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Grammar Gamble


Activity type: this is a game in which students have to place bets on sentences depending on whether they think they can correct the sentences or not. The aim is for the students to make as much money as possible gambling on their ability to correct sentences.

Level: Any level (will depend on the type of mistakes/errors that you include in the auction)


Teacher's notes:

  1. Write the word 'gamble' on the board. Ask the students to tell you what this is. They should tell you that it is when people make bets on races or games in order to win money.
  2. Explain to the students that that is what they are going to be doing but they are going to be betting on sentences depending on whether they think they can correct the sentences or not.
  3. Divide the class into groups either threes or fours. Hand out a photocopy of incorrect sentences to each group. Tell them to look over the sentences and to correct them as best they can.
  4. Once they have done this tell them that you are going to 'give' them $100 which they can make bets with. Draw columns on the board, one per team and then write $100 at the top of each column. This will help you to keep track of the money in the game.
  5. Ask each team to make a bet on sentence number one. They should bet according to how confident they feel about correcting the sentence.
  6. If they feel very confident, they should bet about $99; if they do not feel very confident, they should only bet about $1.
  7. Write their bets under each team's column. The students must make bets; they can not skip a go.
  8. Listen to the corrected versions of sentence one from each team. DO not indicate who is right until you have heard all of the corrected versions.
  9. Tell the students which sentence is right.
  10. Calculate the winnings. I use a very simple way i.e. I add the bet and the original $100 together. So if a team got the sentence right and had placed a bet of $99, they end up with $199. If they got the sentence wrong, they have only $1 left.
  11. Note that if a team runs out of money, you can give them a loan and then subtract this from their total at the end of the game or you can disqualify them from playing.
  12. Keep repeating this until you have gone through all of the sentences.
  13. The students will probably get very excited as you go through the bets. The winning team is the one with the most money.


This is really good fun and generates a lot of excitement. Note that you can nominate one of the students to be the 'banker / calculator' if you like. This will make the coordination of the game a little smoother for you. Note that you can also use your own sentences. A good idea is to collect incorrect sentences over a week and then play this game at the end of the week.




Elementary corrections:


  1. I went on the party.
  2. I want to shopping.
  3. There it is very nice.
  4. They have a much money.
  5. He like to eat chocolate.
  6. I have dog and cats.
  7. I go to home yesterday.
  8. I very much like the place.
  9. I will to do the shopping later.
  10. I must to go now.


Intermediate Corrections:




  1. If I will go, I will see my friends.
  2. I have been there yesterday.
  3. I have been stayed here for two days.
  4. The diamond is stolen by the thief yesterday.
  5. I am staying here since two days.
  6. "Will you go tonight?" "Yes, I will be."
  7. The car was broken in the accident.
  8. "That was the door, it must be John"
  9. "No, it mustn't be he's still at work."

    The weather forecast said it's raining tonight.
  10. "Will you go out tonight?" "Its depends."




Possible Elementary corrections:

  1. I went to the party.
  2. I went shopping.
  3. It is very nice there.
  4. They have a lot of money. (Possible: They have much money)
  5. He likes to eat chocolate.
  6. I have a dog and cats. (Possible: I have a dog and some cats)
  7. I went home yesterday.
  8. I like the place very much.
  9. I will do the shopping later.
  10. I must go now.



Possible Intermediate Corrections:

  1. If I go, I will see my friends.
  2. I went there yesterday.
  3. I have been staying here fore two days.
  4. The diamond was stolen by the thief yesterday.
  5. I have stayed here fore two days or I have been staying here fore two days.
  6. "Will you go tonight?" "Yes, I will" or "Yes, I will be there."
  7. The car was smashed up / damaged / dented etc. in the accident.
  8. "That was the door, it must be John" "No, it can't be he's still at work."
  9. The weather forecast said that it's going to/will rain tonight.
  10. "Will you go out tonight" "It depends."












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