Hobbies

Hobbies are activities people do for pleasure or relaxation during their free time. Knowing hobby vocabulary helps you describe interests, make small talk in interviews or networking events, and read or write about leisure activities in workplace contexts.

• Hobbies are usually nouns (e.g., gardening, painting) or verb phrases (e.g., to play tennis).
• Different verbs commonly collocate with hobbies: play, do, go + -ing, take up, and enjoy.
• Use hobby vocabulary to talk about frequency, skill level, and reasons for interest.

Different verbs pair naturally with certain hobbies. Use the right verb to sound natural and clear.

• Use 'play' for most musical instruments and many sports: play the piano, play tennis.
• Use 'do' for activities without instruments: do yoga, do martial arts.
• Use 'go' + -ing for outdoor or activity forms: go running, go hiking, go swimming.
• Use 'take up' to say you started a hobby: She took up painting last year.
• Use 'enjoy' or 'like' to express preference: I enjoy cooking.

Remember: choose the verb that usually collocates with the hobby.

Learners often make predictable mistakes when talking about hobbies. Watch out for these universal errors:

• Using the wrong verb: say 'do yoga' (not 'play yoga'), 'play the piano' (not 'do the piano').
• Forgetting -ing after 'go': say 'go swimming', not 'go swim'.
• Incorrect article use: hobbies often have no article (She likes painting, not She likes the painting).
• Mixing gerund and infinitive incorrectly: use gerund after 'enjoy' (enjoy painting), not infinitive.
• Tense and start expressions: use 'take up' (present/past) or 'start' to describe beginning a hobby correctly.

Check verb collocations and verb forms (gerund vs infinitive) when you speak or write.