by Jacqueline Schaalje

There was a row in the tennis world when star player and current number 1 in the world Novak Djokovic said he believed that men players should be awarded more prize money than women players. “I think that our men’s tennis world […] should fight for more because the stats are showing that we have much more spectators on the men’s tennis matches. I think that’s one of the reasons why maybe we should get awarded more.”

Of course a few other tennis players didn’t quite agree with this nonsense. Later Novak issued an apology, and he declared he is for equality in the sport. Read the full article here. 

Ouch.

Note Novak’s mistake? What should he have said instead of much more spectators? Answer underneath this page.

But what did Novak mean with get awarded?

Word to the Wise: award

Award can be both verb and noun.

award (verb) [pronounce aword] – to give to someone as a sign that they did something special

award (noun) – a prize given for a special deed

Here are some examples of how you can use award:

All students who finish the course successfully will be awarded a certificate.

He was awarded a prize for the best essay.

The judge awarded the complainant damages of 1.5 million USD in local currency.

The only award I ever got in my life was for the funniest costume in the school ball.

An Oscar is a prestigious award for an achievement in movies.

Question

By the way, do you know what the difference is between reward and award?

Like award, reward can be used as verb or noun.

There are three differences.

1 When a gift of money is involved, reward is used rather than award.

Examples:

Our neighbours are offering a reward of 50 pounds to whomever will return their cat that has gone missing since Friday.

Your reward for being a loyal client of our business is a free trip.

2 Reward can also be used as a gift or consequence for something bad, not only good things.

Example:

John never went to the dentist and bad teeth are his reward.

Some people think terrorism is the reward of poverty and neglect of minorities.

3 And finally, reward can also mean compensation.

Examples:

Do you find any reward in your work?

The financial reward for this job is low.

Virtue is its own reward.

Only one kiss, is that my reward for all the help I’ve given you?

Answer to the question about Novak’s grammar glitch:

Instead of much more spectators he should have said: many more, because spectators are plural (= more than one).