1.

I didnt like the film because

A. It was very spicy

2. The meal was nice but


B. Its too complicated

3. Karens party was


C. Hes popular with the other
students

4. I dont like David


D. Humid

5. I dont understand this
exercise


E. Very luxurious

6. The songs on this CD are


F. Good fun

7. The rooms in the hotel were


G. It was a bit scary

8. The weather in Hong Kong is
often


H. Really catchy










Susan Marsh - Student A
Hello. My name is Susan and I'm a teacher at the _____________ School. I started
working there four years ago and I have been the sports teacher there for
_____________. I'm 28 years old and married with _____ children. My husband's name
is David and he's a __________. He has worked in the library in the centre of the town
for about six years.
At the moment, my husband is reading in ___________ and my two children are
playing on the computer in their bedroom. Darren, my son, is nine and Michelle, my
daughter is six. They both go to the same school where I teach. Next year, Darren
______________________ which is in the next town.
I'm very happy at the moment because yesterday we bought ___________________.
Were going to Lisbon. We went there last year with ____________ for three weeks.
We are leaving at the beginning of ________ and staying there for two weeks. If the
weather is bad, we ____________ and go to the marvellous restaurants there.
We try to go on holiday at least three times a year if it is possible. My husband
________________ so we always go by train. I prefer it too because it is cheaper. We
have been to ________ by train and even went to India by train 5 years ago when the
children were very young. My favourite country is _______ and we have been there
maybe ten times.
My favourite holiday was ____________ ago when we visited my uncle in Australia. The
weather was hot and sunny. We could only stay for _____ days which was a pity. Next
year, I want to visit my nephew in Switzerland.







Susan Marsh - Student B
Hello. My name is Susan and I'm a teacher at the Two Rivers Primary School. I started
working there __________ ago and I have been the sports teacher there for nearly two
years. I'm _____ years old and married with two children. My husband's name is
_______ and he's a librarian. He has worked in the library in the centre of the town for
_______ years.
At the moment, my husband is reading in the garden and my two children are playing
on the computer in ______________. Darren, my son, is nine and Michelle, my
daughter is six. They both go to the same school where I teach. Next year, Darren will
go to the secondary school which is in ______________.
I'm very happy at the moment because yesterday we bought our holiday for the
summer. Were going to ________. We went there last year with my sister for
_____________. We are leaving at the beginning of August and staying there for
__________. If the weather is bad, we will go shopping and go to the marvellous
restaurants there.
We try to go on holiday at least _________ times a year if it is possible. My husband
doesnt like flying so we always go by train. I prefer it too because ______________.
We have been to Russia by train and even went to India by train _______ years ago
when the children were very young. My favourite country is Spain and we have been
there maybe _____ times.
My favourite holiday was four years ago when we visited my uncle in ___________. The
weather was hot and sunny. We could only stay for 12 days which was a pity. Next
year, I want to visit my __________ in Switzerland.









Advice Mingle Activity
Give two or three to each student.
The type of dialogue you should be aiming for is as follows:
A: Hello Davide, can you give me some advice? My cat is very fat.
B: Oh, I think you should put it on a diet. I also have a problem. My hair is too dry.
What should I do?
A: You should change your shampoo. And I think you should ask your hairdresser for
advice.
B: OK, thank you. Bye.
Afterwards, have some feedback on who gave the best advice to different problems.
My ex-girlfriend invited me to
the cinema for tomorrow
night.
My boss doesn't want to give
me a pay rise.









I haven't studied for my
exam next week.
I want to improve my English
conversation.
I want to go to the best
restaurant in town.
I lost my best friend's
telephone.
I need to find $50 by tonight.
It's my mother's birthday
tomorrow and I don't know
what gift to get.
I can't sleep very well at
night.
I feel tired all day.
I have terrible backache.
There's nothing on TV
tonight.
My computer doesn't work
anymore.
When our teacher speaks, I
don't understand very well.
I am too intelligent for this
class.
My bedroom is very cold at
night.
True or false?
Organise the class into two teams. A member of Team A takes a card, and secretly writes T or
F on that card. If T, then the student gives a true account; if F, a made up one. Team B guess if
the story is true or false. If they are wrong, Team A get a point. Then a member of Team B
takes a card, and so on. If the class is too big for everybody to have a turn at speaking, perhaps
divide it up into two or more sub-groups.



