Business English

SOME CONFUSING VERBS FOR YOU!

Hi, everybody. Well, World Cup is getting closer and our Brazilian Team is surely a prospective champion (well, as a matter of fact, our beloved Corinthians was also the virtual champion and its fate was not so sweet…if I may say so)

Bom, mais algumas palavras que confundem as pessoas no maravilhoso mundo do inglês de negócios.

PART 1– BUSINESS ENGLISH

Não confunda os seguintes verbos:

TO ASSURE: expressa a idéia de “persuadir alguém que tudo está em ordem”. Exemplo: “I assure you that you won’t be fired.” (Garanto a você que não será despedido).

TO ENSURE: significa “garantir que algo ocorra”. Exemplo: “The clerk ensured that the product would be delivered promptly”. (O atendente garantiu que o produto seria entregue prontamente.) Em inglês americano, o verbo “insure” seria utilizado aqui.

TO INSURE: tem o significado de “prover cobertura de seguro contra danos, perdas ou acidentes”. Exemplo: “The cargo was insured, so we have nothing to worry about.” (A carga estava segurada, então não temos com que nos preocupar.)


PART 2 – TIME TO ENJOY FIFA WORLD CUP

Well, as aforementioned, Fifa World Cup is “knocking at our doors” and it1s high time we learned some vocabulary concerning soccer. I have found the following glossary on the Web. Hope you enjoy the words. In our next talk, I’ll show you the translation of such word in Portuguese. Have a good time and let’s support / root for our beloved Brazilian team (as a matter of fact I wish “Dentinho” could be playing there rs rs rs).

1. Advantage rule: A clause in the rules that directs the referee to refrain from stopping play for a foul if a stoppage would benefit the team that committed the violation.
2. Attacking midfielder: the most forward-playing midfielder, playing right behind the forwards; he supports the offense by providing passes to forwards to set up goals.
3. Ball carrier: a player that has possession of the ball.
4. Banana kick: a type of kick that gives the ball a curved trajectory; used to get the ball around an obstacle such as a goaltender or defender.
5. Bicycle kick: when a player kicks the ball in mid-air backwards and over his own head, usually making contact above waist level; an acrobatic shot.
6. Center circle: a circular marking with a 10-yard radius in the center of the field from which kickoffs are taken to start or restart the game.
7. Center spot: a small circular mark inside the center circle that denotes the center of the field from which kickoffs are taken to start or restart the game.
8. Central defender: a player who guards the area directly in front of his own goal in a zone defense; does not exist in a man-to-man defense.
9. Chest trap: when a player uses his chest to slow down and control a ball in the air.
10. Chip pass: a pass lofted into the air from a player to a teammate; used primarily to evade a defender by kicking the ball over his head.
11. Chip shot: a kick lofted into the air to try to sail the ball over the goalkeeper's head and still make it under the crossbar into the goal.
12. Cleats: the metal, plastic or rubber points in the bottom of a soccer shoe used to provide a player with traction; term also used to refer to the shoes themselves.
13. Corner kick: a type of restart where the ball is kicked from the corner arc in an attempt to score; awarded to an attacking team when the ball crosses the goal line last touched by the defending team.
14. Counterattack: an attack launched by a defending team soon after it regains possession of the ball.
15. Crossbar: the horizontal beam that forms the top of a goal and sits on top of the two posts; it is 24 feet long and supported 8 feet above the ground.
16. Dangerous play: when a player attempts a play that the referee considers dangerous to that player or others, such as trying to kick the ball out of the goalie's hands, even if no contact is made.
17. Defenders: the players on the team that does not have possession of the ball.
18. Defensemen: the 3 or 4 players on a team whose primary task is to stop the opposition from scoring; also called fullbacks.
19. Defensive midfielder: the player positioned just in front of his team's defense; he is often assigned to mark the opposition's best offensive player; also called the midfield anchor.
20. Direct free kick: a kick awarded to a player for a serious foul committed by the opposition; the player kicks a stationary ball with no opposing players within 10 yards of him; a goal can be scored directly from this kick without the ball touching another player.
21. Diving header: a ball struck near ground level by the head of a diving player.
22. Draw: a game that ends with a tied score.
23. Drop ball: a method of restarting a game where the referee drops the ball between 2 players facing each other.
24. Field: the rectangular area where soccer matches are played.
25. Football: name for soccer everywhere except in the U.S.; also, what American's call their popular team sport which evolved from soccer and rugby.
26. Formation: the arrangement into positions of players on the field; for example, a 4-3-3 formation places 4 defenders, 3 midfielders and 3 forwards on the field.
27. Forward line: the 3 or 4 forwards who work together to try and score goals; consists of two wingers and 1 or 2 strikers.
28. Forwards: the 3 or 4 players on a team who are responsible for most of a team's scoring; they play in front of the rest of their team where they can take most of its shots; strikers and wingers.
29. Foul: a violation of the rules for which an official assesses a free kick.
30. 4-2-4: a formation that consists of 4 defenders, 2 midfielders and 4 forwards.
31. 4-3-3: a formation that consists of 4 defenders, 3 midfielders and 3 forwards; the most common formation used by teams.
32. 4-4-2: a formation that consists of 4 defenders, 4 midfielders and 2 forwards.
33. Free kick: a kick awarded to a player for a foul committed by the opposition; the player kicks a stationary ball without any opposing players within 10 yards of him.
34. Fullbacks: see Defensemen.
35. Goal: a ball that crosses the goal line between the goalposts and below the crossbar for which a point is awarded; also, the 8-foot high, 24-foot wide structure consisting of two posts, a crossbar and a net into which all goals are scored.
36. Goal area: the rectangular area 20 yards wide by 6 yards deep in front of each goal from which all goal kicks are taken; inside this area, it is illegal for opposing players to charge a goalie not holding the ball.
37. Goal kick: a type of restart where the ball is kicked from inside the goal area away from the goal; awarded to the defending team when a ball that crossed the goal line was last touched by a player on the attacking team.
38. Goalie: see Goalkeeper.
39. Goalkeeper: the player positioned directly in front of the goal who tries to prevent shots from getting into the net behind him; the only player allowed to use his hands and arms, though only within the penalty area.
40. Goalmouth: the front opening to each goal.
41. Goalposts: the two vertical beams located 24 feet apart which extend 8 feet high to form the sides of a goal and support the crossbar.
42. Halfback: see Midfielder.
43. Halftime: the intermission between the 2 periods or halves of a game.
44. Halves: see Periods.
45. Hand ball: a foul where a player touches the ball with his hand or arm; the opposing team is awarded a direct free kick.

That’s it!
Hope I helped you all. See you soon

Roberto Witte

*Formado em ciências econômicas pela Universidade de São Paulo, Roberto Witte é autor dos livros “Business English – a practical approach” e “Presentations and Meetings in English – a practical approach”, ambos publicados pela Editora Saraiva. As informações aqui apresentadas foram extraídas do dicionário enciclopédico de economia, negócios & jurídico (contratos) WITTE, de sua autoria. Entre em contato com Roberto Witte através do e-mail re.witte@uol.com.br ou acesse o site www.robertowitte.com.br



Some confusing verbs for you! - - 398ª Edição