The GrammarActivity BookBob Obee

PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGEThe Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RP, United Kingdom

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESSThe Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, United Kingdom40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011–4211, USA10 Stamford Road, Oakleigh, Melbourne 3166, Australia

© Cambridge University Press, 1999

The pages in this book marked ‘From The Grammar Activity Book by Bob Obee © Cambridge University Press1999 ’ may be photocopied free of charge for classroom use by the purchasingindividual or institution. This permission to copy does not extend to branches or additional schools of aninstitution. All other copying is subject to permission from the publisher.

First published 1999

Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press, Cambridge

ISBN 0 521 575796

PHOTOCOPIABLE

The Grammar Activity BookMap of the bookKEY : E=ELEMENTARY; P=PRE-INTERMEDIATE; I=INTERMEDIATE; U=UPPER-INTERMEDIATE

Activity title Language focus Level Time Page(minutes)

Introduction 6

Unit 1 Time like the present1.1 Global animal bingo Present simple/questions E–P 20 81.2 Wildlife whoppers Present simple: facts I–U 25 101.3 Adverb backgammon Time adverbs/simple/continuous I–U 25 121.4 Behind the screen Present simple/continuous E 20 14

Unit 2 Questions and answers2.1 So what’s the question? Phrasing of common questions P–I 30 152.2 Sporting chances Present continuous questions P–U 25 182.3 Do card quiz Subject questions P–I 40 202.4 Zig-zag questions Appropriate short answers P 25 22

Unit 3 Talking about things past3.1 Round about when Time adverbs: simple past P–I 20 243.2 Joke go-betweens Simple past questions I 25 263.3 Last week’s news Simple past/past continuous P–U 30 283.4 Past identities Past continuous: background detail P–I 30 29

Unit 4 Making comparisons4.1 Line up accordingly Comparative adjectives/adverbs P 25 304.2 Psychic partners Superlative adjectives/adverbs I 30 324.3 Comparative short straws Degrees of comparison U 20 344.4 Ratio roulette Degrees of comparison I 20 36

Unit 5 Describing things5.1 Sort yourselves out Adverbs: word order E–U 25 375.2 Four-card adjectives Order of adjectives P–I 25 385.3 Collocation bridges Adjective/noun collocation I–U 15–20 405.4 Square routes Use of adjectives/adverbs P–I 25 42

Unit 6 Looking to the future6.1 Arrangement squares Present continuous (future) P 20 446.2 Pantomime fish Use of will P–I 25 466.3 Collecting evidence Be going to (present evidence) P 25 486.4 Dedication poem Conjunctions/use of will I–U 25 50

Unit 7 Using the perfect7.1 Point in a story Present perfect simple (just/already/yet) P–I 20 517.2 Record-breakers Present perfect simple (unspecified past time) P–I 20 527.3 What have you done! Present perfect simple (present result) P 20 567.4 Jigsaw mischief Present perfect continuous (present effect) I–U 30 587.5 Adverb rummy Present perfect simple/continuous/past simple I–U 20 60

Activity title Language focus Level Time Page(minutes)

Unit 8 Things we can count8.1 Determiner dominoes Use of determiners P–U 25 628.2 Pieces of me Partitive nouns I–U 25 648.3 Building captions Use of the/zero article I 25 668.4 Open ‘the’ doors Use of zero article with certain classes of nouns I–U 10–15 68

Unit 9 Conditional meanings9.1 Homophone healing zero conditional I 30 709.2 Blanks and brackets First conditional (if/will/in case) I 20 729.3 Seeking scruples Second conditional I 35 749.4 Memory consequences Third conditional I–U 20 76

Unit 10 Obligation and possibility10.1 Headline investment Must/can’t/might/could (possibility) I 25 7810.2 Streetwise surveys Must/mustn’t/have to … (obligation) P–I 30 8010.3 Royal behaviour Must have/couldn’t have (past speculation) I–U 20 8210.4 Rules and lines Must/mustn’t/have to (obligation) I 25 84

Unit 11 Indicating time, movement and place11.1 Last card wins Prepositional phrases: time place manner P–I 25 8611.2 Opposite moves Verbs of movement (prepositions) U 25 8811.3 Time pieces In at on (time) P–I 25 9011.4 Preposition chequers In at on (place) P–I 25 92

