Contents introduction chapter I. The role of games on language lessons

UNTRUE IN THE PRESENT.

Memory Game; Procedure: 1. On each card write an adjective in large letters so that it can be seen around the room.

Suggestions: sad, drunk, lonely, stranded, nauseous, hungry, thirsty, nervous, angry, rich, sick, sleepy, famous, tired, poor, lost, married, single, scared

(Include a few new words that will be challenging even for higher-level students, such as jilted or stranded.) Have students sit or stand in a circle while you distribute the cards. (If you use adjectives like married or single, be sure to give them to students who are not!)

2. Ask who has the best memory and then start with the person next to him/her. If you know you have a weak student, you may want to start with that person. The first student holds up his/her card and composes a sentence, using the untrue present conditional.

Example card: lonely Example sentence: If I were lonely, I would call my family.

3. The second student says his/her sentence and repeats student one's sentence. Continue around the circle, with each new student adding a sentence and repeating all the previous sentences. The last student will have to remember the sentences from all the other students. It is important that students hold their cards toward the circle at all times because they serve as clues. Also, don't let any of the students write. Students may cue their classmates through gestures. The only correction allowed is to emphasize were rather than was¹³.

Note: If your class is large, divide it into two groups and play two rounds. The same cards can be used, but different sentences must be created. The game has been played with up to 14 in a low-level class and up to 22 in a high-level class.

Clue. Procedure: 1. One student volunteers to leave the room and, when he/she returns, will guess the word chosen by the class from clues given by the rest of the class. The volunteer can ask questions if they are in the form of the untrue present.

2. While the volunteer is out of the room, decide on a category (suggestions: occupations, food, school material). Have the class choose a word in that category. Brainstorm together the kinds of clues that can be given. They must be in the form of the untrue present conditional.

Example 1: Food server

Clues: If I were you, I would wear a uniform.

If I were you, I'd never have dirty hands.

If I were you, I would talk to many people.

Also, decide which clues should be saved for last. (For example: "If I were you, I would serve customers quickly in order to get a good tip.")

Example 2: mustard

Clues: If I were you, I'd be careful not to get this on my clothes.

If I were you, I'd never eat this by itself.

If you were a waitress, you would put this on the table next to the ketchup.

Last clue: If I were you, I would always put it on hot dogs.

3. When the volunteer returns, students take turns offering clues, but they must be in the form of the untrue present conditional.