Teaching Grammar point

Need help with a grammar rule, or maybe just a reminder? Choose a grammar point below for form, meaning, pronunciation, examples and teaching ideas.

a
Articles

b
Be Used To

c
Causative Have
Comparatives / Superlatives

f
Few and Little
First Conditional
Future Continuous
Future Perfect

g
Get Used To

h
Have and Have Got

i
Indirect Questions
Intensive Pronouns

l
Lend and Borrow

p
Passive
Past Continuous
Past Perfect Continuous
Past Perfect Simple
Past Simple
Present Continuous
Present Perfect Continuous
Present Perfect Simple
Present Simple

q
Questions

r
Reflexive Pronouns
Reported Questions
Reported Speech
Reporting Verbs

s
Say and Tell
Second Conditional
Small and Little
So and Such

t
Tag Questions
Third Conditional
Too and Enough

u
Used to

w
Will and Going to
Wish

z
Zero Conditional

Looking for grammar worksheets for your classes instead? Try these worksheets and activities.
New - Grammar tips blog

Writing – Story grids

This is an activity that requires minimal preparation and can be used as a filler, as written practice of a particular grammatical structure, or to practise writing in different genres.

Procedure

1. Start with a simple grid like the one linked to at the bottom of this page.
2. Divide your students into groups of 2 or 3 and tell them that something terrible (or exciting/fantastic/embarrassing etc, depending on your students, the mood, and so on…) happened to you yesterday.
3. Tell your students that you are going to give them several clues as to what happened. At this point think of three or four vocabulary items that were involved in your story. These can be anything (a light bulb, a cup of tea, your grandmother, a dog, an adjective like “shocked” or “afraid”) – choose your items according to the type of thing you said happened to you and the level of your students.
4. Ask your students to draw a representation of each of these vocabulary items in one of the squares of their grid. So, for example, if one of the items was “a dog”, they should draw a dog in a square of their choosing, and so on.
5. In their groups, students must now construct their idea of what happened to you, writing just one word in each square of the grid. The vocabulary items that they have drawn in particular squares must fit in to their sentences accordingly, in a grammatically correct way.
6. Monitor carefully and stop the activity when all or the majority of groups have completed the grid.
7. Have several (or all, depending on the time you have) groups read out their stories to the class.
8. Finish by giving them the “real” story. You don’t need to have done this in a grid in the same way, but your students will be curious to know what really happened with a dog and a light bulb. If the story is true and really did happen to you, so much the better of course.
9. You can, if you choose, collect in the grids and correct them ready for the next class.

What do they get out of it?

Besides involving very little preparation, this activity:

• is quite demanding – students need to plan carefully what they are going to write.
• is a creative, group collaborative writing activity – most writing that we ask students to do is individual, private writing. Collaborative writing can be a fun, refreshing change and gives you the opportunity to bring the writing skill into the lesson, rather than relegate it to a homework activity as is too often the case.
• develops writing fluency and provides potential for using a range of language.
• has various possibilities to vary the task, as we’ll see below.

Variations

One possible variation is to restrict the activity to practise a particular grammatical structure. You could do this by substituting the pictures of vocabulary items for past tense verbs, or modal verbs, or whatever you choose. This may also involve changing the time that the story occurred (or will occur, or might occur…)
Another thing you can change is the genre. You could, for example, divide the grid into sections which represent paragraphs of different lengths, and have your students write a letter rather than a story, perhaps to practise following a format which you have previously worked on together.
Here’s the link to the basic story grid.
And here’s what it might look like when completed (you’ll need to imagine the pictures in the grey squares – the four vocabulary items in this case might have been “cat”, “cup of tea”, “shocked” and “my mother”):

Yesterday	morning	I	was	drinking	a
lovely	hot		in	a	quiet
pavement	cafe	when	suddenly	from	nowhere
a	small		came	to	the
foot	of	my	table	and	scratched
my	leg.	I	cried	out	in
pain	because	its	claws	were	a
little	sharp.	The	owner	of	the
cafe	came	to	see	what	was
happening.	When	he	saw	the	cat
he	looked	extremely		and	his
face	turned	white.	“What’s	the	matter?”
I	asked	him.	“Yesterday	I	gave
that	cat	to		who	lives
over	100	miles	away!”	he	replied.

