When talking about sports, where ball forms part of the name, like football, basketball or baseball, it's easy to confuse the sport and its ball! If you only use the name, you are talking about the sport. If you use an article before the name or its plural form, you are talking about the ball.
In other words...
Football, basketball and baseball are sports.
The football, a basketball and baseballs are balls.
You can not ask: Did anyone bring a football ball?
But you can ask: Did anyone bring a football?
Or you can ask: Did anyone bring a soccer ball?
You can say: I can't play baseball because I lost all my baseballs.
Or: I want to play volleyball but this volleyball is deflated.
But do not say: I'm watching the basketball on TV tonight.
(How boring!)
Say: I'm watching basketball on TV tonight.
Or: I'm watching the basketball game on TV tonight.
(That's more interesting!)
1 comment:
It's interesting. I had never thought of that.
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