Three verbs are used with sports and activities: play (team sports / games with a ball or opponent), go (activities ending in -ing), and do (individual sports / exercise).
play + sport
⚽
football
/ˈfʊt.bɔːl/
I play football on Saturdays.
🏀
basketball
/ˈbɑːs.kɪt.bɔːl/
She plays basketball.
🎾
tennis
/ˈten.ɪs/
Do you play tennis?
🏐
volleyball
/ˈvɒl.i.bɔːl/
They play volleyball at the beach.
♟️
chess
/tʃes/
He plays chess every evening.
🏓
table tennis
/ˈteɪ.bəl ˌten.ɪs/
We play table tennis in the garage.
🏸
badminton
/ˈbæd.mɪn.tən/
Let's play badminton this weekend.
🏉
rugby
/ˈrʌɡ.bi/
He plays rugby for his school.
🏏
cricket
/ˈkrɪk.ɪt/
They play cricket in summer.
⛳
golf
/ɡɒlf/
My dad plays golf every Sunday.
🏑
hockey
/ˈhɒk.i/
She plays hockey for the local team.
🃏
cards
/kɑːdz/
We play cards after dinner.
⚾
baseball
/ˈbeɪs.bɔːl/
Americans love playing baseball in summer.
🥎
softball
/ˈsɒft.bɔːl/
She plays softball for her university team.
🤾
handball
/ˈhænd.bɔːl/
They play handball in the gym on Tuesdays.
🥍
lacrosse
/ləˈkrɒs/
He plays lacrosse at college.
🎯
darts
/dɑːts/
We play darts at the pub.
🥏
frisbee
/ˈfrɪz.bi/
The kids play frisbee in the park.
🤽
water polo
/ˈwɔː.tə ˌpəʊ.ləʊ/
The team plays water polo in the Olympics.
🏒
ice hockey
/aɪs ˈhɒk.i/
Canadians love playing ice hockey.
🥌
curling
/ˈkɜː.lɪŋ/
They play curling on the ice.
go + -ing activity
🏊
swimming
/ˈswɪm.ɪŋ/
She goes swimming on Mondays.
🏃
running
/ˈrʌn.ɪŋ/
I go running in the park.
🚴
cycling
/ˈsaɪ.klɪŋ/
He goes cycling at weekends.
⛷️
skiing
/ˈskiː.ɪŋ/
We go skiing in winter.
💃
dancing
/ˈdɑːn.sɪŋ/
She goes dancing on Fridays.
🥾
hiking
/ˈhaɪ.kɪŋ/
We go hiking in the mountains.
🧗
climbing
/ˈklaɪ.mɪŋ/
He goes climbing every summer.
🎣
fishing
/ˈfɪʃ.ɪŋ/
My grandfather goes fishing at the lake.
🏄
surfing
/ˈsɜː.fɪŋ/
They go surfing when it's sunny.
⛸️
skating
/ˈskeɪ.tɪŋ/
We go skating in December.
🏃♀️
jogging
/ˈdʒɒɡ.ɪŋ/
I go jogging before work.
🏕️
camping
/ˈkæm.pɪŋ/
We go camping every August.
🐟
snorkeling
/ˈsnɔː.kəl.ɪŋ/
We go snorkeling when we're on holiday.
🤿
scuba diving
/ˈskuː.bə ˌdaɪ.vɪŋ/
He goes scuba diving near the reef.
🪂
hang gliding
/hæŋ ˈɡlaɪ.dɪŋ/
She goes hang gliding in the mountains.
⛵
sailing
/ˈseɪ.lɪŋ/
They go sailing every summer.
🚣
rowing
/ˈrəʊ.ɪŋ/
He goes rowing on the river.
🛶
kayaking
/ˈkaɪ.æk.ɪŋ/
We go kayaking on the lake.
🤿
diving
/ˈdaɪ.vɪŋ/
She goes diving competitively for her country.
🛶
canoeing
/kəˈnuː.ɪŋ/
We go canoeing on the river every summer.
🏇
horse riding
/hɔːs ˈraɪ.dɪŋ/
She goes horse riding at the weekend.
🛹
skateboarding
/ˈskeɪt.bɔː.dɪŋ/
He goes skateboarding after school.