101 Conversation Starters

(Also see How to Start a Conversation)

Ice Breakers

Where did you grow up?

Do you have any pets?

Do you have any siblings?

Do you know what your your name means?

What type of phone do you have?

What did you do this past weekend?

What are your plans for this weekend?

What do you like to do in your spare time?

What is the first thing you do when you wake up?

What is the last thing you do before you go to sleep?

What is your middle name?

What was the last thing you purchased?

What is your favorite holiday?

What is your favorite day of the week?

If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be?

What do you like to do to relax?

Are you a saver or a spender?

Do you play any instruments?

Childhood Questions

What was your favorite children's book?

What is your first childhood memory?

What type of kid were you (e.g. spoiled, rebellious, well-behaved, quiet, obnoxious...)?

What is one thing you miss about being a kid?

What did you want to grow up to be when you were younger?

School/Work Topics

Where did (do) you go to school?

What was (is) your favorite subject?

What was (is) your least favorite subject?

What's the first thing you do after school/work?

Were you the class clown or teacher's pet?

What do you do for a living?

What is your dream job?

If you had $10 million, would you still be working/going to school?

What was your least favorite job that you've ever had?

What is something that you have gotten in trouble for at school/work?

Relationship Questions

What is the first think you notice about a guy or girl?

Have you ever been in love?

Do you believe in soul mates?

What are your turn offs?

Do you believe in love at first sight?

Do you prefer short hair or long hair on a guy/girl?

What do you look for in a guy/girl?

Who was the last person you called?

Would you rather be rich and never find true love or be poor and find true love?

Sports Conversation Starters

Who is your favorite athlete?

How often do you exercise?

What is your favorite sports team?

Do you play any sports?

Vacation Questions

Where was the last place you went on vacation?

Where do you plan on going for your next vacation?

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

What countries have you traveled to?

What was your worst vacation experience?

Food/Drink Topics

What is your favorite drink?

What is your favorite food?

What is your favorite meal of the day?

Are there any foods that you dislike or will not eat?

Are there any foods that you would like to try?

What is your favorite restaurant?

What is your favorite pizza topping?

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

What did you have for dinner last night?

What is the signature dish that you cook?

Entertainment Topics

Who is your favorite actor?

What is your favorite movie of all time?

What was the worst movie you've ever seen?

What is your favorite TV show?

What was the last movie you've seen?

What type of music do you like to listen to?

Who is your favorite music artist?

What was the last book you read?

Personal Questions

Who do you look up to?

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

What are you scared of?

What is the best piece of advice you've received?

What do your parents do for a living?

What is your biggest regret?

What is your most embarrassing moment?

What is the craziest thing you've ever done?

What are some of your short-term goals?

What are some of your long-term goals?

Misc. Conversation Starters

Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?

Tell me about your first car.

Do you drink coffee or tea?

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

If you were stranded on a deserted island and you could have only 1 item, what would it be?

Do you believe in luck?

Do you play video games?

Do you believe people are inherently good?

How often do you shower?

What is your favorite board game?

What is your favorite charity?

Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket?

Do you prefer cats or dogs?

Would you prefer to live in the city or a rural area?

What is your favorite season?

Do you speak any other languages?

Have you ever cried because you were so happy?

What is the best thing that happened to you during the past week?

What is the worst thing that happened to you during the past week?

Do you sing in the shower?

What is the most valuable thing that you own?

What would you do if you only had 24 hours left to live?

Total Physical Response (TPR) is a method that was developed by James Asher in the late 1960s, with the goal of helping students acquire a second language.

The main assumption is that a second language can be learned in the same way as the first – through the same natural processes. So, TPR tries to mimic these processes by requiring students to respond to commands, which in turn require physical movements. Naturally, this method was embraced by ESL teachers back then, but it is still quite popular today, particularly when teaching children or beginners.
The advantages:
ESL activities with TPR are tremendous fun for students, even for grown ups once they become less self-conscious. But it is precisely because children are less self-conscious about moving their bodies around the classroom, that these activities are excellent ways to get young learners up and about. Although they require more out of teachers, physically-speaking, they require less preparation. Finally, activities with TPR are great for kinesthetic learners who need more action or hands on activities.
But does it work? Can we really maximize student learning through TPR?

