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 stepbrother CONGRATULATIONS

HELMET EMPLOYMENT GHOST

BODYGUARD MOUSE SOFA

paw pistachio crab

cramp blender bridge

PARENT CLEAN ISLAND

COFFEE BICYCLE july

BABY KEY SHOULDER

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 3
C I
4 5 6
O R C H E S T R A
N L I N
C A N O
E S G
7
R S E
8
T I R
C
9
A
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.

Think of a question
 Organise the class into groups of 4 to 7, and give each group a set of face-down shuffled
cards. The first student picks up a card, thinks of a question, and chooses a member of the
group to ask. The question must use the word/words on the card (verb and adjective forms
can be changed if necessary). Stupid questions are not allowed (for example, Do you like
glass?). If the rest of the group judge that the question is stupid, the student with the card
has to try again. Then the next students takes a card, and so on.

three or four letter make a world

hear laugh at go round lots of sugar

in music green sleep

sport do it again city good

people temperature thousands meal

enough time very short look at really big

page on the road someone? at

glass no no keys too fast

ELTgames.com 2007
 a green vegetable
another vegetable
a type of meat or fish
a tin of something
a jar of something
something salty
something sweet
a dairy product
a herb or spice

Choose ten one syllable words that begin and end with the same
consonant. Here are some example sets. choose a set that includes the vowel
sounds that the class is having a problem with.

Pit Pat Put Putt Port Pert Part Pet Pot Peat
Cut Court Cute Cat Kit Cot Cart Coat Kite Coot Kurt
But Bet Bat Bit Bought Bait Beat Bite Bot Boat But Bert
Ten Tan Ton Tune Teen Tone Torn Turn Tin Tyne
Write the numbers 0 to 9 across the board and underneath each number write
one of the words.

0 1 2 3
Bet Bat But Beat
Drill the words with the class until the students can recognise and reproduce
the different sounds.

Tell students that you are now going to give them your telephone number.

Read your number from the board but instead of giving them the number, give
them the representative word. Ask the students to repeat your number back to
you and point out any mistakes and practice further.

Ask students to make up their own seven digit telephone number and
then write it down along with its partnering words.
 E.g. 0 Bet, 1 But, 4 Bat, 2 Bite, 5 Beat, 0 Bet, 9 Bert
Students then give their number to their neighbours who must decipher each
word and write down the appropriate number. Students then compare the
numbers and identify where any problems lie.

The activity can then be repeated with different partners until improvement
begins to be made.

Sounds of the American T

T in Table (when T is T between vowel sounds: T after N: silent T before N: Hard N sou
1st letter, next to a quick. light D sound
consonant or on the
stressed syllable)

Video Video Video Video

Act About a = abouda Center = cenr Certain =

cer-N
After At a = ada Interview = inerview Mountain =
mou-N
Against Beauty = byoodee Interstate = inerstate Sentence =
sen-Ns
Best Better = bedr Internet = inernet Written =
wri-N

Contain Bottle = bodul Counter = couner Forgotten =

forgo-N

Correct But I = bud-I Wanted = waned Important =

impor-Nt

Country City = cidee Printer = priner Curtain = kr-N

Direct Eat a = eada Enter = enr Mitten = mi-N

East Get a = geda Don't know = donno or Fountain = fou-N

dunno

Fact Got a = goda Twenty = tweny

Fast Great idea = greadidea

 Extra Reading Practice

First Hot afternoon =

hodafternoon
Interest It is = idis
Last Let a = leda
Lets Letter = ledr
List Light a = lighda
Most Little = lidl
Next Lot a = loda
Object Lot of = lodof
Often Notice = nodis
Product Out of = oudof or ouda
Rest Pattern = padrn
Stand Put a = puda
Star quarter = quardr

Start That a = thada

State Wait a = waida
Stay Water = wadr
Step What a = whada
Still What I = whad-I
Stood Write a = wrida
Stop Yet a = yeda
Story Yet I = yed-I
Street Computer = compudr

Strong Saturday = sadurday

Study University = universidy

Table Thirty = thirdy

Tail Forty = fordy

Talk Seventy = sevendy

Teach Eighty = eighdy

Tell Ninety = ninedy

 Practice

Note: Stopped T's also happen inside words if*

.the sound that follows is not a vowel
.For example: completely, thoughtful, network
Be careful! Other T sound rules may apply. If the T comes
surrounded by vowel sounds, as in "waiting," the T = D rule
.works
If "nt" is following by "ed" or "ing," the silent T after N rule
".works, as in "planting" or "pointing