Unit 12 Using the passive12.1 Signs of the passive Use of passive in signs/different tenses I 25 9512.2 Whose house? Simple past/past perfect passive U 30 9812.3 A causative day out Causative structure: have things done U 25 10012.4 Fairytale jigsaw races Simple past passive by + agent I–U 30 102

Unit 13 Functional exchanges13.1 Answer keys Short exchanges P–I 25 10413.2 On the floor debate Common discussion markers I–U 30 10613.3 Conversation pyramids Short answers and follow-ups P–I 15–20 10813.4 Answer hopping So/neither responses/tag questions E–P 25 110

Unit 14 What someone said14.1 Beyond belief You said/told me that … I 25 11214.2 No more than seven words Sentence patterns after reporting verbs I–U 30 11414.3 Connecting speech Contrasts between say, tell, speak, talk I–U 25 11614.4 Who asked you … Reported questions I–U 30 119

Unit 15 Revision games15.1 Slide rules Various structures I–U 25 12015.2 Tense squares Revision of tenses P–U 20 12215.3 Throw-out puzzles Various structures P 30 12415.4 Sole mates Various structures E–I 35 126

1 leaves seals

long grass dancing queenBING

O

long grass

sittingdown bamboo seals

Before classMake one copy of one Bingo card (p.9) for each learner or each pair of learners, depending on the size of the class.

In class1 Explain to learners that they are going to play a game like bingo, which ispopular throughout the English-speaking world. The game here, however, alsoinvolves learners asking questions. If bingo, or an equivalent, is played in yourcountry, you can tell learners about it.

2 Give each learner a Bingo card. On it there is a grid of phrases. Beneath thegrid is a sentence about an animal and three pieces of information about thatanimal: what it has/has got, eats, likes doing, or where or how long it lives.During the game, each learner will assume the identity of the animal onhis/her card.

3 The aim of the game is to be the first learner to cross off all the phrases onhis/her Bingo card and tell the class which animal each phrase referred to.

4 During the game, each ‘animal’ must introduce himself/herself. However, it isvery important that learners do not reveal any other details about the animal.

On introduction, other learners in the class should pose questions to theanimal, based on phrases in their Bingo cards. For example, for the Africanelephant, the following is written:

Hello, I’m an African elephant: I have a small tail, I eat leaves and I’ve gotrelatives in India.

The learner introducing himself/herself says: Hello, I’m an African elephant …The other learners then scan their Bingo cards for any phrases that mightrelate to the African elephant, and ask the elephant any questions that thephrases suggest.

A learner with these bingo squares thus might ask: Do you eat leaves?The African elephant answers: Yes, I do. (This is a detail on the card.) and all the learners who have this bingo square can cross it off.

Another learner with these same bingo squares might ask: Do you eat long grass?

The African elephant answers: No, I don’t (because this is not a detail in front of him/her).

After a question from three or four different learners, move on to anotherlearner, who introduces himself/herself: Hello, I’m a polar bear, and so on.

5 If there is more than one African elephant etc. in the class, this simplymeans that learners may ask the African elephant questions again.

11.1 Global animalbingo

unit 1 Time like the present

Levelelementary –

pre-intermediate

Class sizewhole class

Language focuspresent simple Have … got

questions about facts andhabitual actions

Pronunciationweak forms: do you /dju/

you /j´/

Preparation time5 minutes

Game time20 minutes

8

PHOTOCOPIABLEFrom The Grammar Activity Book by Bob Obee © Cambridge University Press 1999 9

1.1 Global animal bingo

Bingo cards ✂

1 small tail grass

long grass dancing queenBING

O

under ice

sittingdown bamboo seals

Hello, I’m a pelican: I live in Romania, I eat fish andI like going on holiday.

3 holiday longer thanpeople

leaves fish yellow andbrownBI

NGO

China

Romania long sleep seals

Hello, I’m a bee: I have a queen, I like dancing and I like flowers.

4 dancing under ice

zebras leaves whiterelativesBI

NGO

grass

flowers small birds long sleep

Hello, I’m a giant panda: I live in China, I eatbamboo and I like sitting down.

2 leaves relatives in India

zebras fish longer thanpeopleBI

NGO

Romania

holiday queen group

Hello, I’m an African elephant: I have a small tail. I eat leaves and I’ve got relatives in India.

7 long grass under ice

relatives in India China queenBING

O

zebras

small birds

sittingdown fish

Hello, I’m a tortoise: I live longer than people, I have a yellow and brown shell and a long neck.

