What’s the Question?

What’s the Question? – Fast-Paced ESL Grammar Game. A Competitive ESL Activity for Reviewing Question Forms with Engaging Teamwork

What’s the Question? – Fast-Paced ESL Grammar Game

What’s the Question? – Fast-Paced ESL Grammar Game

If you’re looking for a fun, fast-paced grammar review game, “What’s the Question?” is a fantastic classroom activity that helps ESL students sharpen their skills in forming questions. Great for reviewing tenses, auxiliary verbs, and question word order, this game promotes active thinking, quick recall, and healthy competition.

Ideal for teens and adults at pre-intermediate to intermediate levels, this game turns grammar review into an exciting team challenge.

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🎯 Learning Objectives

• Practice forming grammatically correct questions from given answers
• Review key grammar structures such as verb tense, question words, and word order
• Develop speaking fluency and accuracy under time pressure
• Foster teamwork and classroom participation

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🖨️ Materials Needed

• A list of answers (prepared in advance by the teacher)
• A whiteboard or notepad for scorekeeping

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🧠 Example Answers

• I go to bed at 11 p.m. → What time do you go to bed?
• He’s working on a science project. → What is he working on?
• I’ve lived here for five years. → How long have you lived here?
• She’s going to visit Italy next month. → Where is she going next month?

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👟 How to Play

1. Set the Scene

Start by explaining to your class that they’ll be playing a game where the answer is given, and they must race to create the correct question.

Give one example on the board to show how the game works.
👉 Teacher: “I get up at 7 o’clock.”
👉 Students: “What time do you get up?”

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2. Team Formation

• Divide the class into two teams.
• Each round, choose one player from each team to come to the front.

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3. Gameplay

• The teacher reads an answer aloud.
• The two players at the front race to say the correct question.
• The first one to form the correct question wins a point for their team.
• Switch players and repeat with a new answer.

📌 Note: Encourage full, grammatically correct questions — no one-word guesses!

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🏆 Winning the Game

• Keep score on the board.
• The team with the most points at the end wins the game. 🎉
• Consider giving a small prize or allowing the winning team to choose a class activity.

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🔄 Variations

• ⏱️ Time Challenge: Add a time limit per round to raise the stakes.
• ✍️ Written Version: Have students write their questions on mini whiteboards or paper for quieter classrooms.
• 🤝 Pair Play: Let pairs work together to form the question before answering.
• 🎭 Act It Out: For advanced learners, give answers that require more creative or indirect questioning.

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👨‍🏫 Teacher Tips

Reinforce accurate word order and auxiliary usage (especially with do/does, is/are, have/has).ht Answer” card set — just cut, shuffle, and play!

Why It Works:
“What’s the Question?” turns traditional grammar review into a high-energy competition. It reinforces form, function, and fluency, all while keeping students actively engaged and motivated.

👉 Add this game to your next lesson to build accuracy, speed, and student confidence when forming questions!

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📩 Want more free ESL grammar lesson? Share this post with other teachers and let us know how it worked in your classroom!

💬 What other grammar topics would you like? Drop your ideas in the comments!

More ESL Classroom Games & Activities

Looking for more fun grammar activities for your English class? Check out these ideas:
✅ ESL Speaking Games to improve fluency
✅ Grammar Board Games for practicing sentence structures
✅ Interactive Writing Activities for ESL learners