Football: 'Super League' for Europe: BBC News Review

Hello. Welcome to News Review from BBC Learning English.

I'm Tom and joining me this morning is Catherine. Hi, Catherine.

Hello Tom and hello everybody. Today's story is about a

big development in the world of professional football.

Don't forget – if you want to test yourself

on today's vocabulary, we have a quiz at bbclearningenglish.com.

Now, let's hear more about

this story from a BBC Radio 5 live news report:

Yes, there are plans to start a new European Super League in football.

This Super League will include six English football teams

and more teams from Europe. Now, this news has been met with

mixed reactions to say the least: some are in favour,

but a lot of people are strongly opposed to the idea.

OK. So, we've got three words and expressions that you can

use to talk about today's story. Catherine, what are they?

We have: 'breakaway', 'beggars belief' and 'blunt take'.

'Breakaway', 'beggars belief' and 'blunt take'.

Some great British-English expressions there. Catherine,

let's take a look at your first one and your first headline, please.

Yes, we're starting in the UK with the Evening Standard – the headline:

'Breakaway' – independent, separate after leaving a group.

Catherine, what can you tell us about this word 'breakaway'?

Well, I can tell you that it's an objective and we use it

before the noun 'Super League'.

  Now, the spelling of this word is: B-R-E-A-K-A-W-A-Y.

Now, that's actually two words: 'break' and 'away',

but we put them together to make the adjective 'breakaway'.

OK. So, what does it mean, this word 'breakaway'?

We've looked at how it's put together.

What's the meaning of the word?

Well, it means you've literally...

you've broken with something and you've moved away from it.

So, you were part of a group or an organisation, but you've

now left that group and you've started doing a similar activity,

but you've done it on your own.

So, we're looking at this Super League,

right, which is kind of 'broken away' from what has come before it.

Now, we've got these two words: 'break' and 'away'.

'Break' is not always a good word, right?

I could break my arm or I could break somebody's heart.

Yeah, most definitely.

And it's often used – 'breakaway' means usually you've...

you're a 'breakaway group': you're doing your own thing,

but the group that you've left is not happy about it.

Or you weren't happy with the way the group was behaving or organising itself;

you think you can do it better, so you leave that old group

and you start doing the same thing yourself. Now, as you can imagine,

a lot of times when people do that, somebody's not happy.

So, 'to break away'. This is a phrasal verb, right?

Yes, absolutely. Yes, as well as an adjective,

you can use it as a phrasal verb.

You can 'break away' and start your own group.

You can 'break away from', and you use a preposition 'from',

a previous group. Now, Tom, I've heard on the grapevine a rumour

about something called TBC.

TBC Learning English!

Yeah, Tom's Broadcasting Corporation Learning English.

This is my 'breakaway' group, which I've been thinking about starting.

...Outrageous. I can't believe it.

You're going to 'break away' – phrasal verb – from the BBC and

you're going to start a 'breakaway' English teaching company.

And do you know what that would make me as a person?

That would make me a 'breakaway', which is the noun, right?

We can also use a 'breakaway' as a noun to refer to the person or

thing that breaks away. Exactly.

Great. OK. That's 'breakaway'.

Let's take a look at our summary slide, please:

So, 'break' – a word with a lot of uses.

There's a video of Sam giving us some more, right, Catherine?

Yes, five more, in fact.

And to watch that video, it just takes a minute – just click the link.

Click the link in the description.

Perfect. OK. Catherine, let's take a look at your next headline, please.

Yes, we are now at the Burnley Express,

here in the UK – the headline:

'Beggars belief' – is shocking, outrageous.

Nice British-English expression.

Catherine, what can you tell us about this one?

Yes, it's another two-word expression, Tom.

The first word – 'beggars': B-E-G-G-A-R-S.

Second word is 'belief': B-E-L-I-E-F.

It 'beggars belief'.

It's a fixed expression; we don't change it. And it's a verb phrase,

so you use it after a subject, which is usually 'it'.