Tell the class what you did yesterday
evening.




Tell the class how you spent your last
summer holiday.


Tell the class about an accident you
had.





Tell the class about your great-
grandfather.


Tell the class about a memorable
journey you made.




Tell the class about something strange
that happened to you.


Tell the class about a famous person
you met.




Tell the class about your first school.


Tell the class about your apartment.





Tell the class about a public
performance you did.


Tell the class about a time when you
spoke English on the phone.




Tell the class about your ambitions for
the future.


Shopping
Put students into pairs to take turns to ask and answer the questions. Encourage pairs to
discuss the questions rather that giving brief yes/no answers. When pairs have finished,
perhaps have a whole-class discussion on some of the topics..

$
STUDENT A

Ask a partner what they think and answer your partners questions.
Dont forget to ask What about you? when you answer their
questions.

1. Do you enjoy shopping? Why / Why not?

2. Do you prefer shopping on your own or with someone? Why?

3. Do you ever watch TV shopping channels?
Have you ever bought anything from them?

4. Do you every buy clothes and then not wear them?
Do you often make shopping mistakes?

5. Has shopping changed much in your country in the last ten years? How?

6. Do you have an eye for a bargain? Are you a good bargain hunter?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - -

$
STUDENT B

Ask a partner what they think and answer your partners questions.
Dont forget to ask What about you? when you answer their
questions.

1. Do you like shopping in the sales?
Why/ why not?

2. Do you ever buy things from the internet or from catalogues?
What do you buy?

3. Do you ever argue about the price with the shop keeper?
What kind of things can you haggle for when you are shopping?

4. Are labels or brand names important for you when you are shopping?
Is price or quality more important for you?

5. Do you think that English / American people go shopping more often than
in your own country?

6. Do you ever buy things second hand? If so, what kind of things do you buy?

ELTgames.com 2007


Travel
Put students into pairs, give each their respective handout, and get them to take turns asking
and answering the questions. Encourage pairs to discuss the questions rather that giving brief
yes/no answers. When pairs have finished, perhaps have a whole-class discussion on some of
the topics.

STUDENT A .

Ask a partner what they think and answer your partners questions.
Dont forget to ask What about you? when you answer their questions.

1. If you found a good job where you often had to fly to the USA, would you take
it?

2. How long does it take you to get to work ? How do you get there?

3. Whats the worst journey you can remember? Tell me about it.

4. Do you think your city has any transport problems?

5. If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?





STUDENT B .

Ask a partner what they think and answer your partners questions.
Dont forget to ask What about you? when you answer their questions.

1. Do you ever had to travel for work? If so, when? How is it?

2. If you had to go to the capital on business, would you prefer to travel by air or
by rail?

3. What is the longest journey you have ever had? Tell me about it.

4. What form of transport do you use most often? Why?

5. If you could travel to anywhere in this country, where would you go and why?





Dont say the word! (Pre-intermediate)
Copy and cut up one set of cards. Divide the class into two teams. Bring one member of the
first team to the front of the class. They have to try to define the word in capitals at the top of
the card without using any of the words written on the card. Dont allow translation or hand
gestures. Allow a minute for the first student, then bring a students from the second team to
the front. Continue until you run out of cards, then get the teams to make their own cards for a
second round of the game, using recently learned words.

ELEPHANT
nose
grey
Africa
TEACHER
school
teach
student
BIG
large
small
enormous
YELLOW
colour
sun
banana
TODAY
yesterday
tomorrow
now
WEEK
seven
day
month
HOT
cold
temperature
sun
HAPPY
sad
laugh
smile
YES
no
agree
positive
PLEASE
help
thank you
polite
GOODBYE
go
leave
say
CAR
wheel
drive
travel
DOCTOR
sick
hospital
help
HOTEL
sleep
holiday
bed
SWIM
sea
water
fish
BANANA
eat
yellow
monkey
HORSE
animal
ride
four
HEAD
body
face
top
















Dont say the word! 2 (Intermediate)
Copy and cut up one set of cards. Divide the class into two teams. Bring one member of the
first team to the front of the class. They have to try to define the word in capitals at the top of
the card without using any of the words written on the card. Dont allow translation or hand
gestures. Allow a minute for the first student, then bring a students from the second team to
the front. Continue until you run out of cards, then get the teams to make their own cards for a
second round of the game, using recently learned words.

