Fun grammar activities

FUN GRAMMAR ACTIVITIES

1. DICTATION a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h)

Dictation True /false prediction individually for teacher Comparison with partner Feedback Personalisation Comparison with partner Language analysis Language manipulation – question formation

Example On Saturday evenings I usually stay in I often borrow things and forget to bring them back If it is a nice day I often head for the beach I always put on some music when I get home I don’t like cooking so I tend to eat out I look after my neighbour’s cat when they are away Language analysis – 3 types of phrasal verbs Stay in) intransitive Eat out)

give back) put on )

transitive separarable

head for ) intransitive look after) prepositional

2. TRANSLATION FOR MONOLINGUAL CLASS Write sentence on the board get students to translate and reformulate target language and then state what the target language is and highlight the form

Example By 2012 Stratford will have been redeveloped for the Olympic Games = future perfect

1

3. TRANSLATION LISTENING FOR LOW LEVEL MONOLINGUAL CLASS Record someone in their native tongue then play the listening to the class eliciting vocabulary and reformulating it on the whiteboard using target language

Example Village description / there is / there are 4. DICTAGLOSS a) b) c) d) e)

Dictate paragraph at natural speed get students to write down key words Dictate again get students to write longer sentences Dictate again get students to work in groups and reconstruct the text Give feedback in errors and compare texts to the original; Get students to write their own personal text

5. SKELETON TEXT Give out full text or skeleton text for students to personalize.

Example ‘’I have’’ by Rhys Burton I have seen I have heard I have touched I have smelled I have tasted I have done I have remembered It’s high time you________ It’s high time you________ It’s high time you________ _____________________keeps saying Thanks for the advice ________________it’s my life But please_____________

2

6. GAP FILL WITH CHOICES FOR MODALS OF OBLIGATION

Example Decide if the following refers to the job of a teacher or an aeroplane pilot A/an ___________ has to wear a uniform A/an ___________ don't usually have to work 2 days in a row etc.

Must/ has to / should/ doesn’t usually

7. CONSCIOUSNESS RAISING TASK Write questions for students to discuss using target language, then they compare with their own countries.

Example In Britain a) You have to vote at 18 b) You don’t have to marry until you are 16 c) You can buy cigarettes once you turn 16 d) You shouldn’t smoke e) You can’t buy a pet yourself until you are 12 f) You can drive when you are 17 but you need a licence g) You should see a dentist regularly h) You have to start work when you leave home

3

8. JUMBLED TEXTS Mix up lines from 2 texts and get students to arrange them separately in order

Example 2 biographies of famous people (one dead, one still alive) using past simple and past perfect See Madonna / Elvis appendix.

9. MEMORABLE DATES 1) 2) 3) 4)

Write on board memorable dates in your life Get students to predict why they are important to you Elicit answers and reformulate and board Students write own dates and personalise

Example 1969 I was born 1988 I left home 1991 I started university 2001 I started teaching Regular and irregular past tense verbs 10.

SENTENCE PICTIONARY 1) 2) 3) 4)

Split class in to groups Show a sentence to one person from each group They go back to their group and draw a picture of it Students guess the sentence and reconstruct it

Example My uncle has been travelling around the world Vocabulary for family and present perfect continuous

4

11.

CONSCIOUSNESS RAISING TASK – NAME THE PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE

Either put the pictures on an OHT or give to the student and either dictate the statements or get the students to read them depending on the focus of the task. Students should be trying to identify countable/uncountable nouns and the difference between a/an and the zero article.

SUMMARY When considering your grammar activities Scott Thornbury considers the factors below to be the most important:E FACTOR A FACTOR G FACTOR

EFFICIENCY, ECONOMY, EFFICACY APPROPRIACY GENERALISABLITY

BIBLIOGRAPHY How to teach grammar S Thornbury (Pearson) Uncovering grammar S Thornbury (MacMillan) Teaching grammar creatively G Gerngoss? H Puchta, S Thornbury (Helbing Languages)

5