Grammar games & activities for ESL

Have you noticed that when you announce, “Today we have a grammar lesson,” students roll their eyes and mentally start counting down the minutes until class is over?

It’s no surprise that students often get bored with dry rules and repetitive exercises. 

That’s why we’ve put together a selection of games for grammar practice.

Grammar jeopardy is a game suitable for a range of levels and can be easily adapted to different topics. 

To start, divide the class into teams and create a board with categories. 

Possible categories could include "Tenses", "Sentence corrections", and others. 

Each category is divided into levels of difficulty — three, for example. 

These levels vary in question complexity and corresponding points. 

Each team takes turns choosing a category and a level of difficulty. 

For example, students might say, "We choose ‘Tenses’ for 20 points." 

You then read out the question. 

Example questions could include: "Which tense is used to describe habitual actions?", "What preposition is used with ‘interested’?", or "Use ‘in’, ‘on’, and ‘at’ in a single sentence." 

If the team answers correctly, they earn the indicated points. 

If not, other teams may attempt to answer and earn the points. 

Once all questions have been answered, add up the points. 

The team with the highest score is declared the winner.

This game for grammar allows people to get to know each other better by using the grammatical structure "Never have I ever." 

One player begins by saying, “Never have I ever…” 

For example, “Never have I ever eaten sushi.”

Then, the next player takes a turn, saying "Never have I ever…" and listing something they have never done — for instance, "Never have I ever travelled alone." 

The game continues around the circle, with each player creating their own statements to share interesting or unexpected facts. 

To focus on specific areas, players may choose themes for the game, such as travel, work, childhood, or hobbies.

Split the students into groups or pairs. 

Ask each student to prepare two stories: one true and the other a lie. 

The stories can relate to any events in their lives.

Each student, in turn, shares one of their stories. 

The other students should ask questions to uncover more details, helping them decide if the story is true or a lie.

For example:

• “Did you honestly meet a famous actor?”
• “What happened next?”
• “Where exactly did it happen?”

Once the votes are in, the storyteller reveals what really happened.

In this game, students actively use the Past Simple to describe past events and may also use the Present Simple for general statements or descriptions.

Prepare cards with sentence starters for conditionals, such as “If I had more free time...” or “If I won the lottery...”

If the class is large, divide the students into groups. 

Give one group a card with a sentence starter, and ask them to complete it. 

They then pass their completed sentence to the next group, who will add their own conditional sentence to continue the logical flow of the story. 

For instance: “If I won the lottery, I would go on a round-the-world trip. If I went on a round-the-world trip, I would start with France.” 

The game continues until all groups have contributed a sentence.

This grammar activity allows students to practise both grammar and the ability to create coherent links between sentences.

Divide the class into teams and print a text where each sentence contains a grammatical mistake.

Participants act as "Grammar Detectives," and their task is to spot and correct the mistakes. 

Each team earns 1 point for every correctly identified and corrected error.

Here are some example sentences to include in the text:

• "She goes to Paris last year." (corrected: "She went to Paris last year.")
• "I have seen this movie yesterday." (corrected: "I saw this movie yesterday.")
• "They has lived here since 2015." (corrected: "They have lived here since 2015.")
• "You must to go to the doctor if you feel sick." (corrected: "You must go to the doctor if you feel sick.")

This grammar game helps students develop attention to detail and reinforces their understanding of grammar rules in a practical way.

Incorporating games for grammar in the classroom can be an incredibly effective way to engage students of all ages. 

Unlike rote memorisation, grammatical games encourage students to interact, make mistakes, and learn from them, which significantly enhances retention.

By using games in grammar lessons, you diversify the learning process and support students in truly understanding and remembering the material. 

Try out some of the games we've suggested, and you’ll quickly notice a more positive, engaging atmosphere in your classroom.