Here’s a photoset designed to elicit third conditional sentences expressing regrets. Each photo shows a non-ideal situation which may now be regretted. Remind your students of the form, ie., wish with past perfect – I wish I had gone to bed earlier, I wish I hadn’t drunk so much wine last night. Then show each […]
Dictation activities are a simple but powerful tool for developing listening skills, improving spelling, and helping students notice grammatical forms in context. When used creatively, they can go far beyond the traditional “listen and write” approach. Whether you want to warm up a lesson, reinforce a grammar point, or focus on fluency and accuracy, these […]
Some days it’s just too hot to stay indoors. If you have access to a nearby patch of ground, why not take your students outside? A change of scenery can do wonders for engagement and creativity. Here are ten outdoor activities that require little or no preparation. (See also: Spring and Summer Activities.) Scavenger hunt […]
A page where I gather funny English video clips to bring some jollity to the classroom. One way to use videos like these is to divide the class into small groups and show each group a different video. Then have individuals form new groups with their counterparts who saw different videos. Students then tell each other […]
These present continuous video activities are a fun and focused way to practise describing what’s happening right now. They work well as speaking, listening, or integrated skills tasks, and are especially useful for revising vocabulary and practising subject-verb agreement in context. How It Works Put students into pairs. One student faces the screen and watches […]
Collaborative crosswords, also known as half-crosswords, are an engaging pair-work speaking activity that challenges students to give clues to their partner to help them complete their half crossword. This exercise improves confidence, builds vocabulary, and increases fluency as students find synonyms and get creative in their communication. Collaborative Crosswords and Vocabulary Picture Matching Sheets Now […]
The aim of this activity is to use minimal pairs to draw the attention of learners to problems they may have distinguishing and reproducing similar consonant and vowel sounds. Online Minimal Pairs Game Visit our partner site for an online minimal pairs activity. Minimal pairs are pairs of words that differ in only one phonological […]
Writing is an area of English teaching which is often neglected. However, it is a vital skill to practise and a fantastic way to observe students’ progress and identify their areas of weakness. Doing writing exercises in class can feel like a waste of good speaking time. Students can write anywhere, but the classroom is […]
Show and Tell is one of those great activities that motors along under its own steam without needing much direction from the teacher. I really enjoy being able to sit back and listen to the students’ stories, jumping in when there are difficulties or adding appropriate vocabulary. If there are grammar points which need addressing […]
Who lives in a house like this? is based on an old BBC TV show Through The Keyhole where the host walks around a celebrity’s house trying to establish their identity from his or her interior design choices. You can do this activity with a laptop and a projector or a smart screen. Or you […]