🏂
snowboarding
/ˈsnəʊ.bɔː.dɪŋ/
They go snowboarding every winter.
🛷
bobsledding
/ˈbɒb.sled.ɪŋ/
The team goes bobsledding down the icy track.
🛷
luging
/ˈluː.ʒɪŋ/
He goes luging at incredible speeds.
go + -ing: mountain & adventure activities
🥾
trekking
/ˈtrek.ɪŋ/
We go trekking in Nepal every year.
🏔️
mountaineering
/ˌmaʊn.tɪˈnɪə.rɪŋ/
He goes mountaineering in the Alps.
🚵
mountain biking
/ˈmaʊn.tɪn ˌbaɪ.kɪŋ/
They go mountain biking on the trails.
🎒
backpacking
/ˈbæk.pæk.ɪŋ/
We go backpacking across South America.
🧗♀️
rock climbing
/rɒk ˈklaɪ.mɪŋ/
She goes rock climbing every weekend.
🧊
ice climbing
/aɪs ˈklaɪ.mɪŋ/
He goes ice climbing in winter.
🪂
paragliding
/ˈpær.ə.ɡlaɪ.dɪŋ/
She goes paragliding off the mountain.
🧗
abseiling / rappelling
/ˈæb.seɪl.ɪŋ/ /rəˈpel.ɪŋ/
He goes abseiling down the cliff.
🏞️
canyoning
/ˈkæn.jən.ɪŋ/
They go canyoning in the summer.
❄️
snowshoeing
/ˈsnəʊ.ʃuː.ɪŋ/
We go snowshoeing in the mountains.
go + -ing: extreme & adrenaline sports
🪂
skydiving
/ˈskaɪ.daɪ.vɪŋ/
He goes skydiving from a plane at 4,000 metres.
🌉
bungee jumping
/ˈbʌn.dʒi ˌdʒʌm.pɪŋ/
She goes bungee jumping off the bridge.
🏙️
BASE jumping
/beɪs ˈdʒʌm.pɪŋ/
He goes BASE jumping off cliffs and tall buildings.
🦇
wingsuit flying
/ˈwɪŋ.suːt ˌflaɪ.ɪŋ/
She goes wingsuit flying through mountain valleys.
🏎️
go-karting
/ˈɡəʊ ˌkɑː.tɪŋ/
He goes go-karting every weekend — his dream is to race in Formula 1 one day.
🌲
zip-lining
/ˈzɪp.laɪ.nɪŋ/
They go zip-lining through the rainforest canopy.
do + activity
🧘
yoga
/ˈjəʊ.ɡə/
I do yoga every morning.
🤸
gymnastics
/dʒɪmˈnæs.tɪks/
She does gymnastics.
🏋️
exercise
/ˈek.sə.saɪz/
I do exercise three times a week.
🕺
aerobics
/eəˈrəʊ.bɪks/
She does aerobics at the gym.
🏋️♂️
weightlifting
/ˈweɪt.lɪf.tɪŋ/
He does weightlifting at the gym.
💪
bodybuilding
/ˈbɒd.i.bɪl.dɪŋ/
He does bodybuilding and competes in competitions every year.
🧘♀️
pilates
/pɪˈlɑː.tiːz/
I do pilates twice a week.
🥇
athletics
/æθˈlet.ɪks/
She does athletics at school.
🏹
archery
/ˈɑː.tʃər.i/
He does archery every weekend.
🕺
breakdancing
/ˈbreɪk.dɑːn.sɪŋ/
He does breakdancing in competitions.
🎯
shooting
/ˈʃuː.tɪŋ/
He does shooting as his Olympic sport.
⛷️
ski jumping
/skiː ˈdʒʌmp.ɪŋ/
She does ski jumping professionally.
🛷
skeleton
/ˈskel.ɪ.tən/
He does skeleton at the Winter Olympics.
🎿
biathlon
/baɪˈæθ.lɒn/
She does biathlon, skiing and shooting.
🏅
triathlon
/traɪˈæθ.lɒn/
He does a triathlon every summer.
🎖️
modern pentathlon
/ˌmɒd.ən penˈtæθ.lɒn/
She does modern pentathlon at national level.
