practice for introducing participants to a global audience.
EN: The phrase 'takes place' means 'happens' or 'is held'. We use 'in' after it to show the location of an event.
The party takes place in the school hall.
EN: Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and home to Europe's largest seaport. It frequently hosts major international sporting events.
EN: We use the preposition 'with' to describe how something is done or what features/actions are involved.
She won the match with high speed and smart tactics.
EN: In gymnastics, the 'floor event' (or floor exercise) is performed on a specially cushioned spring mat, where gymnasts combine acrobatic flips, twists, and dance elements within a time limit.
EN: We use 'and' to connect two simple, related sentences (clauses) into one compound sentence. In the present simple tense, we add '-s' to verbs for third-person singular subjects (he/she/it), like 'scores'.
Anna is 18 years old, and she plays tennis very well.
EN: In English, decimal numbers are read by saying 'point' followed by each digit individually: 14.633 is read as 'fourteen point six three three'. In international gymnastics, scores are commonly measured to three decimal places.
EN: We use the pattern 'finish + ordinal number (first, second, third...)' to express someone's final rank or place in a race or competition.
She finished first in the running race.
EN: In sports journalism, using a country's possessive form (e.g., 'Britain's Jake Jarman', 'Israel's Artem Dolgopyat') is a standard and concise way to introduce an athlete representing their nation.
EN: Use 'beat [someone] by [an amount/margin]' to show the difference or score by which someone wins a contest.
Our team beat them by two points.
EN: In gymnastics, scoring is extremely precise, often decided by thousandths of a point (0.001). A margin of 0.033 points is exceptionally narrow, highlighting how competitive elite sports are.
EN: When the subject is a single person (he, she, or a singular noun like Simone Biles) in the present tense, we add '-es' to verbs ending in -ch (watch -> watches).
He watches TV every evening.
EN: Simone Biles is widely considered one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. Highlighting that she is watching 'from the crowd' underscores the significance of the event and the support top athletes show for their teammates.
EN: Use 'the first + noun + to-infinitive' to express that someone is the first person to do a specific action.
She is the first woman to climb this mountain.
EN: In international gymnastics, winning an individual world title is a rare achievement. The phrase 'since 2003' highlights a 20-year title drought for American men in this event, making the victory historic for USA Gymnastics.
EN: We can use an imperative sentence (a command/advice) followed by 'and' to express condition and result: 'Do this, and that will happen.'
Work hard, and you will succeed.
EN: The idiom 'pay off' is commonly used in sports and everyday American English to mean that hard work or patience has brought success or positive results.
EN: Use '[number] + more + [noun]' to talk about an additional quantity of something.
She needs two more points to win.
EN: In news headlines and reports, the simple present tense (e.g., 'wins' instead of 'won') is often used to make recent events feel more immediate, vivid, and engaging to the reader.
EN: When describing a person's age as a noun modifier (or using it as a noun standing for a person), use hyphens between the number and 'year-old' (e.g., '21-year-old'). Notice that 'year' is singular here.
The 18-year-old student won the speech contest.
EN: In gymnastics, 'vault' and 'uneven bars' are specific apparatus events in women's artistic gymnastics. Medals are awarded for both individual apparatuses as well as the all-around competition.
EN: Use 'including' to introduce an example or a specific part of a larger group that was just mentioned.
He has three cars, including an electric car.
EN: In gymnastics, the 'all-around' (or individual all-around) is considered the most prestigious event because gymnasts must compete on every apparatus rather than specializing in just one.
Key vocabulary words with IPA pronunciation, definitions, example sentences, and interactive quizzes.
Phrases with type tags, bilingual definitions, usage notes, and example sentences.
to happen or occur, especially after being planned
to yield good results; to succeed after effort
a gymnastics discipline performed on a specially prepared mat
an artistic gymnastics apparatus with two horizontal bars at different heights
a gymnastics competition in which athletes compete in every individual apparatus