race, competition, contest and game

[Aleaf]

Hello everyone.

Today when i translated some chinese into english. I bumped into a word in chinese we call it BISAI but when i looked it up in the dictionary there were race, competition and contest in the dictionary.
What is the differences among these three words?
May i say a spoken english competition or race? Last time when i said i would take part in an oral english competition he got confused. But when i said i would take part in an oral english contest he understood.
chess competition or contest? running race or contest or competition?
the Olympic Games and Olympic games event. why not race or competition?

aleaf
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Try to change youself before you try to change others.

[Jamie (K)]

"Contest" and "competition" mean almost the same thing, except that when "competition" is used as an uncountable noun, it means competition in general, and not one particular occasion when people are competing.

A "race" is a type of contest (competition) in which people try to see who can do something the fastest -- running, driving cars, preparing a meal, sculpting something from ice, etc.

[Aleaf]

[Jamie (K)]

Aleaf, I think that when you told the native speaker that you were taking part in an oral English competition, and he didn't understand, either there was a problem with your accent, or perhaps the native speaker was a dimwit. "Oral English competition" is a perfectly good, understandable English phrase.

You can have a chess competition or contest. It's usually competition, but contest is possible.

Not everything at the Olympics is a race. The gymnasts or judoists aren't competing to see who can finish the fastest. Basketball, soccer, and especially baseball, are not a races. They're about accumulating points, not about finishing soonest.

[Aleaf]

Jamie:
Thanks for your explanation. ^^
aleaf -
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Try to change youself before you try to change others.