Now, it's similar to 'unbelievable', but it's like 'shocking'.

If something 'beggars belief', you're really shocked, you're outraged.

It's... it's a really, kind of, affronting thing that has happened.

So, you're really... you don't like what's happened.

If you beg... if it 'beggars belief', it's quite shocking.

Sort of like, 'I can't believe it,' right?

Yeah. In a bad way. You know, you're like, 'What??!'

So, when I first heard the story of Tom's Broadcasting Company, I've got to

say, I turned round and I said: 'It beggars belief that he's done that!'

OK. Concentrating on the language, good example.

You said: 'It beggars belief that...'

And this is a common sort of way that we can use this expression, right?

Yes. You can use it as... you can just say the statement:

'Something's happened: Tom set up TBC – it beggars belief'.

Or you can say: 'It beggars belief that Tom has set up a rival to the BBC.'

Can't believe it.

You can't... I can't believe it: it beggars belief.

I can't believe that we've come to the end of this section.

It beggars belief that we're here. OK. Let's take a look at

that summary slide, please, for it 'beggars belief':

So, in today's story we've seen that lots of people in the

world of football are being very loud and very noisy,

making their opinions heard about the Super League. But we have a video

from the archive about football crowds becoming quieter, right?

Yes, we do. Not as quiet as they are at the minute

because of lockdown – there's no crowds at all.

But we do have a programme about the way that football crowds are actually

making less noise than they used to. Just click the link... to watch the show.

Just click... Just click the link in the video. OK. Perfect.

Catherine, let's have a look at your next headline for today, please.

Right, OK. We are at HITC, here in the UK – the headline:

'Blunt take' – completely honest opinion.

Catherine, tell us about 'blunt take'.

Here we go. So, we've got two words here.

The first word – 'blunt': B-L-U-N-T. The second word – 'take': T-A-K-E.

Now, when we say these words slowly, you'll hear it like this: 'blunt take'.

But in a sentence, you won't hear the 't' sound at the end of 'blunt'.

We'll say it like this, Tom: 'Blunt take'.

It will all come together into 'blunt take'. A 'blunt take'. OK.

Catherine, give us your 'blunt take'. What does this mean, this expression?

OK. 'Blunt take' means – if you give a 'blunt take' on something,

you say your opinion very honestly, very openly, and even if you know

the person isn't going to like what you're saying, you don't soften

anything you're going to say: you say it directly. You tell it like it is.

You say it like it is, or you tell it like it is. Great.

OK. So, this adjective 'blunt'. What does this mean?

Well, if something's 'blunt' – if a knife is 'blunt', it isn't sharp.

And a sharp knife will cut cleanly,

but if you cut something with a 'blunt' knife,

it's not going to be pleasant... it's not going to be comfortable.

So, we can say ...we can say it's sort of not refined, right?

It's not polished or perfect.

Exactly. So, here it means, kind of, honest.

And 'take' – what's a 'take'? Why do we use 'take' in this expression?

OK. A 'take' is your opinion on something.

If you give somebody your 'take' on something, you give your opinion.

So, a 'blunt take' is a brutally honest opinion – no niceness.

You're just saying it the way it is.

So, we can use the verbs 'deliver', 'give' and 'provide' with this.

We can 'deliver', 'give' or 'provide a blunt take'.

Catherine, could you please give me the 'blunt take'.

What do you think about TBC Learning English?

Tom, I think you're crazy.

That's it. Nothing more to say.

Ooh. Telling it like it is – giving us the 'blunt take'. OK.

And at this point, let's cut to our summary slide, please:

OK. Catherine, can you give us a recap of today's vocabulary, please?

Yes, we had: 'breakaway' – independent, separate after

leaving a group. We had: 'beggars belief' – is shocking, outrageous.

And 'blunt take' – completely honest opinion.

And don't forget – if you want to test yourself

on today's vocabulary, we have a quiz at bbclearningenglish.com.

And of course we are all over social media as well.

That's it from us today. Thanks for joining us and please come back next time.

Bye. Bye!