🏊♀️
artistic swimming
/ɑːˈtɪs.tɪk ˈswɪm.ɪŋ/
The team does artistic swimming to music.
🏍️
motocross
/ˈməʊ.təʊ.krɒs/
He does motocross, jumping his motorbike over obstacles.
Martial arts (do + activity)
🥋
karate
/kəˈrɑː.ti/
He does karate on Wednesdays.
🥋
judo
/ˈdʒuː.dəʊ/
She does judo on Saturdays.
🥋
taekwondo
/ˌtaɪ.kwɒnˈdəʊ/
She does taekwondo twice a week.
🥊
boxing
/ˈbɒk.sɪŋ/
He does boxing at the gym three times a week.
🤼
wrestling
/ˈres.lɪŋ/
He does wrestling for his school team.
🤺
fencing
/ˈfen.sɪŋ/
She does fencing at the local club.
⚔️
kendo
/ˈken.dəʊ/
He does kendo with a bamboo sword.
🤼
sumo
/ˈsuː.məʊ/
Sumo wrestlers do sumo in Japan.
🥋
kung fu
/ˌkʌŋ ˈfuː/
He does kung fu every evening.
🥋
aikido
/aɪˈkiː.dəʊ/
She does aikido to learn self-defence.
🥋
wing chun
/wɪŋ ˈtʃʌn/
He does wing chun, the style Bruce Lee made famous.
🤸
capoeira
/ˌkæp.uˈeɪ.rə/
They do capoeira to music and drums.
🥊
muay thai
/ˌmuːaɪ ˈtaɪ/
He does muay thai at the gym three times a week.
🥊
kickboxing
/ˈkɪk.bɒk.sɪŋ/
She does kickboxing to stay fit.
🥋
jiu-jitsu
/dʒuːˈdʒɪt.suː/
He does jiu-jitsu, mostly fighting on the ground.
🥋
krav maga
/kræv məˈɡɑː/
She does krav maga for self-defence.
🧘
tai chi
/ˌtaɪ ˈtʃiː/
My grandmother does tai chi in the park every morning.
🥊
MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)
/ˌem em ˈeɪ/
He does MMA, mixing boxing, wrestling and jiu-jitsu.
Other hobbies
📖
reading
/ˈriː.dɪŋ/
I like reading books.
🍳
cooking
/ˈkʊk.ɪŋ/
She loves cooking.
🎨
drawing
/ˈdrɔː.ɪŋ/
He enjoys drawing.
🎧
listening to music
/ˈlɪs.ən.ɪŋ tə ˈmjuː.zɪk/
I like listening to music.
📺
watching TV
/ˈwɒtʃ.ɪŋ ˌtiːˈviː/
We watch TV in the evenings.
🛍️
shopping
/ˈʃɒp.ɪŋ/
She goes shopping on Saturdays.
🎤
singing
/ˈsɪŋ.ɪŋ/
He loves singing in the shower.
🎮
playing video games
/ˈpleɪ.ɪŋ ˈvɪd.i.əʊ ɡeɪmz/
My brother enjoys playing video games.
🌱
gardening
/ˈɡɑː.dən.ɪŋ/
My mum loves gardening.
📷
photography
/fəˈtɒɡ.rə.fi/
She's interested in photography.
📝
writing
/ˈraɪ.tɪŋ/
I enjoy writing short stories.
🖌️
painting
/ˈpeɪn.tɪŋ/
He likes painting landscapes.
🧶
knitting
/ˈnɪt.ɪŋ/
My grandmother enjoys knitting.
📮
collecting stamps
/kəˈlek.tɪŋ stæmps/
My uncle collects stamps.
play / go / do — quick rule:
play — sports with a ball or opponent (football, tennis, chess). go — activities ending in -ing (swimming, running, cycling). do — individual activities without a ball (yoga, karate, exercise).
Exercise — play, go or do?
Choose the correct verb.
1. I ___ football every Saturday.
2. She ___ swimming every morning.
3. He ___ karate on Wednesdays.
4. They ___ climbing every summer.
5. We ___ chess after dinner.
6. I ___ yoga every morning.