English Grammar Games

Does the thought of the fundamentals of English grammar make your eyes glaze over? In order to be able to communicate effectively, however, these principles do need to be mastered. A great way to reinforce what students are learning is to play English grammar games.

English Grammar Games for ESL Students

If you want to practice your English grammar skills, there are a number of online resources to choose from. Websites directed at students learning English as a second language (ESL) can also be helpful for people who wish to brush up on their language skills.

Here are some examples of what is available:

Woodward Chile offers a number of English grammar games. Visitors to the site can choose from such topics as prepositions, nouns, irregular verbs, and more. The games are quite simple to play; simply select your answer from the choices listed. Immediate feedback is given as to whether the answer is correct or not.

English-at-Home.com is another example of a web site aimed at ESL students. Quizzes designed to test ones knowledge of prefixes and uses of the word "house" are available here.

English Portal offers grammar games for one or two players. Players input their names and are taken to a screen where they can select a question on the topics of plurals, superlatives, irregular verbs, comparison, antonyms, and English proverbs. The level of difficulty of the question can also be chosen by each player. Participants in the game input their answer to the question asked into a text box.

English Grammar Games for Elementary and Secondary Students

Web sites with activities for teachers to incorporate into their lesson plans are another great source of English grammar games. Be sure to check the grade level to make sure that the games are appropriate for your needs. One of the following sites may be helpful:

Maggie's Earth Adventures from Scholastic.com includes a "Clean up Your Grammar" game. It is designed for young children to help them learn the difference between nouns and verbs. The game has a recycling theme: participants sort words by placing them in the appropriate "recycling bin."

Education World offers an English grammar game called "What's Happening?" It can be adapted for students in grades 3-12. The game can also be adapted to practice nouns and verbs in foreign languages.

English Grammar Game for Post-Secondary Students

Younger students are not the only ones who can use help developing their grammar skills. The English Department at Ohio State University has posted a number of games and exercises designed to help students improve their skills in this area:

• The Grammar Game is a game where participants have the opportunity to correct errors from essays written by fellow students.

• Another suggestion is to let the students teach each other by working in small groups to develop a lesson about common errors made in writing.

• There is also an exercise that teaches students how to identify the passive voice in their own writing. They have the opportunity to change these sentences into those with an active voice.

• The importance of correct punctuation is covered in another activity.