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Dwight Howard Teaches Shot Blocking Slang

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Dwight Howard Teaches Shot Blocking Slang English, baby! Video Lesson
德怀特-霍华德 (Dwight Howard) 教授篮球俚语

Date: Jan 27 2012

Themes: Celebrity, Sports, Travel

Grammar: Comparatives and Superlatives

Intro

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Taking a shot near Dwight Howard is a good way to get blocked. At just under seven feet, Dwight is not only one of the tallest players in the NBA, but also one of the most athletic. He looks like a superhero on the court and has even earned the nickname Superman. It helps that he likes to dress up like Superman, as he did when he won the 2008 Slam Dunk Contest.

Dwight has been named Defensive Player of the Year three years in a row, and a big part of what makes him so good is his ability to block shots. When you block a shot, you knock it out of the air so that it will not reach the basket. When some players block a shot, they say they rejected it. But when we met with Dwight after a recent practice, we learned he likes to use different slang for blocked shots. We also learned about his favorite thing to do when he visits China, besides speak Chinese.

贴近 Dwight Howard 投篮,你很可能会被盖帽。Dwight 身高近 7 英尺,是 NBA 最高、也是最具爆发力的球员之一。在球场上,他的表现像一个超级英雄,甚至还赢得了“超人”的绰号。因此,他喜欢装扮得像超人一样,在 2008 年赢得扣篮大赛时,他就身着超人装束。
Dwight 已连续三年被评为“年度最佳防守球员”,他获此殊荣很大程度上仰仗于非凡的封盖能力。封盖时,在空中将球打掉,这样球就无法到达篮框。当一些球员封盖投篮成功时,他们会说盖帽了。但当我们在最近的一次练习赛后采访 Dwight 时,我们得知他喜欢用另一种俚语称呼盖帽。我们还了解到他在访问中国时除说汉语之外最喜欢做的事情。

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Dialog

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

Jason

Jason

Dwight

Dwight

Jason:  Welcome to English, baby! I am Jason here with Dwight Howard. What’s your favorite way to talk about a blocked shot? What’s the best slang for it?

Dwight:  Usually, when we block shots, we say, “Yo, did you see what he did? He beat it up! Oh he beat that ball up!” Or we say something like, “Yo, you look like you playing volleyball out there with the ball.” Just something like that, something crazy. “Beat it up” or “It looks like he’s playing volleyball,” something along those terms.

Jason:  You’ve been in China several times.

Dwight:  Ni hao. Wo ai ni, zhong guo qiu mi ni hao, de huai te huo hua de, wo ai ni, China. I just said, “Welcome to China, I love you, and I’m Dwight Howard.”

Jason:  That’s great, man. Is there something you like to do when you go to China? Is there like a place you go or a food you eat every time you go?

Dwight:  McDonald’s. They have the best chicken wings I’ve ever had in the world in China. The chicken wings are so good. They’re spicy. They’re amazing. And then they have the old-school fried apple pies. When I go to China, I gotta go to McDonald’s. The Skittles taste different over there and I love ‘em, so that’s what I do when I go to China.

Jason:  Wow, you eat foods that you would normally have here, but they taste different over there.

Dwight:  They taste different. They taste better. They taste a lot better. It’s hard for me to walk down the streets in China. But the mall is fun. Going to the mall, like the eight-story mall. It’s crazy. I love it.

Jason:  You get recognized a lot though? Is that what you mean by it’s hard for you to walk down the street?

Dwight:  Huo hua de! Huo hua de! Superman! Superman! It’s crazy.

Jason:  Awesome. Thanks so much for talking with us.

Dwight:  English, baby!

 

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Discussion

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When he blocks a shot, Dwight Howard doesn’t like to say he rejected it, like most players do. He likes to say he beat it up. He also compares blocking shots to volleyball, a sport in which players hit a ball over a net with their hands.

This language may seem strange, but it makes sense. If you beat something up, you damage it by hitting. If someone threw rocks at your car and dented it, you could say they beat it up. People get beaten up too. When someone loses a fight and has been physically injured by another person, you can say they got beaten up.

Dwight visits China regularly. When he goes there, he likes to eat American foods and candies. He says they taste different in China and sometimes you can get old-school items there that they don’t sell in the US anymore.

Even to Dwight, who is seven feet tall, an eight-story mall seems big. He likes to go shopping in China, but when his fans see him, they shout his nickname, “Superman!”

Do you have a nickname? How did you get it? What do you like to do when you visit another country?

For more with Dwight Howard and other NBA stars, visit our blog.

 

Comments

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ola33

ola33

Japan

Snoopy, back to Olympics in China, Michael Phelps was recognized in the streets as well as Dwight Howard and was dubbed by locals as a ‘fish’.

06:28 PM Jan 27 2012 |

1 person likes this

snoopyboy

snoopyboy

Antarctica

nice try Butta!


