Activity

Verb Infinitive Board Game

This fun little board game practices the Verb + Infinitive grammar in classic tabletop fashion. The game needs one die, cards and some counters.

This game works well for 2-6 players.

Materials Needed:
Board mat x 1 (attached)
Dice x 1
Cards x 36 (attached)
Counters (One for each player)

Preparation:
Place the deck of cards face down on one of the large squares in the middle of the mat. Then take the top card of the deck and place it on the other square.
Everyone places their counters on the blue triangle (this is the starting point). Students can play janken to decide who goes first.

Red = I want...
Yellow = I like...
Green = I try...

How to play:
- The first player rolls the dice and moves their counter according to the number on the die.
- If they land on a circle space, they must say the verb according to that colour, followed by what is said on the face up card in the square on the middle of the mat.
- E.g. if a player lands on the yellow circle and the card in the middle says "...to speak Chinese," the player must say "I like to speak Chinese." Play then goes to the next player.
- If a player lands on a square space, they must say the verb according to that colour, followed by what is said on the face up card in the square on the middle of the mat. They can then take the face up card in the middle - they just got one point. They then need to place a new card from the deck onto the empty square in the middle. This is the new card everyone must say and to win the next point the next time someone lands on a square space.
- E.g. if a player lands on a green square and the face up card is "...to dance," the player will say "I try to dance," and then take the card as a point before replacing it with a new one.
- If a player lands on a -1 circle, they lose a card/point (they can place the card at the bottom of the deck) and must still say the sentence according to the colour and face up card.
- Repeat play until a player reaches the blue triangle.

There are a few ways the game can end:
1. The first player to reach the blue triangle ends the game (this does not mean they have won).
2. All players must reach the blue triangle.
3. The game has a time limit and players keep going around the board until the time stops.

Winner is the player with the most cards.

Note:
- The blue triangle means nothing. No sentence needs to be said.
- If the player lands on a -1 space but has no cards - nothing happens.

Optional:
- If you want, you can add a rule that the first person to reach the blue triangle gets an extra point/card.

  • You can also add a rule where if a player does not say the sentence on a circle space, they lose a card (this encourages students to speak every turn).

  • Feel free to change the words on the cards and the board mat according to which verbs or infinitives you wish to practice with your class.

3
Submitted by cwalker1692 December 7, 2023 Estimated time: 10-15 minutes (time can easily be extended)

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