English, baby!

Second-Chance Points - Žydrūnas Ilgauskas of the Miami Heat

Lithuanian NBA star helps you learn English

Date: Jan 21 2011

Themes: Celebrity, Family, Sports

Grammar: Comparatives and Superlatives

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Intro

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

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When you get a second chance, it means you get to try again. At 7’3” (or 2.21 meters) tall, Žydrūnas Ilgauskas is able to give his teammates a lot of second chances on the basketball court. If one of them misses a shot, he can often get the rebound and try again. If he scores, that’s called getting second-chance points.

Žydrūnas, whose nickname is Z, plays for the Miami Heat. He used to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and for a time about 10 years ago, he didn’t play at all. Because of injuries, it seemed like his career might be over. But he healed, got a second chance, and became an All-Star.

We recently met with Z to talk about second-chance points and second chances.

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Dialog

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

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

Jason

Jason: Welcome to English, baby! I’m Jason, here with Žydrūnas Ilgauskas, of the Miami Heat. How are you today?

Z: Doing well, thank you. How are you?

Jason: I’m great! And, so, you are from Lithuania. I’m curious, when did you learn English? Like, how was that process for you?

Z: It was easy, you know? I took some lessons back home, and when I came here, it was fourteen years ago, it took me maybe six months to a year, but I picked it up little by little.

Jason: Gotcha.

Z: It’s not a hard language.

Jason: A few years ago you adopted a couple of boys from your hometown, right?

Z: Yes, we did.

Jason: How much English did they know when they got over here?

Z: Well, they didn’t know anything, obviously, but you know, within…They started speaking a little bit within six months and within a year they spoke pretty good, and now it’s been a year and a half so they don’t have an accent or anything like that. They speak better English than me.

Jason: Wow. And so, what we like to do is have basketball players teach a little bit of basketball slang to people who are learning English. So I was wondering if you could help us learn. What does it mean to get second-chance points? Like, what is a second-chance point?

Z: “Second-chance point” means when one of your teammates misses a shot and you get an offensive rebound, if you convert, or score in that possession off the offensive rebound, that’s considered a second-chance point.

Jason: And how would people use “second chance” outside of basketball?

Z: Second chance? I don’t know! Depending how forgiving your wife is! Not everybody gets a second chance, so I guess my advice would be don’t get to that point. Make sure you don’t need a second chance.

Jason: Your boys that you adopted, what was their situation that you adopted them out of? Did you, sort of, give them a second chance in a way?

Z: Nah, I think it was the first chance for everybody. They never stood a chance, so. It was the first chance for us to be parents and the first chance for them to be kids.

Jason: Great. Well, thanks so much! Can I get you to give me a high five and say “English, baby!”

Z: English, baby!

Grammar Point

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Discussion

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Z explains that in basketball, when your teammate misses a shot and then you get the rebound and score, that’s called second-chance points. Getting second-chance points is an important part of what big players like Z do on the court.

It isn’t always easy to get second-chance points. But learning English? That was easy for Z. He says that he learned the language quickly. His sons, who he adopted from his hometown in Lithuania, learned it even faster, he says. Jason asks if Z gave his sons a second chance by adopting them. He says it was their first chance in life because they really had no chance to begin with.

Have you ever gotten a second chance?

Comments

La Princesse de la vie

Egypt

No, it was always the first chance, either win or lose, but you will never try again..There are so many situations had gone wrong with me, I wish if I could have had second chance for each, but it was only done one time, unfortunately..

La Princesse de la vie

Egypt

Marcelolic

Brazil

Oh yeah,I agree with Z when he told “we don’t have to need a second chance”...But if we have to need it.we have to do better than before to deserve it ;)

aeshasutaria

India

its a good progam. i like it

wesn12

China

very well done! It's a great and useful program! I like it very much!

alnoby

Egypt

Second chance you who offered to yourself is not waiting come to you , you who create Second Chance , In basketball came second chance when z capturing the ball before anyone else , so it is the one who created Second Chance did not wait until he got it while he standing position , so you should be stronger than all the events that With your ,
If you make a mistake "Say to yourself out loud I forgive myself and'll give her a second chance .

biogen

Iraq

Every sunrise is a again birth to have another life and every sundown is to forget it.

Liny

Colombia

Well, I think that averybody make mistakes, all of us!, but the second chance will be depending with the person. If the person don't appreciate the oportunity, I thinkthe second chance isn't deseved

God bless you!.

daynong

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

have a second chance – can be change the life

last year for 1st time i have accepted in university but unfortunately some works have been unfinished and i've lost it but likely this year i have could pass the entrance exam of coleage and now i study sophomre english translation major , you know it's very hard to get a second chance but you should always light fire under yourself to try to get it---every one have a nice year

miss_eos

Viet Nam

Having a second chance… sometimes can be a magic.

I really hope someone will give me a second chance to fix the mistakes i made. Once getting to this point, I know no chance is available.

loretina2011

Lithuania

Šaunuolis mūsų Žydrūnas Ilgauskas :) Mes už Lietuvą;)

andrespretty2

Colombia

Yes, I have gotten a second chance many times, and and after of that I know I can't fail, so, I do the best of me

cococheng

Taiwan

As the parents or team leader, we always have to give kid or teammate a second chance to learn something from error. To me, this is the path of learning and growing.