8 dancing Romania

yellow andbrown small birds sealsBI

NGO

long grass

long neck relatives inIndia grass

Hello, I’m a lion: I live in a group, I like long grassand I eat zebras.

5 holiday bamboo

whiterelatives grass small birdsBI

NGO

long grass

leaves small tail group

Hello, I’m a polar bear: I like swimming under ice, I eat seals and I like a long sleep.

6 China relatives in India

flowers longer thanpeople groupBI

NGO

under ice

sittingdown small tail long sleep

Hello, I’m a rhinoceros: I eat grass, I have whiterelatives and I like small birds on my back.

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unit 11 Indicating time, movement and place

1111.2Before classMake one set of the Sentence cards and one set of the Opposite cards (p.89)for each group of three learners (six learners if the game is played in pairs).

On the back of the Sentence cards write the verb + preposition opposite thehighlighted phrase in the sentence (key below).

In class1 This game is a simple card game based on matching opposites.

2 Divide the class into groups of three (six if the game is to be played in pairs).

3 Give each group one set of both the Sentence cards and Opposite cards andask one of the three players to deal an equal number of Opposite cards face-down to each player. Tell players to pick up their cards and conceal them fromother players. When this has been done, place a set of the Sentence cards inthe middle of each group, with the sentence on the first card showing. All thesentence cards should be in a pack sentence-side up, i.e. so the oppositephrase is hidden.

4 Ask one player in the group to write the name of each player on a piece of paper.

Nominate one player to start. He/she picks up the Sentence card and places itin the middle of the group. This player then has the first option to lay down anOpposite card from his/her hand, i.e. a card which he/she believes correspondsto the ‘opposite’ phrase written on the back of the Sentence card. The twoother players can then also lay down an Opposite card if they wish. TheSentence card is then turned over.

The person who has put down the correct Opposite card is the winner of theround. He/she keeps the Sentence card. If no-one is correct, the sentence issimply put at the bottom of the pack.

If a player puts down a card which is incorrect, he/she has an ‘X’ writtenagainst his/her name on the piece of paper.

Players take back their Opposite cards each time.

The game continues with a different player starting each round.

5 The game ends when either all the Sentence cards have been used or whenone player has three Xs against his or her name. The winner of the game is theplayer with the most Sentence cards at the end.

Opposite moves

Levelupper-intermediate

Class sizegroups of three (or six)

Language focusprepositions

complementing verbs ofmovement

Pronunciationweak forms: at /´t/ to /t´/

into /Int´/ of /´v/

Preparation time10 minutes

Game time25 minutes

Key:He left Spain on Friday. (arrived in) The train left the station on time. (arrived at)We drove through Luxembourg. (stopped in) She got off the bus. (got on)The cat climbed up the tree. (got down from) The train arrived at platform six. (left from)The door was locked but we still got in. (got out) She got in her car and left. (got out of)We boarded the plane quickly. (got off) They walked away from us. (came towards)The train passed through two stations. (stopped at) The rabbit came out of its hole. (went into)He arrived from Italy yesterday. (went to) He got there after we arrived. (departed)She opened the car door and got out. (got in) They left home yesterday. (went back)The cars went onto the ferry smoothly. (came off) We came out of the main entrance. (went in through)She went in just before the end. (came out) Sheila went to the fridge. (moved away from)

89PHOTOCOPIABLEFrom The Grammar Activity Book by Bob Obee © Cambridge University Press 1999

11.2 Opposite moves

Sentence cards ✂✂✂

He left Spain onFriday.

The train left thestation on time.

We drove throughLuxembourg. She got off the bus.

The cat climbed upthe tree.

The train arrived atplatform six.

The door was lockedbut we still got in.

She got in her carand left.

He arrived from Italyyesterday.

He got there after we arrived.

She opened the cardoor and got out.

They left homeyesterday.

We boarded the planequickly.

They walked awayfrom us.

The train passedthrough two stations.

The rabbit came outof its hole.

The cars went ontothe ferry smoothly.

We came out of themain entrance.

She went in justbefore the end.

Sheila went tothe fridge.

Opposite cards

arrived in arrived at stopped in got on

got down from left from got out got out of

went to departed got in went back

got off came towards stopped at went into

came off went inthrough came out moved away

from

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