20 Engaging Grammar Activities for ESL Students: Make Grammar Fun

Grammar is the skeleton of language. The secret is teaching it through games, not drills.

Present Tense Activities

1. Daily Routine Mingle

Students ask: 'What time do you wake up?' Find someone with similar routine.

2. Present Continuous Photo Freeze

Show action photos. Students describe: 'She is running.'

Past Tense Activities

3. Alibi Game

Two suspects prepare alibis. Class interrogates separately.

4. Story Cubes

Roll picture dice, tell stories in past simple.

5. Weekend Gossip

Share weekend activities with follow-up questions.

Future Tense Activities

6. Fortune Teller

Predict classmates' futures using 'will'.

7. Travel Agent Role-Play

Plan trips using 'going to' and 'will'.

Question Formation

8. 20 Questions

Guess objects through yes/no questions.

9. Question Correction Race

Teams fix incorrect questions.

Complex Grammar

10. Conditionals Chain

'If it rains, I'll stay home.' Next: 'If I stay home, I'll watch movies.'

11. Passive Voice Crime Scene

Describe scenes using passive: 'The window was broken.'

Games

12. Grammar Auction

Bid on sentences you think are correct.

13. Error Correction Relay

Teams race to fix errors on the board.

Tips

• Teach grammar in context
• Use timelines for tenses
• Focus on meaning, not just form
• Recycle grammar constantly