the power of fun activities
ideas, activities, learning resources for English language teaching
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GETTING TO KNOW YOU activities
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?
SPEAKING + LISTENING ACTIVITY
INDIVIDUAL + PAIR WORK
PRE-INTERMEDIATE
Knowing a language is not only about learning vocabulary and grammar. It also means knowing what to say, when to say it, and how to say it appropriately. Students may know the words they need but still be unsure about what sounds natural in a particular social situation. What do you say when someone gives you a present? How do you respond when someone apologises? What does “It’s on me” actually mean?
What Would You Say? is a short quiz designed to explore these everyday aspects of English through familiar situations and expressions. It focuses on social English, functional language and cultural conventions, encouraging students to think about how language choices can change depending on the context.
The activity also offers an opportunity to move beyond simply finding the “correct” answer: students can compare different possibilities and consider what sounds natural, polite and appropriate in each situation.
LESSON PLAN
procedure:
Warm-up (5–8 minutes):
Write these situations on the board:
Someone sneezes.
You accidentally stand on someone's foot.
Someone tells you they are getting married.
Someone tells you they failed an exam.Ask students:
What would you say in English?
Let them answer freely. Don't correct everything immediately.Possible follow-up questions:
Do we say the same thing in Italian?
Are there expressions that are particularly British?
Can knowing the language sometimes be different from knowing what is appropriate to say?Tell students:
Today we're going to test how well we know what to say (and how to say it) in everyday situations.
The Quiz (10–15 minutes):
Give students the worksheet. Ask them to complete Part A individually. Explain that they should not worry about finding exactly the same answer as their classmates.
Give students approximately 5–7 minutes.
Ask students to compare their answers with a partner. They should discuss:
Which answers are the same?
Which answers are different?
Which expressions sound the most natural?
Encourage discussion rather than immediate correction.Ask students to complete Part B, this time encouraging them to work in pairs. Explain: Read the situation aloud. Imagine that you are having a real conversation. What would you naturally reply?
Students write one possible reply for each situation.Ask students to complete Part C individually. Students choose the correct meaning of everyday expressions.
After students have completed the activity, check the answers together.
Follow-up Discussion (5 minutes)
Ask:
Which expression was new to you?
Which expression could be misunderstood if translated literally?
This is a particularly useful moment to discuss the difference between literal meaning and meaning in context.
For example: It's on me does not mean something is physically on a person. In context, it means: I'll pay.
MATERIAL
students' worksheet + teacher's answer keys:
The Power of Fun Activities_Teaching English_What would you say?_worksheet.pdfGoogle Sites
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