Roger Federer

Intro

Without question, Roger Federer is one of the most popular people in the entire history of tennis. This Swiss athlete has broken countless records and gained titles all around the world. With many nicknames like FedEx (short for Federer Express) and Maestro, Federer is not only popular, he’s also very rich. He’s won millions of dollars in prize money.

After winning consecutive championships, Federer’s career has seemed to fall flat lately with less wins. However, his popularity will probably last much longer than his ability to play tennis.

What do Gary and Marni think about Roger Federer? Find out in today’s English lesson about tennis.

Dialogue

Gary: So, I was watching ESPN yesterday.

Marni: Which sport?

Gary: In fact, they were talking about a particular person who plays tennis.

Marni: OK, so I know a few names in tennis.

Gary: Go on.

Marni: Roger Federer.

Gary: Bingo. Done.

Marni: Oh. Wow.

Gary: That’s exactly it. This guy is everywhere. He’s hugely popular. So successful.

Marni: I guess he must be if I’ve heard of him.

Gary: Yeah. He’s won countless titles. He’s broken records. He’s won consecutive Grand Slams.

Marni: But the French Open just happened, and he did not win, correct?

Gary: I saw that as well. Yeah, he didn’t do very well.

Marni: So sometimes even the great ones fall flat.

Gary: Maybe there was something wrong with his racket.

Marni: Oh, you think so?

Gary: I don’t know.

Marni: I think that’s a racket.

Gary: Maybe it was the court.

Marni: Perhaps. Regardless, he’s still a great player.

Gary: He’s a phenomenal player. And he can run so quickly on the court, and his serves are super powerful. I would last about three minutes against Roger Federer on a tennis court.

Marni: More than I would last.

Discussion

Gary tells Marni about a program he watched on the sports television channel ESPN. He says it was about a famous tennis player, and Marni guesses Roger Federer.

She’s right. Federer is one of the most famous people in the tennis world because of how successful he is. Gary is definitely impressed by Federer’s records and titles.

Marni mentions that Roger Federer recently lost some games at a popular tennis tournament. Gary is sad that Federer did not do well. However, both Gary and Marni agree that Federer is still an amazing player.

Have you ever watched Roger Federer play tennis? Who’s your favorite athlete?

Grammar Point

Comparing Quantity

Gary guesses that he could play tennis against Roger Federer for about three minutes. Marni says that is “more [time] than I would last.” She uses a comparison of quantity.

There are a couple of different ways to make comparisons of quantity. With non-count nouns like coffee, bread, or love, we use more than and less than. For example: “My mother loves me more than she loves my sister,” or, “There is less ice cream in my bowl than in Sarah’s bowl.”

For countable nouns like apples, people, or records, we use more than and fewer than to make comparisons of quantity. For example: “I have more records than my brother,” or, “Jake has fewer friends than Paul.”

To show that two things have the same quantity, we use as much or as many as and as little as for non-count nouns. For example: “Jason is taking as many classes this year as he did last year,” or “I use as little milk in my coffee as you do.”

For countable nouns, we use as many as and as few as. As in, “I eat as many candy bars as my sister does, but she’s much smaller,” or, “There are as few people at this movie as there were at the last movie we saw.”

Which sentence is correct, “I have less time than Ashley,” or, “I have little time than 

Vocab

fall flat v.

Definition

fail, not meet expectations

Example

My joke about the plumber really fell flat. No one laughed!
_________________

last v.

Definition

continue; keep going

Example

If this movie lasts much longer, I’m going to fall asleep.
____________________

racket n.

Definition

tool used to hit the ball in sports such as tennis

Example

Sally bought a pink tennis racket yesterday.
_________________

that's a racket expr.

Definition

a joke; something that is not serious

Example

My mom said, “That’s a racket,” when I told her mice had eaten all of
 the cookies in the jar.
________________________

break v.

Definition

beat; be better than something

Example

I’ve been training hard for my race, so I think I’ll break my person record.
___________________

countless adj.

Definition

many, a lot, more than a person can count

Example

I’ve seen countless Western films but I never get tired of them.
_____________________

record n.

Definition

best, highest number

Example

She ran the race so fast, she set a new record.

title n.

Definition

award; championship

Example

The basketball team won the title.
______________________

phenomenal adj.

Definition

amazing; exceptional; better than most things

Example

This pizza is phenomenal. I’ve never eaten pizza this good in my whole life.
__________________________

consecutive adj.

Definition

something that happens right after another; twice without a break; back-to-back

Example

We played consecutive games at the volleyball tournament last weekend.