SKIN
cover
body
protection
ENCYCLOPAEDIA
book
information
reference
PARTY
celebrate
birthday
champagne
ROMAN
civilisation
ancient
Rome
COMEDY
funny
laugh
joke
ARMY
military
uniform
soldier
BODYGUARD
protect
famous
strong
MOUSE
computer
cat
animal
SOFA
sit
furniture
sitting room
PARENT
mother
father
family
CLEAN
dirty
wash
shower
ISLAND
sea
Sicily
land
COFFEE
drink
expresso
cup
BICYCLE
wheel
ride
transport
FLY
bird
airplane
wings
BABY
child
cry
infant
KEY
lock
door
open
SHOULDER
body
arm
neck











Whats the right question?
Cut up the cards and put them face down. Divide the class into two teams. One student from
Team A comes to the front of the class and takes a card. This student has one minute to ask a
(grammatically accurate) question to their team, to get the answer of the word or phrase on the
card. If the team answers correctly, using exactlythe words printed on the card, the team wins
a point and the student can take another card, until the minute is up. Change teams and
repeat.


The day before
yesterday.

No thanks.

No, I cant.

Next week.

New York.


Yes, you have.

Twelve.

Lemons.

Fine, thanks.


No, I wouldnt.

Your
grandfather.

This morning.

Last year.


Of course I do!

In bed.

Over there.

Carrots.


No, never.

Not very often.

No, I wont.

Tuesday.


On your right.

Yes, they do.

A rabbit.

Since last week.


For ages.

At school.

Yes, I would.

Fifty-two.


In the summer.

Elvis Presley.

Australia.





Making comparisons
Put students into pairs or small groups. Give each pair a set of cards face down. Students take
it in turns to make comparative statements about the items on their cards. Encourage groups
to discuss the topics together, agreeing and disagreeing, rather than just making short
statements.


emails
letters


cats
dogs


jazz
pop music


cars
bikes


spring
autumn


holidays by the sea
holidays in the city


being a student
working


football
basketball


living in the city
living in the country


watching TV
reading a book


your language
English


taking a plane
taking a train


fast food
eating in restaurants


baths
showers


tea
coffee


New York
London


large supermarkets
small shops


bread
rice


cinema
theatre


public transport
your own car


writing text messages
making phone calls















Hotel problems
Cut up the cards. Tell students that they are in a hotel but they have lost their voice. Students
are given a card and have to pretend that they are at a hotel reception desk, They need to
mime the things they need, while the class tries to guess what it is.

There are no towels in my hotel
room. Im in room 15.

Id like a wake up call at 6.30 am
tomorrow.


Theres a mouse in my bathroom.

I asked for a double room but this key
is for a single room.
All the lights on the third floor of
the hotel have gone out.
I dropped a bottle of wine on my
hotel room floor and I need someone to
come and clean it for me.
The heating doesnt work in my room
and its freezing!
The lift doesnt work and Im on the
tenth floor. I dont want to carry my
suitcases up all those stairs.
Id like a taxi for nine oclock
tomorrow morning.
I want to know what time breakfast
is served in this hotel and where.
I ordered a drink and a sandwich
from room service an hour ago and it
still hasnt arrived.
Id like to know the name of a good
restaurant near the hotel.
I went to the room you told me to,
but the key doesnt fit the lock.

Ive locked myself out of my hotel
room.

The man in the room next to
mine has his TV on very loudly and
I want to go to sleep.
The air conditioning has stopped
working in my room. Its so hot!
Theres a horrible smell
coming from under the bed in
my room.
Theres no remote control for the
TV in my hotel room.




At the airport
Cut up the cards. Tell students that they are in at the airport but they have lost their voice.
Students are given a card and have to pretend that they are at the information desk. They
need to mime their problems, while the class tries to guess what it is.