I’m that little imp who dwells in your keyhole


OUCH! my HEAD! ( you just used your key to open that door I was in )


 :  )


(Here’s imagination  : )

05:10 PM Jan 27 2012 |

snoopyboy

snoopyboy

Antarctica

Ola33, Micheal Phelps is no superman, not even in his dreams could he be,


he’s AquaMan


Tongue out

04:57 PM Jan 27 2012 |

1 person likes this

snoopyboy

snoopyboy

Antarctica

why?


do you really own a smart car?

04:54 PM Jan 27 2012 |

ola33

ola33

Japan

“And he has nutritionists on his rear day in and day out watching anything he puts in his mouth”


It depends how much calories he spends a day. Michael Phelps, when he was in Olympycs, had his whopping 12,000-calorie-a-day diet while the average man cosumes 2,000 calories a day. Even if you push yourself to the limits doing lots of push-ups, crunches and running long distances, you still won’t use up that amount of calories of Michael’s diet. Now, can we guys imagine, how athletic they are and what they’re capable of. Amazing. Supermen!!!

04:47 PM Jan 27 2012 |

1 person likes this

 julito

julito

Argentina

Thanks for the compliment Butta.  At least we were not as  that kid  that his concerned mother told me  that he prefers a Barbie for his birthday.. true. 

04:33 PM Jan 27 2012 |

1 person likes this

snoopyboy

snoopyboy

Antarctica

I didn’t see any guy with a toothbrush mustache  in the footage :  ) , it wasn’t germany


It could have been in a remote part of Antarctica where meat is scarce,: )


(roll?) that’s what I’m doing now as I’m typing, rolling on the floor laughing.


do you own a smart car?

04:32 PM Jan 27 2012 |

snoopyboy

snoopyboy

Antarctica

there’s always a secret ingredient involved, like “cocaine” in Coca-cola :  )


I was watching this clip about the best places to eat.


one guy asks the chef : “mmm. delicious sauce, what’s in there”


the face of the chef got bloodshot red with anger , and as he was brandishing his knife at the guy he replied ” If I tell you, I’d have to kill you” . that scared the guy, but not the camera-man who was filming . but later he’d have his share of fright. he went to another room where possibly the secret ingredient was being prepared and all the ingredients were displayed on a counter. As soon as he stepped into that room. Another cook yelled: ” hey! grab his camera..he had it all on tape, let’s kill him” then the screen went black no one knows what happened to those guys after.


: )


(FICTION ! )

04:12 PM Jan 27 2012 |

 julito

julito

Argentina

Do we people know what we are eating  at MD? I am sure that anything but meat, which  is so expensive in the US.  Better not to figure out what is the secret ingredient  .    

04:10 PM Jan 27 2012 |

snoopyboy

snoopyboy

Antarctica

I don’t think he’s a McDonald’s addict as he claims to be. He’s just making his pocket fatter. You see those actors and other celebrities on TV Commercial bitting on some fat crispy chicken tighs; but as soon as the director  blurts ” Cut”! they spit it right out and say ” good gracious! yike!...where’s the money?”


: )

03:57 PM Jan 27 2012 |

snoopyboy

snoopyboy

Antarctica

The goldnen arch is like a stigma


a reminder that here  you’ll : eat for cheap, sit in your car and order your food, and we have complementary toys for the little ones, we have a clown in the backroom just in case : )


bribing  the Kids, Butta, Kids and the food convience are the secret ingredients for its success.


;)

03:50 PM Jan 27 2012 |

snoopyboy

snoopyboy

Antarctica

How about some acupuncture theraphy for your taste buds, Mr D, Howard, on your next trip to China?


:  )

03:26 PM Jan 27 2012 |

1 person likes this

snoopyboy

snoopyboy

Antarctica

you’re right, he’s not worried about it, because he’s physically active . And he has nutritionists on his rear day in and day out watching anything he puts in his mouth. so whenever he gets the chance he likes to go ballistic  in eating all the junk foods he wants and licking on  cotton candy with the Chinese :  )


but us, we always feel guilt when eat stuff like that.


mmm..let’s stick with “rural people” ha : )


 

03:14 PM Jan 27 2012 |

ola33

ola33

Japan

Snoopy, I think Dwight Howard is too busy playing basketball to think about the resistance to nice looking French Fries. We’re more powerful in this respect. Simple people, leading our life nonchalantly, peacefully chatting with each other. Of course, there’re more power is left for staying away from that temptation. We’re like rural people. Can’t come up with the nick name… but


Peace:)

03:07 PM Jan 27 2012 |

snoopyboy

snoopyboy

Antarctica

Ola33… pada papapaaaa, I’m not loving this image : )


“string of greasy potatoes, crammed in a box ready to enter your system  and add more fats to our bodies, that are tough to rid of like we needed them… look at those golden french fries! sprinkled with salt and “that other thing that makes you crave them some more”...bon appetit “


