Happy Grammar Families

Introduction:
A good game to build sentence building skills and to make gramatically correct sentences.

What is learnt?
Basic word order

Preperation:
Prepare a number of 'happy grammar family cards' needed for the game. Make them in 5 different categories: Title them Verbs, Subjects, Objects, Subject or Objects and Articles. In the middle of each card write down the words. Some examples being: Verbs: hate, love, like. Subjects: I, we, you. Objects: Us, me. Subject or Objects: toaster, bath, man. Articles: a, an, the..

Photocopy one set of cards per 4 students.

How the game is played:
1 Teach the class these words, using translation:
verb
subject
object
article
(The exercise will only work if these concepts are clear to students.) Also pre-teach any unknown words from the sets of cards..

Group the students in fours, two against two, facing each other. Ask them to erect a book barrier on the surface in between them so that pair A cannot see pair B's cards.
Give out the sets of cards and scissors. Ask the students to cut the cards out and shuffle them.
Explain the rules, using mother tongue:

Each pair has five cards - the rest of the cards are in a pool, facing down.
The aim of the game is to put down as many words as possible in meaningful and grammatically correct sentences. The winners are the pair that have most words in the sentences they have put down by the end of the game. You can also win by getting rid of all the cards in your hand at any point in the game.
Pair A start by taking a card from the pool and by asking for a card from pair B. They ask for a grammatical category, e.g. 'Have you got a "subject"?' If the other team have a card in that category and if the sentence is said in English they must hand it over. Pair A now have seven words and may be able to lay out a sentence.
1. It is now pair B's turn. They take a card from the pool and ask team A for a card etc.
2. During each team's turn they may lay down a sentence if their combination of cards makes it possible. Once a card has been put down as part oi a sentence, it is out of the game. 5 As the foursomes play, you may need to further explain the rules and to adjudicate on the correctness of the sentence laid out. The words from the incorrect sentences are returned to the pool.