I dont know which boarding
gate to go to.
I want to know how much
my luggage weighs.
Someone has stolen
my passport.
I want to know what time the
flight from New York arrives.
Ive lost my mobile and I need
to use a public phone.
Id like to rent a car but I dont know
where to go in the airport.
Ive just arrived from Australia,
but my luggage hasnt arrived in the
baggage hall.
My friend has just gone through to
departures, but I have his important
medicine in my bag. He really needs this
medicine.
I need to take a taxi
to the city centre.
I need to borrow a wheel chair
for my great grandfather.
Ive just found a three year old girl
alone in the departure lounge.
My coat has got stuck on
the luggage carousel.
Ive just realised that I left my
computer on the plane.
Theres a large dog in
the arrivals hall.
I want to get something to eat
before I take off.
I need to change
some money.
Im meeting my six year old nephew
but he hasnt arrived yet. He should
have arrived an hour ago.
Someone has spilt a large bottle of
oil
on the floor of the departure lounge.









Half a crossword Jobs
Put students into pairs. Students take turns to define a word from their crossword so their
partners can add the word to their versions of the puzzle. Make sure that students understand
that they should not look at each others crosswords or say the words written in the
crosswords.
STUDENT A

1
D

2
M U S I C I A N
N
3

4
C
5


6
E
R

7
B
8

9
T E A C H E R
N
K
E
10
R
11
D O C T O R

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - -
STUDENT B

1


2


3
P
4
S
5
A
I
6
E N G I N E E R
L N C
O
7
G H
8
F
9
T E I A
R T R
E M
C E
10
N U R S E
11
T R






Half a crossword The Family
Put students into pairs. Students take turns to define a word from their crossword so their
partners can add the word to their versions of the puzzle. Make sure students understand that
they should not look at each others crosswords or say the words written in the crosswords.
STUDENT A


1


2
G
3

R

4
A
5
A
6

N U
D N
M T
O
7
B
8

9
S I S T E R
10
U N C L E
H O
E T
R H
11
F A T H E R
E
12
R

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - -
STUDENT B

1
W

2

3
C O U S I N
F

4
G R A N D F
5
A T
6
H E R
U
S
B

7
A
8
N
9

10
N E
D P
H

11
E
W
12
M O T H E R





Question time
Each student receives a handout and chooses five topics. Briefly check their questions are
personal rather than general quiz-type questions, and encourage questions which will generate
interesting answers. The class stand and mingle, asking each other the questions on their
handouts.


Question time
Choose five topics, and write questions to ask other students about their lives.

1. A question about this
town/city. _________________________________________

2. A question about
food. _________________________________________

3. A question about
music. _________________________________________

4. A question about TV or
films _________________________________________



5. A question about sport or
exercise _________________________________________

6. A question about
clothes _________________________________________

7. A question about family or
friends _________________________________________

8. A question about learning
English _________________________________________

9. Any other
question _________________________________________



Agree or Disagree?
Give each group of 4 6 a set of cards. The cards are dealt out, the first student selects one of
his/her cards, reads it out, and the group discuss it. Then the next student selects a card, and
so on.

Agree or disagree?
Schools should teach a wider variety of subjects.
Agree or disagree?
It is very important to save declining languages from
extinction.
Agree or disagree?
Small shops are better than supermarkets.
Agree or disagree?
Blood sports such as bullfighting and hunting are
cruel, and should be banned.
Agree or disagree?
Smoking should be banned in all public places.
Agree or disagree?
Money is the root of all evil.

Agree or disagree?
It is essential to have a guidebook when travelling.
Agree or disagree?
Tourism is making everywhere seem the same.
Agree or disagree?
Fashion only exists to make people spend more
money on clothes.
Agree or disagree?
Employers should never expect employees to work
for more than 40 hours a week.
Agree or disagree?
It is cruel to keep a cat or a dog in an apartment.

Agree or disagree?
Censorship is never justifiable.
Agree or disagree?
Computers waste more time than they save.

