Games are an important part of most ESL, or English as a second language, lessons. They provide motivation as well as offering students the opportunity to communicate meaningfully in English. For this reason, a good ESL teacher will use English language games, not as a treat or reward, but as a valuable and integral part of the lesson.

I Went to The Shops
This game provides students with practice in using articles and other determiners. Arrange the students in a semicircle facing the board. Write on the board, "I went to the shops and I bought..." Say to the students, "I went to the shops and I bought some carrots." Ask the nearest student to you to repeat this sentence and to add another item to it, for example, "I went to the shops and I bought some carrots and a cat." The next student in the semicircle must remember this sentence and repeat it to the class before adding another item to the list. When a student cannot remember the sentence, she is out, and the game continues without her. Continue in this fashion until only one student, the winner, remains. Arrange students into groups of four to play the game once more amongst themselves.

Who Am I?
This game provides students with practice in using question forms. Give each student in the class a piece of adhesive paper, and ask each one, in secret, to write the name of a famous person on this piece of paper. Ask them to stick this piece of paper on another student's forehead, so that all students have the name of a famous person on their foreheads that everyone but they can see. Students now stand up and ask other students "yes / no" questions to try and determine who they are. For example: " Am I a man?" "Am I alive?" "Do I work in television?" After twenty minutes, stop the activity and ask each student who she thinks she is.

How to Boil an Egg
This game provides students with practice in using the imperative. Write on the board, "How to Boil an Egg." Students now, with help from you and using the imperative form, give you instructions on how to boil an egg in 10 steps. Steps the students might choose include: "Pick up an egg. Put the egg in a pan. Fill the pan with water." When you have 10 steps on the board, divide the class into groups of three and give each group another task, for example, "Open a Door" or "Brush Your Teeth" to write instructions for. Circulate and give help where necessary. After 15 minutes, or when most groups have finished, ask each group to read their instructions to the class.

Resolutions
This game provides students with practice in using the "Going to" structure. Explain to the class what a resolution is and that you usually make some on New Year's Eve. Give examples such as, "I am going to give up smoking," and "I am going to learn another language." Tell students to imagine that it is New Year's Eve and that they must write down three resolutions. Circulate as the students work, giving help where necessary. When the students have finished, ask them to stand up and find a partner. They must try and guess their partner's resolutions by asking "going to" questions. For example, "Are you going to get married?" or "Are you going to work harder?" After two minutes, shout, "Stop," and ask the students to find a new partner. Continue in this fashion for 20 minutes, and then ask students to tell the class what they have found out about their various partners.