I.
noun
1 activity done for fun
ADJECTIVE
▪ outdoor
▪ creative , imaginative , pretend
PLAY + NOUN
▪ area
▪ equipment
▪ house (usually playhouse )
▪ room (usually playroom )
▪ group (usually playgroup in BrE ) , scheme ( BrE )
▪
The local council runs some good ~ schemes.
PREPOSITION
▪ at ~
▪
Children spend hours at ~.
▪ in ~
▪
I only said it in ~ (= not seriously) .
2 drama
ADJECTIVE
▪ one-act
▪ stage
▪ radio , television
▪ musical
▪ miracle , morality , mystery , nativity ( esp. BrE ), passion
▪
The children always perform a nativity ~ every Christmas.
▪ school
VERB + PLAY
▪ review
▪
The ~ is reviewed in most of today's papers.
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ about
▪
a ~ about teenage runaways
3 in sports
ADJECTIVE
▪ excellent , good
▪ bad , poor
▪ fair
▪ dangerous , dirty , foul , rough , violent
▪
He was sent off for foul ~.
VERB + PLAY
▪ stop
▪
Rain stopped ~ 40 minutes into the match.
PREPOSITION
▪ in ~
▪
The ball is still in ~.
▪ out of ~
▪
He kicked the ball out of ~.
PHRASES
▪ at close of ~ , at start of ~ (in cricket)
▪
At close of ~ he had scored 38 not out.
4 ( AmE ) an action or move in a game
ADJECTIVE
▪ big
▪
A double ~ ended the inning and the Red Sox were up.
▪ final
▪
the final ~ of the first half
▪ defensive , offensive (both in American football)
▪ running (in American football)
▪ double , triple (both in baseball)
▪
There were ten double ~s completed.
VERB + PLAY
▪ execute , make , run (in American football)
▪
the team's ability to execute a ~
▪
He made several nice defensive ~s.
▪
They ran 10 ~s inside the 30 in the fourth quarter.
▪ call (in American football)
▪
The offensive coordinator has called 60 running ~s and 44 passes.
II.
verb
1 of children
VERB + PLAY
▪ let sb
▪
The other children wouldn't let him ~.
PREPOSITION
▪ at ( BrE )
▪
Let's ~ at pirates!
▪ with
▪
The little girl was ~ing with her toys.
2 game/sport
ADVERB
▪ brilliantly , superbly , well
▪ badly , poorly
VERB + PLAY
▪ learn to
▪ teach sb to
▪ be difficult to , be easy to
▪ see sb , watch sb
PREPOSITION
▪ against
▪
These guys make the team very difficult to ~ against.
▪ at
▪
I've never ~ed John at tennis.
▪ for
▪
He ~s for the Chicago Bears.
▪ in
▪
She has ~ed in every game this season.
▪ with
▪
She was ~ing cards with her mother.
3 music
ADVERB
▪ beautifully , brilliantly , excellently , superbly , well
▪ badly
▪ together
▪ live
▪
The band will be ~ing live in the studio.
VERB + PLAY
▪ learn to
▪
I'm learning to ~ sax.
▪ teach sb to
▪ be easy to , be difficult to
▪
a piece that is relatively easy to ~
▪ hear sb
▪
Have you ever heard her ~?
Play is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑ actor, actress , ↑ athlete , ↑ band , ↑ footballer , ↑ fountain , ↑ golfer , ↑ music , ↑ musician , ↑ orchestra , ↑ radio , ↑ side , ↑ song , ↑ station , ↑ team
Play is used with these nouns as the object: ↑ ball , ↑ bar , ↑ baseball , ↑ basketball , ↑ blues , ↑ bridge , ↑ card , ↑ cassette , ↑ CD , ↑ character , ↑ chess , ↑ chord , ↑ circuit , ↑ clip , ↑ comedy , ↑ composition , ↑ concert , ↑ concerto , ↑ cricket , ↑ defence , ↑ dice , ↑ disc , ↑ drum , ↑ DVD , ↑ encore , ↑ excerpt , ↑ fanfare , ↑ festival , ↑ fixture , ↑ football , ↑ game , ↑ gig , ↑ golf , ↑ hand , ↑ havoc , ↑ hero , ↑ hockey , ↑ host , ↑ house , ↑ hunch , ↑ hymn , ↑ instrument , ↑ jazz , ↑ joke , ↑ lead , ↑ lottery , ↑ march , ↑ market , ↑ martyr , ↑ match , ↑ measure , ↑ melody , ↑ move , ↑ movement , ↑ movie , ↑ music , ↑ note , ↑ part , ↑ pass , ↑ passage , ↑ piece , ↑ politics , ↑ pop , ↑ position , ↑ rally , ↑ recital , ↑ record , ↑ recording , ↑ repertoire , ↑ role , ↑ round , ↑ rugby , ↑ run , ↑ scale , ↑ scene , ↑ score , ↑ selection , ↑ set , ↑ single , ↑ snooker , ↑ soccer , ↑ soldier , ↑ solo , ↑ song , ↑ sport , ↑ stroke , ↑ symphony , ↑ system , ↑ tackle , ↑ tape , ↑ team , ↑ tennis , ↑ tournament , ↑ track , ↑ trick , ↑ truant , ↑ tune , ↑ venue , ↑ video , ↑ villain , ↑ waltz , ↑ work