The language of sports commentaries

What is a commentary?

A commentary is a description of an event as it is happening. The commentator describes for the listener all of the important points of the event so that she or he can visualise what is happening. The most common type of commentary is of sporting events.

1. Read the commentaries below. Which sport is being commentated on in each extract?
   
   a) Away they go. Lewis sprints into the lead. Bradley is going well too for the United States but it’s going to be Lewis. Lewis gets the gold. I think it was Gradi the silver and a photo for the bronze. Lewis dances his way along the track. He’s done what he came to do. And look at the time – 9.99 seconds. Fantastic! Carl Lewis has won the gold and a nation celebrates.
   
   b) And as we enter the closing moments of extra time it looks like this match could end with a draw. And that really would be a tragedy after the brilliance we’ve seen from both teams tonight. Both sides played the best kind of attacking game and yet despite numerous shots at goal neither side has won. And yes! That’s it.The referee blows his whistle…
   
   c) As the tension builds on court, Hardy serves straight down the line.That’s a fantastic shot! It puts him at 40-15.And Hardy serves again. But it’s a good return by Janocek, the backhand shot whistles past Hardy. But Hardy still has the advantage. He serves again and ... yes, that’s it! Game, set and match to Hardy.
2. Identify the words in each extract which tell you what the sport is.

Answers

1. a) athletics, b) football, c) tennis
2. athletics: sprint, track football: extra time, shots at goal, whistle  tennis: court, line, serve, backhand shot, game set and match

The grammar of commentaries

Extract b) begins near the end of the game. Read the extracts again and identify the main differences between commentaries which happen at the end of a game and those which give details of the game as it is happening. Think about tenses and the length of the sentences. Then continue reading below.

Because commentaries are descriptions of events as they are happening, they normally use the present simple and present continuous tenses. However, when the commentary is coming to a close, the commentator will often describe the game in present perfect tenses, showing that the event has taken place in the very recent past.

While the action is happening, the commentators tend to use very short sentences. This helps convey a feeling of excitement to the audience. Finally, and unusually in radio and television broadcasting, you will often hear exclamations of excitement. In extracts b) and c), the commentators say ‘That’s it!’ to show that the game is over.

Language task

Read the following extract from a newspaper report on a football match between two English clubs, Everton and Sunderland. How might it sound if a commentator was describing the match?

‘...in the 65th minute Sunderland took the lead. Alex Rae smashed an unstoppable shot past the Everton goalkeeper… .Then the Sunderland team attacked their opponents’ goal and Philips missed, hitting the ball against the post… .

Answers

It’s the 65th minute. Alex Rae smashes an unstoppable shot past the Everton goalkeeper and Sunderland take the lead. …Now the Sunderland team are attacking their opponents’ goal and Philips misses, hitting the ball against the post… .