TEACHER’S NOTES

The ring game: order of adjectives

by Jill Hadfield

Level: Intermediate
fun with grammar tEACHER’S NOTES

Target age: secondary / adult (It is best to set up the game by demonstrating how to
Time needed: 15-20 minutes play with one group while the others watch.)
Tip:
Grammar objective: to practise adjective order
for size, shape, colour and materials Students can be encouraged to have fun by
‘embroidering’ the exchanges and adding their own
Materials: paper, coloured pens or pencils, a comments, e.g.:
copy of the card templates for each student, if - I’d like a big round ruby ring with diamonds around it.
necessary
- Sorry, Susana, I’ve only got a silver ring with a small
Summary: This is a fluency-focused card game square diamond. You’ll have to find someone else who
designed to practise adjective order. can give you a big ring like that.
Hint: A series of adjectives before a noun tends to
come in the following order:
Procedure
(1) comparative / superlative (2) opinion (3) size /
1. The students will need paper and coloured pens shape (4) age (5) colour (6) origin / nationality (7)
or pencils. material (8) type / purpose.
2. Get each student to take a sheet of paper and cut For example: The most beautiful desirable square
it into six equal cards. They can use the card Victorian white African diamond ring. Not that you are
templates provided if you prefer. ever likely to use all categories in one go!
3. Have each of them draw three rings with different
sized, shaped and coloured stones on three Links to other related resources on
different cards. If they know the names of stones onestopenglish
and metals (e.g. gold, silver, diamond, emerald,
etc.), they can specify these on the card. http://www.onestopenglish.com/section.
asp?docid=153513
4. They should then copy each ring onto the
remaining three cards. http://www.onestopenglish.com/section.
asp?docid=144843#7
5. Put students in groups of four.
6. Ask each group to put all their cards together and
shuffle them.
7. They should deal them out equally to each player.
8. They may look at their cards.
9. If they have two identical cards, they may lay
them down.
10. Player 1 begins by asking the player to his left
(Player 2) for a card matching one in his hand,
e.g.: Paola, have you got a small oval blue ring?
(Or Paola, what I’d like for my birthday is a small
oval sapphire ring.)
11. If Paola has the card, she must give it to Player 1,
who can lay both cards down. If not, she gives
the player any other card from her hand, saying,
e.g. Sorry, I’ve only got a big round red ring. (Or
I’m sorry, I’ve already bought you this big round
ruby ring…)
12. Then it is Player 2’s turn.
13. The player to get rid of all his cards first is the
winner.
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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009

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GRAMMAR & VOCABULARY / Fun with grammar / The ring game

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 TEACHER’S NOTES
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The
Titlering game: order of adjectives
by Jill Hadfield
Author
fun
subject

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grammar teacher’s notes

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© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2009

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GRAMMAR & VOCABULARY / Fun with grammar / The ring game

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