How Often Do You Use English? – A Fun Survey Activity for ESL Students. Encourage Students to Speak and Reflect on Their English Usage Outside the Classroom – Free Printable PDFs
How Often Do You Use English?
How Often Do You Use English?
Looking for a dynamic ESL speaking activity that gets students talking, thinking, and engaging with adverbs of frequency? This survey-based game is perfect for encouraging students to reflect on how often they use English in their daily lives!
How to Play
📌 Step 1: Prepare the Activity
- Print and cut out a set of picture cards for each group of four.
- Print a copy of the “How Often Do You Use English?” worksheet (PDF) for each student.
- Review adverbs of frequency and time expressions with the class:
- always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never
- every day, once a week, twice a month, etc.
📌 Step 2: Make True and False Statements
- Start by asking students how they use English outside the classroom (e.g., watching movies, chatting online, reading books).
- Divide students into groups of four and give each group a set of picture cards.
- Each student takes two cards and prepares one true and one false statement about their own English usage, using an adverb of frequency (e.g., I send emails in English every day. I often make phone calls in English).
- Reminder: Statements must be about using English!
📌 Step 3: Guessing Game – True or False?
- Pair two groups together.
- One group takes turns reading their statements while the other group guesses whether they are true or false.
- Each correct guess = 1 point for the group.
- Continue until all students have shared their statements.
📌 Step 4: Conducting the Survey
- Students return to their original groups and receive a worksheet.
- Each student writes their group members’ names at the top of their worksheet columns.
- They answer the survey questions for themselves in the “You” column.
- Students then move around their group, asking and answering questions about their English usage habits.
- They record their classmates’ answers in the correct columns.
📌 Step 5: Class Discussion & Reflection
- When the survey is complete, discuss the results as a class.
- Ask students:
- Who uses English the most outside of class?
- What are the most common ways students practice English?
- What are some new ways they could use English in their daily lives?
- Emphasize the importance of using English outside of class and encourage students to find new ways to practice!
Why Use This Activity?
✔ Boosts speaking confidence & fluency
✔ Encourages self-reflection on English usage
✔ Teaches adverbs of frequency naturally
✔ Encourages student interaction & engagementtudent interaction & speaking confidence
✔ Reinforces adverbs of frequency in a natural way
✔ Great for all ESL levels & adaptable to different topics
✔ Fun, engaging, and promotes classroom movement creativity and critical thinking
✔ Interactive and fun for all ages
Get your students talking, thinking, and improving their English fluency with this interactive classroom activity!
📩 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!
DOWNLOAD THE PDF FOR FREE
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
