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BUY A SENTENCE
ACTIVITY
Pairwork: speaking
AIM
To decide whether sentences are grammatically coned and to bid for them in a grammar auction.
PREPARATION
Make one copy of the worksheet for each pair of students in the class and one for yourself. Cut your worksheet up as indicated, but leave the students' worksheets intact. Eacll pair of students will need some money for this activity. If there is no British or American currency available, you can raukc two copies of the money at the bottom of the Teacher's Notes tor Worksheet 17b for each pair of students in the class and cut it out as indicated. You will need a picture of a work of art to demonstrate this activity.
PROCEDURE
1. Ask the students to work in pairs and give each pair of students an equal sum of money. If you are using real currency, tell the students that, for example, each penny represents £1000 and make sure that each pair of students has a selection of small change.
2. Hold up the picture of a work of art and ask the students to bid for it.
3. When you hive set the scene, tell the students that they are going to bid for sentences in the same way.
4. Give one copy of the worksheet to each pair of students.
5. Explain that some of the sentences are correct, while others have a grammatical mistake in them and that they should bid for the sentences which they think are correct.
6. Before they start bidding, give them time to decide whether the sentences are grammatically correct and to make corrections where necessary.
7. When they are ready, start bidding for sentence 1. When the bidding stops, give the strip with sentence t on it to the highest bidder and take their money.
8. If nobody wants to buy it because they think it is wrong, do not ask for corrections at this point.
9. Continue until all the sentences have been bid for and then go back to the beginning and ask the class to identify the mistakes in the sentences which are not correct.
ANSWERS
1. wrong: in case should be replaced by if
2. right
3. right
4. wrong: accommodation is uncountable
5. wrong: the teacher should be replaced by a teacher
6. right
7. wrong: mustn't should be replaced by don't have to
8. right
9. right
10. right
11. wrong: I've been meeting should be replaced by I've met
12. right
13. wrong: they are reserved should be replaced by who are reserved
14. wrong: unless you don't come should be replaced by unless you come
Source: Reward Upper-intermediate Resource Pack. O Susan Kay. 1995
Published by Heinemann English Language Teaching
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