ESL Games for Students

Definitions

Subject: Vocabulary + Listening

 

This engaging game is a playful way to introduce a new vocabulary.

Skills: Listening, Speaking, Reading

Level: Pre-Intermediate

Recommended Age: 16+

Number of Participants: 4-12 players

Time: 15-20 minutes

Place: Classroom

Equipment: 

- An English dictionary

- A black- or whiteboard

Materials: A piece of chalk or a marker

Preliminary Preparation (5-10 minutes). For each new word, write out three definitions from the dictionary: one true and two false (taken from other articles). Let us consider the word 'shelter':

a) a person who has a love and understanding for beautiful things;

b) a building that provides a place to stay for people without home;

c) a piece of equipment for receiving and sending radio signals.

Immediate Preparation: If possible, arrange the game participants so that they are sitting or standing in a circle or a semi-circle. 

How to Play. To start the game, write the first new word on the board and read out twice the definitions, chosen for it, at normal speaking speed. Next the players take it in turns to give their opinions like this:

Player А: I think it's 'c'!

Player В: I think it's 'a'!

and so on around the circle.

After everyone has spoken out, you give the right answer. The players, who guess the right defintion, get one point. Then you write the second new word on the board and so on. The game continues around the circle as long as all the definitions have been revealed. At the end of the activity, the number of points, accumulated by each participant during the whole aompetition, is counted up. The player, who gets the most points in total, becomes the winner of the game.

Advice. Next time you can choose two or three true definitions. This makes the game even more exciting!