Grammar Games at Home: Questions and Answers

Grammar Games at Home: Questions and Answers

Hello, friends!

On a recent program, we talked about a game called Jeopardy. I also said I would show you more games that can help you practice your English grammar, speaking and listening skills as you spend long periods at home.

Today, we will talk about a game you can play both at home and over video conference with friends or family. Let’s call it Questions and Answers. The game uses dice to create conversation between players.

Dice are box-shaped objects often made of plastic or wood and small enough to hold in your hand. You can even make them yourself with paper. The six sides of a die have either dots, numbers or words on them. We throw the die on a surface and use the side that faces up in game play.

Dice are small box-shaped objects often made of plastic or wood and used in game play. You can even make them yourself with paper!

The game Questions and Answers uses two dice. One of the dice holds six question words, one on each side: Who, Why, Where, When, What and How. The second die has a subject on each side. You can pick any six subjects you like. Here are some examples: Clothes, Hobbies, Sports, Television, Food and Places. At least two people are needed for the game.

How to play the game

Here is how to play.

Suppose someone rolls the dice and gets the words What and Food. That player must ask another player a “what” question about food. They could ask, for example, “What is your favorite meal?”

The player must answer the question in a complete sentence. Here is an example of a good answer: “My favorite meal is garlic shrimp with rice.”

The great thing about this game is that no one can cheat. The questions and answers cannot be found in a Google search because they will be different for every player.

To make dice, cut two pieces of paper into this shape, write words on them, then fold the three small edges in to form boxes. Use tape or glue to help.

Who asks and who answers?

Now, let’s talk about who rolls the dice and who answers the questions.

If you have only two players, then it is simple: One person rolls the dice and asks the question; the other person answers. You take turns doing this so each person has the chance to ask and answer questions.

If you have three players, the person rolling the dice can ask the same question to both players and each gives their own answer. Then, the next person rolls the dice.

For four or more players, before the game, you can decide on a way to choose who will answer the dice roller’s question. You can ask everyone to answer the same question, or play the game some other way.

Note that if there are some players at home and other players on video chat, each location will need a set of dice. The good news is that paper dice are very easy to make! Visit our website at learningenglish.voanews.com to see an image and read the quick and simple directions.

I’m Alice Bryant.

Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

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Practice

With a little practice, it's easy to think of questions just from the words What and Food! Here are some examples:

What is your favorite meal?
What was the last breakfast you made?
What is your least favorite vegetable?
What produce have you grown in a garden?
What snacks do you eat when you watch movies?

Can you think of more food questions that start with the word What? Get creative! Write your questions in the comment below. Then, let other readers write their answers in complete sentences.

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Words in This Story

practice – v. to do something again and again in order to become better at it

conversation – n. informal talk involving two people or a small group of people

dot – n. a small round mark

hobby – n. an activity that a person does for pleasure when not working

cheat – v. to break a rule usually to gain an advantage at something

location – n. a place or position