Agree or disagree?
Capital punishment is unjustifiable and barbaric.
Agree or disagree?
The best age to get married is around 25.
Agree or disagree?
It is reasonable for employers not to give jobs to
people with piercings or tattoos.
Agree or disagree?
It would be better if TV had never been invented.
Agree or disagree?
All advertising is dishonest.
Agree or disagree?
It is fair that famous people should be pursued by
the press.
Agree or disagree?
The more security cameras, the better.
Agree or disagree?
National museums which buy expensive works of art
are wasting taxpayers money.
Agree or disagree?
Famous actors and sports celebrities are paid far too
much.
Agree or disagree?
There is nothing wrong with being able to choose
the sex of your baby.
Agree or disagree?
People are less superstitious than they used to be.
Agree or disagree?
You can tell a lot about a person from the way they
dress.
Agree or disagree?
Military service for both sexes is a good idea.




Dont say the word! (Upper Intermediate)
Copy and cut up one set of cards. Divide the class into two teams. Bring one member of the
first team to the front of the class. They have to try to define the word in capitals at the top of
the card without using any of the words written on the card. Dont allow translation or hand
gestures. Allow a minute for the first student, then bring a students from the second team to
the front. Continue until you run out of cards, then get the teams to make their own cards for a
second round of the game, using recently learned words.

BORROW
cover
body
protection
CONVERSATION
book
information
reference
CONGRATULATIONS
celebrate
birthday
champagne
HELMET
civilisation
ancient
Rome
EMPLOYMENT
funny
laugh
joke
GHOST
military
uniform
soldier
BODYGUARD
protect
famous
strong
MOUSE
computer
cat
animal
SOFA
sit
furniture
sitting room
PARENT
mother
father
family
CLEAN
dirty
wash
shower
ISLAND
sea
Sicily
land
COFFEE
drink
espresso/cappuccino
cup
BICYCLE
wheel
ride
transport
FLY
bird
airplane
wings
BABY
child
cry
infant
KEY
lock
door
open
SHOULDER
body
arm
neck





Expressing preferences
Put students into pairs or small groups. Give each pair a set of cards face down. Students take
it in turns to pick a card for the group to talk about their preferences and dislikes. Encourage
groups to discuss the subjects in detail, agreeing and disagreeing, and giving reasons for their
views.


mountain climbing
playing chess


working outdoors
working in an office


living in the suburbs
living in the city centre


formal parties
student parties


gardening
DIY


doing the housework
cooking


studying at home
studying at college


a country childhood
a city childhood


single-sex schools
mixed-sex schools


using a keyboard
writing with pen and
ink


English pronunciation
English spelling


zoos
circuses


game shows
reality TV


large hotels
bed and breakfast


science fiction
detective stories


buying CDs
downloading Mp3s


romantic films
action films

greed
stupidity

vanity
jealousy


being nice to people
telling the truth

being self-employed
being an employee







Science and Technology
In pairs, ask students to take turns to ask and answer each others questions. Encourage pairs
to discuss the questions in detail, rather than giving yes/ no answers. After pairs have finished,
bring the discussion together with the whole class and feedback any vocabulary problems you
have noticed.

STUDENT A

Take turns to ask and answer these questions with your partner.
Do you agree with each other?


1. Do you think technology makes our lives easier?
How much do you depend on technology?

2. When you buy gadgets how do you choose them? (by the
latest technology,
the most famous brand name, the cheapest, the coolest-looking, etc)

3. How often do you use the internet? What kinds of things do you use it
for? Do you enjoy it or is it only a useful tool?

4. What do you think of cosmetic surgery?
Would you ever consider it for yourself?

5. What do you think is the most important invention or innovation in the last
fifty years?

STUDENT B

Take turns to ask and answer these questions with your partner.
Do you agree with each other?


1. Do you think that email will completely replace writing letters?
Which do you think is better?

2. Do you think that genetic engineering is a good idea?
What problems could there be? What are the advantages?

3. Do you worry about the amount of chemicals in your food and drinks?
Do you think that there should be more regulations about this?

4. Do you think that in the next hundred years our methods of transport will
change? How will they be different?

5. How technical - minded are you? Can you take gadgets apart and repair
them?
Do you understand how all your technological possessions work?




