Tell the secretaries at the board to write down the correct versions of the sentences in full as the game progresses

3.      Tell the secretaries at the board to write down the correct versions of the sentences in full as the game progresses.

4.      Read out the first gapped sentence and have the students rush to what they think is the appropriate wall. Give the correct versions and make sure it goes up in the board. Continue with the second sentence etc.

5.      At the end of the strenuous part ask the students to tale down the sentences in their books. A relief from running! ( If the students want a challenge they should get a partner and together write down as many sentences as they remember with their backs to the board before turning round to complete their notes. Or else have their partner to dictate the sentences with a gap for them to try to complete.)

Sentences to read out

They used a … angled lens	Wide
He looked at her with a … smile	Broad
The socialists won by a …. Margin	Narrow/broad
She is very … minded	Broad/narrow
He speaks the language with a … London accent	Broad
You were wrong what you said was … of the mark	Wide
You had a … escape	Narrow
Of course they’re … open to criticism	Wide
They went down the canal in a … boat	Narrow
She opened her eyes …	Wide
The news was broadcast nation …	Wide
The path was three meters …	Wide
The light was so bright that she … her eyes	Narrowed

Variation

You can play this game with many sets of grammar exponents:

-   Forms of the article; a, the and zero article

-   Prepositions

Etc.

 Cognitive games Spot the differences

Grammar:	Common mistakes
Level:	Elementary
Time:	20-30 minutes
This activity can be adapted for use with all levels   Materials:	One copy of Late-comer A and Late-comer B for each student

In class

1.      Pair the students and give them the two texts. Ask them to spot all the differences they can between them. Tell them that there may be more than one pair of differences per pair of parallel sentences. Tell them one item in each pair of alternatives is correct.

2.      They are to choose the correct form from each pair.

Late-comer A	Late-comer B
This women was often very late	This woman was often very late
She was late for meetings	She was late for meeting
She were late for dinners	She was late for dinners
She was late when she went to the cinema	She was late as she went to the cinema
One day she arrive for a meeting half an hour early	One day she arrived for meeting half ah hour early
Nobody could understand because she was early	Nobody couldn’t understand why she was early
‘Of course,’ someone said, ‘clocks put back last night.’	‘Of course,’ someone say, ‘the clocks were put back last night.’

3. Ask them to dictate the correct text to you at the board. Write down exactly what they say so students have a chance to correct each other both in terms of grammar and in terms of their pronunciation. If a student pronounces ‘dis voman’ for ‘this woman’ then write up the wrong version. Only write it correctly when the student pronounces it right. Your task in this exercise is to allow the students to try out their hypotheses about sound and grammar without putting them right too soon and so reducing their energy and blocking their learning. Being too kind can be cognitively unkind.

Variation

To make this exercise more oral, pair the students and ask them to sit facing each other. Give Later-comer A to one student and Late-comer B to the other in each pair. They then have to do very detailed listening to each other’s texts.

Feeling and grammar Typical questions

Grammar:	Question formation-varied interrogatives
Level:	Beginner to elementary
Time:	20-30 minutes
Materials:	None

In class

1.    Ask the students to draw a quick sketch of a four-year-old they know well. Give them these typical questions such a person may ask, e.g. ‘Mummy, does the moon go for a wee-wee?’ ‘Where did I come from?’. Ask each student to write half a dozen questions such a person might ask, writing them in speech bubbles on the drawing. Go round and help with the grammar.