Why do football commentators use short sentences?
Sports commentary has its own conventions. Football commentators tend to use the present tense and short sentences so that they can keep pace with the action, while cricket commentators, who have long pauses to fill, are known for anecdotes and digressions. Both rely on a stock of familiar phrases that listeners recognise at once. Linguists note that the phrases serve a practical purpose: they allow the speaker to think ahead while still talking. The risk is that overuse produces clichés, and a commentator who calls every goal "a moment of magic" soon loses credibility. The most admired broadcasters are those who combine the reliability of the formula with a flash of the unexpected.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. To keep up with fast action
- Step 1: They need to keep pace with the action.
Answer
To keep up with fast action.
Why not the others: Filling pauses and anecdotes belong to cricket; football commentators do not avoid phrases.
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