Hobbies and leisure-time occupations

Useful vocabulary:

hobby/favourite occupation/pastime – улюблена розвага, приємне проведення часу leisure (at leisure) – дозвілля (на дозвіллі) leisure pursuit – заняття у вільний час entertainment – розвага outing – екскурсія, пікнік to be interested in/to take interest in/to show great interest in – цікавитися to be fond of/to be carried away by – захоплюватися to be keen on – дуже любити to be crazy about – дуже захоплюватися to be good (at) – бути здібним, вправним (у) to be a Jack of all trades – бути майстром на всі руки to enjoy doing smth – отримувати насолоду від ч-н to have a good time – добре проводити час to spend free/spare time – проводити вільний час outdoors/in the open/fresh air – на відкритому повітрі indoors – у приміщенні to put one’s feet up – байдикувати

to collect – колекціонувати, collection – колекція, collector – колекціонер to widen one's world outlook – розширювати кругозір to play sport(s)/to go in for sport(s) – займатися спортом to attend club, circle – відвідувати клуб, гурток to go fishing – рибалити to keep pets – тримати домашніх улюбленців to take care of smb/to look after smb/to care for smb – дбати про когось, піклуватися to feed – годувати to cure – лікувати to take for a walk – брати на прогулянку enjoyable – приємний exciting/thrilling – хвилюючий useful/beneficial – корисний involving – захоплюючий monotonous – монотонний boring/dull– нудний

1. Study the following information and say what hobby is and what indoor and outdoor activities are:

From the old English word hobby meaning horse, came the modern word hobbyhorse. This is a dummy horse attached to a performer who pretended to be riding a horse in a play or a dance. Hobbyhorse has been shortened to hobby to describe any favourite leisure time occupation, this word has become rather common in modern usage.

Leisure time occupations, or hobbies, can be divided into indoor activities or home interests and outdoor activities or activities outside the home. Indoor activities include four groups: doing things, making things, collecting things and learning things. Of these four groups, doing things is perhaps the most popular. It includes reading; listening to records or tapes or to the radio; watching television; entertaining friends; playing games (e.g. chess or cards); painting; mending things. Making things include models, needlework (e.g. knitting, crocheting, sewing, weaving, making carpets, making lace), making music, i.e. singing or playing musical instruments (e.g. the piano, the guitar, the violin), cooking and baking, home decorating and repairing. You can also collect things: stamps, postcards, maps, coins, beermats, bottles, tins, old china, autographs, books, butterflies, shells, crystals etc. As for learning things, it provides learning foreign languages, learning to play a musical instrument, studying music, art, literature or other subjects. Outdoor activities include athletics, gymnastics, cycling, swimming, sailing, rowing, canoeing, racing, skiing, mountaineering, climbing. Also you can play different games outside the home such as football/soccer, handball, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, basket-ball, baseball, water-polo, golf, badminton, bowling, judo, fencing, boxing and taking part in competitions. Other outdoor activities which are also important include gardening, fishing, traveling (e.g. visiting the country-side/the seaside/museums/art exhibitions/historical buildings), walking, driving a car, car maintenance, visiting a choir, watching outdoor sports, betting on matches or races.

A real hobby is usually defined as something creative and individual, sometimes even as something obsessive, unusual or eccentric. Even if one's hobby does not solely consist of the study of particular subjects, a real hobbyist wants to learn more about his chosen subject and its history, so that he can become a real expert at it.