Learn adjectives from an NBA star

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

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• hang out
• fanbase
• rowdy
• team captain

• franchise player
• All-Star
• role
• role player

• role play

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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Danny Granger is the franchise player of the Indiana Pacers. He is their leading scorer and team captain. Last season, he was an All-Star, the only one on his team.

When the US won gold in the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey last summer, Danny was on a team with many other great players. He didn’t play as much as does on the Pacers and had a different role in every game. Sometimes, the coach put him in to play defense and other times he was there to score. He was a role player.

Though he’s more than a role player during the NBA season, Danny may do some role playing from time to time off the court. You see, outside of sports, role playing means to pretend to be someone else and Danny just happens to have a favorite superhero. Watch him talk about this and more after a recent practice.

3. Watch - Watch the video without reading the dialog.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Jason

Danny

Jason:  Welcome to English, baby! I am Jason here with Danny Granger. How are you, Danny?

Danny:  How you doin’?

Jason:  A couple of years ago, you did a preseason game in China. I was just curious how that experience was different from playing games here in the US.

Danny:  Totally different. A totally different atmosphere, you know, a totally different fanbase. It’s kind of more rowdy than we get here in the United States.

Jason:  Really?

Danny:  Yeah. But it was fun. We played two games against the Nuggets. It was cool.

Jason:  I want to talk to you about international play. On this Pacers team, you’re sort of the franchise player, the team captain. This summer though at the Olympics you were more of a role player. This website is viewed by people who are learning English, and I was wondering if you could tell us what does it mean to be a role player and talk about that experience.

Danny:  You have to…It’s just what it says, you gotta know your role, whether you’re a defensive player or a scorer, whether you’re a rebounder, whether you’re a shot blocker, whether you’re a point guard, you just have to know your role and stay within it.

Jason:  I understand that your house in New Mexico has a Batcave in it, is that right?

Danny:  Yes.

Jason:  So, there’s also the meaning of role play, like to pretend to be someone else. Do you ever role play in your Batcave?

Danny:  I don’t know if I role play. I hang out in it. That’s about it. But yeah, it was derived from the concept of Batman and that’s the way it was designed, so it’s a lot of fun.

Jason:  Cool. Well, thanks so much. Could I get a high-five and say, “English, baby!” in the air?

Danny:  English, baby!

Jason:  Alright, thank you very much.

Danny:  No problem.

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