Guess the Problem

Guess the Problem: ESL Activity to Improve Advice-Giving Skills. Fun ESL Activity to Improve Your Advice-Giving Skills with Free PDF

Guess the Problem

Learning to give advice in English is an important skill for ESL (English as a Second Language) learners. Whether you’re offering solutions to everyday problems or giving helpful suggestions to friends or coworkers, being able to express yourself clearly and confidently is essential. One way to practice is through the fun and interactive “Guess the Problem” activity, which helps learners practice giving advice using useful phrases while improving their speaking skills. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to use this activity to boost your English fluency, with an added bonus of a free downloadable PDF for you to try with your classmates or friends.

Why Practice Giving Advice in English?

Giving advice is a skill that every English learner should master. It helps you build a stronger vocabulary, learn new sentence structures, and improve your fluency. Offering advice in English also requires the ability to use modal verbs (should, must, could, etc.), conditionals (If I were you…), and polite expressions—perfect for those wanting to sound more natural in conversation. Practicing these skills in a real-life context will make you more comfortable offering suggestions in any situation, whether it’s in a casual chat or a professional setting.

How the “Guess the Problem” Activity Works

This fun and interactive activity is ideal for ESL students at intermediate and advanced levels. It can be played in pairs or small groups. Here’s how it works:

Divide into Pairs: Each student takes turns acting as the “adviser” and the “problem solver.”
Giving Advice: The adviser picks one of the common problems (listed below) and gives advice using one of the useful phrases listed in the next section.
Guessing the Problem: The other student will listen to the advice and try to guess which problem the adviser is describing. If the guess is incorrect, the adviser can provide more advice until the problem is correctly guessed.
Discussing the Advice: After the problem is guessed correctly, both students discuss whether the advice was good or not and what could have been said differently. This helps reinforce language learning and allows learners to experiment with new expressions and vocabulary.

Useful Phrases for Giving Advice in English

Here are some great phrases to use when offering advice in English:

I think the best thing to do is…
I think you need to / should / must…
My suggestion / advice is (to)…
You could try…
You probably should / definitely should…
I would strongly advise that…
If I were you, I’d…
One thing you could do is…
The best thing (to do) is to…

Sample Problems for the “Guess the Problem” Activity

These problems are everyday situations that ESL learners can relate to. Each problem offers an opportunity for students to practice giving advice in different contexts. Use the list below to get started:

You can’t wake up in the morning.
Your bedroom is always messy.
You never hand in your homework on time.
You feel shy when you talk to the opposite sex.
You can never find the TV remote.
You don’t have any friends.
You have nothing to eat in your house.
You want to send a text message, but you’re driving.
You haven’t studied for today’s exam.
You’re overweight.
You didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas.
You have no Internet service.
Your computer has a virus.
You hate your job.
You have ink on your shirt.
You can’t sleep.
You have no money.
You’re addicted to cigarettes.
You feel burnt out from working too hard.
Your English skills aren’t improving.
You didn’t get a promotion.
You lost your friend’s favourite book.
Your neighbours are really noisy.
You’re in love with two people.

Free PDF for ESL Learners

Want to bring this activity to your classroom or study group? Download our Free PDF Guide for ESL Students to help you get started with the “Guess the Problem” activity. This PDF includes the list of problems, useful phrases, and tips on how to maximize your speaking practice.

How to Download Your Free PDF

To get started with this fun ESL activity and download your free PDF, simply click the link below:

Download Free PDF for ESL Guess the Problem Activity

Conclusion: Practice Giving Advice to Improve Your English Fluency

The “Guess the Problem” activity is a fun and effective way for ESL students to practice offering advice in English. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner, this game allows you to develop confidence in using a variety of useful phrases and modal verbs. It also provides a practical context for you to learn how to respond to real-life situations.

If you’ve never tried an ESL activity like this before, give it a go! Not only will it help you improve your English speaking skills, but it will also boost your ability to communicate naturally and politely in everyday conversations.

So, grab a partner, start guessing the problems, and get advice-giving in English today!

DOWNLOAD THE PDF FOR FREE

Guess the Problem Download

📩 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

Guess the Problem

Guess the Problem: ESL Activity to Improve Advice-Giving Skills. Fun ESL Activity to Improve Your Advice-Giving Skills with Free PDF