Two-word Verbs

Introduction: A class-long activity for the practise of two verb verbs

What is learnt? Compound Verbs

How the game is played:

1. Pair the students and ask them to match the verbs on the Mixed-up verb sheet you give them. Tell them to use dictionaries and to call you over. Be everywhere at once.
2. Ask them to take a clean sheet of paper and a pen or pencil suitable for drawing. Tell them you are going to give them a few phrases to illustrate. They are to draw a situation that brings out the meaning of the phrases. Here are the phrases - do not give them more than 30 seconds per drawing (they will groan):

to toilet-train a child
to soft-soap a superior
to force-feed an anorexic
to court-martial a soldier
to back-comb a person's hair
to cross-examine a witness
to spin-dry your clothes
to cold-shoulder a friend

3. Give them time to compare their drawings. The drawings often make misunderstandings manifest.
4. Split the class into teams of four. Tell them you are going to show them jumbled sentences (see below) and their task will be to shout out the unjumbled sentence. The first team to shout out a correct sentence gets a point.

Acknowledgments: Thanks to Graham.J.B. for submitting this game to us.

02.01.2007. 12:40