: )

03:00 PM Jan 27 2012 |

ola33

ola33

Japan

Or just


File:Fast food nation.jpg

02:52 PM Jan 27 2012 |

snoopyboy

snoopyboy

Antarctica

McDonald’s? pfff… he’s clearly been paid to advertise for the franchise. No one goes abroad just to eat  greasy cardboard meat patties


: )

02:49 PM Jan 27 2012 |

ola33

ola33

Japan

Wow, he’s really like a Superman!:) It reminded me the movie “The Incredibles”


“Superladies? They’re always trying to tell you their secret identity… think it’ll strengthen the relationship or something like that. I say, “Girl, I don’t wanna know about your mild-mannered alter ego or anything like that. I mean, you tell me you’re, uh… S-Super, Mega, Ultra Lightning Babe, that’s alright with me. I’m good… I’m good. “


If I visit China, i’ll try to taste the Chinese quisine, like seaweeds, Dim sum, Chow Mein . I’ll participate in a tea ceremony and try all the teas they’ve got. I love tea :) About McDonalds, I don’t even go there here, in Canada, but it’s up to everyone’s taste.

02:35 PM Jan 27 2012 |

1 person likes this

qubaico

Poland

When I go to another country I like taste their national dishes, something what is typical for this region. After back home I try to make alone dishes wich I ate abroad. Without this I like sightseeing. I like visit ancient monuments, castles, pyraminds and museums.


Sometimes we go shopping and I give as possibility talk with another people, people who lives in this country. We talk about their normally life, what they like, what they eat.


Abroad going give possibility talk wiht poeple all over the world. Sometimes you can meet people from Egypt another time from USA adn this is very interesting.


02:01 PM Jan 27 2012 |

snoopyboy

snoopyboy

Antarctica

Do you have a nickname? How did you get it?
( :



I go by two nicknames “snoopy” and “donpee”, the latter was given to me by my peers at school. I must admit that it’s dying out mainly because most of my classmates have moved out or have lost touch with me. So now I’m stuck with snoopy, which is funny because it is a self –dubbed nickname, more like an alter-ego persona. (You’re scratching your head thinking: only a famous person or a mentally-ill would have an alter ego, well, I’m neither one).So the genesis behind the nickname really came about after watching a show called “The peanuts”, one of the character (my favorite) of this series is my namesake “snoopy”, an adorable beagle, with an easy smile and top of all has a kind soul. Blend Snoopy and Bugs Bunny together and you get me. ( mischievous yet kindhearted) ;—)



Moving on to the next question …



What do you like to do when you visit another country?



Whenever I visit another country I always like to munch on their national dishes, something very typical. I like to put a national dish on the same pedestal as a unique landmark, because both represent the values and patrimonies of a country. A national dish embodies tradition in a most authentic state; this is the final product of a recipe that has been passed down from ancestors to the current generation not losing an iota of its original components. That is what I want in my plate, when I’m abroad.Plus the locals love it when foreigners sample their national dishes; and they expect you to enjoy it (so whatever you do, chew and swallow and don’t grimace when you do, such gesture could be seen as very offensive). ;)



Also, I like to get out and walk the foreign streets, I feel closer to the place I’m visiting that way.I always laugh whenever I see a bunch of tourists  on broad a sight-seeing bus, what a waste of time!.Take me on the streets, so  I  can get ample time to contemplate the new surroundings, anything I see, strikes my interest: a horde of pigeons, a souvenirs boutique, a sign carved with exotic writings, these are emotional ties I get with the new place and that’s what I want to store in my mind when I set off ; and oftentimes, you overlook those things when you are, say in a car. Nothing is more pleasurable to my ears than  the passing of locals and hear them speak in their tongues, I find all unique and beautiful. And of course I’m snapping photos of things left and right in case my mental memory fails me, so I can look back at those shots and reminisce about my journey.



One thing I don’t really like doing when I travel alone, is to go for straight up to the big cities, they all look the same to me anyways. But a lot of times I travel with a group and we vote on which sites to visit, and the metropolitan areas and landmarks are what they always opt for… well. So the rare occasions on which I travel alone to a foreign place, I like to go to the rural parts of that country. Big cities tend to be melting pots, the world crammed into one area, you know : ) that’s how I see big cities. Therefore there are the last places I’ll go to. I like to go to places where I can’t even find a guide or interpreter to tag along with me. A place where traditions and way of life is again, unique to the motherland. 


Dwayne Howard’s imitation of the Chinese people was epic, and to have “mini-me” Jason high-five a giant was also hilarious. I lost interest in  watching Basketball , soon after Michael Jordan had retired, but Dwayne is among those few down-to-earth athletes I like to hear being interviewed, his humility and charisma is something I can appreciate.



Peace ! : )

01:37 PM Jan 27 2012 |

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