Try some of these TPR activities and see for yourself!

1. 1
   Simon Says (with a spin!)
   Clearly, it’s a classic among TPR activities, one that is more commonly used to teach the parts of the body. But why not go beyond the simple, “Simon says touch your nose” and try more complex commands? Say you are teaching your students how to give directions. Clear up a space in the classroom, one your students can easily maneuver around. Your commands could be directions: “Simon says turn right, Simon says go straight ahead.” Create a mini neighborhood! Place a flashcard or picture on each of your students’ desks: a bank, a pharmacy, a shopping center, etc. Arrange the desks so they create “streets”. Students take turns giving each other directions to and from locations in their neighborhood.
   
2. 2
   Charades
   Another classic game, this one is best suited to action verbs and sports. For example, to teach sports you must first introduce each with flashcards, act out each of the sports yourself, and have students say each out loud with you. Then you divide the class into two teams. Each student must take a flashcard, picture or card with a sport written on it, and pantomime the movements involved in playing the sport so that his or her teammates can guess what it is. Encourage them to be silly or exaggerate if they have to. Teammates have to answer in complete sentences: you are playing basketball.
   
3. 3
   Songs
   Young ESL learners love to sing songs, but if you add movement or miming, they’ll enjoy them so much more. It is, in fact, difficult for most children to sing songs while sitting absolutely still. Singing and moving comes naturally to them. So, why not take advantage of this and incorporate lots of songs with movement? Here are some great songs you can use or adapt to suit your needs:
   
   1.  
      • Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush – Use the original song and have your students mime the washing of clothes, ironing, etc., or replace these actions with personal hygiene (brush our teeth, wash our hands, comb our hair, etc…)
      • Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes – A classic song used to teach kids the parts of the body.
      • Wheels on the Bus – The wheels on the bus go round and round and so should your students - go round the classroom! Have them line up and go around the classroom in a single or double file, or arrange their seats so that they resemble a bus.
   And these are but a few. ESL Kids has plenty for you to choose from.
   
4. 4
   A Stroll around the Classroom
   This activity is great for kids and adult students. You'll need several objects or props/realia - as many as you'd like to use. First, you pantomime a series of actions while you say the phrases. Then you say the phrases and ask a student to pantomime the actions. You can try this with several students and use different objects. Finally, they should do it on their own and walk around the classroom interacting with objects. Try something like this:
   
   1.  
      • You open your bag.
      • You look inside.
      • You take out a pencil case.
      • You open it.
      • You close it.
      • You put it in the bag.
      • You look at your book.
      • You open it.
      • You close it.
      • You touch your ear.
      • You find your pencil!
   
   
5. 5
   Mime Role Plays
   These are also a lot of fun for adult students! Give each student a role to act out but tell one of them that they’ve lost their voice. Tell this student what situation he or she has to act out, but don’t tell the other student what it is. For example:
   Student A – You need to find a pharmacy and you ask someone for directions. You have lost your voice, and you can’t say a word.
   Student B – You will be stopped in the street by someone who needs directions, but this person can’t speak, so you must interpret their gestures to find out where they need to go.
   

5 Fun Language Games for Students Who Like to Draw

by Susan Verner

For some people, drawing comes second nature. They have talent from the youngest of ages and can make beautiful pictures in any number of mediums. Then there are people whose drawing skills are at least entertaining if not accurate. I’m one such person. My greatest drawing accomplishment was figuring out how to draw a stick figure cow! But even though I may not have talent, I still find pleasure in putting ideas to paper via images. You have students in class like that, too. In fact, your ESL students might prefer drawing over writing at times since drawing bypasses the language center of the brain. That means they can communicate through pictures without struggling through English grammar. But drawing is good for more than putting your students at ease or letting them express themselves without words. Drawing is a great starting point for many language activities. If you have students who like to draw, try some of these language activities that get them putting lines on paper while they improve their language skills.