Half a crossword Music
Put students into pairs. Students take turns to define a word from their crossword so their
partners can add the word to their versions of the puzzle. Make sure students understand that
they should not look at each others crosswords or say the words written in the crosswords.
STUDENT A

1
P

2
C I
3


4
O R
5
C H E
6
S T R A
N L I N
C A N O
E S G
R S E
7

T I
8
R
C
A
9

10
V I O L I N

11


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - -
STUDENT B

1


2

3
S

4

5

6
A
X
O
P

7
G H

8
G R O U P O
I N

9
T U N E
10
A

11
D R U M S


Mini-dramas 1: situations for short role plays (theme: WORK)
Put students into pairs. Ask the pairs to role play the first situation with their partner, then
change partners for the next situation. Pick some of the most interesting mini-dramas to
perform for the whole class at the end of the activity.

STUDENT A
Situation 1: Youre really worried about a job interview. Tell your friend about it.
(What job is it? When is the interview? Why are you worried?)

Situation 2: You are your partners boss. Your employee is going to ask you a
favour. Its a very busy time at work at the moment.

Situation 3: You are late for work. Explain to the boss why you are late, and
apologise.

Situation 4: Your friend has a problem. Ask some questions and give some advice.
Try to make your partner feel better about the problem.




STUDENT B
Situation 1: Your friend is telling you about a problem. Ask some questions and
give advice. Try to make your partner feel better about the problem.

Situation 2: You want to go to a friends wedding next week. Ask your boss if you
have some time off. Tell them about how long you need and why its important to
you.

Situation 3: You are your partners boss. This employee is always late. Ask
questions about why and listen to his / her answers.

Situation 4: You really want to change your job. Tell your friend why you are fed up
and ask for advice.

Mini-dramas 2 - situations for short role plays (various themes)

STUDENT A

Situation 1: You have left your wallet at home. You really need to make a phone
call and take a bus back home. Explain this to your friend and ask to borrow the
money.

Situation 2: You left your bag in a caf and now its not there. Tell the caf owner
about it (What was in the bag? What did the bag look like? ) Ask if he/ she saw
anyone take it.

Situation 3: Your son / daughter never tidies his/her bedroom and you are very
annoyed about it.

Situation 4: You are twelve years old. You promised your mother / father to be
home by seven oclock but you are late. You didnt get home until after ten oclock at
night. Apologise and explain.

Situation 5: You bought a CD player in a department store last week but it doesnt
work. Try to get your money back.



STUDENT B
Situation 1: Your friend has a problem. Listen to him / her and decide if you want to
help.

Situation 2: You are the owner of a caf. You are very busy. A customer wants to
talk to you about something but you dont really have time to listen.

Situation 3: You are twelve years old. You have a lot of homework to do, but every
time you try to do it, your mom/ dad wants you to do chores at home. Talk to your
mother / father about your problem.

Situation 4: Your son / daughter promised to be home by seven oclock but she
didnt get home until after ten oclock at night. You are angry.

Situation 5: You work in a department store in the complaints department. You are
very bored with your job. A customer wants to complain about something but you
are not very interested.


Problem solving
Organise the class into groups of 4 to 6, and give each student a worksheet. Each student
chooses the three problems that she/he would most like to discuss. The groups then compare
their results the problem with the most votes is chosen, and the groups discuss it. Then the
problem with the next highest number of votes is discussed, and so on.

Problem Solving
Work in small groups. Choose the three problems you would most like to
discuss.
Then discuss the problems with the most votes.

1. Next Sunday we have to discuss an important matter. Should we do it over
the internet, by telephone, by meeting or some other method? What time would
be best for all of us?



2. We are architects. We have been appointed to divide this building up into
flats. The developer wants to make as much profit as possible.



3. We are architects. We have been appointed by the local council to divide this
building up into flats. They want to benefit the local community as much as
possible.



4. Were going to open a restaurant together in this area. What type of
restaurant should it be? Which jobs will each of us take?



5. Were going start a new magazine. What type of magazine should it be?
Which jobs will each of us take?





6. We have $100,000 to invest. How should we invest it to get the best return
over five years?





7. We have $100,000 to give away. Who should we give it to?





8. We have to prepare a magnificent meal for a group of ten people. What
should we cook?