5 Fun Language Games for Students Who Like to Draw

1. Draw What You Hear

   One of the simplest ways to combine drawing and language is to have students draw what they hear, that is follow verbal instruction to draw a specific picture. You can say things as simple as draw a square then put a triangle on top of the square. Voila! The simplest of houses. But you can get a little more detailed than that when you give your students drawing instruction. You might give the instructions to your entire class at one time, or you might have your students give each other instructions so they can get in some speaking practice, too. If you have your students give the instructions, match them up with a partner and have them sit back to back while one person describes a picture in front of him and the other person recreates that picture from her partner’s instructions. Switch pictures and roles for round two.
   
2. 2

   Pictionary

   Pictionary is one of my go-to games for ESL classes. It is fast paced, great for practicing and testing vocabulary, and fun. To play, put several words on small slips of paper. These can be everyday objects or words you have covered in a vocabulary unit or short phrases such as brush your teeth. Divide your class into two teams and have one person come to the front board from the first team. He chooses a word or phrase from the hat and has between one and three minutes (the less time they have the more difficult it is to get the answer) to draw whatever he can to get his team to guess what the phrase is. The rest of his team can all out their guesses the whole time he draws. If they guess correctly, the team scores one point. If his team is unable to guess the phrase during the allotted time, the other team gets one guess at what it is. If they get it right, they score a point. Then the other team has a chance to go following the same rules. Play until everyone has had a chance to draw or you are out of phrases. Whichever team has the most points at the end of the game wins.
   
3. 3

   Drawing Challenge

   Picklebums has a free printable that you can use for student inspiration in your ESL class. She calls these drawing challenge cards. On each card is a phrase to inspire a simple drawing such as “draw a crazy garden” or “design an amazing roller coaster.” To do this activity as a class, simply print the set (she has eighteen drawing prompts and eight blank cards so you can create your own prompts) and have each student choose one card from the stack. You can give each person a different card or let each student choose from the entire deck and chance duplicates. Spend some time letting your students draw their picture on a blank piece of paper. And while the cards themselves are enough, you can take things a step further in the language learning department. Ask students to use the picture they have drawn as inspiration for a short story. When the stories are finished, have students put their pictures and the stories that go with them into a classroom book. Keep the book in your classroom library so your students can see each other’s pictures and read the stories inspired by them.
   
4. 4

   You Da Man

   You’ll really stretch your students’ creativity with this super simple game that requires no prep. Have students make five dots on a piece of paper. After they have drawn their dots, tell them that these dots will be part of a drawing of a person. The dots will be where the arms, legs, and head must go. Students must then draw a person in such a position that their limbs and head line up with the dots on the page. Once students have finished, put them in groups of three and have each person explain their drawing to their group members. They should say what the person is doing in the picture.
   
5. 5

   Sequencing Pictures

   Read a picture book to your class, but do not show them the pictures. It’s best to choose a book with at least as many pages as you have students in class as well as books that do not have a ton of writing on each page. Type up the text on each page, each page on its own piece of paper. Then give each person in class the text from one page of the book and ask them to illustrate on that page. Once the pictures are done, give students a copy of their page in the book and ask them to work with a partner to find differences and similarities between their page and the original illustration. Compile the illustrated pages together to make a class book and put it on display next to the original book.
   
6. 6

   Draw Something App

   If you haven’t played before, take a look at Draw Something, a fun and free app for Android and IPhone. It can encourage your students to play with their friends or in class to increase their vocabulary knowledge. The first player is given a choice of words to draw. He draws a picture to illustrate that word. The other player can then view the video of that drawing as if she were watching it live. On her screen will be blanks where she can spell out the word her partner is drawing. Players earn points for successful guesses. This game will not only entertain your students but give them an out of class activity that also increases their vocabulary knowledge.
   

Drawing is great for ESL students.

It’s a way to get their bodies involved while learning language – something your kinesthetic learners will love. So tell your class to get their pencils out and draw to their hearts’ content knowing that as they do, they’ll be learning English, too.